Chapter 13 #2
“Oh my God, is that Gavin?” His voice carries over the music. “Everyone say hi to my giant friend Gavin! Look at that outfit! Honey, you look like a snack!”
The entire club turns to look at me. I'm gonna die. This is how I die, shirtless in compression shorts while hundreds of gay men stare at me.
I wave weakly. The crowd goes wild.
"Okay Bitches, this one’s for the baby gays!”
Music explodes from the speakers, and Sylas starts lip-syncing to a song called "Pink Pony Club." The crowd knows every word, including the geeks who are screaming along, completely different from their usual shy selves.
"Here!" JP appears with a drink, it’s an amazing concoction of pink with an umbrella, and enough fruit to count as a salad. "Welcome to the club, literally!"
"Thanks, man." I take a sip. It tastes like sugar, bad decisions, and an extra twenty minutes at the gym tomorrow. Perfect.
"Come on!" Max grabs my hand. "Dance floor!"
We push into the crowd as a group, sticking close. The music pounds, bodies everywhere, and suddenly, I get why they come here. Nobody cares that I can't dance for shit. Nobody's judging. Everyone's just... free.
Max throws his hands up, eyes closed, moving like the music's part of him. He's beautiful like this, confident and lost in it. I notice Leo keeping close, subtly blocking when other guys try to dance up on him.
A guy slides up to JP, all hands and a big-toothed grin. JP's whole body language shifts from confident to closed off in half a second.
"Come on, beautiful," the guy's saying as I move closer. "One dance?"
"Nah, I'm good with my friends." JP's smile is plastered on, taking a step back.
The guy follows. "Your friends won't mind sharing—"
"He said no." I step between them, not aggressive, just... present.
The guy looks up at me, calculates the size difference, and melts back into the crowd with a "whatever."
"Thanks," JP says, then louder over the music with that forced grin: "I talk a good game, but I never actually go home with anyone anyway."
"You don't have to—"
"It's just trauma. We've all got it somehow." He shrugs like it's nothing, but his eyes are saying everything.
Fuck. "Someone I need to take apart?"
He laughs, brittle and sharp. "Nah, fahgeddaboudit." The accent is terrible, probably meant to lighten the moment.
I throw an arm around his shoulders with a quick squeeze. He tenses, then leans into it for just a second before dancing away.
"If you ever need anything..." I call after him.
He throws me a real smile this time, small but genuine, before dancing in between Max and Leo.
"You're popular already!" Doc shouts, appearing at my side.
He's right. Guys keep appearing in my peripheral, giving me looks I'm starting to recognize. One brave one actually approaches.
"Hey, gorgeous," he grins up at me. "Can I buy you a—"
"Thanks, but I'm here with friends!" I say politely.
He looks at Doc, then back at me. "Lucky friends." He says with a wink that I'd swear has Doc grinding his teeth together as the guy disappears back into the crowd dancing around us.
"There’s my boys!”
Sylas appears like a glittery hurricane, still in full drag. He hugs everyone, leaving lipstick marks, saving me for last.
"Gavin! Welcome to the rainbow mafia, baby!" He throws his arms around my neck, has to jump to reach, and plants a massive kiss on my cheek. I can feel the sticky residue he left behind. "You look delicious!” He pulls back and looks at me seriously for a second. "You good?"
"Thanks? And yeah, I'm good." I laugh, hugging him back. He smells like hairspray and pink.
"Taking good care of our little Sebastian?" Sylas asks with a knowing look.
"Trying to—"
But when I turn, Doc's face has gone dark. Not sad, dark, murder dark. He's staring at the lipstick mark on my cheek like it personally offended him.
Sylas catches it too, laughs bright and sharp. "Ooh, someone's jealous!" He pushes me toward Doc. "Go get him, tiger!"
Doc turns to storm off, but fuck that. I catch his hips, pull him back against me. He's so small, fits perfectly against my chest.
"Where you going, Doc?" I lean down so my lips brush his ear.
He shivers. Full body, head-to-toe shivers.
"You look fucking gorgeous tonight," I tell him, letting my voice drop lower. "And just so we're clear? You're the only guy I want to dance with."
His hands come up to rest on mine, where they're holding his hips. Not pulling away, pressing closer.
"Yeah?" His voice is barely audible over the music.
"Yeah." I pull him tighter against me, start moving to the beat. "This okay?"
He turns his head just enough that I can see his smile. "More than okay."
The crowd presses around us, but all I can feel is Doc against me, the way he fits perfectly in my arms, how his body moves with mine like we've done this before. My lips find his neck without permission, and he gasps, grinding back against me.
This is definitely gay. And I'm definitely into it. Into him. Into whatever this is becoming.
"Gavin?" He tilts his head back to look at me.
"Yeah, Doc?"
"Thanks for tonight."
I spin him around to face me and keep him close, my hands on his lower back. "Night's just getting started."
His eyes go dark in a different way, the good way. The way that makes me want to find a dark corner and see what other sounds I can get him to make.
"Promise?" he asks.
"Count on it."
The bass drops, and Doc moves against me, all that usual careful control just... gone. His hands slide up my chest, fingernails dragging against bare skin where the mesh does nothing to protect me.
Fuck. That's new. Girls never did that… That little edge of sharp with the soft.
He turns in my arms again, grinding back against me, and holy shit.
The way guys move is different. There's more.
.. Intention? Like he knows exactly what he's doing to me, how to move to drive me insane.
No hesitation, no playing coy. Just his ass pressed against me, moving to the beat like he's trying to kill me.
"Fuck," I breathe against his neck, can't help myself. My mouth finds that spot where his shoulder meets his neck, and he makes this sound, this tiny whimper that cuts through the music and goes straight to my dick.
"Gavin..." His head falls back against my chest.
He smells different from what I expected. He’s clean and sharp, not flowery or sweet. Just... him. Male. It makes my brain short-circuit in the best way.
My hands span his waist, fuck, he's small; I could probably wrap my hands almost all the way around, and I pull him impossibly closer. He responds by grinding harder, one hand reaching back to grip my thigh, keeping me right where he wants me.
"You're gonna kill me," I tell his ear, letting my teeth graze the shell of it.
He shivers again, another one of those full-body things. "Good."
Over his shoulder, I catch Max watching us with a knowing smile. He elbows Leo, who looks over and gives me a thumbs up. Even Luca's grinning and nodding his approval.
These fuckers. They're all watching their friend finally get some and living for it.
Seb must notice too because he tries to pull away, embarrassed, but fuck that. I keep him pressed against me, lean down so only he can hear.
"Let them watch," I growl. "Let them see you're mine."
The noise he makes at that? Yeah, definitely filing that away for later.
"Possessive already?" He tries for sarcastic, but his voice cracks.
"Problem with that, Doc?"
Instead of answering, he grinds back harder, and I have to bite back a groan. This is definitely, absolutely, extremely gay. And I'm so fucking into it I can't breathe.
"No problem," he finally says, breathless. "None at all."