A Little R&R Ch. 04

Reno had made himself a comfortable perch toward the back of the dance floor in a convenient place beside the bar. He was lounging in the seat, his back pressed and chilling against the block wall. Things hadn't picked up yet, but the night was very young. He preferred to get to the club early and score a table, have a couple of drinks and loosen up to the music before things started getting crowded. He finished the drink in his hand and added it to the two empty glasses already beside him. As one of his favorite songs cued over the speakers, he leapt from the booth and made his way out onto the dance floor.

Weaving into the crowd, he chose a place near the center of the dance floor. He didn't want to miss out when the mosh started during the chorus. He slipped around a tall, dark haired man dancing with a blonde boy, and a boy with short dark hair. One of them snagged his belt loop and pulled, catching Reno's attention. The blonde backed away, leaving ample room for him to dance. The dark-haired boy's face shined up at him, smiling warmly. Reno gave a quick nod that was returned with a smirk. The taller man brushed up against his backside and curled his fingers around Reno's hip, moving against him as the shorter boy tucked himself into Reno's chest. Reno fell back into the taller of the two boys, allowing his weight to fall back into him. He felt soft breath and a soothing voice in his ear.

"What's your name?"

Reno leaned back into him, tilting his face toward the other's ear.

"I'm Reno."

The mosh pit started, jostling against them, bodies bouncing off of bodies from each side. His dark compatriots seemed relatively unbothered by the entire situation. The shorter of them clung to Reno, the taller planted his feet, other patrons rolling off of his back. The lyrics returned and the dance floor quieted. Somewhere in the swarm of bodies, the blonde had wandered off. Neither of the two boys seemed worried.

The taller man nodded and gestured to his friend. "This is Baby. You alone?"

Reno jerked his head toward Baby, who returned the motion, then leaned back again. "You never told me your name. And yea. I'm alone."

"The name's Maki."

They danced together, the three of them, their movements synchronizing together in an unexpressed pattern to the beat of the music. Others danced up close, then away. A few of the girls made eye contact with Reno, winking or smiling. He sighed, back in his game again as the mosh pit rallied up with the chorus reprise. They danced into the others, their bodies colliding against one another, hands touching and pushing people back into the fray. Again, the chorus flowed back into the melody and he was snagged once again to dance with Maki and Baby.

A particularly cute girl caught his eye. He reached out and snagged the hand of the pretty, curly-haired brunette and pulled her in close. Maki's arm snaked around her back and she looked up at him with a slightly shocked expression, then relaxed into the beat of the music and wrapped her arms around Reno's neck. He leaned in and kissed her gently and she returned it, weaving her fingers through his spiky hair and massaging his scalp. As he broke the kiss she danced away, throwing occasional glances over her shoulder toward him.

The club was already a buzz by the time Rude, Elena, and her cohorts arrived. One of the blondes cut to the front of the line that meandered about the side of the building and whispered in the bouncer's ear. He nodded, twitching two fingers forward, welcoming them in. As Rude passed, he noticed how much broader he was compared to their security. Hell, it was his first night out in a long time; why not live a little bit of it up? As he moved to pass the door, he bumped firmly against the Entrance Gestapo.

"Opps, sorry there." He hefted a heavy hand onto the guy's shoulder with a grin. He could swear he heard a short whine.

The girls giggled and chattered excitedly as they herded Rude toward one of the very large speakers. He recognized the tune almost immediately, having heard it countless times blaring from Reno's headset. He grimaced. The girls each started to dance, swinging to and fro while moving hands; rising and falling in time to the beats. Rude stood amongst the gyrations, wheels turning against the allure of fun and the simple annoyance that no matter where he was, Reno was haunting him. A short set of hands grabbed his hips and pushed him round.

"Come on!" It was the raven-haired girl again. She coaxed him into a gentle rock, her hands tugging and pushing, guiding him into some sort of dance. He caved, cracking a smile as he raised both hands up to her shoulders. More hands appeared as the pace livened up. Rude finally started to kick back and enjoy the moment until... he thought he saw a familiar shock of red hair on the other side of the room. The girls continued their swarm, bumping and touching him merrily.

He shook his head. If it is him, I'll be damned to let him know I'm here.

~~~~

The song ended and Maki's fingers unwrapped from Reno's left hip, trailing up his side with a smile. Reno headed through the crowd to his table and sprawled across the seat, taking up the entire side of the booth himself. The block against his back cooled him as he rested his against it. A soft touch on his leg brought his head up, eyes focusing on the pretty blues from the dance floor. He nodded and the boy nodded in return, cautiously slinking into his lap, pressing gently against Reno's knees. He smirked and dropped his right leg off the booth, allowing Baby access to the seat, which he took gratefully. He leaned his pretty head in against Reno's shoulder and spoke into his ear.

"I hope you don't mind me sitting here with you. Makiros went to get us some drinks."

"I don't mind, yo."

"Good!" Baby chirped, nestling into Reno, hand splaying across his heart. "So what brings you here?" Maki returned, placing two drinks in front of them then chose to sit on the opposite side of the booth. He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and touched it to the lighter. It crackled as he drew in a breath. Reno looked at him curiously.

"What are those?"

"Clove. Want to try it?" Maki offered. Reno held out his hand and Maki slipped the cigarette into his fingers. "It's the third hit that does the trick. The first is slightly odd. The second isn't so bad, but it's the third."

Reno toked the cigarette, a strange flavor tracing over his lips and tongue. He choked a bit, eyeing the strange black paper with a confused expression. Maki chuckled and gestured for him to take another hit. Reno complied. He licked his bottom lip a bit, tasting the slight sweetness of the cloves. He looked to Maki expectantly.

"See, it's not so bad, is it?" he chuckled, nodding as though agreeing with himself. "Wait for the next hit." Reno's brow furrowed slightly and he took another long drag off the dark smoke, allowing it to fill his lungs. He blinked and exhaled, buzzing. Maki grinned from ear to ear. "Now THAT'S why I smoke these things." He held out his hand for the cigarette. Reno handed it back to him, slightly begrudgingly. As he brought his hand back, Baby had pushed a glass into it. He picked it up to his nose and smelled it before taking a tentative taste.

"So what brings you here?" Maki asked, taking a drag off his smoke, leaning forward across the table so his voice could be heard over the bass slamming into the walls around them.

"I come here every so often when I get a chance. I work rotating shifts."

Maki nodded silently, watching Reno's movements with a clever eye. "So you don't mind, uh..." Reno gestured to Baby who had wrapped himself around his leg and had pressed his ear against his chest, one arm wrapped around his waist, off hand rubbing him through his pants. Maki chuckled.

"Nah. I'm used to it. If I didn't let the boy play with other people, he'd kill me."

"You mean that figuratively or literally?"

"Mostly figuratively," Maki laughed, sipping at his drink.

The next song to play was another Reno recognized. He looked down at Baby with a sideways grin. "You wanna go dance?"

"Sure," he answered with the same cheeriness as before. "Then I can sex you on the dance floor!" He grinned and jumped up from the booth, pulling both Reno and Maki by the wrists out to the floor.

Casting a wary eye to Maki, Reno wrapped his arms around Baby and ground against him in time with the music. Maki danced alone for only just a few short moments before a pair of girls wrapped their arms around him. Reno was slightly shocked and even more impressed. He'd have to take notes from the boy who was slicker than he was.

Baby's hands cupped Reno's face, pulling him down into a kiss. His eyes first flicked to Maki who was smiling in a rather knowing kind of way. Reno's hand ran through Baby's hair, cradling his head and returning the kiss. Baby's hand crawled along Reno's thigh, running his fingers along the smooth leather, taking special attention around the button of his pants. Reno was nearly positive he wouldn't actually undress him on the dance floor, but he wasn't sure what would happen when they got back to the table.

His chest clutched at a sudden thought. He had two hot boys dancing with him, buying him drinks, giving him cigarettes, and all but fucking him on the dance floor, and all Reno could think about was Rude. He didn't know what Rude wanted from him. While they were together, it was electric, but afterward he was colder than he had ever been before. If it was one thing Reno couldn't stand it was having something hanging over his head. If Rude would just tell him what he wanted Reno could be anything he wanted short of female, and if it meant having someone to come home to who cared about and understood him, he was willing to change anything. He wasn't a mind reader, although things would be a lot easier if he were.

Baby looked up at him with those beautiful blue eyes and ran his palms down Reno's chest. Reno shook himself from his thoughts and sighed hard as he headed for the bar. He ordered a double of whatever was strong and headed back for the table. He dumped himself into the booth and downed half of his drink in one gulp.

Baby slid into the booth beside him and ran his hand along Reno's thigh as a form of comfort. Reno's eyes followed Baby's hand, then watched his face. When their eyes met, Reno downed the rest of his drink and picked up the one Maki had bought for him. Baby's eyes grew wide and he looked up at Maki, as he slid into the booth beside them.

"What's eating you?"

Reno snorted. It was more like what wasn't eating him that was the problem. He looked between the two of them and shook his head as the warmth of the drink spread through his body.

"It's nothing."

"Well, if it's nothing, what do you say to another drink?

Reno turned on the charm. "Sure, yo. Hook me up."

Maki made his way to the edge of the bar and ordered another round and brought them back to the table. When he returned, he sat beside Baby who was perched between Reno's legs.

"Can I kiss you?" Baby asked, leaning in close. He shifted, forcing Reno's leg off the bench so Maki could move closer. They both leaned in and kissed him, their lips dancing over and around the other. He wasn't sure rather it was the drinks or the fact he needed physical contact but he was beyond caring what else happened to him.

He had no intentions of going home tonight.

~~~~

Rude had finally started to kick back and enjoy the moment until... He thought he saw a familiar shock of red hair on the other side of the room. The girls continued their swarm, bumping and touching merrily. He needed that strong drink he contemplated hours earlier. Dancing himself out from the group, he made his way to the bar. Rude took in the scene as he waited for his liquor, a strong shot of tequila with lime. His eyes roved the varied clusters of party goers, watching with idle interest someone getting a sound snogging. He smirked, taking the freshly poured stills and downing it in a swallow. The spirits burned, his eyes flickering painfully as he reached for the lime. Elena whirled up beside him, breathless.

"Already hitting the bottle?" She waved to the crew still out on the floor. Rude looked away from her, leaning both arms on the counter. An empty chair opened up next to him and Elena promptly claimed it, signaling to the bartender for another round. She scooped her head under to try and look Rude in the face, but he was having nothing of it. She sighed.

"You're still upset, aren't you?"

Rude said nothing, taking the second shot quicker than the first. The first was reaching its ethylated fingers around his brain, a low buzz brewing at his cheeks.

"Hey." She punched him gently in the arm. "It's not really the end of the world." She giggled. He still gave her no response. She patted him on the back and with a tentative sip, tried the clear drink.

"Ugh! How can you drink that stuff?!?" she cried, half-way spewing it across the floor. She handed him the remains and grabbed a handful of napkins with the other. As she dried herself off, Rude downed the last of it. She eyed him with an amused look.

"You are going to be so trashed by tomorrow." She still was cleaning the taste of the breathy goods as she waved her gil card over Rude's head at the bartender. Whatever it's going to take she mused, heading back to her girlfriends.

Rude returned his corner vision to the snogging couple, which in the few moments it had taken him to get a good head start on the night, had increased to one more. This was causing him to bring up memories he just wasn't ready to undertake. He idled his finger on the small glass, keeping only a small portion of his attention to the one interest he had latched onto.

~~~~

Baby wasted no time once the kiss was returned, nimbly twisting between Reno and the back of the booth. Maki slid between Reno's knees and, with a quick flick of his fingers, unfastened the top button of Reno's pants. He didn't give any time for a reaction, kissing along Reno's jaw line and throat, pulling at the zipper. He moved in a bit closer and wrapped his hand around Reno's cock. Reno's breath caught and his head jerked up, staring at Maki's hand in his lap. Maki smiled and pressed his lips against those of the now trembling redhead.

"I don't think we should do this here, yo," Reno mumbled around Maki's imploring lips.

"I only live a couple of blocks from here," Baby offered, running his tongue along Reno's ear. Reno moaned.

"As long as you don't mind me in your bed for the night." His chest panged with the words but he shoved it down again, breathing heavily against Baby's neck.

"I came here to dance and here you are dragging me out before I'm ready to go," Maki pouted, pawing at Baby. "It's always like that with you. You come to the club, you find a boy, you go home with him. I'm not ready to go."

"An' I'm not properly smashed yet, yo." Reno laughed and pulled a card from his pocket. "I don't want to leave before being properly... eh, I forget what he said." Reno tossed his head back toward the bar. "Plastered is a good word."

Maki pushed Reno's drink across the table at him. "Drink this one and I can have you a steady tab of shots if you want. You want trashed, I can get you trashed."

"The only problem with that is I generally pass out, so don't let me get too shit-faced."

Maki stood from the table and nodded toward the bartender. He served the drinks off the end of the bar closest to their table so Maki could ferry them to Reno. Reno stopped them after four rounds and nodded to Baby. He laughed and pulled Reno to his feet and they headed for the door, Maki following behind.

~~~~

Rude blinked several times, unsure if the red he saw flash out of sight was the same as before or just the tequila settling in. He followed their trail to the door. How could he have mistaken that ponytail for anyone else's? Rude clenched the shot glass hard, the sight of his friend rolling as low as he was made his blood boil. He stood up before realizing it, and found him quickly standing right behind the small clique.

Maki turned over his shoulder, sensing the rush of movement behind him. He leaned over Reno's shoulder.

"Hey, you said you're single, right?"

"Eh, yea, why?"

"Then you might want to do something about your wall, here."

Reno turned over his shoulder. Rude stood a step away from him and rotated his looks between the three men. The sudden rush sent a throbbing to his head and eyes, something he was glad he could hide behind his sunglasses. His hands clenched reflexively.

Reno blinked, his vision swimming. "That's not MY wall. He's his own wall." He laughed stupidly.

"Hey, yo. Party's just getting started. Leaving already?" Rude growled.

"Eh, I met a couple of guys and I'm going with them," Reno slurred. "Hey, this way I won't wake anyone up when I come home.... you know, 'cause I'm not... coming home."

There was a small crack. Rude felt a warm tingle collect in his fist. As he unfolded his fingers, a quick pool of blood filled the small cup of his palm. He had crushed the glass, burying shards deep into the skin. He stood there, hand open to the others as he furrowed his brow, perplexed.

"You know, he seems slightly upset that you aren't coming home tonight," Maki smirked, turning to Reno. Baby chimed in, putting his hand across Reno's chest.

"You think maybe you guys need to talk a few things out?"

Reno snorted and laughed. "Yea. Talking's not Rude's strong suit." Maki's eyes met Reno's, roving his soul with those deep, dark eyes. He suddenly didn't feel quite as good as he had a few moments ago, now slightly nauseous.

"I think you need to chat. You and him. No distractions or interruptions. Go home and talk to him. You'll thank us for it later."

Rude turned back to the bar, wordless, applying pressure at his wrist to slow the bleeding. The bartender was quick to spot the trouble, wrapping his hand in a clean towel as he ushered him over to the sink. He was kicking himself square to the head. Why should he care who Reno goes home with? Why did this bother him, to the point of unchecked aggression? What was the matter with him? He let the bartender wash out the glass and clean off his hand. It was a deep cut, something that might take a few stitches to keep closed. He ground his teeth irritably.

Reno planted his hand flat against the wall, his head reeling. He'd overdone it and it was catching up with him. He shook his head to catch his thoughts.

"Hey, he can't tell me what he wants, I can't be bothered waiting around for him. I have the two of you here now and willing. You want me, he doesn't. Let's go." He put his arm around Maki's waist and tugged him toward the door. Maki turned his head over his shoulder, checking on Rude before wandering out with Reno.

~~~~

Rude heaved a sigh and decided to call it for the night. There was just no way he could salvage any of this with entertaining merit. He let the bartender wrap some gauze and tape around his hand and swore several times he would have it checked, and that, no, he wouldn't be holding anyone at the bar responsible. He looked over his shoulder before passing through the door, the same door he had only minutes ago gravitated to. Elena was still wrecking things up with the other girls on the dance floor. Rude chickened out and walked himself home.

The quiet was a welcome comfort, away from the bustle as Rude stretched his chest out, taking in a deep breath. His hand ached now, every pulse throbbing intently. He wiggled each finger, inspecting to see what kind of damage he had done. Satisfied the tendons and nerves were ok, he let his focus drift. He had never been so assertive over someone, at least not when he wasn't on a case. The sheer brashness of Reno's declaration rang clear in his ears. He's not coming back. He turned the corner, picking up a main street that passed by headquarters.