A Club.

[Ariel Logan Callahan]

Ariel blinked, caught off guard by words and an end to the kiss. He tried to make sense of what Markise had said, and even when he did he couldn't piece enough things together to figure out where to go. "I'll follow you," he said, his hands already moving against the bare skin of Markise's back. He didn't give thought to the idea that someone could easily walk in on them in a bathroom, all he could think of was Markise.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise was dizzy from the stop to the kiss, and it took him several quick breaths before he was able to focus, or even to make out Ariel's words. Then he nodded, and his hands rose to brush at his hair as he scanned the walls. "There's gotta be one by the bar," he said. It only made sense. Markise tossed one look over his shoulder at Ariel, then headed in that direction, letting Ariel follow at will.

[Ariel Logan Callahan]

Ariel followed close behind and when they finally found the bathrooms and went in, he felt an immediate wash of relief. He was dazed by the departure of the two people that had been at the mirror, who had apparently caught on to something and left as soon as the door had shut behind him and Markise. When they were gone, though, he just wrapped his arms around Markise and started moving to one of the stalls, they could at least have some protection should someone come in.

[Markise Sterling]

It was a tight squeeze getting the door shut, but somehow they managed. Markise didn't give a thought to where they were, only that they were alone, and that Ariel was pressed firmly against him. He only wrapped his arms around the back of Ariel's neck, hands spearing into that thick hair, and held on as he resumed the kiss like it had never ended. He pushed Ariel back against the door and shifted, silently demanding more.

[Ariel Logan Callahan]

Ariel didn't think it was possible to get anything done in such a small area, but somehow they managed and he leaned heavily back against the door, breathing heavily, some time later. His arms were loose around Markise and his eyes were closed in satisfaction that he had been waiting the night for. He shifted on his feet and took his right wrist with his opposite hand as he just let himself enjoy the high that had come from being with Markise.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise leaned heavily against Ariel, his breaths coming quick and shallow. If he'd thought he was dizzy before, it was vertigo now. Ariel was all that was keeping him from toppling. It felt amazing. It was the longest time before he heard the sound of the bathroom door opening, and footsteps across the floor to the mirrors. Markise didn't care, though. They were just a couple pairs of shoes in the same stall. Sated, pleasantly humming shoes. Markise thought that he could sleep here. He closed his eyes and sighed against Ariel.

[Ariel Logan Callahan]

Ariel rested his head back against the door, the door opening and the footsteps not really clicking in his mind at first. Even when they did click, it didn't matter much, his mind was still too hazy, his body too relaxed, for him to even begin to care. He still grinned softly when he let his hands drop over the back of Markise's pants to pull him just a little tighter for a moment. His mind was really nowhere, especially not on the other person in the bathroom.

[Markise Sterling]

It wasn't a person though, it was people. After they'd used the urinals, they stopped in front of the mirrors and talked about what they'd done so far. The crowd tonight, their personal excursions, and their plans. Markise only half listened as he floated against Ariel.

"You saw that little twink with the purple hair, right?" asked one smooth male voice.

The other assented, adding, "That one on the table? Sh~, I'd have bent him over it and..."

Markise's eyes opened at the description that followed. Wait... were they talking about him?

"Hell yes," the first man said. "I bought him a drink earlier. Thought I'd take him for a ride and he walked off, little bi~. He owes me. Twink kisses like..." The man made a low grunting noise, probably accentuated by some lude motion or another. "Sex on legs, and I didn't get anything. I'm gonna find him, buy him a couple more and he'll be easy." Both men chuckled.

Markise squeezed his eyes shut and pretended he hadn't heard.

[Ariel Logan Callahan]

Ariel's arms tightened and his eyes snapped open, then narrowed at the conversation. He really didn't like where those men had gone in talking, and who else could it be other than Markise that they were talking about? He glared hard across the stall to the wall and tried unsuccessfully to convince himself to not be so angry, or at least that they weren't talking about Markise. He clenched his jaw and breathed hard through his nose, silently daring the men to go on.

[Markise Sterling]

The men did go on. The one who'd seen the dance went on to describe it to his friend, for lack of a better word, going into detail on the bits he thought were most important. That drew a low whistle from the one who'd bought the drink.

"I most definitely know how to pick them," he claimed. I knew he was something when I saw him at the bar. Drinking water. Kid's probably pure as the driven snow. I'm calling first, by the way. You know I don't do seconds."

The second made some sound of agreement. "I don't mind, so long as I get to have a go. He went off with another young one after the dance, though. They seemed to know each other."

"Doesn't matter," the first man said. "If you want, you can have that one, but the lavender twink is mine."

The other man seemed pleased enough with that set-up. "You staking out the bar, or what?" he asked.

"No, no, why lose out on the others? I'll stay close enough, though."

Markise didn't move. He hardly even breathed as he listened. He didn't want Ariel to hate him for this. He'd only kissed one other guy all night, and it just so happened to be that one. But he'd walked away, the man had said as much. That counted for something, didn't it?

[Ariel Logan Callahan]

Ariel wasn't angry at Markise, maybe he would have been had it all not been directed at the other two men in the bathroom. He pulled his hands to Markise's sides and pushed him away, then turned to undo the latch of the door. He couldn't just stand there and let the two men talk like that about Markise, his Markise. "Somehow," he said as he pulled himself out of the stall, "I seriously doubt you'll have any luck with him tonight."

[Markise Sterling]

In those brief moments that Ariel moved to leave the stall, Markise felt a wash of emotion. First hurt at being pushed away, then dawning realization and a wall of nerves as the door opened and Ariel stepped out. Markise leaned back against the wall, trying not to breathe too hard or too fast, with only marginal results.

The men turned in unison to look at the boy who went with that cocky voice. "That's him," said a man not much taller than Ariel, but beefy. "That's the one what went off with your twink." The man rolled his shoulders, bare with the muscle shirt he was wearing. He had closely cropped hair on his head, for all the use it did when his arms were covered in dark hair as well.

The other man eyed the boy, measuring him up. He was slightly taller as well, well-built and well-kept, with hair that obviously took time to craft and tailored clothes. His shirtsleeves were rolled up for the night, his tie loosened, as though he'd come to the club straight from a business meeting. "What makes you so sure?" he asked. Maybe he would have a go with this one.

[Ariel Logan Callahan]

Ariel gave no thought to the fact that both men were larger than him. In his mind, he had fought much worse than them. He also knew that he was fast. "I just don't see it happening," Ariel said, his eyes dark. He didn't mention that, whatever the hell a twink was, that the one in that stall belonged to him and not those two men. His hands twitched lightly at his sides, and he was constantly reminding himself he couldn't pull his wand out.

[Markise Sterling]

"Then maybe I'll buy you a drink instead," the business man said. He knew that he was attractive, young at thirty-one, but old enough to know what boys wanted. "I believe I saw you around as well, didn't I? With that little brunette piece? I can give you a far better time than he could." The beefy man chuckled.

Markise couldn't take this much longer. He knew Ariel's temper well enough to know that baiting would only get them all in trouble. But he couldn't miss the mention of that little brunette. Markise wanted to go out and support Ariel, but he wanted to hide, too.

[Ariel Logan Callahan]

Ariel's eyes darkened a little more when the man mentioned that brunette. "Sorry, you're not my type," he said, without a thought to how dangerous a situation it could become in a split-second if the men decided to take instead of offer, or to act instead of listen to him talk. Really, though, he wasn't scared or worried. Even if he knew that he couldn't pull his wand, he also knew that it would be an arguable offense if it did come down to that.