Last Night {z e p h y r}

[todoke]

"Liam, you know I'm here for good now right... you don't have to drag me out the first night I'm in town!" Everett groaned as his cousin dragged him across the wide sidewalks. Anyone else would have been ecstatic, but not Everett, he was tired. It was a long trip from his home town in Maine. Most people would have flown, but instead Everett packed up his entire life into his shitty car and made the extremely long drive down. Not that it was a waste, he had picked up a hitch hiker or two along the way and heard some really interesting stories that he would write down in his journal at the end of the day. For the first time since he could remember he actually left that same book in his car, typically it wouldn't leave his side but his cousin insisted that their night out be uninterrupted from his scribbling. Liam was a bit of an attention hog it seemed, but Everett assumed putting his journal away was the least he could do since his cousin was letting him stay at his apartment until he found his own.


Liam was determined to show this small town boy the night life here in Orlando was to die for. Everett on the other hand could really care less, clubs weren't really his scene... he'd much rather be at home curled up with a good book with some peace and quiet. Already Everett knew he had to get his own place and quick, the thought of being towed along every night until 3AM made his stomach churn.


"Would you stop whining already, you'll thank me soon enough!" Liam took it slow at first, taking him to a trendy dinner spot with cuisine he had never experienced before. Even though Everett had big town dreams his life had been so simple up until now and it was going to take a lot of getting used to. Luckily, tonight he wasn't footing the bill for food that he merely picked at.


Liam had done well for himself in Orlando, currently he was one of the top billed Models at Next Agency. Everett wasn't exactly envious of his cousin's career, but he could at least respect that he's made a good life for himself and for now he could reap the benefits of being related so closely to him. Liam was his Mother's twin sisters son and the twins were just as different as Liam and Everett were, yet that never changed how strong their relationship was. The two boys were not as close as their mothers were-- but Everett could honestly say that Liam was the closest thing he had to a sibling.


Over the course of dinner Liam had ordered them strong alcoholic beverages, sometimes fruity and other times a bit sour. Everett wasn't used to these kind of cocktails, nor was he used to drinking this much in general... but it did take away the anxious feeling inside the pit of his stomach. On Monday he would be starting his first day of work as a Junior Journalist at Orlando Weekly. Typically, Everett would be oozing with confidence but there was a whole new level of pressure added since he moved all the way across the country.


"Would you relax already?" Liam spouts out annoyed, clearly he had noticed that Everett was caught up in his thoughts and had been nursing the same drink for half an hour. "Finish up that drink and let's ditch this place!-- You really need to let loose." As much as Everett hated to admit it his cousin was right-- what could it hurt to have a little fun?


It wasn't long before his sleeve was being tugged in the direction of a cab, "Pulse, Night Club." Liam didn't even take a second to consider the options. Everett truly wanted to bail at this very second-- he could fake a headache, or that the food wasn't agreeing with him... anything! But when he looked at how excited Liam was to show him around he couldn't say no, and he was sure that he'd never hear the end of it.


Once they arrive and exit the taxi Everett can feel the music vibrating through the pavement. It was quite impressive how far the loud music would travel. A large lump formed in the slender males throat, and just looking at the bright lights inside made him sweat... he was going to need another drink and quick!


Liam grabbed his arm once more, and lead him to the entrance. Impressively, due to his cousin's status the pair of them were able to enter without waiting in line, but suddenly every privilege he thought they had was gone. They were now among a large crowd of sweaty bodies writhing to the loudest bass he'd ever heard. This probably was the worst experience he'd had in awhile, he was sure that most of the bodies were males and he had come a little too close for comfort with more than three of them already. Luckily, Liam was able to navigate them quickly to the bar where for at least a second Everett could catch his breath.


"Th-there sure are a lot of guys at this club..." Everett admits uncomfortably. Sweat is now visible on the bit of pale chest he has sticking out from his black v-neck t-shirt and the look on his face is puzzled.


"Of course there is, this is the hottest gay Night Club in town!" Liam spoke so matter-of-factly as if Everett actually would have been okay with this idea from the beginning. After seeing the look on his face Liam ordered them two strong cocktails and handed Everett one with a wink. "Don't worry honey, I won't let anyone take advantage of you."


The look on Everett's face was not impressed, but he eagerly took the drink hoping it would help numb the nerves that kept building inside. He took a large gulp of his drink before adding, "I'll hold you to that."


It wasn't long before Liam became distracted, he was a very popular person and especially so in this club. Everett felt extremely out of place and every single guy that came up to them seemed to be just sizing him up, and wondering where he was from and how he knew Liam. The night was going to be a long one, and now with his cousin getting coerced into going on the dance floor he was going to have to fend for himself-- there was no way he would be caught dead out there in that sweaty crowd.

 

[z e p h y r]

Greyson Julian Campbell, king of doing nothing, was doing something tonight. By something, it means a gay night club. Okay, yes. A gay night club. Greyson Julian Campbell, ladies' man, handsome fellow, epitome of a manly man. At a gay night club. God, don't say it again.


"Mom," Grey called downstairs. 24 and still living with my parents. Okay. Probably cooking dinner or whatever else it is that she does at 9:30 at night. "Mom, I'm going out. Be back when I get back." He was now reaching the bottom of the stairs and peering into the kitchen, where she was only sitting at the kitchen table, writing something on a newspaper. She clapped it shut at the sight of him.


"O-Okay," She stuttered. Her cheeks flushed. Okay? "Where? Where are you going?"


Where am I going? He asked himself. Not to a gay nightclub; he's not going to a gay nightclub. Or, at least, she can't know that. So where is he going? Where do 24-year-old straight guys go on Saturday nights? "Club. Strip. Strip club. I'm going to a strip club." It just came out. God, how did that just come out? Why would I say that?


His mom's eyes widened, but her shoulders relaxed, surprisingly. "Well." She looked down. "At least you're being honest." Yeah. Yeah, at least I'm being honest. Sorry mom. He thought.


Grey waited outside for about ten minutes before a taxi pulled up. A familiar purple-haired girl was hanging out the window, waving her thin hand out the window at him. The two had met in seventh grade, right as Grey was beginning to settle with his sexuality, but he still wasn't comfortable telling anyone about it. Until he met Isabella Drew, the carefree lesbian who didn't give a fuck about anything. She taught Grey how to be himself, and to this day was the only person that knew about his sexuality.


"Hey, Bella," He called to her from the sidewalk as the taxi skid to a stop right in front of him. "Where's your car?" He asked as he opened the door and slid into the car next to her. She smiled sheepishly.


"Crashed it." She blushed, and then smiled. Of course she did.


"Wow, okay," He murmured. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"


"Because I'm me." She read the address of the club off of her phone out loud to the taxi driver. He waved at her and winked through the rear-view mirror and sped off. "Who's ready to have a good time?" She exclaimed. Not me. It was the truth; he wasn't excited. He was scared. The club was a good hour or so from his house, which lessened the likelihood of being spotted by anyone who he knows--but that doesn't mean it wasn't going to happen.


"I told my mom I was going to a strip club," He chuckled, trying to clear the air and avoid answering her question.


"Well, you never know what might happen." She winked at him and patted his shoulder. This is going to be a long night.

---

​

"Are you ready?" Bella asked. How was he supposed to answer that? How could anyone be ready for this?


"Well," Grey inhaled sharply and shook his head. "I'm not ready to answer that question."


The music inside was loud, so loud that Grey could barely hear himself talking out loud, reassuring himself that things were going to be okay and no one would find out. This was a night for him and Bella. He pulled his eyes away from the dancing mob in the center of the building and directed himself to the bar, where he started by ordering one, then two, then more until he lost count. He had always been one that was especially good at containing himself when he was drunk. He had barely said anything to the bartender so far, but with each drink, the mixologist grew blurrier and blurrier. Bella had lost herself somewhere in the sweaty mass of people, but Grey remained at the bar.


What am I doing? I'm always the life of the party. Hell, I am the party. No, not tonight. This isn't my place.


Fuck this.

 

[todoke]

To say that Everett was out of his element was an understatement and it was quite apparent by his behaviour. Only after having a several strong drinks he was able to look at something other than the glass in hand or his feet. First he checked out the stage everyone was dancing in front of, it had it's own set of seductive dancers who of course were shirtless. His eyes quickly veered back to his own surroundings feeling it strange to stare too long at them.


Luckily for him the bar wasn't nearly as packed as the dance floor so he was able to keep his own personal space and lean up against the sticky counter. From the looks of it most men were already paired off or at least looking for someone to chase so when he looked down the bar it was a bit of a shock to see another man around his age all alone. Their eyes meet for a second before Everett breaks the glance... he didn't want the other to think he'd been staring or something.


His thoughts were quickly interrupted by a very confident male who made his way between their eye-line. "Now, who would leave a sweet thing like you all by yourself?" The man in front of him seemed like a club veteran, his hair was perfectly groomed along with his perfectly manicured facial hair and his shirt tight. Everett almost choked on the drink he had been sipping on, was this guy really talking to him?


"Uh..." Everett wasn't great at socializing with the average person so this was quite a stretch and he become more nervous as the seconds passed.


"Not much of a talker?" The muscular man grinned, "That's okay... I don't like it when they talk to much it can ruin the mood." the man's body language was aggressive as he started encroaching more and more into Everett's space.


The writer's face become a bright shade of pink as he did his best to keep his distance from the eager male. "What's your name?" Everett wanted to run right now if he could, but honestly there was no where to go... and the way this guy was talking he wouldn't be surprised if he would follow him. All scrawny male could hope for is that Liam would come back soon and intervene.


"Ev-verett..." his voice was broken and shy, he could barely look at the man in front of him. Why couldn't he just grow a back-bone? This was embarrassing!

 

[z e p h y r]

Where was I? Oh, right. Fuck this. Drink #5 and Grey still had yet to start feeling better. The club was a swarm of bees—manly, gay, eager bees. Sweaty, testosterone-filled, drunk, dancing bees. No, bees are stupid. They’re men—hot men.


Mid-sip, a man crossed the floor behind Grey. His first thoughts consisted of, ‘omigosh, omigosh, omigosh,’ and ‘don’t talk to me, don’t touch me, don’t look at me, don’t notice me’ but he relaxed as the man continued walking. Within the past few minutes, Grey’s fear shifted from being recognized to being approached. What if someone asked him his name, or offered to buy him a drink, or asked him to dance? What was he supposed to do?


The guy kept walking and took a seat at a barstool in Grey’s proximity. In his territory. His turf! And then the questions suddenly came flooding back. Should I ask him his name? Should I buy him a drink? Should I ask him to dance? But the questions left as quick as they came and were replaced by the rush of more alcohol into his bloodstream. Man, this stuff made him more confident than he had been the whole night.


He looked over at the guy again. He was cute; he looked normal—shy, maybe—and most importantly, he looked miserable. He looked like he didn’t belong there, or like he didn’t want to be there—just like Grey. Okay, I’ll settle with #2. Buy him a drink. I might as well make the most of this place before I leave and never ever come back.


Nope.


Another guy—no, not guy, man! —cut between Grey and the mystery man. Probably his boyfriend or gay uncle or best friend or something. Grey looked in the other direction, away from the two men. He suddenly found himself face to face with Bella’s sweaty, eccentric face, half covered by her messy magenta curls. She was holding hands with another girl, this one with a bleach-blonde mohawk and a tube top.


“I’m getting out of here,” She slid a twenty-dollar bill to Grey over the bar counter with a wink. “Here’s the cab fares for the ride back. Talk to you tomorrow.” And with that, she began walking away, only to spin back around and quickly hiss words into Grey’s ear: “Talk to him.”


No.


No, I won’t.


But instead of saying this to her, he just pursed his lips and nodded with an eye roll. In his mind, he cursed her out for bringing him here in the first place. But in real life, he just waved and politely said bye to Bella and her catch of the night. So, with that, he ordered another drink. And another. As if he needed more.

 

[todoke]

"I'm Chad." said the burly man in front of him, his breath smelled as if it was drenched in alcohol. The man certainly looked like a Chad, if anything his whole package was a consistent one, right down to how inappropriate he was being with a stranger. Everett had to come up with a plan to escape and fast. His gaze returns to the dance floor briefly to see if he can spot Liam anywhere but there was way too many people to be able to make him out in the sea of bodies.


Sweat dripped down the side of his head as he anxiously downed the rest of his drink. "How about you and I get out of here?" Chad grabbed Everett's small wrist firmly. It must have been the alcohol helped him gain courage because just then Everett yanked his wrist out of the other man's grip not thinking what the consequences might be. Immediately, Chad's easy-going demeanour turned to a sour one.


"No thanks." Everett said harshly, he tried his best to look serious as he stood his ground, he even decided to make the message clearer by brushing past him and walking away. Sure, his own shoulder might have hurt from the push past the statuesque like man because he was so small, but it still showed that he didn't care.


Sadly, Chad wouldn't give up so easily he was quickly in his path again, this time his hands were planted firmly on Everett's shoulders squeezing firmly. "Ev-- c'mon you know you want to... there's nothing wrong with that." the man really was getting in his face now, his last words to him were even whispered into his ear. The feeling disgusted Everett and he firmly pushed the man back and was shocked by his own little spurt of strength.


"What's your problem?!" Chad's tone had gotten angry again, clearly he hadn't been used to being rejected... especially by a guy who looked as scrawny and meek as Everett.


Everett wanted this interaction to end, and end now. His eyes scanned his surroundings-- how was he going to get out of this mess? Before he knew it blurted out the stupidest thing imaginable. "Would you get out of my way? I'm trying to find my boyfriend." Everett tried to fake the most confident look in his eyes. Chad backed off for a split second.


"Boyfriend?" the muscular man let out a laugh, there was no way this guy had a boyfriend he had been left all alone at the bar. "I've never heard such bullshit!" he laughs again.


"N-no you're wrong." Everett said trying to shake the nervousness from his voice, "He's... he's right over there!" the dark haired male nods his head down the bar towards the man he had made eye contact with earlier. Of course he was hoping that Chad would just need a visual cue and no actual confirmation of their relationship. Chad turns around to look at the culprit at the bar who looked just as lonely as Everett did, this was a complete lie.


"Bullshit." Chad states quickly before grabbing Everett's arm again dragging him down the bar. The whole time Everett is cursing himself inside, that was the worst idea ever... now he was going to get someone else involved in his mess! Chad towers over the two of them and Everett stands behind him cowering the entire time as they approach the other male. "I believe this one belongs to you?" Chad yanks Everett to his side and gives the other male a curious look wondering what his reaction might be. He was sure he'd catch Everett in his lie immediately.

 

[z e p h y r]

Grey kept his eyes trained on the door, hoping Bella would come back and drag him home. Spoiler alert: She didn’t.


”Can I get… Another one?” Grey called, beckoning over the bartender. What am I drinking?


”Another what? What do you want?” The man responded, emerging from behind a wall where he was clearly playing on his phone. He grabbed a black towel from the countertop and slung it over his shoulder.


”I don’t know, just get me another one of these,” He held up his empty glass and the bartender chuckled sarcastically and shook his head.


”Man, if you can’t even remember what you’re drinking, I can’t serve you any more drinks.” And with that, the bartender began strolling way, back to his hidey-hole. Just as he did, Grey heard a chaos break out somewhere behind him.


”Boyfriend? I’ve never heard such bullshit.” It was the two guys from the bar, who Grey just noticed were missing. The larger one seemed to be ready to pound the smaller kid. I could intervene… Eh, no. I’ll just watch.


“N-no, you’re wrong… He’s… he’s right over there.” The smaller one looked like he was literally shaking. Okay, so they’re not boyfriends. Maybe it is his uncle. Who goes to a gay bar with their uncle? The kid pointed to the bar, right around where Grey was sitting. Grey whipped his head around, looking for the guy’s supposed boyfriend. This should be good.


There was no one. No one except Grey. This just got slightly less good.


The two guys started approaching Grey, the smaller one being dragged by the bigger man. Grey silently hoped that he would literally die right then and there in that barstool.


”I believe this one belongs to you?” The burly guy insisted, still gripping tight on the smaller one. Do they have me confused with someone else? Grey looked at the smaller one and saw how desperate his face looked. How miserable.


”Yeah, yeah, I, uh…” Grey stuttered, pushing himself out of the barstool and trying to contain his drunk self. ”I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Sorry about our… Fight.” How else do I make this believable? Should I say his name? What is a typical guy’s name? ”I love you… Sarah.”


Sarah? Are you fucking kidding me? You moron. I hate myself. What kind of guy is named Sarah? I’m gonna throw myself off a bridge, I fucking swear. Grey rubbed his hands together nervously. What was he supposed to do next? Hug the guy? Grab him from the larger burly man? None of the above. So he just sat there, staring at them, praying that he’d done the right thing and not made things worse.


Sarah. You fucking idiot.

 

[todoke]

Everett's eyes were full of desperation as he was standing helplessly beside Chad who seemed far from impressed by the other's reaction. He hadn't expected much but at least it started off in the right direction, he nods feverishly at the lie about their fight. Then his head cocks to the side when he hears the name Sarah. Did he look like a Sarah? Suddenly, Everett became super self conscious did he look that feminine?! His expression turned to what appeared to be a frown and disappointment because he knew Chad would only be even more infuriated.


"You expect me to believe this shit?!" Chad is baffled by the pair's weak attempt at tricking him, he turns back to Everett who is now completely red from embarrassment. "Looks like you're out of excuses now..." the voice turns from a growl to a purr as his grip now moves around the slender man's waist.


Everett bites his lip and bends back as far as he can to get out of the other's grip. "Yeah... th-that's right!" he blurts out, "That's what we fought about!" He eyes the other man hoping he'd collaborate with his story, "He wants me to dress up like a girl and insists that I go by the name Sarah, and I'm just not into that kind of thing... honestly!" his small hands try and pry himself from Chad's grip but he's far too strong for him to do so.


Chad chuckles, "You don't actually expect me to believe that do you?! And besides then you'd only be happy to go home with a real man like me." The thought of having to leave with this man was starting to make Everett sweat more, why did he have to be so feeble? He felt like Chad was an over zealous caveman who was about to throw him over the shoulder and take him away and that was the last thing he wanted.

 

[z e p h y r]

God damn, this guy isn't letting up. Okay. Grey exhaled through his nose. He screwed it up. So what? He didn't even know this kid. "Sarah" had to learn how to deal with his own problems without dragging random strangers into his life. But, still, Grey started this (in a way). Well, actually, if the guy hadn't called Grey his boyfriend in the first place this never would have happened. But, at the same time, Grey could have had a better solution to the problem. So, here goes nothing.


"What the fuck's your problem?" Grey took a step closer to the two guys. He grabbed hold of "Sarah's" arm and yanked, but he didn't come loose from the monster man's grip. Still, he kept his sweaty hand wrapped around the boy's forearm. "Don't talk to my... Boyfriend... Like that!"


God, I'm so drunk. And so stupid. And tired. He relaxed his muscles as much as he could, though every cell in his body containing the slightest bit of common sense screamed that he was going to get pounded into the ground. He though back to his time in grade school and how many fist fights he got into. He won most of them; he inherited his father's lack of knowledge of his own strength. But this guy? He wasn't a ninth grader like most of the other guys Grey fought. He was a gorilla. A caveman. A goddamn mega monster man. It had been years since Grey had laid a violent hand on anyone. Tonight, that might change.


Wait, why was Grey even thinking about this? Why was he even considering helping out this guy? He had never seen him before in his life, and would never see him again. He should just stop right there and tell the monster man the truth and walk out of the venue and continue living his typical life as a typical straight guy. But, for some reason, he couldn't. Something was making him stay; probably the booze. Yeah, definitely the booze. It was a huge confidence booster, and it made Grey feel like he could do some serious damage on this guy.


But, in all honesty, he couldn't. He was screwed.

 

[todoke]

So at this point Everett had assumed the pair of them were down for, that this Chad fellow would just chew them up and spit them out and then move onto the next piece of meat. But then, suddenly his made-up boyfriend decides to step between them with what appeared to be more confidence than the two of them had shown so far. Everett was a little shocked, but very grateful that the other decided to help him out... not that it was extremely heroic since they both were in hot water. Now, the supposed straight male stood with between two men with each arm held tight in both their grips. This wasn't exactly how expected the night to turn out.


Chad's expression became less friendly as the minutes wore on and now he held Everett's arm so tight it began to hurt and he couldn't help but show the pain on his own face. "Why are you even getting involved we all know it's complete bullshit." the man snarls at Everett's new boyfriend. Everett was about to yell out in pain when a familiar face appeared in front of him.


"Ev... what's going... on.... here?" Liam's face is in utter shock as he survey's the situation. Immediately Chad recognizes Liam's face and let's go of Everett's arm, without another word he pushes past Liam bitterly. Everett is left standing there still with his new friend gripping his other arm while the other one throbs and turns red.


Liam's expression turns curious as looks the other male up and down, "And who exactly is this?" Everett is still in shock for the whole situation that he hadn't explained anything yet... how exactly did Liam just scare off that monster of a man with just one look?!