Chapter Text
Loud music and flickering lights surrounded Grian the moment he came out of the cool air of the night inside the club amidst his friends. Or rather, a group of people from one of his college classes that had been nice enough to drag him along. Whether it was because they felt bad for him or because they knew he hated places like this but couldn't bring himself to say no, just to make fun of him, perhaps, or maybe just for group discounts, he didn't know, and because he felt like one option was worse than the other, he wasn't too keen on finding out.
After about half an hour, the songs had melted into one drumming beat in his ears and he had gotten a headache. Someone grabbed his sleeve, stopping his half-hearted swaying he himself wouldn't even call an attempt at dancing anymore, and pulled him aside. "Hey, just go sit down by the bar or something. You're ruining the mood."
Grian only hummed quietly, he had heard words like those far too often to be be fazed by them anymore and was honestly just glad to have an excuse to leave. He let himself fall into a high chair near the bar with a sigh, dropping his head onto his hand.
"Can I get you anything?"
It took Grian a moment to realize he was the one being adressed. When he did, he looked up and instinctively sat up straighter. A handsome man in a white shirt and vest was standing across from him on the other side of the bar. He was tall, tan, muscular and had several scars drawn across his face that, on top of his slightly lopsided grin, gave him an adventurous charm. Grian had the sudden urge to run his fingers over the scars, hear the stories behind them, however wierd or painful they might be, maybe scatter a few kisses here and there, and-...
He blinked, shaking his head. What was he thinking? Just because such a gorgeous guy happened to give him attention for a moment, his mind was already making up all kinds of strange things about him. But he did have prettily shaped lips... and dark green eyes that reminded him of moss agate gemstones... and hair dark like the bark of an old tree, perfect to run pale fingers like Grian's through... No. No, no, focus, he had been asked something. Grian let out a quiet, awkward chuckle. "Sorry, could you repeat that?", he mumbled, while internally questioning how much of his sanity he must've lost to that one drink someone had handed him at the beginning of the night.
The man, who Grian had concluded was a bartender, smiled warmly and Grian felt like his heart was melting. What was happening to him? "I asked if you wanted to drink anything. I've been watching you for a while, so I know you only had a single drink tonight. Most people don't leave before they have atleast three down their throat." "Ah..." Grian hesitated. What did people usually say at this point? He didn't know alcohol, what should he order? The guy was waiting... he couldn't keep quiet for too long or it would be awkward... But he had been watching him? No, he couldn't think too much of it, the bartenders probably watched everyone in the room, it must've been part of their job. Still, he couldn't help the excitement that ran through him at being noticed by someone this handsome. After a few seconds of his brain running a million miles an hour trying to find a way to salvage the situation and not say anything that would give away what he was thinking, he managed to get out: "Uhm... what... what would you recommend?"
The man bit his lip, considering the question for a moment. "Well, my manager would probably tell me to get you to buy the Ono Champagne Cocktail, because it's our most expensive drink, but personally, I really like a good old scotch." He leaned against the counter, a grin spreading across his face. "If you don't get the cocktail, you could make up the price difference in tips."
Grian cleared his throat, shifting in his seat while trying to ignore the captivating mischievous sparkle in the other's eyes. "Oh, uhm... in that case, I think I'll take the scotch. I don't like champagne anyway." "Coming right up!" The bartender disappeared for a moment and quickly returned with Grian's drink, sliding it across the counter. After thanking him and paying, with the tips as suggested, Grian slowly sipped his drink, avoiding eye contact.
For a while, their corner was quiet compared to the rest of the bar, but instead of leaving, the bartender busied himself with cleaning glasses right next to Grian, which didn't help his racing heart at all. Ignoring, or maybe not even noticing the way Grian's eyes flickered over to him every few seconds, the gorgeous stranger eventually spoke up again. "You don't seem to be enjoying yourself very much. Not your kind of event?"
Grian flinched, feeling caught, and nodded, his cheeks heating up in embarressment as he lowered his head. "Yeah, I... don't usually go clubbing. My fellow students dragged me here, basically."
The bartender hummed, moving around in the small space behind the counter with ease. His large hands somehow cleaned even the smallest glasses expertly, which made Grian wonder while he watched him move with fascination what else he could do with them... and promptly, he missed the next question. "Sorry?"
Instead of being angry at having to repeat himself yet again, the man only smiled. "What would be your kind of event? If you could change things around here, what would need to be different for you to enjoy yourself?" Grian paused, setting his glass down. He had never given that much thought. After thinking about it for a minute, internally thankful for the distraction from his not so innocent thoughts, he said: "Well, for one, I don't like the music. It's too loud and too... I don't know. I don't mind the bass or anything, it's just... too much. And the lights too. I think it could stay this dark, but the flickering would need to stop, it's giving me a headache. Also, people are moving so recklessly. I think it would be safer and less agitating if... I don't know, we would all move the same way or something."
The bartender considered Grian's words for a moment, which was already more than Grian had expected, given that he had, atleast in his opinion, probably just taken everything out of clubbing that made it fun for other people. After consideration, the bartender asked: "So you'd prefer, like... a ball? A renaissance ball or something?" Grian froze and even more embarressment rose up in him. That wasn't what he had meant to sound like, and he didn't want to come across as a total bore, but he couldn't lie either. "Uh... kind of... I guess...", he muttered, subconsciously curling in on himself a little.
The man nodded. He didn't laugh or mock him, he just nodded. "I had a feeling you did. I'm Scar, by the way." One of Grian's eyebrows travelled up an inch. "Scar? That's your name?" He regretted his words the moment they left his mouth, but he couldn't take them back. However, Scar just shrugged, unbothered. "It's more of a nickname, but it's what everyone calls me nowadays, so I've just started introducing myself with it." Noticing Grian's discomfort and shame, he added: "Don't worry, I get that question a lot."
And suddenly, with a skilled leap, he was on Grian's side of the counter, right next to him, and Grian's eyes widened, his body tensing in surprise. "Wait here a moment", Scar said, and disappeared into the crowd with a wink that had Grian's heart make sommersaults in his chest. Less than a minute later, the current song blasting through the room transitioned into a flowy medieval melody, boosted by a bass and remixed to a modern standard. The lights slowly grew steadier as well, stopping their blinking and instead starting to travel over the crowd in random patterns. That... couldn't be a coincidence, right? But it couldn't be for him, so it had to be.
While Grian was internally struggling, trying to figure out what to make of this sudden change, Scar reappeared behind him, startling him. He bowed, that strange, charming grin still on his face, and extended a hand out to Grian, putting on an overly dramatic voice. "Will you do me the honor of dancing with me, beautiful stranger?" And Grian felt like he was dying. That couldn't be real. Either he had gotten drugged somehow or he was daydreaming or something, but it wasn't really happening. It couldn't be.
Scar waited patiently, keeping his hand extended, and after a painfully long silence, Grian blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. "Grian." "What?" "My name... my name is Grian." Scar's grin widened and he tilted his head. "Well, Grian, then", he tested the name on his tongue, "will you do me the honor? Because my back is really starting to hurt."
That brought some life back into Grian and he got up hastily, taking Scar's hand. "Oh, yes, sorry-" "You're good", Scar soothed, pulling him in, and Grian stumbled, almost falling into the other's chest that seemed to barely be contained by the shirt he was wearing. Slowly, they started waltzing to the music, and after keeping his eyes on the floor and not Scar for a while to be able to focus, Grian found the rhythm and actually began to enjoy himself.
When he finally risked a look back at Scar, he was met with a warm smile, so gentle and genuine it felt like a flash of something he wasn't meant to see. "See? Now you're enjoying yourself", Scar said, his voice proud, and Grian's expression softened. Nobody had ever cared if he was happy or upset, and this stranger changed around something so important like it was nothing, risking the joy of everyone else in the club who hadn't minded the music, just for him. "You didn't need to do that." Grian's voice was quiet and a little hoarse, he was struggling to grasp what was happening. Scar simply shrugged. "A few people owed me favors. And it's kinda my job to make sure everyone here enjoys themselves."
"Right...", Grian mumbled, but he had a feeling that wasn't all of it, because surely Scar wouldn't dance like this with just anyone, right? His body was warm, arms surrounding Grian like a safe fortress, guiding him to the music but leaving him room to move however he wanted to. It felt too good to be true... and too good to be "just business". Grian found himself drowning in the feeling, savoring it, because when would he ever get an opportunity like this again, especially with someone as kind as Scar next to him?
"Are you straight?", he finally blurted out the question that had been weighing on his mind for most of the evening, and he flinched as soon as the words had left his mouth, shocked by his own boldness. He fell over his own feet as he messed up the next step. How could he just ask that?! Why was his mouth moving on its' own today? "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-", he scrambled to fix his mistake, anything to not let the moment end, to bask in the proximity of this man he didn't even really know but inexplicably felt drawn to for a minute longer, not even noticing his fall had been stopped.
"No."
Grian froze and his eyes shot up to meet Scar's. The other didn't seem bothered by by the question at all, which baffled Grian, but he didn't have time to think about it, because he had finally noticed they were face to face, so close he could spot a tiny scar on the bridge of Scar's nose above a bigger one, and his brain had decided to stop working for an indefinite amount of time. They had ended up in a dip position when he had stumbled and fallen over and Scar had caught him while Grian had been too caught up in his panic over his inappropriate question to realize.
As Grian was trying his best not to audibly freak out, visibly he had already given up assuming everything he was feeling was currently visible on his face, Scar's voice grew lower and gentler. "In fact... all of this is sort of an attempt to get you to notice me so I can ask you out."
And that was what gave Grian's poor heart the rest. He felt like passing out on the spot, but then he'd lose precious time with Scar. Still, that couldn't be true, and he felt the sudden urge to explain that to Scar, even though he wanted nothing more than to believe someone this kind and handsome could actually find him desirable. "What? You... you don't want to go out with me. Nobody does. I'm like the definition of unattractiveness, which is-"
A hand covered his mouth, rough, weathered skin met his own, shutting him up. Scar's expression was serious when he spoke. "Grian, with all due respect, that's bullshit. You're the most beautiful person in this room, and by far the most interesting. Also, don't tell me what I should and shouldn't do. I want to ask you out. You can say no, of course, but only if you really don't want to go out with me. "I don't feel deserving of your time and attention" doesn't count." When Grian just stared, frozen in shock, Scar added quietly: "And I'm totally shooting in the dark here, I don't even know if you like men, but I needed to take my chance, because you probably won't come back here voluntarily any time soon."
Grian opened and closed his mouth without a sound coming out, like a fish out of the water, Scar's words echoing in his ears. He must've been going crazy, there was no way this guy was asking him out. Scar was so out of his league, what were the possibilities he'd actually like him back? Grian barely registered slowly being guided back into an upward position, nor the fact that he was pressed up against Scar's body. After an embarressingly long amount of time that Grian spent trying to process the other's words, he finally just mumbled: "Really?", half expecting Scar to start laughing and teasing him for letting himself believe someone like Scar would ever want to go out with someone like him. But Scar didn't laugh at all, he just looked at him, eyes wide open and without a hint of ingenuity. "Yeah."
Grian's lips parted softly as he met Scar's gaze, finding himself getting lost in his beautiful green eyes for a moment. It had been so long since he had been this close to someone else, or seen such emotions in somebody's eyes when they were looking at him. Feelings like the ones he saw shimmering in Scar's eyes in that moment felt like they couldn't be meant for him, they had never been, and yet they were too serious and real to deny.
"Really?, he repeated quietly, trying to find the joke in Scar's words, anything to prove he was lying, just to be sure before he allowed himself to actually answer. To his surprise, Scar didn't seem offended or annoyed at all, he just replied. "Yes, Grian, I want to ask you out. If this is some elaborate way to reject me, it's not neccessary-" "No! No, no, no, not at all, I want to", Grian immediatly rushed to make sure the handsome bartender didn't get the wrong idea, "I just... I've never... been genuinely asked out. Just as a joke. It's... kinda hard to believe that... well, you, of all people, would want me."
Scar tilted his head, his expression a mixture of disbelief, concern and anger. "You've never been asked out? I was sure you were long taken when you walked in. Everyone around you has been sleeping on this opportunity?" Before Grian had a chance to answer, Scar dipped him, grinning down at him playfully. "Well, all the better for me. I know we just met, but I can tell they're missing out."
A small smile spread across Grian's face and he felt himself slowly relax as he came to the realization that Scar wasn't joking at all. "That's a bold claim." Scar chuckled, spinning him around to the music. It had gone back to the usual club hits, but in Scar's company, Grian found himself enjoying it for some reason. "If you don't live bold, you don't live at all, my grandpa used to say. Life's too short to spend it in fear of offending other people."
That resonated deep within Grian, and he was pretty sure Scar could tell, because he slowed down and kept his focus on Grian's face. "You've never heard that before, have you?" When Grian shook his head, Scar pulled him in, sneaking an arm around his waist in a light hold, careful to make sure the other still felt comfortable. "Then I'm gonna help you find that confidence you're lacking, beautiful. If you'd allow me to, of course. Whether this is going somewhere or not, I don't want to see you wasting your life worrying about what people will think of you. Nobody should be doing that, but especially not someone as smart as I think you are."
Grian lowered his head, thinking about Scar's words. Trying not to let how much those words meant to him show, he forced a laugh. "You say that to every guy you're interested in?" His dance partner pouted, half pretending to be offended, half actually offended. "No. Besides, how would you know if I've ever asked anyone out before?" "You have", Grian said flatly. There was no way he hadn't. Scar sighed, faking a guilty expression. "Yeah, you caught me. Still, it doesn't matter now, does it? If you really want to know, I'd say that to anyone I'd feel like would need to hear it." Grian nodded, swaying along to the music with Scar.
They were an odd couple, waltzing in their corner while everyone else was moving with the beats, but neither of them seemed to care. "You just do that, don't you?" "Do what?" "Speak your mind. Say whatever you feel like saying, no matter how the other person might take it." Scar chuckled sheepishly. "Yes, I do. It does go wrong occasionally, probably because my mouth has always moved faster than my brain, but I prefer that over overthinking every word."
Grian hummed quietly. "I guess we're different in that regard, then." "Maybe so. But I bet you're very talkative once you trust someone", Scar said, gently nudging his side, and Grian turned his head away in embarressment. "I don't know about that." "Don't worry, I'll find out and tell you!" Scar grinned and Grian's brows furrowed.
Everything seemed so much simpler in Scar's eyes. Had it always been that easy and he himself had just been overcomplicating it? Scar spoke his mind like it was nothing, and it was charming, although a little dorky. For Grian, it was hard to grasp how he could do something like that like it was nothing, while Grian thought every word he said through and still somehow ended up saying the wrong things. Then again... he hadn't been overthinking that much in Scar's presence, had he? It was just like they had instantly clicked, like they had known eachother for ages, and he believed Scar felt the same. Strange... but very comforting in a way.
Somehow they ended up talking most of the night. Grian didn't even realize how long it had been until he checked his watch at almost two in the morning and shrieked in surprise. Scar, who had returned to his duties as a bartender, but stayed close to where Grian was sitting to talk to him, glanced up, looking confused. "What's wrong, Grian?"
Grian bit his lip, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I was meant to drive back home with someone at one, which was the earliest they said anyone would leave. I guess they didn't bother reminding me and probably left without me." Scar frowned, a hint of worry sparking up in his eyes. "So you don't have a ride home?" Slipping off his stool, Grian shook his head, pacing around. "I could call, see if someone else could drive me-..."
"I could", Scar cut him off. Grian perked up, clutching his phone. He dreaded having to talk to one of the people who had dragged him there that night, especially since it wasn't guaranteed that he'd get anything out of it. He briefly considered saying no, given that he had just met Scar, but he felt comfortable and cared for around him in a way he couldn't quite explain, and anything was better than having to call drunk fellow students and ask around for a ride home.
"That'd be great, actually...", he mumbled, shooting a grateful smile over the counter. Scar returned it, drying his hands with a cloth. "Alright, but I'm working for another few hours. Is that okay with you?" "Ah..." Grian hesitated. "I... I kind of... well, I have a headache." "The lights, right, I'm so sorry-" "It's fine, I'd just like to leave as soon as I can." He smiled, internally wondering how on earth Scar still remembered what he had told him about the flickering lights hours ago.
For a moment, Scar shuffled around behind the counter, then he put a key down in front of Grian. "Listen, this might sound super creepy... but I can tell you don't want to call those fellow students of yours and argue until you find someone to drive you. If you'd like, you can stay here, we have a break room in the back." He ran a hand through his hair with a sheepish smile. "I promise I'm not trying to kidnap you or anything."
Grian chuckled quietly and took the key. "Sure", he said and listened to the explanation of how to get to the break room, internally trying to shut down the thought that he really wouldn't mind being kidnapped by Scar, it probably wasn't very healthy.
The break room was sparsely decorated and felt small but inviting. The walls were a light pastel orange color, and after discovering the light didn't work, Grian found a lamp in a corner using the flashlight of his phone that painted the entire space in a warm glow. A little lost on what to do, he sat on the little couch facing the door, looking around. It felt almost like he was doing something he shouldn't be allowed to do, even if he had been told to stay there. He internally scolded himself for being so tense and on guard and sank back into the cushions, feeling tired enough to pass out on the spot. After a moment of consideration, he decided that would be a good use of the spare few hours, Scar could wake him when he came.