Who: Toby and Zach When: evening, Sunday, June 3rd Where: Dragonfly Status: complete
The weekends were always kind of up and down when it came to Zach’s moods, he’d found. If he had good nights on cam Friday and Saturday, he felt great and usually relaxed completely the Sunday after, lounging around being lazy with Jai. But if they were bad nights ... well, he got restless. It was probably all backwards, but not making much money always made him want to go out and forget he hadn’t made much by spending a chunk of what he did have. It was an immature way of licking his wounds, he supposed, but Zach was always compelled to have some kind of fun when he was in a bad mood. Stewing never helped anything, so distraction was a better option.
This particular Sunday, Jai hadn’t wanted to accompany him, more content to chill before his work week started. Zach understood that totally, but he just couldn’t stay in the house. So he’d put on a decent pair of jeans and a tight t-shirt, grabbed his keys, and headed out the door a while after the sun went down. He headed to Dragonfly, because the vibe there was always good. It would be crowded on a Sunday, but maybe he would run into somebody he knew who wanted to hang out for a bit or something. Zach felt like being social, his extrovert battery low from a slow couple of nights online. When he arrived at the club, he headed for the bar and settled in, feeling better almost instantly from just being out. Zach settled on one of the chairs at the bar, sipping his vodka and cranberry when it came and letting his eyes wander over the other patrons.
It had been months since Toby had only worked one job and it suddenly felt like he had more time than he knew what to do with, even while working a forty hour work week. His Sunday had been completely free, so he pampered himself--he slept in, took a bubble bath, met a friend for lunch, then came back home and took a nap. After he'd painted his nails and caught up on The Bachelorette, Toby was bored and going to bed early felt like a waste. He was wide awake and wired, so he pulled on his skinny jeans and a floral button down and headed out to Dragonfly.
As soon as he walked in, he knew it was the right decision. The place just had a vibe that he loved, one that lifted his spirits no matter how bizarre his week had been. Toby scanned the bar as he headed towards it, picking out a familiar face and taking the chair beside him. "Hey there," he smiled at Zach. "Mind if I join you?"
It was hard to miss the guy who strolled up to the bar, tall and handsome and decked out in an eye-catching floral. It took Zach an extra second or two to recognize him, since the only times he’d met Toby at the Rayners’, he’d been in much more subdued scrubs. But it clicked as soon as Toby was close enough to sit down, and Zach beamed at him. “Well hey,” he replied, feeling a little flush of happiness that he suddenly had company now. “Toby, right? From Addie’s place? You look different with no scrubs.” Zach grinned and glanced down at him, obviously appreciating the difference. Was the vodka working on him already? Or was it just the vibe in Dragonfly? Or both? Didn’t matter, probably. “How’s it going?”
Toby knew there was a chance that Zach might not remember him, since they’d only met a handful of times when he’d been working at the Rayners, but he’d been hoping he might. He grinned and angled his chair towards Zach, still waiting for the bartender to make his way over. “It’s good! Glad to get out for a bit, wear something a little more flattering, show off my girlish figure.” He posed, fluffing his hair dramatically, his other hand on his hip. It was nice to be recognized despite his change in attire. It felt like he’d been living in scrubs for so long that the rest of his closet had been rotting away. “I’ve been pulling doubles for a while, helping the Rayners out, but they’ve given me some time off and it feels like I’m on vacation now.”
Zach gave a delighted laugh at the primping before he took a sip of his own drink. It hadn’t escaped his notice that Toby was cute before when Zach had been introduced, but he’d always been there to visit with Addie, and Toby was working. Not a great environment for feeling the guy out for flirting, but now they were both here and Toby had helped himself to a seat and that shirt was flattering on him. “Well, happy quasi-vacation to you then,” he said, lifting his drink for a little toast before he realized Toby didn’t have one of his own yet. “Got anything fun planned, or is this kinda it?” Zach grinned and gestured to their surroundings. Dragonfly was a great getaway for the evening, but he wouldn’t call hanging out there on a Sunday a vacation-worthy plan.
“This is it so far,” Toby grinned. “It only just started. I’m hoping maybe I’ll get down to the beach, pretend I’m somewhere more tropical, maybe stick an umbrella in my drink. I wanna see if they have anything planned for Pride. If so, I’ll go to that, otherwise maybe a trip to Bangor is in order. Oh, and I want a bonfire. I feel like a summer camp out is in order. With s’mores. And liquor.” He had visions of dancing around the fire in the dark, like a witch conjuring some kind of demon or god, yet as dark as that imagery was it was all in good fun. He needed some escapism to indulge in considering reality was likely far more grim. Sometime soon, Jane would lay out their plan of attack and everything would go to hell. But Toby didn’t want to think about that tonight. He wanted to indulge in the fantasy while he could.
“Oh damn,” Zach said with another bright grin. “Those are awesome plans.” He happened to love summer camp outs and bonfires and hanging out at the beach, even if the water was always freezing. Jai didn’t always like to go do stuff like that with him, so he usually ended up dragging a couple of his more outdoorsy friends along. The bit about Pride was a good sign that Toby wasn’t straight, but Zach didn’t want to assume -- some people were just allies who loved a colorful party. “How much time off did they give you? ... wait, is Addie’s dad okay?” It occurred to him belatedly that all this time off for the in-home nurse might mean that the elder Mr. Rayner had died or something, and that meant he really needed to check on his friend.
It had been so long since Toby was mistaken for straight that he sometimes forgot that not everyone knew he was gay. He was sometimes so loud and proud that he might as well have had a tattoo on his forehead, though in reality people mostly knew from talking to him. A little nail polish or eyeliner didn't mean anything these days, but he'd never been shy about voicing his preferences. "You should join me!" he grinned. "I mean, it's a little late for going to the beach right now, but as soon as we have a decently sunny day, I'll set something up." Of course, he still had his day job, but he'd never worked a normal nine-to-five, Monday through Friday shift. "Oh, I think he's fine," he was quick to add. "Silas just said they were making different arrangements for a while. And they'd call me if they needed me again. Which was fine. I kind of bit off more than I could chew taking two jobs at once." It wasn't at all true, but he'd promised Silas he'd keep quiet about what was really going on and he wasn't about to spill the truth to a pretty face at the bar.
The immediate warm invitation made Zach’s cheeks feel a little hot with surprised pleasure. He sometimes felt like he had a big TRANS tattoo on his own forehead, like it had to be obvious to everyone around him, even if all the evidence pointed toward him passing just fine. Sure, there were people around who knew because they remembered him from before he started to transition, or people who knew because he’d told them, but Toby wasn’t in either one of those categories. Was he genuinely flirting with Zach? It seemed a little far fetched, but he felt too good not to roll with it. “That’s good,” he said. “About Mr. Rayner, I mean. Me and Addie have been friends for ... pfft, a long-ass time.” He laughed a bit. “But uh, yeah! I’m always down for the beach, just say when.” There wasn’t a whole hell of a lot to do in Point Pleasant, especially if one had been a resident for a long time, but accompanying a hot guy to the beach sounded delightful. “Gotta make the most outta the summer while it lasts around here, right?”
Toby was indeed flirting with Zach, but that was in part because he flirted with just about everyone, making it hard for those who knew him to tell when he was serious or not. Zach was hot though and he genuinely thought he would enjoy his company, even if asking him to join him was a bit forward, even for him. It made him wonder if he’d been tied up with work for too long, making him desperate for some kind of connection. Or maybe he was just feeling ballsy. Usually it took a drink or two to get there, but he was just feeling it tonight. When the bartender stopped by, he ordered himself an old fashioned, then continued his conversation with Zach without missing a beat. “The summer around here’s far too short. I feel like I haven’t seen the sun in months. I’m gonna get out there and be so pale, I’ll glow. We won’t need the sun—I can be the source of light!” he laughed. “I do wish the water was warmer. It’s hard to do much more than stick your feet in.”
He asked for a refill while the bartender was there, then Zach laughed along with Toby, shaking his head a bit. “Man, I feel you, I am fish-belly-white all over,” he said. “I think that’s pretty accepted up here though. Now if you went to Florida or Cali or something and stripped on the beach, it would blind people and they would definitely have you arrested.” He grinned, just the thought of a more tropical-weather beach making him happy. He’d always thought about moving to a warmer climate, somewhere with hot tanned people and waves you could play in, but he knew from experience that he couldn’t be separated from Jai, so they would have to agree on a place, and they just ... hadn’t yet. Point Pleasant’s strange gravity still had them. “Are you from here? Or an import?”
“Gotta stick to these northern beaches then,” Toby snickered, taking a sip of his drink. “At least until I get a base tan, if that’s at all possible.” Maybe later in the summer he’d take an actual vacation, but for now he could enjoy what he had within reach. Toby was good at making grand plans in the moment, but when they required a lot of work and follow through that was always harder. Things that required plane tickets, rental cars, and hotel reservations rarely happened, but it didn’t stop him from dreaming. “Point Pleasant born and bred,” Toby smiled. “I left for college, but still ended up back here for some bizarre reason. Guess I love small town life more than I thought. What about you? I’m guessing native, since you’ve known Addie forever.” Zach could have moved there when he was young, though. Or it could be an exaggeration. Toby was known to those himself, so he tried not to make too many assumptions about other people.
“Yup, same here, been here all my life,” Zach answered with an easy smile. That had been why Toby had looked familiar when he’d seen him at Addie’s place -- they obviously hadn’t been in the same circle of friends, there were probably a few years age gap between them, but you didn’t life in a town the size of Point Pleasant without seeing a bunch of the same people all the time. Being as glued to Jai as he had been and trying to hide himself away for so long until he started transitioning ... well, Zach hadn’t been the most sociable teenager. Things were different now though, now he was flirting with a guy at a bar and it was awesome. “And yes, before the inevitable question comes up -- I believe in plenty of crazy stuff,” he added, dimpling as he grinned. “Maybe not like, all of it, but ... you know this town. I’m not blind.” Zach sipped his drink again.
“Thank god,” Toby laughed. “I can’t handle the people that don’t see any of it. Like, I get that there’s a lot, and some of it can seem far fetched, but if someone was really drugging our water supply as often as they use that excuse, I feel like we’d have the FBI tearing this place apart because that’d have to be a shitton of LSD.” Or something like it. Toby didn’t know what drug would make an entire town believe there were monsters in the fog, or what would drive them all to madness or exhaustion, but he’d seen it often enough to know that it was real, even without his own life experience. “What’s, like, the craziest story you’ve ever heard? Not something you’ve experienced yourself, ‘cause that’s too real. But one of those things that feels too out there to be real.”
The trope of the water being drugged made Zach laugh. “Listen, I’ve tried enough drugs to know better,” he agreed, grinning. “You can pull that shit over on the rural rubes, but those of us who know what tripping actually feels like?” He shook his head with emphasis and sipped his drink again. Zach didn’t have explanations for all or even most of what went on in this town, but he knew first-hand that some of it had to be true. He was one of the smaller-time weirdos in town, but it still counted. Zach made an exaggerated thoughtful face at Toby’s question, pursing his lips and humming. “The only thing coming to mind ... I heard a rumor that like ... the Cooperdale Tunnel eats people. Not just like, people die there? But they actually disappear into the belly of some invisible beast. That one made me side eye a bit,” he chuckled. “What about you?”
“You would be shocked at how many people actually believe they’ve experienced the same bad trip as their friends. I see it all the time in the ER and people just don’t get it. I think it’s easier to believe that than reality,” Toby said. He’d never done much more than smoke pot himself, but that was a form of self preservation on his part. He’d always had an addictive personality and wasn’t sure how his brain would handle drugs. The last thing he needed was his powers amplified and out of his control. “I one hundred percent believe that tunnel is cursed, but I think it actually eating people might be a bit extreme,” he snickered. “I heard a rumor that we have a local vampire that’s feeding on the town, and every time he goes on a killing spree he uses his mind control to make it look like some kind of an accident. I believe in a lot, but I feel like an actual, blood sucking vampire might be pushing my limits a bit.”
He nodded along to the first part, agreeing that people’s weird-ass excuses had to be easier to believe than reality, for them. Zach felt pretty hashtag-blessed that he hadn’t experienced anything truly awful in Point Pleasant, but he also knew it might just be a matter of time. He’d seen some ghosts and strange things, gotten the heebie-jeebies in different places, lived through the fog, and there was of course the psychic bond his mother had put on him and Jai ... but he at least hadn’t been tortured or kidnapped or anything. Toby’s story about the vampire made Zach laugh, possibly a bit too loudly, and he wrinkled his nose. “I’ve got a personal rule that if anything sounds like it came from a show on the CW, I don’t believe it,” he said, grinning. “If it’s too corny, it can’t be real. Does he sparkle too?” He snickered and sipped his drink.
Zach's laugh made Toby grin, pleased with himself for achieving it. He had a lot stories in his head, but that was one of the few that he was sure was fake. "Don't you dare knock on the CW vampires," he grinned. "I wouldn't want them in my town, but they were always pretty to look at. And they definitely didn't sparkle. Though they could have, with the right amount of glitter." Everyone had a glitter threshold, in Toby's opinion, and most of those men didn't need any to be truly fabulous, but he still thought it could be fun in the right time and place. Just like eyeliner, some of which Toby was rocking tonight in a shade of deep purple that matched some of flowers on his shirt. "I'll take corny any day though. The campier, the better."
That seemed to make perfect sense, from just looking at Toby, and Zach let his smile turn a little more sly. It was always easier to flirt with people in Dragonfly for some reason, and his lower belly was feeling nicely warm and a little tingly from all this positive attention from a cute guy. “Duly noted, I’ll have to work on upping my corniness, learn some good dad jokes,” he said. He actually knew quite a few, but Toby might be one of those people who thought that kind of thing was cringey, and he didn’t want to take the risk quite yet. He swiveled a bit on his stool, turning himself even more toward Toby. “So are you Dr. Frank-N-Furter every Halloween or what?” He grinned.
“Oh my god, I haven’t pulled out my fishnets in years,” Toby laughed, feeling a touch of heat rise to his cheeks. He was never self-conscious when performing, but the idea that he was that transparent was mildly embarrassing. He wasn’t really into drag, but there was something about taking the stage in a corset and black panties that was freeing in another way. It wasn’t really him. It was Dr. Frank-N-Furter. “Please tell me that was a wide guess and that you’re not psychic. No, you can’t be because the answer is no, that would be a waste! I can always find an excuse to be Frank, but Halloween is a chance for something new and exciting.” He was still a theater kid at heart and Halloween was a chance to put on a show. Toby always dressed up and never recycled a costume, no matter how good the last one was.
Zach laughed again, delighted that he’d pegged Toby correctly. It was just the look he had -- the dark wavy hair, the eyeliner, the way he held his body -- that said he’d make a great Frank. And if he was really into camp, surely that was something he’d already discovered about himself. “Just an educated guess,” he said, still dimpling. Zach quirked his eyebrows up. “And maybe a desire to see you in fishnets? Who can say.” Fishnets were hot on all genders, in his personal opinion, along with eyeliner, which Toby already seemed good at. He finished off the drink in his hand and set the empty glass down. “I personally try to be the worst pun possible every Halloween, it drives my brother nuts.” Which was obviously part of the fun of it all.
"That could be arranged," Toby grinned, biting his lip as he felt a flush spread over his chest. It had been a good long time since anyone had flirted with him, with Point Pleasant not being the very best place to meet other guys, and he'd forgotten just how exhilarating it could be. He wasn't drunk, or high, or at a club where he was unlikely to see Zach ever again, which meant he was maybe actually interested. Even if nothing came of it, it was exciting in the moment. "So what were you last Halloween? You know, I can't think of a single silly pun costume when put on the spot." If he were to pull out his phone, he could google a thousand different options, but Toby's focus remained on Zach, his body turned more fully towards him as he leaned into the conversation. "Except for, like... a cat burglar, and I'm sure you could do better than that."
The first part made Zach’s smile widen even further. His cheeks were starting to hurt with it all, but Toby was smiling at him just as much, so he couldn’t stop. Point Pleasant was fairly progressive for how rural it was, but that didn’t mean there were scores of single gay boys just waiting to be found. Zach had dated a small handful of them, while most of his attention went into Jai. But that wasn’t something they could be public with, and they were open about seeing other people, so it was kind of a rush to be flirting out in the world like this. “Cat burglar, I think I did that one back when I was like, eleven,” he teased. “Last year I got one of those baby carrier things that people wear?” Zach gestured toward the front of his torso to demonstrate. “And I stuck a big bag of sugar in the front of it and carried a bottle around and called myself a sugar daddy. Wore socks with sandals and everything. Though the effect wasn’t as good since I had to wear pants. Halloween should totally be in the summertime. Or I need to move somewhere warmer.” He gave a crooked grin.
“Oh my god, that is fantastic,” Toby grinned. “Though if Halloween were in the summertime, every costume would end up being sexy. Which isn’t really a bad thing, now that I think of it.” He knew it was a holiday for kids though, and he knew a lot of parents would be upset if their kids couldn’t go trick or treating because of the adults running around half dressed. At least right now, the cold kept the parties inside. “I’ve been working my way through fairy tales and comic books, with the occasional movie. Some costumes are better than others, but last year I was Jareth the Goblin King and that felt pretty epic.” He’d absolutely loved the pants, but there just weren’t that many reasons to wear them outside the costume.
Zach’s expression turned as close to the heart-eye emoji as a human face could at hearing that and he sat forward even closer. “Jareth? Ohmygod, do you have pictures? I demand pictures,” he said, grinning brightly. Zach had grown up loving that movie, and seeing David Bowie’s package so prominently displayed through the whole thing had filled him with lust and envy at the same time. He definitely wanted to see Toby’s version of it now. “That’s so awesome though, probably a more fun theme than puns, but like, way more work.” In spite of his abundance of energy, Zach could be lazy about some things, and most anything that took a lot of planning wasn’t really his forte. He could maybe pull something epic off one year, but all of them? Definitely not.
Nothing could beat a reaction like that and Toby was suddenly struck with the desire to kiss Zach, right there in the bar, unprompted. He didn’t, he wouldn’t, but he felt like Zach might happily accept it if he did, which meant it wasn’t out of the question. It was just a touch too forward, even for him, feeling as fabulous as he felt right now. “I do have pictures,” he grinned, laughing softly as he pulled out his phone. He wouldn’t have pulled them out if Zach hadn’t asked for them, but since he had… Toby scrolled back to Halloween, then offered the phone to Zach. “It’s a stupid amount of work, but it’s the one day a year I get to over-indulge the theater kid inside me that’ll never die.” Toby could be hyper-focused at times, especially on something he really wanted, and Halloween always won his attention for long enough to get past it.
Zach thought it was a brave move for Toby to hand over his phone, but maybe he didn’t have nudes mixed in with his regular pictures like Zach did. Still, he tried to be cautious and only flip through a few of them. As he did so, staring down at Toby’s fantastic Jareth costuming, he let out a gleeful sort of “aw maaaaan,” and tittered. “This is so fucking hot,” he said with zero self-consciousness. It was the truth! “You did such a good job, that’s awesome.” Zach started to offer Toby’s phone back, but retracted it with a flirty little smirk. “You uh ... want my number? While I’m in here?” he asked, wiggling the phone a tiny bit. It was way more bold than he usually was, but Zach was feeling confident and warm in the belly, and he thought Toby might actually say yes. And then might actually use said number later.
If Toby had had nudes on his phone, he would have never handed it over, however pictures of him in his Rocky Horror garb was probably as scandalous as he got. Maybe he was still being too trusting, but he got good vibes from Zach and that said a lot for Toby, who was rarely wrong in that department. He didn’t want to reach out and psychically check, that always felt wrong when he did it on purpose, but trusting his gut was good enough. He grinned and bounced a little in his seat, absolutely loving the attention of having his costume fawned over, then reached out for his phone before Zach snatched it back. “Why else would I hand you my phone?” he grinned, not caring at all that it hadn’t been his intention. “You should send yourself a text while you’re in there.” He would absolutely be reaching out to Zach, but he wanted it clear that it could go both ways.
Zach tittered, trying not to look too thrilled, but probably failing. Toby’s phone was a little different than his, but the text messages were easy enough to find, and Zach typed his own number in. He thought about sending himself an eggplant, then downgraded to a kissy face, but then opted just for Toby and a winky emoji. Flirty but not over the top, hopefully. Once he’d sent it, Zach offered Toby’s phone back for real this time, deep happy dimples in his cheeks. He felt his own phone buzz in his pocket and managed to resist the urge to immediately pull it out and save Toby’s number. It would still be there. He glanced down at Toby’s drink to see how far along he was, then let his gaze take its time making its way back up to his face. That shirt really looked good on him, it made Zach want to tug on it. They both needed a refill, so Zach turned to get the attention of the bartender to order another round, making sure to tell him that both were on his tab. If he was trading numbers with a guy, Zach wanted to buy him a drink too. “So you were a theater kid?” he asked as he turned back to Toby. “Any other passions? Arts?”
The way Zach let his eyes roll over his body made Toby’s pants feel a touch too tight and he marveled at how he felt as giddy as he had in high school, getting a boy’s number for the first time. He told himself he needed to calm down, but when was the last time he’d had a real date? Toby couldn’t remember. That warm feeling in his belly spread when Zach bought him his second round and he smiled back at him. He wasn’t sure he’d stopped smiling since he sat down. “Theater all through high school. I tried out for just about everything. Dabbled a little in college, but eventually had to focus on my major. I love music, I love the arts, I think I’ve attended every music festival in a sixty mile radius at least once,” he smiled, rolling his eyes at himself. “What about you? What’re you into?”
It was such a masculine thing, buying a drink for the person you were hitting on, and Zach hadn’t gotten the opportunity to do it much in his life. It gave him a bit of a rush to do so now, and he was more than happy that Toby seemed to appreciate the gesture. Any question about whether Toby was into guys had gone out the window now, but Zach still wasn’t sure he would be into a trans guy. Going about finding out was always nerve-wracking, and Zach wanted to put it off for now. He was feeling too good to ruin this yet. “I’m into music too,” he said. “Not so much theater, I was always too shy to be on stage.” Zach laughed a little and shook his head. “If I went back now? I’d be all over it, but ... high school, y’know?” He shrugged as if that was enough to make his point, then went on. “I play guitar though. Not like, really well, but as a hobby. But I love music, and very into video games, I’m that kinda dork. Movies, comic books, that kinda thing.”
"High school's crazy for everyone. I was an attention whore, so the stage was perfect for me, and the theater kids were quirky enough that I felt like I could be myself," Toby smiled. It had been much easier to come out with that crowd than if he'd been some kind of a jock, so Toby saw it as a blessing that that had been where he'd naturally gravitated. No one had been all that surprised, except for maybe the few girls he'd dated before figuring it out. "Guys with guitars are hot," he grinned, leaning in a little. "You don't even have to play it. You just have to hold it." There was something phallic about the visual that just appealed to him. "I suck at video games, except for the Lego ones, but I know most gamers say those don't count." He rolled his eyes. "You don't wanna get me started there. What are you playing right now?”
Zach wondered vaguely -- and not for the first time -- if he would have had an easier time figuring himself out and accepting who he was if he had been part of a crowd like that. He’d been friends with some of the off-kilter kids, of course, but he hadn’t had the kind of social circle it sounded like Toby was describing. Jai had always accepted him, but sometimes it took more than one to have a positive impact. All that was in the past though, and Zach’s present was pretty damn sweet, especially at this very moment. He grinned at the comment about guitars, bobbing his eyebrows at Toby a bit just to be cheesy-flirty about it. “And I’m good at holding it,” he said. “I’ll have to show you sometime.” He clucked his tongue and winked as their fresh drinks arrived, then giggled at himself. “No, but uh ... let’s see, here’s the list ...” Zach rattled off some of the games in his current Twitch rotation, counting on his fingers. None of them were Lego, but not all were those macho-fantasy war games either. He had a wide-ranging taste. When he was done, he picked up his glass to take a sip, eyes still on Toby. “Lego totally counts though. Fuckin’ Candy Crush counts. Fuck gatekeeping, games are for everybody.”
“Just let me know when. I’d love to watch you play,” Toby smirked, pretty sure that had earned a blush from him, since they were clearly not talking about guitars. Toby didn’t know if the offer was sincere, but he liked to think it was. He really hoped something more came of this than just a few drinks because Zach seemed like someone he’d really like to get to know better. Maybe he could even play some of those video games with him, if he had the patience. “How do you find the time to play all those?” he asked with a laugh. “Do you stream or something?” He realized he didn’t actually know what Zach did for work, but maybe he’d found a way to make money off gaming. It wasn’t something he could do, but he knew there were people out there who managed it. “What do you do when you’re not playing games?” he asked, kind of turning it around in hopes to get a better idea of what Zach did. Maybe he waited tables. It wasn’t a bad gig for a people person.
It was intensely satisfying to throw a flirty innuendo out there and have it picked up without an eyeroll like Jai would have given him. Zach thought he was picking up on real interest from Toby, and that just made his insides flutter around crazily. He laughed a bit at the question and nodded. “Yeah, I stream,” he said. “That’s pretty much my job, streaming stuff to the internet. My fans cover my half of the rent and everything, so it’s pretty fucking sweet.” He grinned. He got far more money from the sex work he did than his gaming, but he wasn’t quite down to admit that to Toby yet. Zach didn’t try to hide it overly hard, but it was a turn off for a lot of people. Even if Toby was cool with it in theory, Zach wasn’t ready for him to go browsing and find out Zach was trans. That was possibly the worst way to come out to somebody. “Besides that though, I fuck around on guitar, watch a lot of movies, try to get outside and run as much as I can ... hang out with my brother, but he’s got a nine-to-five ...” Zach shrugged a shoulder. “Just hangin’ out, livin’ life.”
“Wow, that’s awesome,” Toby said, honestly surprised. He’d never met someone who’d managed to make a living posting things to the internet, but it seemed like a sweet gig, one where Zach could call the shots and work whatever hours he wanted. He might have been jealous, except he liked his job and he knew none of the games he played were worth anyone else watching. It never occurred to him that Zach might be streaming something other than video games. “I’m hoping my life gets back to normal now. I need to go run more. I couldn’t fit it in when I was working two jobs and I miss it. I think it keeps me sane,” he smiled. He’d never been a gym rat, but he enjoyed going for a run when the weather was nice. “You and your brother close?”
Zach smiled anew when Toby mentioned he liked to run too. Zach had gotten into fitness when he was trying to build his new body with testosterone, and it had stuck. His mind slowed down a bit when he was working out, it gave him something to focus on and burned off some of his excess energy. “We should go running together, ‘specially now that it’s getting warmer,” he suggested without an ounce of self-consciousness. His confidence felt way up tonight, it was really nice. “But yeah, we are. His name’s Jai, and he’s technically just my half-brother, but we’re definitely close.” Zach chuckled a bit and took a sip from his drink. If only people knew how close they were ... but no, that would be bad, so he was glad they didn’t. Once he’d swallowed the pleasantly-burning alcohol, he gave Toby another dimpled smile. “You wanna dance?”
"I'd love that," Toby smiled, taking a sip of his drink. He liked the idea of having someone to run with, not only because Zach was hot and he might get to see him in running shorts, but also because he was more likely to run if he wasn't alone. He was always glad he'd gone for a run once he was out there, but the hard part was getting started. When Zach talked about Jai, Toby got the sense that there was something else there, maybe a good spirited rivalry, but he didn't think anything more of it. Sibling dynamics were always complicated and dancing with Zach was far more preferable than talking about his brother. "Yeah," he grinned, and threw back his drink so he could leave it behind. The butterflies in his stomach were going wild and he didn't want a glass in his hand if the opportunity to touch Zach presented itself.
Watching Toby down the rest of his drink made Zach grin, briefly fixated on the way Toby’s adam’s apple bobbed. How nice would it be to nibble on that? He drained his own glass as he slid off the stool and stood up, then left it behind on the bar. He had a quick spike of an ‘oh shit’ feeling as he realized just how much taller Toby was than him with both of them standing, but it felt hard to stress about at the moment. Everything felt too good. Zach helped himself to taking one of Toby’s hands to lead him away from the bar toward the dance floor, such as it was. Totally unnecessary, but it still felt nice to touch him. There weren’t many other patrons in the bar in general, and even fewer on the dance floor, but Zach found it easy to focus on Toby instead of feeling self-conscious as he started to move to the beat of the music.
Height was something that didn’t really matter to Toby, much like age. He had the feeling he was older than Zach, but a few years didn’t really matter if the connection was there, and it definitely was. There were no doubts about if they were on the same page or not, the flirting had been strong enough on both their sides that Toby knew Zach was into him, but the hand holding was an especially nice touch. Toby couldn’t help but pick up giddy waves of attraction, but they were so mingled with his own that he hardly noticed he’d done it. As they began to dance, Toby wondered why more people weren’t out there—it felt amazing to give into the music and it seemed a pity that so few wanted to partake in it. It didn’t bother him though. He was just starting to feel the buzz of a couple drinks and riding some kind of a high from being out there with Zach. He put a hand on his hip, drawing him closer and wishing he could feel even more of him. Later, he thought. Right now they were dancing.
Zach had cursed his five-foot-five stature many times over the course of his transition, but he’d largely accepted it now. His second puberty was never going to shoot him up over six feet, so he just had to live as a short boy. That was okay, some people were into short guys. Or they looked past it because they were into him, which was even better. Second puberty also hadn’t gifted Zach with a whole lot of dancing talent, but he made up for it with enthusiasm and not giving a shit if he looked stupid. That seemed especially easy in Dragonfly, especially with a few drinks in him, like now. The music on the small dance floor was louder and the current track had a good beat, and Toby was close enough to smell really well -- delicious -- and then his hand was on Zach’s hip, and he could feel his own heart beat between his legs. He put a hand on Toby in return and got their bodies a bit more in sync so they were moving together, and let himself sink happily into it.
Toby loved to dance. He’d been thrilled when Dragonfly opened with a dance floor, even though he hadn’t expected people to use it very often, but he’d been happily proved wrong. Something about the place seemed to make people comfortable enough to dance, even when there weren’t many other people on the dance floor. It was probably just the alcohol, but he was glad for it. It gave him a chance to be close to Zach, which was wonderful, but also horribly tempting. He wanted to kiss him and, while he thought it might be welcome, he also wasn’t sure he wanted to initiate it on the Dragonfly dance floor. Trying to figure out when the time was right was something he’d never felt good at, like his brain was providing him with too much information on that front. But he knew the dancing was good and he enjoyed every second of it, even if it left him wanting for more.
Zach danced all the time, it was usually just at home when he was being an idiot to make Jai laugh. Or just to entertain himself when he was alone. Dancing like this though, all up close to a person he was attracted to, was a completely different animal. Toby’s hips were loose and it felt stupidly good when their bodies brushed together, and Zach was starting to feel the drinks he’d had even more. He wasn’t in the habit of kissing near-strangers, unfortunately, always too paranoid about a casual sexual encounter going very badly for him, but damn if he didn’t want to risk it this time. Zach’s whole body felt overheated, like it wanted him to start stripping clothes off, his skin humming to be touched. But even if they just made out a little, what if it got too hot and Toby groped too low and all this went sideways? Zach hadn’t worn a packer tonight, not anticipating he might need it, and if Toby was only into cis guys ... Ugh, he was overthinking it, and he knew it, but it was hard not to, even in this kind of setting. So he didn’t make the move, stalling as the song changed and they shifted to match the tempo.
When he'd been younger, Toby had been all about drunkenly making out with strangers on the dance floor, quick hookups, and relationships that went nowhere. He'd been wild because he could be, putting his heart and life on the line because there was no one around to tell him not to. It was only after a long string of broken hearts and a near brush with death that he changed, and now it seemed foolish, especially at his age, in a bar he frequented in his own home town. He didn't want to necessarily take things slow, but he also wanted Zach to know he was interested in more than just this. It was nice being close to him, and he enjoyed every little touch that came as they danced, but when Zach didn't start to grope him, he felt like he'd made the right call. If the chemistry between them was as good as he thought it was, they'd get there eventually. They danced until Toby was feeling warm and overheated and he decided it was time to take a break. "I'm gonna get some water," he said, his hand lightly squeezing Zach's hip as he nodded towards the bar.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t had those wild oats to sow, Zach had just never given himself the opportunity to do those kinds of things with strangers. For one, a lot of people in town his age knew he was trans -- some were cool about it and some weren’t, and he was always afraid that someone who seemed cool with it would switch to Not the minute he showed any interest in them. So maybe he was a bit overcautious. Or maybe it was a good amount of caution, he didn’t know anymore. He’d been to a few gay bars in other places, and he’d gotten to make out with a few guys there, but it rarely turned into anything else, and it was all so fleeting. He was having fun with Toby, and didn’t want it to end on a bad note, so Zach was sticking with caution for now. He nodded at Toby’s words and rose up on his toes to talk over the music. “I gotta piss, be there in a minute,” he said, flashing a grin as he backed up. With a little wave, Zach set off in the direction of the restrooms.
Toby smiled back at Zach, then returned to the bar, this time ordering himself a water. He sipped on it while he waited and fiddled with his phone, though he knew it would only be a moment before Zach was back and he’d put it away to focus on him again. He’d come to Dragonfly just to get out for a bit, maybe have a few drinks and chat up the bartender, who was always in a decent mood and put up with him. But this was so much better. This felt like an opportunity he hadn’t had in a long time and Toby felt good about it. If that was his powers speaking up, he didn’t care. For once they might predict something other than doom and gloom. He needed a little hope in his life and maybe Zach was just what he needed. Only time would tell.
Zach took the opportunity in the men’s room to wet some paper towels and wipe his face down, giving himself a little pep talk in the mirror that had probably seen so many pep talks. He was having tons of fun and wanted to keep having it, but he couldn’t have as much fun as his body very much wanted to have because of his body, and ugh. Why couldn’t anything be easy? He was still elated though, and Toby seemed cool enough to give Zach some hope that this might actually work out. Sometimes he thought he would be stuck being his brother’s side piece for forever, without ever having any outside interests of his own. He was getting ahead of himself though.
Zach left the restroom and found Toby again, happy to join him and have one more drink for the road. They chatted and laughed and that bubbly feeling in Zach’s stomach got even more fizzy. Eventually it was time to leave, Zach needed to get home before he drank too much to soothe his nerves. Once their tabs were paid, Zach walked with Toby out of the building and toward the club’s parking lot. His steps slowed near his car and he side-nodded to it. “So uh ... this is me,” he murmured with a little half-smile.
It had been a great evening, the sort that Toby really didn’t want to see end, but he knew it couldn’t go on forever. He didn’t have to work two jobs tomorrow, but he did have to work one and he’d gotten old enough to find out that he couldn’t stay up all night and actually function the next day. And he really couldn’t half-ass his job as a nurse. He was pleased when Zach walked out with him, and he marveled at how it felt so much like a date when they’d only just met. Hopefully there would be an actual date in their future. It felt like he was doing an awful lot of hoping tonight, but it felt too good to stop. His steps slowed as Zach’s did and he glanced towards his car, then back at him with a smile. “We’ll have to get together soon,” he said. “Hang out, or… go to the beach, or… run or something.”
It made Zach feel kind of good-nervous that Toby didn’t just say “see ya” and head to his own car, that he was lingering. If this had been a date, this was when the kissing would’ve probably started, if it hadn’t already on the dance floor. And god was he tempted to try. That was another reason Zach hated being short -- it was more awkward to make the first move on tall people, they were hard to reach. Still, this hadn’t been a date, more like a lucky random encounter, and he thought maybe it would be better to wait until they’d had an actual date. Zach just wanted that to be soon. “Yeah!” he said brightly, smiling back at Toby. “Like, real soon, uh ... let me know when you’ve got a night off, yeah? I get to do my own thing, so I’ll make time anytime.” That sounded dumb and too casual in his head for some reason, so Zach wet his lips and added, “I wanna take you out. For real.”
“I’d like that,” Toby grinned. That felt like an offer for a date and he wasn’t going to pass it by. “I’ll check my schedule and get back to you soon.” His schedule was a lot more flexible now that he wasn’t working at the Raynors’ part time, but he still had scheduled shifts he had to work around. And he’d much prefer a dinner date to a breakfast one—unless the breakfast one came after an overnight, his overactive brain supplied. He was getting ahead of himself. As much as he wanted a kiss goodbye, that could wait until next time. This time he settled for leaning down and hugging Zach instead. He smelled amazing, like man and sweat with an under-scent of cologne, and it was hard not to linger before eventually releasing him. “G’night,” he smiled.
It was indeed an offer for a date, clumsy as that felt in Zach’s mouth. He didn’t think he’d ever be a suave boy like Jai, but he always hoped he had his own doofus sort of appeal. The way Toby smiled when he accepted gave Zach more flutters inside, and they only rioted harder when Toby came in for a hug. God, that height difference was kind of delicious, wasn’t it? Zach tried not to press his body too close so as not to come off as a creeper, but damn if he didn’t want to. He was grinning brightly when they let go, unable to help himself. “Night,” he echoed, backing up a few steps toward his car. Zach overestimated how far it was, and ended up running right into the back corner of the bumper as he turned. He let out a grunt and then an embarrassed sort of laugh, glancing back at Toby. “Got me all ... anyway, goodnight,” he repeated with a chuckle as he corrected course to get to the driver’s side door.
Toby almost immediately realized what was about to happen, but couldn’t say anything before Zach bumped into the car. He wasn’t sure if he should acknowledge it or not, but since Zach looked back at him he grinned back, his shoulders shaking with a silent laugh. “Careful there,” he said, aware that he was walking backwards and highly likely to stumble over something as well. “Good night,” he added a second time, then finally forced himself to turn around so he wouldn’t have his own minor run-in. He would text Zach tomorrow and let him know when he was available. Tomorrow seemed appropriate, though he was sure he’d check his calendar just as soon as he got home. The promise of a date made it hard for him to wait.