Behind the Mask
The club was overly-humid that evening, the smell of sweat, sex, and cheap cologne hung in the air, stagnant in the breezeless heat. Cigarette smoke clung to bodies, thick among those who were crowded on the dance floor.
The music was only as loud as it ever was, the thunderous beats rocking the entire expanse of the large room out to the corners of the space. The reverberating base easily muffled the stifled cries of ecstasy that rang out across the floor, but every now and then one would be louder than the rest.
The strobe lights were timed to the thump of the base, the only lighting in the room, and it caused the easily defined shapes of meshing shadows as the night drew on. Sinful looks were captured from afar, the glint in the eye as common as the crook of a finger.
Bodies were grouped in twos and threes, with the occasional group of four. Except for one.
A lone redhead sat in a corner booth, more stirring his fruity beverage with the unfortunate and rather tacky umbrella straw than bothering to drink it.
And while the music pulsed through his body, he was far enough away to have a chance at conversation, if anyone had offered him the opportunity. It seemed to be the one thing that they didn't. This club wasn't his scene. That was obvious as he turned down dancers and partiers alike, but he didn't bother to glance around to search for his companion who'd dragged him into this mess.
He shifted uncomfortably in his navy blue jeans, the ones that complemented both his rear and his eyes, his orange button-down shirt tighter on his chest than he'd like as his breath became shallow behind the black sequin mask he wore.
Technically, it was the only reason he was even here. The mask made him feel calm, more secure.
Because, as much of a hole-in-the-wall as Behind the Mask was, the deindividualism, the ambiguity of the place was comforting. Especially for him. Someone who didn't really belong.
"Well hello there, handsome." A green-haired man had slid into the booth to sit beside him without his knowledge, startling him out of his wandering thoughts. "What's a hot catch like you doing here all alone?"
The man's green hair was tousled, the edges curling around the black sequined mask he wore. His tight white tee made it easy to see his muscles rippling underneath, and the leather coat draped about his arms made him look like a biker. It was his pants, however, that caught the smaller man's eye. Skin-tight purple jeans, the ones that almost looked painted on, revealed thin, toned legs. Then it hit him. His voice.
The redhead barely managed to hold back a moan. British, just like his step-brother. The one he'd fallen in love with. Finally, he managed to reply, "This isn't exactly my scene."
It was easy to tell that the green-haired man was grinning devilishly as if he'd just discovered a secret. "Where're you from, handsome?"
"I live in an apartment a few blocks from here with my roommate." The redhead replied as he blushed once more.
Seeing him color, the British-born man leaned in to whisper into his ear, "I didn't ask about where you live; I asked about where you're from."
The smaller man averted his gaze at that, embarrassed slightly. "Eden." He murmured quietly, and then locked his gaze with the green-haired man's. "People here call it Monogamyville."
A knowing chuckle passed through the older man's lips. "Well, someone is a long way from home."
"You're telling me." He replied quietly.
"I spent a few years there," He admitted. "I know how different it is."
The redhead frowned. "No, really."
"Yes, really." The taller man retorted, and then sighed. "So why'd you leave?"
"There isn't a cell in my body that wants or could even be capable of falling in love with a woman." He admitted, stirring his drink more. "Things only became complicated recently. I'd had enough. So I left."
"Ah. Something else we have in common. I'm gay too." A beat. "And no, before you ask, that wasn't why I left." The redhead furrowed his brow in response. The British-born man sighed once more, but explained, "I fell in love with the wrong person. I chased myself away before they could."
The smaller man nodded. He could understand that. He averted his gaze, whispering, "Thank you."
The green-haired man raised an eyebrow.
"You're the first person who's treated me with respect since I got here. You could be with anyone else, have anyone else you wanted, with how attractive you are. And you chose to sit around in the corner of this club with me. Someone who embodies the exact opposite characteristics as this world promotes." The smile the smaller man received was a sad one. He continued, returning it as he did. "I'm emotional, and I want to stay connected to people once I meet them. And once I do, I have to get to know them. I'm uncomfortable with my body, and I've never let anyone look at it besides myself, my parents and the doctor. I don't give myself away to just anyone I like…be-because I-I I'm a v-v-virgin. I've never had a boyfriend. I've n-never even b-been k-kissed."
The redhead found the taller man's arm around his shoulders now, but it wasn't seductive. It wasn't exactly romantic either. It was more just there, a comfort of stability. He tensed, but for only a moment. He gave his green-haired companion a small smile, shivering as the man grew close and whispered, his arm's grip loosening as he did, "If you'd let me, I could rectify that for you."
The younger man blushed darkly, complementing his hair nicely. So the taller man continued, "Dance with me, handsome." Then he offered his hand.
The redhead colored even darker then, and took the offered hand before him.
The taller of the two pulled them both closer to the dance floor, letting the music carry them into movement, the sauciness of the beat pulling them into an erotic dance.
Bodies pressed together, the base a second heartbeat on their skin, the smell of the place deep within their lungs. Hands cupped a small rear; arms encircled a long neck. Eyes locked, blue into black and back again. The redhead felt breathless. That was before the new song came on and his companion wasn't just dancing with him, he was singing along, singing to him for his ears alone.
"Wanna show you the ropes of Simplicity,
Prove to you that there's somethin' in it for me,"
The redhead couldn't help but let out a breathless chuckle at that, the irony of the moment not lost on him. But he was soon drawn back in by the man's sultry voice.
"C'mon baby, it's just harmless fun,
An' now I got you thinkin' 'bout it means I've already won!
I know that you're uneasy, that you're unsure,"
The younger man was having trouble keeping himself from going limp, his eyes blown with lust as he gazed up at the green-haired man. Could this song be any more perfect?
"But I won't push 'til you reassure…your body's desire for me!"
The shorter man nearly choked. He shrugged it off as a moan soon enough, as the man continued to whisper the words into his ear.
"Just two souls caught on fire,
As inhibitions fade, you give in to desire,
Bodies quake and pulses race,
Passions stoked as we pick up the pace,
This is how it ought to be,
A simple case of Serendipity!"
And in that moment, that was all that mattered. The redhead felt alive, more alive with this man than he ever had back home. And he realized that it wasn't this place, the hole-in-the-wall dank disaster of a place, or the people, the horny, drunk, brainless people, but him. This green-haired man he'd never met before. He didn't even know his name.
"So call me up when you need this,
And I'll show you no-name bliss!
C'mon baby, the night is young,
I figure it's time for a little fun,"
He laughed, and threw his head back; the green-haired man seemed pleased by his reactions. He was content, in that moment, not even bothering to care about what would come next.
"Yeah, babe, course it's real,
There's nothin' more important than how you feel…when you're touchin' me!"
As the song slipped into the chorus once more, the redhead grew more daring, slipping into the freedom of the faceless night.
"Just two souls caught on fire,
As inhibitions fade, you give in to desire,
Bodies quake and pulses race,
Passions stoked as we pick up the pace,
This is how it ought to be,
A simple case of Serendipity!"
He knew that it would have to end at some point, but in that moment, nothing mattered, except finding a way to get closer to this man. In any way that he could. He really didn't mind it anymore, the concept of simplicity. He still missed the idea of connection with a person, however. The 'no strings attached' idea still had no appeal to him whatsoever.
"Stick with me and I think you'll find,
That in the end, you really won't mind,
C'mon baby, come closer still,
And in the end, you'll feel the thrill,
I need your lips to kiss, your eyes to see,
An' soon you'll find your body…all over me!"
As the song dropped into the chorus once more, he wondered what it would be like to kiss this man, this green-haired man who reminded him of his step-brother. A man he'd only just met less than two hours ago. He let out a moan as their hips collided once more, feeling the heat they made together.
"Just two souls caught on fire,
As inhibitions fade, you give in to desire,
Bodies quake and pulses race,
Passions stoked as we pick up the pace,
This is how it ought to be,
A simple case of Serendipity!"
But as he stood there, pressed up against this man, he thought he understood the upside of it all. Because there were no names, no faces, there were also no pretenses, no need to move forward if it all went to hell. And he liked that. And he figured in some way, he might learn to enjoy it.
"Come with me and I think you'll find,
That this is just a great way to unwind,
C'mon baby, it's not about you,
This is just what we do,
And in turn I think you'll learn,
Serendipity is how it should be!"
There were no words, no spoken ones, at least, as bodies slotted together and moved as one, the line between dancing and intercourse blurring to the point of confusion as they tried to simply get through the song. Finally, the final chorus broke through the din.
"Just two souls caught on fire,
As inhibitions fade, you give in to desire,
Bodies quake and pulses race,
Passions stoked as we pick up the pace,
This is how it ought to be,
A simple case of Serendipity!
A simple case…of Serendipity!"
The pair groaned, twin moans echoing out into oblivion as they continued to move together, drawing themselves back to the booth in the corner. "Please," The redhead murmured, "Please, take me. Now."
The green-haired man, eyes blown with desire, murmured in between kisses across his face, "Are you sure, handsome? You can only have your first once."
"Please. There's no one else who I'd want to have take it. Better by you than by force. Or by alcohol." He moaned as he felt hands tugging at his pants, opening his shirt.
The redhead didn't lie there limply; he wasn't just something to be looked at. Hands explored each other; pants were stripped from bodies, both purple and blue, leather was moaned over as bodies collided once more.
There were no more words, there needed to be no more as lips met, mouths teased, and tongues danced, not for dominance, simply for pleasure. Hands were moving everywhere at once, slipping, sliding, prepping, caressing, holding, cradling. Bodies melded together as they connected, quaking as they awoke to the sensations. Pulses raced as the edge became closer, the pace increased as they felt the urge to release.
Muffled cries rang out then, lips fused to stifle the sounds. In their heads, names were uttered, spoken with a plea almost equal to prayer.
Ferb. Ferb. Ferb.
Phineas. Phineas. Phineas.
But exactly the same thought followed.
I'm sorry. But I will forever wish it was you.
Even then, in that moment, neither had come to notice that it had always been each other behind the mask. And that it always would be.