(no subject)

[ripetere]

[ Ten o'clock. Finally, his shift was over. He tossed his black staff shirt with SECURITY emblazoned in bold white letters across the back onto the table in the closet that passed for a break room, and dug his cigarettes out of a jacket pocket. Most nights he'd be working until the club closed, but he'd agreed to come in early today to do set up for an event. A guest DJ or some shit - he wasn't paid to care about those details, he was paid to lift heavy objects, break up bar fights, and turn away teenagers with fake IDs.

Normally he'd just head home for the night - the music wasn't to his taste, and he had woken up with a headache that hadn't ever quite subsided. But... Bruno was here. Had showed up with an entourage of beautiful women barely half an hour ago, even. Leone knew it was weird and creepy of him to stick around just to watch a stranger, but... a little while wouldn't hurt. Enough to have a cigarette or two. Then he'd leave.

He slipped out of the breakroom, and made his way through the wall of noise and people to reach the back patio doors. There was a decent view of most of the bar from back here, and while there were a few other people having a smoke it was still relatively quiet this time of night.]

Comments

[zippermom]

[Bruno really hadn't intended to be out tonight. His plans for a quiet night had been thwarted, though, when Camille had called, rightly guessed that he hadn't had a proper dinner, and then guilted him into going out with her and Anna. Which would have been fine, if it had ended with dinner, but they'd run into more people and now here he was. He knew the girls were more comfortable with him around to fend off the drunks, so he didn't have the heart to call it an early night.

He liked the club at least. It wasn't at all high-end, but he honestly preferred it that way, and he could enjoy himself mostly undisturbed. And then there was the bouncer, who, he was pretty sure, was the reason he kept getting dragged back to this place, and he kept not protesting. He'd spotted him on their way in the door, but then lost track in the flurry of drink ordering and didn't catch sight of him again until he saw him out of the corner of his eye, slipping out onto the patio, now sans the 'security' shirt. As if on cue, Camille put a hand on his shoulder.]

I am going to die if I have to watch you two stare at each other through a crowd of people again.

[Bruno took a sip of his drink to try and hide what he was sure was a guilty look crossing his face.]

I'm not staring. He's just hard to miss.

[There was a snort of amusement from Camille and a shove on his shoulder.]

Just go. If you don't, I'll go talk to him instead.

[He nearly choked on his drink. They were all really too old for this sort of thing. Which was, maybe, her point. But it didn't help him feel any less completely uncertain about this.]

Okay, okay. You'll leave it be after this, right?

[That got him a radiant smile of, so all he could really do was sigh, down the rest of his drink for a little liquid courage, and start making his way through the crowd and out towards the patio.]

[ripetere]

[ Leone had drifted off into thought, so he didn't quite parse that Bruno was on the move until he was nearly at the doors. Worse, it looked like the other man was headed straight for him. Shit. Had he caught Leone staring? He didn't look pissed off, though, so maybe he'd seen someone else he knew out here. Or maybe he just wanted a smoke. Leone tried to push down the fluttering of panic in his chest, and looked away from the door, hoping that Bruno wouldn't notice him. ]

[zippermom]

[So, he was apparently doing this. It was probably better to just get it over with, because Camille was right, things were getting a little out of hand. While he wasn't exactly a regular here, he came in often enough, and all he'd managed to do since he'd first noticed he was being watched was surreptitiously find out the other man's name.

He'd been content to wait, and see what happened, but nothing had, and the longer things had dragged on, the more and more curious he became. Was Leone even interested? And if not, why the hell did Bruno keep catching him looking? He was just going to have to suck it up and do something about it, since the alternative seemed to be spending an eternity spinning fantasies in his own head, which was a far from satisfying outcome.

Even so, as he made his way through the last of the bar crowd onto the much less occupied patio, he realized he had absolutely no game plan, and wasn't that just like him? So fixated on the goal that he hadn't bothered to figure out how he was going to accomplish it. He sighed inwardly, and started digging around in the pocket of his jacket for his cigarettes. It was a lame ploy, but it was all he had.]

Hey.

[He didn't wait to be acknowledged before coming up beside Leone, taking the opportunity to get a better look at him as he did so.]

Can I get a light? I think I lost mine.

[As pick-up lines went, it was abysmal, but he supposed it was better than nothing.]

[ripetere]

[ As focused as he was on not being noticed, Leone nearly jumped out of skin when Bruno spoke to him. God, he really was a mess - couldn't even manage basic human interaction. Even if it was, in fairness, with the man he'd secretly been mooning over every time he came to the club.]

What, none of your friends could help you out?

[ The words came out sharper than he'd meant them to, and he winced. Always too sharp, and it cut him as easily as it cut everyone else around him. He soldiered on anyway, though, and pulled his cheap lighter out of his pants pocket and offered it to Bruno.]

Here.

[zippermom]

[That was... not the kind of response he'd been expecting, and while he tried to keep the look of startled confusion off his face as he took the lighter, he wasn't entirely sure he was successful.]

I didn't want to go back inside.

[He was starting to think he'd maybe misinterpreted the entire situation. Clearly, he had been watching him, but maybe he'd got the motives all wrong. Shit. Had he... done something at some point to offend him? He was sure he'd never seen him outside the club, but that didn't mean anything, really. Great. Well, he was here now. He'd finish the cigarette and cut his losses, maybe. Try to smooth things over in the meantime. He lit a cigarette and held the lighter back out to Leone.]

I wasn't even planning on going out tonight.

[ripetere]

[ He could tell when Bruno tensed - for all that he was bad at actually interacting with them, he was decent at reading people. Good skill for a cop. Or a bouncer.

He took a drag on his cigarette to give himself a moment to think of something to say that wasn't completely stupid, and then exhaled clove-scented smoke. ]

Got dragged out anyway?

[... Still pretty stupid, but he was trying.]

[zippermom]

Pretty much.

[This was... a little better. He wasn't being actually hostile, so maybe Bruno had just caught him at a bad moment, or something. And he could now add 'smokes cloves' to his very tiny pile of knowledge.]

They feel safer if I come with them, so it's hard to say no.

[ripetere]

[ It was always a mistake to conflate beauty and goodness - it was only in fiction that the world was so easily divided into beautiful heroes and ugly villains - but Leone wasn't the least bit surprised that Bruno had both. The beauty was self-evident, and he'd always been friendly and polite to the staff, even when many patrons weren't, and now this. ]

Good of you to keep an eye out for them, then.

[ Nothing too serious had happened in the time Leone had been working here, but there had been close calls. Suspicious drinks, overbearing men he'd had to throw out... And, well, he'd been a cop. He knew what humans could do to each other. ]

[zippermom]

We keep an eye out for each other.

[It wasn't something he thought was terribly remarkable, and honestly, it sometimes made him feel a little... selfish. Having someone else to focus on kept him going. He tapped the ash off the end of his cigarette and tilted his head a little as he regarded the other man.]

Are you off for the night?

[He didn't really want to talk about himself more than was strictly necessary. He was still trying to satisfy his own curiosity, after all.]

[ripetere]

[ It must be nice, Leone thought, to have friends like that. Then again, the last person that had watched out for Leone had ended up dead for his troubles, so maybe it was better if he was alone.

He pushed that thought away, hoped it didn't show on his face, and turned to Bruno's question instead. ]

Mmm. I came in early, so I only had to work part of the shift tonight.

[zippermom]

[There was a flicker of... Something there on his face, but Bruno didn't know him well enough to guess at what it might be. But he was grateful to know they could keep talking for awhile, even if the conversation wasn't exactly... Deep.]

Oh, good. I'd hate to think I was keeping you from your job.

[He smiled in a way he hoped was convincing, but he was so used to faking it these days that he had no idea if it'd work, or if he'd just end up looking a little crazy.]

[ripetere]

[ Leone shook his head, and then tucked a strand of hair that had fallen loose from his messy bun back behind one ear ]

Nah, Tony'd kick my ass if I slacked off on-shift.

[ As soon as he said it, he realized it's probably been too long since he had an actual conversation with someone who wasn't one of his coworkers. Most of the regulars didn't even know the owner, and Bruno, while he was here often, was not quite a regular yet. ]

The owner. Good guy. [ He's hired Leone, after all. ]

[zippermom]

[Bruno let himself be momentarily distracted by that little gesture, gaze lingering on the line of Leone's jaw, glad to finally be able to get a good look at him in decent lighting.]

Is he? That's good to know.

[Not that he usually vetted the proprietors of all his usual watering holes, but he was ultimately giving the man his money. He took another drag on his cigarette, aware of how far it'd burned down and the fact that once it was finished, he was going to lose the flimsy excuse he had to be standing out here, unless he suddenly decided to take up chain smoking. Camille was going to laugh at him if he went back into the bar figuratively empty handed, but he wasn't sure what to do. It was a little late to say 'hey, I noticed you watching me' without coming off as weirder than he wanted to. Usually he just chatted a little, hooked up, and then regretted things at his leisure. That seemed like both an unlikely outcome to this particular evening, and not one he would have wanted, even if it had been more probable.]

[ripetere]

[ Leone could see Bruno was almost done with his cigarette and knew that if he didn't keep this conversation going somehow, it was going to end, and they'd go back to being two strangers who occasionally crossed paths. And while he was shit at keeping conversations going, he found himself wanting to try, wanting to stretch this moment out a little longer. ]

You're a model, right? I think I saw you in Vogue Italia once.

[ That particular page had been saved to his folder of fashion clippings, even though the clothes hadn't been his style. ]

[zippermom]

[Bruno laughed a little and nodded.]

That shoot was awhile ago, but yeah.

[He was glad to have an excuse to keep talking, but he was going to be mortified if this all turned out to be an extended version of the 'where do I know you from?' game.]

You read Vogue?

[He was genuinely curious now.]

[ripetere]

[ Leone could feel himself blushing, and wished desperately that he had bothered to do more than just fill in his eyebrows before coming to work - foundation would have hidden the redness. As it was, he hoped that the dim half-light would be enough to keep Bruno from noticing. ]

Yeah - I couldn't pull off most of those clothes, but it's nice to look sometimes.

[ There was an edge of defensiveness in his voice - he'd been teased about it a few times on the force, when other officers caught him reading on his break. Never outright cruel, really, but not understanding, either. ]

[zippermom]

[Bruno tipped his head to the side and looked at Leone with open curiosity, for the moment unconcerned with whatever sort of impression he was making to focus in on that bit of emotion in his voice.]

I think you're selling yourself a bit short.

[Okay, maybe his opinion wasn't totally impartial, but really. Leone had height going for him and he clearly knew enough to do an expert job with his eyebrows, if nothing else... Bruno didn't have a real clear idea what his sense of style might be, having never seen him outside of work, but he was certain he must have one.]

[ripetere]

[ A short, slightly bitter laugh escaped Leone. ]

Thanks, but I'm not. I mean, I have to draw my eyebrows on just to not look like a goddamn alien.

[ There were people who could pull off the invisible eyebrows look. They were generally a lot more confident and had more body modifications than Leone. ]

[zippermom]

That's...

[Had someone made him think that? Bruno frowned, offended on Leone's behalf. This was precisely the sort of thing that riled him up, and he had to stop himself from just confessing how utterly handsome he thought he was. Unconventional, maybe, but that was just all the more appealing. Instead, he bit his lip for a moment while he tried to think of some more appropriate way to express himself.]

If someone told you that, they're wrong. You're perfect just like this.

[He could feel his face heat a little with a mix of embarrassment at himself and outrage at... whoever had made him feel that way. Society, maybe. Whatever. It was bullshit.]

[ripetere]

[ Leone glanced away, oblivious to Bruno's embarrassment in his attempt to hide how red his own face was. ]

Look, you don't have to bullshit me with platitudes, alright? [ Bruno was beautiful, was surrounded by other beautiful people, like his friends at the bar - there was no way he meant anything beyond the empty words Leone had heard often enough in his life. ]

[zippermom]

[He was surprised by how much that hurt, not because he was essentially being called a liar, but because it was apparently easier to believe it was a lie than it was to believe the truth.]

It's not bullshit. Why would I bother with that?

[There was a wave of... something flooded beneath his skin, not quite anger, not quite frustration. The useless feeling of wanting to fix something there was no real way to fix.]

I came out here because I wanted to talk to you. I'm sorry if other people have been assholes, but that's not what I'm doing here.

[ripetere]

[ Leone didn't know how to respond to that. His first instinct was, as ever, to be contrary and spiteful about it, but... he found he wasn't in the mood for arguing. He was tired, headachey, and inexplicably, the most beautiful man he'd ever met was standing here talking to him.

He settled for swiping a hand over his face and sighing. ]

Yeah, sorry. [ Not much sincerity in the words, but he knew the conventions of social interaction. ] I need a drink. Can I get you something?

[zippermom]

[It felt... a bit like he was being brushed off, but he also realized that getting in a heated debate about self-esteem with someone who was basically a stranger wasn't productive. Especially if he wanted to get to know him better.]

Okay, sure.

[He wasn't really much of a drinker outside social events where it was expected, but tonight, he could probably use it.]

I'll take whatever you're getting.

[He had what was probably a bad habit of just drinking whatever was handed to him. It meant he didn't have to decide, but it also meant he didn't really have much of a preference.]

[ripetere]

Be right back, then. [ Despite the crowd, it didn't take him long to get the bartender's attention - she was probably the closest Leone had to a friend these days. She gave him a knowing look when he ordered two drinks, one of them decidedly not one of his usual choices, but to her credit, said nothing. He'd probably get grilled for details before his next shift, though. He made his way through the crowd, careful not to spill either of the drinks, and out to the relative quiet of the patio.

A small part of him was surprised Bruno had actually stuck around and waited for him, but he managed to push it aside for the moment, and offered him one of the drinks. ]

Here - I figured you'd like a bellini more than what I'm drinking.

[zippermom]

[Leone wasn't gone long, but it was long enough for Bruno to gather himself a little better. He told himself he wasn't going to dive head-long into trying to fix whatever was bothering the other man... not tonight. It was a bad habit, and definitely not appropriate for the level of familiarity they currently had.

He raised an eyebrow slightly as he took the offered drink.]

Under different circumstances, I might be a little offended by that. But you're probably right.

[There were people who--given his appearance and his career--tended to assume things about him, which, while not wholly inaccurate, was grating nonetheless. He was pretty sure that Leone, with his long hair and drawn in eyebrows, wasn't being condescending, though. And given he'd basically slammed his first drink before coming out here, Bruno was grateful to be able to pace himself a little.]

That does make me a little concerned for what you've gotten yourself, though.