Reno had made himself a comfortable perch toward the back of the dance floor in a convenient place beside the bar. He was lounging in the seat, his back pressed and chilling against the block wall. Things hadn't picked up yet, but the night was very young. He preferred to get to the club early and score a table, have a couple of drinks and loosen up to the music before things started getting crowded. He finished the drink in his hand and added it to the two empty glasses already beside him. As one of his favorite songs cued over the speakers, he leapt from the booth and made his way out onto the dance floor.
Weaving into the crowd, he chose a place near the center of the dance floor. He didn't want to miss out when the mosh started during the chorus. He slipped around a tall, dark haired man dancing with a blonde boy, and a boy with short dark hair. One of them snagged his belt loop and pulled, catching Reno's attention. The blonde backed away, leaving ample room for him to dance. The dark-haired boy's face shined up at him, smiling warmly. Reno gave a quick nod that was returned with a smirk. The taller man brushed up against his backside and curled his fingers around Reno's hip, moving against him as the shorter boy tucked himself into Reno's chest. Reno fell back into the taller of the two boys, allowing his weight to fall back into him. He felt soft breath and a soothing voice in his ear.
"What's your name?"
Reno leaned back into him, tilting his face toward the other's ear.
"I'm Reno."
The mosh pit started, jostling against them, bodies bouncing off of bodies from each side. His dark compatriots seemed relatively unbothered by the entire situation. The shorter of them clung to Reno, the taller planted his feet, other patrons rolling off of his back. The lyrics returned and the dance floor quieted. Somewhere in the swarm of bodies, the blonde had wandered off. Neither of the two boys seemed worried.
The taller man nodded and gestured to his friend. "This is Baby. You alone?"
Reno jerked his head toward Baby, who returned the motion, then leaned back again. "You never told me your name. And yea. I'm alone."
"The name's Maki."
They danced together, the three of them, their movements synchronizing together in an unexpressed pattern to the beat of the music. Others danced up close, then away. A few of the girls made eye contact with Reno, winking or smiling. He sighed, back in his game again as the mosh pit rallied up with the chorus reprise. They danced into the others, their bodies colliding against one another, hands touching and pushing people back into the fray. Again, the chorus flowed back into the melody and he was snagged once again to dance with Maki and Baby.
A particularly cute girl caught his eye. He reached out and snagged the hand of the pretty, curly-haired brunette and pulled her in close. Maki's arm snaked around her back and she looked up at him with a slightly shocked expression, then relaxed into the beat of the music and wrapped her arms around Reno's neck. He leaned in and kissed her gently and she returned it, weaving her fingers through his spiky hair and massaging his scalp. As he broke the kiss she danced away, throwing occasional glances over her shoulder toward him.
The club was already a buzz by the time Rude, Elena, and her cohorts arrived. One of the blondes cut to the front of the line that meandered about the side of the building and whispered in the bouncer's ear. He nodded, twitching two fingers forward, welcoming them in. As Rude passed, he noticed how much broader he was compared to their security. Hell, it was his first night out in a long time;
why not live a little bit of it up?
As he moved to pass the door, he bumped firmly against the Entrance Gestapo.
"Opps, sorry there." He hefted a heavy hand onto the guy's shoulder with a grin. He could swear he heard a short whine.
The girls giggled and chattered excitedly as they herded Rude toward one of the very large speakers. He recognized the tune almost immediately, having heard it countless times blaring from Reno's headset. He grimaced. The girls each started to dance, swinging to and fro while moving hands; rising and falling in time to the beats. Rude stood amongst the gyrations, wheels turning against the allure of fun and the simple annoyance that no matter where he was, Reno was haunting him. A short set of hands grabbed his hips and pushed him round.
"Come on!" It was the raven-haired girl again. She coaxed him into a gentle rock, her hands tugging and pushing, guiding him into some sort of dance. He caved, cracking a smile as he raised both hands up to her shoulders. More hands appeared as the pace livened up. Rude finally started to kick back and enjoy the moment until... he thought he saw a familiar shock of red hair on the other side of the room. The girls continued their swarm, bumping and touching him merrily.
He shook his head.
If it is him, I'll be damned to let him know I'm here
.
~~~~
The song ended and Maki's fingers unwrapped from Reno's left hip, trailing up his side with a smile. Reno headed through the crowd to his table and sprawled across the seat, taking up the entire side of the booth himself. The block against his back cooled him as he rested his against it. A soft touch on his leg brought his head up, eyes focusing on the pretty blues from the dance floor. He nodded and the boy nodded in return, cautiously slinking into his lap, pressing gently against Reno's knees. He smirked and dropped his right leg off the booth, allowing Baby access to the seat, which he took gratefully. He leaned his pretty head in against Reno's shoulder and spoke into his ear.
"I hope you don't mind me sitting here with you. Makiros went to get us some drinks."
"I don't mind, yo."
"Good!" Baby chirped, nestling into Reno, hand splaying across his heart. "So what brings you here?" Maki returned, placing two drinks in front of them then chose to sit on the opposite side of the booth. He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and touched it to the lighter. It crackled as he drew in a breath. Reno looked at him curiously.
"What are those?"
"Clove. Want to try it?" Maki offered. Reno held out his hand and Maki slipped the cigarette into his fingers. "It's the third hit that does the trick. The first is slightly odd. The second isn't so bad, but it's the third."
Reno toked the cigarette, a strange flavor tracing over his lips and tongue. He choked a bit, eyeing the strange black paper with a confused expression. Maki chuckled and gestured for him to take another hit. Reno complied. He licked his bottom lip a bit, tasting the slight sweetness of the cloves. He looked to Maki expectantly.
"See, it's not so bad, is it?" he chuckled, nodding as though agreeing with himself. "Wait for the next hit." Reno's brow furrowed slightly and he took another long drag off the dark smoke, allowing it to fill his lungs. He blinked and exhaled, buzzing. Maki grinned from ear to ear. "Now THAT'S why I smoke these things." He held out his hand for the cigarette. Reno handed it back to him, slightly begrudgingly. As he brought his hand back, Baby had pushed a glass into it. He picked it up to his nose and smelled it before taking a tentative taste.
"So what brings you here?" Maki asked, taking a drag off his smoke, leaning forward across the table so his voice could be heard over the bass slamming into the walls around them.
"I come here every so often when I get a chance. I work rotating shifts."
Maki nodded silently, watching Reno's movements with a clever eye. "So you don't mind, uh..." Reno gestured to Baby who had wrapped himself around his leg and had pressed his ear against his chest, one arm wrapped around his waist, off hand rubbing him through his pants. Maki chuckled.
