Chapter Text
Charlie shivered at the blast of cold air through the open door as the security guard scanned his ticket and ushered him inside of the concert venue. He always arrived to shows in a jumper and ended up peeling off that outer layer as he warmed up from dancing. The rush of pre-concert anticipation was already getting his blood pumping. Charlie had seen Sub-Radio once before and was keen to experience their high energy vibe again.
Tonight was a night to scream the lyrics at the top of his lungs, jump up and down, and dance as hard as his thirty-five year old body would let him. After a harrowing week personally and professionally, he needed it.
As usual, Charlie was early with the goal of getting close to the stage. The upside of going to shows for smaller indie bands meant he could get close to the stage with a general admission ticket. He didn’t know the headlining band, Moontower, quite as well but he’d taken the time to listen to a few of their songs beforehand and decided that they sounded cool.
Since he didn’t plan to do much jumping around at the start of the show, he popped over to the bar and grabbed a raspberry sour ale before carefully weaving his way to the front of the venue. There was a scattering of super fans already lined up against the stage, phones out or chatting in small groups and there were a few scattered groups behind the front liners as well but it was relatively easy to navigate with a half hour to go before the start time.
“Pardon me, excuse me,” Charlie mumbled as he scooted around a group of what appeared to be uni-aged students.
It was a bit strange to be there on his own. Not that he hadn’t gone to concerts alone before. He just preferred to go with a friend, or a boyfriend when he had one. When he bought the tickets, he’d been planning to be here with his then boyfriend, Ben. That was not a thought spiral he wanted to go down at the moment though so he promptly shoved it out of his head and looked around.
There was plenty of people watching to do so he found his spot one row back from the stage and began to look around as he sipped his drink.
The venue itself was dark, as was to be expected. The walls and ceiling were painted black with large industrial fans circling overhead. There was a second floor balcony that made a horseshoe shape around the stage and pit area where a few folks lounged against the railings. There were a few stools up there as well for folks who wanted or needed to sit during the event.
A couple caught his eye as they leaned into each other, smiling and laughing. One had a blond mullet, plaid button-down, dark cargo shorts, and leather boots that went up to their mid-shin. The other had braids to her shoulders and a form fitting purple dress. She was wearing combat boots with the dress which Charlie couldn’t help but love. Best not to wear open-toed shoes at a concert anyway but it was even better with the dress.
Suddenly, the blond turned and looked right at Charlie, catching him watching the two of them. Charlie flushed and ducked his head, turning to do his people watching elsewhere.
The bar had filled up since he’d arrived and there was a much larger swath of people slowly entering the venue as well. There were all types. That was one of his favourite things about Sub-Radio shows. They drew a diverse crowd.
The lead singer of the band was bisexual, loud and proud about it, so Charlie knew their crowds tended to skew queer. It was one of the reasons he felt comfortable showing up by himself after Ben had-
Fucking hell, that really wasn’t where he wanted to go with his thoughts that evening.
Fortunately, he was distracted by a nearly neon blue mohawk, fully gelled, walking by him. Charlie reached out and waved, grabbing their attention.
“Your hair is incredible,” he complimented with a smile and the person grinned back.
“Thank you so much! Blue is my favourite colour so it just felt like the right choice, ya know?” the stranger explained and Charlie nodded.
With his curls, he’d avoided dyeing his hair often but he had dyed his hair rainbow one year for Pride. If he could dye it and not destroy his curls, he’d probably choose green. Something about the mix of yellow and blue, in all its varying shades, made him feel peaceful.
The blue-haired stranger waved goodbye and departed for their own friend group. As Charlie turned, he noticed that the stage set up for the opener was nearly done. There were a few light towers set up along with typical band gear– guitars, a drum kit, and microphones. They’d even set up a keyboard.
Charlie took another sip of his beer. Tonight was going to be good– he could feel it humming in his bones.
—
Nick was late. Nick was so fucking late. He huffed as he practically ran down the ramp of the parking garage towards the exit.
It had been a fucking day . A week. Honestly, it had been a fucking month . He was exhausted and if he hadn’t promised Darcy about a hundred times that he would show up tonight, he probably would have just gone straight home after work to eat the cupcakes he made yesterday while binge watching Love Is Blind.
Peopling sounded like the stupidest possible thing he could do but Darcy had been adamant that he needed to get out of the house. Their words quite specifically had been- ‘Nickyboy, you can’t just rot away in your cave for the rest of your life pining over some dickhead who treated you like shit’.
That had been followed up with a long session of convincing him that Sub-Radio would cure all his problems. Just one night at a concert and he’d been right as rain. Tara had rolled her eyes at that but Nick had caved anyway. Mostly just so Darcy would stop trying to convince him. He loved them but they really had no sense of when to let something go.
The air was warm and a little humid as he sprinted down the stairs and out into the street across from the venue. He briefly considered crossing the street right there but the traffic was bad enough that he chose the safer route by walking to the next junction and crossing at a traffic light.
The music was already pumping inside the venue when he walked up, slightly out of breath.
“Ticket,” the security guard said in a monotone voice and Nick opened his phone, pulling up the QR code. He held it out and waited for the guard to scan it. A second guard gave him a wristband and then ushered him inside the space.
He was late enough that the opening act had already started but not so late that he’d missed any of Sub-Radio’s set. Darcy had texted him that they were up on the balcony on the side furthest from the entryway. The entry to the venue had long since cleared out and there was a mob of people pressed up against the stage dancing, singing, and generally enjoying themselves but Nick ignored that for now and beelined to the stairs.
The music was loud in his ears, drowning out his own thoughts for a moment, which was surprisingly helpful. The room was still comfortable as the chill of the A/C battled the body heat of hundreds of people.
When he reached the top of the stairs and turned left, he found Darcy barrelling towards him. There was no time to react as they slammed into him, throwing their arms around his neck and squeezing him tightly.
“NICHOLAS!” they shouted right into his ear and Nick winced.
“Babe, give the man some space, for gods sake,” Tara said at a more normal volume as she approached them. Darcy let go and stepped back, looping their arm through Tara’s and kissing her on the cheek.
“Yes, darling,” they answered with a grin. Tara reached out and hugged Nick with her free hand, their shoulders bumping together.
“How’s the show been so far?” Nick asked as the three of them turned to walk back to the railing. Darcy grabbed a glass and shoved it into Nick’s hands. He nearly fumbled it but quickly tightened his grip to keep it from falling.
“That’s for you! It’s a sour, I know you like those,” Darcy explained and Nick smiled. They might be a lot but they did know him well.
“Thanks, Darce,” Nick said, taking a sip and grinning as the tart raspberry flavour coated his tongue. It was one of his favourites– a sour ale that he often ordered at other establishments too, if they had it.
“Moontower has been good so far but really we are just waiting for Sub-Radio at this point,” Tara answered, leaning back against the railing with her drink in hand. It was bright blue so definitely some kind of fancy cocktail. Tara had never been much of a beer drinker.
“We need to head down towards the stage before that happens. That way we can make it to the front once the Moontower fans fall back or leave,” Darcy insisted and Nick shook his head.
“Darceee, I don’t want to be smashed into a crowd full of people,” he whined and Tara nodded her agreement. Darcy elbowed Tara in the side and she glared at them. They leaned over and whispered something in Tara’s ear but before Nick could ask what that had been about, Tara seemed to change her mind and she stepped forward, grabbing Nick’s arm.
“Darcy wants to be up front and you know this is their favourite band so, as much as it pains me to say it, we gotta go up there, Nick,” she said firmly, spinning him around back towards the stairs and pulling him in that direction with Darcy not far behind. Nick sighed but let Tara lead him.
The set would be wrapping up soon and the crowd had grown bigger as groups started to file in who only planned to see Sub-Radio. Nick held his drink far enough away from him that, if he was jostled, he wouldn’t spill it on himself as they wormed their way through the throngs of people. As the last notes of the song crashed through the venue the crowd cheered loudly and then, slowly, the Moontower fans began to move away from the stage.
Tara still had a firm grip on his right arm while Darcy had a hand on his left shoulder as they wound through the slightly dispersing crowd. They were about four rows from the stage when Tara stopped and turned to look back at Nick and Darcy, raising one eyebrow and nodding her head towards the stage.
“What?” Nick asked, not understanding what Tara was trying to signal. Darcy seemed to get it though because they used Nick’s shoulder as leverage and put themselves up on their toes, craning their neck around looking for something.
“Darcy, what are you looking for?” Nick asked, a bit annoyed that they seemed to be in on something he was missing. Or, they were keeping it from him.
“Darce-” Nick started but suddenly Darcy’s eyes lit up and they dropped back down.
“This way!” they shouted, grabbing Nick’s arm and nearly making him spill his beer as they tugged him off to the left. He really hoped this was a damn good show because all the manhandling was starting to make him wish he hadn’t come.
—
Moontower had been good and Charlie had bopped along to each song, enjoying the vibe but feeling the prominent use of autotune on stage wasn’t his favourite thing. At least he could say he enjoyed their message. They were also a queer supportive band and he could get behind that.
He had taken off his jumper shortly into the set as the bodies around him warmed the air and made him sweat. The jumper was tied around his hips and he was now sporting a black mesh crop top that showed off a small sliver of his abdomen.
It was one of his favourite concert outfits– mostly because he felt smoking hot in it and dancing while feeling oneself was a certain type of pleasure that he didn’t often find elsewhere. He had long since finished his ale and threw away the cup before settling back into place in the second row.
Now, as the crowd began to thin between sets, Charlie shivered just slightly at the cool air circulated into the newly available space. Charlie held his position, not wanting to lose his spot when Sub-Radio was next up. The group had just put out a new album called Sunrise City a few months ago and Charlie couldn’t wait to hear it live and in colour.
There was one song off of the album in particular that he hoped they played. It was one he had listened to on repeat for weeks after the album had been released, bopping along to it at work, on his runs, and when he was in a particular mood at home. There was a chance it wouldn’t be played but Charlie hoped.
As the crowd began to fill back in, Charlie saw the person with the blond mullet sidle past and set up nearly right next to him with two people in tow. He turned to face the stage, not wanting them to catch him looking at them again and accuse him of being a creep. That would not do.
“I know you’re keeping something from me,” a deep voice said from the same direction as the blond. At the sound of it Charlie very nearly looked, wondering who could be attached to a voice like that. It sent a shiver down his spine but he held his head in place and continued watching the set up for the next band.
“I’m not!”
Charlie thought this was the blond. The smile in their voice made him think maybe they were lying to their friend.
“Do either of you want another drink? I’m going to the bar,” a third voice chimed in, likely the woman with braids Charlie had seen previously.
“Yes, please,” that deep voice responded politely.
“Hell yes!” the blond shouted.
“The sour again?” Charlie was startled at that. Which one of them had also gotten the sour? Before he could think it all the way through, he turned his head and found himself looking at a dreamboat of a man who was smiling fondly at the woman in the purple dress.
“Yes, please,” the man answered and the woman returned his smile before turning to kiss her partner on the cheek and then disappear back into the crowd towards the bar.
This adonis of a human with muscles for days and an adorable blond fringe that flopped over his forehead drank the same beer as Charlie. Not that this meant anything in particular. There were only so many options and there were bound to be other folks who chose the same drink. But still… Charlie flushed as he took in the rest of the man– his honey brown eyes, his lopsided smile as he spoke with his friend, and his, frankly ridiculous, biceps.
Charlie thought this man could throw him around like a ragdoll and Charlie would say ‘yes, please’ and ‘thank you’ for the privilege. As this thought made its way through his brain, the brown-eyed man looked up and Charlie immediately turned his face back to the stage, heart rabbiting away in his chest.
He didn’t think the man had caught him staring, but who could know for sure?
—
Nick had been mid-sentence with Darce when he’d looked up and been struck by the bluest eyes he’d ever seen staring right back at him before they suddenly disappeared as the man those eyes belonged to turned back to face the stage.
He thought maybe the sensation that had flooded him at the eye contact was a bit like the shock one feels when they’re struck by lightning. Then again, if he’d been struck by lightning, he might be dead. Darcy’s hand flashed in front of his face and Nick blinked, shaking his head to focus himself.
“Earth to Nick!” Darcy called out in a sing-song voice, sounding positively gleeful. He looked at them only to find a shit-eating grin on their face as they looked back at him.
“You alright there, mate?” Darcy asked, clapping him on the shoulder. Nick looked back over towards the blue-eyed man and found his gaze traveling from the dark curls at the top of his head, down over a see-through ( swoon ) mesh top that showed off his smooth back, and lingering on the gap between where the shirt ended and his trousers began at his hips.
There was a jumper tied around the man’s waist and Nick wondered how cuddly he must have looked with it on.
“ Nickyyyyy ,” Darcy sang and Nick’s gaze snapped back to them.
“Y-yeah, yes, I’m fine,” he said, coughing slightly at the dryness in his throat. Why was everything so warm all of a sudden? He looked around for Tara, hoping her presence might help ground him since Darcy would be no help in that endeavor.
“You don’t seem fine to me,” Darcy observed and then Tara materialised from the crowd with three drinks carefully balanced in her hands. Nick moved towards her and grabbed both his and Darcy’s drinks. He handed Darcy’s drink to them and then promptly turned back to Tara.
“How did it go?” he asked, doing his best to ignore Darcy practically vibrating with excitement next to him. He could feel their eyes boring into his head.
“Fine?” Tara said, her voice tilting up at the end and her eyes darting between the two of them. “What did I miss?”
“Nicky got lost there for a second. Don’t quite know what happened…” Darcy replied with a mischievous smile. Tara looked over at Nick and he felt heat flood his face. He wanted to look over at the curly haired man just to see if he could hear any of what they were saying but he held himself still so he didn’t give himself away.
“ Nothing happened ,” Nick insisted. “It’s just been a really long, horrible day on top of a long, horrible month and I zoned out for a second. I’m fine .”
Tara’s expression softened to one of care mixed with a bit of worry.
“Yeah, I get that. Well, that’s why you’re here, right? For a good time! I promise you, this show will bring you some joy. Just you wait,” she replied, patting Nick on the arm.
The crowd had grown further and there were bodies all around them now. The stage looked ready to go and then the house lights lowered, bringing the stage into focus and grabbing all of their attention.
—
Charlie briefly felt a little bad for the hunky blond, Nicky according to his friend, as he heard the man admit to them that he’d been having a rough go of it. Charlie very much understood going through a rough time. He was in the middle of one himself.
Before he could spend any more time on those thoughts though, the lights lowered and the crowd began to cheer as the band ran out on stage. Charlie joined in, whooping and shouting as the band members took their places. The energy and anticipation in the room climbed as the lead singer, Adam, stepped up the microphone.
“London, we couldn’t be happier to be joining y’all this evening! This is our second ever UK tour and we’re so glad you all made it out to celebrate with us!” Adam shouted and the crowd, including Charlie, roared their approval back.
The music swelled as the band started on their first song– one of their most popular.
🎵Last night we danced until our feet got blisters
I rocked that crop top that you got from your sister
You held my hand so sweet and casually
I'd never gone from stop to start so quickly
And our bodies shake like oooh oooh
Electrical waves like oooh oooh🎵
The beat had Charlie stomping his feet and clapping his hands, singing along with every word. He threw his head back and swayed.
🎵We're gonna do it all again
Gonna sell myself, gonna show my skin
Woohoo, we're gonna be alright 🎵
Charlie jumped, pumping his fist into the air as he yelled the lyrics out. The person with the blond mullet was next to him doing the same and he grinned over at them only to find a matching grin on their face. This was going to be an amazing show. Finally getting to let his body go for a while to dance and sing to some of his favourite songs was exactly what he needed.
He danced so hard through the rest of Flashback that he was out of breath by the time it ended but still whooped and clapped for the next one.
“I fucking love Sub-Radio, they are so good !” the blond leaned over and yelled in Charlie’s direction. Charlie nodded furiously and laughed.
“They are incredible! Hands down one of my favourite bands and we’re so lucky they made it out to London again!”
It was the blond’s turn to nod and then the next song started and both were lost to dancing, singing, and shouting to the beat.
—
Nick had seen Darcy in so many different states over the years of their friendship but he had never seen them quite this level of hyped until now. They were jumping and bopping all over the place, occasionally jumping into Nick and Tara in the process, jostling them. Every time a new song started, Darcy screamed like they were at a Beatles concert.
It was possibly the most entertaining thing Nick had ever seen and he was suddenly even more grateful he made it out that night. He also noticed as Darcy began to speak to the curly-haired, blue-eyed man between songs– little comments here or there that they laughed or exclaimed over together. The way the man's eyes lit up made Nick wish he knew his name.
Or maybe just wished he was confident enough to hand this stranger his number.
To Darcy’s credit, the band was fucking good. They were high energy and their music was catchy. Nick found himself jumping up and down with Darcy more than a few times and swinging around a bit with Tara as well.
The band was halfway through a song called Pink Lemonade when Darcy stumbled into Nick so hard that it knocked him off balance and he collided with the curly-haired man he’d been eyeing earlier.
Nick reached out one arm and grabbed the man by the waist to stop him from toppling over, immediately feeling sparks settle in his arm where their skin was in contact.
“Whoa, so sorry! My friend knocked into me!” Nick shouted over the music when the curly-haired man looked at him in surprise. The way Nick had stumbled and grabbed the man meant that, in that moment, their faces were only a few inches apart. Nick could smell raspberry on the other man’s breath.
He thought he might drown in the blue of his eyes and found himself leaning in without thinking it through. Suddenly, those blue eyes went wide and Nick realised what he had almost done as both men scrambled back to stand on their own. Nick reluctantly let go of the man’s warm waist.
“It’s okay!” the stranger shouted back with a hesitant smile and a flicker of something in his gaze as he looked Nick up and down. Nick caught the flash of a dimple when the man smiled and wished he could lean down and kiss it.
Fuck , this man was captivating and he didn’t even know his name.
Before he could ask, the man turned back to the stage and started dancing again, shouting the lyrics as he did. His curls bounced as he jumped around and he looked star struck as he watched the lead singer dancing around the stage.
Nick probably had hearts in his eyes at this point and he really didn’t want Darcy to catch him like that so he turned back to the stage as well. When he glanced over at his friends, he found Darcy grinning at him and looked away quickly.
The song wrapped up with the band coming in on the last ‘Pink Lemonade’ and the crowd went wild, Nick and the stranger included, whooping and hollering for the band. Nick leaned over to the stranger and spoke.
“I’m Nick, by the way.” His timing was a little off as he’d kept his voice raised so he could be heard over the crowd but the cheering ebbed away just as he spoke which meant he practically shouted into this stranger's ear for no real reason. The man flinched and then turned to look at Nick again.
“Fuck, sorry! I didn’t mean to yell that at you, just didn’t want to get drowned out by the crowd. Sorry, I feel like an idiot. You probably don’t even want to know my name seeing as I practically bowled you over a few minutes ago-” Nick was rambling and the stranger cut him off.
“Nick! It’s fine, really. I’m going to be half deaf after this show anyway so it’s probably for the best that you shouted. I’m Charlie, it’s nice to meet you,” the man said, holding out one hand. Nick looked down at Charlie’s hand and then reached out and grasped it in his own.
At the contact, he took in a sharp breath as that buzz of electricity crept into his hand and up his arm. Nick looked up and found blue eyes staring back at him, darker than before, and a shiver tracked down his spine.