i had the shiniest wheels.

Thadd did not consider himself to be claustrophobic, but the walls of the small club suddenly begin to feel as if they're closing in on him. His chest is tight with it, heart sat heavy inside of it, just taking up useless space, only reminding him of its existence at the sound of his name leaving Rocky's lips and the sting of heartbreak that followed.

He'd grown used to the sigh that'd accompanied it, especially towards the end of their relationship. It'd seemed that anytime Rocky had said his name, it'd been in that tone. Exasperation, disappointment...both notions that Thadd knew well when it came to himself, but neither what he'd ever wanted to hear from Rocky.

"Yeah?" He doesn't recognize the sound of his own voice, hitting his ears as if from outside of himself, witnessing the interaction from above his body. "They any good?" It's the kind of joke that feels too lighthearted for the situation, the kind of joke that would be funnier if the weight of the chain Rocky had gifted him didn't weigh heavy against his neck and the weight of the hand on his arm didn't feel as if it were still gripped around his heart.

It's clear that Rocky hadn't known that the live band that night had been Asteroid Cows. They'd gone the last six months without any awkward run ins--a feat, considering their mutual friends--and while he couldn't say for certain that the other wouldn't have just decided to say fuck it and go along with what his group had wanted, it's clear that he's just as surprised to see Thadd as Thadd is to see him.

"I, uh...I'm sorry. About your drink." He was sorry for a lot more than that, but the drunk seemed the best place to start. The cup is long gone, crushed beneath moving feet, but the puddle on the floor remains, destined to stick to the bottoms of some lucky patron's shoes. He dared to lean in closer, to be heard over the sound of the music, vibration practically crawling up through the floor, nipping at their ankles. "I can get you another one, if you want."

It was all he'd ever wanted for him, all he ever tried to push him towards—but Rocky had pushed too hard and only ended up pushing Thaddeus away.

"It's all good. Don't worry about it. The beer here is pretty shitty." He gives him a soft chuckle, fingertips hovering over Thaddeus' upper arm. The skin is smooth and taut. His mind betrays him, remembering all too fondly how it felt to be held by those same arms. Compartmentalise, Rocky reminded himself. That was how he needed to approach his current situation—not with feelings and fond memories, but building walls and closing the door on those feelings before they could metastasize.

Gabriella needed some peace and quiet and where better to find that then on the floor that held people who were on extended stays at the hospital. She knew which people didn't get a lot of visitors and she felt it was almost a good deed to give them a bit of company and hospital gossip in return. She texted the room number to Rocky and smiles when he comes in. "Just about time, I was telling Robert here the latest on the two nurses who are at each other's throat over a piece of oreo cake."

There was a reason the interns all called him The Tyrant.

"I hope Robert knows how to keep a secret because I've got a juicy one." He whispers, as if the walls had ears. "It wasn't Elaine or Helen who swiped the last slice of oreo cheesecake." Rocky could barely contain the impish grin that tugged at his lips, unwrapping a slightly softened piece of cheesecake. "Tada!"

Location: Hospital

August was working the night shift because as a new employee in Seattle, he was forced to take the rookie shift. Even though he was one of the highest ranked and rated EMT's in New York, he knew he had to do his duties and take the grunt shifts. After he had dropped a patient off he noticed that it was just about time for shift change. He looked at one of the doctors who was working as he was getting ready to leave the emergency room. "Are you getting off shift or are you stuck on one of those shitty sixteen hour shifts?" He asked the other.

"Son of a bitch!"

Thadd's head shook as if to chase off the burn of the shot, the glass clinking as it's set hastily back down atop the table. "Did we just totally kill that shit or did we just totally. Fucking. Kill. That. Shit?!"

His heart was beating wildly in his ears, or maybe that was just the thump of the bass from the music that'd resumed blaring overhead (music that only paled in comparison to the set they'd just finished playing, of course).

They weren't completely off the hook for the night. Their equipment still needed breaking down, loading in the back of the van, but considering their only payment of the night was being delivered via these free shots, Thadd was allowing himself to divulge in their earnings before getting back to it.

"Yeah, man, I think we did." Asteroid Cows' guitarist laughed, letting their own empty glass find the table alongside the others.

Thadd's grin was nearly face splitting. "You think?" Another shake of his head, taking his friend's face gently between his hands, "well, I think that you're being way too fucking modest for how great we played, and there's only one cure for that." Pressing a wet kiss to an equally as wet forehead, Thaddeus shoved his way back dramatically, two thumbs motioning behind him towards the rest of the bar floor. "More shots. I'll be back."

It was no cooler on the floor than it had been under the makeshift stage's lighting. Thadd's shirt was completely soaked through, and the humidity from the sea of bodies certainly didn't help the way it clung to him. As he worked his way through them, he managed to catch snippets of praise from the show, and God, did he wish he could kiss each and every one of their foreheads.

He doesn't know if he'll ever get over it. The thrill of putting something out there, something important, and other people receiving it, enjoying it.

He doesn't know if he'll ever get over it, but God, he hopes he never does.

He'd just about made it through the throng of people successfully when an attempt to push through was met with a push back. The resulting shove sent his shoulder colliding into another, and the sudden splash at his feet didn't exactly feel promising.

"Dude, don't you even fucking worry about that, I'm about to get another--" The offer died on his lips when he finally managed a look over at who he'd accidentally shoulder checked, suddenly feeling as if he'd just been elbowed himself. Right in the gut.

He knew it the second he laid eyes on Asteroid Cow's drum kit up on the stage. The all too familiar yellow, painted lettering setting his nerves ablaze. What Rocky should have done was march his way back through the crowd, find the other first year interns he had arrived at the bar with and bid everyone a good night before returning home to his apartment.

What Rocky actually did was far different. Feet rooted firmly to the damp and sticky floor of the dive bar, he watched their entire set from start to finish. He tapped his foot along to the beat, dancing uncomfortably to the songs they performed in an attempt to better blend in with the crowd. At six foot one, he already stood out like a sore thumb amongst a crowd. Rocky didn't need to draw anymore attention to himself.

When they wrapped up their set, Rocky braced himself for impact. Thadd hadn't seemed to notice him for their entire set, but with the house lights back up and the stage lights dimmed, it was only a matter of time before he was spotted. As luck, fate or whatever higher power he might have prayed too, Thadd was otherwise preoccupied celebrating with the rest of Asteroid Cows to notice him.

That was Rocky's chance. If his legs would just co-operate.

He sighed heavily, frustrated at himself and the other interns for dragging him to this god forsaken bar. Dark brown eyes trailed over the crowd, searching for his friends. Nothing. Had they left him? Or did Rocky miss a skills lab where they all mastered the ability of invisibility.

When his gaze slides back to the stage, Thadd is no where to be seen. Shit. Where did he go? Rocky was hoping to avoid an awkward run in with his ex-boyfriend tonight, he'd rather be stuck working through a load of scut at the hospital than have to face Thadd.

When his legs finally start to work again it's no feat of his own. Somebody is pushing their way through the crowd and the crowd is pushing back. A shoulder collides with Rocky's, plastic cup hitting the floor, crushed instantly beneath someone's boot. Rocky's not certain if it's his, but he is certain he's just splashed his drink all over a random bystander.

"Easy," Rocky said, voice soft and easy. He steadies the person who had shoulder checked him, hand sliding under their triceps for support. "You slip on this floor you might not get back—"

Oh.

His eyes meet the strangers. Only he isn't a stranger.

"Thadd," Rocky sighed, deflated. "I'm here with some of the other interns from my program. We heard there was a live-band playing tonight." He hadn't had the forethought to ask who the live-band was when the plans had been made, of course. If he had then he might have been able to avoid this whole awkward run in.

When: Late night

Who: Open to all

A sip of a dark IPA hit Dina's throat, the warm tickle flowing down to her gut. Whenever Dina was not behind her anchor desk, you could almost always find her sitting in front of a bar top, salted peanuts on the counter, dimmed lights and televisions with games scattered around. In this familiar setting, Dina felt free to be herself while she cheered on her favorite sports teams. Tonight, she was rooting for the Kraken as they played against the Bruins. "Oh, come on! That was a total penalty," she shouted out loud when one of the ref's ignored Brad Marchand tripping Brandon Tanev. She shook her head as she looked over at the closest person to her, "what do you think? Do you think the Kraken should've gotten a power play?"