Chapter Text
For the exterior of a nightclub, Starlight looked positively normal. The windows were blacked out, a few gleaming neon signs winking in the windows announcing the policies and the schedules – apparently there was open microphone on Wednesday nights from seven to ten in the evening, and live performances Saturday and Sunday at ten. Most surprising of all however, was the lack of a bouncer and a line up to get inside.
It was the first red flag for Jaehwan.
Biting his lip, he pulled his phone out of his pocket, checking the address that had been sent in the group chat. He checked the GPS on the dashboard of his car, pursing his lips. They matched. This was the place, as unusual as it looked.
Climbing out of his car, Jaehwan sent a quick message confirming he’d arrived. He looked up at the sign above the door, taking in the elegantly painted silver logo and the pretty stars that seemed to gleam beneath the lights. Jaehwan chewed his lip, turning his eyes to the door, realizing he couldn’t hear the sound of pounding music he’d come to associate with nightclubs.
Again, another red flag went up.
Feeling his phone vibrate in his hand, Jaehwan looked down at it, reading the text message his friend Jimin had sent.
We’re inside. Just come in,
Jaehwan was tempted to text him to come out and get him, but he decided why not play this stupid game. Obviously this was another one of their gags. It always happened when they went clubbing. They’d send Jaehwan on a wild goose chase through the crowd of some club on the off chance that he’d find his friends – sometimes he didn’t. As irritated as it made him on a regular basis, he still insisted on tagging along when he was in the mood.
Taking a breath, Jaehwan pulled open the door and stepped into Starlight. Instantly, he began to hear the music, a faint, thrumming trance in a minor key by the sound of it. It had an unusually enchanting sound to it, something Jaehwan found he liked a lot more than the heavy bass that thudded though other night clubs. As the door swung shut behind him, Jaehwan paused, letting his eyes adjust to the dim black light of the staircase, taking in the neon painted walls and swallowing thickly.
Pentagrams gleamed in the black light, their symbols painted with fluid brushstrokes. There were more silver stars scattered about, each one shimmering like the stars might twinkle in the night sky. Jaehwan’s white shirt had lit up like the fourth of July, something he was generally entertained with, but thanks to the hellish symbols all around him, he found himself not wanting to take another step further.
Shaking his head slightly, he berated himself for being superstitious. It was a nightclub, not the headquarters for a demon worshipping cult. He stepped down the stairs, hearing the melodic trance steadily become louder. His eyes found a sign hanging just above the second door reading ‘Don’t piss off the Fairies, and it brought a smile to his face. Maybe this place was more humorous than satanic.
Pushing on the door at the bottom of the stairs, it opened for him easily without a sound. The interior of the club was filled with more black lights, the lasers and flashing lights few and far between. What caught his attention the most were the eyes that turned in his direction, some glinting in the black light with the aid of what must’ve been solid white contact lenses. More than that, everyone in the club was wearing black, or some sort of colour other than white that shone dully in the light. It didn’t take long to realize Jaehwan stood out, probably shining like the sun in the middle of a sea of darkness.
And there was no sign of Jimin and his friends. Jaehwan wanted to scream.
A hand on his arm made him jump in surprise. Jaehwan’s gaze snapped to a slightly shorter man with brilliant cherry red hair. His eyeliner was laid on thick, his eyes looking to be two sizes larger than normal. Jaehwan might’ve thought it was cute if he wasn’t nearly shaking in his shoes.
“How’d you find yourself here?” The man asked, his lips curling into a smile.
“I...” Jaehwan stammered, realizing that though people were still glancing his way, they weren’t...staring like he didn’t belong. Jaehwan felt more than a little relieved. “My friends said they’d be here,” he finally managed to get out.
The man hummed, nodding his head before releasing his arm and beckoning him. Though it was the last thing he wanted to do, Jaehwan walked deeper into the club, following the stranger. More eyes turned in his direction, and Jaehwan unintentionally met the eyes of a girl with heavy piercings, her skirt and hair layered with acid green amongst the black. Her lips and nails were painted the same shade, and her eyelashes were abnormally long. He quickly looked away, not wanting to stare too hard despite the fact that a smile had grown on her coloured lips.
“We’ll start at one end,” the red haired man said, “and you can search all the tables until you find them,”
“I’ll be honest,” Jaehwan finally said, a lump forming in his throat. “I don’t think they’re here,”
The red haired man paused before the turned around, raising an eyebrow that disappeared beneath thick, crimson bangs. “So...?”
“They’d think me walking into a nightclub like this is funny,” Jaehwan stated, wishing he could be angry at his friends but somehow not finding it in his heart to be. He was just disappointed that they would do this to him – again.
The man hummed before turning and starting back towards a long bar that curved along a corner of the club. He slipped behind it, gesturing for Jaehwan to sit. Though part of him wanted to leave, the other part of him just didn’t want to fight it. The joke would be on them if Jaehwan went through the night without a twinge of anger on his face.
“Do you drink?” The man asked, a rather warm smile curling his lips. “Or would you like something non-alcoholic?”
“Ah...” Jaehwan scratched the back of his neck, wondering if a shot would ease his nerves. Then again, it was less that he was frightened and more he was just a little upset. He didn’t want to get wasted, but he was definitely in the mood for a pick-me-up. “No alcohol, I think,” he says. “Do you have anything...uh...sweet?”
The man smiled even wider as he nodded his head. “Do you like strawberries? I think a smoothie would do you good right now. It’s on me, alright?”
Jaehwan’s eyes widened a little, and he nodded his head. The man gave a little excited clap before he practically floated off to the blender to mix the drink. He was amazed, really, that this complete stranger would show him so much kindness and so soon. At any other club, people just sent him pitiful gazes at the fact that he was alone and his friends had more than likely ditched him.
While the bar tender made his drink, Jaehwan allowed himself to look over his shoulder, taking in the club around him. There were countless tables scattered about, just like a café. Each one appeared to be painted with a pentagram that was unique to the table. The walls and ceiling were painted with more shimmering stars and there was a mural of a beautiful fallen angel who was blowing the stars out of her palms. On the far back wall was a stage, the curtains ruffling in the quiet drafts that slipped through the club. Jaehwan recalled the sign out front saying there were live shows Saturday and Sunday. He silently began to wonder if he’d walked into a strip club. Then again, by the civility of the attendees, Jaehwan guessed it might’ve been a little more than a simple strip club if it was.
The click of a glass being set down made Jaehwan’s head turn forwards again. He caught the bartender smiling at him, flushing a little in embarrassment and looking down at the smoothie. It was as pink as any other and topped with what looked like far more whipped cream than necessary with a slice of strawberry placed delicately on top. Considering it was a nightclub, it was the nicest looking smoothie he’d ever seen.
“Thank you,” Jaehwan said softly, wrapping his hands around it.
“It’s no trouble,” the stranger said. “You’re not the first to wander into Starlight because of their friend’s...distasteful sense of humour, and you probably won’t be the last,”
“Do they stick around?” Jaehwan couldn’t help but ask.
Shaking his head, the bartender adjusted a few things out of sight before looking back up at Jaehwan. “They usually run out as soon as they realize they walked into a Goth nightclub,” he laughs softly, tilting his head to the side as he studied Jaehwan. “You can call me N by the way,”
“N?” Jaehwan was only momentarily confused before he realized it must’ve been a chosen name of some sort. Who was he to question it? “I’m...Jaehwan,”
N’s lips curled into a brilliant smile once again as he nodded. “Jaehwan, it’s nice to meet you,”
Admittedly, it really was. He hadn’t expected to find a nightclub like this to be...comfortable? It was unusual, yes, but there was something very relaxing about it – despite the fact that he didn’t fit in at all.
Sipping the strawberry smoothie – which was incredibly delicious – Jaehwan allowed himself to quietly watch the comings and goings of the club, seeing N prepare drinks for people who came up to the bar. As it turned out, there was also a cook who tucked himself behind the closed kitchen door and appeared only when he had food to deliver. He eyed Jaehwan with surprise when he came out for the first time before he quickly moved on from it, disappearing back through the door to allow the waiters, dressed in clothes just as dark as the attendees, to take the food to the tables. It was Jaehwan’s turn to be surprised when the same man slipped back out of the kitchen barely ten minutes later with a folded black shirt in his hands.
“Um...” Jaehwan took the shirt with gentle fingers before smiling. “Thank you,” he pulled the shirt over his head while the cat like eyes watched him quietly. It was a little unnerving, but Jaehwan somehow knew he meant very little offense. His stares felt less judgemental and more like he was just watching for the sake of doing so.
He nodded his head once the shirt covered up the blinding white of his button up and retreated back through the door, the bright light of the kitchen disappearing from sight when it swung shut behind him.
“That was Leo,” N said, noticing Jaehwan’s baffled expression. “He’s one of our chefs. He’s quiet, but he...understands. Don’t be afraid of him even though he doesn’t smile much. He’s not a very verbally expressive person,”
“Ah,” Jaehwan nodded his head, returning to his smoothie. Now that he had Leo’s shirt, he felt less exposed, although there was still that small, out of place feeling that came with not knowing the culture of the environment he was in. The question was, however, did he want to understand?
Though the Goth stereotype easily applied to Starlight, it also didn’t apply in so many ways. Over the ethereal trance, he could hear the bubbling of conversation, and there was a group of people on the dance floor just in front of the stage, their bodies twisting in the same manner they might have at a normal nightclub. He’d assumed Goth had been darkness, demon worship and doom and gloom, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. More than that, not everyone was cloaked in black, though there was one man wearing what looked like Dracula’s cape sipping a vibrantly red drink that could’ve been wine, but might’ve not been. It looked like a Halloween party, though it was the middle of June.
“What do you think?” N suddenly asked, having returned to standing in front of him now that the barrage of orders had settled down. “It’s not so bad, right?”
Jaehwan hummed in agreement, nodding his head. “I expected...I don’t know...more candles?” He shrugged his shoulders.
N let out a cheerful laugh, one that sounded almost like bell chimes. “I’m glad you’re not afraid. I have to ask though, how do you feel about the supernatural?”
“Um...” Jaehwan thought it over for a moment. “I guess it’s alright...? I mean, I believe in ghosts and things,”
N hummed at that, nodding his head. “For some of us it’s more than just believing. Me? I love fairies, which is why I wanted to be one, despite the outside world constantly saying that such things simply don’t exist,”
“Is that what inspired your appearance...?” Jaehwan couldn’t help but ask, thinking about the Dracula man.
N nodded his head, smiling even brighter than before. “Yes! Lately, I’ve really been feeling the pinkish-red. Do you like it?” He ruffled a hand through his hair, emphasising the brightness of it. “I’m thinking of trying purple once the roots grow in, but right now I’m attached to this one,”
Despite how unusual the conversation seemed to be, especially since N seemed to be self-identifying as a fairy, he nodded his head. As odd as it was, Jaehwan saw very little sense in putting down someone’s version of reality.
N smiled again, leaning heavily on the bar and craning his rather long neck to eye the large clock that ticked the hour. It currently read five minutes to ten.
“I was asking because the shows are going to start soon,” N said, turning back to Jaehwan. “They’ll go for about an hour, but if you stick around you might pick up a few new things that catch your interest,”
Jaehwan laughed a little. “You sound like you want me to take an interest in your fashion statements,”
“Of that, I am guilty,” N grinned, eye smiling at Jaehwan. “I have a bad habit of wondering how everyone would look in Goth fashion and you’re no different,”
“I don’t really think it would be me,” Jaehwan admitted, shrugging his shoulders.
“You never know,” N hopped up onto the bar, sitting on it to scoot a little closer to Jaehwan. “There’s all kinds of Goth. The only limit is your imagination,”
“Ah,” Jaehwan nodded his head, turning to scan the crowd once again. N was right though – everyone in the room might’ve been Goth, but there were countless variances in styles, some of them even unique to the person wearing it.
“No pressure though,” N said, patting his shoulder, making Jaehwan turn back towards him. “You have to love it to live it, and there’s no sense in living it if you don’t love it,”
Jaehwan smiled at that, amazed at N’s words. It had been a long time since he’d heard anything so encouraging from someone his age – and he definitely never expected the words to come from a Goth man with cherry hair and eye makeup.
The trance music suddenly dimmed, the flickering lasers and lights fading away. Realizing the show must’ve been about to start, Jaehwan turned his head towards the stage, wondering what was about to happen. N hopped over the bar and took a seat on the stool next to Jaehwan, his eyes focused on the stage as the dance floor finally cleared of all of its occupants.
The curtains on stage parted with a rustle, revealing a woman with long, jet black hair and a Victorian style black and red dress seated in front of an ebony piano. Even from a distance Jaehwan thought she was rather stunning to look at – like a dark princess. She lowered her long fingers to the keys and began to play a soft, lilting melody. Jaehwan instantly recognized it as the first movement of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. It was eerily appropriate for the setting, but played so beautifully that he quickly found himself lost in the notes.
“She’s been preparing for this performance for weeks,” N said to him quietly. “She was nervous about it,”
“She’s amazing,” Jaehwan breathed.
“She is,” N agreed before falling silent once more, allowing the music to play throughout the club. Jaehwan was glad something like this could be embraced, especially here of all places. It brought a longing to his heart, one that urged him to step back up onto a stage once more. He hadn’t been in the spotlight since he performed in his final musical when he was still in high school.
The final notes were accompanied by applause and a few rather noisy whoops and cheers from one particular table. Jaehwan guessed they must’ve been her friends. The girl slid off the stage and skipped over to them, receiving an embrace from one of the other girls at the table and a few high fives from others before she sat down again. The curtains swept closed in preparation for the next act.
“The shows vary from day to day,” N said, turning towards Jaehwan again. “On Saturday’s, it’s mostly musical performances, but on Sunday’s there’s theater. Wednesday nights are open microphone, so on those nights, anyone can get on stage and perform whatever they want,”
Jaehwan nodding his head, thinking if there were more musical performances, he’d definitely enjoy what would come next.
The curtains whipped open, the spotlight suddenly locking onto a man with a shock of white hair. A few people in the crowd let out a delighted cry, welcoming the sight of him. The music came next, an upbeat dance track that the man immediately began to move to. He was good, that was for certain, and Jaehwan found himself entranced by the movements of his body. His arms were bare from the sleeveless shirt, and even from afar he could see how toned they were.
Jaehwan’s eyes were unable to look away, even as a woman stepped out on stage to dance with him. It didn’t take long for the man’s hands to fall on her body, dancing with her as she moved in a manner that made her appear pliant to each touch. Her head fell back, and Jaehwan felt a surge of lust spark through him when he watched his lips lower to her neck. Even from a distance, he saw the bite and the way his hand held her head in place.
“Ah...the fan favourite,” N said breathlessly, fanning himself with his hand.
Jaehwan swallowed thickly, understanding why. The man dripped power, and the girl was helpless to it, though not in a sexist way at all. It was more that she’d been enchanted by the man – ensnared by some sort of spell. She slid to the ground once the man removed his mouth, leaving her limp. From afar, Jaehwan watched a finger stroke over his lip, a trickle of false blood dripping from the corner of his mouth just before the song ended and the lights flickered out. Jaehwan was only dimly aware that he’d just witnessed something akin vampire erotica in real life. His pants felt tight.
The crowd was cheering, but the sound was a little faint until N gently patted his shoulder.
“Sorry,” he said with a light laugh. “Was that too much for you?”
“Ah...no...I just...didn’t expect it,” Jaehwan managed to get out. He folded his hands over his bulge, hoping it would disappear on its own.
“I have no doubt if it was allowed, Ravi would do so much more than that, but honestly he has his act down to a fine art,”
“R-Ravi...?” Jaehwan questioned.
N nodded his head, his lips curling into yet another grin. “He’ll probably join us here as soon as he’s done cleaning up. You can introduce yourself to him. I’m sure he’ll be happy to meet you too. He loves new people,”
Jaehwan didn’t think he could handle seeing Ravi up close. “And that was...vampirism?” he asked faintly.
N nodded once more, propping his elbow up on the bar beside him to rest his chin on his fist. “Do you like vampires? Ravi likes them a lot. He hates Twilight though so don’t try to talk to him about it,”
Jaehwan let out a laugh at that despite his discomfort.
“Ravi is also one of the actors in an ongoing play series. There’s a new part every month. Starlight will be full tomorrow since the final act of the season is showing. Ah—there he is! Ravi!” N called out, waving his hand.
Jaehwan immediately felt his face grow hot as Ravi approached. Up close, he was vastly different. Sweat still glimmered on his arms and neck, and his shock of white hair had turned vibrant purple beneath the black light. His lips were peeled back in a cheerful smile, exposing what were unmistakably fangs possibly glued to his teeth. He even wore contact lenses; the violet irises surrounded by thick eyeliner made Jaehwan’s heart skip a beat.
N’s arm slid around his shoulder, pulling him in for a side hug. “Ravi,” he said cheerfully. “This is Jaehwan. He’s the latest victim of a joke,”
Jaehwan wanted to hide his face as Ravi turned his gaze towards him.
“Sorry to hear that,” Ravi said, “I hope you’re having fun anyway. Did you enjoy the show?” he smiled again, this time with his lips closed. Jaehwan was glad for it – he didn’t think he could handle another peek at those fangs. He was still reeling from the sight of the bite up on stage, and Jaehwan was pretty certain he did not have a vampire fetish.
“Well, he hasn’t run off yet,” N said cheerfully, finally releasing Jaehwan. “Your sister played amazingly by the way. Send her my compliments,”
Ravi grinned broadly at that, prompting Jaehwan to quickly look away once more.
“Didn’t she? I told her she’d do amazing,” Ravi said as he hopped up onto the stool beside N before leaning back against the bar counter. Jaehwan snuck a glance over at him, his eyes lingering perhaps a little too long on Ravi’s flawlessly toned arms. He looked away again, his face flushed. Things were starting to get a little too hot in the club for his liking.
Sliding off the bar stool, Jaehwan murmured an apology before turning to N and dipping into a bow.
“I think I should go now. I had fun, I mean...thanks for everything,” he said, maybe a little too quickly.
N’s eyes widened a little before he gave a little sigh of disappointment. “Ah, right after I said you haven’t run off...I should’ve knocked on wood...” he said before smiling at Jaehwan, tilting his head to the side. “You come back anytime, alright?”
Jaehwan merely nodded his head, saying thank you once more before retreating perhaps a little too quickly to have been casual. Yes, running, he was definitely running. His pants were still far too tight. He half ran up the stairs, heading straight for his car and climbing inside, letting out a breathless sound. How could he have fallen apart so quickly? Never in his life had he had such a reaction to another human being, and the fact that it had been Ravi was more shocking than anything else.
Groaning, he pressed his forehead against the edge of the steering wheel before forcing himself to start the car and head for home. He was halfway there before he realized he’d forgotten to return Leo’s shirt.