Stavier One Shots

Though We're No Longer Strangers

Javier had noticed that Steve was a little off today. Something about how he didn't say good morning or how he didn't do anything when he realized he forgot the creamer in his coffee. Steve never drank it black.

He noticed the itch of Steve's fingers toward the cigarette box in his shirt pocket more than usual. He'd smoked more by the time lunch time hit than Javier would in an entire day. Something was eating that man up. Making his shoulders slump and his eyes heavy.

So Javier asked him for drinks after work.

He didn't ask him what was wrong, or if something had happened. It could've been him missing Connie again. Javier didn't know, but he knew Steve would tell him eventually.

They sat silent for a while at the table they shared, casually snacking on the chips between them. Javier was nursing a beer and Steve had just asked for his third shot of whiskey. "You were right Peña," he finally speaks. He's putting out his cigarette in the ash tray beside his arm and puffing out his last blow of smoke.

"I usually am, but about what?"

Steve swallows all of his whiskey and asks for two more. Javier frowns at him as he lights another cigarette. He takes a long drag from it and exhales in a pitying laugh. "All of it. I really didn't know what I was getting myself into with Carrillo. I should've listened to you."

Javier was confused. "I don't-"

"You told me you were protecting me. Protecting me from the awful things he does to get shit done and I didn't listen. I stuck my foot in the door and demanded to be let in on the action. You told me to be careful, and I wasn't. It hurts." He's looking down into his empty glass now. The cigarette's burning unforgotten in his hand.

Javier knows they busted a lab yesterday and Steve went with Carrillo to transfer the guys they captured. He hadn't heard of anything different happening after that. Now that he thinks about it, Steve had been acting a little shaken up last night after returning in the helicopter. "What happened?" he asks softly.

Steve just shrugs. "Threw the fucking guys out of the side when we were over the mountains just because they wouldn't talk. We didn't get any information from them. He didn't even try. Just killed them because he was impatient." Steve looks up with eyes of a million emotions. The most strongest one is pain. "I couldn't even do anything to stop him. I thought maybe he'd throw me out too. Can you imagine that Peña? Shaking your head no once and getting tossed out the side of a chopper to get smashed on the side of a mountain?"

He's pleading with Javier as of to ask the man if he thinks that's normal behavior. If it's something Javier would've been okay with or even done himself. He feels his stomach churn just thinking about it. "No, Murphy. I can't." He shouldn't have let Steve go with Carrillo yesterday. But who could blame him? Steve had wanted it.

Steve makes a noise in his throat and stands abruptly from the table. "I need another drink."

"Ya ha tenido suficiente," he calls after him. Steve's already at the bar ordering more. Javier sighs deeply. "Fucking gringos."

Steve drinks at the bar for a while then comes back to their table with a couple more drinks. He hands Javier another beer but keeps the whiskey to himself. At this point Javier realizes he made a mistake by asking Steve to drinks tonight. The man's probably had 10 shots of whiskey and he was already stumbling when he'd walked back over just seconds ago. His face is flushed from the alcohol and his head keeps bobbing. "Where are my cigarettes?" he slurs.

"I took them. You've had enough to smoke today and probably enough to drink. I should take you home."

Steve glares at Javier with an angry pout. "Give them back Javi."