Title: The Bouncer
Author: takaguchee
Fandom: original
Rating: M
Warnings: m/m, violence, language, drug use, and sexual context (much later)
Author's Notes: Bold – chapters/section/notes. Italics- time and place/song. /Italic/ Thoughts of the person *asterisks*- action/SFX (rarely used)
Summary: A 22 year old blond grad student decides to come to terms with his sexuality and goes into a bar largely based on gay and lesbian community for the first time but his night was interrupted by a troubled ex-bouncer, who wants nothing but a better and safer atmosphere. More detailed summary inside!

Synopsis:

Josh Elliot is a grad student who wants to come to terms with his sexuality. He decides to go with Natalie, his ex girlfriend and best friend to a nightclub largely based on gay and lesbian community for the first time but his night is rudely interrupted by a troubed ex-bouncer, that resulted being kicked out. The man is Akira Matsuda who claims that Josh's drink was drugged and he wants nothing but a better and safer atmosphere. Josh and Akira spent time together trying to figure out the purpose of their meeting. Despite the unlikeliness of being a couple with Akira, being a straight, dark asian and Josh being a bisexual, bright causcasian, he later learns that he and the bouncer might have share a very coincidental past, that is too good to be true.

Prologue

In the beginning of it, you see that the cameraman is stumbling up the stairs with his small legs. Small bare feet are pounding on the hardwood floor before the camera turns to the left into a hallway. You catch a glimpse of a young man moving about the doorframe. As soon you enter the room, he glances at you over his left shoulder and turns to the other side toward his bed, throwing down clothes into his luggage. He then looks at you and smiles.

"What are you doing with that?" He asks, jerking his blond strands out of his face to show off his flawless skin and turned with his body fully shown. He is wearing a blue tank top with a black strip across and you can see how well built he is. It becomes apparent that this figure is the oldest sibling in the house.

"Oh, I'm just doing this for our last day in this house. Come on, say something! What you remember the most about this house?" A young, cute voice asks. It is his younger brother, 10 who is extremely brilliant and has a lot of potential for the future.

"Oh um…" the young man says, looking away to think, "I don't know. There had been so many good memories. I love this house. I will sorely miss it…"

Then the scene suddenly changes. Now you can see a quite number of individuals. A motherly figure is in the background in the kitchen. You see a heavily used floral couch placed oddly in the middle of the living room, which is adjacent to the kitchen. The couch is stationed at an angle that obstructs the way into the open kitchen. There are boxes next to it. The same young blond is just getting to sit down and there are a couple of kids running back and forth in the scene. Then one of them jumps into the couch and wraps his arms around the older man's neck, hugging him. They seem so excited about moving. Meanwhile, there is some commotion.

The blond asks someone out of frame to join the duo. A teenager girl appears with her arms crossed, sits down, looking completely uneager to do anything. So, there is it- a happy family in the picture even though there is addition to the family. However, this scene is the last of Brendon and Jenna Elliot.

It was going to be a better life. The four hours footage in the video showed that. That tiny camcorder somehow survived. Evidence of hugs and kisses was in the pool of blood and debris.

And he just wasn't the same. His name was Josh Elliot.

Chapter One

Saturday - 10:43 PM – TLT

"Wow."

It was dark. A very, very dark space palpitated by the contrast of light. The floor was black slate. Gray castlestone masonry was spread throughout the area. On the walls were complimentary gray paper tears with the big T logo on it. Wild industrial EBM music was playing. And you could instantly dance as soon you enter.

At the bar stood a waterfalling glass barricade with a blue lighting behind. It was so beautiful by the way the water falls- curvious lines going down eternally. The bar was custom built with dark wood. There were also thick, blue trims wrapping around sections and second floor. They were not your typical blue. They were of a dark cerulean blue with few tones, white, and black. Very industrial and modern. Definitely welcomes young, attractive people your age. Like Josh and Natalie.

Vertical panels and flat, textured glass blocks acted as dividers between the dance floor and the bar. Next to them was a spacious walkway, providing clubbers room to move alternatively. Needlessly to say, the place was a vast domain. Absolutely gorgeous in term of contrasting colors and lights! Trendy 009 Sound System's space and time was playing.

"So what do you think," his brunette friend said. He already liked the place.

As he stepped into the nightclub, his breath was taken away. Natalie gave him no time to speak and pulled his hand, dragging him almost instantly. They just passed a couple of bouncers so Josh guessed it was kind of a big deal. It cost $10 each to go in. The music was extremely loud and very off-beat. Sounded like electronica, ebm, or the like.

"Do you like it? It's awesome!" Natalie shouted with excitement, apparently very pleased by her friend's reaction. She bounced her knees, and ran her fingers through her side hair, making herself readily available for anyone to notice her. Natalie was beautiful tan girl with mixed ethnicities. Her hair was naturally curly but tonight she was absolutely gorgeous with it straightened.

She claimed TLT was her favorite, having given Josh such explicit details about it. The interior, the people, the drinks. Everything! Supposedly, it was centralized as one modern, industrial world where rascals meet and express their individuality. It was where the gay and lesbian community go and its favorite, even though originally TLT was not supposed to be a gay bar. It certainly had its abundant share of people who swung both ways. There was a reason why it was named TLT.

"You are going to meet the man of your dreams," Natalie said, smiling suggestively. Josh glared at her, gravely dismissing what she just said. Josh, young and insomniac, didn't know what exactly happened.

But a lot of things had happened. Josh liked to pretend nothing happened.

He ignored Natalie's remarks as usual. He walked straight for the bar. Natalie followed across the walkway behind the dirty-blond Josh, and caught the bartender's attention just in time, "JD and Black with ice!"

"Nat!" Josh shouted with a scolding voice that told her to start lightly. The night was so young. Josh called her Nat for short.

"Sorry, Long Island Ice Tea, then," Natalie smiled sheepily.

"If you keep drinking that stuff, you'll need a liver transplant in 10 years," Josh commented calmly but all he got was a shrug from her. He wasn't a big drinker but he loved to party and listen to music. Natalie was. Natalie had her birthday a while ago and also turned 21. She was very ecstatic at this stage of her life, knowing that she could go to bars and drink her ass off. She had discovered TLT and chose it as her favorite after a bar hopping. Josh wasn't involved and he thanked God for that.

Natalie was becoming a frequent visitor to this nightclub and not long after the order, she spotted some of her friends across the room in the dining area. "Friends! They're here. Come on over."

Josh glanced at the direction of Natalie's finger that was pointing to a group sitting in a round seating booth. A few girls ranged from hippie to gothic. Even though Natalie seemed like a sweet girl in a school uniform, you'd find her fit in any of the cliques. Despite her outgoing personality, she always attracted people of oddities. He jerked his head toward the group, frowning, "Who the hell are these people?"

"Now, be nice. I know it's a bit odd group but they're really cool and open-minded people. Would you like to meet them?"

Josh gave out a nervous small laugh. He didn't really want to meet new friends, especially if they were all girls. All girls? He wanted to be alone for a moment. So many people at the bar, and yet he never felt so alone. "You go right ahead," said Josh, sincerely smiling. Natalie frowned, "You sure you're alright?"

"Yes, don't worry about me," Josh widened his smile, keeping his lips locked together. Natalie pulled at his left arm and kissed him on the check, and struted off. Now Josh just couldn't wait to get buzzed.

He wasn't like that for months but the frustration slowly built over time. Then, it just hit him. He wasn't being himself for the past few days. So this is the 'T.L.T.' What… a stupid… name.

But at the moment, he felt uncomfortable and uneasy. Sighing nerviously, just sitting by himself, he thought that maybe if he just drank his first long glass quickly, he would be fine. It didn't work. Ok, let's try another drink.

The third drink, he took a couple of huge swallows of his drink, finally he could feel some kind of gravitional orb pulling him into a certain direction- Something invisible tugged him. Well, maybe not but it certainly felt like someone was 'reading' him and invading his sense of security. His eyes slowly drifted toward his left. He had to do it. His intuition told him to look what it was. So… slowly, he rolled his eyes to a certain spot.

And spot on, he found, around the corner of the table, a pair of eyes glancing back at him. The man, which appeared to be an asian descent, seemed to be smiling and looked away into his own glass of gin. He drank it fast. Josh only gave it a few seconds to study the man. The man gave him another curious glance, acknowledging Josh's presence.

The drink was alright. He was ready to order another one.

Josh just finished college and moved to New York City for enrolling a grad school but he was taking a half a year break for now. He was so tired of schooling and need extra cash so he started to work at a fucking coffeehouse. It paid bills a little but he had a lot of savings that were given to him from his somewhat wealthy family.

Josh ran his hands through his dirty blond hair. He didn't see his family for two years and now many of the calls stopped returning. The last time he heard, his father finally finalized the divorce papers. It wasn't the problem. The problem was hell broke loose after he left the family and a step-father stepped into the picture all the sudden. He wasn't close to his step-father but he was tight with the family, maternally.

Josh sighed, smiling as he thought of his two sisters and two little brothers. He missed Brendon most of all because he was always the only male in the family until he came along. 3... and now he just started his 4th drink. That was nothing. Not till he have spent his 30 dollars tab. He was only...

His train of thoughts was abruptly interrupted by an imperative shadow.

"Hello there, cutie," the manly voice said, a figure grabbing a seat next to him. Then a face came into Josh's view. Handsome but Josh wasn't attracted to him. His physique was obviously muscular by the way the shirt sticked to him, his rich-chocolate hair high in gel, and eyes sparkling blue. A choker and a couple of earrings seemed to make him look so… glamourous.

Josh chuckled quietly to conceal the shock he was experiencing. He never had a man being so forward to him. It was his first time in the community. "What?"

"What are you doing sitting all by yourself, hot stuff?" He said, smiling with such confidence. Hot stuff? Josh never felt so belittled. 'What a tool' he thought to himself. Slowly, he turned his head, shooting back a fake smile and said, "Look, I'm not interested... cupcake, toots or whatever the shit."

He didn't know what words gay people use. The man, who seemed to be in his late 20's dropped his smile, immediately replaced by grimace. Josh had the sudden feeling of wanting to escape. He decided to go to the bathroom. "Excuse moi…" he said with a hint of sarcasm and before the man was about to retort something malicious.

He practically jogged over to Natalie who was in the dining area and asked where the bathroom was. Natalie pointed in a direction and Josh headed.

As soon he entered the men bathroom, he almost gagged. He stopped in his track, taken by the smell. What the hell? He never smelled something so vile and illegal in a public place before. The smell of crap and alcohol aftermaths. There was a rich scent of weed that cannot be denied to have existed in this place.

Josh groaned and went for the sink quickly, washing his hands. For once, he thought he had entered the most beautiful club around the city but apparently the men's bathroom was its only degeneracy. What was he doing there?

No idea. One word. Natalie.

Josh had dated Natalie and many girls before her. The dirty-blond wasn't sure why they broke up but they had been dating for almost 3 years. For some reason, he just thought he'd tell her that he had been attracted to guys before. Naturally, it was much easier to date girls... because most of the guys Josh met was a bit too... much. Maybe he was being too picky.

Consequently, he had never had any gay experiences before tonight. Natalie thrashed about her fag-haginess and went bouncing-betty about it. She encouraged him to come with her.

Josh got out as soon as he could, his hands still wet. He wouldn't want that smell to stick to his clothes. Maybe TLT wasn't all that great as Natalie exclaimed. He went back to find the same man still there. Sighing, Josh went over, wanting to pick up his 4th drink and get the fuck out of the man's sight. However, as soon as he turned to leave with his drink in his right hand, he felt a strong grip on his wrist. He jumped. His heart started to pound faster at that contact.

"Hey, I'm sorry I was rude! Here, I'll buy you a drink next? I'm Mike." he claimed. Josh wasn't going to be fooled by his terribly-created charisma. Before Josh could open his mouth, the table was turned 180 degree.

The hand on his wrist suddenly disappeared. Instead, it was ripped off of him harshly by another force, causing him to drop his drink.

His glass went down 4 feet slowly and eventually crashed, splitting large pieces of glass in every direction, its liquid contents lost into the darkness.

"You fucker!" someone hissed. Josh turned and saw a raven-haired man grabbing the shirt of the man, 'Mike' who recently irritated him by both of his hands. "You, scumbag don't belong here."

It was the same asian man Josh saw earlier, just around the bar table.

/What the hell?/

At this moment, Josh felt like it was the most bizarre, unexpected moment he ever had in a while. He couldn't help the stereotypical approaches stemming within himself. He was expecting him to be much, much shorter, and to have some kind of an eastern descent accent but he was speaking perfectly American english. He wasn't expecting an asian man to seem to be much stronger than 'Mike'. He jerked the other man violently, keeping his grasp vice grip on him. He rattled him like a rag doll every time 'Mike' made a protesting move. Already, the victim seemed to be flailing his arms.

"Get... out." the asian man gritted, baring his white teeth. They were the only thing that drew Josh's attention- his incredibly bright teeth in the darkness. Josh had a closer look on him- kind of. He had strings of hair down his face, his hair purely black obsidian held up high behind his head in a ponty tail. His face was very tanned. His eyes were delicately in shape of almonds and the color of his pair was smouldering brown.

"Get your fucking hands off of me, you chink!" 'Mike' placed his hands on the man's chest, desperately pushing him away but failed.

"What-" he jerked his shirt,"What did you call me, you stupid fucker?"

Josh frowned. Everyone was started to turn their heads on them. Music suddenly went quiet, the dance floor stopped moving. It was the moment of madness as two men started to boil with violence.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Josh heard himself say to the asian. At the corner of his green/gray eyes, he saw one of the bartenders fleeing to somewhere. He couldn't care enough to look.

"What's my fucking problem?" the asian repeated. It was clear this man was outraged by something. Josh wished he didn't say anything as the deep, almost-black eyes turned on him. "He put shit-."

Suddenly, Natalie appeared at his sides, asking what was going on.

"Get your fucking hands off of me, man!" The man bellowed and started to punch the asian in the face. "You're not supposed to be here!"

The asian let go one of the hands to his chest, allowing the other man to deliver another punch toward his face. He, however, blocked the punch, grabbed his wrist, and twisted it.

'Mike' shouted in pain and got an elbow hitting him in the face. Before bystanders' eyes, 'Mike' was positioned in a joint lock. Josh looked around to see several bouncers pushing through the crowds. They stopped in their tracks, looking constrained. Josh was disconcerted by everyone's reaction to this. The asian wasn't that big and should be taken down easily. Maybe because of his fighting skills? But the bouncers seemed to be more confused than vigilant.

"What are you doing in my club again!" a third party shouted, coming from behind the bar in a nicer clothes. He had to be the owner or the manager of the club. "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY CLUB NOW, you goddamn son of a bitch! GET OUT!" His voice was beyond recognization. His uvula must be vibrating like hell.

"Oh my god, this never happened before," Natalie said, clinging onto Josh's blue sleeveshirt. He was struck with astonishment.

"But, boss-" the asian man started, pushing away the other man at the bar's table and stools. He tumbled to the floor, hitting his lower back at the bar step. Josh had to flinch his eyes at that sound of bodily harm.

"Don't call me that!"

"He is carrying the drugs around here!"

"What are you doing, standing and doing nothing? GET HIM!" the manager barked at the bouncers and pointed at the clearly devastated man. "AND HIM!"

"I didn't do anything," 'Mike' defended wildly. "I didn't do shit! This chink just assaulted me for no reason! FUCK I'M SUING YOUR ASS!"

Bouncers moved but the asian shouted out what sounded like a cross between 'aight' and 'halt'.

"I'll escort myself. Thank you! You're coming with me," he said with an eerie calmness.

"Take him and don't EVER come back again!" the manager shouted and suddenly quite a number of people was heading for the exit door. Josh found himself following them like a mindless sheep. He didn't know why but he needed to know what was going on. The manager and the bouncers seemed to know this man all too well. What was the story behind this? They even let the asian man drag 'Mike' out of the club by himself.

Not all people went outside but they were clearly casual smokers and remotedly interested in the fight. Natalie and Josh went outside, curious about the deal. The asian kicked him with his knees, tossing him to the ground. *thud* 'Mike' cried in pain. Not only that, the asian punched his jaws, and there was blood at the corner of his mouth. Josh involuntarily felt empathy for him.

"Hey!" Josh shouted. Natalie pulled at his arm harshly, trying to tell him to stay out of it, "You must feel like a man, now. Beating the shit out of him because he's gay?"

The asian turned his head quickly, his hair brushing his face. "You! You don't know what's going on, do you, kid?"

"Don't call me kid, asshole." Josh started to despite this man. "Why don't you just leave him alone, dipshit?"

The man laughed, baring his teeth and dimples. "Asshole, dipshit. Nice vocabulary you got there. Got any more for me?"

"What is your fucking problem?"

"Josh, just forget it! Let's go inside," Natalie tugged him and tried to pull him back in but Josh felt like as if he was cemented to the sidewalk up to his knees. The manager was still shouting 'get out' and 'don't come back' in the background and a few mutters from bystanders but Josh could hardly hear them. There was a crystal-clear two way conversation between Josh and this man. Anything else was faded.

"Look, Josh," the asian said, "He put rohypnol in your drink."

"Huh?" Josh didn't know what he just heard. He wasn't familiar with it.

"Roofies," he said, looking back at 'Mike' to ensure his victim was still downed. Then he turned to the manager, "he put roofies in your customers' drink."

"That's not true," the victim shouted, "We know he hates gay. He wants us to burn in hell!"

"Shut up, idiot."

The manager paused for a moment, but quickly regained his composure, "I don't care! Get out! I don't want to see your face again- ever!"

"What? But boss I was trying-"

"GONE!" the manager shouted with accomplishment and walked back inside. The bouncers then guarded the door. There was a long silence… then all the sudden, everyone heard laughter. It was slow at first, but then it escalated. Soon after, it was hard for 'Mike' to stop. He held his stomach and rolled back on his back into the road's dirt.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha OH MAN! Sound like old lovers quarrel there! HA HA HA HA HA."

The raven-haired man slowly turned his head to 'Mike', who was now laughing uncontrollably. His face expression of surprise was replaced with boiling anger. His eyes narrowed. There was a tug of smirk at the corner of his mouth. Uh oh. Then out of the blue, the asian man threw himself onto 'Mike', gnarring. He threw a few, devastating blows at him before his body went lifeless. He paused to make sure he was out cold. Then eagerly, he frisked the body.

"What the hell is he doing?" Natalie whispered, watching at the man who possibly had lost his mind. They should be backing up but they felt glued to the spot, wondering what he was about to do next.

"I don't know," Josh muttered back, now slightly disturbed by the man's behaviors. He wasn't sure what to make up of him. He was wearing a black, piped bomber jacket, dark gray tank or shirt and black pants. He had quite a fighter's physique but you couldn't really tell but he was at average height.

The asian man pulled something of the front pocket and stood up.

"There!" he spun around, stumbling his feet over the body, causing clothes arrayed and walked toward Josh and Natalie. He lifted a blister pack. There were 6 in that pack but one was taken out. Josh widened his eyes, suddenly realizing what the fuss was about. "That's what he put in your drink."

Josh suddenly forgot English. No words or any forms registered.

"He... That- that..." Natalie started. "How horrible!"

The raven-haired man sighed at the novice, "Look, do me a favor." He looked at Natalie, suddenly not so intimidating. "Please go back inside, flush them in the toilet, every one of them. And... enjoy your night. I am really sorry you had to see this. I really am. Sorry for any inconvenience."

Natalie reluctantly took the blister pack of pills and received a warm smile from him. For once, Josh liked that amiable look. But for some reason, the asian refused to give Josh any glances. Instead, he just took off, walking. Josh couldn't help it but to keep his eyes on the figure.

/Wah? He didn't even look at me. Damn, I must have been an asshole./

There was something about him.

"What a jerk!" Natalie stomped one of her gothic heavy boots. She then clutched herself, shivering. Before she could ask him to return, her friend spoke.

"Nat, go back inside. I'll be back." Josh said monotonously. He was still taken back by this situation. It was quite cold outside but did not affect him. It was mid-June when summer was getting started. Natalie nodded and hurried back inside.

"Hey wait!"

The figure was already a mile away but Josh wanted to thank him. Even though he asked him to wait, the man kept on walking. When he caught up with him, the raven-haired man stopped and waited for him to say anything.

"I just wanted to say thank you. So... thank you."

Slowly, the man smiled, his face softened. "You're welcome." A pause. Then the man, once again started to walk. So did Josh.

Wind whistled lightly.

The man stopped again and looked at him again, puzzled. /Ok, what do you want, kid?/

"I didn't catch your name," Josh finally said.

The raven-haired grinned, "Akira Matsuda."

"Oh, I'm Josh Elliot."

"Josh Elliot," he repeated. "It's nice to meet you."

"Sorry, we got off a bad start," Josh said naturally. There was a silence between them alternatively. The dirty blond had no idea where they were going but it didn't matter at the moment. He wanted to know more about him.

Akira licked his lips and whispered mostly to himself, "Yeah, no shit."

"Listen, I know a coffeehouse that's open late. Like, maybe you'd like some coffee? You know- to show my gratitude or whatever," Josh suggested. Akira blinked a few times and glanced at Josh, "Yeah sure. I like coffee."

And so they were walking. It was dark outside, just like the interiors of the club but lights are palpitating the sideways. There were no visible clouds hovering over their heads and nothing was revoking their presences. It was cool and dry night. The alcoholic level was washing away from Josh's body and he wasn't ready to call it a night so he needed some caffeine to be injected.

It was two long blocks away. From the coffeehouse, Josh lived four more away, which made it easier for him to not having required transportation. They got into the building on the corner. The coffeehouse was called Leela's Java.

As soon they sat across from each other, Josh said, "I work here."

"Oh really? That's cool," Akira said politely. If he was not interested in that kind of information, he was very good at hiding that. He cracked his fists and fingers before settling them on the table. Josh studied him.

"Oh wait, what about your girlfriend?" Akira said, mentioning Natalie. Josh kind of forgot her. He didn't exactly planned this but he remained calm. He lifted and flipped his cellphone from his shorts pocket, "I'll call her. No big deal."

While dialing the number, the waittress came.

"I'll just have regular black." Akira said. He loved coffee straight black.

"Mocha. Large. A lot of cream. Thanks." Josh put his cellphone to his ear, "Hey, Nat. I'm sorry but I'm not going back for a while. I'm with the guy at the coffeehouse so you'll have to... I'm sorry! Maybe other time. Ok, just have fun with your friends. Can they give u a ride? Alright. Sorry again, bye!" he hang up quickly because Natalie would've asked more questions. Sighing, he looked at Akira who sat there innocently. "I'm sorry. You said your name is Ak..."

"Akira," Akira said it at a slower pace so that he could pronouce it correctly.

"Unique name! Where you're from?"

"I'm Japanese, if that's what you mean. It's really a common name in Japan."

"Ohh.." he nodded and smirked. The lights were bright inside the place and he was able to look at the other man's face very clearly. His hair is so black and long, held high in pontytail with a few strands of hair framing his tanned face. His face was absolutely flawless- no scars, no freckles, or anything. His eyebrows were flat but angled shortly at the end. His eyes were clearly deep, melting brown eyes. His face shape was diamond. His jaws were of a sharp structure and his nose was thin yet wide, and his lips were full but not thick. There were no words to describe exactly the way he looked. He was unique.

Overall, he was very handsome, despite his somewhat feminine, cat-like eyes. And with ever passing second, Josh was starting to see how attractive he was now.

The jittery cups came to the table. "Thanks," Josh said cheerfully to the waitress. They knew each other but refused to acknowledge. Josh hadn't been too friendly to anyone lately.

"You're from Japan?"

"No."

Josh didn't need any furthur explanation because of an accent being absent. He smiled as he thought of what happened back there. "What you did back there was totally cool."

"Cool? I thought you felt sorry for that… scumbag."

"Fuck him."

Akira frowned and Josh chuckled. He chuckled back nervously, rubbing his head.

"You had balls back there," he said, his voice above a whisper. Josh didn't say anything and he continued, "You going at me. It's a serious crime back there. The drug. It's serious."

"Really? I guess I'm that naive."

"Don't be. Just be careful."

/Why he seems to be so caring about.../ Time to change topics, Josh thought uneasily.

"Um... what's the story back there?' Josh asked, referring to the drama at the club, "The manager seems to know you very well."

"Oh god," Akira threw back his head, "Don't make me tell you."

At first, Josh thought he had angered him but the Japanese offered a small smirk, "What's wrong? I'm sorry. I'm just curious!"

"Oh it's just... It's..." Akira scratched the back of his ear and closed one of his eyes, looking almost embarrassed. "I used to work there."

Everything made sense now. "They fired you," Josh muttered.

"Yeah... for sucker punching every asshole on sight..." Akira shook his head, briefly rolling his eyes like he wasn't the only guilty one.

"But why?"

Akira sighed softly after taking a sip of his coffee. He pinched the bridge of is nose and stretched his arm out. It looked like he had a lot to explain to this kid. "You're not a frequent there, are you?"

"No but my friend is, Natalie."

"Things got worse. A lot worse."

"How?"

"Two weeks after I was hired. There was already a knife fight."

Josh widened his eyes. "Wow. Did you go kung fu on his ass?"

Akira scoffed a small laughter. That startled Josh, who was immensely innocent by trying to make a serious conversation.

"You could say that but um… before I could make him impotent, the cops showed up. He had a knife in the air. I mean, he was big and fucking irritated. I had others trying to knock the shit out of him but he wouldn't go out cold. I was holding him. I had him jabbing me in the face with his elbow and head. Bloody lips and all. I wasn't prepared for it and got quite a few bruises."

"Whoa, does it happen a lot?"

"No, it's the worst encounter I've ever had and I didn't think it'd happen so soon. I mean, I worked there like twice a week at first. And nothing-big deal, a few kick now and then. But um… damn, my heart was pounding like crazy fuck. The adrenaline was great." Akira grinned, propping an eyebrow. "I loved it. Actually I loved it; I had to ask my boss to give me more nights. So I ended up working more nights, and then, I don't know. It can be addicting… the power, I mean. When something happens, you go for it."

"Wow. Hope you didn't have any legal issues. Yeah, laws these days though seem to defy the purpose of having bouncers."

"I know… I hate cops." Akira pretended he followed the laws but he loved violence and fighting.

"I totally hate cops too," Josh said, almost too cheerfully. "Did you get arrested many times?"

Akira laughed softly. "I lost count." /I have criminal records/ He added mentally. Josh saw that he was being serious after having said that; he decided to change topics once again.

"By the way, Natalie isn't my girlfriend."

Akira nodded, "Yeah I know. I kinda figured it out like three minutes ago."

"Oh really? You can figure anything out huh."

"Yep… Well, you just said she was your friend, so…?"

"Huh?" Josh was completely lost.

Akira lifted his right arm and rubbed his arm upward to rest at his shoulder, leaned over and said calmly, "You said, 'my friend, Natalie… is a frequent there.'"

"Oh! Yeah I did, sorry." Josh noticed that he was wearing a plain silver thumb ring. Now he was very interested in getting to know him.

Akira chuckled and shook his head, "it's okay."

/Wow… why is this guy so nice and he's keeping up with me?/ He must have all the patience in the world. Josh thought, gulping. All the sudden, he felt funny.

Josh wasn't very good at keeping on one track. He kept jumping all over the topics, back and forth, "So what if the boss wants you back to work at the club, would you?"

"Are you kidding me? I loved the job. I'd do anything to get it back." Akira said and almost whispered the last word as he looked out the window into the endless night. He withdrew hands from his chest a nd lifted the cup to his lips.

"Well, um… what if I'll get that job back for you?"

Suddenly, Akira stopped sipping his coffee and quickly placed the cup back carefully on the mini-plate saucer. He shook his head, madly denying everything they have discussed. "No. No. No. that's not gonna happen. I wish but no. No. Don't bother. It's not gonna work. You heard the boss. He hates me to death."

"Oh come on!" Josh remarked and without thinking, he grabbed one of Akira's tanned hands with both hands that were wrapped around the cup.

On instant, Akira jerked his hand out of his touch as if the hands were made of lava. Josh quickly detected he might have done something so wrong and said, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to."

"No, no, no. It's okay." Akira replied just as quickly. He looked up and supplanted a strange glare. Josh blinked and stared back at his ever so steady gaze of deep brown eyes. He felt his heart fluttered for a second there. What's up? What the fuck is he thinking?

He hoped it wasn't anything bad. /Why the fuck did I touch him?/

Slowly, after a silence, Akira finally smiled, "It's alright. It's fine. I didn't mean to react like that. I'm not used to it."

/Used… to what?/

"I'm not like these faggots," Josh said defensively, thinking that maybe he should give out an excuse but he quickly dropped it, feeling completely defeated by this situation, "Whatever."

Everything from this point on was pretty awkward. They sat there silently till they finished their coffee.

"Are you… okay in the head?" Akira finally asked, "You still buzzed?"

"I'm still buzzed but I'll be fine," He smiled, "Actually it just hit me now."

"Now? Shit. How you are going to get back to Natalie or home?"

/He surely can think things thorough. His mind must be crystal clear at all times./ Josh thought with the foremention of Natalie and home. He completely forgot about her. He wasn't too sure that her friends were actually going to drop her off. He didn't let her answer that question because he was in such a hurry to end the conversation on the other end. Unlike the asian man, he was so unorganized. Fuck.

"Don't worry about me. Wait, it can't be that late. What time is it?" Josh eagerly reached for the cellphone in his pocket but was stopped by the other man's voice.

"You're right. It's still early. You a party boy?"

Josh scoffed, "No! Never."

"Never?"

"Nope. I'm just… I don't know," Josh started to look back at himself. "I'm quiet. I'm reserved. I don't go out and do shit like most college kids do."

"Really?" Akira inquired, suddenly more interested in that component of the conversation,"I'm that type too. But I'm 25 so I'm kind of old fart."

"Please, you're not far off. I just turned 22. Actually and I just broke my alcohol virginity here."

"Wow, and I thought my life sucked."

Josh chuckled. "My life sucked. Trust me. My life is a living hell. I may look like a rich college prep frat boy with awesome life. But I'm not."

Akira shook his head, "I don't judge."

"… at least, not anymore."

"Hmm…?"

"Never mind," He couldn't just shake that embarassing feeling of making such a fool of himself that night, "I'm sorry if I was acting strange to you tonight. I'm not usually like this."

"No worries," Akira said with a such simple epitaph of his Josh so adored. "I understand."

"I'm really sorry about earlier."

"Stop apologizing!" Akira said sternly but offered a secure smile to avoid any awkwardness.

Josh sighed but couldn't help but think how generous that man was to him. He felt like he was in his debt. Josh quickly re-equiped and sat up straight, "Another coffee? My treat."

"Sure."

2:02 AM – Akira's place

It was an interesting experience for him. He couldn't remember the last time he had talked to another guy this long. He finally entered his lofty condo and threw down keys on the kitchen countertop.

/Why was he so interested in my stories? He surely asked a lot of questions./ Akira thought as he peeled his jacket off. For the first time, he felt… important.

But he better not have him mixed up in his own personal matters. He was sure the blond had a wonderful life of his own.

Sighing, he sat down on his couch and picked up some envelopes that were probably his past-due bills. "Fuck," he muttered to himself.

End of Chapter

Next chapter soon.