Lizzy’s voice coming from the speakers turned most people’s attention back to the stage. In light distorted by sweet-smelling smoke from special weed-packed cigarettes Beast forbade Laurent to accept, his bright yellow contact lenses made Lizzy look like yet another creature of the underworld. Despite enjoying the stage so much, Lizzy seemed quite tame when he spoke, clearing his throat before presenting the young women as Hellcats. The music the band produced right after did sound like a bag of cats tossed into the river Styx, but Laurent was getting used to it and just had some more wine to dull his senses somewhat.
His eyes wandered, and across the room he spotted Beast. The handsome profile was prominent above the crowd that barely reached Beast’s shoulders, his hair had been styled with particular care earlier, his clothes so fresh Laurent couldn’t stop himself from burying his face in Beast’s chest before they left the apartment. Purple light cast dark shadows on his face, as if the words scribbled all over melted, creating pools of ink in the creases.
To others, Beast might not be the dashing suitor one would fall for at the snap of fingers, but Laurent saw everything Beast represented. The strength that gave Laurent a thrill when Beast carried him to the bedroom. The emotional depth of the Dante quotes in Latin sprinkled all over Beast’s body. The tenderness of hands that looked as if they were made only to mete out violence.
Laurent wasn’t going blind anymore and he’d seen enough of the world to know that out of the two of them he would be the one considered conventionally attractive. But it was Beast who held Laurent’s hand throughout the operation on his other eye, and it was Beast who explained this new world to him.
Because of Beast’s kindness, strangers could think that Laurent looked past Beast’s exterior, that he was somehow generous with his affection to someone who others called a beast. But apart from all the gentle traits in Beast’s personality, Laurent wasn’t simply wishing to remain in his care. In fact, he was also greedy for touch and selfish about having all of Beast to himself. He was not doing Beast a favor by being with him, because it was Beast who made Laurent’s body spasm and shiver. He took their lovemaking to a point where Laurent was too overwhelmed by pleasure to remember propriety and shamelessly gave in to the crude, animalistic fucking.
Such, such good fucking.
So when his eyes met Beast’s, all that mattered was that the two of them knew what they meant to each other.
Beast grinned so widely it made his burnt face look somewhat asymmetrical, but it was yet another quirk of his appearance that Laurent had learnt to love about his man. Like any other supposed imperfection, it was a part of him, and made him seem somehow even more handsome.
Beast patted the man he’d been talking to on the back and made his way through the herd of drunk people who danced to the horrendous music. He never looked away from Laurent as he swam toward him through the purple sea of heads.
Modern people didn’t know how to properly dance, it seemed, but with Beast Laurent would gladly just move around to the rhythm, because it would feel good to be close.
A strong shove to his back sent Laurent closer to Beast, and when he looked back, Nao, who now embraced a youngish guy with a red beard, gestured for Laurent to go.
Laurent stood on his toes to get a kiss from Beast. “Late,” he said, but didn’t mind really. He’d had fun with Nao, pointing out who had the worst costume.
Beast leaned down so that his lips brushed against Laurent’s ear, and he needed to actually scream to be heard over the ungodly racket. “Needed to deal with something. I’m all yours now,” he said, and his large hands slid to Laurent’s hips, pulling him closer, and then between the other people, who danced in groups or in pairs.
A woman nearby was bent over and rubbed her buttocks against the crotch of the man standing behind her. Laurent wouldn’t have been comfortable dancing like that, not with everyone watching, but he didn’t even have to ask Beast whether he’d want such a thing or not.
Sometimes, it really felt like they could communicate without words, and when Beast rested one palm on Laurent’s back and pulled his fingers down Laurent’s arm, they both moved slowly, to a rhythm only they could hear.
Laurent wrapped his arms around Beast’s waist, marvelling at what a sturdy presence Beast was. “I still never know how to dance to these modern melodies,” he said and put his cheek on Beast’s chest.
“Just ignore it. This is much better,” Beast yelled at Laurent while they languidly rolled over the floor, hugging one another as if this was the most natural thing in the world. Throughout his time here Laurent learned that not all people in 2017 were as accepting of two men being together as he’d hoped, but that didn’t seem important when the people who actually mattered were completely fine with his desires. The world was changing at a slower pace than he’d initially imagined, but maybe it was really Beast that he’d been meant to meet? Even with the noise attacking them from all sides, he could hear the firm heartbeat against his ear and delight in it.