xp_logs | Mark & Jay (backdated Saturday (Reply)

Jay works the crowds with his style, Mark with his music and in the end, both need a much needed break though conversation turns uncomfortable.

The beat set the mood for the bar but it wasn't the DJ, Mark, who was drawing the crowds howls. For a moment, it was the blue mutant behind the counter of the bar. He flashed his grin to Mark, who nodded back, turning up the base to Infinity Klaas remix.

Bobbing his head with the music, Jay smirked at Jen, tossing a bottle to her in a spin and she snatched it in the air, throwing him a new one which he caught with a cup and tossed under his arm and up over his shoulder catching it upright, balanced on the back of his hand. Raising his brow, he leaned forward and three girls - obvious mutants - shouted their orders. Three shot glasses were pulled from beneath the bar and he juggled them, picking up a bottle and tossing it in the combination. Kurt's training finally paid off and his efficiency with bottle and glass coordination was crisp, quick and lacked the clumsiness that he once had.

He was in his element, surrounded by other mutants who cheered him on, completely forgetting that at one point, Jay could sing and sway their hearts with his voice. Behind the bar, he enjoyed himself, metal wings hidden in his back with no hindrance to his control. How many times had he dropped a bottle or two before he got sick, before day zero, before he'd become a mechanism of change? And now, he could spin bottles with Larry and Jen, working up the crowds along with a wink or two to Mark who charged the bar with the energy from his DJing.

It was more fantasy than reality, riding this wave through the pounding against his chest. Jen reached in front of him and took a bottle, mid juggle and Jay picked up one off the counter while managing three others and together, they juggled, poured and served until the three signaled to Mark that they were finished for the time being. Jay's break was coming up and he backed out from the pair, heading into the backroom to unwind and grab something to eat.

This was one of the nights that Mark lived for. Silver was packed to the gills with clubbers looking to unwind after another long, stressful, monotonous week. The crowd's latent energy was easy to tap into, and Mark drew it out explosively. The bartenders' entertainment made it even simpler, and as they finished their antics, Mark applauded them with an overhead explosion of glitter that rained down and dissipated like firework sparks. As he saw Jay slip out from behind the bar to take a break, Mark begged off as well, setting a pre-arranged playlist to take over for the next few minutes, and followed his friend into the back. "Doin' great tonight," he said while shutting the door behind him, his skin still shining like diamonds in the sun.

Jay was in the process of trying to put another notch into his belt when Mark walked in and he looked up, nodding briefly before settling into a chair. “Thanks. You too,” he said, propping his feet up on another nearby seat and balancing back on two legs. He pulled the belt off completely and grabbed a nearby abandoned screw driver, trying to drive a hole in it. “What time you workin’ till?”
"'Til closing, as usual." Mark hopped up onto the desk and crossed his legs Indian-style. "Did you get stuck with the late-night boozer loser shift or are you going home at a sensible hour?"

"Late shift," Jay said and jerked his arm forward, surprised that he got the screw driver through the worn out leather. Setting his legs down on the floor, Jay stood up and pulled his shirt up, tucking the hem under his chin while he laced his belt through his jeans. "Ya wanna go do somethin' after?"

"At 3 in the morning?" Mark raised a sparkling eyebrow. "We could get baked. Ooh! We could go cruising. Have you ever cruised down Chelsea before? You meet the most interesting people."

"Yeah? What kinda people?" he asked, hooking the belt before letting his shirt drop. Flopping back into the chair, Jay resumed his previous position before catching sight of a stack of water bottles and tried reaching for one.

"I'm sure whatever kind you're looking for. Leather daddies, twinks, trannies . . . Tourists are the most fun, though." Mark's eyes sparkled mischievously - literally. His toothy grin even shined. "They either don't know where the hell they are and run away when you approach them, or they're there for a reason and want to play all kinds of subtle games."

"Ah dunno," Jay said, snatching up a water bottle and loosening the lid. "Ah ain't in full control still, yanno? Maybe Ah'll just watch from afar." Like from a car. It wasn't that he wasnt' accustomed to what he looked like now, but he wasn't accustomed to the looks he got. The stares were very blatant, more than ever.

Mark shrugged. "You need to get laid, yo. I bet you I could find at least half a dozen guys out there who'd want you, blue skin and razor wings or no."

He already had a problem climbing in bed with anyone he knew, it'd be worse if it was someone he didn't know. "Maybe," he replied without commitment. " If they like chaffin'. Ah dunno how well latex is gonna stand up," he cleared his throat, tipping his chair back as he took a swig of the water. "Maybe it's just you that needs to get laid."

"You're telling me," Mark sighed. His sparkles dulled a little. "You know it's bad when I have to get my thrills by living vicariously through my friends. I hate dry spells. It's like being back in high school."

"Ah think in highschool, Ah was gettin' laid more." Balanced on the back two legs of his chair, Jay stared at the label of the waterbottle, focused on trying to pick it off. "But whatever gets your rocks off. You guys ain't too quiet about your love lives over there, huh? Like thin walls or somethin'?" He was surprised Mark was going through a dry spell, since he figured that whatever was hitting on Mark that night went home with Mark.

"We're a very friendly office. Too friendly, maybe. Thick walls but big mouths." Mark rested his chin on his hands. "Have you tried polyurethane? Or lambskin? They might be more durable than latex. Well, lambskin isn't so good to block disease, but I guess that doesn't really matter for you, with the healing factor. Hmm, I wonder if Forge could develop some tough yet sensitive synthetic material."

"Ah think Ah might worry about that when Ah find someone that's wantin' to sleep with me," Jay said without any change in his tone. "Oh hey Forge, Ah need a condom Ah can have sex in and feel it. You wanna make me somethin' and we'll give it a whirl?" he chuckled. "That's got awkward all over it."

"If it'll make you feel any better, I'll sleep with you. What are friends for, anyway?" Mark's eyes literally sparkled teasingly and his skin resumed the same luminescence from earlier. "I totally bet you could trick Forge. Tell him you're joining the X-Men and need a special material for your costume. And then fashion it into a condom."

"Huh. Lucky me. Ah'll hold you to that then," he ventured. "Ah dunno how good Ah'd be at makin' it into a condom. Have to wear a cock ring or something to keep it all in place. Seems like too much trouble, especially for a pity fuck." Though it was tempting.

"Desperate times, desperate measures, et cetera." No point in going into the weird and probably unnecessary measures that he had resorted to in order to get lucky, Mark decided. That would just ensure Jay's celibacy. "Have you tried moisturizing your skin more? Could make a normal condom suitable."

Jay looked visibly uncomfortable with the topic of conversation and tossed the wrapper into the garbage and drained the waterbottle, tossing it into the recycling. "Okay, know what? We ain't talkin' about this." The image of a dishevelled Mark throwing the door open on Jay's unannounced visit filtered through his head and he sighed, letting the legs of the chair fall back on all four legs. "Ah gotta go back," he said, standing abruptly. He was too early to be going back but decided that staying here was making his skin rise up in goosebumps and suddenly very anxious. It never helped that Mark always got onto uncomfortable topics when Jay was around and he wasn't sure why.

Mark just laughed. "Oh, you. See you on the dancefloor." The door closed behind Jay, and Mark shined even brighter. "Still got it."