"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

[fraternalfashionista]

It really was a small world after all, which was strange in a city like New York, where it was so huge you could get lost forever. But of all the things, to have the guy he'd tried to hook up with end up having a weird connection to his own boss? That was just crazy. "I know Aiden," he said in disbelief. "He's her publicist, and he's fantastic. He's also my brother's publicist. And that's been working out fantastically for him. The guy really knows his stuff." He honestly couldn't believe they had that connection. Then again, in New York City? Anything was possible. "Okay, my only medical knowledge really comes from Grey's Anatomy, and I know that's about as accurate as free internet porn. So help me out here. When you're doing your residency, are you actually a doctor, or are you still considered a student? And what is it that your friend wants to do that takes two more years?"

He had to give the guy props for not being a slut. Maybe he was one, but that didn't mean that he didn't have respect for people who wanted more out of life than a casual fuck every night with whoever they ended up with in the back room. He wasn't totally sure he could even put his finger on it, but the fact was that there was something about this guy that well and truly had his attention, and he wasn't about to let it go without figuring out what it was. He was quiet, listening to Beau as he spoke, before he had to speak up himself. "Okay. Here's the deal. If I was just trying to get into your pants and you weren't interested in random sex, I'd move on to the next guy. It's not like there aren't hundreds of guys in this place that are here for the sole purpose of a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am kind of night. I wouldn't put in that much effort if all I wanted was your dick. But I haven't been on a real date in ages. It might actually be nice. And I have a gorgeous new outfit from the summer line that hasn't even been seen yet and I really need a special occasion to wear it for."

[halfwaytoheaven]

Beau nodded and then gave a small shrug. "Aiden and his husband are godfathers to my boss' son. I mean, I don't really know him completely directly all that much beyond in passing at work, but I did learn of the links pretty early on. Tara's been my mentor right through my internship. She's one of the best Oncologists in the city and I really got lucky scoring the gig with her. It wasn't even necessarily my grades she helped select me on, it was my history and how much heart and balls she thought I had for the job. Which I'm glad of, because it turns out you need a lot of both in my industry. Who's your brother?" he asked casually. He knew Aiden had a lot of big names on his books, so he was curious. "Actually a doctor. A residency is your graduate training under the supervision of a fully licensed physician. We're sort of on an restricted license. An internship is undergrad student training. We just get fancy names for it. If they're going to let us loose on you with needles and meds, I guess they needed to make us sound somewhat important. I'm kidding. We go through a fuck load of training to even make it to internship. It's kind of like the steps you go through to get your drivers license, only longer and more expensive. To put it simply, we've done all our study, and now we're practising supervised until we finish our residency."

He had to give the guy credit for backing down on his initial determined mindset. He pressed his lips together and did give him an apologetic smile. "I'm generally too tired for random sex. It's more been wanting something worth it, or just not bothering at all. Kind of like preferring to eat a steak meal than running through the McDonalds drive-thru for a cheeseburger. Let's just say even at McDonalds, I've always preferred the McChicken. You're more than welcome to move onto the next guy if that's what you want. I'm not going to be offended. But my Quarter Pounder is off the menu tonight and other nights, until there's something more there than just a brief hook-up. You work for Ambrosiere and a date with me is the best special occasion to wear your outfit to...?" he asked a little uncertainly.

[fraternalfashionista]

"If I start singing 'It's a Small World,' darling, I really will have to blame it on you," Austin teased lightly with a playful grin. "But seriously. All the connections are just a little weird at this point. It sounds like you've got an awesome boss to work for. I can definitely vouch for how awesome that is. Rian's amazing, too. She's great at her job, has a brilliant eye for fashion, and knows how to work with other people. She's made me feel like part of the team since day one... I'm not just the guy who makes the Starbucks run, you know? And my brother's Angel Shaw. At least to the world at large he's Angel Shaw, but to me, he's just AJ." He continued to move rhythmically to the music as Beau explained the whole medical school thing to him. "That's unbelievable. I guess it's for the best that you guys get plenty of training. People's lives and health hang on you knowing what you're doing, so it can't be a bad plan to be super cautious about it. I don't think I could handle that much school myself. I don't know how people do it, but I guess if you've got a passion for something... anything, really... it makes you a lot more willing to put in the hard yards. Med school can't be easy, though. I don't envy you that in the slightest. I was lucky that what I loved was fashion. If you've got the eye for it, that's half the battle won. The rest is just kind of details that you sort out."

Austin had to smile right back when Beau smiled at him, and he shook his head just a little. "See... I knew you were capable of that... You looked like you'd have a nice smile. I have kind of an eye for that sort of thing. And I get what you're saying about the whole waiting for something special versus having junk now. I've just always kind of been one to scratch the itch when I have it... not to wait. But here's the thing... You intrigue me. You're different to any other guy I've ever met in here. So I'm not moving on tonight unless you want me to." The next song that started was one of his favorites, and he was obviously excited about, but he still managed to keep his focus in on Beau. "I haven't worn it yet. And I'll have other opportunities, sure, but why not? We could go somewhere nice... Have a nice dinner together and chat." What the fucking hell was he doing?! He never went for a date! But this guy, dammit... this guy was something special, and he wasn't even sure he could explain why.

[halfwaytoheaven]

"And I'll have to smack you in the face and suffocate you with the nearest patent leather vest that passes us," Beau had to counter, giving a small flick of his fingers. "Your pick-up lines suck, but it would have to be two strikes and you're out if your taste in music sucks too. There not so much weird as comforting. It's a huge city, and knowing you have a network of good people around when anything can be waiting around the corner for you is just a nice feeling. I have two brothers also in the city, and their other halves are connected to some great people as well. I don't think I'd really want it any other way. I'm a New York native, but the place can still be claustrophobic or lonely at the best of times." He raised his eyebrows a little. "Your brother is damn talented. I saw his New York show back in December when he kicked off his tour here. Does that run in the family? I don't look at what I do as school or a job. It's a way of life for me, which is something I have a second chance on anyway, so I value it even more."

He gave Austin a slight side-eyded look, but another veiled smile was playing on his lips. The guy was a smooth talker, but was that all he was? It was hard to tell, and not really know much about him, it was impossible to deduce anything just yet. For all Beau knew, he was just all a bank of bad pick-up lines, smooth-talking and other moves that got him laid whenever he wanted it. When it came to romance, the might might epically suck. "See, I'm not sure if I'm just some sort of challenge for you, a step out of the norm, and you're just telling me what I want to hear. I know how guys like you work. So, you're going to have to put your money where your mouth is to make me even care whether you stay or move on, darling."

[fraternalfashionista]

"Please don't touch me with patent leather," Austin replied with a scrunch of his nose. "There are some things worn to gay clubs that not even I can support or approve of. Which is saying something with how I'm dressed right now. I do realize that." Still, the threat was a damn good one, and Austin grinned, impressed with the sass factor. "My taste in music is actually decent... I mean, being the twin of a famous musician, I'd get disowned if I had shitty taste in music. Although, I do occasionally burst into Village People songs and get bitchglared. But I guess I can see that. You know you've got people who can be there for you in various situations. I'm a New Yorker, born and raised, too. It's just kind of always been home for me." He shrugged with a small smile. "He is. Growing up with him, he was always the one with the musical talent, and I always liked the pretty things. I mean, I can carry a tune, but I'm not a singer. That's cool, though... When you find a career that you love and are passionate about. There's something about waking up and being excited about what you're doing with your life that just makes it so much better."

Austin really couldn't blame Beau for thinking that way. He hadn't exactly come into this thing giving the other guy a "guy you take home to meet the family" vibe. Why would he think that Austin was serious about wanting to go on a date with him? To be entirely honest, even Austin wasn't sure why he was going on a date with Beau. He just wanted to, and Beau seemed like someone he could have a good time with. "Well," Austin began slowly, trying to think of a decent answer to that question that wouldn't just make him sound like some kind of dick. "I guess you can't really know for sure unless you give me a chance, can you? I've been turned down before, you know. Not often, but I have been. I don't usually hang around and ask the guy out afterward. Look, if you don't want to go out, that's fine. I understand, and I didn't exactly walk over to you with the best form to make you think I was looking for a real date. But if you think, even just a little that you might enjoy going on a date with me, I'd really like to take you on one."

[halfwaytoheaven]

Beau subtly took a glance to see where his brother and Ryan were, but it was hard to spot them in the crowd. He didn't want the guy to think he was bored, because he wasn't, but this just really wasn't a scene he had much interest in anymore and he was wondering how long he could keep up the pretence of it. Which was exactly why he wasn't sure if he should lead the guy on or not. He wasn't judgemental of people who did like this lifestyle at all. He used to be one of them once, but it was just hard to feel comfortable now knowing this is what led to Liam getting hurt. In fact, Beau had been one of the group of friends that night when it had happened, one of the guys who went into the bathroom looking for Liam when he hadn't come back and intercepted the attack. It's something he would never forget. Something that really wasn't this dude's fault, and he was just doing what he did. Probably had a lot of success in pulling this way too. At least he could have asked Ryan and Brad for some advice on how to proceed, but they were nowhere in immediate sight and he wasn't about to explain that his best friend's rape was the reason nightclubs weren't his scene, and thanks but no thanks. "Don't you know guilt by association is a bit of a myth? Just because your twin has good taste in music, doesn't mean it doesn't extend to you. Maybe you spend your whole time locked up in your room listening to Vanilla Ice and he would never know," he pointed out with a smirk. "I wouldn't say I wake up every day excited, but I don't wake up dreading it. I mean, I face most days knowing we could lose patients. But that's what it's all about. It balances out when you can give someone remission news. There's nothing quite like it."

He shrugged. "I can know for sure if it's a no," he pointed out. It was true. He could just outright tell the guy he wasn't interested to cut his losses. It was trying to decide if he wanted to jump through the next hurdle that came from this sort of thing. On one hand, he sort of needed to get back in the saddle after everything, but on the other hand, he didn't want to bother with that if the guy was going to end up just honestly being all talk and move back onto the next hard dick that's waved in his face. Bragging about not being turned down often wasn't getting Beau's motor running either. He just quirked an eyebrow at him for a moment in response to that. "Then maybe you should move on to denim dude over in the corner and save yourself the embarrassment of a tainted record, hm? I'm sure he has a huge dick you can suck in the backroom and go on your merry way knowing how awesome you are," he said with an air of bitchiness to his tone that showed he wasn't going to be any sort of fucking consolation prize because they dude next to him would hump the guy in a heartbeat. "Am I supposed to be impressed and grateful you're sacrificing yourself for me?" he added with a feigned pout, putting an overexaggerated hand on his heart. If the guy wanted to win him over, it wasn't going to work with him acting like Beau was winning some sort of prize for the guy's troubles.

[fraternalfashionista]

Austin, to the contrary, had never not been part of this side of the nightlife. He'd more than learned his lesson about some parts of this, though. He never used drugs anymore, and he made 100% sure that every guy he fucked, there was a condom in use. He never again wanted to wake up with the sinking feeling that he wasn't sure if he'd used protection, and he certainly never wanted to have to call AJ again and ask to be picked up and go to a free clinic for testing. "Well, that may be true," Austin replied honestly. "But I promise you I don't listen to Vanilla Ice. Not even for nostalgia's sake, because that's honestly just painful." His eyes turned to glance over Beau's face, and he couldn't help smiling, too. There was seriously something special about this guy, and he wasn't sure he could put a finger on it, but fuck did he want a chance this time. "So every day, there's a chance you have to give someone the worst news of their life, or the chance you get to give them the best. Sounds to me like one hell of a gamble, babe."

"Okay, that's fair enough," Beau admitted with a shrug. He really didn't want this guy to just turn him down without giving him a chance, though. But then he had to wonder if he was the one fucking this up somehow. And when Beau spoke, it was pretty much a direct answer to that particular question, though it may have been said in a more roundabout way, and Austin put up a hand quickly to stop him. "Hey, I'm not going for trying to defend a record here," he explained. "That's not... shit, that's not what I meant. I just meant that usually, if I get turned down, I take it as it comes, and move on to the next person to try again. I get it, I'm a great big Slutty McSkankypants. And yes, I come here trawling for the next hard cock most of the time, and that's all I really concern myself with. But for whatever reason, I don't want to just walk away from you, Beau. I'm a whore, but I'm not a dog who doesn't know how to make decisions. I'm not sacrificing myself for you... That's not what I'm trying to get at at all. I just... I'm just asking for a chance, babe. That's all.'

[halfwaytoheaven]

Beau just gave a little shrug. "Most days, we do give people the worst new of their life. But the thing is, it's something I'm not desensitised to. I know what they're dealing with, and how it feels. I think that's what gives me a leg-up in the business. It might seem like a gamble, but there's nothing of a gamble about cancer. In fact, it's one of the most black and white things in life. You have it, or you don't. You don't, you should be grateful and never take your health for granted. You do, and you survive, you probably won't ever take anything for granted again. That's not just cancer, though. It's anything that knocks you out of your comfort zone and causes you pain."

His cheeks puffed out with a hint of a bored breath that he let out slowly as he listened to the guy defence. "Here's a hint. You want to proceed anywhere with me, it might be a good idea to stop reminding me how much sex you have, can get, where, and with whom," he began with a bored wave of his hand. The guy's sex life was the last thing Beau wanted to waste his time hearing about. So, he was a slut, he trawled for cock, and very rarely got turned down. So what? Was it supposed to be an epic turn-on? Because it really wasn't. He had got the message loud and clear as soon as the guy had opened his mouth, and it was labouring a point that Beau was already uncomfortable with. "Change the record, dude. Seriously. There's got to be more to you than a cock in tight pants or a mouth who likes to teabag. You're going to have to work harder, because a 'whore'," he said, curling his fingers into quotation marks, "isn't what I'm here looking for. I'm not a prude, I'm not a virgin, I've done the casual sex, even friends-with-benefits thing. Chalked it up to life experience and now I need more substance. And no, I'm not trying to change who you ultimately are, but if all you are is just a dick in leather pants, then this isn't going to work and we'd probably be better cutting our losses sooner rather than later."

[fraternalfashionista]

Austin couldn't fully understand what that was like, because he wasn't a doctor, and had no concept of what it would feel like to give someone news that was any worse than, "Your outfit clashes, and you look horrible. Try again." But he could remember being on the waiting end, not knowing whether or not he was going to get good news. Sitting in that clinic with AJ sitting next to him feeling for all the world like he was going to be sick or drop dead from the stress. And then the relief when he was told that he didn't have HIV. He'd never forget that day as long as he lived. And when he thought about what Beau was saying... maybe it was time that he, too, start thinking a little more about how lucky he was to be in good health... and what he was doing with it. "That's... It's no wonder you're not just here looking for sex... You spend every day dealing with people who live and breathe the concept of life's too short. You don't want to waste your time on random shit when that's not what you want for the long run. That makes a lot of sense. Why should you settle for less than what you want anyway?"

Beau wasn't playing games anymore. He wasn't going to humor Austin. Which, Austin had to admit, was fair enough. Why sit there and listen to this if you weren't in the least bit interested? But the fact he was listening meant that he was giving Austin a chance to prove something... And so far, all Austin had done was to prove the exact opposite. He was a mantart, but that didn't mean that was all he was, or all he could be. And what Beau wanted was to see if that side of him existed or not, because if it didn't, there was no point in continuing any of this conversation. "Okay, no. I'm not just a cock in leather pants. And I'm capable of discussing more than just sex. It's just... been a really long time since I met a guy who wanted that. It's sort of a habit now, but that doesn't mean I can't go a different direction. This isn't all of who I am, Beau. And it's not who I want to be forever, either. Of course I want to have something more than this some day. I know a lot of these guys don't, but I do. My parents are still in love after years and years of marriage, and most people don't get that lucky. I know what that looks like, and sure, it's something that I want someday. But I just don't have... I don't have a lot of experience talking to someone like you around here. So can we maybe try again?" He paused, ever the drama queen, and backed away from Beau several steps before walking back toward him again with a friendly smile and saying, "Hi... I'm Austin. Do you want to dance?"

[halfwaytoheaven]

Sure, that... and the fact he had nearly died from it himself, and that his best friend had been raped closely followed by a very real suicide attempt. Those things definitely weren't something Beau was just going to casually drop into a conversation on the first meeting of a guy. It wasn't that he would hide his past history of cancer by any means. If someone outright asked him about it, he would tell them. He wasn't ashamed, it could just had that hit or miss of veering a conversation into awkward moment territory. He usually liked to get a feel for someone before he shared those personal details about himself. So, he just shrugged. "Sex doesn't really do it for me unless there's something more behind it." Austin could make of that what he will. It was the truth. Beau liked a connection with someone, and it was why he and Liam could ultimately remain best friends once they realised a relationship wasn't working with them. If they just had each other there for sex, they would probably barely remember each other's names anymore.

If they were sitting at a table right now, Beau would be drumming his fingers on it with borderline disinterest. Austin had a small window and it was ready to slam shut. It wasn't his fault, not by any means. It was all Beau, and he would take complete blame for that. He hadn't wanted to be here to start with, so he wasn't open to any of this random bullshit environments like this usually invited. Austin had just drawn the short straw on who he had zeroed in on with his bad pick-up lines that probably would have worked on about twenty of the dudes surrounding them. He held up his hand and gave a small shake of his head. The pleasantries could wait for the practicalities. "Okay, first, I have a couple of questions for you. One, when was the last time you had a sexual health screening? And two, how many regular lays do you have? Because I'm not even going to let you put your hands on me unless you can answer the first with an adequate window of time. As to the second, I know a lot of people like you have dudes as fallbacks if you can't pick up. Open relationships, or whatever. If you're into that, then denim dude really is more your prospect because I don't share."

[fraternalfashionista]

Austin looked over Beau's face quietly, even as the music thumped on around them. There was no doubt about it, the two of them were epically different, with very different ideas about relationships, dating, sex... all of the things that generally brought people to a club like this one. But the fact was, different though it may have been, there was no question that what Beau was saying was making sense to Austin. Not to say that sex didn't do it for him if it was casual, because it very much did, and had for a long time. But there was something in Austin that did wonder what it would be like to make love with someone that you truly cared about as opposed to being fucked senseless in the back of a club like this one. Granted, he'd dated once, and while it had been fun, it had been short-lived because Austin wasn't ready for anything like that, and honestly, neither had his ex been. He and Rhett remained good friends, even to this day. But they had both been a little off the mark maturity wise to ever make a relationship work between the two of them.

Beau stopped Austin in the middle of his little spiel, and asked two very serious questions right off the bat. Again, questions Austin couldn't really blame him for asking, and he thought very quickly before giving an answer on either of them. "My last sexual health screening was... last month. I try to have one every month, just for the sake of safety, and..." Well, and because of his past history with a major fuck up that could very well have ended him, but that wasn't something that Beau needed to be told about just yet, either. He was trying to land a date with the guy... not to share with him all the sordid details of his past mistakes. "I don't really do regular lays," he admitted. "I always figured if I had a boyfriend, I'd have a boyfriend, but in the meantime, I didn't want anything to get complicated by having regular sex with anybody. It's not my thing. You're either dating, or you fuck whoever you want whenever you want. I don't judge other people who have those kinds of relationships, but it's not really me."