Work Text:
Jean
“Please please please please!” Cat begs him for the third time today. “It won’t be the same without you.” Laila and Cat were getting ready in the living room, makeup and hair accessories all over the counter as they watched TV.
Since they had settled their insurance claim on the old flat and got most of their affairs in order, Cat, Laila and Jeremy had decided to celebrate by going out. Cat had been trying to persuade Jean to come with them for the past hour, to no avail. She continued to do Laila's hair into a long plait down her back, beads in varying colours woven throughout. Laila did her eye makeup in corresponding colours. “It’s a lost cause Cat. We’ll just have to handle Jeremy ourselves.”
The words made Jean look up from his book but he didn’t rise to the obvious bate, as they both made sideways glances his way. Before either of them can push the point, the front door sounds, keys entering the lock and the door opening can be heard from the living room.
A few seconds later Jeremy's excited face pokes round the door. “Who’s ready to get wasted and wreck the dance floor?” he said chirpily.
“You’re early.” Cat remarked.
“Laila messaged come now, dress slutty.” He placed three beer sized bottles of ominous blue liquid on the kitchen counter along with a can of diet coke.
He wore a tight white cropped vest top with a reasonably high neck. The material hugged his toned torso and contrasted against his sun kissed skin. The top ended at his midriff leaving the planes of his stomach bare, accessorised with a gold chain that clung onto his hips. His trousers, a baggy pair of light blue Jean's hung low on his hips, the black belt doing nothing to hold them up. Jean's mouth went dry and he found himself with sudden interest in Jabberwocky who was sleeping curled up next to him on the sofa.
His attempts to avoid looking at Jeremy's exposed skin were futile when he felt the sofa dip next to him as Jeremy sat down heavily. “So you’re coming out then?” He asked. Jean made a sound almost like a laugh and continued to run his hands through Jabberwocky's fur. “I don’t drink.” he stated. “That’s why I got you this.” Jeremy held out the can of diet coke, looking at Jean with hopeful eyes. Jean took the can, immediately placing it on the coffee table in front of him and returning his eyes to the TV. “I don’t dance.”
“You don’t have to dance either.” Cat states, finishing Laila's hair and kissing her shoulder before standing up and opening the three blue bottles on the kitchen counter, taking them over to Jeremy and Laila. They each took a sip and sat in front of Jean, Laila on the floor at his feet, Jeremy turning on the sofa to look directly at him and Cat standing on his other side. He looked at each of them in turn. “What is the point in going if I don’t dance?”
“To watch me dance. Trust me, it’s Laila's favourite part.” she laughed and Laila nodded enthusiastically.
“Please Jean. It won’t be the same without you. You’re one of us now and that means putting up with our antics. Besides, we need a responsible sober one.”
Jean knew her angle. Cat had been making different efforts over the past few months to make him feel useful. Giving him jobs to keep him busy and tasks to stop him watching matches in his free time. She had said it wasn’t good to obsess too much. As much as he didn’t agree with her he pulled his weight without complaint and did as she asked, if only to humor her.
They continued to stare at him with begging eyes and Jean could feel his resolve coming undone. “If you don’t come, who's to stop the copious amounts of men trying to entice Jeremy? He needs a bodyguard dressed like that.” Jean couldn’t help his eyes moving sideways to Jeremy and quickie snapping back to Cat when the heat rose into his cheeks. The thought of other men looking at Jeremy in this outfit made his stomach tighten. He brushed that thought off and sighed. “Fine! But I will only stay for one hour and then I will come back home.”
Their faces simultaneously lit up with the biggest grins Jean had seen and Cat let out a squeal, grabbing his hand and dragging him up from the sofa. “I’m going to help you pick out an outfit and do your hair and - oh Jeremy did you bring what I asked?” Jeremy held out a plastic bag that seemed to be full of material which she snatched quickly, peeking in the bag with a smile. “Perfect. They’ll fit right?” She asked him sceptically.
“The pants are oversized but the shirt might be a bit small.”
“Perfect.” she said, a smug grin crossing her face as she pulled Jean to the bathroom.
Once inside she began working on his hair which had now fully grown back and he was letting her cut it on occasion, he had refused to let a hairdresser touch his hair but he couldn’t keep letting it grow long so Cat would cut it into a choppy cut once a month.
He didn’t question her as she worked her hands through his hair using different styling sprays and oils as she accentuated his curls. He found it best to not argue too much with her as eventually she would always get her way with him. After she was done with his hair she held out a pencil. “You’re going to say no but I really think you should say yes.”
He had seen her use these pencils on her own eyes almost daily. “Cat you can’t be serious?”
“It would look so good. Please!” she batted her eyelashes at him. “It will be so dark in the club you’ll barely be able to see it!” He rolled his eyes and sighed again. “Yay!” she yelled.
“I didn’t say yes.”
“You didn’t say no though.”
She left the sealed pencil on the side and handed him the clothes in the bag. “These are Jeremy's so they might not fit but try them on.”
“I have clothes.” He said, frowning at the black garments.
“Not like these.” she said and left the bathroom for him to change.
In his hand he held a pair of black cargo trousers which looked much too big for Jeremy, luckily for him. He put them on and used his belt from his other Jean's through the loops. The other item was a black vest top which was definitely a normal fit on Jeremy but would most likely be too tight on Jean. He tried both on and gave a knock on the door to let Cat know he was changed.
He felt very aware of the scars running across his back and arms which were more visible than he would like but her eyes stayed fixed to his torso, her mouth slightly agape. “If I wasn’t in a committed lesbian relationship I would have a lot of inappropriate things to say right now.” she said, shutting the door behind them. “The top is too tight.” he said, pulling at the hem as it clung to his body. It was breathable but he was not used to wearing form fitting outfits. It felt alien but the way the soft material compressed against him felt almost comforting. The familiar smell of the shirt didn’t hurt either.
“The shirt is the best part. Don’t believe me we can ask Jeremy.” Her eyes twinkled with someone knowing. “If you’re uncomfortable we can change it for one of your outfits?” she said, her smile genuine. He shook his head, he couldn’t be bothered to have to choose what to wear, let alone change into something else. The quicker he agreed the quicker it would be over with.
“Any more thoughts on the eye liner.” Cat gestured to the pencil that still sat on the sink. “What is the benefit?” he asked.
“You’ll look even hotter?” she said, as if it was obvious. “If you hate it we can take it straight off.” She held her pinky out which she had done so many times before. Jean didn’t take it, the silly tradition Americans had where they thought linking fingers made their promise any more sincere. He didn’t need to do that to believe Cat's words so refused to take into the tradition. If she wanted to break the promise, she would, pinky swear or not.
He relented and let her put the black pencil around his eyes. It scratched as he did it and having someone's hand so close to his eye was alien to him. After flinching a million times she used her fingers to smudge the edges and moved to the side so he could look in the bathroom mirror. The smoky liner made his eyes brighter and his expression more pronounced. He didn’t hate it.
He could feel Cat's apprehension next to him as she took in his reaction, which wasn’t a big one. His eyes probably couldn’t take the irritation of a makeup wipe or soap so he shrugged his shoulders, grabbed his discarded clothes off the floor and made his way out the bathroom. He could feel Cat behind him schooling her happiness. He often found her doing this, almost as if she was scared to be too excited in case it scared him saying no. She was probably right to do that.
They made their way back into the living room where Laila and Jeremy were talking on the sofa, Laila with a bag in her lap, high heeled shoes on, clearly ready to go. They both looked up and their eyes went wide. “Holy fucking balls.” Laila gasped.
“I know right.” Cat laughed, unable to keep the smile off her face. Jean rolled his eyes and looked at Jeremy who was now paying attention to Jabberwocky as he had been earlier.
“Tell him he looks hot, Jer.” Cat encouraged and Jean felt himself tense.
“Yeah you look great.” Jeremy replied, curtly. Still not looking up from the dog on the sofa.
“If we’re all ready we better get going. Free entry stops after eight.” Laila stands, hooks her arm through Jean's, Cat doing the same on the other side and leading him out the apartment with Jeremy trailing behind them. Jean's head stays forward, feeling Jeremy’s gaze on his back. It’s not like Jeremy hasn’t seen these scars before but Jean is somehow all too aware of how they look. He knows the sight is garish but at least most of his back is covered where the worst ones are.
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They walk to the club which is about twenty minutes from their apartment on a side of town Jean has never ventured to before. The sun is still up, just barely but as they get closer to their destination the streets become quieter. Cat and Laila have separated from him and he trails slightly further behind them now, slowing to match Jeremy’s speed.
“I’m glad you came. Cat’s right, it wouldn’t be the same without you.”
“No it wouldn’t be the same. There would be less people.” Jean says, matter-of-factly, a small smile crossing his lips.
“You know what I mean.” Jeremy says, returning the small smile. As they walk, Jeremy’s feet graze the ground as he kicks a stray bottle down the street. They walk in silence for a little while until Jeremy finally speaks.
“Have you never been to a club then?” He glances at Jean who simply nods his head.
“I have. Once or twice. But not to dance. The ravens don’t dance.” Jeremy took his hint not to question any more about the experience. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. If you really want to go home just say the word, we’ll leave straight away.”
“I know. That’s why I agreed to come.”
Jeremy’s smile grows at Jean's words of trust. Cat and Laila turn a final corner and they approach a line of people standing outside a doorway. Before Jean and Jeeemy catch up to the girls, Jeremy leans in closer to Jean's ear to say. “Cat was right about something else. You look really fucking hot.”
Before Jean can process the words Jeremy has walked ahead to meet Laila and Cat who stand in the queue to the venue. The sign over the door says “Curve” which Jean thinks is an odd name for a club but assumes it’s an Americanism he isn’t aware of. They are a few people back and they watch as the security guards check ID’s and bags and let the groups of people in.
To the right of them there stands a group of people smoking and Jean turns his nose up at the sight and smell that greets him. He follows the girls forward as they are greeted by two stocky men in the doorway with angry looking faces. Their faces change immediately when Jeremy moves around Jean, Cat and Laila to stand in front of them.
“Long time no see, young Jeremy.” The one on the right says.
“Yeah, doing my best to avoid you two.” He says with a laugh, fist bumping the two bouncers.
“I see you’ve bought a new friend?” The one on the left says, his gaze sweeping across Jean with a guarded look, clearly trying to sus him out. Jean's face remains bored.
“This is our friend Jan. He’s our newest Trojan. Jean, this is Eddy and Marv. The Curve’s best and only bouncers.” Jeremy gestures to the two men who are both studying him questioningly. Jean's seen this look plenty of times.
“Oh we know who he is.” Eddy, the slightly taller one says.
“The Raven.” Marv confirms.
Laila's face turns stern at their clear judgment and Jean considers using it as an excuse to leave and go back to the apartment. Before he can however, Laila says “We just wanna dance and have a couple of drinks. We can vouch for him.” Her voice was stern but polite, toeing the line between annoyance at their assumption of him and wanting to be let inside the club.
It’s Cat who eventually diffuses the situation. “Come on eggheads, you really wanna turn down this pretty face?” She frames her face with her hands.
“It’s not your pretty face we’re interested in, sugar.” Eddy says, shifting his eyes to Jeremy, his gaze roaming from his feet, slowly upwards to his face. Jean doesn’t fail to notice him lingering around Jeremy's hip region for a long second and the sight makes Jean's jaw clench.
Both Eddy and Marv must be at least forty and have no business being interested in someone Jeremy's age. Jean feels Laila take a sharp breath next to him. Jeremy just smiles at the men. “Maybe one day if you’re lucky.” He winks at the men and Jean fights the urge to clench his fists. “Now, are you gonna let us in or not?”
Marv gives Jeremy a smouldering look. “You’re a tease, Knox.” He moved to open the door, letting the four of them in. Jean enters last and can feel the disapproving look as he walks past them. He ignores it, instead choosing to focus his attention on Cat's high ponytail as they descend the stairs into the club.
The vibrations of the pounding senseless music hit Jean like a wave, sending pulses through his body. It’s much too loud for him to know what is being said in the lyrics and he doesn’t recognise the bass-fueled song playing. That doesn’t seem to be the case for his friends who are moving their shoulders to the beat as they go down the stairs and into the large room.
It then hits Jean that the music playing isn’t in English. Some sort of Spanish, reggae type beat is playing. Over the speakers. The fast syllables of the singer make Cat's eyes light up as she makes her way over to the bar on the other side of the room. She holds onto Laila's hand who holds onto Jeremy's. Jeremy reaches back to Jean before halting his hand in front of him and dropping it. He turns his head and taps his shoulder instead, giving Jean permission to hold onto it. “So you don’t get lost.” He prompts. Jean ignores the disappointed feeling gnawing at his insides at the change of heart.
Jean hesitates before holding onto Jeremy's warm shoulder as they weave through the sweaty heaving bodies towards the bar.
The stark smells of the club filled his nostrils as they made their way across the room. The sting of cigarette smoke wafting in from outside flowed into sweat and mustiness, the sweet smell of alcohol on the floor and table tops, the amalgamation of perfumes in the air and the soft waves of orange and warmth emanating from the boy guiding him through the room.
They arrive at the sticky top bar, Cat is practically climbing the bar to be able to speak to the bartender over the music. Jean is sure he won’t like whatever she orders as he’s sure the bar doesn’t stock anything that isn’t sugar filled nonsense.
Cat turns around with the drinks, handing Jeremy a bottle of the same blue stuff they had been consuming in the apartment. Laila takes a bottle of beer and Cat holds a glass with dark pink liquid in it. She then hands Jean a bottle of water and a can of coke. He takes both, pocketing the water and staring at the can skeptically.
“I don’t drink this.” He says, frowning at the can.
“You do tonight. You’ll need the sugars for energy to dance.” She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively at him.
“I don’t dance.”
“Sure you don’t.” The sarcasm drips from her words but he doesn’t rise to it.
Laila takes Cat’s free hand and leads them all to a high table near the dance floor. It only has two chairs next to it so Jeremy and Jean stand while the girls sit, all four of them watching the tightly packed dance floor.
Jean can’t help but stare at the moving bodies in various positions, wearing outfits that were entirely inappropriate to leave the house in, grinding against one another in time to the heavy, bassy music. The hectic flashing lights dancing across grinning faces. His eyes move across the floor as he sees women dancing with women, men dancing with men. The outrageous outfits. The colourful makeup and hair. It’s then that he notices the sheer amount of leather and glitter amongst the crowd as two men in the center of the floor lock lips.
He immediately turns back to the table at the sight, to see his three friends watching him, the brightest smiles crossing their faces.
“This club is gay?” he asks, matter-of-factly. He knows the words have come out wrong but before he can correct himself they all burst out laughing.
“It’s LGBTQ friendly, yes” Laila confirms between giggles. “It’s a safe space for queer people to be open.” Jeremy says, a timid look on his face.
“There is nothing safe about this place.” He says as if it’s obvious. Their faces drop into confused expressions, Cat looking slightly hurt.
“The floors are a tripping hazard, there are way too many people in here, there are exposed wires behind the bar and not to mention the underage drinking.” he finishes, pointing to the four of them. Cat laughs and takes his hand in hers. “Jean.” she says. “You’re safe, we won’t let anything happen to you.” Her dark eyes stare softly into his. “I know.” he replies, and it’s not a lie but he knows she’s not on about the exposed wires. Or any health and safety for that matter.
The song playing changes to a mid tempo reggaeton song and Cat's eyes light up. (1)
“I love this song! Someone dance with me!” she all but yells. Jean holds his hands up and backs away from the table slightly, struggling to keep the smile off his face at how excited she was.
“You’re up Jeremy.” Laila says, sipping on her drink.
“It’s my pleasure.” He takes Cat's hand, grinning his toothy perfect grin. His other hand brings the blue liquid to his lips and he downs the drink in a few seconds. He slams the bottle down on the table and leads Cat to the dance floor, not before shooting a wink in Jean's direction. This does nothing to settle Jean's nerves as he watches them take a place on the dance floor, still within sight of the dance floor.
“Care to join me?” Laila says behind him, patting the seat next to her. Jean obeys and sits down, toying with the can of soda in front of him, still refusing to drink it. He sips the water instead.
“You don’t like to dance either?”Jean asks her.
“I do. But I also like to watch too.” she says, nodding to the dance floor. Jean follows her gaze and he suddenly feels the need to drink more water.
20 steps ahead, in full view of the table, Car and Jeremy are… dry humping. No, not quite. It’s much more coordinated than that. Cat and Jeremy face each other, Cat's arms wrapped around Jeremy's neck while his hands sit low on her waist. Their legs slot in between each others their hips roll in tandem with the beat.
Jean suddenly can’t hear anything but his own heartbeat pounding in his chest. His hand reaches out to grab the water but instead finds the can of cola. He brings it to his dry lips and chugs the two sweet liquid in one go.
He turns to Laila to see if she notices his embarrassment but her eyes are glued to their friends on the dance floor. Her face is laced with a determined, hungry smile, telling Jean he needn’t worry. Her attention was understandably nowhere near him. Still, he keeps his own eyes on the empty can in front of him.
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Jeremy.
Jeremy always has a good time dancing with Cat. Their moves are pretty much second nature and they know they look good. Cat always does a great job of making any of her dance partners look good and it doesn’t hurt that Jeremy has had plenty of practice. That's why the next words out of her mouth catch him off guard. “You’re tense tonight.” Her hands move from round his neck to his hips, moving them as if to loosen them up for him. Her smile nearly hides the concern in her expression as they move to the music.
“Those assholes upstairs upset you?” she asks close to his ear over the music.
“No, they don’t bother me. Besides, it gets us through the door. I don't care.” He replies before spinning her round and back into him. “They bother me. I worry what they would do if Laila and I weren’t here.”
“Good job I don’t plan on being here without you then, isn’t it.”
“I’m going to pretend that that’s not a lie.” She smiles knowingly but lets the conversation rest as they continue dancing.
“Still though. You need to relax.” She massages his shoulders lightly, still moving her body against his. If he was interested in women he would have found himself in an embarrassing situation. He’s suddenly thankful Jean doesn’t dance.
“Just because you can put on a performance at the drop of a hat for your girlfriend, doesn’t mean everyone can.” He teases her.
“And who are you putting on a show for?” The knowing look returns back to her face as she says this.
His words escape him at her insinuation and he can feel the blush creeping into his face.
“Is this Jeremy Knox being shy?” She says with fake outrage. She grabs at the hem of his vest top, he knows where she’s going with this. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you shy. Let’s change that.” she says, swiftly pulling the shirt up over his head leaving him wearing only the decorative gold chain around his waist. He goes to take the vest off her but before he can, she launches the garment at Jean's head. The stunned look of shock on Jean's face as he turns to look at them, glazes over when he notices Jeremy's shirtless state. Jeremy doesn’t fail to notice the blush that creeps along his neck.
Jeremy winks at him over Cat's head, hoping to diffuse the awkwardness.which doesn’t seem to work, Jean's eyes only grow wider. He can feel multiple eyes on the dance floor turn to him in that moment too but he ignores them.
Cat stays with her back pressed to his chest, his hand automatically snaking around her waist as they continue to grind against one another. If he was any other person, Laila would have already chopped his hands off for touching Cat this way. But Laila knew Jeremy had no interest in her girlfriend. Besides Laila was only focussed on Cat at this point as she leaned her head back onto Jeremy's shoulder.
“You’re a menace, Alvarez.” Jeremy says into her ear.
“You’ll thank me later.” she laughs. “I think Jean's already thankful.”
Jeremy looks to the boy sitting down, Jean's eyes not moving from him. Jeremy hopes the lights aren’t bright enough to show how much heat is in his cheeks at Jean's gaze.
“We should grab a drink.” Cat says as the third song comes to a close, fading into the next one.
“Sick of dancing with me already?” Jeremy jokes.
“I doubt I’m your top choice of dance partner tonight.” She turns around to face him and winks, backing off the dance floor back to their table.
Jeremy can’t latch onto what she’s hinting at, no matter how much he wishes it were an option. He knows Jean is off limits. A pipe dream that never should have entered his head.
That’s why when the familiar face behind him taps him on the shoulder, and asks him to dance, he takes the unwelcome distraction and says yes.
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Jean
Jean's mind has been racing at a mile a minute since allowing himself to watch Jeremy and Cat dance. He saves himself by staring at Leila's side profile as she watches them too, a smile on her face.
“You know, you can watch too.” she says, giving him a sideways glance and sipping her drink. “This doesn’t bother you?” Jean asks, not answering her statement. “Their dancing is very… intimate?” he adds. She laughs.
“Jeremy and Cat are as interested in each other as siblings. It’s mostly for my benefit and Cat gets the benefit of a dance partner who can almost keep up with her. I enjoy dancing but Jeremy's a lot better than me.”
Jean is confused and he knows it reads on his face. “They do it for your benefit?”
“Not just mine.” she gives him a knowing look.
It’s then that Jean is hit by a flying item of clothing. Straight in the face. From the familiar smell alone, he knows who’s shirt this is.
Jean has lost count of the amount of times he has seen Jeremy Knox shirtless. Each time he does he allows his eyes to linger a little longer. This time he can’t seem to make himself look away.
Jeremy's torso and back glisten as the club's flashing lights hit his sweat-soaked skin. Hues of blue, green, yellow and red dance across his sun kissed skin as he and Cat continue to dance. Jeremy is not the only topless male in the room but he is only one Jean can focus on. Laila says it’s okay to watch, so he does. It’s not as if it has to mean anything.
And then Jeremy winks at him again. And Jean feels all sense of control woosh out of him.
Cat has turned to face them at the table, her eyes drawing Laila in. Jean can’t help but keep watch. Watch as Jeremy's hand snakes around her midriff. He thinks of what his arms would look like wrapped around Jeremy's waist. He imagines his teeth sinking into the soft skin at his hip bones that taunt Jean as Jeremy’s shorts cling onto them low enough to show the defined V shape.
The music fades into a new song and Cat makes her way back to the table. Jean's eyes can’t move from Jeremy who stays on the dancefloor as if he can’t move.
Cat leans into Jean. “You sure you don’t want to dance?! This makes his eyes break from the blonde boy but he doesn’t have an answer for her.
“We should go and get a drink.” Laila says hurriedly, a concerned look crossing her face that has Cat returning her gaze to Jeremy. “Oh yeah lets.” she agrees, attempting to pull Jean towards the bar. But Jean's head turns to see what they are looking at. He sees what they see immediately. Jeremy is dancing with another man. He has short brown hair and he’s also shirtless apart from a leather harness over his muscled chest. They aren’t dancing as intimately as Cat and Jeremy were. More close quarters talking and moving to the beat, their faces close. The man leans in to talk into Jeremy's ear and a laugh breaks out on Jean's partner's face. Jean stands quickly.
“I’ll go and get the drinks,” he says.
“Jean.” Cat starts.
“What are you drinking?” He interrupts her, his tone final. She hesitates, a sad look crossing her face, before answering. “Vodka cranberry for me, a beer for Laila and Jeremy drinks-.” but Jean is already heading to the bar before she can finish.
He doesn’t really know what he’s doing as he approaches the near-empty bar. There are two men playing what can only be described as tonsil tennis and two women who are getting drinks themselves. When he approaches the bar the bartender from earlier makes their way over. “What can I get you, handsome?”
Jean has never understood the American need to compliment people all the time for tips. Knowing he won’t tip, he doesn’t react to the bartender's flippant flirting. He places his order for him and the girls and the drinks are produced quickly. Along with a shot.“I didn’t order this.” Jean says, gesturing to the brown liquid in the small glass. “On the house, looks like you could do with it.” He winks at Jean and Jean hands the cash over to him, collecting his change.
He stares down at the shot. For a moment he genuinely considered drinking it but settled for simply toying with it on the bar top. Maybe he could gain the confidence most people got from consuming alcohol by merely staring at it long enough?
But it wasn;t confidence he needed. He needed something to settle his heart which was currently beating rapidly in his chest, so loud it frowned out the base of the music.
“I thought drinking was for idiots?” a warm voice cut through the noise of the club beside him. He couldn’t quite bring himself to turn his head towards Jeremy but he didn’t need to. Jean shrugged, staring down at the shot again.
“I really don’t think you want to do that.” Jeremy’s voice was teasing but there was a seriousness behind it. And he was right. “I didn’t order it. The bartender, he gave it-”
“Leo likes to fix their-” Jean made a mental note to remember “-problems with drinking. Quite the opposite to you though. But be my guest, have the shot. Who knows, maybe it’ll convince you to dance.” Jean finally turned to fix Jeremy with an annoyed look. “I doubt it.” he returned.
“Well then I guess I’ll have to convince you.” Then Jeremy grabbed Jean's hands and held them out in front of them. “Come on, this one’s really easy. It has a routine and everything.” Jeremy began moving Jean's hands to the familiar tune(2). He didn’t think it important to mention that they did the Maracarena in France too. It would give Jeremy too much ammunition.
Jeremy moved Jean's hands in a formation and Jean could see everyone doing the same on the dance floor. He moved his hands palm down in front of him to palm up in the same position, then to his shoulders, his head and then lastly to cross over his hips. “And then you swivel your hips like this.” Jeremy motioned, rolling his own hips languidly that had Jean immediately turning away. “You have to watch me swivel Jean or you won’t know the dance.”
Jean conceded and looked back at Jeremy. “What happens after the swivelling?” Jean groaned which made Jeremy smile. “You jump, clap and turn ninety degrees.” Jeremy demonstrated for Jean a few more times. “Got it?” he asked. Before Jean could reply, Jeremy led him to the table with their drinks, dropped them off with Laila and Cat and grabbed Jean's wrist to take him to the dance floor. “Loosen his hips Jean, he’s been tense all evening!” Cat shouts at him.
Jean could feel the heat on his pressure point as Jeremy loosely gripped him but before he could react they were in and amongst the other dancers on the floor and Jeremy had let go.
He felt the loss a little too harshly, his wrist felt almost numb now he couldn’t feel Jeremy’s warm skin touching it. “Stand in front of me, I'll guide you.” Jeremy's voice was hot on his ear from behind him. “No one's watching I promise,” he added, assumedly to comfort Jean. He wasn’t sure if it worked or whether it was Jeremy's presence behind him that acted as a barrier from the rest of the room. The music continued with a steady constant rhythm in a language Jean recognised but didn’t fully understand.
“I’m gonna guide you from behind okay?” Jeremy's voice was earnest with concern and apprehension. Jean could only nod in return, his eyes deciding to fix on Cat and Laila who were talking amongst themselves at the table.
He felt Jeremy's arms come round his side to grasp his hands and run through the dance from behind. He could feel him remaining as far as he could from Jean like an invisible force kept everything but their hands apart.
Jeremy guided him from behind his hands moving with the same movements they did before with the routine everyone on the dance floor was following. It was simple and Jean realistically would have remembered it had his brain not been focussed on Jeremy's careful stiff movements behind him. He wasn’t dancing how he did with Cat. He was trepidateous and Jean couldn’t fault him for it. He just wished he didn’t have to be.
“You got it?” Jeremy’s words came out low and breathy in his ear.
“It isn’t a hard dance to grasp.” Jean joked as they turned ninety degrees to the left simultaneously with the fifty other people dancing. Jean could feel Jeremy's arms brushing next to his own as they repeated the steps again to the music. “See you’re a natural” Jeremy winked from his left, nudging him with his warm arm.
The skin on Jean's arm where they had touched felt on fire. He struggled to lose the thoughts that rushed his brain as the heat radiated off Jeremy. Had he moved closer? He felt so much closer. Yet not close enough.
They turned again and Jean was left staring at the back of Jeremy's head. Except he wasn’t, Jeremy had turned right to face Jean. “You’re going the wrong way.” Jean smirked at him. Jeremy hesitated a second before saying “I think I’m facing the exact way I want to be.” His eyes didn’t quite meet Jean's when he said this and when they did they shined with a look Jean hadn’t seen on Jeremy's face before. Jean knew he was blushing and hoped the flashing lights would disguise it.
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Jeremy
Jeremy felt like a fool. He’d come on too strong; he knew it. If Jean didn’t know Jeremy's obvious crush before then he was sure to know it now. I think I’m facing the exact way I want to be. Jeremy replayed the words in his head. Words that had made Jean practically freeze in front of him as the stupid song played in the background.
He knew he was playing with fire when he asked Jean to dance with him. He had thought the Macarena would have been an easy enough song with no touching and no eye contact. Simple. Easy. No tension. No build up. Certainly no room for anything like what he had done with Cat.
Jeremy was about to be proven wrong. As he overthought the words he had said to Jean, which sounded skeezier by the second, Jeremy continued to dance in the correct formation. Not wanting to scare Jean off.
They had repeated the dance a few times and now Jeremy was standing with his back to Jean and within seconds he could feel heavy breath on his neck and Jean's low voice in his ear. “Cat was right, you are tense.” Before Jeremy could respond, Jean's hands came to grasp Jeremy's arms, his body pressed tightly against Jeremy's back. /He clearly wasn’t taking the same precautions Jeremy was when teaching Jean the dance. Jean continued to move his body against Jeremy's, forcing Jeremy's body to move more fluidly. Jeremy tried not to focus on the strength of Jean's torso against him. He tries to hard to ignore the intoxicating scent that Jeremy had come to know as Jean's. That hardest to ignore was how Jean's hips pressed relentlessly against his back. The way they rotated against him in a slow rhythm. Jeremy felt lightheaded. This was a long way from the Macarena.
The song came to a close, a new one starting (3) and they drew apart. Jeremy dared to turn around to face Jean and forced himself to look at his eyes which looked worried. “Sorry I didn’t mean to-” Jean started saying but Jeremy cut him off. “You said you couldn’t dance?” Jean tried, unsuccessfully, to hide a smirk. “No, I said I don’t dance.”
“I want to change that.” Jeremy didn’t know where his confidence had come from.
“Okay.”
Jeremy couldn’t believe Jean's reply. “Okay?” he checked, willing to give Jean an out if he wanted one while his mind raced through a million scenarios of how he would dance with Jean.
“Yes, Jeremy.” Jean let the smirk take over as he grabbed Jeremy's hand, spun him round so his back was pressed to Jean's front again. Clearly the Frenchman had enjoyed it then.
Their bodies immediately worked together as the music throbbed. Jean's lips were at Jeremy's ears once again. “Where can I touch you?” Jean asked.
“Anywhere.” Jeremy sighed out, his head leaning back to rest on Jean's shoulder. He’d let Jean do anything.
Jean's left hand went to rest on Jeremy's left hip and his right hand came to wrap around his midriff, lightly caressing the skin on show until his large pale hand came to rest on Jeremy's stomach, fingers splayed so they made contact with as much skin as possible. Jeremy felt his breath hitch dramatically. He’d given up on stopping the explicit thoughts that tried to enter his head. It was no use they came through anyway.
As their bodies continued to meld together, Jean's hand moved across Jeremy's skin, he could swear it would get lower with each new caress. Eventually Jean's pinky finger grazed the waistband of Jeremy's low-rise Jean's and he was glad they were baggy as all the blood in his body seemed to go south. He had to fight to keep a moan from escaping his lips.
He could feel Cat and Laila watching them but couldn't bring himself to look in their direction. He couldn’t risk breaking the spell he found himself under. The feeling that it was just him and Jean in the room.
The music was slow and steady and Jeremy could feel Jean's heartbeat in his back and felt a miss when Jean separated himself slightly. He grabbed Jeremy's hand to spin him round so they were facing each other. Jean slotted his leg in between Jeremy's and his hands on Jeremy's hips moved to grind him against his leg.
Jeremy gripped onto Jean's strong arms as he couldn't help the moan that escaped his lips this time but he didn’t speak. He couldn’t speak. Jean's head came to rest against his own as he continued to grind their hips together, his eyes burying into Jeremy's like silver pools of endlessness that Jeremy could get lost in.
Their noses were pressed side by side, if Jean moved forward an inch their lips would meet. The thought made Jeremy go dizzy but he wouldn’t dare move from this spot. He would take whatever Jean would willingly give.
Jeremy could practically taste Jean with how close they were. Every place their skin touched made him come alive like a burning heat. Jean's lips were so close he was scared to breathe. They had stopped dancing now and stood practically toe to toe, the dance floor continuing to move around them. Jeremy didn’t care to see if anyone was watching. He was focussed on how close Jean was.
And then he wasn’t. He was pulling away and Jeremy damned himself for thinking there was any other outcome. He’d been stupid to think anything would happen. He needed to stop giving into his delusions.
“It would be a shame to do that for the first time here. And inebriated.” Jean leaned down to murmur into Jeremy’s ear.
Then take me home. Take me home and do what you want to me, Jeremy wanted to scream. But he didn’t. He nodded in agreement. “Do you want another soda?” He asked Jean. Jean shook his head, his eyes had a hungry look in them. Like he could devour Jeremy. He so desperately wanted him to. “I want to go home.” The glint in Jean's eyes told Jeremy it was not from a lack of enjoyment. “We can walk home, get you food on the way. Grab some water to take back from the bar.” Jean continued, sounding like a suggestion but Jeremy could hear the command in his tone. It made his breathing quicken.
“Are you trying to sober me up?” Jeremy teased.
“Yes.” Jean's reply was serious, with no room for misinterpretation in his expression.
Jeremy couldn’t bring himself to think of the implication of what Jean had said even as they said goodbye to Laila and Cat who surprisingly didn’t say anything other than “We’ll probably be home in an hour and a half.” Cat said. Jean's hands left Jeremy's hips as he moved to say something in Cat's ear. She smiled at whatever he had said and nodded her head and smirked at Jeremy, clearly unable to control her excitement.
Jean led him towards the exit of the club, his hands returning back to Jeremy's hips as he did. Jeremy leaned back as they moved through the crowd. “What did you ask Cat?” He was curious.
Jean hesitated before his deep heavily accented voice said in his ear “I told her to make it two hours.”