Bachelor's Day Out

The morning sun filtered through gauzy curtains, casting warm rays across the bedroom. Lancelot stood by the bed, bare-chested, buttoning his pants. Merlin lay on the mattress behind him, propped up on her elbows, her eyes tracing every line of his toned back.

Just as he reached for his shirt, a mischievous smile curled on her lips. She slid out from under the covers and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, pressing her face against his back. Her hands wandered from his chest down to the ridges of his abs.

"Lancelot," she purred, her lips brushing against his ear, "let's have sex."

His body stiffened, quite literally, as a deep blush flared across his face and a sudden reaction below his waist left him frozen in panic.

Her hands began to slide lower, but just before she reached her goal...

Knock knock knock!

Merlin groaned, flopping backward onto the bed and yanking the sheets over herself with an annoyed huff. "They have the worst timing," she muttered.

Lancelot exhaled in relief, quickly pulling on his shirt and tucking himself into a more socially acceptable state. He walked to the door and opened it to find Joshua, Jack, and Raphael standing there in casual attire.

Raphael nodded. "Joshua said we should go out today. Captain Percival cancelled training, so he thought we could throw a little bachelor's party for you, y'know, since the wedding's coming up."

Lancelot blinked. "Oh. That sounds fun. Let me just check with Merlin first."

He shut the door and turned back toward the bed.

"Merlin, Joshua wants to go out and have a bachelor's party for me. Is it okay if I go?"

Merlin raised an eyebrow, her voice firm. "Sure. Just make sure there aren't any other women going with you."

Lancelot smiled. "Got it. Bye, Merlin."

As he turned to leave, she pointed to her lips. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

He chuckled and leaned down, planting a deep kiss on her lips. She pulled him back into another, longer one. As he stood up to leave, she playfully slapped his butt and bit her lower lip.

Blushing, Lancelot opened the door, only to find Joshua and Jack stumbling forward, caught mid-spy as their ears had been pressed against the door. Raphael grabbed both of them by the collars just in time.

Lancelot sighed. "Really?"

The four of them began walking down the hallway.

Joshua deepened his voice dramatically. "Madam Merlin, Joshua humbly asks for permission to whisk your knight away for his last day of freedom."

Jack joined in, adopting a high-pitched voice. "You may but no women! Be a good boy, Lancy."

Lancelot groaned and looked away, face already warming.

Joshua threw an arm around his shoulders. "I'll be back tonight, my queen."

Jack smirked. "Wait, Lancelot, aren't you forgetting something? Or are you planning to be a bad boy?"

Joshua and Jack then leaned toward each other and began fake making out, causing Lancelot to burn red with embarrassment.

Raphael rolled his eyes and cracked both of them on the back of their heads.

"Grow up."

"Ow!" Joshua and Jack winced in unison, both blowing out their cheeks like sulking children.

"We were just messing around," Joshua mumbled.

"Yeah, no need for violence," Jack added, rubbing his head.

Raphael looked at Joshua. "So, where are we going?"

Joshua scratched the back of his neck. "Well… I wanted to go to the human district… but I'm kinda a wanted criminal there. So... slums it is!"

The four arrived at the slums by midmorning, standing in front of a weather-beaten shack with a neon-painted sign that read...

= THE DANCE =

A man came flying out of one of the windows, crashing onto the ground with a grunt.

Everyone stared at the window. Then they all turned to Joshua.

"It's not that bad on the inside," Joshua said with a sheepish smile. "Trust me."

They entered.

Inside, the place was alive with chaos. Music blared from a live band near the stage, the dance floor was packed with a mix of all four races, werewolves, vampires, humans, and witches, moving to the pounding rhythm.

To the left was the bar area, which was only slightly quieter.

"I'm heading to the bar!" Jack shouted over the music.

"What?!" the others shouted.

"I said, I'm going to the bar!"

Raphael nodded. "I'm joining you!"

"I'm gonna dance!" Joshua shouted to Lancelot.

Lancelot grinned. "Me too!"

The two stormed the dance floor, vanishing into the crowd.

Jack and Raphael settled at the bar, ordering mugs of frothy beer served in worn wooden cups.

Jack glanced around, unimpressed. "Damn… this place is really something."

Raphael took a sip of his beer. "It's okay."

Jack surveyed the wreckage, broken windows, cracked tiles, smashed tables, a werewolf vomiting in one corner, two vampires passionately making out in another, and what might've been mud or something worse, smeared on the floor.

A man slumped into the seat beside them, looking like he'd barely survived a brawl.

Raphael leaned in. "Looks like you've been having fun."

The man turned. "Yeah… this place is great with friends."

It was Zain.

All three blinked in recognition.

"Zain?" Jack asked.

"Jack?" Zain said in surprise.

Meanwhile, on the dance floor, Joshua and Lancelot had gone feral, dancing wildly with strangers and each other. They spun, clapped, stomped, and laughed through the chaotic mass.

Eventually, Joshua found himself dancing face-to-face with Justin, while Lancelot spun straight into Luke.

For a moment, they danced on, lost in the rhythm.

Then they both froze, eyes locking across the room as realization dawned.

They were each dancing with their rivals.

The music thumped on, oblivious to the sudden tension.

Joshua and Lancelot stared at one another, expressions caught somewhere between shock and horror.

And then, slowly, at exactly the same time, both said...

"…Oh no."