( It's definitely not his sort of scene. In fact, you could say, this was as far from his scene as you could imagine.
Yet in the wake of a recent divorce (which did not go unnoticed by some coworkers) led to this night where he finds himself at an after party for the end of some New York comedy event. Needless to say, Eddie knows little to nothing about comedy or the comedians up there on stage telling the jokes so he is lost in the sea of famous unfamiliar faces. Every so often his coworker swings by with a huge grin on his face and pointing people out excitedly, Eddie nodding but ultimately just tucking the information away.
Although he chats and mingles a little, Eddie mostly keeps to himself and scanning his phone or at his coworker's side as he chatters with others. He imagines this not unlike what prom might have been if he could even remember what his prom had been like or really... he could remember anything from his youth. Then again if it had been anything important then he would remember it, yeah?
After another half hour spent mingling, Eddie excuses himself back toward the refreshment table where he snags another fancy glass of water (he has to drive home, okay?) and, as he moves to turn, finds himself stopping mid-step as he almost connects with someone else. )
Sorry. ( He murmurs looking up at the unfamiliar face, blinking once and then twice. Huh. Although he's kept himself out of conversation and away from chattering groups something seems to urges him to say― )
[Feeling out of place was normal for Richie, who despite his best efforts to blend in usually stuck out like a sore thumb because of his height and the width of his shoulders. He compensated how he could, neutral tones, unassuming posture but none of that was enough to camouflage him.
So, he lived at the bar and after his set well-rehearsed and line by line, he commits to the old habit of nursing his drink. Bourbon, on the rocks. His PA has left him for the evening so it's just him and his drink until happenstance gets in the way.
The guy that almost hip-checks him looks more out of place than he does and he's the talent. It was a gift, sometimes, to be able to read people and something in this dude's frantic gate and bright brown eyes slows him down enough to keep his attention.]
Don't worry about it, I come with the bar. Part of the ambiance. [Another joke at his inability to disguise himself, but in this case, it might've been a success if Mr. Fly by the seat of his pants hadn't almost bowled him over.] What? Comedy? Not your thing?
They pay you properly or just in drinks? ( He says, smiling, despite himself. ) And, yeah, it's something like that. My ex probably would have said something about it rotting the brain. I'm here with a coworker, he said I needed to get out.
( Another sip of his water and Eddie offers another smile. There's a part of him that thinks he should probably excuse himself but another, louder part of him keeps him fitted in place and lingering to stare at those wide shoulders. Huh. )
What about you? You like being part of the ambiance at these sorts of events or is middle management Christmas parties more your thing?
[It's not far from the truth but the smile that curls his lips is a comfortable one. For whatever reason, he feels comfortable around this stranger. Maybe it's the kind eyes or the dimples in his cheeks, but it soothes his nerves like a chain reaction.]
Listen to your friends, or you'll wind up a bar fixture like me. Christmas isn't my thing in general. I know, bleak. What about you? You more of a Christmas party dude? I bet you come real undone with a couple cups of egg nog.
( And, in response, Eddie can't help but smile himself. It's just so weird how... at ease he felt with a complete stranger. A stranger that he continues lingering his gaze on like a schoolgirl with a crush. )
Oh, yeah, you've got me. I'm usually pants on head drunk by the end of our yearly Christmas parties. ( He says, laughing. ) It's not my sort of thing, I guess. I haven't really... cut loose since before I was married. Not since college, maybe.
[This guy looks great wearing a smile, and the way it crinkles up his nose and exposes a small path of freckles there on his face has Richie mirroring the action with a large smile of his own.]
Hey, pants on your head drunk is a great way to spend the night. Trust me. You don't have to be depressed at Christmas to get there either.
[The mention of him being married throws him off and for a minute he stands there feeling bad for sizing him up the way that he was. Then he just feels bad, college onward is an awfully long time to be so tightly wound.]
Why don't you cut loose then? Your next drink is on me.
( Oh, well, this is where Eddie would blame the alcohol for the rosy shade of red that has appeared on his cheeks at the sight of the other man smiling like that but there's nothing (certainly not any alcohol) to blame except for himself. )
I should, I guess, enjoy myself a bit. I mean that's what you do when you get divorced, right?
( He's not sure why he feels the need to mention that and, yet, here we are. Still, Eddie can't help swallowing down the rest of his water and sighing. )
[Poor thing. He was painfully awkward but there was something about him that got under Richie's skin and so he motions to the barkeep for two drinks and when they come he passes one of them to him.]
Some people might say that. So, not to be too straight-forward but how recent was that divorce? You seem pretty hung up on her.
( He watches the motion with a curious glance before two drinks appear and one is passed his way. Quietly, and carefully, Eddie just stares for a moment before taking a needy sip. )
Two months and I wouldn't say hung up is the right way of looking at it. ( He mumbles behind his glass, shrugging. ) I'm actually really happy but something still doesn't feel right, you know?
( And Eddie, in turn, almost takes a step back but manages to remain in place even though the faintest hint of red returns to his cheeks. )
What? You mean sleeping with Janet from HR just for the hell of it? ( He takes another needy sip of his drink and sighs into his glass, shaking his head. ) That's a huge no. Everyone I know, knows her and that would just be... weird.
[Janet seems like she might be a babe, and he looks around to see if he can find her. If he came with friends, maybe she's one of the friends but no one's looking for either of them. It's just the two of them against the world now.]
In my experience, never make the moves on the HR department. You're cute, but you're still liable. We're all still liable.
( Janet wouldn't be caught dead at one of these events, famous folks or not. He gets the feeling it's the same for a lot of his tight-laced coworkers. This isn't the sort of scene you go to and then head back to your white picket fence back outside the city. )
Cute, huh. ( Color him surprised that is the one thing Eddie focuses in on. ) But, no, you're right and like I said: everyone I work with knows her. It would just be weird at best. It would definitely be someone outside of the company.
Yeah. For a mousy guy. [That's not really his type but these days Richie didn't know what his type was anymore. He still felt pretty distant, alienated. He never understood why. What started as gradual amusement that this guy didn't recognize him from his act was quickly becoming something else.] Well, give yourself a break. You might be surprised a good roll in the hay might be just what the doctor ordered.
I'm not mousy. ( Despite the narrowed look he shoots (because obviously mousy = small) there is another laugh into his drink. After nearly a decade of marriage, eddie wasn't entirely sure just what his type was anymore but something kept him here and drawn into the conversation. )
That come from personal experience or wishful thinking?
[Richie still thinks he's on the small side but he's not about to rain on his parade. He smiles, eagerly returning the grin that he's desperate to hide behind the rim of his glass.]
Well, I was one of the performing acts. I'm Richie. [Finally, he extends his hand and the proper introduction, leaning down to crowd his space (intentionally) and make evident just how different the size was between them.] and it might be a little of both.
( It's the smallest of things but hearing the other man's name has his heart beating wildly in his chest. It barely even registers that Richie was a performing act because his name keeps bouncing around and around in his head. Ultimately, Eddie blinks and finds it harder to hide the flush of color that spreads across his features. )
Eddie. ( He says lightly, breathlessly as he reaches out to take Richie's hand. Ignoring just how close he was. ) My name, I mean. My name is Eddie.
( And then with a breath and a quick finish of his drink, he finds himself asking: ) You wanna get out of here?
[When it normally wouldn't, learning Eddie's name sends a flurry of excitement across his arms and down to the pit of his stomach.
Eddie was cute. Eddie needed a little break, some relief, and Richie really wanted to help with that. The question comes as a surprise, but the grin the spreads across his face is unavoidable. It's warm, glowing, healthier than it had been when he'd just been talking shit over drinks.]
Hell yeah. Your place? Or mine?
[He had a room at the hotel, but he didn't want to take Eddie out of his comfort zone if he didn't have to.]
( It's weird- but maybe weird isn't the right word for this moment. There's a warmth in his chest though Eddie wonders if he should blame the alcohol even though it isn't a burn so much as its just... familiar.
The silence is unnerving for the moment it lasts but then Richie smiles, really smiles, and Eddie is sure that his breath stops for a moment. He finally lets out a shaky sound, face warm with color but smiling. He agreed, he really agreed. )
Yours. ( He says quickly, blinking before smiling shyly. ) I, uh- my new place is pretty bare.
[A smile on his face and some color in his cheeks makes all the difference for Eddie. He doesn't look like the tightly wound critic he met earlier, there's something more there, something that Richie wanted to unravel.
He grabs his hand in his, not secretive about it at all, and exits the venue through the staff exit with him away from the prying eyes of any coworkers.]
I've got a car. My hotel's just up the block. You sure about this, stud?
( Yeah, okay, so this was actually happening. The moment that Richie takes his hand there is a moment that Eddie swears his heart actually stops dead in his chest. Before he knows it, they're moving and he is rummaging through his pocket for his cellphone. It would probably be a good idea to let his coworker know he was leaving early unless he had already spied him leaving with his famous comedian.
It's around the time that Richie speaks when Eddie looks up again and tucks his phone away. There's a quiet moment before he breaths in, out and squeezes the hand he holds. )
[Eddie was like a present just waiting to be unwrapped, and Richie wanted to see who he really was with no prying eyes around. People were more honest in private moments, more themselves without the fear of rejection.]
( Eddie can't help but breathe in deep at that admission with his gaze resting on the back of Richie's head before flickering downwards to where their hands are connected. He thinks he should be surprised with himself for doing something like this but there's just something about Richie that puts him at ease.
New York winters are never kind to anyone and he can't help shivering once they make it outside but the walk to Richie's car isn't a long one. He settles into the passenger seat with a sigh and pulls his seat belt on as his gaze once against flickers to Richie. )
I've never done anything like this before. ( He says suddenly, a bit shyly. )
[It feels familiar, the shape of Eddie's hand and the warmth of it. Richie's hooked up dozens of times with plenty of strangers, but something about this one has nerves bubbling inside of him like old times.
They knock knees in the car while Richie starts the engine, after an inordinate amount of time fumbling with the key. He's smoother than this, dammit. He knows that he is.
Eddie's voice breaks the silence and the tension that went with it.]
Yeah, it's been a while for me too.
[Not a divorce dry spell while but a month or two without the company of a man. He was still in the closet, most people didn't know. It was a lonely life to live, not belonging to anything in particular.]
( Despite all the worries stressing through his blood there is comfort in knocking knees with Richie and he lets the touch linger through their drive. Although Eddie sometimes finds himself annoyed by the lights, noise and general busyness of New York there is also some beauty to it. There's something especially to the nightlife of the city but while thinking it over, Eddie finds himself glances over to Richie once again.
Once more there is a drumming in his chest before he smiles, lopsided and somewhat tender.
He isn't exactly sure what he was expecting of this famous comedian but there's something to be said when he admits that its been awhile for him. There's a quiet moment where Eddie licks his lips before reaching over and letting his hand come to rest along his thigh, perhaps a show of comfort but its hard to tell whether its for Richie or Eddie himself.
What doesn't surprise Eddie is the hotel when they pull up. It's new, very new and very nice. It's nothing close to anything he's ever said in before and he almost gets lost in just taking in the sight of the lobby. Thankfully he stays in Richie's shadow easily and follows him through the lobby, toward the elevators and only breathes again once the doors have closed. )
This is crazy. ( He says finally with a laugh, smiling upwards at his companion and maybe he's crazy too but he leans in though stops short with a blink- )
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
respirations) wrote2020-08-17 05:17 pm
no subject
Yet in the wake of a recent divorce (which did not go unnoticed by some coworkers) led to this night where he finds himself at an after party for the end of some New York comedy event. Needless to say, Eddie knows little to nothing about comedy or the comedians up there on stage telling the jokes so he is lost in the sea of famous unfamiliar faces. Every so often his coworker swings by with a huge grin on his face and pointing people out excitedly, Eddie nodding but ultimately just tucking the information away.
Although he chats and mingles a little, Eddie mostly keeps to himself and scanning his phone or at his coworker's side as he chatters with others. He imagines this not unlike what prom might have been if he could even remember what his prom had been like or really... he could remember anything from his youth. Then again if it had been anything important then he would remember it, yeah?
After another half hour spent mingling, Eddie excuses himself back toward the refreshment table where he snags another fancy glass of water (he has to drive home, okay?) and, as he moves to turn, finds himself stopping mid-step as he almost connects with someone else. )
Sorry. ( He murmurs looking up at the unfamiliar face, blinking once and then twice. Huh. Although he's kept himself out of conversation and away from chattering groups something seems to urges him to say― )
You look almost as bored as I feel.
no subject
So, he lived at the bar and after his set well-rehearsed and line by line, he commits to the old habit of nursing his drink. Bourbon, on the rocks. His PA has left him for the evening so it's just him and his drink until happenstance gets in the way.
The guy that almost hip-checks him looks more out of place than he does and he's the talent. It was a gift, sometimes, to be able to read people and something in this dude's frantic gate and bright brown eyes slows him down enough to keep his attention.]
Don't worry about it, I come with the bar. Part of the ambiance. [Another joke at his inability to disguise himself, but in this case, it might've been a success if Mr. Fly by the seat of his pants hadn't almost bowled him over.] What? Comedy? Not your thing?
no subject
( Another sip of his water and Eddie offers another smile. There's a part of him that thinks he should probably excuse himself but another, louder part of him keeps him fitted in place and lingering to stare at those wide shoulders. Huh. )
What about you? You like being part of the ambiance at these sorts of events or is middle management Christmas parties more your thing?
no subject
[It's not far from the truth but the smile that curls his lips is a comfortable one. For whatever reason, he feels comfortable around this stranger. Maybe it's the kind eyes or the dimples in his cheeks, but it soothes his nerves like a chain reaction.]
Listen to your friends, or you'll wind up a bar fixture like me. Christmas isn't my thing in general. I know, bleak. What about you? You more of a Christmas party dude? I bet you come real undone with a couple cups of egg nog.
no subject
( And, in response, Eddie can't help but smile himself. It's just so weird how... at ease he felt with a complete stranger. A stranger that he continues lingering his gaze on like a schoolgirl with a crush. )
Oh, yeah, you've got me. I'm usually pants on head drunk by the end of our yearly Christmas parties. ( He says, laughing. ) It's not my sort of thing, I guess. I haven't really... cut loose since before I was married. Not since college, maybe.
no subject
[This guy looks great wearing a smile, and the way it crinkles up his nose and exposes a small path of freckles there on his face has Richie mirroring the action with a large smile of his own.]
Hey, pants on your head drunk is a great way to spend the night. Trust me. You don't have to be depressed at Christmas to get there either.
[The mention of him being married throws him off and for a minute he stands there feeling bad for sizing him up the way that he was. Then he just feels bad, college onward is an awfully long time to be so tightly wound.]
Why don't you cut loose then? Your next drink is on me.
no subject
I should, I guess, enjoy myself a bit. I mean that's what you do when you get divorced, right?
( He's not sure why he feels the need to mention that and, yet, here we are. Still, Eddie can't help swallowing down the rest of his water and sighing. )
O-okay. Any recommendations?
no subject
Some people might say that. So, not to be too straight-forward but how recent was that divorce? You seem pretty hung up on her.
no subject
Two months and I wouldn't say hung up is the right way of looking at it. ( He mumbles behind his glass, shrugging. ) I'm actually really happy but something still doesn't feel right, you know?
no subject
[Richie almost spits his own generous swallow back into the glass. He saves face and sets it down on the surface of the bar.]
Wh- Yeah, maybe because it's only been two months. Have you even had your rebound thing yet?
no subject
What? You mean sleeping with Janet from HR just for the hell of it? ( He takes another needy sip of his drink and sighs into his glass, shaking his head. ) That's a huge no. Everyone I know, knows her and that would just be... weird.
no subject
In my experience, never make the moves on the HR department. You're cute, but you're still liable. We're all still liable.
no subject
Cute, huh. ( Color him surprised that is the one thing Eddie focuses in on. ) But, no, you're right and like I said: everyone I work with knows her. It would just be weird at best. It would definitely be someone outside of the company.
no subject
no subject
That come from personal experience or wishful thinking?
no subject
[Richie still thinks he's on the small side but he's not about to rain on his parade. He smiles, eagerly returning the grin that he's desperate to hide behind the rim of his glass.]
Well, I was one of the performing acts. I'm Richie. [Finally, he extends his hand and the proper introduction, leaning down to crowd his space (intentionally) and make evident just how different the size was between them.] and it might be a little of both.
no subject
Eddie. ( He says lightly, breathlessly as he reaches out to take Richie's hand. Ignoring just how close he was. ) My name, I mean. My name is Eddie.
( And then with a breath and a quick finish of his drink, he finds himself asking: ) You wanna get out of here?
no subject
Eddie was cute. Eddie needed a little break, some relief, and Richie really wanted to help with that. The question comes as a surprise, but the grin the spreads across his face is unavoidable. It's warm, glowing, healthier than it had been when he'd just been talking shit over drinks.]
Hell yeah. Your place? Or mine?
[He had a room at the hotel, but he didn't want to take Eddie out of his comfort zone if he didn't have to.]
no subject
The silence is unnerving for the moment it lasts but then Richie smiles, really smiles, and Eddie is sure that his breath stops for a moment. He finally lets out a shaky sound, face warm with color but smiling. He agreed, he really agreed. )
Yours. ( He says quickly, blinking before smiling shyly. ) I, uh- my new place is pretty bare.
no subject
He grabs his hand in his, not secretive about it at all, and exits the venue through the staff exit with him away from the prying eyes of any coworkers.]
I've got a car. My hotel's just up the block. You sure about this, stud?
no subject
It's around the time that Richie speaks when Eddie looks up again and tucks his phone away. There's a quiet moment before he breaths in, out and squeezes the hand he holds. )
Yeah, um - I'm sure. Are you?
no subject
Never been more sure about anything in my life.
no subject
New York winters are never kind to anyone and he can't help shivering once they make it outside but the walk to Richie's car isn't a long one. He settles into the passenger seat with a sigh and pulls his seat belt on as his gaze once against flickers to Richie. )
I've never done anything like this before. ( He says suddenly, a bit shyly. )
no subject
They knock knees in the car while Richie starts the engine, after an inordinate amount of time fumbling with the key. He's smoother than this, dammit. He knows that he is.
Eddie's voice breaks the silence and the tension that went with it.]
Yeah, it's been a while for me too.
[Not a divorce dry spell while but a month or two without the company of a man. He was still in the closet, most people didn't know. It was a lonely life to live, not belonging to anything in particular.]
no subject
Once more there is a drumming in his chest before he smiles, lopsided and somewhat tender.
He isn't exactly sure what he was expecting of this famous comedian but there's something to be said when he admits that its been awhile for him. There's a quiet moment where Eddie licks his lips before reaching over and letting his hand come to rest along his thigh, perhaps a show of comfort but its hard to tell whether its for Richie or Eddie himself.
What doesn't surprise Eddie is the hotel when they pull up. It's new, very new and very nice. It's nothing close to anything he's ever said in before and he almost gets lost in just taking in the sight of the lobby. Thankfully he stays in Richie's shadow easily and follows him through the lobby, toward the elevators and only breathes again once the doors have closed. )
This is crazy. ( He says finally with a laugh, smiling upwards at his companion and maybe he's crazy too but he leans in though stops short with a blink- )
Can I kiss you? Is that okay?
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)