[Heaven] Carve Ourselves Out a Slice (Maximillion, Evan)

[div style="width:50%;opacity:0.5;font-size:0.85em;border-bottom:1px solid #ffffff;"]TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2000, 11:07PM[/div]

Greater London was absolutely hopping tonight, more so in some places than in others. Soho was practically lit up like a Christmas tree - if you ignored the fact that it wasn't Christmas, but Halloween. Neopagans were celebrating their New Years Eve while slutty college chicks were wearing fishnets and animal ears and looking for a great lay. Between Soho and the River Thames, one place in particular was banging out modern music and shooting out sparks of coloured light, but it wasn't magic being cast, just a party scene. It wasn't just a gay bar, it wasn't just a dance club - it was Heaven. Located on Villiers Street, Heaven Nightclub was the hot spot to go, if you were a Muggle. Or if you were looking to get away from magic for a night.

Evan licked his lips as he observed all the man candy on display tonight, from his vantage point in a corner not far inside the cordoned-off entrance and the hipster checking names off the VIP list or otherwise collecting cover charges. The DJ tonight was killing a mad blend of electro-pop and techno music that had been going nonstop for twenty minutes. For the first five of those minutes, Evan had been standing here, scoping out the prospects. The next five, he had been jumping around and dancing on the floor. Then the overeager pimple-faced boy obviously fresh out of secondary school danced his way over with a complete lack of subtlety and tried to grab his crotch. Disgusted, Evan had cuffed him on the ear, and then returned to his brooding corner.

Max had better get here soon.

Evan had been working on and off with his friend and former classmate at Hogwarts, Maximillion Crowhurst, now an Auror. In Evan's capacity as an investigative reporter, he had been working with the Ministry to both help try to uncover the source of the unusual magical flu that was popping up everywhere (not much luck so far) and to report the numbers and information that the Ministry deemed appropriate to share with the public. Evan enjoyed his job as a liaison between the Ministry and the Prophet, not only because it gave him a sense of power, but because it meant he'd been able to eye Max up for the past month. At some points distant and formal, at other times vaguely flirtatious, Max had finally made it clear (enough to Evan) that he was fairly open sexually, if the conditions were right. Two-point-three seconds later Evan had informed Max that they would be taking Halloween night off to relax and get away from their joint assignment, and meet up here.

The tall ex-Slytherin glanced in the mirror across the room and caught his reflection between people passing by. He had gone shirtless, and his black sports jacket was custom tailored to his body and showed off his lean waist and smooth body. His pants, also black, sat down on his hips to give a tantalising preview to anyone that was going by. All in all he looked damn good, and he knew it, and a lot of the boys coming in knew it too because they kept giving him long, appealing looks like they wanted to make him dinner or be his. But tonight, Evan Reavley only had eyes for one man, and just as he turned to look at the entrance that man walked in. [span style="display:none;"] @Maximillion Crowhurst [/span]

Halloween was nothing special. Not this year. This year, Maximillion Crowhurst's life was almost in complete turmoil. Between the fact that he worked at least five times as hard than he normally did, the dome that surrounding Hogwarts, and the magical flu that people were being infected by, he was a busy man. Maybe that was why he was ten minutes late to Heaven where he was to meet his former Hogwarts friend, Evan. The man was partnered up with him more often than not as he tried to scope out whatever information he needed for whatever conspiracy that was plaguing the magical world, and honestly? Max didn't mind. Then again, Max didn't mind openly looking at Evan, either. While tall and skinny, Max found himself caught between pondering darker thoughts of lust, and true thoughts of friendship while they were together, and more than once, Evan caught him. Two or three or maybe it was even four days ago, they had gotten into a conversation about it, and when Max had informed Evan on his sexuality (bisexual depending if the situations were right, as determined with his recent outing with Mr. Dieter), the man was informing him that Halloween was their night off, and they would be going out. Together. Max simply shrugged his shoulders and agreed.

And so here he was, at Heaven. The music was loud and rocking, and there were so many people on the floor that it was hard for Max to breathe. The wizard didn't care, though. That was the last of his worries. This would be a fantastic break to all the shit he had going on at work, in his relationships and whatever else he was brooding over. Right now, it was the time of his life. He shifted himself on his feet and tugged at his shirt -- a simple tee shirt with a bloody skull on it (obviously he was 'trying to get into the mood' of Halloween despite absolutely not feeling it), and scanned the room for Evan. The reporter was buried behind hundreds of people, and so Max shook his head. If Evan was looking out for him, then he'd come find the auror.

In the meantime, Max would go towards the bar to check it out and see if they had anything good. Wasn't a necessity, but it was always good to know the surroundings before he stayed.

Just as Evan turned to look at the entrance, that man walked in. There he was: a vision in-- what the hell was he wearing? A tee and trousers? Evan thought Max knew this was a gay bar! Actually after a moment's consideration, Evan allowed the possibility that that was exactly why he'd worn such a blasé, attention-deterring article of clothing. Of course, in Max's case, it still drew attention. The pale Auror looked good in everything... just like Evan. The reporter grinned wickedly at the thought, and as far as the tee went Evan consoled himself with the fact that, just maybe, Max would let him take it off later while they were dancing.

Max obviously didn't see Evan in he shadowy corner, despite being as close to the entrance as it was. Evan wasn't offended - it offered a number of opportunities and ways to get his attention. As Max passed Evan's niche and headed towards the bar, Evan smiled wickedly once again. The man and his liquor. He supposed that was as good a place any to corner his quarry. He could see it now - Max gets to the bar and starts scoping it out, a voice behind him says, "What can I do for you to make you buy a girl a drink?" and he turns around and sees Evan there smirking, hands in his pockets, sides of his jacket behind his back; Max licks his lips and opens his mouth to reply; Evan puts a finger against Max's lips and says, "Hold that thought," and leans in for a kiss...

Yeah, this could definitely work out fast.

Brushing some dirt off his shoulders that definitely wasn't there, Evan started following Max indirectly toward the bar, strutting a little bit and manoeuvring expertly around almost all of the other ravers in the club. Except for the snotty crotch-grabber from earlier, who was making a beeline for him. To try it again, to hit him back, or to apologise? Evan wasn't really sure, but he also didn't want to attract any attention, positive negative or otherwise, before he and Max got on the floor and really dug in to the music. He waved the kid over and stepped back by some unoccupied two-person tables with barstools against the wall. The kid approached him quickly, but then hesitated, looking around for some sign of a trick or trap.

"Oh for fuck's sake, get over here," Evan hissed, stamping his foot. The kid scurried over with an expression that was half-hopeful and half-fearful. "All right, look, you're new, yeah? Just came out? Rebelling against the parents, maybe snuck out tonight hoping for your first real gay experience?" The kid nodded, shaking a little bit. Like he was about to get in trouble or something. Please. "All right. You need to relax. I'm out of your league, sorry, not gonna deny it, but at least I can help you a little bit, 'kay?" The kid smiled.

"Button up your shirt, just the bottom two, you don't have a body like me," Evan started, watching as the kid did so. Geez, was he mute or something? "And let me fix your hair," he did so, getting rid of the immaculately combed nerd look and replacing it with an artfully tousled mess, "roll up your pantlegs so you don't trip over yourself, and for God's sake don't go around grabbing guys where their manhood lies," he rolled his eyes. "You see someone you like, don't rush toward them. Tease a little - here, turn around," he grabbed the kid's shoulders and had him face the dance floor. "Work your way toward them gradually - eye contact is ok, but don't look so intense. Don't face them head-on right away. Get behind them and work a little bit, you know?" he swayed his hips to the music and gently brushed them against the kid's own. "You can't get some action coming in like a bulldozer, you have to circle around them and reel them in."

He pointed at another younger guy, fairly good looking, bleached blond hair and a nice ass, a little chubby in the midsection. "There's your target. Go get him, tiger," he finished up, shoving the kid back into the action before looking around. In all the excitement he'd lost track of Max.

Maximillion ordered his drink, and quietly sipped at it while he took a look around. More and more people were crowding in on the floor to dance, and Max wasn't too aware of what was happening. He was lost in a million thoughts that crossed his mind, and well, honestly, he was just busy at his attempt to spot Evan. The man was apparently far too hard to find in a mass of similarly dressed people that humped and grinded against other... lesser dressed people. Suddenly, and acutely aware of what was going on, Max realized he was probably one of the more dressed members of the club. Oh, well. It was what it was. Max shifted on his feet, downed the rest of his drink as he spotted Evan (on the move towards him; as if he could sneak up on the auror; ha!) and then paid for his drink. He wasn't going to go overboard. Halloween was a night all about fun, but at the same time, it didn't need to involve bottles of alcohol that could easily consume his soul.

He was honestly waiting for Evan to arrive at him, and make some sort of sassy comment about suddenly finding Max in the throng of people. The auror's bright eyes watched his friend and allowed a well tailored eyebrow to cock as his friend made a detour. It seemed Evan had an admirer of his own, and was lecturing him on the processes of being a good boy and getting what he wanted. That thought made Max chuckle, and the auror moved stealthily through the crowd and back and around Evan and the teenager. It was perfect to catch the ending of their conversation -- about buttoning up the shirt and mussing up the hair; and especially about the target. Max snickered quietly under his breath as he watched Evan turn the young man towards the crowd and give him a reassuring pep talk before he was pushed out into the world. Evan was so freakin' cute.

That's when Max made his own debut towards his friend. He slid up behind him, warm hands traveling along the equally warm midsection of Evan and he hummed deeply, "Since when have you decided to coach kids on how to be a gentleman, Mr. Reavley?" Max questioned. He leaned forwards and allowed his chin to rest comfortably on Evan's left shoulder. It was only really natural, considering the other man had like two inches on him, "But no hello for me? Shame. And I was hoping to spend all of my Halloween with you," he cooed. He teased Evan as much as anyone else, but it was what it was. Finally, after another moment, Max pulled away from his friend and slipped his hands into the pockets of his slacks.

All Evan's senses lit up as hands moved around his Apollo's Belt and a deep, sexy voice hummed words into his ear. Max had never laid hands on him like this before and yet, somehow, Evan instinctively recognised the touch of those fingers and his body responded with instant excitement. "I would gladly have said hello if you had been paying attention to me waiting just inside the door," Evan teased back, running his own fingers up and down Max's. "It's not very polite to keep a girl waiting like that." As Max pulled back away from him, Evan spun around slowly in time to observe the Auror put his hands back into his pockets. Damn shame, that. He could have kept them on Evan's abs - or further down - all night long.

Then, belatedly, Evan registered the first thing Max had said to him that evening. "Wait. A 'gentleman'? The fuck do you think I am, Crowhurst?" Evan gave Max a raised-eyebrow look of mock disgust. "I was teaching that kid how to be a good slut. It's an artform these days, I'll tell you what." He shook his head sadly, but then his face split into a grin. He was good at his job, but here in a hot sweaty dance club with nothing but blinding lights and pounding music, he was truly in his element. Throw in his own hot date, and there was no denying: Evan was the queen tonight.

The unmistakeable beat of Afro Medusa's new song "Pasilda" started up and all the boys in the club let out a raucous cheer and started doing their best impressions of Spanish dancing. Which were the worst impressions of Spanish dancing Evan had ever seen, in spite of all the freak dancing that the hipsters were mixing in. Back in his youth, his parents had been affluent enough that Evan and Adena (the older of his two younger sisters) got to take classical dance lessons. While he had never played a sport, per se, he kept up his lean build with the athleticism that came from ballroom and swing competing as a hobby. Both he and Adena had been enamoured with the art of dance - Adena so much so that she was an exotic dancer in a (thankfully far away and totally different) night club.

"Well I suppose if you were planning on spending all Halloween with me, we better make up for lost time," Evan decided, running a hand through his hair. "You choose where we start and I choose where we end up," he went on teasingly. "Do you want to grab a drink first, or shall we hit the floor running?" After a beat he added nonchalantly, "Do you, uh, happen to know how to salsa dance, by chance? We can show these plebeyos how this song is supposed to be done." Already the irresistible rhythm was in Evan's hips, and for now he was wiggling them in his own space, but he was dying to swing them around - and against - Max.

"Mhm."

Max rose an eyebrow as he listened to the way Evan spoke. His friend had made it far from obvious that he was interested in Max in a more than friendship way, and honestly? Max would probably go along with it right now. The auror hummed gently as Evan spoke about how it wasn't polite to keep a girl waiting, and then something else. Frankly, Max was far from paying attention. He chuckled a little as Evan then started into a rant about how he wasn't training the boy to be a good gentleman but a slut instead, and Max finally moved. He pulled his hands from his pockets and reached over. He grabbed the ends of Evan's shirt and casually pulled the slightly younger man towards him -- and acted like he was going to give him a kiss. In reality, their noses brushed against each other and he whispered seductively against Evan's lips, "Oh, a slut, hm? Does that mean you're my slut for tonight, Mr. Reavley?" Max questioned as an eyebrow cocked upwards.

Then again, maybe Max took what Evan said wrong, and spun it so that it was what Maximillion wanted to hear. Either way, he chuckled and then pulled himself away as the music shifted. It was Evan who he was interested in; not all the bodies that ground up against each other like they were in perpetual heat. Then again, Max wasn't nearly enough drunk to even get himself in the mood. He barely heard Evan's words and shrugged at them, even as his friend started to sway those pretty, slender hips, "We both know where we're ending up," Max pointed out as a smile crept across his face, "it'll be in a random hotel's bed. Probably in the Leaky Cauldron's room, where everyone will be able to hear your sounds," he teased. He glanced around the scene before he clicked his tongue, "but we can dance since you're so obviously interested in it. But one song, before I go get a drink. You know how much better I feel under the influence."

He gave a wink before he laced his fingers with Evan's and pulled the other man out onto the dance floor.

Hot damn. This was another big part of why Evan was so attracted to Max. Sure he wasn't exclusive (but neither was Evan), and sure he also slept with girls. But he still got to know Evan and took the time to learn all the buttons to press that would make him hot and bothered. There was nothing sexier than an expert tease - except perhaps an expert lay after an expert tease. But it was in all the little gestures... grabbing Evan's open jacket from the bottom and pulling him in, faking out the kiss, the hot breath of sultry whispers on Evan's face, the reluctant smile, the careless wink, the easy comfortable interlock of their fingers. And then Evan was being pulled out onto the dance floor where he could own the club.

Evan used the strength of Max's pull and his own dexterity to spin himself into Max's arms, keeping their one hand interlaced while placing his other hand on Max's shoulder. He felt an electric sort of connection going through both of both their arms, like dancing together was completing a circuit and he felt that much more alive and excited. Max wasn't exactly a pro at the salsa dance but he knew OF the dance, and he knew enough to follow along. And he was obviously picking more up very quickly from Evan's cues -- even though Evan was trying to make Max the leader.

Something about their professionalism, or maybe their passion - or both - was keeping all the leg-humpers away from them. There wasn't really room on the dance floor for them to be in a performance space, but Evan still felt like there was a bit of a bubble around them and there were a lot of eyes turned their way. It didn't really matter - Evan was fixated on the pair of round, dark green eyes across from him. Even as they turned out from each other connected only by one hand, and twisted and swung, the slender former Slytherin just couldn't look away (nor did he want to). His breathing was becoming a little more laboured, not from the exertion of the dance but from the ecstatic feeling of attraction and from a sort of pride that they were the centre of attention. Every time they came back together and Max's hand, spread between his hip and the small of his back, pulled him close, Evan let out an involuntary, quiet little gasp.

The spell of the song was broken at last when the insistent drumbeat crossfaded into a new song and there was a bit of raucous applause and hooting in their immediate vicinity. Suddenly self-conscious where he had never cared what a spectacle he'd made before, Evan continued to look only at Max, one eyebrow quirked up in a suggestion of We could use that drink now if you can get us out of here?

Max grinned at how Evan seemed to melt into his movements. Max wasn't a very particular person when it came to scenes with others, but this was fun. Even though he wasn't dressed up or even feeling the vibe, but he did feel his connection with Evan. They were never the best of friends while in their Hogwarts years, but that didn't mean Max couldn't enjoy their friendship now. He was secretly smirking as he led Evan out onto the dance floor after the brief teasing session of the other male.

Evan led them on the dance floor and Max followed. Occasionally, his feet would get in the way, but he caught on pretty quick. Not necessarily as the lead dancer, but if he had to do it again, he would be able to do it. Maybe not as perfect as Evan expected, but it could be enough. It could be enough to get through the dance. The song, though, started to fade and a thunderous applause seemed to overwhelm them. Evan gave him a look but before he could pull away, Max tugged him in close and brushed his lips teasingly over Evan's, "That was fun, thanks," he whispered before he took Evan's hand and once again led the younger wizard across the floor.

This time, Max brought him to the bar and ordered two drinks. He pondered about the night, now that they were hitting it off. Now that Max personally didn't feel so reclusive about being with a guy (before October, Max had found himself being rather more of a look than do type of guy). He gave Evan a grin as he handed him his drink, "Is this the night you've always been dreaming of, big boy?"

The faint brush of lips on lips, teasing a kiss without actually allowing one, was an even bigger turn-on for Evan, and he had to bite his lower lip just to concentrate on something other than the reaction in his pants. It also helped that Max led him, very directly but very gently, out from the dance floor and up to the bar. There were the unavoidable slaps on the ass, hoots and hollers, tongues wagging (literally for some people), but eventually they made it out of the throng and Evan seated himself on one of the bar stools. Max was even thoughtful enough to order Evan a drink, and gentlemanly enough to hand it to him. Evan hadn't been treated like this since dating Guy Jetter in February.

"I'm sure as hell not complaining," Evan replied with a smile that relayed how much he was enjoying himself, most of his feverish flirtiness burnt out during the close grinding dance they'd had just moments ago. Now he couldn't maturely appreciate the opportunity that he and Max had before them. "It's a nice change to be out with you having fun instead of beating our heads against your Ministry records and all of my unhelpful interviewees." He took a shot of his margarita and licked at the salty aftertaste left on his lips. "I needed this stress release. And I'm glad you're the one that came with me."

In a little while maybe they would get up and dance again. If they did, that was when Evan was going to be removing that tee-shirt of Max's. It had to go, preferably sooner rather than later. And if Evan's shirt also got lost in the mayhem, he was pretty sure nobody was going to complain. Just the thought of their bodies sliding together in the heat and intense action of the dance floor had Evan already getting horned up again. Of course, it never took much.

"What do you do to relax when you're not letting queens drag you out to nightclubs?" he asked curiously of Max, taking another shot and then setting his glass down and leaning suggestively against the bar counter next to him.

As drinks were passed, Max settled quietly on the chair. He sipped his own drink happily as Evan replied to him, pointing out that he wasn't complaining about his night. That was good, at least. Max gave him a little wink as he watched the slightly younger man. Evan was extremely adorable, although Max wasn't quite sure he'd really go all that far with him. Maybe. With the introduction of his own sexual acts that were were the same gender, he could easily go with Evan. But at the same time, he had some... qualms. Would it be different? He pondered about it as he nodded at Evan's words, "I do quite agree," he mused as he watched Evan lick the salt from his lips. Max pondered what it would be like to kiss them -- he figured it was the heat of the moment -- and gave a cocky ass grin, "I think we'd have unhelpful people regardless of whether I interviewed them, or you interviewed them," he added. He finished his drink and waved the bartender over to refill, "but I'm glad you're enjoying the night, even if you're with someone as lame as me," he teased. He picked up his new drink and swirled the alcohol around before he spun on the stool so his back was against the bar and his eyes danced over the crowd. Lots of people were extremely attractive, and his eyes lingered for a long time on a couple but they always settled back down on Evan.

Their conversation seemed to lull for a moment before Evan asked him what he did to relax, and for a moment, Max wanted to blurt out 'sex.' Because, ironically, that had become a very, very true statement as of late. His fingers tapped idly on the glass he held and he sipped a little bit of the alcohol, enjoying the warmth and burn that it left as it traveled down his throat, "I do a lot of reading," he finally admitted after another few minutes, watching as Evan leaned seductively against the counter. Max's eyes traveled over the curve of his back and hummed deeply, "but I also tend to hang out with my family. My older brother has a couple of kids, so I like to go visit them often, especially since we really never know when we'll die," he added. Yep, a little morbid, but it was true. He chuckled at his thoughts a little bit, "Why do you ask? Want to know how many people I bang while I'm not with you, hotstuff?"

"I understand that," Evan raised his glass in an unspoken toast. "Visiting just in case something happens, I mean. There are days I would give anything to see my parents again." Granted, his parents had been Death Eaters and they'd been killed by members of the Order of the Phoenix, but that wasn't the public story and nobody except himself and Adena knew that. Not even Erica. "Me and my sisters stay close now for that very reason. There's obviously no occupation too safe if wandmakers can die while harvesting wand wood." For a moment Evan was so carried away by the familiar lie that he got a little upset and there was a tightness in his throat as he spoke his last words. His eyes even glistened with the threat of tears for a few seconds. Verisimilitude. Then he shook his head as if clearing cobwebs out, and took another small sip of his drink and set it back down on the bar.

When Max asked his last, blunt, teasing question, something caught in Evan's throat as he tried to start laughing - probably the emotional response from earlier - and he pounded his bare chest a few times to clear his airway before going on. "Oh, honey, my bang list is more exclusive than yours and I'm still pretty sure I'd give you a run for your money." He chuckled and hit his chest again, and then went on, "No, I don't care who else you sleep with or how often," which was another bit of a lie, he'd already gotten rather attached to Max, but oh well. "I only care who you might be sleeping with tonight." He licked his lips and gave a sly wink, and then finished off his drink with vigour before pushing it back toward the bartender.

"Being real though," he turned his entire body to face Max, "I'm just curious. We've been together - working together," he corrected hastily, "for a month now, and we were even in school together, but I just don't know much about your personal life. And I mean we all have our secrets, our skeletons in the closet," he admitted, "but at least a little I hope we could open up to each other. I'll show you mine if you show me yours, you know." For once he hadn't meant to slip an innuendo in there, but on the other hand... yeah, he had.

Max downed a shot within seconds, and felt the burn worm itself down his throat. He loved the burn, even despite the fact that it only lasted seconds before it disappeared, "Yeah, visiting family," he mused quietly for a moment before he shrugged, "I had a grandfather die in the war. And an aunt pass away when I was little. I guess it's important for me to hang out and visit them now, before they're in a grave six feet under." He hadn't meant to get soap opera-y on Evan, it just... sort of happened. His mood sombered out a little before he went back to sipping on his normal drink. He was attuned to the younger male and how he spoke, listening to the cocky voice and attitude of the former Slytherin. Was Evan always like that? He wondered how he looked now, at twenty five, verses right before graduation at eighteen, Did anyone doubt that he wouldn't get into the auror program, or that he would be having sex with a guy? It was one of those things he truly thought about, that made him weigh in on his opinions of others, and those about himself.

But even so, he pushed it down and moved onto something else to think about, "Huh. I wonder how many of those you got something from," Max mused. A little teasing, but more serious than anything. The thought of his maternal grandfather had saddened him, and he suddenly didn't know if he wanted to drink more, or slip out for a smoke and to leave. It was really a push-pull situation on his end. He shook his head but shrugged at Evan's words about how he didn't care about who he slept with, and only cared about tonight. Shallow. Maybe that was why Evan was in Slytherin all those years ago; because shallow people bred shallow thoughts. He swirled his alcohol around in the glass before he gave another shrug, and forced himself to smile, even if it didn't quite reach his eyes, "Maybe you. Maybe I'll go find some gorgeous chick to hook up with in another bar. The possibilities here are endless, Mr. Reaveley," he teased.

He rose an eyebrow as Evan turned serious. He listened as the other male spoke and he downed the last of his drink, "You wouldn't want to delve into my closet," he finally spoke, an ounce of flourish in his words, "it's dark and damp and dank. Definitely not for the likes of a reporter."