Klaus was completely lost in the music, letting it carry him along however it pleased as it pulsed through the club, filling every part of him. He loved dancing and would often get caught up like this, feeling so free and light and just enjoying the moment, so it was a surprise when the sound of a laugh nearby caught his attention. Usually he would have just ignored it, sound tended to blur together in clubs anyway, but there was just something about how open and joyful it was that he couldn't shake.

Glancing over, he found his eyes drawn to a man on the other side of the dance floor. The energy around him was so bright and inviting, only enhanced by his charmingly mussed curls and open expression, with a laid back grunge style going on that suited him. He was obviously a bit tipsy, but the smile he wore was just so genuine and radiant, it looked like he was having the time of his life.

It was stunning.

He drew Klaus in, made him want to be in on the joke, to be a part of his evening, part of the joy that surrounded him, and maybe even the cause of that smile. Even moreso when the man caught his eye and sent him a flirty wink that was so cheesy it nearly made him laugh out loud.

There were too many people between them to approach, but they kept sending looks each other's way and suddenly Klaus was more interested in this little game of theirs than he was in dancing. When the song finally ended and the man went to take a break, Klaus was surprised when he dropped into a seat at an empty table. It had seemed like he was friends with everyone around him, but apparently he'd come alone. Which meant Klaus' choice here was an easy one as he also made his way off the dance floor.

He'd forgotten that he'd promised some guy a drink earlier, but there he was waiting for him with a glass for them both and a hopeful smile. Klaus supposed he was fine enough, but he had different plans now and who was he to go against the flow the night had for him? It always paid to have a backup plan, though, and thankfully Klaus was nothing if not smooth, so by the time he extracted himself from the situation, he'd managed to convince the guy it was all his idea as he snagged the drinks for himself and left him standing there.

Apparently the man across the dance floor with the radiant smile had seen it all because, as Klaus dropped into the seat across from him, he started laughing.

"That was too smooth," he said. "Truly, I am in awe."

"Good, then you can get the next round," Klaus said, sliding one glass over to him.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I'll have to get it the boring way."

"That's a shame," Klaus said with a smirk.

"Trust me, it's not," he laughed, but at least he didn't seem to be turning him down. Instead, he leaned his elbows on the table, as if trying to lean closer.

"Klaus," he said, raising his glass in a toast.

"To Klaus," the man replied, raising his own.

"No, I mean, that's my name," Klaus chuckled.

"You're allowed to toast yourself," he said easily. "Dave."

"Then, to Dave as well," Klaus said.

"To Klaus and Dave," Dave said, taking a sip, and Klaus liked the sound of that for some reason. "So, what's a guy like you doing at a table like this?"

"Well you see, when one is tired from a night of dancing and wants to take a breather and perhaps chat up another handsome patron—"

"Handsome, hmm?" Dave said with a pleased smile.

"Sorry, do you prefer to be called pretty?" Klaus asked.

"Yes, actually," Dave said with a pleased smile. "My goal is to be the prettiest here, but it seems I have competition. Not that I could possibly complain about that."

"Oh, flattery will get you everywhere," Klaus said, lounging against the table.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry, I wasn't talking about you," Dave said quickly, but there was mischief in his eyes. "I saw someone's guide dog earlier."

"What? Where?" Klaus demanded, spinning around and craning his neck to see over the crowd.

"I think he left, unfortunately," Dave laughed. "He was a very good boy, though."

"Of course he was," Klaus said indignantly. "All dogs are very good boys."

"On that we can definitely agree."

Tonight was... different. Usually, when Klaus caught the eye of some attractive individual, things went in a rather predictable direction. Everyone was there to numb the pain for a few hours, to get what joy they could before the sun came up and they were forced to face the harsh light of reality again. This was a place for one night stands and harmless fun, no attachments. Usually it was all forgotten when the sun came up anyway. That's why he liked it.

Tonight, though, they just kept talking. Sure, they still flirted, but they kept getting lost in conversation, joking around and playing off each other so well that suddenly hours had passed and neither of them had really made a move. Not that Klaus didn't want to, of course. Dave was so engaging and charismatic and funny and Klaus didn't want the night to end.

He never wanted to stop talking to him, he wanted to know everything about him, like how he was able to make Klaus laugh so hard he thought he was going to cry, or why he always looked so pleased when it happened. He was just so interesting and pretty, and he seemed so soft, and- he had to stop himself because it was completely unlike himself to be so caught up in someone. So why did he keep thinking of places he'd like to take him or just things he wanted to tell him? Just little inconsequential things that he just thought he might appreciate or find funny.

It wasn't until Dave headed for the bathrooms, excusing himself politely of course, that Klaus started to panic. His hands were clenched tightly together, knee bouncing restlessly with the loss of distraction. He wasn't used to this. He wasn't used to looking to the future let alone actually imagining someone in it, as if anyone would even stick around that long. He didn't have friends, at least none he'd consider close, it just made everything too real.

He was here to get high, to find some semblance of peace and pleasure before the ghosts returned and ruined his life again; he didn't want to make things more complicated by bringing messy feelings into it. Couldn't get hurt or hurt other people if you didn't know them well enough, after all. And he didn't want the responsibility of anyone trusting or counting on him. So why couldn't he get the image of Dave's smile out of his mind?

Maybe he was just too sober. Maybe that's all this was. He was getting sober and thinking too much and he could really use a hit of something stronger than shitty alcohol. At least he'd spotted one of his dealers earlier. He needed to resupply. It was fine, he'd probably be back before Dave.


Klaus stood in the alley, head resting back against the cold stone of the wall as he waited for the pills to take effect. He wasn't exactly sure how long he stood there, letting the high take him, but when he finally returned to his seat, he felt much calmer. Unfortunately, Dave was still missing. No problem, he was probably just still in the bathroom, he could wait.


Eventually, Klaus had to admit that Dave wasn't coming back. It was too late for him to find anyone else to party with since the other guy who had bought him the drinks as well as the girl he'd flirted with when he'd first arrived had both long since left. With last call being announced, he knew the fun part of the night was over. There was no hope of getting any free drugs or a bed and he'd wasted a perfectly good party for nothing. His mood dampened, he headed out into the night, trying to decide if an alley would do for a bit of shuteye.

"You had an unusually chill night," Ben commented, falling into step with him.

"I thought you didn't like hanging around when I go out?" Klaus asks, hoping to change the subject.

"I don't," Ben said, "But I got bored. You never take me anywhere fun so I gotta make my own somehow."

"And you find it by stalking me?"

"Hell no, but you're apparently impossible to escape."

"I'm touched," Klaus says sarcastically, pulling out a joint and searching for his lighter. "Fuck off."

"Someone's in a good mood," Ben said, unphased. "You actually seemed like you had fun tonight. So why'd you ditch him?

"First of all," Klaus said, coming to a stop as he pointed the unlit joint accusingly at Ben. "You usually hate all the people I hang out with. What's with the sudden nosy interest? Second, I was the one who got stood up." He turned and continued trudging down the street, muttering, "I hope he at least didn't feel like he had to climb out the bathroom window to get away."

"It's not like you're a private person," Ben persisted. "I'm just surprised when you have a night that doesn't look like you're headed for the gutter. And that guy didn't stand you up. He waited at that table for, like, an hour while you were off with your dealer. He probably thinks you stood him up."

"Oh," Klaus said, feeling a bit guilty, but at least he'd finally found his lighter. "Well, his loss, I guess, that he didn't wait another hour."

"Yeah, you're quite the catch," Ben said and he could hear the eye roll even without looking.

"You know it," Klaus said, waving his now-lit joint through Ben like he was trying to disperse smoke.

It didn't exactly matter, anyway. Klaus wasn't the dating type. He wasn't really made for any sort of long term relationship. He'd tried it a few times and hated it. It just wasn't worth the benefit of knowing he had a bed at the end of the day. He didn't like feeling so tied to someone and it was only a matter of time before they got tired of putting up with him anyway. Even his family could barely stand him. The thought shouldn't have even crossed his mind. So why was he still thinking about this? And why could he still picture every detail of Dave's face, down to the mischief in those baby blues?

"So, what's next?" Ben asked.

"Get off my back, man," Klaus said. He was developing a headache.

"Come on, I wanna go somewhere fun tomorrow. At least tell me we're going back to the shelter tonight. I don't want to sleep in a gutter again."

"You aren't even sleeping, what do you care?" Klaus asked.

"At least I can people watch at the shelter."

"Creeper."

"Shut up. You try to entertain yourself for hours when you can't actually interact with anything."

"Fine, fine, we'll go to the shelter if it'll make you stop," Klaus said with a sigh, tossing his joint down onto the pavement and grinding it out with his shoe.

At least he was on his own again. This was how it was meant to be. Well, Ben was there too, but neither of them really had much say in that. The point was, he'd probably never see Dave again and that was for the best.

Or so he thought.