Sebastian is seated on the bar stools of Scandals' lounge, watching as the lights above him dim as the night gets darker. He doesn't know why he loves being here even if he isn't much of a dancer or a drunkard. All he knows is that they serve the best drinks when he needs a break from reality; and they play the coolest beats in the state of Ohio.
"Hello there, stranger," a familiar voice whispers on his ear, making him roll his eyes and smile.
"Hunter," Sebastian utters his name, facing the boy he has been in love with since they were in fifth grade. It's not like he doesn't have the guts to admit it to him, of course. It's not that he can't — it's because he shouldn't.
"Aren't you going to dance? Come on, I know you have some dance moves inside that tight leather jeans," Hunter winks, eyeing Sebastian's outfit.
"And dance with a complete set of strangers? No thanks, I'd rather sit here and watch you all dance to those EDM beats," Sebastian says, shaking his head.
But Sebastian knows that Hunter wouldn't go down without a fight. Hunter reaches out his hand to Sebastian. "I'm not a stranger, Seb. Come and dance with me."
"No."
"Please?" Hunter pleads, leaning closer to Sebastian. He can smell the alcohol on Hunter's breath. "Dance with me. I'll lead the way and you can follow."
Sebastian looks at Hunter's eyes, observing them. They're bloodshot from his countless vodka shots that he has already finished long before he started dancing. His hair is all over his face, and his sweat is dripping down his tight grey shirt.
He won't remember this in the morning, Sebastian thinks to himself. When he wakes up, all he'll remember is me bringing him home.
With that thought, he grips tightly Hunter's hand, giving him his trust. He smiles at him and says, "Let's go."
Hunter grins back and pulls on the dance floor. They're inches apart as a piano riff starts playing from the speakers. A beat followed suit.
"I know the chords to this song!" Sebastian says, raising his voice. The beat is getting louder more people started dancing now.
"Nerd!" Hunter shouts back, moving his body closer to Sebastian's as he sings along with the music.
"I feel so close to you right now," Hunter begins, touching Sebastian's neck to move him closer.
Sebastian laughs and rolls his eyes at him, his heart pumping along with the beats of the song. "It's a force field."
"I wear my heart upon my sleeve, like a big deal," Hunter nods and continues, holding Sebastian's face with his two hands now.
"Your love falls down on me, surrounds me like a waterfall."
"And there's no stopping us right now."
"I feel so close to you right now."
And before Hunter can crash his lips against Sebastian's, he finds himself sober for a second, watching Sebastian dancing with the interlude.
Hunter walks up to him and pulls him closer, allowing a measurable distance between them for him to hold his hand. Sebastian spins Hunter around and they dance.
They dance and move and groove as the interlude goes on and on, enveloping the bar with a loud beating as powerful as Sebastian's heartbeats. They keep their distance from each other, Hunter shimmying and Sebastian bobbing his head up and down.
They laugh at each other, leaning as they rest their bodies for a while. They touch and their hips start shaking again until the beat mellows down.
"And there's no stopping us right now," Hunter begins singing along again, his movements slowing down.
"And there's no stopping us right now," Sebastian echoes, following the lines of the song. His movements are fading too, finding himself doing nothing but staring at Hunter's eyes.
"And there's no stopping us right now," Hunter says again, this time caressing Sebastian's back. He pushes their bodies closer, their lips almost touching.
The beat begins its crescendo, but Sebastian manages to speak before it comes to a full blast of dance beats. "I'm your best friend, Hunter," Sebastian manages to remind Hunter, despite his nervousness.
Hunter smiles at him and leans forward. "I know. You're Sebastian."
Hunter tiptoes and leans forward, staring at Sebastian's eyes. He slowly moves forward, their lips almost touching. He tilts his head to finally kiss him, but something vibrates on his jean pocket.
He shakes his head as mutters an obscenity under his breath. He almost clicks the "eject" button when a lingering touch of a hand on his forearm stops him.
"Go ahead and answer your boyfriend's call," Sebastian smiles at Hunter, nodding at him. "I-I've got to, um, refresh and uh, rest a bit."
Hunter sighs and turns around, walking towards the exit of the bar.
He turns around one last time, smiling, and Sebastian offers a shrug and a smile.
Sebastian can be delusional, but he swear to the gods above that he saw the disappointment in Hunter's eyes before he turned around and answered the phone call.