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Xiao Zhan’s last client meeting of the week finished late. Way too late. And he had spent far more of it than he liked explaining again how they could have the build fast and cheap, or good and slow, or fast and good but not all three. He got the sense that he’d have to gently bully them into a choice soon but that was Future Xiao Zhan’s problem. Current Xiao Zhan had more than earned himself a drink.
The clients had insisted on coming to their DUMBO offices in person so he was wearing a rather stylish slim cut grey suit complete with lavender tie instead of his normal t-shirt and jeans. He might as well take his suit out somewhere nice for drinks.
He ran through the rolodex of favorite bars and restaurants in his head, cross checking it against likely capacity at ten on a Friday and his current level of desire for crowds. The office had been crazy this week, something on the quiet side sounded perfect. He could take the F to the A and be in Fort Greene by ten thirty.
The evenings were just starting to get crisp and Xiao Zhan welcomed the fresh air on his face after the train, taking a deep breath and letting his shoulders relax with a smile. He wove through the late dinner crowds on DeKalb, past a whole block of trendy restaurants, making his way to an unremarkable residential building. There was a door at the back of the lobby marked Storage Closet. It was never locked and stored nothing except a few old plastic totes stacked on a rickety set of shelves. But if you knew where to look…
He looked up and smiled at the elaborate light fixture: an art deco style brass lantern. He let the door close behind him and rapped lightly on the featureless back wall. A moment later it swung in smoothly to reveal a large man in a sharp black suit, looking like nothing as much as a thirties era gangster. A tiny, understated metal plaque next to him read Diogenes’ Lamp in elegant script.
“Mr. Xiao, always a pleasure.”
Xiao Zhan nodded, acknowledging the tip of the man’s hat. “Leo! Likewise.”
Leo smiled serenely. “You’re one of my favorite regulars but you know I still have to ask.”
He grinned and shook out his hands like he was limbering up. “I wouldn’t expect anything less. Hit me.”
“Who proposed the theory that the Earth orbited the sun two thousand years before Copernicus?”
“Going a little easy on us tonight, Leo? It is, of course, Aristarchus.”
“Correct as usual, Mr. Xiao.” Leo chuckled a bit and stepped back, clearing the doorway for him to step through.
“Astronomy theme tonight?”
“Astronomy compels the soul to look upward, and leads us from this world to another.” Leo’s smile was serene, at odds with the severity of his suit. “Or so I’ve heard.”
It had only been a few years since speakeasy style bars had become all the rage, popping up in every trendy neighborhood in the city like mushrooms after the rain. Most of them were pretty hokey, easy enough to find and not at all a challenge to get into. He’d heard about Diogenes’ Lamp from a friend of a friend, a co-worker’s friend from grad school, a philosophy major who knew someone who had opened up the craziest secret bar, or so they claimed. Insanely delicious cocktails with rare ingredients, totally hidden location, and academic challenges instead of passwords.
He’d tagged along with his co-worker when she’d decided to try to find it. They’d managed to find the place and after one question about Pythagoras that left his co-worker Xuan Lu gaping and Xiao Zhan grinning triumphantly, they were in.
That first time had been one of those magical nights you remembered for a long time. The drinks were unusual and delicious, the bartenders were both witty and charming, the other customers were chatty and erudite but not pushy. He and Xuan Lu had marveled over everything from the small wood paneled jewel box of the bar, gleaming golden under the lamps, to the cocktails served smoking or shining or bubbling with flair, to the toe-tapping vintage jazz.
After that he became a regular, stopping by as often as he could reasonably afford. He met and was befriended by the manager Ji Li who had indeed once been a classics major, all but dissertation on his PhD before he decided to flee academia and open his dream bar. His cousin was technically the owner and the business might be helping launder money from some of the less savory Chinatown holdings but who could say for sure. Ji Li got to run the place exactly as he saw fit and he didn’t inquire much further.
He’d complained to Xiao Zhan once how almost none of the other speakeasies in the city really lived up to the concept. Sure they might have a kind of secret door, maybe a password but if you put it up on social media, it really didn’t count! Ji Li was prepared to bring the full power of his years dealing with academic BS to bear when it came to his own place. He named the bar after a philosopher famous for seeking and insisted on presenting potential patrons with an intellectual challenge to gain entry.
Last time Xiao Zhan had been here they’d all been Euclidean geometry proofs. The time before that people had to correctly complete Heraclitus fragments. His years in an international private school as a child had served him well and he usually managed without problems. He knew it was painfully elitist but it was a nice change from the kinds of up front commercial elitism you usually found in Midtown. And it mostly kept the bar free of dude bros.
Tonight the bar was nearly empty, so far it was just a group of men who had taken over the corner table. With their loud bragging about expense accounts and strident opinions on the commodities market they had Goldman Sachs or the like written all over them. The questions at the door usually worked but if one member of a group answered correctly, their companions were almost always admitted too. Ah well.
Xiao Zhan slid into a stool at the far end of the bar, wondering who was working tonight. It was usually Yu Bin on Fridays, he was looking forward to his friend’s easy grin and dry quips. The door leading to the back swung open and he started to call out a greeting when he realized the person emerging was definitely not Yu Bin.
Yu Bin was a good looking guy, don’t get him wrong but the person making his way towards his end of the bar was quite possibly the most beautiful man Xiao Zhan had ever seen. He had large dark eyes, sensuous lips, and cheekbones that ought to come with a warning label. The hair waving down over dark brows looked soft, most of it pulled back into a ponytail that made Xiao Zhan’s fingers itch. His frame was willowy but strong, the fit of his vest more than a little distracting.
He approached with a wary look, one perfect brow ever so slightly raised and Xiao Zhan was painfully aware that he must be staring creepily. He gave himself a mental shake, like he was blinking himself out of a trance and put on his best ‘good first impression’ smile.
“Hi! I’m Xiao Zhan. I haven’t seen you here before, are you new?”
That wasn’t too intrusive, right? He would hate to be the guy trying to hit on someone at work. He wasn’t demanding any personal details, just introducing himself.
The other man gave him a carefully neutral look in return, shifting slightly back and forth on the balls of his feet. Maybe he was nervous?
Xiao Zhan dialed his smile back to mildly pleasant, “I’m sure you’ll love it here. Everyone is great.”
The man tipped up his chin a little and directed a pointed look over Xiao Zhan’s shoulder at the table of guys who had now moved on to a comparative debate on the merits of sake bombs.
“Well, mostly everyone,” Xiao Zhan amended and the corner of the man’s mouth tipped up just a little.
“What can I get you?” His voice was low and smooth, making Xiao Zhan think of his favorite whiskey - all smoke and spice and dark caramel notes.
"Anything but a sake bomb," he added with a tiny furtive smile, inviting Xiao Zhan to share the joke and Xiao Zhan's throat was suddenly very dry.
"Yes, a drink would be great." Xiao Zhan looked at the mirror where they usually wrote up the night's specials but it was clean. "What's on the menu tonight?"
The beautiful man looked up, slightly wary. It wasn't like Xiao Zhan was going to give the new hire a hard time or anything but maybe that other group had already given him trouble.
He flashed the man a reassuring smile. "Some of this place's standards are my favorites. I'm sure they'll be ones they've taught you already. Do you have what you need for a Thyme After Thyme?"
"Uuuh, let me... check."
"No, no, don't worry about it," Xiao Zhan reassured him. "How about an El Dorado. ...Or a Four and Twenty Blackbirds?"
The man's pretty eyes were wide in the shine of the bar lamps, the bob of his Adam's apple distracting as he swallowed hard. He looked like he was very quietly panicking and doing everything possible not to let on. Xiao Zhan would have to have a word with Ji Li about throwing a new hire into a shift without proper backup.
"Why don't you make me something special," he suggested, gently coaxing like he would with a nervous client or a new intern.
The man's shoulders visibly relaxed and those beautiful lips curved up again. Those lush lashes fluttered as he caught Xiao Zhan's gaze. "What do you like, gege?"
Oh no. That was... Xiao Zhan thought that maybe the man was trying to distract him from noticing how nervous he was by making him nervous and it was working.
"I, um, I like all kinds of things really."
Really? He thought to himself. Could you have made that sound any more suggestive?!
The man seemed unperturbed as he leaned against the bar, contemplating the colorful array of bottles. "I'm Yibo, by the way. Wang Yibo."
When in doubt Xian Zhan always fell back on good manners. They'd never steered him wrong. "It's nice to meet you, Wang Yibo."
"Call me Yibo," he countered with a smirk. "So, you come here often?"
Xiao Zhan couldn't help but laugh, maybe he deserved that. He smiled back indulgently. "Yes, I am what you might call a regular.
Yibo hummed distractedly, attention still focused on the rows of bottles. Xiao Zhan was starting to formulate a theory. Maybe he should help a bit. "I like drinks built around those strong aromatic bitters."
"Oh yeah, for sure," Yibo agreed easily, making absolutely zero moves toward any of the bitters.
He laughed a little to himself, covering it with a cough. It might be a little mean to mislead Yibo but he had to test his hypothesis! "You know, like St. Germain. It's got that assertive anise flavor. Or Chambord?"
That got him an enthusiastic nod. "Mm-hmm. That's good stuff. I'll just... get something started for you."
Much like the emperor, it seemed the bartender had no clothes. God, if only. Xiao Zhan allowed himself a single moment to contemplate what that might be like before getting himself back under control. He laughed a little louder, leaning forward to get Yibo's attention.
"Yibo?"
Yibo froze for a moment, finally raising his eyes to Xiao Zhan's, big and innocent. "Yes?"
"You don't exactly know what you're doing, do you?" Xiao Zhan made sure to frame his question with a warm smile so Yibo would know he wasn't trying to be rude.
He slumped down against the polished wood in obvious relief. "Oh thank fuck, this was getting ridiculous."
Xiao Zhan couldn't help but laugh and after a moment Yibo joined in with a low chuckle that sent tingles up Xiao Zhan's spine. Yibo barely let him process that before he propped his chin on those beautiful hands and looked up from under dark lashes, “Are you going to get me in trouble, gege?”
The realization that their faces were really quite close hit him with a jolt. “I’m starting to think you’re nothing but trouble.”
Like flipping a switch Yibo was suddenly at ease, up and bouncing a little on the balls of his feet, grinning at Xiao Zhan with infectious cheer. It was a lot.
"I’ll keep your secret on one condition," Xiao Zhan held up a finger in warning. "You let me come back there and make my own drink." Yibo nodded enthusiastically and Xiao Zhan swung off his stool and around the bar. "...And one for you?" He narrowed his eyes, "You are old enough to drink, right?"
Yibo snorted in amusement and spun to lean against the bar right next to where Xiao Zhan was doing his best to build some decent drinks without getting distracted by the graceful curve of Yibo's jaw, and the spicy pine scent of him, and his beautiful shoulder pressed right up against his own.
He took what was supposed to be a deep, calming breath and started reaching for bottles, having decided that he deserved something fruity and strong. "So how did this happen?"
"I'm going to kill Yu Bin, I swear." Yibo huffed out a breath, causing a lock of his bangs to fall charmingly over one eye. Xiao Zhan heroically reached for a muddling tool instead of reaching over to brush it back.
"He called me in a panic asking me to fill in. Just a few hours, Yibo! I swear no one serious ever comes in before 10 on Fridays!"
Xiao Zhan laughed at Yibo's squeaky Yu Bin impression. "Wow, he just tossed you to the wolves, huh?"
"Yep," he agreed, popping the last p before tilting his head to give Xiao Zhan a blatantly obvious once over. "The sexy, sexy wolves."
"Ah," Xiao Zhan replied eloquently.
He didn't usually find himself tongue-tied by the mere proximity of attractive people. Normally he was quite smooth! It was hard to say why he felt so flustered by a little proximity and some potential interest but his stomach felt fluttery and he could tell he was flushing like this was his first crush or something.
He covered by sliding a glass over to Yibo, a tall Tom Collins glass filled with ice and a fruity spiced concoction as pink as his cheeks felt. "Here's your drink. I'm a graphic designer, not a bartender so I hope you like it!"
Yibo plucked a straw out of a jar on the counter and made a bit of a show of sucking up his first mouthful. Xiao Zhan blinked and tried not to feel quite so much like a moth hovering too close to a candle.
"Well, I'm not a bartender either and that's delicious," Yibo said with a grin. "I'm a dancer."
Of course he was. With those long legs and easy grace and gorgeous hands. He was lovely stuck behind a bar, he must be stunning in motion.
"I'm only here because I made the mistake of answering Yu Bin's texts. I'm not exactly uneducated but I could never get into this place by myself.”
Xiao Zhan took a long pull on his own drink, taking a moment to enjoy the contrast of the fruit with the whisky and the warming spices and trying not to overreact to the fact that Yibo had turned to face him and laid his free hand very casually within centimeters of Xiao Zhan's. "Eh, incredibly niche academic knowledge is overrated."
Yibo polished off his drink with a flourish and somehow ended up half a step closer. He was definitely staring at Xiao Zhan's lips, he was sure of that now. Ok, screw being a gentleman. It wasn't like Yibo actually worked here anyway.
"Maybe when your terrible friend shows up we can get out of here and I can take you for a much less pretentious drink?"
"Counter offer," Yibo grinned mischievously. "As soon as Yu Bin gets here, he makes us both a super fancy drink and then you let me take you dancing."
Yibo stepped back and held out a hand in invitation, Xiao Zhan took it before he could think better of it. Yibo spun him gracefully, deceptively strong arms framing him and dropping him into a dip that pressed the lengths of their bodies together, Yibo’s smile curving wickedly and very close.
Xiao Zhan was suddenly deluged with images of Yibo’s large hands curling over his hips, that graceful throat shining with sweat, lithe body pressed up against him, moving to a sinuous beat. He swallowed hard, noting Yibo’s eyes darkening with satisfaction. “Uh yes. Dancing sounds good.”
“Excellent,” Yibo murmured, tilting his head coquettishly, the silver hoops in his ear catching the light, evaluating Xiao Zhan on some mysterious criteria known only to himself. Then he hummed a bit of music that was undeniably part of Despacito in a beautiful baritone and Xiao Zhan took temporary leave of his senses.
He surged up in Yibo's hold, making him step back and pull Xiao Zhan up with him. Xiao Zhan followed him right up, pulling back only enough to slide his hands up Yibo's chest, arching an eyebrow, daring him to protest.
Xiao Zhan noticed that not only did Yibo not stop him, in fact his eyes flashed like he was getting exactly what he wanted. And then they were kissing and those pretty eyes fluttered closed.
The first press of his mouth to Yibo's plush pink lips was soft and electric, the sensation sparking down his limbs as he pressed just a little closer. He felt the Yibo's breath catch in his throat, the tiniest pause like the moment at the very top of the roller coaster. Then Yibo whimpered, opened up to him and they were off, flying down the hill full speed ahead.
Distantly he registered one of his hands curving up over Yibo's neck, his fingers buried in his hair, tugging his ponytail to disarray. He drew himself up to his full height, tipping Yibo's head back just a little and felt the other man melt. The drag of Yibo's mouth against his was hot and wet and drugging, he can't really say how long they'd been kissing but it couldn't possibly have been long enough.
Except.
They were still in the bar. Yibo was still technically working. Xiao Zhan came back to himself with a jolt as Yibo pulled back to drag his lips along the line of Xiao Zhan's jaw.
His breathing was a little ragged and while they probably hadn't been loud enough to be heard over the bar's music, one of the finance bros in the corner was definitely giving them the stink eye.
Yibo turned to look over his shoulder, following Xiao Zhan's eyes to the other customer, only to laugh and give the man an exaggerated wink. His smile softened when he turned back to Xiao Zhan but his hands stayed where they were, a burning brand around Xiao Zhan's hip, against his lower back.
"That was an unconventional tip, Zhan-ge." He was radiating smug satisfaction and Xiao Zhan couldn't help but laugh.
"Hey brat, I'm the one who made the drinks."
Yibo's eyes dropped to his mouth and he licked his lips reflexively. Just as Yibo was leaning back in, someone cleared their throat.
Yu Bin was standing just a few feet away at the end of the bar. He gave Xiao Zhan a particularly wry look as he pulled off his coat and stowed his bag. "Wow, Xiao Zhan, in all the time I've been working here you never responded to one of my drinks like that."
Now it was Yibo's turn to laugh, gasping for air as Xiao Zhan played up his fake outrage. "I made my own drink!"
Then Yu Bin turned to fix Yibo with a mock glare, "I should've known better than to leave you unsupervised, stealing all of my favorite customers."
"Just this one," Yibo chirped cheekily, squeezing Xiao Zhan's waist unrepentantly. "I am a terrible bartender though, Zhan-ge saw through me right away."
Xiao Zhan willed the blush off his cheeks as Yu Bin mouthed 'Zhan-ge' delightedly. He might need to find a new favorite bar for a while.
"All right, all right. Both of you get out of here before we all get in trouble." Yu Bin grumbled and shooed them out of his space.
Xiao Zhan found one of his hands tangled in Yibo's as the dancer grabbed his coat and tugged him towards the door. Caught in Yibo's wake, he waved a hurried goodbye to Yu Bin and Leo. He suspected he might be in quite a bit of trouble but he couldn't bring himself to care.
Yibo's grin was bright, outshining the glow of the streetlamps. Delight fizzed through him, potent like strong liquor, leaving him buzzing. He smiled back and squeezed Yibo's hand. "I'll follow your lead."