Work Text:
Ren understood why Nora wanted to bring him to a club now. The music that blared from the speakers was so loud that attempting to yell at her over it would make his throat hoarse and voice utterly useless. She had accounted for all of this and now he was alone in this vicious technicolor discobabble. He let out a heavy sigh and marched over to the bar counter. He wanted a juice box.
Much to Ren’s lack of surprise, the club did not have any juice. It did, however, have a tempting “long island” iced tea on the menu. Curiously, he asked for one of those, only slightly perturbed that the bartender asked for his (fake) ID. It must have been his babyface or something.
While the drink was being prepped, Ren spun around on his vinyl-lined stool and stared at the lights racing across the walls and ceiling. How would he ever find Nora in all of this? He lifted a hand to his forehead and let out an exasperated sigh. He never should have listened to her the moment she said something about “bonding exercises”. If anything, this was a horrific violation of his trust.
"Hey. Aren’t you the guy from the library? Props to you for using one correctly."
Ren looked over to the voice that had managed to cut through the thumping bass. His expression softened. “Thanks.”
The familiar stranger held out a hand and introduced himself, “Neptune. Neptune Vasilias. And you?”
He took the other boy’s hand and gave it a gentle yet firm shake. “Lie Ren.”
"Nice to meet you, Ren. What’s a sweet kid like you doing in a joint like this?" Neptune flashed his pearly whites, looking a little too amused for his own good.
Ren flushed. And not from the smile. Just the fact that he had been caught here by someone who knew him, if only by association. “Nora brought me here. I’m too nice to tell her ‘no’. It’s a problem.”
"Yeah? I could help you with that."
"How?"
"Wanna dance with me?"
Ren stared at him blankly. “… No.”
Neptune let out a dramatic gasp, then rested his palm over his heart. “Ren, you wound me. But you see how easy it is to tell someone ‘no’?”
Admittedly, “No.”
But Neptune just laughed, all in good fun. “You’re getting the hang of it— oh, hey! What’d you order, cool guy?”
Ren shrugged. “Iced tea.”
"Whoa. That’s… that’s pretty hardcore." Neptune ran a hand through his hair, looking just slightly concerned.
Confusion wrote itself upon Ren’s face. Maybe Neptune thought he was a total badass for not conforming. He didn’t need any alcoholic beverages to have a good time. “Not really.” He picked up his drink and began to sip. It was a lot better than he expected.
And naturally, once that cold liquid started coating his throat, Ren realized just how thirsty he was. He continued drinking while looking to Neptune, waiting for the other teen to continue the small talk.
Instead, Neptune just stared at him. And stared. And stared some more. “Dude. You’re downing vodka, gin, tequila, and rum like it’s a can of soda—”
Ren had the decency to turn away from Neptune before spitting out his drink. “Wh-what? But it’s—”
"Mixed so you don’t taste the alcohol." Neptune shook his head. "You downed like half of that… I’ll go get you some water. Stay put, okay?"
Ren nodded numbly, too flabbergasted to ask why Neptune had to hunt some down instead of ask the bartender for it. Maybe because there was a stupid price tag for it. Those cheap bastards.
Within a matter of minutes, Ren felt his face flush. He giggled to himself. Everything felt so light and float-y. He glanced around, wondering if he would miraculously spot Nora somewhere on the dance floor. No dice. Why was that so hilarious to him?
Neptune came back with a water bottle in hand. “Here. Drink some.”
Ren pushed his hand away and said, “Nah, I think I kinda like this. I like your hair, too.”
Oh boy. Neptune shook his head and pushed the water at him again. “Flattery’s not gonna get you everywhere with me, Ren.”
"Why’d you approach me? Do you think I’m cute or something?"
To answer, or not to answer. That was the question. “Sure. You’re cute. But you’re also tipsy and you’re gonna hate yourself if you don’t stay hydrated.”
Ren shook his head. “You asked me if I wanted to dance. Dance with me, then I’ll drink some water. Okay? I want to try something new.” He tugged at Neptune’s sleeve, thinking he could get away with it.
Though Neptune liked to think of himself as anything but an enabler, he sighed and said, “On one condition. Did you take your eyes off your drink?”
"Yep."
"Right. We should toss that." Neptune grabbed Ren by the arm and hauled him away from the counter. "Do you feel dizzy yet?"
"Are you kidding me? I feel great!" Ren exclaimed as he threw his hands up into the air. "Normally, I’m kinda anxious around people so I don’t say anything, but it’s like that filter is gone, so I can just say what’s on my mind." He was all smiles and grins now, eager to impress the handsome fellow who was so invested in his well-being all of a sudden.
Though he was wary about Ren’s alcohol (in)tolerance, Neptune couldn’t help but smile at the newfound courage. “There’s nothing wrong with being quiet, you know.”
Ren bowed his head forward as if he was going to nod, but he didn’t look back up. “No. But I get talked over a lot.” Reluctantly, he met Neptune’s gaze. “I’m used to it. Where’s the line between being accommodating and simply settling for it?”
"… You wanna go for a ride on my bike?"
Ren smiled for a fraction of a second before realizing he couldn’t take Neptune up on his offer. “I came with Nora. I know, I know. I act like I’d ditch her given the chance, but she needs someone to—”
"Text her. I’ll ask Sun to make sure she gets home safe. This way, I can make sure you get home safe. Deal?”
A whine spilled from Ren’s lips but he didn’t argue. He pulled out his phone and did as he was told, albeit in less than perfect punctuation and spelling. Just to be on the safe side, he told both Pyrrha and Jaune: “wif nep. nrora coming bck w sunw ukong - ren”
Neptune ruffled Ren’s hair before escorting him outside to the parking lot. “How do you feel about stargazing?”
Ren shrugged. “I don’t do it enough.”
"Neither do I. Let’s fix that."