notes:
/ / -- italics and titles
* * -- emphasis
Club West
Chapter One: The First Night...
That morning - when he blinked at his Literature in Translation class and five dark-shadowed pairs blinked back at him - that day, he never found out till much later that it was the day everything changed.
He was humble enough to admit that up to that particular point, everything seemed to be going his way. He had graduated from university with honors, earning praise from his teachers and admiration (and some envy) from his peers. He kept in touch with the few of them who refused to sever their academic ties, and was in fact serving as one of those links, having decided to become a teacher himself.
His love for books had brought him to specialize in World Literature through the four years of his Bachelor's Degree. His gentleness of manner had won him many friends and admirers from all walks of academic life. Both aspects combined now to make him one of the most popular members of the English faculty, and especially among the freshman classes that he was assigned to teach.
He was very lucky that year having got in his classes a bumper crop of smart, thirsty young men and women. There were some among them who read as widely as he did, or had already read at least one of the books on his required readings list. They were eager to learn and many were very articulate, capable of arguing plot points or characterizations with understanding and, in many cases, wit.
This particular LIT group boasted five of the best students of the batch, who had signed up for one of the most difficult classes their freshman standing and differing curricula could offer: the study of major works of literature from across the world, all in their original languages.
That morning, before heading in, Cho Hakkai had looked at his day's lesson - the first part of the /Ring of the Nibelung/ - and smiled in anticipation of what the class would think, do and say today.
So he got a rather nasty shock when one student after another showed up and slumped lifelessly over his or her desk. Yaone, the brilliant young pre-med student who was daily besieged with crowds of admiring suitors and teachers, had darker circles under her eyes than usual. And Kougaiji, the most articulate and focused member of the class, was staring into space and grinning goofily.
With a reluctant smile Hakkai put aside the exploits of the Norsemen and sat down, in the middle of the semicircle that the class usually formed when in session. 'And a good morning to all of you, too. May I ask about the collective lack of sleep in this room today?'
The crew-cut man on the outer edge of the arc raised his hand, wearily. 'Sir?'
'Yes, Dokugakuji-san?'
'They've just opened the Club West.'
'And what is that?'
Kougaiji was snapped out of his trance by an elbow in his ribs, courtesy of Dokugakuji. 'Oh. Club West is that new dance club out on the edge of town, and everyone's been waiting for it for weeks! We heard they served up only their own secret mixes, not only at the bar but on the dance floor too. They said those were mixes that the Ibiza crowds never hear, and want to. So we went to opening night and it was everything we'd heard about, and more! We came here straight from the club, sir - I mean, Doku, Yaone, my sister Lilin and I. That place is the bomb,' he sighed.
Hakkai smiled again, intrigued by the description. 'Well, what is the place like then?'
This time it was Yaone who answered: 'It's big, sir, but it doesn't seem so because it gets packed so easily. It's mostly dance floor, and there's a bar that looks like an afterthought crammed into one of the corners, but at least it's protected somewhat from the speakers. The music and lights go on all night long, and no one ever seems to get tired.'
'I do hope that place is clean, Yaone-san?' The young teacher was extremely liberal in his concept of reality, rejecting only a few things with a passion; drugs being one of them. He didn't even mind anyone swearing in his class. 'Nobody pulling you into corners with a stash of some kind of pill?'
'The only stash they have there,' a gradually-recovering Dokugakuji answered, 'is the one of all the CDs and MDs. Frigging whole lot of them. Sir. Alcohol too - must be nice to be that rich. I never thought about sake with attar of roses. That's awfully smooth stuff.'
Out of the corner of his eye he saw one more hand wave upwards, a little quicker than the others had been. 'Yes, Lilin-san?'
'Come with us, sir,' and Kougaiji's younger sister looked straight at him, grinning happily. 'We're going again tonight!'
'Are you sure? Nobody else here looks like they can make it,' Hakkai chuckled.
'Sir, I'll be there tonight,' and the fifth student, the honey-blonde woman who was Yaone's best friend and roommate, spoke up for the first time. Her eyes shone. 'I promised my boyfriend I would.'
'I envy you, Rinrei,' Yaone sighed, 'I'm not even sure if I can make it back to the dorm after class today!'
'Homura and I can take you back later, don't worry.'
'That's very kind, thank you very much.'
'We're going back too,' Kougaiji said. 'So you can come with us tonight, sir.'
'I'll think about it,' Hakkai finally said, after a moment. 'Is there a dress code?'
'Funky, maybe,' Rinrei offered after a moment's thought. 'Actually, I don't think there's any. But it did look like there was too much leather last night.' There were nods of assent from everyone else in the class.
'Thank you for the information, people. Now, since no one's in the mood for a discussion today we'll leave the tale of the Nibelung for next week.' Hakkai got up, peeked into the corridor, and pulled the door shut. 'In the meantime, I think you'll all be better off getting some sleep. I'll wake you up before the bell.'
*****
It was funny, in its own way, Hakkai thought as he looked into his closet later that afternoon. Having decided to take his students up on their offer, he was now having a crisis of confidence - at least in his wardrobe. There seemed to be absolutely nothing in the racks that would disguise the fact that he was really just a devoted young academic instead of a hard-partying night owl.
Well, he did occasionally sneak a night out onto his schedule. He'd get into the battered Army-type jeep that he'd bought fresh out of college, drive thirty miles south-west to the city and quickly find himself prowling the streets in search of a good place to eat, preferably next door to somewhere the music was slow and soothing and there were lots of coffee and plush seats.
Tonight promised to be something completely out of his box.
The intercom unit in his room beeped and a voice sounded in the third-floor apartment: 'A Kougaiji-tachi looking for you, Mr. Hakkai?'
'Coming down,' he told the security. With a rueful look at the mess he'd made of his bed linens, the young teacher took one last look at himself in the mirror and then hurried downstairs, pausing only long enough to grab his keys and coat.
*****
'Oh my God,' Rinrei whispered as they crawled past the door of the Club West, eyeing the long line collecting before the bouncers with no small amount of trepidation.
'Looks like there're twice as many people as last night.' Homura, Rinrei's boyfriend with the mismatched blue and gold eyes and razor-sharp mind behind them, shook his head and then focused, abruptly gunning his SUV forward as he spotted a parking place.
It was still some two blocks away from the club, and more cars jockeyed past them for space as they took their places at the end of the line. The music from inside reached even them, but mostly through their feet instead of through their ears - they could feel the insistent bass pounding up around them, making some of the kids ahead start doing their own moves. Certainly Dokugakuji and Lilin were feeling the beat - the taller man was bobbing his head and tapping his feet, and the girl was practically bouncing in line.
Most of the crowd came from the university - Hakkai had a good memory for faces - and there were even some of the younger teachers, one of whom hailed them as they drove by.
'Ya, Hakkai-san! Fancy meeting you here! Oh,' and the young woman, a lecturer at the Department of Physics, caught sight of his companions, 'your LIT class managed to drag you out here? You could do worse for companions - your students study hard and party even harder, you know that? By the way, nice outfits, all of you! See you inside!'
Hakkai looked down at himself, still a little nervous about his personal definition of clubwear: a white long-sleeved shirt that laced up the front in the style of Greek fishermen, a pair of tight but comfortable gray pants, a pair of combat boots, and over all that his favorite black trench coat. The only accent was his belt, a length of fine chain links in silver that he had borrowed from a more outgoing neighbor.
'Bit of advice, sir,' and Yaone added the finishing touch to her own outfit, a midnight-purple sleeveless turtleneck that ended a good inch above her waist and a low-slung pair of tight black jeans: a heavy silver necklace that fanned crystal-studded pendants down her chest. 'Roll up your sleeves, it's going to be boiling inside. And it looks better that way on you.'
He did so, just as they approached the head of the line. 'Thank you, Yaone-san.'
'You again!' they heard from up front as someone recognized Lilin and Dokugakuji. 'Thought you had enough, hadda kick ya out this morning!'
Hakkai craned his neck and was startled to see that his students were talking to someone who looked like he *could* belong in one of his classes: a boy who looked no more than nineteen, with a shock of unruly chocolate-brown hair. He was dressed all in black leather, from the vest and fingerless glove on his right hand to the material that clung to his legs. He needed no other ornamentation than the molten gold of his huge eyes, and the honesty of his grin.
'We brought you someone new tonight,' Lilin laughed, and hauled him forward. 'This is Cho Hakkai, our favorite teacher at the university. Sir, meet Son Goku. He's one of the bouncers around here, though he doesn't look it.'
'Pleased t'meet 'cha,' the boy said, holding out a hand to shake. 'You can go in now, guys. If you need anything, talk to Sanzou, he's in charge tonight.'
'How will we find Sanzou?' Hakkai wondered out loud as they deposited their outerwear at the coat check. 'There're too many people here to even move two steps!'
'He'll find us or we'll find him,' and Kougaiji grinned. 'Pretty visible kind of guy. He has to be. I heard he's overseeing this place for his aunt, who's away on business. He may not be very social but he has to be seen, and he is.'
'There he is right now - sitting on the bar.' Homura pointed out a white-clad man lighting up a cigarette, the overhead lights creating a rainbow halo on his blonde hair.
Hakkai didn't know where to look any more after that. The room was packed with all kinds of people, moving to the infectious beat coming from the stage up front. A determined-looking man with very slanted eyes and sharp features was working the turntables on stage, and his mix just kept going on and on, keeping the revelers bouncing madly.
Someone tugged on his rolled-up sleeve, hard, and Rinrei and Homura leaned in, sporting smiles. 'We just found some friends of ours in this crowd,' the young woman told him. 'We're going to meet them now. Please page us if you need anything, okay, sir?'
'Enjoy yourselves,' Hakkai said, smiling as they moved off.
The others were shortly swallowed by the gyrating crush and the young teacher, nonplussed, decided to make his way to the bar.
The only spare space was the one next to the two long-haired men who were talking loudly. 'Yeah, but I think that there's no way that strategy would work!' the chestnut-braided one insisted, waving his hands. 'For one thing, that's not how I play that game, and for another thing, you're likely to get yourself killed! For fuck's sake don't you go through with it! Or at least leave me out of it if you're that determined.'
'Ha, and here I thought you'd be afraid of nothing,' the redhead drawled. 'Come on, there's got to be some way I can enlist you and your silent partner on this.'
'Go find someone else to screw, Sha Gojyo, I ain't biting tonight.'
'Another night then,' and he waved ironically at the departing boy as he shoved past Hakkai.
'What a waste,' the man at the bar went on, signaling to the bartender for another drink. 'Didn't show any manners either, eh?'
Hakkai looked right and left and wondered if he was being addressed. 'I'm sorry, were you talking to me?'
'You got shoved, didn't you? Hey, bartender, get this man something will ya?'
'My name's Cho Hakkai,' and he held out his hand.
The redhead took it. 'Sha Gojyo.'
'Yes, I heard.'
The bartender, a man with an eye-patch and orange hair, brought Hakkai his first drink of the evening, a Screwdriver; he took his time with it, looking his neighbor over discreetly.
Long red hair that fell straight down, well past his shoulder blades, and shining in the lights overhead. Leopard-print sleeveless shirt, but discreet, unusual for any animal pattern. Long, long legs in black denim, the seams picked out in contrast stitching. Cowboy-style brown boots, with shiny spurs. There was something about the man besides that made other people just look at him, and it wasn't the hair.
'You don't look half-bad yourself,' Gojyo suddenly said, draining his glass.
'Sorry. I'm not normally that rude.' Hakkai gave him a half-smile.
Just then the beat changed completely, and the crowd around them cheered, then started to dance even harder. The two of them watched as the bar emptied - the last ones to go being a tall man with blonde hair leading a boy with a silver hoop earring - and then they looked at each other.
Gojyo shrugged. 'I kind of like this song myself. Wanna dance?'
'You'll have to teach me,' Hakkai said. 'I don't get around that much.'
'Nothing to it,' and he was pulled onto the floor, weaving and ducking through the crush until they were directly in front of the stage. Once positioned, the redhead put him at arm's length, and mouthed, 'Watch me.'
It was easy, and he had always been a fast learner: soon he was dancing in sync with the other man, their movements making him think of the duels he and his students read aloud in class, two bodies perfectly matched to each other and to the music.
'You're good!' Gojyo shouted over the grinding bass-beat.
'So are you,' he called back, distracted.
A separate part of Hakkai's mind went on watching the other man: he called attention to himself so naturally, with that hair and eyes and the very scent that surrounded him. He had been noticing that other people had been looking at him, as well, and the very thought of it made the hairs on the back of his neck rise - in fear or in surprise or in jealousy, he really didn't....
Where had that come from? He was *jealous*? Could he want this man?
'That's too much,' he muttered to himself, and abruptly stopped dancing.
At that moment Gojyo did the worst thing he could do: he leaned into Hakkai's personal space. 'Anything wrong?'
'I...I'm sorry! Please excuse me!' And he tore off through the crowd, out into the cold night.
/ / -- italics and titles
* * -- emphasis
Club West
Chapter One: The First Night...
That morning - when he blinked at his Literature in Translation class and five dark-shadowed pairs blinked back at him - that day, he never found out till much later that it was the day everything changed.
He was humble enough to admit that up to that particular point, everything seemed to be going his way. He had graduated from university with honors, earning praise from his teachers and admiration (and some envy) from his peers. He kept in touch with the few of them who refused to sever their academic ties, and was in fact serving as one of those links, having decided to become a teacher himself.
His love for books had brought him to specialize in World Literature through the four years of his Bachelor's Degree. His gentleness of manner had won him many friends and admirers from all walks of academic life. Both aspects combined now to make him one of the most popular members of the English faculty, and especially among the freshman classes that he was assigned to teach.
He was very lucky that year having got in his classes a bumper crop of smart, thirsty young men and women. There were some among them who read as widely as he did, or had already read at least one of the books on his required readings list. They were eager to learn and many were very articulate, capable of arguing plot points or characterizations with understanding and, in many cases, wit.
This particular LIT group boasted five of the best students of the batch, who had signed up for one of the most difficult classes their freshman standing and differing curricula could offer: the study of major works of literature from across the world, all in their original languages.
That morning, before heading in, Cho Hakkai had looked at his day's lesson - the first part of the /Ring of the Nibelung/ - and smiled in anticipation of what the class would think, do and say today.
So he got a rather nasty shock when one student after another showed up and slumped lifelessly over his or her desk. Yaone, the brilliant young pre-med student who was daily besieged with crowds of admiring suitors and teachers, had darker circles under her eyes than usual. And Kougaiji, the most articulate and focused member of the class, was staring into space and grinning goofily.
With a reluctant smile Hakkai put aside the exploits of the Norsemen and sat down, in the middle of the semicircle that the class usually formed when in session. 'And a good morning to all of you, too. May I ask about the collective lack of sleep in this room today?'
The crew-cut man on the outer edge of the arc raised his hand, wearily. 'Sir?'
'Yes, Dokugakuji-san?'
'They've just opened the Club West.'
'And what is that?'
Kougaiji was snapped out of his trance by an elbow in his ribs, courtesy of Dokugakuji. 'Oh. Club West is that new dance club out on the edge of town, and everyone's been waiting for it for weeks! We heard they served up only their own secret mixes, not only at the bar but on the dance floor too. They said those were mixes that the Ibiza crowds never hear, and want to. So we went to opening night and it was everything we'd heard about, and more! We came here straight from the club, sir - I mean, Doku, Yaone, my sister Lilin and I. That place is the bomb,' he sighed.
Hakkai smiled again, intrigued by the description. 'Well, what is the place like then?'
This time it was Yaone who answered: 'It's big, sir, but it doesn't seem so because it gets packed so easily. It's mostly dance floor, and there's a bar that looks like an afterthought crammed into one of the corners, but at least it's protected somewhat from the speakers. The music and lights go on all night long, and no one ever seems to get tired.'
'I do hope that place is clean, Yaone-san?' The young teacher was extremely liberal in his concept of reality, rejecting only a few things with a passion; drugs being one of them. He didn't even mind anyone swearing in his class. 'Nobody pulling you into corners with a stash of some kind of pill?'
'The only stash they have there,' a gradually-recovering Dokugakuji answered, 'is the one of all the CDs and MDs. Frigging whole lot of them. Sir. Alcohol too - must be nice to be that rich. I never thought about sake with attar of roses. That's awfully smooth stuff.'
Out of the corner of his eye he saw one more hand wave upwards, a little quicker than the others had been. 'Yes, Lilin-san?'
'Come with us, sir,' and Kougaiji's younger sister looked straight at him, grinning happily. 'We're going again tonight!'
'Are you sure? Nobody else here looks like they can make it,' Hakkai chuckled.
'Sir, I'll be there tonight,' and the fifth student, the honey-blonde woman who was Yaone's best friend and roommate, spoke up for the first time. Her eyes shone. 'I promised my boyfriend I would.'
'I envy you, Rinrei,' Yaone sighed, 'I'm not even sure if I can make it back to the dorm after class today!'
'Homura and I can take you back later, don't worry.'
'That's very kind, thank you very much.'
'We're going back too,' Kougaiji said. 'So you can come with us tonight, sir.'
'I'll think about it,' Hakkai finally said, after a moment. 'Is there a dress code?'
'Funky, maybe,' Rinrei offered after a moment's thought. 'Actually, I don't think there's any. But it did look like there was too much leather last night.' There were nods of assent from everyone else in the class.
'Thank you for the information, people. Now, since no one's in the mood for a discussion today we'll leave the tale of the Nibelung for next week.' Hakkai got up, peeked into the corridor, and pulled the door shut. 'In the meantime, I think you'll all be better off getting some sleep. I'll wake you up before the bell.'
*****
It was funny, in its own way, Hakkai thought as he looked into his closet later that afternoon. Having decided to take his students up on their offer, he was now having a crisis of confidence - at least in his wardrobe. There seemed to be absolutely nothing in the racks that would disguise the fact that he was really just a devoted young academic instead of a hard-partying night owl.
Well, he did occasionally sneak a night out onto his schedule. He'd get into the battered Army-type jeep that he'd bought fresh out of college, drive thirty miles south-west to the city and quickly find himself prowling the streets in search of a good place to eat, preferably next door to somewhere the music was slow and soothing and there were lots of coffee and plush seats.
Tonight promised to be something completely out of his box.
The intercom unit in his room beeped and a voice sounded in the third-floor apartment: 'A Kougaiji-tachi looking for you, Mr. Hakkai?'
'Coming down,' he told the security. With a rueful look at the mess he'd made of his bed linens, the young teacher took one last look at himself in the mirror and then hurried downstairs, pausing only long enough to grab his keys and coat.
*****
'Oh my God,' Rinrei whispered as they crawled past the door of the Club West, eyeing the long line collecting before the bouncers with no small amount of trepidation.
'Looks like there're twice as many people as last night.' Homura, Rinrei's boyfriend with the mismatched blue and gold eyes and razor-sharp mind behind them, shook his head and then focused, abruptly gunning his SUV forward as he spotted a parking place.
It was still some two blocks away from the club, and more cars jockeyed past them for space as they took their places at the end of the line. The music from inside reached even them, but mostly through their feet instead of through their ears - they could feel the insistent bass pounding up around them, making some of the kids ahead start doing their own moves. Certainly Dokugakuji and Lilin were feeling the beat - the taller man was bobbing his head and tapping his feet, and the girl was practically bouncing in line.
Most of the crowd came from the university - Hakkai had a good memory for faces - and there were even some of the younger teachers, one of whom hailed them as they drove by.
'Ya, Hakkai-san! Fancy meeting you here! Oh,' and the young woman, a lecturer at the Department of Physics, caught sight of his companions, 'your LIT class managed to drag you out here? You could do worse for companions - your students study hard and party even harder, you know that? By the way, nice outfits, all of you! See you inside!'
Hakkai looked down at himself, still a little nervous about his personal definition of clubwear: a white long-sleeved shirt that laced up the front in the style of Greek fishermen, a pair of tight but comfortable gray pants, a pair of combat boots, and over all that his favorite black trench coat. The only accent was his belt, a length of fine chain links in silver that he had borrowed from a more outgoing neighbor.
'Bit of advice, sir,' and Yaone added the finishing touch to her own outfit, a midnight-purple sleeveless turtleneck that ended a good inch above her waist and a low-slung pair of tight black jeans: a heavy silver necklace that fanned crystal-studded pendants down her chest. 'Roll up your sleeves, it's going to be boiling inside. And it looks better that way on you.'
He did so, just as they approached the head of the line. 'Thank you, Yaone-san.'
'You again!' they heard from up front as someone recognized Lilin and Dokugakuji. 'Thought you had enough, hadda kick ya out this morning!'
Hakkai craned his neck and was startled to see that his students were talking to someone who looked like he *could* belong in one of his classes: a boy who looked no more than nineteen, with a shock of unruly chocolate-brown hair. He was dressed all in black leather, from the vest and fingerless glove on his right hand to the material that clung to his legs. He needed no other ornamentation than the molten gold of his huge eyes, and the honesty of his grin.
'We brought you someone new tonight,' Lilin laughed, and hauled him forward. 'This is Cho Hakkai, our favorite teacher at the university. Sir, meet Son Goku. He's one of the bouncers around here, though he doesn't look it.'
'Pleased t'meet 'cha,' the boy said, holding out a hand to shake. 'You can go in now, guys. If you need anything, talk to Sanzou, he's in charge tonight.'
'How will we find Sanzou?' Hakkai wondered out loud as they deposited their outerwear at the coat check. 'There're too many people here to even move two steps!'
'He'll find us or we'll find him,' and Kougaiji grinned. 'Pretty visible kind of guy. He has to be. I heard he's overseeing this place for his aunt, who's away on business. He may not be very social but he has to be seen, and he is.'
'There he is right now - sitting on the bar.' Homura pointed out a white-clad man lighting up a cigarette, the overhead lights creating a rainbow halo on his blonde hair.
Hakkai didn't know where to look any more after that. The room was packed with all kinds of people, moving to the infectious beat coming from the stage up front. A determined-looking man with very slanted eyes and sharp features was working the turntables on stage, and his mix just kept going on and on, keeping the revelers bouncing madly.
Someone tugged on his rolled-up sleeve, hard, and Rinrei and Homura leaned in, sporting smiles. 'We just found some friends of ours in this crowd,' the young woman told him. 'We're going to meet them now. Please page us if you need anything, okay, sir?'
'Enjoy yourselves,' Hakkai said, smiling as they moved off.
The others were shortly swallowed by the gyrating crush and the young teacher, nonplussed, decided to make his way to the bar.
The only spare space was the one next to the two long-haired men who were talking loudly. 'Yeah, but I think that there's no way that strategy would work!' the chestnut-braided one insisted, waving his hands. 'For one thing, that's not how I play that game, and for another thing, you're likely to get yourself killed! For fuck's sake don't you go through with it! Or at least leave me out of it if you're that determined.'
'Ha, and here I thought you'd be afraid of nothing,' the redhead drawled. 'Come on, there's got to be some way I can enlist you and your silent partner on this.'
'Go find someone else to screw, Sha Gojyo, I ain't biting tonight.'
'Another night then,' and he waved ironically at the departing boy as he shoved past Hakkai.
'What a waste,' the man at the bar went on, signaling to the bartender for another drink. 'Didn't show any manners either, eh?'
Hakkai looked right and left and wondered if he was being addressed. 'I'm sorry, were you talking to me?'
'You got shoved, didn't you? Hey, bartender, get this man something will ya?'
'My name's Cho Hakkai,' and he held out his hand.
The redhead took it. 'Sha Gojyo.'
'Yes, I heard.'
The bartender, a man with an eye-patch and orange hair, brought Hakkai his first drink of the evening, a Screwdriver; he took his time with it, looking his neighbor over discreetly.
Long red hair that fell straight down, well past his shoulder blades, and shining in the lights overhead. Leopard-print sleeveless shirt, but discreet, unusual for any animal pattern. Long, long legs in black denim, the seams picked out in contrast stitching. Cowboy-style brown boots, with shiny spurs. There was something about the man besides that made other people just look at him, and it wasn't the hair.
'You don't look half-bad yourself,' Gojyo suddenly said, draining his glass.
'Sorry. I'm not normally that rude.' Hakkai gave him a half-smile.
Just then the beat changed completely, and the crowd around them cheered, then started to dance even harder. The two of them watched as the bar emptied - the last ones to go being a tall man with blonde hair leading a boy with a silver hoop earring - and then they looked at each other.
Gojyo shrugged. 'I kind of like this song myself. Wanna dance?'
'You'll have to teach me,' Hakkai said. 'I don't get around that much.'
'Nothing to it,' and he was pulled onto the floor, weaving and ducking through the crush until they were directly in front of the stage. Once positioned, the redhead put him at arm's length, and mouthed, 'Watch me.'
It was easy, and he had always been a fast learner: soon he was dancing in sync with the other man, their movements making him think of the duels he and his students read aloud in class, two bodies perfectly matched to each other and to the music.
'You're good!' Gojyo shouted over the grinding bass-beat.
'So are you,' he called back, distracted.
A separate part of Hakkai's mind went on watching the other man: he called attention to himself so naturally, with that hair and eyes and the very scent that surrounded him. He had been noticing that other people had been looking at him, as well, and the very thought of it made the hairs on the back of his neck rise - in fear or in surprise or in jealousy, he really didn't....
Where had that come from? He was *jealous*? Could he want this man?
'That's too much,' he muttered to himself, and abruptly stopped dancing.
At that moment Gojyo did the worst thing he could do: he leaned into Hakkai's personal space. 'Anything wrong?'
'I...I'm sorry! Please excuse me!' And he tore off through the crowd, out into the cold night.