"It's the best outfit! You know it looks great on you! Don't you dare keep it covered with that jacket all night!" David's voice berated cheerfully from upstairs. Lin looked up curiously as John argued back about it barely being a piece of clothing at all. It made him curious to see it, but when John arrived downstairs, he was bundled in a black hoodie and a jacket for the cold weather. David was wearing black slacks that matched John's and a simple pair of black shoes with a smart silk shirt that almost shimmered in different colours. It was mostly a dark grey, but would shift between red, yellow, blue and green as the light ran across it. "Wow, you look hot!" David complimented as he looked at Lin.
"My temperature is optimal," Lin replied with a tilt of his head, quickly saved as John laughed and teased him about his joke. David chuckled sheepishly, eyeing Lin almost warily as he went along with it. John couldn't argue with David's assessment. Lin had settled on wearing all black, including his waistcoat and a silk tie. He wore the matching blazer, looking more like he was ready for a meeting than a night out. The cut of the suit had John's eyes running up and down his lithe figure.
"Maybe you should leave the tie and waistcoat. It's not a formal event," John suggested sheepishly, though David argued otherwise. In the end, a compromise was made and Lin left the waistcoat. John flushed as David suggested the tie might be useful later with a wiggle of his eyebrows. He hit David's arm as he guffawed his way out the door. "GT, close up after us, and feel free to use the apartment," John invited warmly, watching the GT300 get the bunch of keys to lower the shutter. Spending time alone and unmonitored was a rare treat.
"As you wish, Sir. Have a good evening," the GT300 said with a small bow as he watched the trio leave. Something silent passed between the two androids, a silent plea to keep their human safe and a small nod of agreement. Lin walked a little behind the humans, watching as David threw an arm over John's shoulder as he spoke. It was a friendly gesture, but something about it irked Lin. He couldn't seem to tear his gaze away from it. John smiled and laughed as David talked, his hand still gripping John's shoulder gently. Lin had to stop himself from knocking it away.
"Have you ever been to Sub-Zero?" David asked conversationally as he looked over his shoulder at Lin, almost faltering at the disgruntled look on his face. It quickly disappeared as he realised he'd been addressed. He quickly worked out that Sub-Zero was the name of the nightclub they were heading to and looked it up. He was troubled as he scanned the reports. It was a hotbed for drug deals, especially red ice. He quietly wondered how often John had been there and whether his friends knew about such things taking place there.
"I haven't," Lin replied stiffly, continuing to follow as David raved about how great it was. There were dancing platforms, poles, android staff, and the drinks were made really strong. It was a little expensive, but well worth it for the quality. A lot of places would water down drinks. John and David seemed either oblivious or indifferent to the darker elements of the club. Neither of them seemed the type to partake in drugs; at least Lin hoped so.
"You know, we used to work there. In the first year of college, money was really tight!" David continued, and Lin found that hard to believe. From what John said, he had plenty of money, so he shouldn't have needed such a job. Perhaps he wanted to seem normal and spend more time with his friends, Lin thought, knowing it wasn't uncommon for humans to want such things. He was curious as John seemed to flush in embarrassment, nudging David's arm to shut him up. "If you're lucky, you'll get to see John dance later. He's still amazing!" David insisted enthusiastically, grunting as John's elbow jabbed his side even harder.
"I am not dancing!" John insisted as he quickened his pace.
"Ha! You always say that! Three drinks in and you'll be up on the podium like you never left!" David teased knowingly, causing John to voice further objections as they reached the club. There was one problem Lin realised they'd have as they cut the line. As an android, he didn't have any human form of identification, so when he was asked for ID he looked at John cluelessly. David quickly took over, giving the security guard his most flirtatious look as he told him that Lin was with them. The guard seemed to know them, likely from their time working there, and waved Lin through without further questions. He looked old enough to be there, and that seemed to be enough.
It didn't take them long to find Adrian and Joel. It seemed they had a regular table, which David led them straight to. It was on the second floor, overlooking the large dancefloor. Lin was almost floored by the inside of the club. It was so intense. There was so much information to process. The floor vibrated with the base of the constantly pounding music, and he could barely separate the pulsing sound from the voices chattering everywhere. He had trouble processing his vision in the constantly changing and flashing lights, which hung across the ceiling and circled the bases of the numerous raised podiums. The small circular platforms had a long metal pole standing on each one, where androids danced with glittering skin, wearing only tight underwear like Tracis. Occasionally, an android would step aside to allow customers to try, many of them drunk and stumbling around the poles before falling back into the teeming crowds.
On the lower floor, scattered around the large dancefloor, Lin could see various booths. In the booths he could pick out groups of lively people sitting together, and occasionally he'd spy a human sitting with one of the glittering androids. There were also private rooms for hire, where the Tracis would lead patrons for certain amounts of time. Lin could barely believe John had once worked here. He hated places like the Eden Club, but this place was quite close to it. His eyes shifted as he caught a red puff of smoke, seeing a group of men enjoying red ice, sitting right out in the open for all to see.
"Did you really work here?" Lin asked stiffly, noticing the way John averted his eyes sheepishly.
"I did…It's changed a lot since then though. The androids were the reason we left. They're much cheaper to use than people, and it's impossible for them to object to…certain requests," John replied meaningfully, almost shuddering at the memory of what some customers had wanted. That side of the business hadn't existed at all when he'd first worked there, and he hadn't realised how bad it had become. He'd only noticed the private rooms as they'd come up the stairs. I guess more places are trying to compete with clubs like Eden…
"Who's the hottie?" Joel demanded as he leaned on one hand and looked up at Lin almost seductively. David laughed loudly as he tugged off his jacket and dropped it on one of the chairs.
"Back off, Joel, this guy's John's," he stated, wincing as John blushed and slapped his arm. Joel shrugged and sat back, but he continued to ogle Lin with interest. David took over the introductions. Joel was a lot like John looks wise. They could easily have been brothers. They had similar pale skin and blonde hair, but John's eyes were far bluer. Joel's were an almost dirty blue, streaked with flecks of green. He was slightly taller than John, too, and wider. Adrian was a redhead with clear Irish roots. He had deep green eyes and freckles across his pale nose. He was tall, broad, and strong, but the way he spoke was gentle. He seemed to be the father of the group. He calmed David when he was too rowdy and made sure Joel paced himself with water between shots.
"So, what do you do for work?" Joel asked curiously as he looked across at Lin.
"I worked in finance for a while, but I'm currently retraining to work in mechanics," Lin replied easily, and John quickly went along with it. He confirmed that he was helping Lin learn more and that he may be around the shop a lot more. David seemed unconcerned, happily drinking a pint of dark liquid that Lin scanned. It was Guinness. An Irish beer. The amount of alcohol was within safe limits, but the humans were also drinking various shots of varying strengths. Mixing alcohols was rarely a wise thing.
"You look a little warm, John. Why don't you take your hoodie off?" Adrian suggested perceptively as he noticed the flush in John's cheeks. He'd had one shot and half a pint so far. Adrian almost insisted he drink a glass of water. John's tolerance was the lowest of the group. He already looked a little unstable, and he hadn't even been there an hour yet. David leaned over with a leer at the suggestion.
"Yeah, John, why don't you?" he added, enjoying the way John squirmed in embarrassment. He was reluctant, but slowly unzipped the hooded jumper and slid it down his shoulders. Lin felt something whir in his chest area as John revealed his almost naked torso. The top he wore was made of an almost invisible black mesh that clung tightly to every inch of John's upper body, especially his slender arms. The top ended at the wrists with a thumb slot, hooking the sleeves onto his hands like fingerless gloves. John's pink nipples instantly hardened in the close air of the club, pressing against the fabric invitingly.
"You've been choosing his clothes again, haven't you," Adrian stated almost accusingly, but David had no shame as he sipped his drink with a satisfied nod. Joel let out a low whistle that made John even feel more embarrassed as Adrian continued to scowl his disapproval. David handed John another shot and patted his back comfortingly.
"Here, drink away the shame," he teased smugly, Adrian swatting his head as John accepted and downed the shot self-consciously. Lin continued to analyse John's body, the way his skin prickled in the new slightly cooler temperature and his heart raced with nervous adrenaline. His blue eyes darted around, convinced people were staring at him, but only Lin and Joel were currently looking his way. He caught Lin's eye and flushed as he looked away. He felt exposed.
"You know that makes him uncomfortable," Adrian chided, watching as David took another shot.
"Hey, if he doesn't end the night with a cock in his ass, I haven't done my job right!" David proclaimed firmly, setting Joel off with a loud peel of laughter. Adrian gave him a disapproving look and a few stern words as John blushed a darker shade of pink. He couldn't bring himself to look at Lin for a while, staring instead at the half full pint nestled in his hands. The shots had warmed him through at least, making his limbs tingly.
"Don't listen to him, John, and don't go along with everything he says!" Adrian advised firmly, laying an assuring hand on John's smaller shoulder and stroking comforting circles. David leaned on one hand and eyed Adrian meaningfully. It wouldn't be the first time that Adrian had taken John home. Adrian shoved David's face at the suggestive expression, somewhat satisfied as he ended up on the floor. John seemed a little more cheerful as David laughed and got to his feet.
"Is that how these nights usually end?" Lin asked curiously, his low rumbling voice making John shudder. John stammered his embarrassment as he looked at Lin's curious and slightly dark expression, unable to put a finger on what was hidden in the depths of his mismatched eyes. He knew that he liked it though. It made his breath stick in his throat. The way John bit his lip told Lin all he needed to know. That was absolutely how these nights usually ended. Lin wasn't sure how he felt about that. John had seemed so innocent before. He still seemed innocent. Lin quickly learned he was also naïve and easily led.
"John! Come dance with me!" David insisted with an excited tug on his arm. John allowed himself to be pulled to his unsteady feet. Lin watched worriedly as the humans stumbled downstairs to the large dancefloor, where John seemed perfectly at ease as he swayed and ground against David's taller form as he stood behind him. Lin's gaze sharpened as David's hands made their way to John's slim hips and gripped them lightly, moulding their bodies together. Despite their closeness, John seemed perfectly comfortable and at ease, raising his hands above his head to allow David to stroke up and down his sides.
"I wouldn't worry about them. David's never been interested in John that way, he just thinks he's cute," Joel assured as he noticed the intense stare Lin was giving the couple on the dancefloor. Adrian nodded his agreement, but said nothing about his own or Joel's interest. It was part of the reason John rarely danced with them. He'd only let them dance with him when it became clear they were going to take him home at the end of the night. They could only do that when he was four or five drinks in and lost his inhibitions.
John and David returned to the table a few minutes later, both out of breath but smiling brightly. Adrian insisted John have another glass of water to recover, and Lin wholeheartedly agreed. John downed the pint before knocking back the shot that was forced into his hand. He almost choked at the strength of it, glaring at David, who hadn't warned him how strong the tequila was. Joel tapped his shot glass on the table before downing his and pushing one towards Lin, who accepted it and nursed it for a while.
"You're supposed to drink it, not gawk at it!" Joel teased in a slurred tone, and Lin found he had little choice but to comply if he wanted to keep his cover. He analysed the liquid as he drank. It was strong, forty-five percent. It burned his synthetic throat and would have sent heat coiling through a human's chest. It explained why John had choked so badly. He wasn't sure about the flavour, but judging by John's reaction, he supposed it must have tasted unappealing. He made a facial expression to match as he lowered the glass. "Good man!" Joel praised as he swayed on his stool and slapped Lin's shoulder.
"John! It's your song!" David cried excitedly as the first beats sounded and he urged John back to the floor. Lin watched as John was led through the crowd to a podium just below, where David called the android down so that John could take his place. John had clearly reached the point David had intended earlier as he bounced up onto the podium almost eagerly and took up a position with his legs apart and his spine leaning against the strong metal bar. He reached above his head to caress the metal as he started swaying his hips.
Although he wasn't built as a Traci, Lin did have the programmes necessary to feel and simulate sexual attraction. He was unsurprised as those subroutines fully activated. John was enchanting as he climbed and span around the pole. The positions he could hold himself in were both sensual and alluring. He watched as the male android re-joined John on the podium, and John made no objection as he moved in behind to grind against him. The pair shared the pole like experienced dancers, helping each other to perform a few more difficult manoeuvres.
Lin watched as the song ended and John returned to the crowd to more than a few whistles and claps. A voice over the speaker even welcomed him back as their guest dancer. Lin watched David and John talk a moment before David headed off towards the restrooms, leaving John alone in the middle of the busy floor. Lin felt his own skin prickle in discomfort and got to his feet. He scanned the dancefloor as he reached the middle of the stairs, worried as he scanned and saw John being led towards a private room by android from the podium.
