|
Post by Kat on Jun 22, 2005 12:18:41 GMT -5
Ace grinned and led Chip in, waving to people here and there as he passed them. He did indeed know a lot of people in the club, most of them were simply acquaintances, people he only knew from seeing them whenever he came here. A few he knew more closely, spending time with them outside of the club, the majority of them people he had met through Sparky, her girlfriend, and her room mate. They approached the bar, Ace leaned against it and looked at Chip. "You want anything? I only ever get a bottle of water, I don't drink when I'm out dancing." He grinned and waiting for Chip's answer before turning back to order.
|
|
|
Post by Cres on Jun 22, 2005 14:29:43 GMT -5
Chip kept up his smile though he felt slightly uncomfortable with noticing how many people knew Ace. He liked to make his own appearances, not to get to be known through Ace. Ah, well, he reminded himself, he'd wanted to go with the boy. So if he didn't like his popularity, he shouldn't have gone with him.
Not that he could really be on a sour mood. It felt good to get out.
"I'll do with water as well," he said with a shrug as he leant to the bar with one elbow and turned to look around the place. "Alcohol quite takes off the edge from your thinking, and drunken dance isn't one of the varieties I like to pride myself in."
He looked around.
"I see you come here a lot," he noted, nodding to one of the people Ace had greeted on his way. He smirked. "I wonder just how... well you know all these people," he said, a hint in his voice.
A little further away from the two of them, a tall male figure was standing by the bar, leaning his knuckles on the counter and staring at the vision before him, a stunned expression in his eyes. Vincent had just got in to begin his shift, but the view that met him in the club almost struck out his breath.
A gay club? He'd got a job from a gay club? He swallowed a couple of times and tried to get his brain back in line. All right. Everything was cool. He was cool. He needed the money.
Yes, that worked. He needed the money. So what if he could see a pair of guys necking each other near the dance floor. So what if he saw two chicks kissing a little ways off... hey, but that was actually pretty hot. Vinnie's eyes were caught on the two girls as he forgot himself into thinking just how hot it would have been to get those two to do that in his bedroom.
|
|
|
Post by Kat on Jun 23, 2005 9:07:42 GMT -5
Ace looked at Chip, a little upset at his question. "Exactly what are you implying, Chip? I know people because I come here often and I'm pretty, so everyone wants to talk to me. There's nothing more going on then that." He turned to the bar to order the waters, feeling a little put off. Great, he thought, one more person who thinks I'm a total whore who sleeps with everyone. He didn't look back at Chip until he'd been handed the bottles, finally turning back around and holding one out to him. Why fight it? He had such a slutty reputation without ever even doing very much, without even wanting to do very much.
|
|
|
Post by Cres on Jun 24, 2005 5:19:37 GMT -5
Chip was slightly surprised by Ace's reaction. He could see and hear he was a little upset - perhaps more than just a little, even. He frowned a bit as he watched him turn to the bar, and his logic made a few twists and turns and leaps until a few pieces clicked. He was upset because he had implied he had slept with the guys he'd greeted on their way in? Why on earth, was what Chip couldn't understand, but he wanted to correct the matter. Perhaps he'd misunderstood, somehow.
"Hey, hold your horses," he said as he took the water from Ace. "I didn't mean to insult or anything. Heck, the reason I'm known in Runnington [[I'm just making a name up; Chip's university town]] clubs is because I'm such a good fuck." He winked. "I've probably slept with most of the guys who go there. That's just the way I'm used to, I guess. In most places I've ever went to, gay relationships in clubs are... well, less than deep. You go out, you hang around, drink a little maybe, the evening ends in a fuck and then you go home. Next night, you're with someone else." He glanced at Ace. "What I've found, as a general rule, those who go clubbing often don't have steady relationships. I used to be like that, when I was younger. I guess I'm sort of growing out of that now. One starts to think with ones brains instead of the dick when one grows older, I guess."
He leaned closer to Ace and smiled to him.
"So you might say I'm happy to meet an exception to the rule," he said meaningfully. In truth, he couldn't figure out what Ace's deal was - but he suspected the boy wasn't of the slutty type, seeing as he hadn't jumped at the first signal that they might sleep together. There was more to him under that blond head, but Chip couldn't quite tell what. And it intrigued and teased him to no end.
A little further away still, Vincent was getting himself to shape. A couple of guys came to the counter and ordered drinks. He tried to hold up a calm appearance. The way he gathered it, he needed the job - at least until he could get something else. The money from the pizza place barely paid his rent.
So far, he hadn't noticed Chip - and Ace, but he didn't really know Ace so it would have done little difference to him - who belonged to another bartender's range. Nor had Chip noticed him.
|
|
|
Post by Kat on Jun 24, 2005 8:49:18 GMT -5
Ace simply stared at Chip as he was speaking, suddenly feeling quite foolish. He was letting his social paranoia rear its head a bit too much, and now Chip was probably wondering what his deal was. Ace did try to smile a little at Chip's comment of him being an exception to the rule, but was still feeling a little too apprehensive. He decided that if he was going to enjoy himself with Chip's company, then he was going to have to be honest with him.
"Chip, look, I have to tell you something." He remained standing where he was, leaning against the bar, looking up at Chip and hoping that his prior words really had been truthful. "I know you're obviously interested in me, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in you. I'm feeling pretty attracted to you already, which is totally new to me. But I just thought that you should know," he looked away briefly, his fingers gripping his bottle of water just a little more tightly, not quite sure what he was expecting Chip to say or do but not expecting it to be anything to make this easier on him. He finally looked back up at him, realizing that he probably looked a lot more vulnerable than he wanted to. "I won't be sleeping with you right away, in fact it might be a while before I would. I mean, I want to, but I just can't. Not yet." Deciding it was best that he shut up before he said anything more, he looked away again, wondering how he had managed to completely shatter the carefully controlled outer appearance he'd shown to Chip thus far.
|
|
|
Post by Cres on Jun 25, 2005 4:03:03 GMT -5
Chip listened to Ace quietly, taking in every word carefully. The boy looked so... vulnerable, somehow. He had this tough exterior, all right, with which he tried to protect himself, no doubt, but at that moment, more than most, Chip could catch a glimpse of something else behind all that. He recalled Aluna's words about Ace. Yeah, this kid was really difficult to decipher. But Chip wasn't afraid to try.
He smiled when Ace finished, brushing his hand over the blonde's shoulder briefly.
"It's ok, Ace," he said. Yes, carefully - like Aluna had said. Careful was the correct word with Ace, if Chip wanted to get anywhere, he was convinced of that now. "I haven't really expected anything, anyway. As I said, maybe I'm growing up." He winked, trying to lighten the mood. "I just happen to like you, so I thought we might have some fun dancing and stuff... and..."
Just then his eyes caught Vinnie behind the counter some ways off behind Ace's back. The other man was just turning his head to their direction, and Chip realised he could not be seen, not by Vinnie, not there.
"Shit!"
In a moment of desperation, he found no other place to hide than the counter. So he suddenly docked, his back against the counter wall, just out of sight.
Vinnie, for his part, noticed nothing. He looked over to Ace's and Chip's direction and then elsewhere again, trying to keep himself together.
|
|
|
Post by Kat on Jun 28, 2005 18:56:27 GMT -5
Ace felt a mixture of relief and embarassment at Chip's answer, still in shock he'd lost his cool so quickly. But the moment was quickly ruined as Chip ducked under the bar. Realizing that there must be someone here Chip hadn't intended to run across, Ace didn't react oddly, sitting on one of the stools, back to the bar. He glanced down at Chip out of the corner of his eye, a grin on his face. Knowing that whoever Chip was hiding from probably wasn't close enough to hear, Ace nudged Chip with his foot. "Who are you hiding from?"
|
|
|
Post by Cres on Jul 2, 2005 6:06:56 GMT -5
Chip let out a long string of Italian curses half under his breath. Then he smiled a bit up to Ace, crouching on the floor, leaning his back to the counter.
"See the leather jacket behind the counter over there?" he nodded with his head. "That's my cousin, Vincent. What the blazes he's doing bartending in a gay bar I'll never know, but I'd rather not have him tell my old man that he's seen me here. I'm not quite ready for that confrontation just yet."
Vinnie had leaned over the counter, trying for some small talk with a lesbian couple, who appeared most amused at his come-on remarks. He was hoping to make them realise there was a larger world out there - and come see the larger world of his place later - but mostly he was trying not to think of or look at the several gay guy couples around. Chicks he could handle. They were sexy. But guys made him nervous.
|
|
|
Post by Kat on Jul 2, 2005 17:23:11 GMT -5
Ace grinned, amused at the way things had turned out. This was exactly what he needed to take the attention off of himself. Still keeping his back to the bar and glancing down at Chip, he couldn't help but grin.
"So, what now? Do we stay here and risk getting caught, do we leave and go somewhere else, do I go out and dance while you hide?" He was quite tempted to do the latter, wondering how Chip would react to watching him dance while all he could do was crouch by the bar.
|
|
|
Post by Cres on Jul 3, 2005 12:32:07 GMT -5
Chip glowered up at Ace. The boy was grinning!
"You know, I don't find this funny at all," he protested, his pride a bit damaged.
He craned his neck a little to glance over the counter towards Vinnie, then pulled his head down again and crossed his arms over his chest, quite huffed. His first real night off out in the town and Vinnie comes along ruining it!
"Well," he said after a while, "I can't afford to let Vinnie see me. But I don't want to leave."
Undecided, he remained where he was, quite sulky.
|
|
|
Post by Kat on Jul 3, 2005 14:10:16 GMT -5
Ace glanced down at Chip before swivelling around on the stool, looking down the bar at Vinnie. Truth be told, he was actually pretty good looking too. Glancing back down at Chip, Ace grinned even wider now, absently knocking his water off the bar, watching it roll away on the floor. He watched the bottle roll away then looked at Chip, a too innocent look on his face. "Oh, darn. Guess I need another bottle of water." Looking back to make sure Vinnie wasn't looking his way, Ace slid off the stool and crouched down by Chip, a smile on his face. "I'll be right back, don't go anywhere." He winked before standing up, walking over to the bar where Vinnie was serving.
Glancing back to make sure Chip was watching, he walked up to the lesbian couple Vinnie was trying to hit on, knowing one of them as she was a friend of Rex, his cousin Sunny's boyfriend. Putting an arm around her shoulder he glanced at Vinnie before saying anything. "So Roxie, how's the syphillis?"
"It's moved into the terminal stage now, I'm afraid." Roxie and Ace laughed, as Roxie's girlfriend shook her head and looked unamused.
"You guys joke about that so often I'm starting to worry it might be true." Roxie gave the other girl a sympathetic look, before turning back to Ace and winking at him.
"Well sweetie, thanks for the save, we're gonna go dance now." Taking her girlfriend's hand, Roxie shot one last amused look at Vinnie before getting lost in the crowd.
Ace leaned up against the bar, catching Vinnie's eye and grinning. "Sorry for breaking up your party, but they're a lost cause. Now be a dear a get me a bottle of water, please."
|
|
|
Post by Cres on Jul 4, 2005 1:49:44 GMT -5
Chip continued glowering at Ace, and his eyes narrowed as the boy tripped his water over. He didn't quite catch onto what Ace was doing before he walked over to where Vinnie was. At that point, he grew even sulkier. Was there no compassion? And what was he doing, anyway? He wasn't going to flirt with Vinnie, was he?
As much as that thought amused Chip, it also made him feel odd. He didn't like the idea.
Vincent, for his part, blinked as Ace appeared. He realised he hadn't really been making any progress with the two girls, but the way they left made him a bit sulky anyway. What was the matter with these people? Didn't they know a good thing when it came to them.
Ace leaned up against the bar, catching Vinnie's eye and grinning. "Sorry for breaking up your party, but they're a lost cause. Now be a dear a get me a bottle of water, please."
Vinnie stared at Ace suspiciously, but did turn away to get him a bottle. Without a word, he placed it on the counter and pushed it over to Ace, more nervous than he ever would have cared to admit. Being usually loud and difficult to embarrass, Vinnie found himself lost for words. He hoped the blonde would go away soon.
|
|
|
Post by Kat on Jul 4, 2005 9:24:27 GMT -5
Ace smirked as Vinnie pushed a bottle in front of him, noting the other's discomfort. Not letting him slip away so easily, he kept talking. "So, did you just start here? New to town or just the club?" He unscrewed the cap on his water bottle, taking a sip while watching Vinnie. He couldn't help but wonder what Chip was making of this, curious whether the Italian was the jealous type.
|
|
|
Post by Cres on Jul 6, 2005 1:13:55 GMT -5
Italians, as a general rule, were a rather flammable breed. Chip in particular, he tended to go by his emotions. Seeing Ace stay with Vinnie in what to him seemed like an obvious flirting attempt, gnawed at him. He felt like going up there and never mind about being seen. He had come in with the boy, he should have had some privilege over dancing with him.
On the other hand, he was watching the situation with interest and amusement. Vincent was, as far as he knew, full-time straight guy. With an aggressive streak. How would he respond?
Not so well, it appeared. Vinnie didn't really understand why the blonde would stay and talk with him. He was the bartender, he was there to give drinks, not flirt with customers. Illogically, he was offended of the approach, though such a one from the cute lesbian couple would have been less of a problem.
Still, he had to answer somehow.
"I've been here before," he answered gruffly. "To the town, I mean. I wouldn't go into clubs like... this."
That statement, having been said in the middle of the gay bar, sounded funny indeed to Chip, who had to hide his smile behind his hand. If Ace'd get Vinnie interested, Chip figured, that would be something. He had not a shadow of doubt that Vinnie might have any identity issues.
|
|
|
Post by Kat on Jul 6, 2005 22:48:49 GMT -5
Ace grinned. Now that he was aware of Vincent's sexuality, he was determined to play with the bartender until he got bored. "Well then, if you don't like clubs like, this," he imitated Vincent's tone, "then why did you get a job here? Are you hiding something, or just too stupid to realize what you were getting yourself into?" Though he was leaning against the bar he ensured he was far away enough out of the other's reach in case he snapped. There was a bouncer nearby anyhow in case anything got crazy. So Ace stared intently at Vincent, his gaze a little on the piercing side.
|
|