Bar Flies

Luan arrived back at the club, freshly showered and armed with some cash. Seriously, who leaves the house without cash? He must have been really out of it to wander around with no way to get beverages that might ease his growing repressions.

Music was pumping loudly in the background, lights flickering over the swaying bodies that undulated to the rhythm. The smell of stale beer and vinyl hit Luans nose like a train, making him clench back a sneeze as he wandered the floor. Neon glow covered everything, the people appearing more like ethereal ghosts from another plane as they danced against each other.

Luan went for the bar, waving down the overwhelmed bartender and getting a glass of sky blue liquid that burned like acid on the way down. He reveled in the hard taste as it scorched his insides, igniting a fire that warmed his blood as he sat in a dark corner, watching the people indulging in carnal desires littering the room. The one good thing about places like this was the alcohol.

Luan enjoyed the relaxed feeling spreading through his bones, forcing away the cold from earlier. He wouldn't drink much, just enough to take the edge off.

Never know what one might do when they completely let go of their caged inhibitions. And Luan had a lot of inhibitions he'd rather keep in check.

Maybe he did indulge, if just a little. A couple more drinks than he should have, but Luan was feeling antsy and they made him forget why.

If you didn't know why you were restless, then why be restless?

It wasn't often he let himself relax like this, and nothing was quite like drinking with intoxicated strangers.

For just a few minutes, Luan could sit back, watching people with no real reason, nobody caring who else was present.

It was nice, the art of blending in.

He sighed quietly, shoulders relaxing as he leaned back in his chair, nursing the second drink he'd managed to procure as he let his mind wander aimlessly.

There was a crack in the wall, jagged and slithering along, all the way to the rafters above. Different colored drinks lined the shelves across the counter, a couple bins of condiments sitting in cups and corked bottles of wine down in the cupboards below, visible through the glass casing. Luan wondered what it would taste like, if you mixed a drop of every flavor and drizzled it in ice. Who knows, it might be the best flavor ever.

The bartender was bustling around, serving eager partiers their drinks, most of which seemed destined to end up on the ground. Intoxicated people appeared to especially struggle at keeping their drinks inside the cups.

He was enjoying the lack of attention he was getting, reveling in the fact he was just another face in the crowd as people drank themselves to death and danced like newborn fawns across the floor.

Unfortunately, it didn't last. Luan felt a presence sidle up next to him, the seat to his right screeching as it was dragged way closer than necessary and a human blob made its butt right at home. Luan was going to just ignore the indecent behavior, hoping to finish his drink with a little decorum.

He really was.

"Hey, cutie. You alone?" a voice just had to come out of the blob's mouth. Luan sighed, exasperation leaking from every syllable of the drawn out noise. He tilted his head to the side, acknowledging the loser that was encroaching on his me-time. He noted the brown smudge where eyes ought to be, shaggy brown hair hanging down in wisps that clearly needed a good washing, and barely any real muscle to hold up the blob. Really, not his type at all.

"Yep. And I ain't changing that for nothing, so move along." Maybe it was rude, but Luan wasn't in the mood to have relations with a man willing to drug people's drinks and coerce them into bed. He had noticed as he turned, a hand just barely became visible from behind as it slipped something white and crystally into his drink. He had just bought that, too!

"Oh, don't be like that! I'm sure I could change your mind, if you'd let me." The stranger murmured, face pulling up in a smirk no doubt meant to insight lust as he leaned closer. Luan matched his movement by leaning back, grabbing his drink and placing it in front of the man as he did so.

"Maybe. Let's see how brave you really are, shall we?" Luan whispered, letting a husky promise slip into his words as he nudged the drink closer. He enjoyed the way the man's eyes widened, looking down at the glass of darkened liquid as sweat slipped across his brow.

His eyes fluttered back up, hands shaking as he went to grab the drink. Luan smiled, leaning his head on his folded hands as he waited for the man to drug himself with his own stuff.

It almost worked too.

Until an arm came from behind, resting across Luan's shoulders and pulling him closer.

He looked up, prepared to put someone back into their place – far beneath him – when he met a sight he was just about sick of seeing.

Gold eyes rested above a smirking, infuriatingly handsome face. Dante leaned close, brushing his nose along his neck as he whispered to him.

"You really going to make the guy drink it, flower?" Luan was frozen, muscles tense as he met the wide brown eyes of the loser over Dante's massive shoulder. The man was shaking, drink spilling along the sides as he started to retreat. He had clearly figured out he wasn't going to get anything out of this. At least he seemed to have some brains.

Luan tsked, leaning away from the warmth at his back as he glared at Dante.

"Well now I can't." He muttered, vexed exasperation leaking out as he regarded the unwelcome presence before him. Dante just smiled brightly, slipping into the chair that was now vacant as he leaned an arm on the counter.

A glass of silvery green drink was set in front of him, the barkeep brushing past like a ghost as he settled drinks along the counter. Dante scooped it up and chugged it in one fluid motion, completely at ease in this place that seemed a bit of a downgrade for someone like him. Why was he even here? Luan had to wonder, what with the man's reputation being what it was. One look at those eyes and anyone would know who he was.

"No glasses today?" Luan questioned, watching through narrowed eyes as the man made himself right at home on the stool the blob had just vacated like a bat straight out of hell.

"What, and deprive you of the view?" Dante drawled, leaning back in his chair as he regarded the sour omega with an ever present smile on his face.

Luan had to wonder, for a moment, what kind of drink Dante had just consumed. He was acting so carefree, shoulders laid back, eyebrows relaxed. He rested forward on his forearms, looking down at Luan like they had all the time in the world to sit and stare. Luan glanced across the counter to the beverages on the wall, trying to make out their labels, especially the green colored ones.

His eyes snapped back to the man next to him when he heard a loud laugh, watching in mild fascination as Dante's face lit up like the sun striking a pile of gold. It was positively radiant, and he found himself becoming unbelievably dazed at the sight.

Those lips were still lifted, white teeth with a sharp edge on full display as Luan found himself leaning closer. Something about them seemed to pull him in. He just had to get a closer look. The lips stayed high, teeth getting an extensive presentation as they moved around. Up, down, twisted.

Moving.

Saying something.

A finger appeared in front of him, snapping like a bang. Luan flinched, eyes shooting back to Dantes.

He was smirking, something dark about the way his eyes looked him up and down. Like he knew something Luan didn't.

"Do you?" He asked, leaning ever closer as he spoke slowly.

"Do I what?" Luan whispered, eyes having a hard time staying away from the distracting mouth again.

Dante chuckled, low and deep.

"Do you come here often?" Dante whispered, voice a husky vibration.

Luan frowned, almost thinking he was serious. The twinkling eyes, crinkled corners of skin around the edges and tilted mouth, showcasing just the sharpest tooth, gave Luan the answer.

He rubbed a hand down his face, laughing softly in incredulity as he glanced away from the infuriating man.

Dante had made a joke, corny and horrendous as it was. And Luan actually gave him a laugh.

He could almost hear the wedding bells.