Oliver sat between the two men, head bent over his lager and focused intently on the bubbles that glistened and popped in the foam, the way beads of glass like water ran down the sides of the glass, his fingerprints in the condensation slowly being wiped away. The conversations of the other patrons buzzed in his ears as he put all his efforts into ignoring the one going on around him. He raised a finger and traced it down the side of his glass, slowly, the way Chris had so gently stroked his face before kissing him. That was the before. The after was his boyfriend(?) showing up, kissing the lips that should have been kissing him and now they were sitting in the little pub near both the club and their apartment. Marcus was still talking. Still yammering on. It was unbelievable how immensely unobservant he was. He had walked in on them, clearly having been embracing, somehow didn’t notice and had even invited them for drinks. Unbelievable. 

Chris sat one side of Oliver, trying to stop himself staring at him. Oliver was hunched over his drink staring at it like it would magically transport him to another location. But maybe that was Chris deflecting, he himself would give anything to be somewhere else. Marcus was talking because of course Marcus was talking. He was talking over Oliver like he wasn’t even there even though he was the one who insisted Oliver came. What Marcus was talking about was a mystery to all except Marcus. Chris caught the occasional word and the occasional joke but mostly Chris just stared at Oliver staring at his drink. When he reached out with one of his thin fingers and stroked the glass almost tenderly it made Chris’s heart turn over. It reminded him of how he had touched Oliver and how much he wanted to take him home. 

Marcus finally paused, he was finally feeling the tension in the room and he stopped talking with a big shuddering breath. Oliver looked up with dead empty eyes and waited. But Marcus didn’t speak. He just opened his mouth a lot. Chris jumped at the opportunity and said “maybe we should go, we’re exhausted from the show and I think it’s time I get Oliver home to bed”. He intentionally said it with the air of a man talking about his boyfriend or husband to try and get his point across. Marcus finally spoke again “can we talk for a minute? Just us?”, Chris nodded. He stood up and they both left. Oliver sat and now he stared at a knot in the wooden table. All the thoughts raced through his head about what they could be talking about. Were they discussing meeting up later? Did Marcus at this moment have Chris pressed up against the wall, kissing him? Oliver felt sick and tired and just wanted to go home. He was tempted to stand up and go home alone and leave them to their secret conversations and kissing. That would mean leaving them to their kissing and Oliver couldn’t do that. He was too weak. 

Marcus and Chris stood in the alley outside. A man stood several feet away smoking and muttering to himself along with the music they could just barely hear. Chris was glad to be able to finally tell Marcus about what was going on but what on earth would he tell him? Marcus spoke first, because of course he did, and said “What’s going on? I seem to be the only one who had a good evening?”. Chris hesitated and said “I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression Marcus but I’m not looking for a boyfriend or a lover, that kiss was wholly unexpected. I invited you tonight as a friend”. Marcus seemed finally speechless as his face reddened with embarrassment and apparently fury. Marcus crowded Chris until Chris was pressed up against the wall just to avoid their chests touching. “You led me on. What. Did you want to make your little pet jealous? He’s nothing but a little fa-“, the slur was cut off by Chris’s fist. 

Chris came back into the pub, there was blood on his chin and his eye was swelling. He sat down beside Oliver and picked up his drink taking a long swig from it. Oliver dragged his gaze up to meet Chris’s and in an instant Chris watched his eyes go from cold and unseeing to focused and immensely worried. Oliver reached out slowly and touched his cheek gently, he barely touched him but Chris held in his wince and leaned into the touch. He was looking forward to Oliver playing nurse.