"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?”
"Mmkay, if you say so." Joey stretched a bit and resumed his looking around, fidgeting a bit with his hands as he did so. He figured he could trust Sol, but Sol didn't seem to think he could really trust anyone else, so he would be more cautious than usual.
Sol headed over to the bar and ordered a couple of drinks and a huge thing of nachos. Leaning against the bar to wait, he looked out across the club, keeping an eye on Joey as he watched the other club goers. I shouldn’t have asked him here, he’s too innocent for a place like this. His thoughts were only confirmed when he saw others watching the small male.
Joey twiddled his thumbs a bit while he waited for Sol to return. Whenever he noticed someone watching him, he just smiled and waved innocently, obviously not entirely understanding what was going on. He hummed softly to himself, continuing to glance around curiously.
When the bartender handed Sol their order, he quickly strode back to the booth, giving sharp looks to anyone looking at Joey too long. Anyone who had been to the club before knew who he was. Hopefully that would deter any unwanted attention. “Hey,” he said, sliding into the booth. “You good over here?”
"Hi!" Joey smiled brightly at Sol, turning his attention away from all the other random people in the club. "Yeah, I'm alright. What did you bring me?" He asked curiously, clapping a bit in anticipation.
Sol laughed and smiled slightly. “Nachos to share, an orange sunrise for you, and coke for me,” he said. “I’m headed somewhere after this, so no alcohol for me.” Handing Joey his drink, he looked out at the club. “Did anyone bother you?” He hasn’t seen anyone approach, but he wanted to be sure.
"Ooh, what's an orange Sunrise?" He asked, accepting the drink from Sol and examining it curiously. He looked up when he was addressed again and shook his head. "No, a couple people looked over, but nobody bothered me. Where are you going after this?"
“Orange juice, pinapple juice, sprite, and vodka,” Sol replied. “i’m going to my sister’s place and it’s a little ways further into the city.” Scanning the crowd, he saw a few eyes still on Joey and had to refrain from growling. Not everyone knew he was fey, even if they knew he was in the gang, so he needed to keep that on the down low.
Joey started sipping at the drink, shivering at the alcohol. "Ooh! That's cool!" He kept his gaze on Sol, eyes wide with curiosity. "Is she nice?" He asked, fiddling with the straw in his drink. "I've got a little sister and a big brother, but they don't live around here."
Sol coughed a laugh. “she’s… a character, that’s for sure, nice is debatable,” he replied. “But she always has my back, and I love her. We’ve been through a lot together, she was gentler when we were younger, but we had to grow up fast.”
He’s too cute, Sol thought, looking into Joey’s big blue eyes.