Chapter Text
Oscar Piastri has always kept to himself. He stayed in the shadows of every room he walked into. He was a wallflower hoping to disappear from the world. His own thoughts were the only human interaction he ever needed in life. He wasn’t necessarily bullied in high school; no one ever knew he was there when they whispered. Oscar was smart, and that intimidated people. They called him plenty of names. Names that would normally hurt people, but none of that bothered Oscar. He moved through life with only one purpose.
Oscar wouldn’t say he’s had the most traumatic childhood. He still had a family who loved him and was given everything he could ever dream of. He was grateful for his life, even if those who provided all the love were not his parents. His parents have been sitting in a box on the shelf of his grandparents' living room since he was nine, a gesture his grandparents hoped would keep them close. Oscar didn’t believe in an afterlife, but talking to them helped when he needed comfort his grandparents couldn’t fully provide. Fifteen years later, he still has not told his grandparents what he saw when he found his parents murdered. Some nights, after a nightmare, he would sneak out of bed, seeking solace from his parents’ memory. Though they were gone, Oscar felt their presence in his quiet grief.
That’s why Oscar stayed in the shadows, pouring all of his effort into his studies. Friends were not important when he had a mission in life. Some days, when his focus cracked, he wondered if he would’ve become an astronaut like his parents wanted. Oscar loved the endless possibilities of space. He had charted the stars when he was eight after receiving a telescope for his birthday. His parents loved Oscar’s intelligence and wanted him to reach for those stars he loved so deeply. Maybe one day he could go back to those stars once his life’s mission has been completed.
Right now, Oscar walked inside the FBI New York City Field Office just like he has every day for the past two years. Three bachelor's degrees and two Ph. D.s later, Oscar was one of the youngest FBI recruits to walk into these offices every day. Each time he walked into this building, he felt closer to the truth that had been itching Oscar for fifteen years. This city held secrets, and it was Oscar's job to find them. One day, he would reveal the biggest secret of all. He would find out who killed his parents, even if it took Oscar's entire life to do so. He had to do this one thing for them to finally be capable of resting peacefully.
Oscar wasn’t at his desk longer than five minutes before his unit chief called a team meeting in the conference room. Oscar quickly discarded the files he had pulled out back into his desk. Grabbing his coffee, Oscar followed his unit chief into the conference room while others moved to do the same. Max Verstappen could make anyone in a room afraid just with one look. He calculated every word he said to elicit the right emotion in anyone that he was interrogating. He had all the natural abilities an FBI Unit Chief working in organized crime needed. He had personally requested Oscar to be on his team as soon as Oscar graduated from the Academy and ranked NYC as his number one preference for cities to work in. In the two years Oscar has worked for Max Verstappen, he has never questioned why he wanted Oscar. He was grateful to be able to work in the same city he grew up in. Oscar didn’t need to question his unit chief.
Oscar sat down beside Max at the round table that encompassed the meeting room. Max had taken the idea for a round table straight out of the myths of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. Whenever somebody questioned the table, Max insisted he had chosen it because everyone on his team was valuable and equal. That’s why Max chose a different seat every time the team had a meeting. He may have the title of Unit Chief, yet Max didn’t enforce it often. Max played into the team's strengths and weaknesses for every new case we received. The leader was chosen based on what the team needed to get the case solved in a timely manner.
Right now, Max sat with a stack of papers in front of him. He quickly glanced over them, paging through what the Department of Justice had deemed necessary to understand the full scope of the case. Oscar could see photos and known bits of information on some of the papers. This case had suspects for whatever the DOJ needed to be solved. Max stopped his perusal to look over one suspect. Without making it look like Oscar was snooping, he could only analyze the photo. The male looked to be around Oscar’s age; he didn’t have noticeable features that signified age, yet he had no features to showcase being youthful. A strong jawline with slight stubble, high cheekbones that held little baby fat, all features that Oscar associated with mid to late 20’s. In the photo, the man wore a tailored tux that fit perfectly on his body, especially his thighs. The photo of the male was taken as he walked into a building. He was surrounded by a couple of bodyguards signifying his importance. He smiled widely in the photo, like he was laughing at something someone said, and showcased his perfect white teeth. The cut of his hair gave an edge to his perfect appearance. His dark brown curls lay atop his head, with the sides shaved in a faux hawk style, giving a rebellious streak to his pristine appearance. Whatever this case entailed, Oscar knew this guy was going to be important in solving it.
“Now that everyone is here, let's get on with this meeting.” Max put his hands atop the papers, pulling Oscar out of his stare. “First off, I would like to introduce you all to Logan Sargeant.” Max gestures to the blonde sitting across from him. If everyone in the world were to imagine what a stereotypical American would look like, it would be Logan. Blonde hair, blue eyes, perfectly groomed hair, sun-kissed skin, looking like he just spent hours fishing.
“He comes to us from the Miami field office for the case that we have been assigned today. He specialized in undercover missions.” All eyes looked at Max as he said that. This team has never received a case that involved people going undercover. There were plenty of other teams that specialized in undercover missions. “Which leads me to the case we have been assigned. As we are all aware high profile individuals have been suddenly dying and on the autopsy of every single person has shown up as a heart attack or suicide. The FBI has reason to believe that these deaths were actually murders. Committed by an old mafia family that are known to be able to cover their tracks.” There were only a couple mafia families left in the city in the 21st century. All of them are too rich and powerful to be able to arrest them for their known crimes. The FBI has never been able to get substantial enough evidence. “This case involves two people going undercover to gain the trust of this family.”
“Why would the DOJ want us to go undercover?” Jade asked. She was the team's communications liaison. Her blonde hair had been pulled back into a claw clip that showed the full extent of confusion on her face. “No one on this team has ever gone undercover. There are teams in this building that specialize in undercover operations.” A notepad in front of her had some info scribbled on it. A needed aspect for her to communicate to the press or anyone outside of our team.
“This family is different. They follow a lot of the rules of most mafia families but they have a little twist.” Max throws out a case file to the middle of the table. An older face with polished brunette hair and a strong bone structure stared back at Oscar. He would put the man somewhere in his 50’s based on first glance. Logan took the file first as he looked through multiple papers within the file. “Toto Nocita.”
“Like the Nocita family? One of the original five families of New York City.” Oscar's eyes widened as he turned to Max. The Nocita’s were powerful. They owned almost half of the nightclubs and real estate of lower Manhattan. They were just as famous as the Rockefellers and Vanderbilts for people who grew up in the city. Completely untouchable.
“Yes, exactly,” Oscar took the file out of Jade’s hand and began scanning the papers. His eidetic memory helped to take in a lot of information all at once and be able to recall everything. He memorized every single address of every single property the family owned, the names of everyone who is known to work for them, and the entire family tree. “Toto is the latest godfather of the family. His older brother was the boss for four years before killing himself. Before that his father had the role. They tend to follow a line of succession through the eldest son.”
“Similar to a monarchy?” Cora questioned as she held the file that had been passed around the table. Cora didn’t do any field work, nor did she have much training with it. Cora’s expertise lay with technology. She was able to find out any information with a click of a button.
“Yes they do follow a line of succession similar to a monarchy but this family is a lot more progressive than most monarchies or other mob families.” Max threw out another file, this time with the photo of a girl with long dark brown hair and a soft smile. Wrinkles formed around her eyes and upon her forehead as she smiled. Her looks alone could kill. “Unlike other families women can have a high ranked position within the family. This is Vittora LeClerc and the last of the siblings. She married a French mobster and left the family to go live with him in Monaco. When her husband died of cancer in 2017 her and her four sons moved back to New York City to work for the family once again. That’s when Toto appointed her as his consigliere.”
“What’s a consigliere?” Cora questioned as she pored through the new file.
“Consigliere means advisor in Italian. Within the Mafia, they serve as the Boss's closest confidant. They mediate disputes, are a liaison for the family, and advise the Boss as much as they can when asked.” Oscar remembered the entire Mafia wiki page he had read one night when he was fifteen and couldn’t sleep. He had just watched The Godfather and was curious how the mafia worked in real life.
“Thank you, Human Dictionary.” Jade joked. She had coined that name on Oscar's first day on the team. He began explaining the entire history of gang violence in New York City when someone asked the name of a specific gang. Jade quickly became Oscar’s favorite coworker after that. She was the only one who didn’t look at him differently because of his intelligence. For the first time in his life, he didn’t need to hide in the shadows. He found someone with whom he could just be himself.
“Next is the underboss,” Max throws the file with the photo of the male that Oscar had been staring at earlier. “Lando Nocito is the second-born son of the old boss. His older brother stopped being active in the family business when he turned 18. This made Lando the apparent heir. Lando was only 15 when his father killed himself, so he has been serving as the underboss until it is apparent that he is old enough to take over as the boss.”
“Lastly,” Max throws out eight remaining case files, “The rest of the grandchildren who all work as Capos. Carlos, Charles, Arthur, and Oliver are all the children of Vittora. Flo and Cisca Jr. are Lando's sisters. George and Kimi are Toto’s children who have a sister, but she left the family just like Lando's brother.”
Oscar didn’t bother grabbing any of the files. He could quickly gloss over all of them later when he could read them without the distribution from others. Right now, he needed to focus on taking in all of the information Max was giving. Max is holding back on information. Specifically, why was this case assigned to their team? They worked in organized crime but mostly focused on gang violence. The mafia was high-profile and hard to touch. There is a twist that makes this different from everything else, and Max is holding back.
“You still haven’t explained why we were put on this case,” Jade spoke up as she began marking up a family tree on her notepad.
“The DOJ wants us to work this case because of Oscar.” Max turned to Oscar. His eyes showed no worry from his statement. Max believed just as much as the DOJ did when thinking Oscar was the most important person.
“Why me?” Oscar couldn’t imagine any reason the DOJ would want him specifically in this case. He has no previous experience with these types of situations. Most of the time, he didn’t interrogate a single suspect. He was the brains of every operation, the one working to solve the puzzles.
“As you saw on many of these files the most important figures of the Nocita organization are in their 20’s. This is a young family but they are cunning and able to get away with a lot of things. The department needed someone young to go undercover and with Oscar having Italian descent on his fathers side and still holding an Italian last name they knew he was the best option. This family may be different from other mafia families but they still are proud of their Italian heritage. They trust people with Italian heritage more than others.”
“I have the social skills of rock.” Oscar sputtered. He knew that socializing with others wasn’t his strong suit. He barely made friends throughout his childhood. In college, he had been so focused on getting his degrees as quickly as possible that there was no time for socialization. You could say he was a social pariah, but he did that on purpose. Jade could be considered his first and only friend.
“You chose not to socialize, that doesn’t mean you aren’t good at it.” Jade jumped in, “You have natural charisma, and your dry sarcasm makes you funny. You just don’t use those skills.” Jade knew Oscar the best out of anyone in this room. The girl was just as introverted as Oscar was, but still was comfortable in front of dozens of reporters. She had lots of friends, some of whom Oscar has met; she just prefers to stay in instead of going out and partying. Even if she preferred to stay home, she has been to most of the nightclubs in New York.
“Jade is correct, you do have social skills, Oscar,” Max affirmed, drawing Oscar's attention back to him. “Our team is considerably young, and that makes us perfect for the job. Oscar is going to be our main point of contact with this family. Logan is going to be there to aid since he has done this hundreds of times. Jade, I also want you to go undercover on some occasions. You three will look like your average friend group in their twenties.”
“So, when is our first mission?” Oscar didn’t expect Logan to speak up. He sat there quietly, taking in all of the information. The guy looked like he belonged in a frat, yet he has been quietly analyzing every single file Max has given. He was smarter than he looked, Oscar concluded.
“Tonight,” Oscar was not prepared for such a quick turnover. There is no information gathering phase. “It’s a Friday night, so the clubs will be packed. We have word that Lando will be working at the club he manages. Fantasia is the most illustrious of all their nightclubs and is very hard to get into. Luckily, the department got you three VIP tickets.” Oscar wasn’t a nightclub frequenter, and even he had heard of Fantasia. You had to buy tickets months in advance due to the large number of people who wanted to go. To say you’ve been to Fantasia meant you were an elite nightlife frequenter. “They have a dress code, so you three need to be looking your best. Jade, you’ll need a dress and heels. Oscar and Logan have no athletic wear, but also no suits and ties. Use your digression for what that could mean.”
Oscar leaned back in his chair, not believing this was actually happening. This is nothing like anything he has done before. He remembers some of the undercover lectures he had taken at the academy, along with the extra lectures he’s gone to over the past two years. Yet he has a feeling none of those lessons are going to come into play in this situation. Thinking on his feet is going to be crucial to the success of infiltrating this family and tearing them down from the inside.
“You three need to look like you want to be there, so have fun. Your only job is to make contact with someone from the family. Whether it’s Lando or someone else, you just need to talk with someone. So when you go back tomorrow night, they will recognize you.” Max continued explaining the details of their mission. Oscar focused on all of the facts instead of spiraling from the task in front of him. Oscar had to be perfect if he was going to get out of this alive. “Well, that is all the information I have. Oscar, Logan, and Jade, you are free to go home early since you will be working tonight and tomorrow.”
The table stood up all together, grabbing all of the files scattered around the table. Logan and Cora were the first to quickly move out of the room. Max squeezed Oscar's shoulder as he passed in silent encouragement. Max had more faith in Oscar's abilities than anyone else had given him credit for. He was always the one to encourage Oscar during cases and the first to congratulate him on solving crucial problems.
“You're panicking.” Jade drew Oscar out of his thoughts. She leaned against the wall, arms crossed, staring at Oscar just standing there. Oscar moved past her and back into the office space of the building. She quickly followed in tow beside him, looking Oscar over with worry on her face.
“This is just a lot.” Oscar finally spoke, “I know this isn’t a one-man job, but with how Max had said it all of the weight of the case feels like it’s on my shoulders.”
“That’s exactly why Logan was brought in from Florida. He has the experience needed to aid us in being undercover.” Jade explained as she began to pack up her stuff at her desk. They had cubicles next to each other – a request made after Oscar's first day.
“I guess he’ll be good to lean on.” Oscar sighed.
“You also have me. Think of tonight and tomorrow as me finally convincing you to go out and party.” She smiled, looking over the divide between their desks to see Oscar shoving papers into his backpack.
“Have you ever been to Fantasia?” Oscar looked up at Jade.
“No, but I’ve heard all about it.” Jade sighed dreamily, “They only play early 2000’s EDM, and that’s what made it so popular.” Oscar listened to house music, so he didn’t understand the early 2000’s hype. It was his childhood, but he wasn't focused on his studies and didn’t know any pop culture.
“I don’t have anything to wear.” Oscar threw his backpack over his shoulder. The two of them walked in sync as they exited the building. Oscar barely went to work today because the sun was directly above them. The city still moved on with people and cars everywhere.
“Good thing we have all day to find you an outfit. I need a new dress anyway.” Jade insisted, grabbing Oscar's arm and pulling him in the direction of the closest subway station.
“I hate shopping,” Oscar groaned.
“You’ve never shopped with me, and I love shopping.” Jade smiled. Oscar knew the importance of having the right outfit for the nightclub. That’s why he allowed Jade to pull him down the stairs into the subway. He could handle a day of shopping if it was for work.