Chapter Text
Dennis could feel the music beating around him. It assaulted his ears and reverberated in his chest, stronger than his own heartbeat. It was loud enough that he could barely hear anything around him. Not the knocking of glasses against the bar counter, not what the bartender was saying to the couple a few seats down from him, not even the pounding footsteps behind him as people raced past toward the dance floor. The only thing he could hear was the dull roar of the voices around him. Not what they were saying individually, but the sound of the crowd. The sound was alive. It swelled and dimmed with the excited screams and laughter coming from all around him.
Taking another sip of his drink, Dennis looked around.
He had never been to a gay club before. Dennis had barely even been to a typical club. He had gone only a handful of times with some of his college and med school friends but had never really been attached to the experience. But he was new in Pittsburgh and, for once in his life, he wanted to establish himself in the queer scene. He wanted the community that he had never had before. He had tried to stay as far away from the queer community as possible in college and even more in med school. Well, besides the fated first year medical school hookup that ended horribly.
Other than that regrettable experience, he had distanced himself. He hadn’t wanted to get tied up in anything. His first and only experience had ended in heartache and a very awkward medical microbiology class, and there was no way he had wanted to put himself through that all over again. His small med school cohort hadn’t exactly been the best place for his foray into queer life, and he hadn’t wanted complicated feelings and relationships making his studies more difficult. And God forbid he had found a serious partner and had to explain it all to his parents.
The song changed, the beat slowing down, and Dennis was able to hear a bit more of what was going on around him. He took another sip, grimacing at the burn of the alcohol. Damn him for wanting to look cool and getting a strong ‘manly’ drink instead of something that tasted good. The drink was insanely overpriced, though, so there was no way he was going to waste it.
Looking at the crowd around him, Dennis regretted his choice of jeans and a tight t-shirt. It was a nice t-shirt, and it hugged him in all the right places, but it was nowhere near the style of the patrons around him. He looked so… plain. But this wasn’t his first time feeling plain. It was something he was used to at this point. And it wasn’t exactly like he had any clubbing clothes in the first place. He didn’t even have a place to call his own… or a car. Or much to his name, really.
The sound of a bar stool scraping the floor next to him nearly had Dennis jumping out of his skin. He turned automatically to see a large man sitting down next to him, his attention entirely on the bar menu on the wall in front of them.
The man had on a worn leather jacket, the back of which was covered in pins and patches. He had on leather pants, quite the choice for the sweaty club, and shiny black boots.
The man tried and failed to get the bartender's attention over the music and leaned against the bar instead, sighing loudly.
“I haven’t been able to get them to come over here since I got my drink. I think it’s a lost cause.” Dennis laughed awkwardly, uncomfortable with how loudly he had to speak to be heard over the music.
The man turned to face him, a confused look on his face.
It was then that Dennis got a glimpse of what was under the leather jacket- nothing but hard muscle and exposed skin. A few tattoos curled up his sides and chest, but other than that, he was bare. Exposed.
Heat flushed to Dennis' cheeks.
“What?” The man asked, his voice loud and clear.
“Uh-” Dennis stammered, not sure where to look. He knew realistically that he should be making eye contact, but all he could focus on was the bare expanse of skin before him. He hoped he wasn’t being too obvious. “The bartender. I haven’t been able to get their attention either.”
“Oh,” The man said with a sigh. He looked back at the menu on the wall for a moment and shook his head. “Can you even see that thing?”
“Um,” Dennis shrugged. “I mean, kinda?”
The man chuckled and turned back to Dennis. “What did you get?”
“Oh, I got an old fashioned. But, uh, it’s not very good.” Dennis could feel the sweat creeping down his neck and he wasn’t sure if it was from the heated bodies moving all around them or his nerves.
The man cocked his head slightly to the side.
“I mean, most of the ice is melted at this point and I don’t really like strong drinks. I didn’t really know what I was getting to be honest. I probably should have stuck to a tequila sunrise or something sweet like that-” Dennis cut himself off. He was rambling. He wanted to smack himself.
The man laughed, the sound bright and clear over the music. “Not much of a strong alcohol man?”
Dennis shook his head bashfully.
“If you want,” the man shrugged, “I could get you something else.”
Smooth. Dennis could feel his face heating even more and he hoped the blush didn’t show in the colored lights above them.
“Oh, no, you don’t have to!” Dennis rushed, waving his hands in front of him.
The man frowned.
“Unless you, like. Want to or something.” Dennis fumbled over his words, hoping he was reading the situation right this time.
One side of his lips pulled up in a crooked smile. God, that was attractive.
“One tequila sunrise coming up, then.” The man’s eyes flitted down Dennis' body and back up. They locked eyes as he wetted his lips.
Dennis could feel himself turning bright red. His eyes widened almost against his will, and it took everything in him not to ask, ‘Me? Are you sure?’
Before he could think of anything to say at all, the bartender came over and the man turned his back to order. Dennis couldn’t help but watch, wide eyed, staring at his strong, broad shoulders. He tried to get a look at some of the patches on the back of his leather jacket but couldn’t really make anything out in the changing colored lighting.
He finished talking to the bartender and turned back to Dennis, a small smile on his very nice lips. He had a short beard covering the bottom half of his face. It was well groomed and he smelled strongly of a minty after shave. It was intoxicating.
“I-I’m Dennis, by the way.” Dennis cringed at how awkward he sounded. He was totally going to blow this.
“Michael.” The man said. He leaned against the bar, placing one arm on it for balance.
“Oh, that’s a nice name.” What was he doing?
“Thanks.” Michael smiled, chuckling a bit. They fell into silence for a moment before Michael asked, “How long have you been in the city?”
“Just a few weeks,” Dennis responded quickly. “You can tell I’m not from here?”
“It’s the accent,” Michael said.
“Oh, sorry, I- sorry.”
“What?” Michael shook his head. “You don’t have to apologize for that.” He looked a bit confused.
“No- I tend to apologize a lot. Uh, sorry.” Goddamn it.
Michael raised his eyebrows.
“Sorry- I mean-” Dennis shook his head quickly, running a hand through his hair.
“You’re fine.” That same crooked smile pulled at his lips again. “It’s cute.”
Yup, it was officially over for Dennis. There was no denying that Michael was actually hitting on him now. Him.
“Oh. Thank you. You’re, um,” Dennis stumbled over his words before blurting out, “You’re really hot.”
His face fell, eyes widening. It was everything he could do not to smack himself in the head. There was no way this was going anywhere now. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
Michael raised his eyebrows, barking out a laugh. “You sure don’t beat around the bush, do you?”
“No, I guess not.” He still wanted to smack himself but a little less desperately now.
The bartender chose that moment to save Dennis by coming over with his drink. They handed it to Michael, winking at him as they said something that Dennis couldn’t hear. He felt oddly annoyed at that wink.
The bartender pranced off, wagging their fingers at Michael in a wave and turning back to the other patrons swarming the bar.
Michael handed the drink to Dennis, his fingers lingering where they touched. He was so warm.
“I don’t really know what to do with this now.” Dennis scooted his old fashioned away from himself a bit to make room for his new drink.
Michael shrugged and grabbed it, throwing it all back in one swallow. There was only about a third of the drink left, but still. It made Dennis heat up watching him swallow it all in one gulp.
Michael placed the glass down on the bar next to him and locked eyes with Dennis, eyelids heavy and hooded. He had a touch of black smudged across his lash line and it made the brown of his eyes look a bit lighter.
Michael took a second before saying anything, looking as if he wasn’t entirely sure of himself for the first time all night. “I know I just bought you a drink, and of course you’re more than welcome to finish it, but I was thinking.” He paused, looking Dennis up and down again. “I’m going to head to the bathroom and, and if you wanted, you’re more than welcome to meet me there.” He looked meaningfully into Dennis' eyes.
“Did you-” Dennis cut himself off, catching on. “Oh!”
“You don’t have to, of course.” Michael actually seemed a bit nervous.
“No, I-” Dennis fumbled with his words for the hundredth time that night. He placed a hand on top of Michael’s on the bar. “I definitely want to.”
Michael smiled, the side of his mouth curling upward again in that beautiful crooked smile. “Sounds good.”
With that, he got up and lumbered away, his strong form cutting through the crowd easily.
Dennis stared after him, following Michael’s form with his eyes as he headed toward the back of the establishment. He sat for a second in disbelief. Had he actually successfully initiated a hookup? In a place like this? With a man who looked like that?
He turned back to the bar and sucked down his drink as quickly as humanly possible. Not only did he feel the need to finish it, Michael had bought it for him, after all. But he also needed the liquid courage if he was going to go through with this. It might just be a makeout session… or a little more… in the bathroom of the club, but it was more than he had ever gotten before. It was terrifying, exhilarating, and shocking all at once.
Michael was hot. There was no denying that. And Dennis was still in a bit of disbelief that Michael had picked him. Out of all the people at the club, he wouldn’t have been his own first choice. But, he supposed, Michael was a lot more of his type than he himself was. And evidently, he was Michael’s.
Dennis finished his drink and pushed it toward the back of the bar. He wished he had the money to leave a tip but after the surprising priciness of the drink he didn’t have anything to spare.
Dennis cut away from the bar before he could make eye contact with the bartender, both in shame for not leaving a tip and still feeling a bit irritated after their blatant flirting with Michael right in front of him. He knew it wasn’t exactly like he had any claim on Michael, but he felt a bit protective. This was the first real attention he had gotten from another man in… years, and he wasn’t planning to let any of it go to waste.
Dennis slowly forced his way through the crowd and back toward the bathroom, hoping he hadn’t made Michael wait too long. If he had left, Dennis wouldn’t really know what to do with himself.
He pushed the door open and scanned the inside of the bathroom for Michael’s large form. He saw a few girls in a group together and another man at the sink but didn’t see Michael anywhere.
He was about to cut his losses and leave when the stall door at the back opened up to reveal Michael’s form. The man cut an impressive figure in the light and Dennis was able to make out a little more of his face now that they weren’t under the club’s dark and colorful lighting.
He had a long, hooked nose and his is eyes were a deep brown with the start of crows feet at their corners. His well groomed beard was starting to gray a bit in a kind of silver fox way. He was a bit older than Dennis had first thought but that wasn’t exactly a problem. He was looking for a night of fun, not a commitment. And he was twenty-six after all. He wasn't a kid anymore; he could make his own decisions.
Michael went to the sink to wash his hands and caught Dennis' eye in the mirror. He grinned and jerked his chin up, inviting Dennis over.
Dennis followed his direction without a second thought. He walked over, trying to muster some confidence. It was easier now that he could feel the alcohol rushing through his veins. It made his head feel light and his nerves quelled from a loud rush to a dull roar. If he was going to do anything, this would be the time.
“Why don’t we wait here for a second?” Michael said quietly, throwing his eyes over toward the group of girls who were finishing up and about to head out. There was no one else in the room with them now that the other man had left and Dennis was praying with everything in him that no one else would come in to crash their fun.
He nodded and leaned a bit into Michael’s arm as the girls headed toward the door.
The second it closed behind them, Michael was on him. He crushed Dennis to his hard body, his beard prickling against Dennis' face as their lips locked onto one another.
“Comm’ere.” Michael all but growled. He grabbed Dennis' hand and pulled him toward the large stall at the end of the row.
Dennis couldn’t move fast enough. He all but crashed into Michael as they reached the stall, fumbling with the lock behind him as their lips met again.
This time, Michael was a bit more gentle. His lips moved against Dennis' as he buried a hand in his hair. His other hand slid from Dennis' hip to the small of his back and pulled him against his chest.
Dennis groaned into the kiss and grabbed the lapels of Michael’s jacket, falling into him. They kissed and kissed, Dennis' hands finally straying to Michael’s chest. One drifting up toward his shoulder and the other staying on his pec, squeezing slightly at the toned muscle there.
Michael sucked in a breath. He broke their kiss, but before Dennis could complain, his lips moved down to Dennis' neck. His facial hair tickled a bit, but the warm feeling of his lips trailing kisses was intoxicating.
It was Dennis' turn to let out a shaky breath as Michael nipped at his earlobe. Michael chuckled in his ear. “You’re so soft.”
Dennis blushed and pulled away a bit.
Michael pulled him back, pressing a kiss to his cheekbone. “It’s a good thing,” he said, his hands resting on Dennis' hips.
“Ok,” Dennis panted, trying to catch his breath.
Michael didn’t let him. He dove back in, kissing hard. One of his hands slid down and grabbed Dennis' ass, squeezing. He licked at Dennis' lips, his tongue parting them easily and swiping inside his mouth.
Dennis moaned, pressing himself harder against Michael’s chest and throwing his arms around his neck. He had to stand on his toes slightly but it was worth it to get closer.
Michael was practiced. He was good at this, and Dennis suddenly felt a bit out of his depth. If Michael noticed, he didn’t seem to mind. He trailed a hand up between Dennis' shoulder blades, pressing him impossibly closer as the hand that was previously squeezing his ass slid around to Dennis' front and pressed against his quickly hardening cock.
Dennis moaned, the sound muffled by Michael’s lips. He sucked slightly on Michael’s tongue, licking his own against it. Michael hummed against him, palming the growing bulge between Dennis' legs a bit harder this time.
“Fuck,” Dennis sighed, breaking off from the kiss, panting. He knew Michael could taste the alcohol on his breath but he didn’t much care. He just wanted more of those lips on his and that sharp, minty scent filling his nose.
“Get on your knees,” Michael growled in his ear, dragging his lips across Dennis' cheek.
Dennis complied eagerly, not caring about the dirty bathroom floor. Thoughts of that could wait; right now, all he wanted was Michael.
Michael unzipped his pants quickly, the leather peeling away to expose a remarkably large cock.
Dennis felt his eyes widen, his chest swelling in time with his ragged breathing. “Fuck, you’re huge.”
That crooked smile graced his presence again before Dennis took him into his mouth, pulling a quiet groan from Michael’s lips.
He was so big in Dennis' mouth, his lips stretching around the head of Michael’s cock. He pulled back and placed a kiss on the very tip before grabbing the base with one hand and trailing his tongue in a line up the bottom.
Michael breathed raggedly as Dennis opened his mouth again and swallowed around him. He leaned over slightly, placing a hand against the wall of the stall to steady himself. His other hand threaded through Dennis' hair, pulling a bit. Dennis groaned at the tug and the vibrations caused Michael’s cock to twitch in his mouth.
“Oh, fuck.” Michael moaned.
Dennis could tell he was trying to stay quiet but it was getting harder for both of them. He squeezed the base of Michael’s cock with his fist, moving his thumb up and down the shaft as he sucked. He could tell Michael was edging closer by the way his thighs shook but he didn’t want to stop. He could taste salty pre-cum in his mouth and it only encouraged him.
He took Michael a bit deeper, bobbing his head a little too quickly and gagging. He pulled back sharply, breathing deeply through his nose.
“Shit, are you ok?” Michael came to his senses quickly and tilted Dennis' head up toward him with a few fingers under his chin.
“Yeah, sorry.” Dennis laughed a bit. “I’m not really that, er, experienced in this area.”
“I couldn’t tell,” Michael said earnestly.
That encouraged Dennis. He pumped his hand up and down the length of Michael’s cock a few times and moved again to swallow him as far as he could.
Michael pulled back quickly. “You don’t have to-”
“I want to,” Dennis said, pressing a kiss to the tip. Then another.
Michael nodded and let him, muffling a moan with the back of his hand and breathing in sharply.
Dennis swirled his tongue around the head of Michael’s cock and swallowed around him again. He breathed deeply through his nose, trying again to take Michael deeper. This time, he managed to do so without gagging, and the reward of Michael’s breath coming in quick huffs was more than worth it.
He felt Michael’s hips jerk forward a bit, the tip of his cock momentarily touching the back of Dennis' throat. He breathed in steadily through his nose, controlling and soothing. He traced the bottom of Michael’s cock with his tongue and felt him starting to come undone.
“Fuck, Dennis, I’m gonna-”
Dennis sucked again, relishing as Michael’s cock twitched as he came.
“Oh, God,” Michael moaned and pulled away quickly, squeezing his eyes shut.
He wasn’t fast enough, though. Some of his load spilled into Dennis' mouth, and the rest onto his lips and face.
Michael groaned, hips shaking and jerking as he came. His hand, fingers still buried in Dennis' curls, squeezed and pulled his hair again.
Michael’s breath evened out. It was still ragged but slower and less labored now. He looked down at Dennis and color rose to his cheeks. “Shit! I am so sorry!”
Dennis locked eyes with him, and dragged a thumb over his own cheek, wiping some of Michael’s cum onto his finger. He kept direct eye contact as he licked his finger, then sucked the whole didget into his mouth, rolling it against his tongue to make sure he had cleaned it fully.
“Fuck.” Michael growled, running a hand through his own short hair and mussing it. “You really know what you’re doing.”
“I really don’t.” Dennis shrugged a bit bashfully. He felt color starting to decorate his cheeks again.
“Could have fooled me,” Michael said. He pulled a handful of toilet paper from the dispenser next to Dennis' head and handed it to him. “For your face. I’m sorry about that, again.”
“Don’t be.” Dennis grinned, surprisingly confident, as he wiped his cheeks and chin.
“You have a little- here.” Michael grabbed the paper from him and gently wiped at a spot on his cheek. He let his finger tips linger there, his other hand going to Dennis' chin and tilting his face upward toward himself. He reached out a hand to help Dennis to his feet and pulled him to his chest, pressing another kiss to his lips.
Michael cupped Dennis' cheek in his hand, rubbing his thumb against Dennis' smooth skin. He pressed their foreheads together and sighed contentedly. “Do you want a turn?”
“Yes,” Dennis breathed, excitement coloring his tone.
“I can’t really get down on the floor like that.” Michael scrubbed his hand across the back of his neck as he tossed the wad of paper into the toilet across from them with his other hand.
“Knees not what they used to be?” Dennis grinned, hoping that it came off as funny instead of rude.
Michael laughed. “Something like that.”
“How old are you anyway?” Dennis asked before he could stop himself.
Michael looked a bit surprised. “I’ve heard it’s rude to ask a lady’s age.”
“You’re no lady.” Dennis grinned, pulling Michael closer to him by his jacket.
Michael looked surprised at first but a grin of his own quickly decorated his face. He leaned in, pressing his hands against the stall on either side of Dennis and caging him in. He leaned their faces together, their mouths inches apart, and said, “Let's just say I have some experience.”
If Michael’s skill with kissing was anything to go by, he certainly did. That mouth was magical.
“So, what do you-” Dennis cut off with a groan as Michael parted Dennis' legs with his knee and ground his thigh into Dennis' crotch.
“This ok?” Michael asked, hands straying to the button on Dennis' jeans.
“Yes,” Dennis breathed shakily.
Michael unbuttoned them easily and his hand dove underneath. His calloused fingers were rough on the soft skin between Dennis' legs and yet so gentle at the same time. He loved it.
Michael ran his fingers down Dennis' cock, grabbing it and squeezing gently.
Dennis moaned, his head falling down to rest on Michael’s leather clad shoulder. He was breathing hard, his shoulders shaking as Michael worked him. He pressed his lips to the base of Michael’s neck where it met his chest.
A sudden bang of the bathroom door sounded and the two of them jumped apart, breathing heavily and trying to stay quiet.
A voice broke the silence, sounding annoyed. “I know you two are in here.”
Dennis looked at Michael, wide eyed, and Michael pressed a finger to his lips.
“I don’t care what the fuck you two do, it just can’t be in my bar. Go somewhere else.” The voice sighed heavily.
Michael raised his eyebrows, looking toward the door as if he could see through the stall.
“I’m going to leave so the two of you can come out on your own and we can all spare each other the embarrassment. I want you two out. Don’t make me come back or I’ll bring a bouncer.”
“Loud and clear,” Michael responded, his voice betraying some embarrassment but more annoyance.
The door shut again and the music muffled with it.
Michael let out a snort, trying to keep his laughter to a minimum.
“Oh my God.” Dennis covered his face with his hands, wanting to melt into the floor and stay there forever.
“Could be worse,” Michael said, still smiling sheepishly. “He could have made us come out to greet him.”
“Oh my God!” Dennis groaned again. He hurriedly moved his hands to his belt line, zipping up his fly and buttoning his jeans quickly.
Michael laughed in earnest this time.
“Maybe we should-”
“Yeah,” Michael responded, trying not to sound amused. He zipped himself up before opening the stall door and heading over to the sink to wash his hands.
“Oh God,” Dennis groaned again. He leaned back against the stall, banging his head lightly against it a few times before burying his face in his hands again.
Michael walked back over to him and held out a hand. “I think it’s about time we dip.”
“Definitely.” Dennis had never wanted to die so much in his entire life. He wondered if he could just lock himself in the stall for the rest of the night and maybe never come out again but figured against it. If the club worker came back and found him, he would be forced to walk out in all his shame with a bouncer at his back.
He took Michael’s hand and let him lead them both out onto the main floor of the club. The music seemed even louder than before and bodies undulated around them, dancing and throwing themselves about. Michael let go of Dennis' hand and he thought that was going to be the last of their time together, but he moved back toward Dennis instead of pulling away. He placed a hand at the small of Dennis' back and led him toward the exit, parting the crowd with his broad shoulders and confident stride.
They broke out onto the street and breathed in the cool air, ears ringing from suddenly going from the loud music to the quiet of the night.