Adrian didn't slow down.
He passed through the club's back corridor and into the garage, fingers grasping Ryan's wrist like that was the only thing steadying him to the ground. The door swung shut behind them, muting the music to a dull, distant throb.
The garage smelled like the aftermath of whatever happened behind that door. A mix of exhaust, alcohol, sweat and cologne. And the walls, even when quiet, vibrated to the bass inside.
At that moment, deja vu hit him the second they stepped in.
Same place. Same pull. Same wide space swallowing the noise of the outside world, but the feeling this time was different. Completely different.
That night, his actions were out of curiosity. And mild irritation at Ryan's persistent disturbance. A detached interest, he could afford to go to after, without any real stakes.
Now his jaw was tight. His grip was tighter. He didn't like how fast the anger had risen in him. He didn't like how sharp and sudden it felt. He couldn't even figure out a clean reason for it, and that bothered him more than the emotion itself
All he knew was that he wanted Ryan out of there. The way he laughed, leaned and slurred words into that redhead's shoulders wasn't sitting right with him. And he definitely didn't want anyone laying hands on him either
The thought only soured his mood further. Even more with how Ryan stumbled halfway down the garage, shoes scuffing against the concrete. And forcing Adrian to catch him automatically, hand shooting out to steady him before he could pitch forward.
"For fuck's sake," Adrian cursed in a mutter.
Ryan blinked up at him, unfocused and lazy.
"Oh… It's Adrian. Hehe," he said, breaking into a vague smile. "I must be dreaming. There's no way Adrian would be here, holding my hand."
Adrian said nothing and kept moving.
The garage stretched longer than it had any right to, with rows upon rows of parked cars lined up like they were silently watching everything they did. Somewhere in the distance, a car alarm chirped and died.
Ryan tripped again.
Adrian stopped abruptly, grip tightening as he pulled Ryan upright. "How much did you drink to be this drunk?" Adrian snapped. "And where the hell is my car parked?"
Ryan squinted and looked up, as if the answer might be written on the ceiling. Then, lifted his fingers, counting poorly. "One… two… four… six…" He slurred. "I don't know. I lost count."
"You lost count?" Adrian repeated in a scoffing tone.
"Mm," Ryan nodded, entirely unhelpful. "It was orange, and it tasted really, really good."
Adrian closed his eyes for half a second. "Ha. Of course it did."
The walk continued with Ryan following easily enough, almost obediently, though his steps were uneven and his weight leaned more into Adrian with every few meters.
He didn't remember deciding to take the sports car. Dylan had shoved the idea at him earlier, insisting it fit the night better, insisting he needed to stop using cars that don't match the occasion, like a man twice his age.
Now the red gleam of it caught his eye from halfway down the row.
Finally.
The valet had parked it crooked, the nose slightly angled like it had been impatient to leave. How typical of them.
Adrian stopped beside it, releasing Ryan's wrist to unlock the door, but the second the contact broke, Ryan swayed. Adrian swore under his breath but didn't catch him this time. He was tired of doing that.
He hit the floor hard. Hard enough to snap most people back into reality, but Ryan just lay there, sprawled on the cold concrete, and smiling dreamily, sheepishly.
Adrian opened the passenger door, walked back to him, yanked him up, and dropped him into the seat.
"Why are you putting me in your car?" Ryan mumbled as Adrian slid into the driver's seat.
Adrian ignored him for a moment and leaned over to buckle his seatbelt.
They were close. Too close with their bodies nearly touching. And close enough to hear each other's breath, that even through the haze of alcohol, Ryan felt it. Being that close ignited a sharp tingle under his skin, his heartbeat speeding up on its own.
Adrian's gaze fell and lingered, his eyes catching the plump and rosiness of Ryan's lips.
"Why do you think I'm doing this?" Adrian murmured, watching for his reaction.
Ryan said nothing. His eyes slid shut, his body going still, like he was bracing for something he didn't know how to name.
"You're drunk," Adrian said calmly, "and I'm taking care of a drunk junior like a good student should." He smirked and pulled back into his seat.
The vibration of the engine roaring to life jolted Ryan back into reality. His eyes flickered toward Adrian as the car eased out of the garage, and suddenly he launched into speech.
"I know this is a dream," he sniffed, swallowing hard, "but I'm just going to say this anyway."
He paused, then kept going, words tumbling out unevenly. "You're such a jerk, you know. Cause why will you show up in my dream but won't even say anything to me in real life? Why give me so much hope and promises only to..." he shook his head weakly, "no, you didn't even break them, you gave me no closure. And that's worse. You just left me waiting, losing my mind and my entire productivity of the day over it."
His voice wavered, thinning as fatigue crept in. "I already mentioned how messed up my situation was, so why add to it? Why treat me like I don't exist?" He sniffed again, eyelids drooping. "So… yeah. I hope you tell your real self he's a big-time jerk and an asshole."
Adrian listened the entire drive. He didn't interrupt and didn't respond, but every now and then, a faint naughty curve touched his lips before disappearing just as quickly.
Ryan's voice eventually trailed off. When Adrian glanced over, Ryan was already asleep, head bent slightly toward the window, breathing slow and even. He ran a hand through his hair and kept driving, the road stretching quietly ahead.
By the time Adrian pulled into his high-rise apartment, the sky was already bleeding into dawn. He packed his car carefully, not because he didn't want to wake the sleeping figure in his car, but because he didn't want a scratch on his car. Parking wasn't exactly his strong fort.
He got out, went around to the passenger side, and after a bit of a struggle, he hauled Ryan onto his back. Piggybacking him through the elevator, down the corridor, and into his apartment wasn't exactly graceful, but it got the job done.
It was only when Ryan was finally dropped onto the couch that Adrian paused to question why exactly he'd brought him all the way to his apartment. He had dragged him out of the club because the redhead was annoying. He knew he was an asshole, but leaving Ryan drunk in a garage wasn't something he could do either. He shook his head at the thought of the scenarios that might've unfolded. Though the shaking of his head wasn't directed at Ryan's safety... at least, not entirely... it was the unease that made his stomach twist.
He stepped into the kitchen for a glass of water, took a slow sip, and returned to the living room. He sat down on the couch opposite Ryan, sipping slowly, eyes fixed on him as if studying him, thinking of what to do, while simultaneously watching every single movement Ryan made.
Ryan shifted a lot with discomfort, grumbling softly, scratching at his arms and shoulders. His hands drifted to his clothes, tugging at them as though suffocating and trying to take them off.
"It's so hot," he mumbled in a sleep-talk, his words thick and dreamlike. His clothes were tight against his skin as if resisting his fumbling attempts to remove them.
Adrian watched everything closely. "Do you need my help?" he asked, striding toward Ryan, eyes fixed on him.
"Mm," Ryan murmured, barely audible.
Adrian moved onto the couch, knees braced, hands supporting him so he doesn't fall onto Ryan. His gaze roamed over him, starting at his face and lingering over the thin, exposed waist.
He's got really thin waist, he thought with a smirk of satisfaction.
He hadn't noticed it the other night at his apartment, maybe because the moment had ended quickly, and Ryan wore a loose shirt unlike now.
His hands traced Ryan's waist, moving slowly upward, trying to remove the piece of clothing separating them. A faint moan escaped Ryan's lips at every touch of those warm, tender hands, yet deliberate and measured
Adrian leaned closer, nibbling at Ryan's ear. Another soft moan followed.
"For someone sleeping, you seem to be enjoying this," he whispered, with a sneer in his voice. "Oh, right, you already said it was a dream." He let out a low laugh, remembering Ryan's earlier ramble in the car.
Adrian's fingers lingered on Ryan's bare skin, tracing the smooth line of his ribs as he peeled the shirt fully away and flung it into a corner of the room. Ryan's chest rose and fell in shallow breaths, his nipples hardening in the cool air of the apartment. Adrian's smirk deepened, his thumb brushing over one of those peaks, causing a shiver from the lean frame before him.
"Dream or not, you're responding so well," Adrian murmured, his voice low and teasing.
He steadied himself on the cushion, shifting Ryan's legs wider. His free hand slid down to the waistband of Ryan's pants, fingers hooking into it. He tugged at it gently while watching Ryan's face for any sign of wakefulness, and smiling at the small but firm bulge he felt below.
Ryan's eyes fluttered but didn't open, his lips parting in a soft whimper as the pants loosened. Instinctively, his body arched toward Adrian's touch. The vulnerability in that movement stirred something predatory in Adrian, mingling with the heat building in his own core. And in a rush, he pulled off his shirt, nearly ripping it in the process.
Adrian began to work the pants down Ryan's thighs, exposing those pale skin inch by inch. Ryan's legs kicked weakly, helping without realizing it, until the pants dropped at his ankles. Adrian kicked it aside, his gaze falling to the thin black underwear clinging to Ryan's hips. The now-visible bulge strained against the material, and Adrian's cock twitched in response, hardening behind his own zipper.
He leaned in again, lips grazing Ryan's neck this time, sucking lightly at the pulse point before moving gradually to Ryan's soft lips. He sucked there longer, and when he finally pulled away, they were plumper and redder. He kissed him again, but shorter this time, before his lips returned to Ryan's neck and trailed down to his nips. While teasing them with his mouth, his fingers ventured lower, dipping slowly and back at Ryan's undies.
And just beside the couch, among the clothes tossed on the floor, a phone rang, making Adrian pause abruptly.