"It's raining men. Hallelujah, it's raining men!"

[doctordefib]

Who: Ryan Bailey, Brad Watson, Beau Watson, and Austin Shaw (posting order)
What: Gay bar superstars?
Where: No Parking, Broadway, NYC
When: Saturday night

After the inevitable round of reunion sex once Brad got home from his business trip (thanks to Pat and Aiden taking Haydee for the evening), the couple found themselves in a bit of a deep-n-meaningful about Brad's little brother, Beau. He seemed bummed because his BFF and ex-boyfriend, Liam, had hooked up and went on a date, but Brad more thought it was Beau worrying he would be left out and be lonely if Liam was distracted elsewhere. Who could blame the guy? There was a lot of extenuating circumstances and factors at play, but the bottom line was that Brad wanted to help his little brother out some. Beau wasn't a fan of bars or clubs anymore. Not after what happened to Liam a year ago. The outcome of the chat was that maybe Ryan and Brad could go along with Beau to see if he could get out there a little and meet some guys so he wasn't moping about Liam. The only thing was, Ryan literally could not remember the last time he had been into a gay bar. Very early twenties, and that felt like a lifetime ago.

Once they were inside, all Ryan could do was stand at the bar with his beer feeling like a fish out of water. There were loads of younger bodies gyrated on the dancefloor or pressed up against each other all around then. He gave his other half a sidelong glance to see if he was feeling it too, but Brad seemed to be giving Beau some sort of pep-talk, whilst Beau stood there looking around skeptically as he nursed a Cosmopolitan. The kid brushed up really nicely, though, in tight hipster jeans and a very chest-hugging shirt. There was no way he wasn't going to get at least a few bites of interest tonight. As for Ryan, he was sort of hoping he was home in front of the TV in his boxers with a bottle of wine and his husband. Was he really this young once upon a time? "I'm scared I might fracture my hip if we try to dance," he joked to Brad with a smirk before swigging his beer.

Comments

[chiefexecutivedaddy]

"Oh, mine totally did. Now it's just an old boring ass," Brad protested, turning around to glance over his shoulder at his own ass. "See? Boring old ass. I'm lucky you love me, or half the dudes on this dance floor would have your number by now. Of course, I'd answer all their calls and tell them you had crotch rot, but it's better I don't have to." That was when it hit him what his lover had just said, and he actually laughed out loud. "Hey! Don't even say that. Because that makes me think about how fast Haydee's growing up. We might be grandpas before we know it... she'll grow up and fall in love and... Dammit, no. No, I can't cry at a gay bar about how fast our three-year-old is growing up. Nope." He shook his head firmly, leaning in against Ryan's side. "I think we hung out at a place like this several times while I was still with old what's-his-name, drinking and having fun before I picked you up. And it was me who picked you up. Not my fault he wouldn't dance with me, and you had your bump and grind on like it was your job."

Brad had to grin at the guy who'd crossed over to join his little brother on the dance floor. "Ho-ly shit. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, huh? Guy's cute, though... Go for it, baby bro!" Polishing off his first beer, Brad set the empty bottle on the counter, and turned to his boyfriend. "Hell yeah, we can still dance. Let's show these young fellows how it's really done, huh?" With a grin, he took Ryan's hand and led him out onto the dance floor, before turning to wrap his arms around his neck and pull him in for a hot kiss. "Psh... I think we've still got it, hot stuff," he teased.

[halfwaytoheaven]

Beau actually looked around, assuming the guy voice was addressing somewhere nearby him and then he had to do a double-take when he finally looked at the guy. He was hot and he was... shit, was he one of the Go-Go Boys? No, no... that wouldn't work. Those sorts of dudes really weren't Beau's type. Not that he had actually isolated what his type was but he was sure it was more along the lines of Liam and less along the lines of Emmett Honeycutt. These sorts of guys got bored of people like Beau real quick, and there was no way he was going to let himself just be a random piece of ass that got tosses aside the next morning when the other cock in the equation realised what his professional schedule was like and wanted nothing to do with him. That was why he and Liam worked so well for awhile there until it just stopped working and their friendship was under threat if they kept trying to force the romance that wasn't really there. Beau still loved him, but they weren't in love with each other. And Liam was out on a date anyway, which was why Beau was even here.

That was when he realised the guy had just laid a really, really awful pick-up line on him. Either that, or he really was looking for FedEx, which would be just half Beau's luck. A roomful of hot dudes, and he gets the staffer looking for directions. He didn't even crack a smile, he just looked at the guy blandly and tugged his lips to the side. He didn't really mean to play hard to get, it just sort of accidentally happened. "Wrong address, buddy. This package is cash on delivery." He wasn't just going to be a cock slut. He had better things to do with his time.

[fraternalfashionista]

Well, that wasn't as easy as Austin might've hoped, and as a general rule, he probably just would've moved on to the next one. But there was something about the guy's quick come back to his godawful pickup line that stopped Austin in his tracks, and he looked him up and down really quickly before giving him a nod. "My mistake. But that's really too bad. I was looking forward to getting to know you a little better." He paused again before his exacting eye for fashion caught the cut of the other guy's jeans. "Oh my God, are those Seven jeans? They're gorgeous!" It was rare to see someone actually dressed so fashionably here, which was ironic, given that it was a club full of gay men. But in general, the guys here were dressed to catch the eye of the nearest cock, not to impress with their fashion sense. Hence the fact that Austin wasn't exactly rocking couture tonight on the dance floor.

But this guy? He was dressed nicely, not like a slut at all, and maybe he wasn't here looking for the nearest cock to take a quick ride before moving on. He certainly didn't look like a cock slut. In fact, he didn't look amused in the slightest at Austin's pick up line... And it wasn't very common for Austin to get turned down, either. But maybe that was why he couldn't just walk away from this guy and move on. "Sorry... I'm Austin. First time here?"

[halfwaytoheaven]

Beau looked back at the guy analytically. Bullshit was he wanting to just get to know him. He knew how these places worked, and the guy was looking to pull. So, he really couldn't blame the guy for trying because it was pretty much unspoken law in a club like this. Whilst Beau wasn't exactly here under duress, he wasn't particularly into it either, and the thing was, he had never been much into random casual sex. Liam was more, but they chilled together when they started dating and were exclusive. It wasn't long after their break-up that the horrible shit happened to Liam. Beau never really got into the whole promiscuous scene and he would much prefer a boyfriend to be monogamous with, to do things more than just fuck with, even if that would be a lovely benefit too. He saw his older brother rocking it like a champ, and it was what he was hoping to aim for. Could be why the last place he expected to find said Holy Grail was in a bar like this.

"My name's Beau, and no... not exactly." Sure, he probably looked like a virgin to this sort of thing, but he had his fair share of times in them. It was never a scene he was content in, he just went along for the ride. "It's been awhile," he felt the need to elaborate after a moment. "And before you ask, no, I don't want to go to the back room. This room is lovely and adequate for the moment." In other words, 'I'm not here to fuck, I'm here to find the love of my life and that's going to take more than a crap pick-up line to nurture and develop'.

[doctordefib]

Once they were in the heaving ocean of bodies moving to the music all around them, and imitating some of the moves the younger dancers were doing, Ryan could almost, a little, feel like he belonged here. There were, admittedly, probably people older than him and Brad in that room because some people were just natural party people and would probably still be single and dancing in clubs until they were in their 60s. But Ryan very much wasn't single. In fact, they were pretty much every bit married, sans the rings and the piece of paper, and they had a little girl. They were a family unit, both with busy jobs, who enjoyed things like going to the zoo with their daughter or sitting on Santa's knee with her for the photo (after Ryan checked he was arthritic first, poor bastard). That was what was making him feel like they had outgrown their clubbing days and really were just here to support Beau.

Only, as he was glancing around to see how Beau was doing, he found the guy still standing in the middle of the dancefloor not dancing and giving the guy a subtle, yet noticeable bitchpls look as he listened to him. Ryan snickered and gave a nod over him Brad's baby brother's direction. "Is this how you planned it to be going?" he asked mischievously, knowing it wasn't at all. Still, he rested his hands possessively on Brad's hips and started to dance easily with him. It was fun, and an interesting way to spend their night of daddy duty. He wasn't about to make a habit of it, though. "And you're right, you did pick me up. You kept telling me I would turn into a boring douchebag nerd if I didn't get out and live a little. You and Aiden. Although, I think back in those days you called me something like a butt nugget, if I remember rightly. All that Beavis & Butthead."

[chiefexecutivedaddy]

It had been a long damn time since Brad had been out like this. He had to admit, his days of being young and wild in the clubs had been damn fun, but they seemed even longer ago than the decade or so that they were when he was standing there with the man he may as well have been married to in the midst of young bodies clad in far too little most of the time, and very much on the look-out for other young bodies to engage in the back room for a quick lay and move on. Brad and Ryan had well and truly become an old married couple in almost every since of the word. This wasn't their scene anymore. Not even close. But it was sure making for some hilarity in Brad's mind... being the old farts on the dance floor sticking very close to each other while everyone else was going for the gold. "Okay, I'm going to be one-hundred percent honest right now, and say I'd rather be slow dancing with you in the kitchen at home, babe," he admitted, as his fingers hooked the belt loops of Ryan's pants and he pulled him just that tiny bit closer.

Brad just shook his head. "We should've given him a sign that said, 'Not here just to pull.' But then again, if we had, nobody would've even talked to him in this joint." He shook his head and gave a little laugh. That was their Beau, though. He wasn't going to do anything he wasn't comfortable with, and Brad was proud of him for that. Since they were kids, Brad had always told both of his little brothers to respect themselves and never do anything that didn't feel right to them. But what did feel right in this particular moment was moving to the music in Ryan's arms. "Oh, yes. Yes, I did. That was one hell of a hot night, if I remember correctly. And then you had to go and leave for the army and leave a guy wondering for ten years. Not cool, babe." He shook his head. "We did watch a lot of Beavis and Butthead back in the day, but it was funny shit. At least when you were half asleep from writing a paper at the last minute, because you couldn't be fucked with it before then." He shook his head, leaning close to kiss his boyfriend. "Do you think Haydee's okay?" he asked, almost totally randomly.

[doctordefib]

Ryan tugged his lips to the side in contemplation and glanced around when Brad confessed what he was thinking. It felt like everyone in that room were younger than them, more like Beau's age bracket. But even if they weren't, they were doing a damn good job to be younger anyway. There were both sexes here, and the couples that had already hooked up were all wrapped up in each other. Once upon a time, this sort of scene was the thing you looked forward to getting to in an otherwise busy week. It was how you let your hair down and had fun, but Ryan had done a hell of a lot of growing up in the last ten years, this was all just a distance memory for him. "You know, I think once you have done something like trying to patch together bodies in a warzone or watched someone you care about die of cancer, all this shit seems too superficial. If it wasn't for Beau, I wouldn't be here," he admitted also, letting himself be pulled forward by his other half. It was moments like this, he could see them happily married, maybe adding another bundle of joy to their brood. "You know, I think even our dance moves are out of fashion."

"Or, we should have given him a safe hand signal or word if he wanted to get the hell out of here," he agreed as an afterthought, but from the looks of it, Beau was holding his own and he was moving further into the throngs of dancers with the guy who had approached him. Ryan knew Beau was an awesome dancer when he let himself be. It was just all up to him how much of his hand he wanted to let this guy see. Knowing Beau, probably nothing but the middle finger. Liam was quite the high bar he set to compare any other guys again, afterall, but it was who Beau compared everyone too, even subconsciously. "Life was really something else back then. Some days, I still wake up in sheer disbelief that I'm a daddy and this is what it all came to. For a moment there, I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to breathe again. Then there you were, in the park, coming to my rescue like some white knight. Yes. Yes, I think Haydee's fine, love. Pat's more natural with kids than I'll ever be. Aiden's just... he's special," he laughed.

[chiefexecutivedaddy]

It would never fail. Having Ryan with him and being close to the man he loved would always be the best thing ever for Brad. That and their little girl. It didn't matter to Brad in the slightest that he hadn't been Haydee's daddy on the day she was born. All that mattered was that he was her daddy now, just like Ryan. She was definitely their little girl, and adored both of her daddies in a very special way that nearly filled Brad's heart to bursting when he thought about it. "Same here. I just don't have time for this. My whole life... everything that makes me happy? Is in what we have together. Our family, our careers... I don't even really remember what life was like before we were together. It all seems like such a long time ago... I guess in all reality, though, it hasn't really been that long. But you're probably right. We're probably being judged by a whole team of half-naked twinks for our ancient grandpa dances."

"That would've been a good idea... I wish we'd thought of that. I guess we just have to be careful to keep an eye on him. He's only here because we promised we would. And for fuck's sake, he needs to at least get out and have a little fun. The whole thing with Liam hit Beau hard... as it would anyone who had that happen to a friend, but the kid can't just be a hermit and forget to live." Brad's eyes moved to take in all the dancers, until he found Beau again, careful just to keep an awareness of where his brother was. He would never forgive himself if something happened to Beau here. "Well, if we're being honest here, I think it was Nat who came to your rescue. I was just the random dude keeping her, Beau, and Liam company. I wonder every now and again what would've happened if we'd never met that day, but then I think about that... I don't want to think about it too much, but in the end, I think there's no way we could've missed that day. I'm pretty sure whatever Powers that Be exist, they were looking out for us then." Content with his lover's assurance that their little girl was okay -- something he knew, but still asked anyway -- Brad grinned at him and gave him a gentle kiss. "Aiden would be an amazing dad. I just don't think he knows it yet."

[doctordefib]

Ryan was doing his best to fit in here and play the part, but he couldn't help but think he had the appearance of a fish out of water, flopping around with bad dance moves. Of course, he knew he didn't really look like that. It was just a psychological response, but it was also showing him just how much he had changed in the past couple of years since he was left with Haydee in his care. With Emily falling gravely ill with cancer, Ryan didn't have a choice of how things were going to turn. It wasn't long after her diagnosis that they knew she was terminal and she was a huge part of his life. Becoming a daddy as opposed to just sperm to create Haydee was one of the best accidental things that happened in his life. The other was stumbling across Brad in Central Park that day. He had never been a fan of the whole kismet, soul mates thing in the past, until that happened. Now he truly believed that if you were meant to be with someone, they would find their way into your life by some sheer force of fate. A lot of their friends would vouch for that too. "I don't think we're such oddballs, though. We just feel it. One day, a lot of these people under this roof will be in similar positions to us right now. Family, marriage..."

He trailed off at that point, his mind falling into quiet thought on that point before he cleared his throat and nodded in Beau's general direction. "We need to help Beau find it, because the more he is here, the less this is looking like his scene too. We should have taken him to the library," he added in amusement. "I remember when Liam was still in hospital after all that. I still remember the look on your face when you heard about it. Complete horror when you realised it could have been Beau, then relief it wasn't, closely followed by guilt for Liam because you thought that. It still terrifies me knowing we have to let Haydee out in that world on her own some day." He looked at Brad wryly. "At least we can face all that together, rather than just me having a coronary and simultaneous stroke worrying about it." He gave Brad a deep kiss then, that probably making them look more part of the crowd than the dancing. He still thought committed relationship kisses were way more hot than just snogging as foreplay for casual sex.

[chiefexecutivedaddy]

Dancing had always been something Brad enjoyed in his younger days... He'd spent most of his college days, at least the ones where he wasn't studying until his head hurt, in bars and clubs just like this one, bumping and grinding on whatever hot bodies were in sight. But in his "old age," he'd more than settled down from that life. His idea of a fun night out was having dinner with Ryan and Haydee and playing with Haydee until the sun went down and it was time for her to go to bed. Even better was if she was sleeping well and he actually got the chance to have some adult time with his other half. Being a daddy meant that sometimes, things like that got put on hold for the sake of making sure that Haydee was okay and had everything she needed. It wasn't a sacrifice that ever bothered Brad. In fact, he really didn't see it as much of a sacrifice at all. He tended to think of it much more in terms of what he gained from being a dad, and there was nothing he could think of that outweighed that.

Brad would never in a million years forget the day they heard of Liam's attack... nor would he forget the horror that gripped his heart in the split second where it occurred to him that it could've been his baby brother just as easily. Beau was the baby brother, which in itself meant he was the one they all looked out for. But more than that, the very fact that he was alive today had been something none of them had truly expected when he was younger. His life and the fact that he was still living it was a gift that none of them took for granted, and it had made them just that little bit more protective of him. Brad and Aaron, then by default Ryan and Carmen, had all taken it upon themselves to do everything they could to keep Beau safe. Granted, that may have driven him nuts a time or two, but he knew it was because they loved him. "Poor kid looks so uncomfortable. And that twink's not giving him a break, either... I'm surprised Beau hasn't told him to fuck off yet." He gave his other half a small smile before their lips were pressed together again, and he gave a soft sigh. "You know you're making it really hard to want to hang around here much longer," he teased when they broke the kiss.