“What’sa meanin’ of this?”
Ethan tried to stand, but Sidney firmly planted a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back into the chair.
Sid and Ricardo had all but ambushed Ethan, in the man’s mind, by dragging him into Celeste’s place and forcing him into a chair in front of her mirror. The woman in question was gathering things up, holding little bottles and compacts up to Ethan’s face, and either shaking her head or nodding and sorting them into groups. Ethan fidgeted under the attention, but Sidney’s grip was strong. Ricardo stood at the only door to the room, facing away, but Ethan could tell his shoulders were shaking with laughter. Finally, Ethan slumped fully into the chair. There was no escape, and he didn’t really want to fight them. He wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, anyway. But Ricardo’s reaction told him he was likely about to be the butt of a joke.
When Sidney realized that Ethan had stopped struggling, he let him go, turning to a duffel bag on the floor and pulling out various clothing items. Ethan sat forward then, but didn’t stand, as both Ricardo and Sidney shot him sharp looks.
“What the hell is goin’ on here? I’m not your gotdamn doll, so what’s with the dress up?”
“Well…” Sidney hummed.
“Excuse me?”
“Look.”Marian sounded, quite frankly , exhausted.“He’s been hanging around for three weeks now.He’s in my office every day, looking over my shoulder and making comments. He’s antsy, quick to anger, and I don’t think he’s given me more than five feet of space except to go to the damn bathroom.”
Sid twirled the phone cord around a finger.“So…? How is this my problem?”
“I will fucking make it your problem, Sidney Bel.” Her voice rose in pitch and urgency. “If I come in the office tomorrow and he hovers around me one more time, I swear I-”
“Don’t blow a gasket,” Sid said, hiding a laugh. He’d never experienced a more desperate Marian, and this change of demeanor was something he would remember fondly. “What do you want me to do, exactly?”
“Take him out on the town.Get him to blow off steam.”
“Blow off steam?” Sid was being intentionally obtuse.
“You know what I mean.”
“I don’t think I do, Marian. And isn’t it in everyone’s best interest if you inform me exactly-”
“God! Fuck! Get laid! I don’t know!” Her voice dropped to a whisper.“I am at my wit’s end, Sidney.”
Sidney had chosen to take pity on Marian, if only for the personal blackmail that could potentially come from the encounter. He had sized up his own wardrobe, taking into consideration what would fit Ethan, and what he wouldn’t mind potentially getting destroyed, if it came to an all-out brawl to get the other vampire to comply. He’d called up Celeste, who was absolutely gleeful at the chance to do an overhaul on the resident dusty old cowboy and insisted that Ricardo be brought along “for help”.
Now, Ricardo stood behind the chair, one hand on each of Ethan’s shoulders. He wasn’t applying force; they’d had that fight before, and they knew who would win. Ethan sat still as Celeste drew closer with eyeliner, insisting that he “not be scared”.
“I ain’t afraid of no makeup! I just wanna know what the hell all of this is for!”
“You need to go out. Blow off some steam,” Sidney poached Marian’s words.
“Like hell. What do I need to do that for?”
Sidney paused, unsure of whether or not he wanted to reveal Marian’s machinations. Ricardo leaned around slightly, so that Ethan could see his face.
“You’ve been testy, cabrón. You need to have a little fun.”
Though Marian had borne the brunt of Ethan’s recent moodiness, Ricardo had noticed, too. Whereas usually, the two would be friendly upon encountering each other, in the past few weeks, when he’d seen Ethan on the street, the man had been short with him. It was an attitude that, truthfully, Ricardo had never seen from him before.
“And this is fun?” Ethan sneered.
“It will be,” Sidney interjected. “So sit still, let Celeste do her thing, and then put these on.”
He’d laid out an outfit on the counter. Ethan grunted, but apparently conceded, and soon, he was nearly unrecognizable. His usually lanky hair had been brushed out and partially tucked behind his ears, and eyeliner and lip gloss brought out the features of his face. The leather jacket and shiny shirt combo, in addition to the black pants, made for a simple look that still changed his whole demeanor. The cowboy boots were hidden under the hem of the pants, because he sure as hell wasn’t going to give those up, but as he looked in the mirror, he had to admit, they’d done a good job.
He considered thanking them, but after a pause, he lost his chance; Sidney was pulling him towards the door, Ricardo hot on his heels, as Celeste waved them off.
It was loud, and dark, and crowded. Ethan looked around slowly, trying to play it cool, but he was way out of his element. Most of the past century-and-some had involved him using his charm in quieter, more intimate settings, but the way the music thumped through him, and the way the people around him moved, was oddly comforting. He was starting to understand why people chose places like this.
Sidney and Ricardo stood off to the side, scanning the crowd for a suitable option. Sidney would point someone out, and sometimes Ricardo would nod, but every so often, he would shake his head quickly, a solemn look on his face. Eventually, they did spot someone that they thought would be a perfect match; the guy was definitely attractive, and had already been eyeing Ethan across the room.
From the look on Ethan’s face, he was still a little overwhelmed, so Sidney walked over and tapped him on the shoulder, tilting his head to say “follow me”. Ethan didn’t realize they were making their way towards someone in particular until it was too late.
He bumped straight into the guy.
There was a sputtering “sorry,” followed by a few muttered “my bad’s” back and forth, and then, when Ethan turned to find Sidney, he was gone.
“Sorry, uh,” he looked around, “My friend and I, uh…”
His eyes landed on the face of this stranger, and the way there was a slight blush on his cheeks. He was smiling softly at Ethan.
Aw,hell…
“P-pardon me,” Ethan coughed. “I didn’t mean t’run into ya like that, I must not’ve been watchin’ where I was goin’. I uh…”
He swallowed thickly. The stranger put a hand on his arm.
“No, no, it’s no problem. Unless… you’d like to buy me a drink to make it up to me?”
The hand on his waist felt nice.
So did the rest of him, leaning into Ethan’s side, body shaking with laughter at something Ethan had said. They sat in a lot behind the club, drunk and content. How long had it been since he’d just… enjoyed the company of someone else like this?
Blunt fingers were scratching gently at the nape of his neck, and Ethan let his eyes fall closed.
The other hand was slowly sliding under the open collar of his shirt, along his collarbone, as he leaned in.
But when Ethan opened his eyes, for a moment, it was not the face of the handsome stranger from the club that he saw.
He heaved a great sigh, placing a hand to the other’s chest and gently pushing him back. Both hands on his body fell away, and the brow on the stranger’s face creased with confusion. Ethan stood.
“Sorry, I ah…” He shook his head. “No. I… no.” And he turned, walking back into the club.
Both Sidney and Ricardo were surprised to see Ethan come back in through the backdoor of the club, not long after he’d left with the guy from before. He didn’t look at them, walking right past and towards the front.
“Wai-Hey! Ethan!” Sidney followed him, brushing past a very still Ricardo and reaching out to grab his arm. “What happened? What about that guy?”
“Aw, hell,” Ethan said, opening the door and stepping out into the night, “I don’t even remember his name.”