-

It became quickly and abundantly clear to Keiran, as he sat alone at the nightclub's large bar, that solitary drinking was both a costly exercise and one which resulted in inebriation on a rapid schedule. Normally, drinking was punctuated by conversations, pauses and stories but without those distractions, Keiran found himself with no barrier to simply drinking, ordering another and then drinking some more. The pulsing music, the growing crowds and the general vibe of the nightclub all helped along the desire to continue drinking - as of course did the drink itself. Instead of feeling uncomfortable and out of place, as a single man sitting on his own in a nightclub, with every drink Keiran felt more at ease.

Dutch courage it might have been, but it was courage nonetheless. Since arriving in town, Keiran had kept predominately to himself, at least outside of work and those things which were necessary for setting up a new life. It was easier, there were no questions, no people making snap judgements and no one to answer to. Everything he did was entirely because he wanted to do it and for no other reason.

It was, however, a touch lonely. Keiran was used to having people around him, not many but some, yet here he was sitting in a busy nightclub on his own. Perhaps he should have picked a bar since they were more appropriate for making conversations with strangers. Instead, he had been lazy and instead gone to the first club he had seen on the walk from his small apartment. Now, while he wasn't exactly drunk, he felt too comfortable in the drinking and people watching routine to do anything other than wait until he was ready to go home. Even if that meant sitting around on his own for the entire night.

It wasn't as though he had anything better to do.

The bartender disturbed his thoughts and Keiran automatically reached out to grab the drink placed on the counter nearby - not for a moment connecting that he had not finished his current drink nor had ordered another, and was in fact stealing someone's order.

Ah, desperation and lust. Was there a better combination for his prey to have? These modern day dance clubs were such easy hunting grounds that Phoenix found he struggled with narrowing down the choices for his target of the night. It used to be struggling to find someone in general if he wanted more than just slipping into a dream. But now both forms of pleasure were open to him without issue and he grinned as he reached for his drink, eyes on a pretty little thing dancing with another.

He frowned when his fingers didn't find the glass and looked over to see a man enjoying it instead. Ah, desperation and loneliness--just as good as lust. Maybe even better since now he didn't even need to leave his spot at the bar. He loved when prey came to him. "Does taking my drink count as buying you one?" Phoenix put on a charming smile and took a moment to take in his target. He wasn't picky; how could he be when sex helped keep him alive? But he did like what he was seeing and that was always a perk.

"I'm Phoenix. I know, odd, right? But it fits since Greenbrooke is a new beginning for me and nor many would be able to pronounce my given name." Not that he would ever share his real name. Names had power, especially over the fae, and no one was going to control him again, even if it meant pretending he was a mage mingling with humans.

The drink was almost to his lips before Keiran realised he had effectively stolen it from the orderer. Even a little drunk as he was, the sudden embarrassment of making such a silly and rude mistake made a slight flush of red bloom across the bridge of his nose and cheeks as he quickly rushed to apologise. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. " Keiran said as he pushed the drink back toward its proper owner, only realising halfway that it probably wasn't very sanitary and the guy probably didn't want it now after a stranger had almost put his lips to the glass. Fortunately, the man seemed to be in a good mood, and made what Keiran had to admit was a pretty smooth pickup line.

"Haha, uh - " Keiran gave an awkward laugh, having expected to be spending the rest of the night people watching, not stealing someone's drink and having to make conversation. "-I mean, sure - If that's what you want? 'Cause I can buy you another one, to uh replace - " He tapped the back of his finger against the stolen drink, "The one I kinda borrowed?" Not that one could borrow a drink, since once consumed it couldn't be given back, but Keiran wasn't exactly on the top of his game.

"Yeah, I guess, I mean....I knew a guy, at school, who was called Griffen, and that's like...You know - " Keirance stopped talking, the flush on his features darkening as he realised he was embarking on a somewhat awkward, drunk and rambly assault on the guy - Phoenix. "Sorry - " He gave a slight gesture with his chin to his current drink and the empty glasses beside it, "It's been a long night already." Even though it was only after nine in the evening, he had managed to make good use of his time.

Offering Phoenix his hand to shake, "Keiran. And I don't normally steal drinks..." The Australia offered with a good-natured grin, hoping to start again without all the awkward rambling he had started off with.

The babbling was kind of cute, sexy really thanks to the accent. It was also refreshing given how used to everything he had already become in his seven months in Greenbrooke. Without knowing it, the kid had ensured he would live through their acquaintance. Not that he was a sloppy eater since he didn't want to end up killed himself or deported. But he wouldn't feed as deeply, Phoenix decided as he shook hands with Keiran.

"An absolute delight to meet you. And don't worry about the drink. It seems you were in need of it more than me. It was more to keep the staff from pestering me. They seem to get cranky when you don't have a drink in hand." He cast the vampire behind the bar a glance. Jasper was an odd one but harmless enough. Perhaps one day he would give in and play with him but his attention was usually snatched by a clueless human and the vampire was shelved again.

"So what brings you to a dance club where you're drinking alone? Bad break up? Trouble at work? The partner you rob banks with was caught and might sell you out soon?" So maybe he had been catching up on decades of movies and was currently in a heist obsession. They were damn enjoyable as well as inspirational. Phoenix had started a list of mischief he wanted to try one day and robbing banks, museums, and jewellery stores had been added.

Keiran gave a small chuckle and shook his head. He really didn't need more to drink, the awkwardness of the conversation and the fact he had actually stolen Phoenix's drink was a testament to that. "I've more than paid for my right to sit here all night." The mage pointed out, not really sure it was something one should be proud of, but grinning regardless. "But since I've kinda already contaminated this one - " Keiran took the drink originally meant for Phoenix and raised it once more, only to pause before taking a sip, "So, uh, what is it?" He asked, looking over the glass at the other man, unable to pick the drink's contents by smell alone. While he might have been downing them like there was no tomorrow, Keiran's typical tipple was generally the likes of red or white wine.

The mage gave another grin, " Oh, all of the above, totally. You know, broke up with my partner who I robbed banks with, so you know, trouble at work." He laughed, taking a long drink from the glass before putting it back down on the sticky bar. He had done his best all evening to avoid resting his elbow on it, but unfortunately, the more he drank, the harder it was to avoid doing. The sleeve of his shift was going to be gross tomorrow, that was for sure.

"But no - " Keiran continued with a lopsided grin, shaking his head a little before looking off across the increasingly busy nightclub, "New to town, thought I'd go out and I picked a place at random." He made a gesture to himself and the club, "And here I am - How about you?" He turned the question on Phoenix, a little curious to know about someone who admitted to being a frequent enough visitor to the club that the bartenders knew him.

"I really don't know," Phoenix confessed when asked about his drink. "Sometimes I pick a drink with a fun name and sometimes I let the bartender create me a surprise." He had yet to find a drink he didn't like. They all had such unique flavours with a million more options than the last time he was on this side of the portal. Wine and ale were fine but variety was the spice of life! "That's a Jasper creation so he can whip you up another if you like it." Phoenix pointed out the vampire so his tipsy companion would know specifically which tender he meant.

When Keiran combined all of his guesses into one reply, Phoenix decided he really liked this human. Cute, great accent, and witty. He was going to be a fun ride. After they got through the talking thing most humans seemed to like. Okay fine, he liked it once in a while as well, and he did like the wit so no harm in stretching out their getting to know each other phase. So long as it didn't take all night as he was hungry.

"I moved here last Halloween. I was just in need of a shake up. Packed a bag and here I am. You get the salacious details only after we exchange numbers," Phoenix gave a playful grin, leaving it up to Keiran to decide if he was serious or if there even was anything to elaborate on.

"As for Indulge, what can I say? The name spoke to me on a personal level. It's also one of the most popular clubs in the city so you'll always have a good time here." So long as the vampires played by what he heard were very strict rules; at least while in the club. Rafe ran a tight ship but he didn't control everything that happened when people left. Unless they were Family, Phoenix supposed.

The fact Phoenix, the one who ordered the drink, didn't know what it was made Keiran give the glass a brief and suspicious sniff. Surprises weren't usually good things in his life. In fact, surprises were generally most certainly awful and so the promise of a 'surprise' drink didn't really fill him with excitement. It was a drink, however, and probably pretty low on the surprise scale as there were only so many ways you could prepare a drink for someone in a commercial venue - right? It said a lot about Phoenix that he openly invited surprises into his life.

"Mhm..." Keiran murmured somewhat dubiously before finally taking a sip of the unknown alcoholic drink. The mage made face, it was certainly alcoholic, that much was clear as he swallowed the mouthful of drink and it burned all the way down. "I'm not saying your bartender is trying to kill you..." He said with a grin, putting the drink down a moment because it was honestly not the worst thing he had ever drunk, he just hadn't expected it to be so strong.

It was nice to meet other people new to town, or at least those who hadn't been there their whole lives, as most people Keiran met seemed to have been. Just like Phoenix, Keiran could appreciate the need to make a life change and he nodded along as the other man spoke, sipping at the overtly strong and stolen drink as he did. "Only if you promise you're not in a cult or going to try and sell me anything..." Keiran responded to the man's quip about exchanging phone numbers, a comment which would have, in normal circumstances, made Keiran switch to awkward and overthinking mode. Thanks to the many drinks he'd consumed, he didn't entirely connect the flirtatious comment as being flirtatious and was instead too happy handing out tipsy comedic quips.

Thinking about what sort of club name he'd be drawn to 'on a personal level' Keiran realised a venue named 'spoilt over achiever' or 'loneliness and alcoholism' weren't really catchy.

"I mean, it seems nice?" Keiran added, having not actually seen much of the joint other than the door, the dance floor and the bar they were at. The building did seem large and he got the impression there was a lot more to see for those who were looking. "Do you come here a lot then?" The mage followed up since Phoenix said he knew the bartender well enough to let him provide surprise drinks which had to show a level of trust - at least in Keiran's mind. What sort of life did someone lead that they were a regular at a nightclub? It was probably something exciting. Looking at Phoenix over the top of his glass for a long moment, Keiran decided the man had to be an artist of some sort, a dancer or a painter or a fashion designer - something sparkly.

Phoenix watched Keiran take the first sip and grinned at the result. Jasper knew he had a high tolerance and seemed the goal for the night was to make drinks that would burn and possibly knock him on his ass. Good luck to him on the latter goal! In an attempt to be polite, Phoenix didn’t say anything on the drink or whether Jasper was trying to kill him, especially since Keiran went back for another sip. It couldn’t have been that bad if he wasn’t stopping at the first taste. Hopefully his little vampire friend remembered what he created so he could try it later.

At being asked to promise he wasn’t in a cult, Phoenix laughed, memories of the last time he came this side of the portal springing to mind. Oh, those had been some glorious days! “Does accidentally starting a cult count? Because I would argue it’s not really the same as being in one,” he just had people following him, hanging onto his words, and just generally having an orgiastic time. “But how about I give you my number and then it’s up to you if you want to risk cults and sales pitches the next time we hook up.”

He glanced around the sea of bodies and nodded in agreement. It did seem nice. Gathering places had changed a lot over the centuries and Phoenix appreciated where they were at now. Everything was so much more convenient, even if he was still struggling with some technology. He was pulled away from his musings and gave a snort of laughter, eyes twinkling with delight as he took in his companion. “Keiran, darlin’, we’re far beyond the need for the intro pick-up lines now. Fairly certain we’re into the countdown phase of when it’s appropriate to leave together.” He wasn’t the most subtle of people in general but he could also taste the emotions coming from Keiran and knew being bold wouldn’t scare the man off; at least not for long.

“But I come here a couple of times a week, if you’re still interested in that small talk. The staff are interesting, the music is great, and stress and responsibilities melt away when you’re here.”

Keiran gave a small snort and then laughed, "How do you even go about starting a cult? Like do you have to fill in forms or anything?" The mental image of a few old guys in robes sitting around in a conveyancer's officer filling and cross-checking a bunch of paperwork in order to start their cult was just too funny.

Only now did Keiran also realise that Phoenix was very much offering his number and that would suggest he was also very much interested in him - although tipsy and messy, Keiran genuinely couldn't imagine why. He knew he was a bit out of practice, well, he had truly never been in practice, to begin with. His parents hadn't exactly been supportive of what they always snidely referred to as his 'lifestyle choices', and his adolescence had been primarily filled with study, hobbies and more studying. To top it off there was university, studying and more parental pressure, along with the forced engagement and generally a lack of time or space for him to have played the field as much as he might have aspired to. Every man dreamed of picking up hotties at the club on a nightly basis and taking them home? Right? Or at least nineteen-year-olds did and Keiran had been no different. Though now at nearly thirty, he wasn't entirely what sort of man he aspired to be...

"As long as it's not Tupperware.." Keiran said as the single condition for sharing his number, as he pulled his mobile phone from his pocket (awkwardly as pockets and phones were a difficult combination when seated, and even more so when one's drunk fingers felt like sausages). Peering at the screen for a moment, he finally found the button to add a new contact and then handed the device over to the other man, knowing that to enter the information himself was going to spell disaster, frustration or both.

It had also not occurred to Keiran that asking if Phoenix visited the club a lot came across as a pickup line, and so when the other man responded to it as such - Keiran felt a flush of heat bloom across his cheeks and nose. It wasn't what he had meant at all, but he also wasn't sorry Phoenix had taken it that way, although he was a little bit self-conscious about it. Specially Phoenix's very blunt reference to them leaving together, which again he wasn't opposed to - or was he? Was he supposed to be opposed to it? Leaving clubs with random men in new countries seemed dangerous but also he was grown man and a mage to boot - there wasn't much he couldn't handle - right? He was getting pretty drunk, that was probably a bit of a problem...Or was it?

"Aha, yeah..." He laughed awkwardly, giving Phoenix a somewhat sheepish grin follow by an awkward clearing of his throat, " A couple times a week?" Who seriously had the energy and stamina to even leave the house that much, let alone go to a nightclub? "You sound pretty energetic - " He mused, once more not connecting how his phrasing might be taken...

“No Tupperware,” Phoenix promised as he took the phone. Thankfully Keiran had brought up the ‘add contact’ page since some features on phones were still things he struggled with. He hadn’t even had a phone until a handful of months ago, not seeing a need for one until he finally got tired of lovers wanting his “digits” to make seeing him easier. He had to admit, it made sense and he was still sad over how slow he had been to get into the modern world. He added his name and the eggplant icon as the contact and then the number assigned to him, saved it, and then double checked that it did in fact save okay before handing the phone back over.

“You could say I feed off the energy of others,” Phoenix grinned as he gave Keiran a slight break in the sexual advances to be honest with him—not that anyone ever believed him, which was probably for the best. But that was all the break he was getting as he waited for the phone to be tucked away again so he could grab a hand and give it a light tug to get the man off the stool. “Dancing is a great way to preview what’s to come,” he whispered against an ear before another tug had their bodies pressed together. He didn’t take them far from the bar, preferring not to get jostled in the growing crowd on the dance floor.

He held Keiran by the ass, keeping them plush to one another as he swayed them to the beat. That didn’t last too long, however, as Phoenix preferred to let the music guide him in other ways. Lyrics were inspiring, the underlying instruments that held their own melody or the offbeat were just as alluring as the actual beat that moved everyone. “Give in, Keiran,” he was grinning again as he found that offbeat and spun to press his back to Keiran’s front with an arm looped up around his neck as he continued grinding and all but using his future lover as a pole. “Music is a temptress and dance a seductress. Let them guide you.”

Tucking his phone back in his pocket and returning his attention to finishing off his drinks, Keiran nodded along as Phoenix explained just how he had the energy to go clubbing so often. It made sense that if you were the sort of extraverted person who gained energy from being around others then a nightclub might actually be a place of relaxation. For Keiran, however, it was a nice treat upon occasion and when he was in the mood but there was no way he would come to one voluntarily more than once a week. He just couldn't imagine the world where that was a possibility.

Keiran didn't get to contemplate that thought for very long, for the moment he placed the now empty glass down on the bar, Phoenix grabbed his hand and began to gently tug him in the direction of the dance floor. "Ah, no, no.." He tugged back a little but didn't completely pull away from the other man. Keiran didn't dance, or at least he didn't dance when he was sober enough to point out that he didn't dance. Fortunately for Phoenix though, Keiran had drunk just enough to make the protest against dancing a half-hearted one, "Which is bad news for you because I can't dance." He pointed out with a self-deprecating laugh, already having slipped his hands into his pockets because he never knew what he was supposed to do with them.

Phoenix wasn't dissuaded, and Keiran found himself needing to pull his hands from his pockets in order to prevent himself from looking even more awkward than he probably already did. Still, Keiran didn't have much time to think about that either as Phoenix very happily grabbed him by the ass and forced him to 'dance', or at least sway with the beat while the other man pressed up against him. Okay. Okay, this was happening really fast and Keiran felt as though he'd left his brain back at the bar with the empty glasses. A feeling that only increased when Phoenix lithely spun himself about and continued to dance, grinding himself back against Keiran - who awkwardly continued to sway with the music, letting one hand tentatively rest on Phoenix's hip.

He could feel the heat in his cheeks, the alcohol, the awkwardness and Phoenix's very deliberate provocations combining him flushed and warm. "Y-you're very good at it - uh -A-at dancing..." Keiran said, not sure what else he was supposed to say or where he was supposed to put his hands. Although, considering how clear Phoenix was being with his dancing though, maybe he could have put his hands wherever he might have liked. He didn't though, and instead, awkwardly let Phoenix do the dancing thing while he swayed about like a signpost with two left feet.

Drunk, flustered, and he even sensed some arousal around Keiran now. He wasn’t the first person to offer up that combination to him but Phoenix was still greatly amused by it. He’d been told back in his youth quite regularly that he came on strong and silly little humans simply did not know how to handle that. It was tempting, as it was back then, to push further and really mess with the kid’s mind but one thing he had learned about this new modern world—consent was a lot more important now. It was partly why he wasn’t using any magical tricks to win his targets until they were already in the bedroom and having a good time. If he played by the rules as best as he could, it wouldn’t draw too much attention from people who would send his ass back home and lock him away. Again. It was a real buzzkill when that happened.

It was why when he spun back around and looped his arms around Keiran’s neck, practically draping himself over the man, Phoenix didn’t just take the kiss he wanted. Needed, really. Sex was the best way to feed as it heightened the connection and farmed the energy he could steal but the kiss was the manner in which he actually drew it forth. A kiss on its own, however, was a sweet little sampling of what was there to be had. “You have a very tempting mouth, my sexy friend. I’d really like to kiss you but I do respect boundaries. Mostly.” It was hard to say that with the way he still clung to Keiran and the way they danced, but dancing had its own rules and despite how clunky Keiran moved, he had still been into it and Phoenix took that as a good sign.

“Think on that for a moment,” Phoenix gave a wicked grin and slowly nudged at Keiran until he had walked them back to the bar where he caught Jasper’s eye. “Jasper, I’d like one of the private booths, please. And some glasses of that good clear stuff.” He meant water, but didn’t want to insult anyone by suggesting his friend probably didn’t need more alcohol that night. With a sigh of loss, he extracted himself from Keiran and dug out his wallet, sliding a couple of bills over to the vampire. He’d heard rumours about what went on in the upper level but he hadn’t been up there himself. But he had taken advantage of the special service that was mostly for vampires to toy with their feeders on the lighter side of things. Several booths set deep into the wall lined a section of the club where the lights didn’t fully reach, leaving vampires to have a little fresh snack and maybe get a little handsy in other ways. He had fooled around in such ways and decided that was a good enough way to ease his new friend into playtime.

When Jasper gave him the go ahead, Phoenix held out his hand to Keiran, trying to be polite a bit longer. "If you’re still interested in some small talk or kissing, come with me,” he nodded in the direction of the booths to show their destination. “It won’t be any quieter but it does offer a bit of privacy.” He had a feeling public displays of anything weren’t going to rank too high on a list of favourite things to do. It was probably right below leaving with a stranger he’d known five minutes on the list of things his parents told him to avoid.

It wasn't that Phoenix wasn't attractive, he was! Nor was it that Keiran wasn't interested in the man, he was! But the whole combination of alcohol, general life anxieties and the rapidity in which they had moved from talking at the bar to grinding on the dance floor left Keiran's head spinning. Nightclubs really weren't his cup of tea at the best of times and he had heard more than enough crazy stories about terrible things happening to people who got themselves in plenty of trouble when drunk at clubs. Thankfully, Phoenix seemed to realise his anxieties, at least to a degree and turned about to face the mage once more. Face to face was better, although it still didn't help with Keiran's dancing, as he continued to proceed through the steps of the traditional 'Awkward White People Dance' by stepping to the left and then to the right, and repeating.

After Phoenix's comment about his supposedly 'tempting mouth' Keiran was surprised the man didn't try to kiss him, regardless of what he said about boundaries - given how they'd been dancing only a moment before. Thankfully though, he didn't and Keiran was saved from the embarrassment of a public display of affection, and probably doing something incredibly awkward like slobbering all over the guy. Instead, he gave an awkward flash of a smile, "Thanks - ?" What did someone say to that anyway?

Clearly, neither dancing nor flirtatious conversation while dancing were Keiran's forte - something Pheonix must have realised as he decided to drag them off the dancefloor as the song changed. Keiran gave an audible and visible breath of relief, not really hearing what Phoenix was saying and just nodding to go along with him, just happy to be leaving the dance floor. He didn't care where he was going, as long as it was to the edge of the room and he wasn't going to do any more dancing.

"Oh, good." He murmured, as he let Phoenix lead him toward the booths, that was a solid idea. Though - Keiran belatedly realised as they approached - they were very private, and other booths did have their curtains drawn for added secrecy. What sort of things were people doing in nightclubs which needed that much privacy? This wasn't supposed to be a brothel or some sort of sex club was it? Canada had similar laws to Australia in that regard, right? Surely he would have realised it earlier.

And then, it occurred to Keiran. His parents had always warned him about it, or rather about them. Vampires.

Born in a insular mage community, Keiran had very little exposure to other races beyond his own, even less so with vampires. Yet he had seen enough movies, read enough texts and been told enough warnings by his elder relatives to put all the pieces together. Phoenix's rushed affection made sense now. Everything made sense!

Before they could sit in the booth, Keiran yanked his hand back from Phoenix - "You're a vampire! aren't you" He accused the other man, not sure if he was alarmed, worried or actually intrigued by this notion. What if Phoenix was a vampire? As long as he didn't end up dead, maybe getting to know one could be interesting? Who knew? One thing was certain though, he wasn't about to hang out with someone who could kill him without first making sure that wasn't their intention.

If they hadn't been in a club full of vampires and mundanes, Phoenix would have pretended he didn't know what Keiran was talking about and see how the man handled outing a species in such a public space. As it was, he was insulted and worried, even if the humans wouldn't have heard over the music. "Okay, first--rude. I'm of the magical variety, thank you very much," he huffed, avoiding lying about his heritage since mages came from the fae. Not that they believed their own history anymore. Fairy tales. Also, rude! Also, lying didn't really bother his race as much as it did others, though he was often extremely truthful and no one took him seriously.

"Second, what are you doing yelling that?" Phoenix hissed and started shoving Keiran into the booth to get him out of sight and hopefully out of mind. Once they were both in, he gave a quick glance across the crowd and then turned back to the loudmouth. "I'm going to take a wild guess that you're not aware you're currently in a vampire owned club that caters to vampires, though most of this crowd are humans, likely mundane. I'm told the vampires are usually upstairs or in the booths surrounding us." Which meant they were enjoying the quick lesson he was giving Keiran. He hoped. He had some power, but he most definitely fit the stereotype of a lover, not a fighter. Incubi typically didn't have to do anything more physical than sex and he didn't want to change that now.

"I know the owner is a powerful master but he has strict rules. You aren't in any danger here, if you don't pose a threat to them." He didn't want Keiran fearing for his life but he did want the man to know the ground he was stumbling along. It was safe if he paid attention and followed the rules.

Keiran snapped his mouth shut with an audible click of his teeth, realising belatedly just how stupid his comment had been. Being drunk was one thing, but he knew better than to go announcing anything about the supernatural out loud in public, but that was exactly what he had just done. If his goal was to prove he could live life without his parents controlling every part of it, he wasn't exactly doing a bang-up job of it. Fortunately for Keiran, and probably for everyone else, Phoenix although he wasn't a vampire, was something else and they were apparently in a vampire owned club, making outing the supernatural not particularly dangerous in the current location. He was lucky this time but Keiran realised he needed to have a little more tact in the future, or else he really was going to get himself into big trouble.

"Sorry, sorry!" He was quick to apologise, looking about in mild alarm as he was shoved toward the booth. Dropping down onto the seat, he planted his elbows on the table and for a moment rested his face in his hands. "Sorry, I've like, drunk waaay too much." Keiran mumbled into his hands, before looking up from them and back to Phoenix who was explaining the whole situation. "Are you serious?" Keiran replied, a little surprised that the club was a vampire owned club and he had just wandered in without any idea - literally into the vampire den. There he was, worried about one vampire when the whole club was potentially full of them. He really needed to start paying attention to where he was going.

Keiran now couldn't help but peer out of the booth, eyeing the club patrons and looking for anything which might suggest he was looking at a vampire. He couldn't, but maybe that was because he was drunk, more so than anything else. He rolled his head and looked back to Phoenix, still genuinely surprised about the whole turn of events. Even though he was being told he was safe, Keiran had heard a lot of bad stories about vampires, and he wasn't about to take Phoenix's word for it...

"I mean, I knew they had clubs and stuff, it makes sense and stuff, but like...I just thought, well, I don't know -" He gave a vague and drunk gesture, "Like, it written on the door or something, or a more obvious name." He didn't know what he expected but it wasn't to accidentally end up in one - which clearly begged the question, why was Phoenix there then? If he wasn't a vampire?

"Uh, so, you're not a vampire but you also hang out here, a lot? That's...." He paused, not wanting to call Pheonix anything rude, but it was weird, right?

Phoenix resisted the urge to sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose. Keiran was way too damn adorable and far too innocent for his own well-being. He thought a club called Indulge with gorgeous staff and dark corners for privacy screamed vampire to him, but what did he know? And what did Keiran expect? Flashing neon signs with little fangs that said “live vampires” like it was a strip club? He looked at his companion. Yeah, that was definitely what the kid assumed.

“Rather spectacularly amazing and chill of me?” Phoenix supplied when the sentence trailed off and didn’t seem like it would complete. No doubt Keiran thought it would be weird or crazy and perhaps it was that as well but he didn’t see issues with it. Maybe it was because they were similar with the way they seduced their prey and fed from blood or energy but he did feel rather at home amongst them and they didn’t seem too bothered by him. Of course he had been pegged as a mage on his first visit due to what Jasper told him was a delicious scent so they wouldn’t be worried by him.

“I like it here. It’s fun and might count as dancing with danger, but I enjoy it,” Phoenix fell silent as another employee, Malachite, came over with the ordered glasses of water. Speaking of fun. Malachite was human and was tangled up quite tightly with the vampires of the club but he was tasty. Maybe he would steal him away at dawn since it looked like his fun night with Keiran wasn’t going to happen. He smiled at Malachite and then waved him off so he could slide both glasses across the table to his drunk companion. “Drink up so I can return to seducing you,” Phoenix grinned, intent on at least ensuring he got a phone call sometime in the very near future since he doubted much more would happen that night.

Keiran gave a small laugh at Phoenix's explanation, not entirely sure how to further push the point of it being weird for someone, not a vampire, to hang around in a vampire-centric club, without sounding rude. Even when drunk he didn't want to be rude, not intentionally, at least not most of the time. It opened up a lot of questions, a whole barrel of them in fact. If Phoenix knew about vampires, then what else did he know about the supernatural? Was he magic himself? Did he like vampires? Was this a vampire-kink thing? Kieran had been on Tumbler long enough when he was a teenager to know that was a thing.

"Yeah..but - " Keiran started, not entirely sure what he wanted to ask and then distracted by the server delivering water to finish his sentence. Instead, the mage took the glass of water as it was pushed across to him, pouting, "Are you ins-insunu - saying I'm drunk?" He was, Kerian was smart enough to know when he was drunk, but to have someone order him two, not just one, glasses of water was a bit of a statement. Even so, he drank the water like he knew he should, and turned his attention back to Phoenix.

"Do you seduce every drunk and confused guy on his own?" Keiran asked with a teasing grin - while he might not have been ready to get into heavy petting on the dance floor, there was nothing wrong with harmless flirting, especially since he now knew Phoenix wasn't a vampire...

"Only the cute ones," Phoenix winked, appreciating the attempt at flirting. It was good to see the man had working eyes after all while also seeming to relax again. Or for the first time. Phoenix knew he came on a bit strong but that usually worked for him. Drawing his target into his whirlwind and overwhelming them with flirting and seduction was his preferred tactic. He could do the slow build up when absolutely called for but the modern day clubs and dating in general seemed to have been created by and for his kind. He would never go hungry again.

"But the cute sober ones are a lot more fun. They can take a little longer in all the ways that matter." He was going to ease up a bit and try to be sweet but that just wasn't working for the night and Phoenix gave a wide smile and scooted a little closer to Keiran. "Should I order you more water while we pretend I haven't already seduced you or should we skip to being blunt where I tell you I want to take you home and fuck you senseless? I can go either way--on a lot of things, just an FYI. I'm very flexible--in all meanings of that as well."

He was probably going to scare the kid again so Phoenix tried to ease up again. It was always so difficult to behave when he had such a delectable toy dangling before him. But he also hated breaking those toys so try, he must. "The fucking senseless can wait until you text me for a hook up on your next day off as well. Options are nice to have, right?" Was that still too strong? Maybe some small talk first? Humans still seemed to like that at times.

"Or we can start with the basics. What do you do for a living, Keiran? I just do odd jobs and temp work for the moment." Keiran probably wouldn't handle knowing he was a paid escort from time to time, sometimes for young people but usually for rich old ladies, though he did also pick up groceries for some of the elderly as well. Old people were delightful and full of stories. More people needed to spend time with them. That didn't pay as well in money as escorting did but the stories and cookies were great!

"Oh good." Keiran grinned, although not sure what he would have said if Phoenix agreed that he flirted with everyone Thankfully Phoenix kept the conversation playful and teasing, which Keiran was more than happy to go along with. He gave a small pout, "Well, there's no one sober around here." Definitely not him, that was for sure since he had drunk far more than he should before Phoenix had even arrived on the scene. The water really was a good idea.

Or so Keiran had thought, as he took a long drink as Phoenix slid closer to him. It turned out to be a bad idea the moment Phoenix bluntly laid out his plans for the evening, especially the 'fuck you senseless' bit, at which Keiran proceeded to inhale the gulp of water he had just taken. The water burned and he coughed, spluttering as he choked on the water. Pre-occupied with trying not to die, didn't provide Keiran much time to prepare an answer to Phoenix's proposition. In fact, it only proceeded to make things more awkward when he did finally get this breath back.

"Ah - He cleared his throat, "That's -" Another cough. " - Um..."

Phoenix wasn't done though and Keiran gave a wide-eyed, slow nod, "Yeah, options." Though he was getting the feeling that his options were sex with Phoenix or sex with Phoenix. Obviously, it wasn't the worst thing in the world, not by a long shot and the fact he was even being slightly awkward and weird about it was stupid - how many men would have killed for the chance to just meet someone and immediately head off to fuck? Gift horse, mouth, all that jazz. Keiran just wasn't used to how blunt Phoenix was being. It was one thing for someone to tell you that you were attractive and they were interested, but it was entirely another for them to essentially pounce you and very clearly make plans to shag...It was flattering, but it was a lot.

Thankfully Phoenix did seem to realise he was only making things difficult for Keiran, and instead took an abrupt turn onto the most mundane of small talk. Kerian felt like he was getting whiplash...

"I'm a paramedic - " he replied, voice still croaky until he cleared it one more time, "Well, I mean, technically not here I'm not. Like, in Australia, I am - well - was, but here because of the certification system - " He paused, realising Phoenix probably didn't care all that much and instead flashed him a sheepish grin, "It's a long story. "

Phoenix was almost insulted by the implication that he couldn't sit through a long story but then shrugged. It was always a question about how long of a span his attention had at any given moment so it was probably best to leave it with the details he had. In fact, he was probably proving it right that second as he latched onto Australia. So that's where the sexy accent was from. He had flittered through some dreams down that way over the years and now that he was reminded of it, he did recall the trips he had taken and smiled to himself. Good times. Aussies--that was what they were, right?--had some wild thoughts in their pretty little heads and how could he resist the allure?

"Good to know you'll be able to save me if things between us get too wild and my old ticker can't handle you." Another innocent smile as he hopped back on track and tried to keep his flirting in check and not startle his prey again. What would startle Keiran or make his own heart stop, were the stories he could tell of the sexual adventures he'd been in over the years. Maybe he should tell him so Keiran wouldn't be a panicking mess when they finally did lose the clothing. Nah. Fear wasn't to his tastes.

Keiran's innocence, however, would add a delicious sweet treat on top of it all. If they ever got anywhere. Maybe a little nudge with pheromones? A little massage with some extra invisible hands roaming? No, he was behaving, damnit. All for an adorable face and accent. Then what should they discuss instead? Phoenix's gaze drifted up and down his companion's body a couple of times as he tried thinking of something but finally shrugged and went for the big topic. "So what area of magic do you specialise in? I'm assuming you're also a mage given we can take vampire off the list and even a drunk shifter should still have a somewhat working sniffer. Oh! wait, you're a paramedic. Do you do all that healy magic? Are you cheating a smidge? How delightfully naughty of you, babe... and also adorably sweet."

It was almost impressive how Phoenix found a way to sexualise everything, regardless of what was said. While everyone could make a dirty joke easily enough, Phoenix managed to slip it in, (ba dum tish) and have it make sense in the conversation, almost going unnoticed if you weren't paying attention. Keiran was paying attention, sort of, or at least the best he could given he was drunk and the club was loud. Unfortunately, the amount of attention he provided did not help his ability to provide witty remarks in the face of sexual jokes, and so he just flashed Phoenix a cheesy grin and added, " Not the worst way to go though, right?" Die doing what you love, wasn't that the goal? Considering the way Phoenix had been right on him all night, the guy clearly loved getting down...

With his throat still feeling little raw from the choking, Keiran let silence fall for a moment or two. It was what he needed, just a little bit of peace (at least the nightclub equivalent) to let the cold water help sober him up a little, and for him to have a bit of a think about what Phoenix was putting on offer. He had left Australia to start an entirely new life, to do all those things he had never got to do while living under the thumb of his elderly and powerful parents. Now, here he was faced with a genuinely enticing offer and his knee jerk reaction was to decline. It seemed a bit stupid. Maybe it was the drink talking, but if he wanted to live a different and more fulfilling life, then he needed to take risks - right?

About to make comment on the topic of taking a risk, Keiran was instead again surprised by Phoenix's topic change. This time he didn't choke on his drink, but he did give an awkward throat clear and an equally awkward slow nod. Given he had been shouting about vampires not too long earlier, it probably shouldn't have been a surprise for the topic of magic and other supernatural stuff to come to the forefront. Still, it was not a common thing to be asked so directly about it and by a stranger to boot.

"Aha, yeah..." He admitted with another nod, and a slight grin as he also realised that Phoenix had outed himself as a mage too. Was it silly that he found that reassuring? He was more likely to trust one of his own kind than another race, even if the man was still technically a stranger. "Kinda only learning the healing stuff though, I'm not a natural." Keiran pointed out, not sure how the hell Phoenix had managed to sexualise that, of all things, but again he was impressed by the man's ability. "Forcefields and barriers and stuff, it's more my kinda vibe." He added, "What about you? -" He paused for a small, almost nervous breath before adding, "Do you live nearby?"

“We all start somewhere,” Phoenix waved off Keiran’s attempt to downplay his abilities. If he could use magic, then that was natural in itself. Practice just made the user more adept and powerful over time and given how young Keiran looked and acted, Phoenix knew the man had a lot of time still. But it was fascinating that he took more to the defensive magic than the healing. Maybe because it was more versatile with a clever enough mind and used more frequently. Overall, it still fit the vibe he got from the Australian with that whole sweetness he gave off. Anything to protect others.

“Ar—” Phoenix was about to give the easy lie of what type of magic he was best in since it aligned the closest to what he could do when Keiran’s additional question cut him off and had him grinning. Were they making some progress in the very positive make Phoenix happy direction? “Arcane. Boring stuff. And near enough.” The magic talk wasn’t all that important anymore as Phoenix ran his thumb over his own lower lip and checked out Keiran again. Yeah, his little white mage was getting laid tonight and he was going to provide an excellent feast.

“Would you like to find out?” His voice lowered into a slightly more seductive octave as he trailed the back of his fingers up Keiran’s arm, mostly to give himself some contact between them again to reduce the urge to simply jump the man. Phoenix didn’t have any issues with fooling around in the booth but he suspected Keiran wasn’t quite at that level of partying just yet. Maybe after a few hook-ups but until then, he had to dance along the fine line of nudging the man just enough to be encouraging but not overwhelming.

Keiran knew he was pretty good with the magic he could do, unfortunately, the pressure his parents had placed on him to also be good at healing meant that regardless of what he did, he didn't feel like he ever reached their expectations. Thankfully, part of running away to another country and leaving them behind was the fact he could also begin to leave their expectations behind too. At least that was the theory since he had the feeling it would take more than a few years to get rid of that sort of mental conditioning.

The first step to throwing off his parent's overbearing and oppressive demands and attitudes was by taking some risks - the first of which was apparently going to be going home with a complete stranger. It still felt like a bad idea, the sort of bad idea that might end up with his picture on some sort of poster but Keiran had to admit that also made the idea just a little exciting too. He'd never really had the chance to make poor decisions before, so the idea of treading a dangerous path was a little thrilling - although that really might have just been the alcohol talking.

Regardless of why he was doing what he was doing, Keiran was still pleased that Phoenix picked up on the fact he was bringing the conversation back to the idea of going home with him. His gaze lingered a little too long on Phoenix's thumb as it ran across the other man's bottom limp, causing him to look away and across the club as he exhaled. Was this a good idea? Like, an actual good idea or was his dick just telling him it was a good idea?

Glancing back as Phoenix's fingers trailed along his bare arm, Keiran gave a brief nod, not trusting himself to not say something stupid. The silence was probably sexier than some dorky question about transport options. Knowing Phoenix had the only one making moves while he continued to make awkward responses, Keiran decided to make a 'bold' move, in some attempt to demonstrate his interest. Reaching over from his far side, he hesitantly place his hand on the other man's knee, though in realising he couldn't completely reach without leaning oddly against the table, shifted his hips to incline toward Phoenix a little more.

Flashing a grin, Keiran dipped his head a moment before looking p to admit, "Sorry, I'm a bit awkward - " As though Phoenix wouldn't have already noticed...

Finally! A breakthrough moment! Phoenix grinned, slightly amused by the attempts to return the flirting but mostly just pleased. Keiran had been making him work for his meal that night and while a little challenge was fun, even he only had so much patience before a game grew tedious and a new toy was found. “Not awkward, babe, but charming.” It was true; the innocent man before him was such a rarity from what he could tell of the current times and the thrill of introducing Keiran to every sinful form of debauchery he knew—and he was fairly certain he knew them all and invented some of them—was utterly delightful.

Since Keiran had positioned himself so perfectly and was giving him the cutest look, Phoenix had to give in and have a little taste. Just a little one. He leaned in and captured Keiran’s mouth with his, coaxing him into opening for him and giving in to the lust he sensed growing in his soon-to-be-lover. The kiss was all he would do while at the club but it was all he needed to draw a hit from the Aussie’s energy. Despite being a mage that might be more aware than a normal human, Keiran was intoxicated, so Phoenix was confident if he felt a little wobble from the light drain, the booze would be blamed for it.

He pulled back after a time and had to stop from licking his lips like he had just been licking at ice cream or eating juicy fruit. Keiran was a tasty treat and it was time for them to go. Now. No more waiting around. “Are you ready to go?” It was only polite to ask, after all. It was really showing that he could have restraint when he wanted to instead of just dragging the man off with him. He even continued to play it straight without any magical assistance. But he did give Keiran one of his sexy stares that had a good track record for getting panties to drop. His tongue may have darted out and licked his lip after all as well.

Whatever Phoenix wanted to call it, Keiran was happy to agree. He was just pleased that his drunk awkwardness wasn't entirely turning the other man off, which was a serious possibility considering they had met while he had stolen the other guy's drink. It could have ended in a fistfight, in some places, but instead, it had somehow worked out to be a good thing, maybe even a really good thing.

Given he was now facing Phoenix, Keiran found himself surprisingly on the ball and ready for the kiss when it came. This he could do, at least a hell of a lot better than he could dance or act smoothly when drunk. He leant into the kiss, closing his eyes and letting himself get lost as Phoenix was, entirely unsurprisingly, a really good kisser. When the other man drew back, Keiran couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement and lust, knowing that the damn good kiss was just a teaser for what was to come. Letting out an exhale, and suddenly feeling lightheaded as he leaned back against the side of the booth, Keiran was once more thankful for the water he had been drinking. After all this it would've been a complete waste to just get to Phoenix's place, only to pass out drunk on his couch.

Keiran nodded giving Phoenix a bit of a stupid grin that betrayed some of his excitement, "Yup, let's go." Sliding out of the booth, he used to table to prevent any stupid drunk shenanigans and turned back to offer a hand to Phoenix. The hand wasn't just to be a gentleman and help Phoenix out of the booth, but also because Keiran knew he had a bad sense of direction and was still pretty drunk. It would be easier for Phoenix to lead him through the club this way, which really was the only goal.

"Do we need an Uber ?" Keiran asked, not sure if 'nearby' and 'walkable distance' were the same thing in the other man's vernacular.

Phoenix happily took the hand and gave it a little squeeze. He just loved physical contact in all of its shapes as it heightened how clearly he could feel and taste the emotions of the other person. Keiran was currently an open buffet that had him actually humming with pleasure, though he did try to blend it into the song that was playing. No need to look too odd now that he was leading his prize home. But his humming turned into a question when an Uber was mentioned. Right, one of the companies of publicly rented personal chauffeurs. They were handy when they were on time but Phoenix was starting to see the need to hire his own chauffeur or maybe even learn to drive himself. It seemed easy enough and a tad fun. He'd think about it.

"We'll flag down a car. It's only a short trip by car." Phoenix gave a little finger wave to Malachite and Jasper when he glanced their way and saw them watching him. Jasper looked highly amused while Malachite looked ready to ask the vampire about them. Their leaving together wouldn't be the most fascinating thing they saw that night but it would give them something to chat about for a few minutes.

Outside, he caught a taxi that had a few young women exiting it and verified it was free before letting Keiran crawl inside. He followed, gave directions, and went back to trailing his hands along arm and leg to keep reminding them both of the building sexual tension between them. Currently, it seemed like Keiran would be against any other more fun forms of public displays of affection so he kept it light. He even kept it to those touches and hand holding while in the elevator up to his small one bedroom apartment--but that was more a game by that point to see how much patience Keiran had once he was getting hot and bothered.

By the time they reached his door, Keiran wasn't just a buffet but the dessert buffet and Phoenix was going to indulge. He hadn't lied when he said the club's name spoke to him on a personal level. Once inside, Phoenix locked the door and tossed his keys on a little table nearby and grinned at the mage. "Oh the fun we're going to have."