Chapter Two, Making Quick Progress
Desmond was finally off his shift and went to the employee locker room to head home. As he tugged off his uniform and changed back into his casual clothes, something stopped him from shutting his locker closed. Reluctantly, he looked at another pair of clothes that sat at the bottom. A nice pair of jeans and a black button up shirt had been awaiting him for a couple of days. Biting his lip, he had to make a choice. Go back home to nothing but the TV and his lame cable or stay here and figure out more about the not so straight man. On a last second's whim, he took out the clothes and changed quickly. Heck, he could kill time for a couple of hours. It was only ten in the evening anyways.
As he walked back out into the club, he nodded politely to the woman who had taken over his position. Nervously Desmond scanned over the crowd, searching for him.
***
Shaun found himself being swarmed by multiple men but surprisingly, not the overly flamboyant ones.
'Shake that! Move that! Shake that!'
At first he felt overwhelmed and uncomfortable. But every time he tried to move from them, he would catch a glance of Rebecca. She was wearing the, you-can-leave-if-you-want-just-don't-expect-that-you'll-get-off-easy kind of look. In the end, he decided to let the men dance with him. Throwing his hands up in the air, he could feel a set of hands on his waist. His eyes opened quickly as he came face to face with a stunningly handsome man. Their noses were just barely inches apart and Shaun could feel himself blushing furiously as he hesitantly let his arms fall around the stranger's neck.
'I caught her when she fell from heaven; one to ten girl's an eleven!'
He felt their bodies grind together, causing him to gasp in ecstasy. How had he pushed this part of his life aside? To his surprise, he felt the man in front of him slowly grope his arse and press his lips against Shaun's neck. Without meaning to, Shaun grabbed the back of the man's head, tangling his fingers into his slick hair. Both of their bodies were covered with sweat and the warmth between them was almost too much. Shaun wanted to scream with satisfaction as he felt the butterflies in his stomach looking for a way out. Every inch of his body tingled as he felt the man's hand brush against his waist, the skin to skin contact almost causing a spontaneous combustion on the spot.
***
Finally, he found him.
He was dancing in the middle of the floor, surrounded by a bunch of good looking guys. He was tonight's magnet; no wonder Desmond had to check him out – he didn't even swing that way! As he stepped down onto the coloured dance floor, he found himself growing more nervous by each step. The music switched from the dance slash rap to something a little more alternative. He felt the bass hum through his body as he moved closer to the DJ, where the man was. He at least had to figure out his name before either of them left for the night.
'It's bugging me, grating me and twisting me around – yeah I'm endlessly caving in and turning inside out.'
As Desmond got closer, he noticed a single man was in front of the man and - with closer inspection – he had his hands on his man's waist. Jealousy raged through him as he pushed through the crowd. As he edged closer to the man, he felt his confidence growing stronger.
'I want it now, I want it now – give me your heart and your soul.'
Finally, he stood in front of the two. He watched as the stranger looked at him and shrunk back. He had been one of the rejections from earlier and obviously was no match for Desmond's death glare.
"Desmond? I thought you were-"
"Shift's over," he shouted back over the loudness of Matthew Bellamy's voice and guitar. "What's your name?" He had to know. He was so close to him now. They were idle, standing in the group of dancers. Desmond looked down slightly at him, noting that their height difference wasn't that big. He wasn't well built like most of the men in the club were and he seemed more self conscious as he timidly avoided Desmond's eye contact.
"Shaun. Shaun H- ... You can just call me Shaun!"
"I think I got it from the first two times you said it, Shaun," Desmond grinned, not even noticing their proximity.
***
He was slightly disappointed when the stranger left but when a flash of light hit them, he saw Desmond grinning at him.
"Desmond? I thought you were-"
He was abruptly cut off by the bartender who took a step towards him. "Shift's over. I don't work all night y'know!" He had to shout and even when he did so, Shaun could barely hear him over the rumble of Muse's Hysteria. Not wanting to look at him, Shaun looked at the ground as he heard Desmond speak quickly. He looked up and looked back down, only to hear him repeat the question.
"What's your name?" He shouted once again.
He could tell him his real name; or he could tell him a fake one. Desmond wasn't a Templar - that was for sure. There was something about him that Shaun needed to know. Why was he the answer? Why had his nametag glowed in blue? It was just... impossible.
"Shaun! Shaun H-" No. He didn't need to know his last time; the best lawyer never willingly gives up information unless he is asked about it. "Just call me Shaun!" He yelled back. Desmond nodded and without noticing, Shaun felt his body begin to sway back and forth in sync with the music. He was dancing with Desmond, like he had danced with the strangers. He felt the music flood through his body as he closed his eyes and tossed his hands into the air once again. He could feel Desmond move with him, slightly out of sync but that was fine. He was comfortable with him – comfortable as if he had known him before. But that too was impossible. He recalled his life with ease and there was no trace of this handsome bartender anywhere within in it.
Shaun opened his eyes to meet Desmond, who was in the exact same position he was. They were in a trance, in some sort of spaced out spell. The DJ raised the volume and Shaun fault as if his heart was about to explode. His headache had disappeared with the help of the alcohol – he had downed three glasses and everything seemed to smooth out easily. He wasn't drunk, no, just merely on the verge of being so. If he had one more drink, he knew he would spend the whole next morning by his old friend, the toilet.
Before he knew it, Shaun found himself wrapping his arms around Desmond's neck and pulling him close. Being a Thursday night regular was easier than he thought.
***
In any other circumstance, Desmond would have thrown any man who clung onto him like this out the window.
Shaun was different. He almost felt... attracted to him. Felt the need to press their lips together and slide his hands down-
Woah! No, I'm not like that. I like women and nothing is going to change that and besides-
His thoughts were abruptly cut off by Shaun pressing their bodies tightly together. He felt the air in his lungs freeze when he felt where his hands were. Had he grabbed his ass? He hadn't meant to, but it didn't look like Shaun was complaining. He couldn't stop grabbing and caressing as much as he would have liked to. It felt good. Maybe he didn't want to take his hands away. Maybe this was... natural? Through the beats of the music, he found his hand pull away from his rear and gently caress Shaun's cheek. It felt like something had taken over his body. His stomach bubbled with exhilaration when Shaun leaned in, breaking his personal bubble.
Their lips met and it felt as if electricity had coursed its way through Desmond's body. Instead of jerking away, he felt himself grab the back of Shaun's head to deepen the kiss. He could hear the man gasp in surprise but groan in pleasure as he slipped his tongue into his mouth. He felt Shaun's warm hot breath creep into his mouth, causing his mind to go completely blank. Stubble grazed against his skin and it felt completely different from the smooth skin of a woman – so completely different in an amazing way.
'So one two three, take my hand and come with me – because you look so fine and I really want to make you mine!'
Once Desmond pulled back, he immediately noticed the look in Shaun's eyes. They were filled with such a strong desire that Desmond couldn't turn it down.
'Oh four five six, c'mon and get your kicks now you don't need money when you look like that, do ya honey?'
"Your place?" Desmond grinned. He was hoping... maybe this wouldn't become a one night stand. Maybe, just maybe, something could bud from this. But first, he had to see if it felt right.
***
"Uh..."
Shit.
He couldn't take Desmond back to his place, as there wasn't really a place to take him back to. He and Rebecca stayed at their office twenty four seven, working strenuously on Animus 2.0. Lucy was working with subject sixteen and she had told them to be at the ready if she needed them. No. Desmond coming back to the office was impossible. Plus, he couldn't tell him he didn't have a home to go back to. That would just been humiliating for a man his age.
"My place is kind of a mess. What about yours?" Shaun replied with a grin, trying to play it cool. He could see Desmond think hesitantly. Besides, it was Desmond's house or nothing – he could do some snooping around once he got there to answer any of his puzzling questions.
"It's kind of a mess. I'd say yours would probably be the better choice," he shouted in reply.
Shit.
"Well... I don't know - it is pretty bad!" He grabbed Desmond's arm and pulled him farther away from the music so he didn't have to shout. Where was Rebecca when he most needed her? Oh, there she was. Making a beeline right for them with a girl in tow behind her - he'd have to thank her later.
"Hey Shaun, sorry if you wanna take someone home but I already got the place called," she grinned mischievously as she bolted out the door. Shaun knew that she wouldn't take anyone home with her – like him, she had strong trust issues. They were probably just going to spend the night out together and Rebecca would end up arriving back at the office (or home, whatever they called it) at six in the bloody morning. Shaun looked back at Desmond and smiled apologetically.
"Agh, alright. You're coming back to my place then."
Shaun felt like doing a little victory fist pump, but that probably wouldn't go over well with Desmond. He would get in there, find the answers, and then get the hell out. Already, he could feel himself growing too attached to him and this was definitely a bad thing. It was only his luck to go out on one night and immediately find himself attached to some random guy whose name glowed a mysterious blue. Now he knew the answer to why he never went out so much. He followed Desmond out into the parking lot, where he stumbled into the passenger seat right after Desmond unlocked and opened the door for him. Maybe chivalry wasn't dead; unless this was how Desmond treated everyone right before fucking and chucking. Shaun cringed at the harsh sound of the method and found himself on edge when Desmond began to drive.
Within a few awkward minutes of silence, he watched as Desmond pulled into a parking lot in front of a large apartment. Once the car was parked, Shaun stepped out into the street and rubbed his temple.
"You gonna be alright?" Desmond grinned as he walked over to him, grabbing his wrist lightly.
"Yeah, fine. Thanks for uh, asking," Shaun nodded in reply, feeling rather out of place as the bartender dragged him into the elevator. Fourteen floors up, the doors opened with a loud ping! and in a few clumsy steps, they were standing outside of Desmond's door. Continuing his charade, Shaun wobbled slightly, leaning against Desmond for his faux support. Just as he was unlocking the door, he stopped abruptly.
"Close your eyes and count to a thousand."
"Why. Are you-"
"Just do it," Desmond smiled as he watched Shaun dubiously close his eyes and cover them with his faintly shaking hands, careful not to upset his glasses. He could hear Desmond open the door and rush into the apartment.
"One, two, three, four, five, twenty, a hundred..." Seeing pitch black, Shaun took a step forward into what was obviously the hallway. In the background, he could hear the sound of paper scrunching, pizza boxes being tossed around, and the sound of a rubbish bin being closed, opened and closed again. How was he supposed to find anything when he was throwing everything out?
"Two hundred..." He closed the door behind him, feeling around for the lock. Once he found it, he pushed it over quietly. Even if he had slammed it over, Desmond probably wouldn't have heard it, as he was still busy cleaning up.
"Not fair!" He shouted with a hint of playfulness in his voice.
"Three hundred..." He pulled his hands away but kept his eyes closed. Slowly, he touched the wall, trailing his fingertips across it gently as he continued to walk forward. Gradually, the noises Desmond made become more silent and eventually, stopped all together.
"Eight hundred..."
"Not yet!"
Shaun smiled slightly as he opened one eye. "A thousand," he purred as he opened the other eye. In front of him, Desmond stood with a pair of heart patterned print boxers clutched in his hands. Raising an eyebrow, Shaun sauntered towards. Desmond's face flushed lightly as he tossed his boxers into what looked like the hamper. Glancing around him, he noticed that the apartment was rather empty. There weren't any posters, any extravagant furniture or artwork he could admire. It was like a blank canvas, waiting to be painted over.
"Did you... just move in?"
"No, I've lived here for three years."
"Ah, I see."
"Just... make yourself comfortable, I'll be right back," Desmond flashed him one of his heart skipping grins before he disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. As soon as he heard the door click shut, Shaun spun around and looked at the room. How the bloody hell was he going to find any answers in this blank slate? Quickly, he kicked off his shoes and rushed to the kitchen and opened all the cupboards. Nothing special stood out. He opened doors, glanced for a quick second then closed them. He did this until he had searched down the whole kitchen. Nothing.
With a defeated sigh, he walked into the living and regarded the unmade bed to his left. He heard the toilet flush and felt his stomach do a back flip. With no answers and no chance of finding any of them, Shaun was supposed to leave; he had hit a dead end.
But something kept him glued to the spot as he watched Desmond open the door and approach him with a coy smile.
A/N: Woo! Finally finished this chapter. I had a little less inspration but I managed. Reviews are love and also fuel to write the next few chapters ~
Songs; Shooting Star(Party Remix) - LMFAO David feat Pitbull & Kevin Rudolf | Hysteria - Muse | Are You Gonna Be My Girl - JET
