|
The address that Jack gave Renault is a few blocks outside of the Gayborhood - a side street with a few bars and restaurants, and a black door with a neon sign above it spelling EONS in capital letters.
Given that it's a Thursday, and fairly early in the evening, there isn't a line at all, just a bored-looking bouncer at the door. No sign of Jack, yet.
Renault arrives dressed down a little, a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the top few buttons undone, a gold watch and necklace with an unusual little charm on it, black slacks and shoes. He idles near the entrance, looking perfectly relaxed as he waits for Jack.
A couple minutes after 11 a black and silver motorcycle pulls into a parking space halfway down the block. The man riding it kills the engine and stands, pulling his helmet off and shaking his hair out. It's Jack, of course, in a lightweight floral bomber jacket and tight gray jeans.
He gives Renault a lazy smile and an upnod when he sees him, and stows the helmet under the seat before making his way over.
"No velvet suit tonight?" He looks the man over.
“Thought it would be a bit much; plus I wanted to show that I can let my hair down, metaphorically.” He grins. “How are you doing?”
"Heh." Jack tousles his hair and unzips his jacket. Oh look, it's that same harness - without a shirt, this time.
"Pretty good - gearing up for a long weekend of work, and I'm pretty much booked straight until the end of the month after that. So getting my socializing in while I still can, y'know? How 'bout you?" He gestures with his head as he speaks and starts to walk toward the door, giving the bouncer a familiar hello. They exchange banter for a bit and Jack gives Renault a quick introduction to them.
“I’m doing well. Got invited out by a guy who can pull off a chest harness, and that doesn’t happen every day.” He politely greets the bouncer, chatting easily until Jack leads them inside. “Experiencing something new, it’s nice. Shame you’ll be so busy, hopefully I can give you a proper night out to tide you over.”
Jack chuckles. "That does sound like a good time, dude sounds pretty hot." He shrugs his jacket off as he goes, and leaves it at the coat check because really, who wears a jacket inside?
With it off, the tattoo sleeve on his right arm is on full display - a mix of sharp geometric patterns and softer florals. It runs from his wrist up to his shoulder, a few vines trailing to his collarbone. There's a smaller bit of tattooed text that runs just under a pale scar on the left side of his chest. On the right side there's a scar to match, but no tattoo.
He's also got that same scent he did at the goth bar - the freshness of an imminent spring storm, undercut by something more metallic. Dead on for blood - hard to do with cologne, if not impossible. But it sure as hell smells real.
Electronic music hums throughout the place, the bass falling just short of vibrating the entire floor. Brightly colored flashing lights flood the dancefloor.
"You wanna dance, or get a drink or something first?"
Renault manages to keep it subtle as he gets a good whiff of Jack’s “unusual cologne”, masking it as a lean in to talk over the noise. “I thought we could dance, maybe chat a while. I’ll drink whatever you’re having,” he says with a smile. He blinks a little, and glances around the room. “Damn it is loud in here.”
"Decent excuse to stay close," Jack replies with a grin, and grabs Renault's hand to drag him to the fairly empty dancefloor. "Part of it's that there's not a lotta people here - bodies absorb sound, so on a 'quiet' night, unless the DJ accounts for it, everything'll sound louder. And the DJs don't necessarily care..."
He lets himself be drug, chuckling. “My, someone’s eager.” He spins once they’re on the floor, and pulls Jack close to him. “Show me how all the cool kids dance, Jack, I wouldn’t want to make you look bad. To be honest, the crowd is worse than the loud music, so I can’t complain too much.”
Jack's grin widens when Renault pulls him close, his eyes dancing in delight. "I'll do my best - you'd want my fiance Lux to really show you how it's done. I could watch them dancing for hours..." He trails off with a little sigh before pulling himself back to the dance partner at hand.
Once his attention is on Renault again, he starts to really dance. Contrary to his assertion that his fiance is the dancer, Jack is good - he's got the rhythm, and an easy style that makes his casual dancing look effortless. And he takes Renault along too, his hands moving to his arms, his waist his back...not getting too handsy, but not shying away from touching.
Renault is certainly not bad, he’s clearly got some moves; he’s probably just warming up. He doesn’t seem to mind the touching, and returns it, his hands roaming without being too invasive. A cheeky tug on the harness here and there.
"Oh you're a liar, you obviously know what you're doing..." Jack purrs into Renault's ear with a low chuckle, and takes half a step closer until their bodies are actually touching.
He shivers a little, and chuckles. “Guilty as charged, on both accounts. But don’t worry, I promise to use my powers for good...” And then he actually purrs, letting their bodies easily press together.
Oh, that purr is positively wicked; it almost feels like his voice is caressing Jack’s neck.
Jack shivers and his breath catches in his throat, and he melts against the other man a little. "You keep talking like that and I'm gonna wanna drag you somewhere more private..." He mutters. It's almost lost under the noise of the music, though his dancing does get a touch more suggestive, especially now that they're so close.
He matches the suggestiveness, chuckling darkly. “Is that so? Whatever shall I do?” He’s let a little husk slip into his voice, and he’s grinning as he teases. “I don’t want you to get too worked up, or I won’t get to enjoy dancing with you all night...vertically.”
It's enough to make Jack actually speechless for a few moments. "What are your thoughts, about how this evening goes...?" He finally says, and lets his lips just brush against Renault's ear.
“I was thinking that since we’re even here your partners don’t mind too much, so it’s up to us...on my end I wanted to see what our chemistry is like, and it’s obviously pretty good...I’m perfectly happy with however tonight ends, but if I’m being honest I’m not exactly feeling chaste...”
"They don't mind, no...I told them not to necessarily expect me home tonight." Jack catches Renault's shirt as he runs his hands up the man's back, tugging it out of the waistband of his slacks. Accidentally. Probably. Maybe not.
"That's not much of an answer...how do you want this evening to go?"
“Oh, Jack, feeling a bit pushy, are we?” He grabs the harness and pulls Jack’s shoulders and head far enough back he can look into his eyes. “I want to get you alone and take things as far as we both wish to...”
Jack stiffens in surprise when Renault pulls him back, concern flickering across his face. But it clears when he continues to speak, and he lets out a bit of a nervous laugh. "That's...cryptic. It sounds like you already have a plan...?" It's clearly an invitation to elaborate.
He lets go of the harness, and presses close as they keep dancing. “Well, I am enjoying dancing like this, but I thought we could go somewhere a little more private, before the end of the night. If that’s alright with you. I don’t want you to think I’m only interested in you physically, but I have to say that I am...”
“Interested, that is.”
"You know, when I set my sights on getting laid by a guy who leads a Bible study, I didn't expect it to be so easy..." Jack murmurs with a chuckle. "I'd be fine to keep dancing, build the suspense a little..."
He chuckles, his hands getting a little more teasing. “I’ll have to dispel some of the assumptions you have about me, then. Mmm, I could go for a drink right now...Maybe we can take a short break from the dancing?”
"Clearly," Jack's lips brush against Renault's ear again, but he soon pulls away. "I could do drinks, yeah. I'll even buy, since I'm the one taking you out." He winks and shifts to rest his arm loosely around Renault's waist, hooking his thumb into a beltloop, and starts toward the bar.
"I heard you and Ziv had a nice evening after I left?"
He purrs and rests his hand on Jacks shoulder as they walk. “Well, thank you, how gentlemanly. Yes, Ziv and I chatted for a while, enjoyed meeting each other. I’m going to take them out once I can make reservations. You two seemed like good friends, I hope I’m not stepping on toes.”
"Not at all," Jack laughs. "They and I are pretty good friends, yeah. We've got...a similar outlook on life, I guess you could say?" He shrugs. "You can order whatever, I'm getting a lemonade. I dunno what they do to it but it's incredible - they might make it in-house with like...real lemons and shit."
“I’ll have a lemonade too,” he says with a smile, squeezing Jack’s shoulder. He even orders when they get to the bar, flashing Jack a mischievous smile. “Any other friends I should know about?” he asks as he looks Jack up and down.
He chuckles as he leans against the bar as well, winking at Jack. “I think I might like making you a little jealous, though. If some dancing was enough to get you worked up...I should get to know lots of your friends.”
A blush blooms on Jack's face, and he bites his lip with a huff of amusement. "You're welcome to try, but I dunno if I know you well enough for it to work."
Renault grins wickedly and leans a little closer. “I’m pretty good at figuring people out. Besides, the practice is half the fun, isn’t it?”
Their lemonade arrives, and Renault takes a sip. “Mmm, that is good.”
"Sounds like you've got more than just a one night stand on your mind." Jack tugs him a little closer, the grip on his belt loop tightening. "Not that I'm complaining - isn't it?" He takes a sip himself.
"What've you figured out about me, then?" His tone is teasing, and he raises his eyebrows.
“I’m not trying to sweep you off your feet, but if things are going well, I wouldn’t mind an ongoing thing.” He hooks his finger through the ring on Jack’s harness, pulling the other man a little closer too. “A few things. One, that you’re loving our sparring, two, that belonging is important to you, and a few other things better left for private conversation...”
Jack lets himself be pulled closer with a hum, and takes another swig of his lemonade. "You're not wrong...you're perceptive. I'm looking forward to hearing those...other things..." He grins and shakes his hair out of his eyes. "Even if I'm fairly certain you've got...an agenda underneath all this."
He drinks more lemonade, and shrugs his shoulder. “It’s not what you’re thinking...” He glances to the dance floor. “Do you want to finish these and do some more dancing? Or maybe chat somewhere a little quieter?”
"How d'you know what I'm thinking?" Jack gives him a once-over. "Though. 'M sure you've guessed some of it, I'm not known for my subtlety. One more dance, and maybe we can find somewhere for coffee?" A beat. "Your place, maybe?" It's accompanied by a slightly raised eyebrow.
“One more dance, and then...my place, if I can get a ride there...” He smirks and jerks his head towards the dance floor. “C’Mon, then...” He sips his lemonade, and then starts to walk away, looking over his shoulder.
"Anywhere you want, babe..." Jack doesn't let go of him, and drains the last of his lemonade before following Renault back onto the dance floor. It's filled up a little, but it's nowhere near the press of bodies that it might be on a weekend.
Lack of lack of space doesn’t spot Renault from drawing Jack close to him again, purring as he leads him in some more aggressive dancing. “What was that about tension, or letting things heat up?”
Jack laughs, his smile warm, and his pulse starts to rise as they continue to dance. He's energetic and sensual, that unusual scent that must be cologne seeming to get stronger.
"What tension?" He purrs. "We're certainly taking our time, aren't we? I've dragged men into bathrooms in less time than we've spent together."
“Aw, now I feel I haven’t been appealing enough. Should I have opened another button or two?”
Renault is a seemingly tireless dancer, and while his motions aren’t especially graceful, they make up for it with timing; Renault seems to effortlessly match Jack’s energy and sensuality.
Another warm laugh. "I didn't assume you'd be interested in a quickie in the bathroom. As you said, it looks like there's a hell of a lot of incorrect assumptions I've made about you. And plus..." Jack presses a soft kiss just under Renault's ear, "I'm having a pretty good time just like this. But if you wanna I'm not gonna say no."
“At the beginning of the night I might have taken you up on that, but now I’m glad to slow things down a tad.” He playfully nips at Jack’s jaw. “This is fun, isn’t it?”
"Huh. Yeah, not what I expected at all." Jack dances away from him, his hands and his gaze teasing. Inviting Renault to pull him back.
He chuckles and pulls Jack back, after getting another good look himself. “Oh, I am just full of surprises...”
"I look forward to uncovering more of them." Jack's hands slide up Renault's chest and into his hair, and he catches the man's lips in a deep kiss. His pulse spikes as he does, his heart thudding in his chest.
Renault kisses back, hands resting on Jack’s hips and squeezing a little. When it finally breaks, there’s a little glaze in his eyes, and he’s sporting that wicked grin again. “Hey, wanna get out of here?”
"Yes." Jack's clearly finished being coy - one more hard kiss and he practically drags Renault off the dance floor toward the door. And then huffs and threads his way though the other patrons to the bar to settle the (admittedly small) tab.
He waits patiently, eyes watching Jack intently. When he returns, Renault winks. “Away to your chariot?”
"There's a joke in there about me being your chariot, eventually..." Jack flashes Renault a wicked grin and runs a hand down his arm. And manages not to forget to pick up his jacket at the coat check, though it's a close thing.
"You're lucky I carry an extra helmet with me," he says once they're outside. "I have no interest in being pulled over tonight - or at all."
“Ah, I’m pretty good at getting out of tickets, but no need for the delay.” He walks briskly to the bike, suddenly chuckling. “I think I’d have to say something about you being a mighty fine chariot, if that joke was made.”
He pulls on the helmet when it’s handed to him, his grin fixed on his face.
"Getting a bit head of ourselves, aren't we?" Jack puts his own helmet on and shows Renault where to sit, sliding his hands down the man's thighs after they're both on the bike.
"Alright, where're we headed?" He snaps his phone into a holder on the handlebars and turns toward Renault.
“Getting ahead is involved, yes,” he says as he laughs at his joke. “Ok, but where were...ah, oui, my apartment.” He gives the address, and wraps his arms around Jack’s waist. “Onward, Chevalier.”
Jack chokes out a laugh at Renault's joke, his heartrate spiking, and leans back against him, his hand lingering on his thigh for another second before he, you know, actually has to drive them home. He doesn't skimp on speed, weaving between the city traffic with the ease of practice.
The drive takes them towards the center of the city, and one of the nicer areas there. To high rise apartments, even. Renault lets Jack know when to ignore the GPS to go into the parking garage. He dismounts and pulls off his helmet when they’re parked, a grin on his face. “What’s the rush, Jack?”
Jack tugs his own helmet off, and stands to kiss Renault in response, catching his lips with his teeth and wrapping an arm tightly around the man's waist.
"This," he mutters with a grin when he pulls away. "About that coffee, mm?"
He chuckles into the kiss, hand resting on Jack’s shoulder as he guides them into the building and the elevator up to his floor. After the door closes, Renault pins Jack to the wall of the elevator with another kiss.
Jack returns the kiss immediately, melting into Renaud and sliding his hand up the back of his shirt. "D'you know how many times I've been interrupted doing this shit in elevators?" he gasps with a grin when he comes up for air.
“Most of the residents are asleep by now. And I plan on making it to my apartment,” he replies with his own grin.
He unzips Jack’s jacket a little, hand running over his chest.
"That's always the plan," Jack says with a chuckle, and helps Renault along, unzipping his jacket the rest of the way before returning his hand to making slow circles on the man's back, his nails dragging gently against skin.
"Nice building - must cost a fortune to live here..."
He laughs and pulls the other man out of the elevator—it’s one of the fast ones, apparently. “I wouldn’t say a fortune, but I decided I’d put a fair amount of my budget into having a nice place to live.”
He drags Jack down the hall to his apartment, opening the door and turning on the light as he pulls Jack in and closes the door. “There we are.”
To Jack's credit, he does take a few long moments to look around the place as he kneels to unlace his boots.
"Must be quite the budget, still," he says with a chuckles as he stands, his hands drifting to Renault's hips.
The apartment is a modern one, classy, but no to the point it looks like it was made for aliens. The front door leads to the living room, the walls of which are absolutely covered with bookshelves. “It...is. But I try to do some good with it, as well as having a comfortable life.” He takes off his shoes, and gives Jack a tug on his harness. “You, to the couch. We...have a few things to talk about.”
"...Do we, now?" Jack grabs Renault's hand to pull him toward the couch as he goes, grinning.
He sighs and lets himself be drug along, flopping to a seat. “Actually, yes, we do.”
Jack eases down onto the couch with a quiet groan, and reaches out to rest a casual hand on Renault's shoulder. "Alright...? What's up?"
“You know Daniel, obviously...how well do you know him?”
Jack raises his eyebrows and gives Renault a searching look. "...Ah," he finally says. "I'd...wondered, about you."
He nods. “Yeah. I suspected something was different about you and Ziv, from little things you and Daniel said at the bar that night, and I...checked at the club tonight, just to be sure. So. Wanted to talk before we went any further.”
He stiffens a little, his hand tensing on Renault's shoulder. "You...checked. How."
“I see things others cannot, know things others do not. I can...it’s like reading an aura, but not all visual. The smell of smoke and charcoal, blood dripping on thorny vines.” He looks down. “I wasn’t trying to breach your trust, but I needed to know before I could even bring it up for myself, you know?”
"Were you planning on the fact...becoming relevant, tonight? You...being a vampire, I mean." Jack's still tense, and he's watching Renault's reaction carefully.
“Yes and no. If you were a human, I would have shown you a good time, fed a little, and sent you on your way home safe, maybe a teensy bit anemic. Sense you aren’t, there’s no point in me feeding on you, and I thought I owed it to you to show you my cards. As you said, I’m a liar, but that doesn’t mean I’m without principles. You deserve better than that.”
Jack laughs when Renault talks about what he deserves - it's a hollow, humorless sound. "Well - I appreciate that. D'you vet all your potential meals like this?"
“Yes,” he says without pretense. “Partially for this very reason. My kind are often not thought of very fondly; I don’t see a point in exacerbating the issue. I understand if you’re no longer interested in me, Jack, I’d never hold that against you.”
"Well, you've already put yourself a bunch of steps ahead the worst of the bunch that I've met." Jack sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "I do not want to be fed on, and if...you've got any shit that...bends reality, don't do any of that in front of me. Otherwise..." Another sigh, and a soft chuckle as he sits up. "I'm prob'ly gonna regret this in the morning, but take your fucking clothes off."
Renault reaches up to give Jack’s hand a squeeze. “I suppose I can handle ‘not the worst’ for the time being.” He starts to unbutton his shirt. “And thank you, Jack, for having a little faith in me. I’ll do my best to help you keep it.”
|