When He Calls My Name

49

"Xiao? Hey, hellooo?"

Everything is black, until it isn't. It's as if someone flipped the switch to turn on my vision, and I'm staring at his beautiful face, so close to mine. That long, blonde hair seems to change colors with the lights, and the glitter on his face dances with the beat. He's smiling, mouth moving, but I hear no words. Everything behind him is blurry, until it isn't.

Where am I? What happened?

Everything at once—the music, the background of dancing people, and Aether's words—it all engulfs me.

"W-what?" I say.

"I said do you want to come with me to the sofa over there?"

I'm...back at the club. All that stuff that happened...I remember now. That guy from the liquor shop, his partners... was it...all just my imagination?

"The...sofa?" I say, and he smirks, giving me a flirty little chuckle and running a hand across my cheek.

"Yesss," he whispers, but it's so wispy, so distant. Come to think of it, every noise around me seems to have some sort of wandering echo behind it.

"What for?" I say.

"Oh..." Aether says, "I think you know exactly what for." He leans into me, and I feel his breath warm against my ear. Slowly, he starts leaving soft, passionate kisses on my neck, all while his hand travels higher and higher up my thigh. My breath hitches, and I allow myself to relax a bit, the feeling of missing his touch so oddly amplified in this moment. He stops, pulling away to give me a devilish smile. "Nuh uh," he says. "The sofa."

He points to an old, red velvet, vintage sofa that seems to be just randomly placed at the corner of the dance floor, all while a spotlight is shining directly on it. Yet for some reason, I don't question it. It's as if there's a dome around the sofa I'm unable to see by the way no one seems to go near it.  There's a visible split from where the people dance and the floor leading to the sofa begins.

"Follow me baby boy," Aether says, but before I can utter a word, he's disappeared into the crowd of sweaty bodies, all moving like zombies on the dance floor, seemingly dancing to their own beat.

"Aether?!" I get up, looking around frantically. Quickly, I approach the dance floor, squeezing between unmovable forces that seem to only make the space smaller for me to get through, as if on purpose. "Move!" I shout, and it's the only way I'm able to create a path. My eyes dart everywhere, but I don't see him—it's as if he vanished completely.

My heart is beating fast, and I decide to make my way to the sofa—maybe he'll just meet me there—it's my best bet. Working and weaving, I'm finally spit out of the crowd, quite literally. I land on my hands and knees, but the floor is no longer...a floor?

The once solid floor beneath me is now a body of water. I panic, body jerking around for something to grab, when I realize, I'm not drowning at all—I'm...sitting on top of the water...

I look behind me, to find that though the club is still there, everyone is gone. The music continues to blast through the speakers, the lights continue to dance, yet the club is completely empty besides me.

"Why are you on the floor baby?" My head jerks toward the familiar voice, to find that the sofa is still there, only this time it sits perfectly still over the water, that dull light still gleaming above it. And in the center is Aether, only...he's dressed completely different from when we got here. He sits, legs spread...in only black leather booty shorts, a black bowtie, and devil horns.

I stare, eyes wide, face flushed. "A-Aether?"

He chuckles. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get over here."

I pause, looking around, before slowly raising myself from the ground and making my way over the water. Once I'm within his reach, his hands engulf my hips, and he pulls me down onto him slowly. I feel cold hands trail their way under my shirt and up my back, and I lean into him, arching on reflex at his touch. His lips part and land on mine, eyes closed as our tongues begin dancing to the music.

I feel the slight vibrations of his moans on my lips, as well as something growing below me. He pulls away to give me this look. It's so...primal, so animalistic, and before I know it, he lifts me up by the hips and pushes me onto the sofa so that my back lands on its surface. It's his turn to straddle me. I have no idea what song is playing, but Aether begins mouthing the lyrics rather sexually, as he ever so slowly winds his hips up against me on beat.

My face is red and hot to the touch as I watch him throw his head back and roll his hips toward me, my eyes trailing down the length of his neck, down his chest, and tracing his stomach, but my eyes aren't enough for him—he takes my hand instead and copies those actions. I lick my lips without realizing, now feeling a tent of my own down there as the motions turn me completely on.

He's suddenly pushes back a bit so that his ass is in the air behind him. Slowly, his tongue teases my body, licking from the tip of my trousers, up to my chest as he pulls away my shirt. I feel his other hand creep it's way to my bulge, fingering playfully at the fabric, and I lose all sense of restraint. My back arches further and I let out a breathy moan, panting as his lips reach mine.

I take them in quickly, wrapping my arms around his neck and eating him alive in pure lust. I suck, bite, and slobber all over those sexy lips, bucking into his touch. He returns the favor, and I'm so caught up in the moment, I hardly realize when everything stops.

It's everything, all at once. The music, the lights—everything just...ceases to exist. I look around, sitting in complete darkness, apart from the subtle glow from an unknown source. I'm still on the same red sofa, though the club is completely gone.

However, I'm not alone. Aether sits beside me on the sofa, only this time, he's no longer dressed up in his leather attire. Now, he's wearing one of my black hoodies. He sits hunched over, and sobs echo through the vacant space.

"Aether..?" I say, but he doesn't respond. Instead, his shoulder bounce softly, hands covering his face as the whimpers continue. "Aether.." I try again, and this time, he slowly turns to me. His face is soaked from his tears, and he looks...different. I can't exactly describe it, but something about him looks distance...like he's not really there.

His frown turns into a sad smile as he looks into my eyes. "Xiao," he says softly, "I love you. I would do anything for you. Do you love me, Xiao? I don't think you love me..."

"I-I do love you, Aether," I say. "I love you more than anything..."

"You don't want me anymore..." he says. "Because, you don't love me anymore. You hate me. You wish I was dead. You destroyed me. Destroyed me. Hate me..."

"That's not—" I freeze, eyes widening as I realize what's happening before me. Aether is... he's becoming less and less visible to me. He's...he's fading away... "Aether.. Aether!" I grab for him as his body grows more and more transparent, but I can't reach him. "Aether stop!! Please, I'm sorry, I love you!! Don't...don't leave me please... please... I take it back, I was just... I was scared, alright?! Dammit, I was scared..."

But, it's too late. His image fades into the darkness, until there's nothing left, and I desperately attempt to grab him, to no avail.

"AETHER!!! Aether, please! Come back.... Aether! Aether!!!"

-

"Baby it's okay! I'm here! Nurse!!"

Xiao's eyes shoot open, and he's drenched in sweat, panting so heavily I'm afraid he'll pass out again. I clench his hand tightly, rubbing it with my other to calm him down, all the while tears stream down my cheeks in relief that he finally woke up.
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TO BE CONTINUED (if you must know......I was thinking of the song Closer by Nine Inch Nails while writing that one part 💀)