Secret Santa for @satanicasch!!
Markus grins at a few girls staring at him down the bar, sliding them their glasses smoothly before quickly wiping down the counter. He flips his rag a few times before āholsteringā it, giving Josh, his coworker, a cheesy grin as he does.Ā
Josh rolls his eyes, but his smile belies the amusement he tries and fails to hide.
Markus relaxes against the counter, watching the crowd on the dancefloor writhe like people possessed, their movements uninhibited by anything but the space around them, and even then, many uncaring of who they might hit or move against in their flailing and grinding. Multi-colored lights roll over their bodies, painting them in rainbows and sunsets.
Heās not personally a fan of such a scene, or at least, being part of it. He finds it enthralling to watch, however, especially as he scopes out any new faces.
And there! Heās spotted some. In this lighting, itās hard to tell if the woman in front is a redhead or a strawberry blond, but she has her hair out, wavy locks spilling over her shoulders. She drags behind her a man thatās a good 6 inches taller than her, though the way he hunches over meekly makes him out to be at even with her. He yelps when a few hands and bodies come against his well-clothed form, attempting to move closer to the woman.
Markus raises an eyebrow at Josh with a smirk pulling at his lips, standing and grabbing at a glass.Ā
āIāll take a whiskey,ā the woman says as soon as theyāve arrived, the man huddling against her back and sending the crowd a wary look.
āAlright,ā Markus gets her her drink and rests his eyes on the manās face, which barely peeks over her shoulder.Ā āand you?ā
āJ-Just a water. Please.ā
āOh, come on! Live a little!ā The woman jostles her shoulder to attempt to detach him from her, earning a,Ā āHey!ā as she succeeds. She sits in a stool before he can cling to her again, so he seats himself sulkily.
āIām fine not getting drunk, thank you.ā
āNot even buzzed? Ugh, Connie, ya gotta have some fun!ā She tosses back her drink like a champ, a happy sigh leaving her, before she lowers the glass. Markus asks her if she wants a refill, and she enthusiastically answers with, āHell yeah!ā
With her drink, he also brings out a bottle of water, placing it in front of the brunet.
āItās fine if you donāt want to have any alcohol,ā Markus says, smiling reassuringly. The brunet just looked so out of place in this scene, what with his body entirely covered in well-fitting but not tight work attire, his perfectly styled hair, and his wide brown eyes.
Heās the type of guy youād see in an animal shelter with his kids, or on a calendar, surrounded by soft pets and a comfortable backdrop.
The colors of the room make him seem too pale, too washed out, and Markus almost wants to ask him to step outside with him when his break comes by, just so he can get a good look at him without this filter.
āThank you.ā the man says, taking a quick drink from it before giving Markus a lopsided smile.
Well. The club may try and make him look less attractive, but the beauty is still there, if Markusā thudding heart has anything to say about it.
āI only wish that my sister would get that idea.ā he casts her a look, to which she both holds up a middle finger and sticks out her tongue.
Markus has to hold back a chuckle that builds up as the two of them bicker through gestures alone, one dragging down their lower eyelid, the other wrinkling their nose and curling their lip.Ā
Throughout the exchange, the brunet cuts back on the more unappealing faces, casting glances at Markus until his sister points at Markus and has her pointer finger move into the center of a circle she makes with her thumb and other index finger--
The manās furious blush and cry of,Ā āNorth!!ā makes Markus laugh, though the brunet looks mortified beyond reason.Ā
āYou know youād tap that, donāt lie!ā
He buries his face into his arms, though thereās no denial to be heard. Josh and Markus smirk at each other, Markusā shoulders shaking at the discovery, especially whenĀ āNorthā hollers out her laughter.
āThe sentimentās shared, if it makes you feel any better.ā Josh tells him, to which the man bristles, somehow managing to get even redder.
Markus whaps Josh with his rag in scolding, no need to oust him so quickly, but Josh only shrugs and pats his back, thinking heās being sneaky when he gives North a fist bump.
āHeās not lying.ā Markus admits. The brunetās head shoots up with a squeak escaping him, and North is taking her leave with a barely hidden snort.Ā āBut, uh, before we get into the logistics of that, how about we introduce ourselves?ā
āIām Connor, the--I mean. Iām Connor. Just Connor.ā
āAlright,Ā āJust Connorā, IāmĀ āJust Markusā. Nice to meet ya.ā
āN-Nice to meet you, too.ā Connor shakes his hand, though Markus holds it for a beat too long, only to watch Connorās eyes bat in confusion, pink crawling up to his ears.
āSo, Connor, I was wondering,ā Markus pauses as Connor cocks his head just so,Ā āIf youād like to join me on my next break? Itās in about five-ten minutes, and Iād like to get to know you.ā
āSure!ā Connor blurts before he can stop himself.
Before he or Markus can say anything else, he downs the entire bottle of water in front of him. He tells them that heās going to tell North and that heās going to be back, dashing into the crowd with a lightness to his gait that hadnāt been present there before.
Markus smiles like a dork to himself, his chin resting on his palm as he watches Connor stumble through the bodies.Ā
āHeās cute.ā Josh tells him, dropping his rag onto Markusā neck, making him curse and splutter as he knocks it off.
āYeah,ā he grouses in response, working off the shudder that comes over him from the cold, wet towel. Connor breaks through the crowd again, enthusiastically returning to them, and Markus mutters,Ā āhe really is.ā
And heāll look much cuter after Markus gives him his number outside.
