Sol smiled in thanks, noting the light blush on the smaller male’s cheeks, and carefully took the book, opening to the first couple pages, sniffing lightly. it smelled of sage and magic.
“How old is it, do you know?” he asked, closing it gently. If it was older, there was likely more hidden magic. That could be useful.
"Hmm…" Joey considered for a few seconds, resting one finger on his chin. "I don't know exactly, but I think it might be a couple hundred years old. Regardless, pretty old, and I've gotten pretty good reviews from the people who have borrowed it before." He smiled brightly up at Sol.
“Excellent, I’ll take it, then,” Sol said, returning the smile. Stars, the bookkeeper was cute, and he had the brightest blue eyes. Sol cocked his head, sniffing subtly. Also not human… interesting. It said something of how much Sol had been away that he didn’t know there was another nonhuman in his territory.
“How long have you worked here…” he started, looking down at the male’s name tag. “…Joey?”
"Hmm? Oh, I've been here a few months. It's not bad work. I do work a couple other jobs, though." Joey laughed softly and ran his fingers through his hair. "What do you do?" He asked curiously, turning his gaze back up to the taller man. "Do you work around here? Or live around this area? I don't think I've seen you around before!"
Sol huffed a laugh. “I, ah, work at a club not far from here and live in an apartment above it,” he replied. “I’ve been out of town for a bit, so you probably wouldn’t have seen me.”
Smiling, he turned back towards the fairy tales section. “You should stop by the club sometime, it’s a pretty nice place.”
"Ah, a club?" Joey repeated to clarify, tilting his head to the side a bit. "I'm not sure I'd really fit in at a club." He laughed softly to himself. "They'd eat me alive in there! I feel like I'd get beat up or something." He followed Sol back over to the fairy tales.
Sol laughed, “Don't worry, it’s not too rough of a crowd. I… know the owner and he keeps it pretty clean as far as clubs go.” Stopping at the fairy tales, he looked over the titles. “If you came on one of my off days, you could stick with me and no one would mess with you.”
"Mm… maybe I'll stop in sometime, then." Joey kept close to Sol as he wandered around through the store. "Find anything you like, sir?" He asked curiously. "You can borrow any of them for free, and keep them for two weeks. You can check them out again after that, but you'd have to bring em back first."
Sol shook his head, “Just these two for now,” he said, looking down and smiling. Honestly, too cute, he thought, chuckling to himself.
He set his books down on the counter and leaned on his elbow. “And you really should. Stop by the club, that is.”
"Alrighty!" Joey picked up the pace a bit so he could barely beat Sol to the counter, settling himself behind it to check out the books. He glanced up at Sol's last comment and hummed thoughtfully. "Hmm… I'll consider. I've never been to a club before." He laughed softly and handed the books to Sol. "But I might give it a go, especially if you're there with me."
Sol grinned as he took the books from Joey. “Thanks! I hope to see you there,” he said with a wink. “I’m off tonight and Tuesday, if you’re interested.” Stepping away from the counter, he gave a mock salute. “See you around, Joey.” With that, he headed out to his bike with a smile. This was definitely his favorite bookshop.
"Alright! See you around!" Joey waved to Sol, smiling brightly as he left. He sighed softly when the man was gone and sat down, quietly sipping at his cold coffee. I should probably eat something… He considered for a few seconds, glancing around. I'll eat later.
((time skip or nah?))
(Yep yep)
That evening, Sol was at the club. He was in his usual club attire of a black tank and dark jeans. The tank left his swirling black and silver tattoos on display, covering his arms with vines and stars.
Leaning against the bar, he took in the atmosphere as he observed that night’s club goers. It was pretty packed, not surprising since it was a Saturday. He nodded to the bartender and started walking over to the dance floor. It was his night off, after all.
After Joey's shift ended, he headed over to where the club was, seeming pretty nervous. He was asked for his ID, of course, and was allowed in after he showed it. He glanced around curiously as he arrived, not entirely sure what to do with himself, but just hoping that Sol would be there to guide him. He had just walked over straight from work; he had no idea if he was even wearing the right kind of clothes.
It didn’t take long for Sol to spot Joey. The male looked nervous, causing Sol to frown. He quickly made his way over and grinned at the smaller male. “Hey, Joey, glad you made it,” he said, raising his voice to be heard over the music. “You good?”
"Oh, hi!" Joey brightened when he saw Sol, seeming to relax a little. "I'm fine, just a little lost. Like I said, this is my first time." He laughed nervously. "What am I supposed to do here?" He asked curiously, fidgeting with his hands as he glanced around at the other clubgoers again.
Sol smiled and grabbed his hand. “C’mon, let’s grab a booth and you can take it in.” He guided him through the crowd, making sure Joey didn’t get too jostled by the crowd, to a booth in the back labeled RESERVED
“We can sit here for a bit, and you can order whatever you want”
"Okay!" Joey kept close to Sol, still looking around as he followed. He sat down at the booth with the other man, humming softly to himself. "What all do you have?" He asked. "Is there a menu, or am I just supposed to kinda know what's offered?"
Sol snapped his fingers and a menu appeared on the table in front of them. “There’s a lot of different drinks and a few things to eat.” He carefully looked over at Joey. When was the last time he ate? He was tiny. Compared to Sol, anyway. “Can’t go wrong with nachos, really,” he finally said. “And you seem like the fruity drink type.”
"If you say so! I don't really drink much." Joey laughed softly as he glanced through the menu. Considering his sleeveless top, it was pretty evident how thin his arms were. The rest of him was pretty clearly unhealthily thin as well. "I've never been drunk, actually." He admitted sheepishly. "Is it any fun?"
“Hmmm depends on how drunk you are,” Sol replied with a laugh. “Tipsy can be fun, less inhibited, blackout can be… interesting. Whatever the case, you almost always have a headache in the morning, so I can’t say I’d recommend it.” Leaning in, he looked at the menu as well, even though he’d seen it a million times. “what do you want? And don’t say nothing, it’s my treat.”
"Mm…" Joey considered for a bit. "How about… you surprise me!" He grinned up at Sol. "I honestly dunno what I'd like, and you're pretty familiar with this place, so I think I trust you not to poison me or drug me or anything. So anything you feel like being is fine with me. I'm not too picky."
Sol tilted his head. “If that’s what you want, then sure,” he said. “and I appreciate your trust, but you should be careful. Don’t look away from your drink or let someone else give you a drink.” He looked at him seriously for a moment, then slid out of the booth to go over to the bar. “I’ll be right back, okay?”