#this definitely would become a vampire!eddie fic if i continued jt

[bittersweet-skylines]

Steve has been dragged to another themed dance night at a random club in Indianapolis. It’s a long drive for one night of partying, but Robin loves going to them, regardless of the theme, and Steve doesn’t mind it if it means getting to drink and party with his best friend for a bit.

Tonight is themed around emo music, and it’s a lot of music he doesn’t know with the occasional one he does sprinkled in (who doesn’t know Sugar, We’re Going Down?), but with his minimal music taste that’s not a surprise.

Neither of them are dressed the part for the music, both taking emo to mean “all black” which seems to be the theme for everyone else as well.

Robin is somewhere on the dance floor and Steve is lingering by the bar with a drink in his hand. From the back of the room, he can take everything in.

The DJ stands on her platform at the front, hyping up the crowd as the guitar starts up for a song that gets everyone excited and then he’s greeted with the lead singer screaming something he can’t understand.

The crowd looks relatively tame, dancing in their small clusters of friends. He doesn’t know why he was expecting mosh pits or fist fights, but he isn’t complaining about it. Maybe it’s just because the music wasn’t live, or maybe it’s because half the crowd looks just as confused about the music as he is.

The point is, the crowd looks normal, which makes the small group of people hanging out by the wall all the more noticeable.

Four guys stand up against the wall of the dance floor, each with more wild hair than the last. All of them were cladded in leather with battle jackets and heavy jewelry. All of their silhouettes are sharp and heavy. Ironically, they seemed the most out of place.

They bob along with the music happily enough, and Steve of all people couldn’t judge, but they seemed just as lost as he is with the music.

Steve finds himself staring at one of them. He has long, curly hair and stands the tallest of them all. Somehow, his gaze finds Steve’s from across the room and suddenly he’s very grateful for the dim lighting to hide his flush of embarrassment.

Steve sneaks a second glance. The guy returns his attention to his friends and he gets to watch him for a few seconds this time.

He knows he shouldn’t be staring, but it’s impossible not to. He can’t explain it, but he’s just transfixed on this beautiful man across the room.

He looks away to try and find Robin in the crowd, but when he looks back, he’s gone.

Steve turns to head towards the dance floor again, ready to just shrug it off, when his gaze meets the mysterious person again. This time, he’s right in front of Steve, and he’s talking to him.

He can’t hear what comes out of his mouth, but he manages to read his lips in the dark.

“A little underdressed to be judging the crowd, don’t you think?”

Steve laughs awkwardly. He’s not wrong. Steve’s only wearing a black t shirt and a pair of jeans. Light washed jeans, at that, but at least Robin smudged some eyeliner around his eyes before they left.

“I was admiring, actually,” he replies. The other gives him a curious look and Steve just shrugs, a small smile on his face.

He must have said something to him, because the other is watching Steve expectantly, and instinctually he taps his ear and gives the disclaimer; “I can’t hear you.”

The other doesn’t repeat whatever he said. Instead he makes a gesture that implies going outside for a smoke, and after a beat, Steve decides to follow him.

Outside, the air is chilled and there’s nothing that remains of the music except the intense bass. They walk together a few feet down, and then the stranger leans against the wall and lights a cigarette before he hands the pack to Steve.

“So, admiring, huh?”

“I mean, when you look the way you do, it’s hard not to,” Steve says. It’s easier outside. He can hear him properly, as long as he keeps slightly to the right of the stranger. He lights his own cigarette and exhales the smoke away from the other.

“Sure you weren’t just staring at the one group that actually stood out?” he teases. Steve shakes his head.

“That would just be hypocritical.”

The conversation sky rockets from there. He learns that the other is in a band, and they ended up here because their drummer knows the DJ and had promised that it was “definitely their scene”. He assures Steve that he doesn’t mind the music, but it’s definitely not his scene. Steve mentions Robin and how she loves this specific club, and how he never knows the music but he doesn’t care that much anyways. The stranger is skeptical at Steve’s proclamation that music isn’t a very big deal, and they both laugh it off after he cracks another joke about it.

“Your gaze drifts a lot, you know. Maybe we should cut you off?” he teases. Steve flicks his gaze up from the other’s lips and smiles softly.

“Maybe I just like what I see,” he replies.

“Right. Yeah, just admiring my lips. No ulterior motives, huh?” For a second, Steve thinks that maybe he got it all wrong, but then the other steps in until there’s just a books length between them.

“What if there was?”

“You’d win,” the other says honestly. Steve smiles, the butterflies giddy in his stomach. He hesitates only for a moment before he leans in and kisses the stranger, soft but letting it linger until he pulls away.

“I should go find my friends,” he says as he pulls away. “And you should get inside. You’re going to freeze.”

Steve doesn’t want to. He could talk to this stranger for hours and it would still be intoxicating, but he’s already walking back towards the entrance, so Steve follows.

“I’ll come find you before the nights over, if you want. We’ll make plans to take you to a real party sometime,” he offers right before they part at the doors. Steve nods, because of course he wants to find him again, and then he’s off.

Only, he doesn’t find him again. Steve finds Robin and dances with her, and enjoys the night with his friend. For a while he can spot his stranger in the crowd with ease, but then it gets harder until Steve can only assume he’s just gone.

It’s not the first time this has happened, but for some reason, this time leaves him with a pang of regret.

He didn’t even get his name.