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“Down the hatch,” Jason said, and downed the shot. Its soft glow lit his throat from the inside as it slid into his belly. He smacked his lips.
“How was it?” Claude was leaning on the bar, his chin propped up on his hand. He observed Jason with curious eyes.
Jason shrugged. “It was warm, I guess. What’s in that thing?”
“You know I can’t tell you that,” Claude replied, a playful lilt to his voice. “It’s a fairy trade secret.”
Sookie tapped her nails on the counter impatiently. “Give me one of those, too.”
“So needy,” Claude teased. He uncorked a weighty purple bottle and filled a shot glass with its milky contents, then added a dash of something glittery. The liquor sparked to life.
“Sorta looks like the light from your hands, Sook,” Jason observed.
She glared at him and knocked back the alcohol. She didn’t like to talk about her powers. They made her feel like something out of a comic book. “Gosh, that’s positively delicious!”
Claude smirked, proud of his work. He styled himself as the best bartender in all fairydom. “Would you like another round? It’s on the house, of course.”
“Just like everything else. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were feeding us that weird light fruit.” Sookie took another hit of the luminous beverage. “This is going straight to my head,” she laughed.
“Ain’t that the point?” Jason asked, grinning like a demon.
Claude sighed. Jason’s smile was easily as intoxicating as the liquor, even by fae standards. It was the spark inside him that did it, of course—the same spark Sookie held within herself. It made him magnetic to women and men alike. And to fairies. “You hold your liquor well, Jason.”
Jason rapped on his chest with his fist. “I’ve had practice.”
“I’m sure you have,” Claude replied with a twinkle in his eye. As much as he liked Sookie, he wished she would leave him alone with Jason. He wasn’t under any illusions about Jason’s sexuality, but it didn’t change his feelings for him. “You’re holding yours well, too, Sookie. I’m surprised. Fae drinks are too strong for most humans.”
Sookie rolled her eyes. “Oh please! You know I’m no regular human.”
“Be proud, Sook. You’re special, is all.” Jason took another shot. “I think so, anyway.”
Claude smiled to himself. Jason was such a kind soul. “You’re both special. You could be a sister to us, Sookie.”
Jason perked up. “That’d make me like your brother, right?”
Claude winced. “Not quite.”
“Oh,” Jason said weakly. He seemed almost hurt. “I need to use the facilities,” he announced, and made for the club’s exit. He preferred to relieve himself in nature.
Sookie noticed Claude staring at Jason’s ass as he walked off. She snickered, then slapped a hand over her mouth and blushed. She didn’t have any self-control when she drank.
Claude raised an eyebrow at her. “What is it?”
“You were totally checking him out,” she said, giggling again.
“I wasn’t!” Claude retorted, then paused. “Alright, maybe a little bit. But can you blame me? The man is gorgeous.”
Sookie shook her head emphatically. “He’s my brother. I don’t know a lick either way.”
Claude grinned. “A lick, eh?”
Her eyes widened. “Claude! That’s disgusting! But you like him, don’t you?”
“Keep your voice down,” he hissed. “I don’t want Claudette to hear you. She’d never let me hear the end of it.”
“Why? You’re a grown-up, aren’t you? And a cute one.” She leaned closer to him and lifted one side of his vest, dragged a finger down his chest. “Too bad you’re gay.”
He was too amused to stop her, and quite frankly he enjoyed the attention. “Fairies don’t have sexual orientations. I just… enjoy the male form,” he explained.
“Well, where I’m from, we call that being gay. I could talk to him for you, if you want.”
The flutter in Claude’s chest made him feel like a teenager. He was still young for a fairy, but he had many years on Jason all the same. There was something about his dumb charm, though... “No, it’s alright. I know he doesn’t like men.”
“Can you keep a secret?” Sookie asked in a hushed tone.
Claude nodded. “Of course.”
She leaned in close to his ear and whispered, “Jessica wasn’t Hoyt’s first. Jason was.”
Claude looked like he’d been smacked.
“They hooked up in high school. He had a little too much beer once and let it slip. We don’t hide anything from each other, but that one was a doozy.” She took a sip of another shot, but didn’t knock back the whole thing. “You’re a good guy, Claude, and Jason never gets the good ones.”
Claude took two swigs straight from the bottle. He needed them. He gave a short nod and said, “Maybe you should talk to him when he gets back, then. While he’s still inebriated.”
“What would I say?” Sookie asked, draining the rest of the shot. She didn’t swallow it right away, rather she chose to hold it in her cheeks. The warmth felt comforting, but it made her look a bit like an electric hamster.
Claude wracked his mind for a moment. It was important to be tactful. “Perhaps you could find out what he thinks of me. Please don’t let him know how I feel yet. Just… see if he thinks I’m attractive.”
“I’m sure he does; anyone would. You’re cute as a button.”
Claude sighed. “That’s not what I meant.”
“It was a joke. He’s been gone a long time, huh? I guess he really had to go.” She giggled again. Claude enjoyed her laughter. It was completely genuine, and it always brightened his mood.
“He’s back,” he whispered. “Act relaxed.”
“I’m already relaxed. I’m drunk as a skunk.” She rolled her eyes again as Jason sauntered back to the bar.
“Sorry, guys. I couldn’t find the, uh… portal door thing.” He smiled sheepishly. God, he really was thick-headed. It was adorable.
“It’s quite alright,” Claude assured him. “Want another drink, Jason?
“Sure!”
Sookie punched him in the arm.
“Ow! What the hell, Sook?”
She pushed the shot glass away from him. “You’ve had enough, Jason Stackhouse.”
“Have not,” Jason whined. He grabbed the glass and swallowed the contents before she could stop him. “It’s none of your business, anyway.”
Sookie crossed her arms and shot Jason a look. He visibly deflated at her withering gaze. “Fine. But I ain’t happy about it.”
“Don’t you pout.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the bar. “We’ll be right back, Claude.”
Claude gulped hard. This wasn’t the first time he’d been interested in a human, but his other trysts had been simple. Humans couldn’t resist the allure of a fairy. But Jason wasn’t quite human, and for the first time in dozens of years Claude found himself nervous over a human boy. He felt sweat popping up on his brow, and swiped it away with the back of his hand.
“What’s wrong?”
Claude nearly jumped out of his skin. “You scared me, Claudette.”
She tittered laughter. “You look constipated.”
He blushed again. “Not constipated, just… emotional.”
Claudette followed the trail of his vision to the far corner of the club. Jason and Sookie were huddled together there, their backs to the room. “You can’t be serious.”
Claude took another swallow of alcohol. “Deadly.”
“Hmm,” she wondered, “Jason Stackhouse? I suppose he is a strapping young man.” She bit her finger, deep in thought. “Isn’t he straight?”
“Ostensibly.”
She patted Claude on the shoulder. “Good luck, I suppose. You know, I’ve never seen you this anxious before. You really hold a candle for him, don’t you?”
He didn’t respond, just took another hit from the bottle.
“Alright, then. Come find me if you need moral support.” Claudette strode away from the bar so gracefully that she appeared to be floating.
When Claude returned his attention to Sookie and Jason, Sookie had disappeared, and Jason was trudging toward the bar, his hands deep in his pockets and his head angled squarely to the ground. He slid onto a barstool and looked up at Claude sheepishly. “Hey,” he said awkwardly.
“Hi,” Claude replied. He stood there, his eyes locked with Jason’s, for nearly thirty seconds. He placed the bottle back behind the bar, grabbed a clean rag, and began to clean the two shot glasses. Anything to keep himself busy during the silence.
Jason cleared his throat. “So… my sister talked to me. About you.”
“What did she say?” Claude asked, his voice shaking a little as he rinsed a glass. He was making an effort to appear casual, but he knew he looked tense as hell.
“She said you’re gay for me,” Jason mumbled.
Claude dropped the glass to the floor. It shattered, but promptly swept itself into a nearby dustbin.
Jason reached across the bar to place his hand on Claude’s. It was rough, strong: a construction worker’s hand. He liked the feel of it against his own. It felt right, somehow. It made him feel safe. “It’s okay. I think you’re pretty cool, too,” Jason said softly.
Claude raised his head. Jason was smiling, but there was uncertainty in his eyes, too. Fear of the unknown. “Really?” Claude asked, cocking his head.
“Really,” Jason assured him. “You wanna, y’know, get out of here?” He looked around for a door, a private room, anything. There wasn’t one.
“We could go to my place.” Claude was feeling confident now. The butterflies in his stomach had fled, replaced with warm certainty.
Jason raised his eyebrows. He looked adorable, like a confused puppy. “Where’s that?”
Claude rounded the bar and took both of Jason’s hands in his. “Close your eyes.”
Jason complied.
“Open,” Claude directed.
Jason blinked them open to find himself in entirely new surroundings. It wasn’t a large room, but it was decorated extravagantly. Silks of many colors were draped across the ceiling, flowing down to cover every inch of the walls. “Whoa.”
“I was thinking exactly the same thing,” Claude purred, marveling at the sight of the object of his affection standing in his bedroom. “Come here,” he said. He leaned up on the balls of his feet and lightly pressed his lips against Jason’s.
Jason’s initial shock quickly faded. Claude’s lips were soft, even softer than any of the girls he’d kissed. He parted them and met Claude’s tongue. “You’re a real good kisser,” Jason sighed as they separated.
“Hush,” Claude urged. He slipped out of his vest, exposing his lean frame. Jason pressed his hand against Claude’s stomach and ran it up to his chest.
“You’re smooth,” Jason whispered.
Jason’s touch felt electric. “Mhmm,” Claude agreed. He slipped a hand under Jason’s shirt, mirroring his movement, sliding it higher. His shirt unbuttoned itself all at once. Claude raised a finger to Jason’s lips to keep him from crying out in surprise. “Just enjoy it,” he cooed.
Their lips met again, their kiss heavier this time, more intense. Claude could feel Jason’s stubble on his cheek. He brushed his hand against it, enjoying the sensation of the soft prickles on his fingertips. He moved his hand to Jason’s belt buckle and grabbed hold of the clasp.
“Wait,” Jason blurted.
Claude paused. “What’s wrong?”
Jason shook his head. “I… I’ve never done this kind of thing before.”
“But Sookie said you and Hoyt—“
“Me and Hoyt? She was drunk, wasn’t she? Me and Hoyt just kissed once. We didn’t, you know…” he pointed to Claude’s hand at his belt. “We didn’t go this far.”
Then I am to be his first, Claude thought. He kissed Jason again with just a slight brush of his lips. “There’s a first time for everything, isn’t there?” he breathed.
Jason came back hard, gripping the back of Claude’s head, holding nothing back now. He placed his hand against Claude’s cotton pants. He could tell that he wasn’t wearing anything underneath them. Claude groaned a little. Jason’s belt was undone now. The button fly popped itself open.
“I think we should move to the bed now,” Claude suggested, his breath hot against Jason’s cheek.
Jason lifted him in his arms. He gazed deep into his eyes and smiled. “I think you’re right.”