Work Text:
“That’s a Jack and coke, double.” The bartender pushed the glass across the bar, waiting for Andrew to throw down a couple of crumpled bills and grab it before he spoke again with a wink. “And I’m Zander, if you’re interested.”
Andrew licked his lips, picking his drink up and turning to make his way back to his table. “I’m not.”
Thursdays at Edens weren’t especially packed, so whenever he decided to get out for a night, Andrew tended to come on Thursdays. It was the only night that really worked for Aaron’s work schedule either when he saw his family, what with being an incredibly important doctor and all that. Nicky and Andrew were basically free whenever, since Nicky worked a three day week and Andrew’s schedule was… flexible, since he freelanced whenever he really felt like it. So, Thursdays were their night, even if it was usually just Andrew’s.
This Thursday though, the DJ was playing some 80’s mix that he must have pulled out of Andrew’s teenage ipod, since he hadn’t heard a song he didn’t know since he had come in. He took a seat at his regular table, wiping the condensation off his glass with a tissue he found there before taking a sip. The sweetness of the coke washed over his tongue and he swallowed before the bite of whiskey could hit the back of his throat, humming as Pat Benatar started pounding over the shitty bar speakers. He remembered back when he had gotten his first car, a shitty old black lexus that barely ran but it did have an aux cord, and that had been all that he needed. He had used that old second hand ipod to death , listened to music so much that the battery gave out. By that point though, he had gotten enough money together to get a new one, the first thing other than that car that he had really bought for himself.
He tipped the last of his drink into his mouth, taking a glance across the dancefloor before freezing mid swallow.
There weren’t many on the dancefloor, certainly not as many as there were on a busy night, which made it easier for Andrew’s gaze to follow what had captured it- a man, dancing with his friends across the room. The scattered coloured lights caught his hair, the glitter on his cheeks, the jewellery he was wearing, and made Andrew unable to look away. His friends stayed close to him, a tall man and what looked to be his girlfriend swaying and smiling while he danced like nobody was watching him. Still, though, it didn’t take long for him to notice that someone was, and when their eyes met Andrew was greeted with the bluest eyes he’d ever seen, kohl eyeliner smudged messily around them to make them even brighter. Andrew felt like he could barely breathe, but thankfully something the man’s friend said to him caught his attention, making him look away again. They spoke for a moment, and then the man threw his head back in a reckless laugh, the spotlight smoothing down the curve of his neck and making Andrew’s stomach flip uncomfortably.
Andrew let his eyes follow the line of his body, before flicking them back up to his face and forcing himself to look down at his glass. It wasn’t happening, no matter how rare it was for Andrew to find himself interested in anyone beyond convenience.
He ran his finger along the rim of the glass as the last few beats of the song rang out, and then huffed. He was itching for a cigarette.
He was itching to talk to that man .
He pushed the glass away, and fished his box of cigarettes out of his pocket.
*
“Neil, do you want a drink?” Matt’s voice was barely audible over the music, but Neil had gotten pretty good at reading lips since Matt and Dan had decided to ‘get him out more’.
He shook his head, raising his voice a little. “No, I’m good. Some more comfortable shoes might help though.”
Matt snorted. “Comfortable doesn’t look good, Josten.”
Neil laughed, his head tipping back easily. He had to admit, it was nice to get to have fun like this with Matt and Dan, and getting to make eye contact with that blond man hadn’t exactly ruined his night, either. There had been something in his eyes, something interesting . Neil wasn’t usually interested. He looked back over towards where the man was sitting, only to find the seat empty now, the glass unattended.
Disappointed, he scanned the crowd, heart skipping when he saw a shock of blond hair on the way to the back door.
He watched the man leave, before turning back to where his friends had quickly gotten wrapped up in each other.
“I’m going outside for some fresh air, okay?”
They didn’t hear him, but he figured that they would text him when they realised he was gone, or when they wanted to leave. Either way, he started making his way through the crowd, pushing past people to find a clear path to the door.
*
Andrew’s fingers were numb where he was holding the rollie, but he still took a drag before lowering it to flick the ashes off. He had real cigarettes in the box too, but he figured that there was no point using those up when he had half a carton of skins and a pouch of tobacco left to use. Rolling his own cigarettes reminded him of being sixteen again, but he supposed that that wasn’t always a bad thing. The air had helped with the headache that had been forming at the back of his skull from the music, but it hadn’t done anything to distract him from what had brought him out there in the first place.
Nicky would have laughed at him, he knew it, probably would have told him to walk right over there and talk to the man. Andrew supposed that that was why Nicky was married and he definitely wasn’t. Still, it was probably for the best. If Andrew didn’t put himself out there, he couldn’t get-
“Got a light? I’m Neil.”
Andrew looked over towards the door, and paused as he saw the man from inside standing there. Well, fuck.
“Andrew. You… don’t have a cigarette.”
Neil raised an eyebrow, and then smiled. “Well, I guess I’ll have to borrow one of those too then right?”
Andrew didn’t have an argument for that, so he took a real cigarette out of the box, holding it out for the man to take before fishing out his lighter.
The man took it, placing the cigarette between his lips and bringing the lighter up to light it, cupping his hand to protect it from the wind. It shouldn’t have been as attractive as it was, but Andrew hadn’t gotten laid in a while, so. He supposed that he was only human, and the alley light cast shadows that made the whole situation pretty fucking surreal.
The man handed the lighter back, inhaling slow and then flicking the cigarette into the open air, letting the ashes fall. He held the smoke for a second, before blowing it out. “Thanks.”
Andrew didn’t respond, watching the man for a couple of seconds before swearing as the rolling burnt down to his fingers, dropping the remnants of it and shaking his hand up and down to try and dismiss the sharp pain of it. “Fuck, shit.”
The man snorted. “If only they had invented something that would protect your fingers and filter the smoke.”
“Fuck you.” Andrew rolled his eyes, but made sure to add a filter as he made another rollie. The man smirked.
Andrew paused, and then braced himself. Renee was going to laugh at him tomorrow.
“Your friends are probably missing you inside, you know.”
“They’ll get over it.” Andrew watched as the man spoke, and then took another drag from his cigarette. It was ridiculously attractive, and he clamped down on the wave of arousal that threatened to wash over him. He needed to get a grip. “Are you from around here?”
Andrew considered the question, and then surprisingly allowed himself a moment of honesty. “Grew up in California, moved out here for family. You?”
Neil nodded, and then hummed. “No family, just friends.”
“The people inside?” Neil nodded again, and Andrew forced himself to look at the flickering street lamp across from them to keep from staring.
“Matt and Dan think I need to get out more.” From the tone of his voice, Andrew could tell that Neil didn’t agree with that suggestion. “They think I’m some kind of Hermit.”
“Are you?” Andrew raised an eyebrow. “You did leave the party to stand outside in the cold with a stranger.”
“It’s much more interesting out here than it is in there.” Neil said simply, and if it had been anyone else Andrew probably would have thought that it was flirting, but with Neil it just seemed to be honest. Andrew didn’t know what to do with that.
“Gee, I’m flattered.” He flicked his cigarette, watching the frigid breeze catch the ashes as they fell. “I could have been a murderer, for all you knew.”
“You don’t look the type.” Neil smiled at that, and Andrew allowed himself a moment to appreciate how fucking weird this guy was. “I could have been one too, and you gave me a cigarette.”
Andrew shrugged. “I’m never one to deny the requests of an attractive stranger. It’s one of my core values.”
Neil pressed his lips together, before laughing as he noted the sarcasm in Andrew’s voice. “Wow, I guess it’s my turn to be the flattered one.”
“I guess it is.”
Renee was definitely going to laugh at him. This was the most awkward conversation that Andrew had ever had in his life, and he still found himself interested in what the man had to say.
“So-” Neil began, before he was cut off by his phone buzzing in his pocket. He grimaced, and then swiped his finger across the screen before pressing it to his ear.
“Matt?” He listened intently, and then hummed. “Yeah, okay. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Andrew’s stomach flipped again, and he blinked at Neil’s apologetic expression as he hung up the phone. “Sorry, they want to go home now.”
Andrew nodded, and then in a moment of calculated risk he reached out and snatched the phone from Neil’s hands. He quickly typed his phone number in, saving it as ‘Andrew’ before handing it back. He figured that Neil would just delete it if he wasn’t interested, and they would go on about their lives- he steadfastly ignored the disappointment that he would feel if that happened, though.
“Your number?” Neil raised an eyebrow, his cheeks going pink. It was a good look on him. “You want me to-”
“If you want to.” Andrew shrugged.
Neil stared at him for a second, and then smiled. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”
Andrew ignored the warm feeling in his chest. “That’s… good then.”
“I should probably go.” Neil said, not moving.
“You probably should.”
“It was nice to meet you, Andrew.”
Andrew bit his lip. “You too.”
He waited for the man to leave before he allowed himself to lean back against the wall, finishing his cigarette quickly before dropping it to the ground. He took a second to catch his breath before he headed back inside, retrieving his abandoned drink and dropping it to the bar before turning to leave. His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he fished it out with cold hands.
Hi, Andrew. It’s Neil :)
Andrew snorted, typing out a response quickly. Hello.
Thanks for the company tonight :) Matt wouldn’t believe me that I made a friend tonight.
A friend. Andrew stared at the message for a couple of seconds before responding.
Matt is an idiot.
He takes offence to that.
Good.
Andrew noticed that he was smiling, and then wiped it off with the back of his hand. This was stupid, Neil was just some guy he met at the bar.
Still though, he saved the contact as ‘Neil’, before texting Nicky that he was on his way home. He was interesting, and for the first time in a long time Andrew wanted to see where something would go if he allowed it.