Soz, been studying hardcore.

K. This has been untouched on my comp since June and I decided to finish it now, so the ending is preeetttty rushed, lots of mistakes and I got a little lazy - gotta study.

This isn't a one shot. I've got multiple chaps in the works for this :).

Disclaimer: Don't own.

Please read and review :)!

Enjoy!

On the Side

He took a quick swig of his drink. Another long swig followed directly after it. He knew he needed to get drunk, and quick, if he was going to survive this night. His face visibly fell as he reminded himself that this was only the beginning. He downed the rest of the drink and instantly rose his hand, two fingers instantly signaling for an attendant's attention.

He could see his red headed comrade to his left send him a wicked grin, eager for this night to end up exactly like all the others – a complete blackout, but hailed as the best night ever. He ignored the look as he felt an attendant's presence behind him. He instantly dropped his hand.

"Another, sir?" was the whispered question.

He didn't bother with words, he just nodded.

"Actually, another round for us both, thanks," his friend added, his gaze settling upon the attendant.

He shot his friend an unimpressed look as they were left on their own again.

His red headed friend rolled his eyes dramatically. "Don't be such a party popper, Kai," he droned, "a few more of those and you'll be into it."

Kai cocked an eyebrow at the statement. As much as he hated to admit it, his friend was right. He was an avid drinker, way too keen to forget his reality. If he wasn't drowning in work, he was either drunk or asleep – and he was pretty much an insomniac.

He could feel the intoxicating chemicals in his body finally begin to kick in. That familiar buzz was beginning to pulse through him and he would soon forget all his problems, and probably his entire existence if he left himself get drunk enough – at least for a few hours anyway.

"Where are they?" His red headed friend shot a look past him across the dimly lit venue. An agitated expression formed on his face as his body subtly leaned closer to Kai.

Kai followed his friend's line of sight. "Right on time," he mumbled back to his friend.

To their right, a big brawly man, dressed in a dark suit, was beelining straight for them. Next to him dawdled a smaller, smartly dressed man with grey hair, his eyes glued on the stage to his right. The brawly man smiled as they closed in on the two already seated.

"Kai," the brawly man nodded at him. Kai signaled back with some kind of waved gesture.

"You're late, Spencer," the red head beside Kai snarled.

Spencer rolled his eyes as he passed Kai and took a seat next to the red head. "We're here when I said we'd be," he retorted, practically falling into the leather chair. "Tala," he added dramatically with low growl and some serious side eye.

"Which is late," Tala reminded matter-of-factly, arms folded.

Spencer didn't bother going at him for a second time, but instead instantly perked his head up, looking around the room, eyeing an attendant.

"Haven't seen you all week," Kai noted as he turned his attention to the grey haired man, who was still taken by the festivities on stage.

He gave Kai an exhausted look, practically dragging himself past Kai and Tala before taking a seat on the other side of Spencer. "You look like shit, Bryan," Tala commented, his knack for telling the truth a little too much sometimes.

"Thanks," Bryan deadpanned, his face matching his tone.

Tala grinned as his laugh, faintly familiar to that of a maniac, filled the air. Bryan sunk into the chair further, closing his eyes. Kai shook his head in disapproval of his friends' lack of niceties, even though he was a major contributor to their dysfunctional friendship.

"Another round?" Spencer questioned eagerly, already straight to the point as his eyes, peered over the red head and looked to Kai.

Tala instantly looked to Kai too, that famous wicked grin dancing on his lips again.

Kai shrugged. A small smile tugged on his lips as he could feel himself give in. "Why not?" was the surprisingly warm response.

Spencer was already rattling the names of drinks off to the attendant, specific instructions included.

With the gang all present, Kai turned his attention back to the stage. It was time for the night to begin. He was eager to forget all the stress from the week of work just past; the others, he could bet, were too. He noticed faint flickers of light from the stage. He couldn't fault Spencer's coincidental timing. Whenever he arrived, things always began or something dramatic always took place. Tonight seemed to be no different.

He could feel the presence of an attendant. Out of the corner of his eye he could see two drinks slide across the small side table between him and Tala. Without delay his left hand reached for a glass. A subtle tune began as shadows danced across the dimly lit stage.

He could faintly make out Tala picking up the other remaining glass. He turned his attention to the red head.

"Будем здоровы," the two chorused together in their native tongue.

They raised their glasses ever so slightly into the air before bringing them to their lips. A few seconds later the clear liquid in both glasses was gone. Tala placed his glass back on the table, while Kai let the glass linger in his hand a moment longer. His eyes seemed to be concentrating on the glass, but his glazed over eyes gave away his pensive thinking. The music kicked in dramatically, with the bass reverberating through the soles of his feet. His chain of thought was broken instantly.

He practically threw his glass back onto the table, sliding along the wood before clinking against Tala's, who didn't seem to notice or care. He followed the red heads line of sight to the stage. The bass kicked in again and the light on the audience dimmed, signally the beginning of the show.

888

He couldn't count what drink he was up to, let alone what the other three were up to. He was borderline drunk, so Tala and Bryan wouldn't have been far behind. However, he was much more composed than the other two. He would only let himself slip slightly, with a subtleness that only his close friends would notice. The other two were different. Bryan would get loud and boisterous, voicing his opinion and starting anything that he could. Tala, on the other hand, was the fun one. His words would slur, only slightly, with his dangerous risk taking and laughter infectious. Spencer was always the last to get drunk, his brawly stature playing a big part in that. He was similar to Kai, more reserved under the influence.

His eyes wander over the other three who seem so taken by entertainment on stage. He looked to his half-finished drink on the small table next to him. He reached for it, ready to down it, but the song changed abruptly. His eyes flicked to the stage with the dramatic change in genre's capturing his attention.

His eyes roamed over the dancers, dressed in some kind of Chinese influenced attire. He raised an eyebrow. This was a new act. Their group hadn't made an appearance at this club for three weeks and he already felt like an outsider. A new act and, by looks of the bodies on stage, three new dancers. The music almost matched the outfits, with hints of traditional Chinese elements exposed through the heavy beats. Dancers paired off as others left the stage. The three dancers left onstage matched the music – they were all Chinese. He swallowed as he watched them form in the center. They all posed as the music faded.

He eyed the tallest of three, and easily the most attractive too, minus the strange and ridiculously long rattail like hairdo he had. He wasn't sure if you could even classify it as a rattail, as it was enclosed in a white fabric, a small tussle of black hair escaping at the end of it. Dark bangs framed his face with, what seemed to be, a yin yang head band keeping the stray bangs from entering his eyes. Kai visibly showed his distaste for the hairdo with a repulsed look.

Golden eyes were the stark feature that – the beat kicked in and Kai felt himself catapulted from his thoughts. The bass was heavy and all consuming, distracting his mind from any other thought but the stage.

The three dancers on stage began their series of choreographed moves, which he had to admit, were pretty decent. They were obviously trained in something, Kung Fu or something along those lines. They were graceful, elegant and somehow strangely masculine. He tried to keep his focus on the actual routine, but he found his eyes wondering back to the tall one with the weird hair and golden eyes.

The taller dancer seemed so invested, completely perfect in his delivery of each move. Then suddenly his shirt was off and Kai couldn't pinpoint the exact moment he lost it. He was slender but still defined, his muscles rippling beneath the skin as he molded from one move to the next.

One of them started doing flips and intricately weaving himself through the other two performers. There were a few faint gasps as pleased claps escaped audience members closer to the front. However, Kai was still taken by tall one.

There was a flicker of light and he already knew what was coming. The audience was suddenly lit up and he felt a little too exposed, despite being buried towards the back of the venue.

His eyes met golden ones and he could feel himself unbalance internally – sort of like he was thrown. He wasn't quite sure what it was. He had seen people he liked in the past, and he had always held the power – always. This was different. The penetrating gaze continued – Kai unable to pull himself away. The dancers golden eyes danced over the Russian's face studiously. The dancers' body rippled, still grinding to the beat but Kai took no notice, his eyes still engrossed by gold.

A look of curiosity flashed over the dancers' face who turned, breaking the contact and continuing on with the prepared dance.

Kai's eyes instinctively dove to his drink, as did his hand. His hand wrapped roughly around the glass, yanking it towards him and almost dousing himself in whatever was left of the drink Spencer had ordered him. The glass reached his lips and the contents slipped too easily into his mouth. A few moments later the glass was back on the table and Kai was still trying to avoid that golden gaze.

His eyes strayed from the floor, catching his red headed friend looking at him who had a pointed red eyebrow cocked, clearly perplexed by Kai's sudden lack of composure. Kai swallowed and turned his attention back to the stage, trying to brush his friend off quickly and indefinitely.

He finally mustered the courage to look for those eyes again, but the dancers were no longer there. Frantically, his eyes searched the venue. One was caught in the left hand corner, getting a few 20's shoved in his belt loop; the second one was to the right twerking at an erratic rate that made Kai feel slightly uncomfortable; and the third, taller one, was – Kai's brows furrowed, where was he?

Kai could hear Bryan shout something incoherent in Russian and his attention instantly shifted to the source.

And there was the third, taller one, twisting his hips over Bryan's knees as Bryan shoved a copious amount of notes into the dancers' pants. Kai suddenly felt stuffy in his tightly fitted suit. The dancer quickly passed over Spencer with a quick body roll, before taking a small pit stop at Tala. Kai swallowed, trying to brush off the hot flush that seemed to come on too quickly. Kai slouched back in his seat, trying to act cool as the dancer swayed his hips erotically in front of his friend.

Kai's eyes stayed fastened on the Chinese dancer. He could feel the clamminess of his skin underneath his clothes. His hands went for his neck, feeling like the fabric was strangling him. His digits clawed for the buttons, but the first two were already undone. His mind didn't even question his hands as they went for the third button.

The Chinese glanced in Kai's direction and he caught it. The dancer quickly moved on as Tala slipped a note into his back pocket. Kai caught his breath as those golden eyes were finally up close, and even more absorbing than before. The dancers' forehead was dotted with sweat and small strands of his dark hair stuck to his cheeks like glue. Kai could feel the dancer's hands press next to his forearms as his face subtly came closer. He would've looked, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the fascinating gold in front of him. He could feel the dancer slide into his lap and he exhaled slowly. The grinding began and Kai let his head slip back a little. The dancer smiled, revealing two sharp canines. Kai's mouth parted slightly – he could feel it gliding up and down his thigh.

The dancer was still grinning as Kai struggled to keep control. The power was shifting. The sweat was dripping down Kai's back now, but he didn't dare move.

The dancer eased off, his weight disappearing from Kai's lap. The Chinese dancer stood at his full height, and he wasn't as tall as Kai had originally thought. His body continued to move fluidly, rolling and grinding. Kai impulsively brushed two fingers across his bottom lip. The dark haired dancers smile dropped and his moves slowed. The Russians time had ended.

Those same two fingers that brushed across his lip dove into his pocket, retrieving a single note. His handed extended straight to the Chinese, bypassing the usual and preferred delivery of payment. The dancer's eyes narrowed, unsure of the gesture. Kai didn't move. The dancer's face turned unreadable as he gracefully took the money from Kai's hand, before making his way back to the stage.

As the three dancers gathered on stage for their finale, Kai could feel that hot flush fade. The music came to an end and the crowd erupted into applause with a few whistles and shouts. Kai could feel all that warmth and emotion fade within him, leaving him feeling numb and intoxicated.

He only just realized what he had done. He had to restrain himself from reacting physically, but in his current intoxicated state, he wasn't exactly sure what his body was doing. His eyes were in fact wide, the embarrassment taking hold. He leant forward and his elbows dug into his thighs as his hands fidgeted over his jaw. His eyes rose to meet the stage. He normally wasn't so brazen in front of others.

Spencer's head poked out from behind Tala, his expression dumbfounded.

"Was that a $100 note..?" Spencer seemed boggled by Kai's sudden generosity.

Kai didn't respond, and that was enough to throw Spencer. Kai's eyes stayed glued on the stage as his body collapsed backwards into his chair.

Tala poked him in the side with the tips of two fingers "Finally the old sourpuss saw something he liked."

Kai shot him an icy glare.

Tala raised both eyebrows, surprised by his cold response. "Alright then," he threw his hands into the air defensively. The red head slouched back in his chair, charismatically posed, leaning on an arm rest with a leg out stretched. He continued to look at Kai, a playful smile growing on his lips.

Kai huffed, turning his attention to the red head. He didn't bother to actually move though. "Keep looking at me like that and my drink will end up all over your face."

Tala laughed that famous laugh. "You wouldn't waste the alcohol," he teased as he leaned forward, resting his chin on a curled fist.

Kai feigned a naïve look. "I can always order another."

Tala scoffed in amusement. "I can do this all night, Hiwatari."

Kai rolled his eyes. "Then I'll just have to keep throwing drinks on you."

"I'll have you kicked out," Tala rebutted quickly, thoughtfully bringing a hand to his mouth with a quick raise of both eyebrows.

"I hope you haven't forgotten I'm of Hiwatari descent, Valkov."

"You remind me every day," the red head droned with boredom, finally signally his defeat by slouching back in his chair.

Kai knew that would end the conversation quickly and abruptly. The brain fog was robbing him of his whit, so he didn't have too many comebacks left up his sleeve.

With impeccable timing, two glasses slide across the table between the two friends. Kai gave Tala a smug look, the small altercation between them already forgotten. Tala's line of sight went from the glasses to Kai.

"Была́ не была́."

Kai cracked a toothy smile as they both reached for a glass.