On the Floor (Raphael)

[Thyme Ersilia]

Thyme loved clubs. Rain or shine, they were always there when he needed to blow off some steam, and boy was he in need of that. Interrogations from Taitum and being bitten and punched for no reason by others was frustrating, and he wanted to forget all about it. If Taitum had caught him here, he would have for sure thought he was going to see Reece, or ‘Twinkle Toes’ as he called him, but this was not the case at all. In fact, he was here simply for himself and was going to party to his heart’s content.

The music was pounding, and the strobe lights were flashing to the rhythm. It was so easy to get lost in the music, even if you were not even dancing. Ty preferred to keep a bit of a distance, since he knew if he lost control of his powers for even a moment, the closeness of the crowd could get everyone shocked at once. It was annoying really, the limitations that his power had. Sure, it could come in handy, but it was also irritating how dangerous it was. The boy had climbed mountains though since he joined Hammel, and he truly believed he was on the fast track to getting out after graduation, if all went well.

Thyme took a sip of water at the bar, being careful as he did, he noticed felt someone approaching him from behind. In a place like this, it was not hard to notice a difference in space between you and someone else, and this stranger was clearly moving towards him. Ty glanced back in their direction, a smirk on his face.

“Yo. Fun night, eh?”

[Raphael Jenkins]

The deep pulsing bass caught his attention from the street. He hadn't really planned on going to the clubs tonight, but here the opportunity presented itself, and it was almost as if it were calling his name. With a glance to the bouncer, he by-passed the line and entered the club, blinking to make his eyes adjust more rapidly. He prowled around the edges of the dance floor, blue eyes sweeping over the writhing mass of humanity assembled. He caught sight of a pretty little blond boy, and a smile swept over his face, someone to pass the time with.

He was dressed in his usual fare of jeans and a tight t-shirt. He fit in easily with the crowd in the club, and eased up behind the other boy, who noticed him right away, even turning around to talk to him. Raphael sized Ty up, mentally licking his lips and wondering where this little gem had been hiding himself. It didn't matter now, Raphael had found him, and was going to get to know the blonde. A smile appeared on pink lips and he offered a hand to shake.

"Hi, there. I'm Raphael, like the angel. Who might you be?" Raphael reached up with his free hand and flicked a finger against Ty's cheek. He was coming on a bit strong, but this was a club, so if he wanted to stand out from the crowd, then he would do that. Besides, the worst thing that was going to happen was that the boy would be uninterested, and he could move on. He'd spent Christmas alone, as well as New Years, he was not going to spend tonight alone if he had to pick up the ugliest guy in the place.

[Thyme Ersilia]

Thyme was pleasantly surprised by the appearance of the person who had approached him. The man was incredibly good looking with his dazzling blond hair and bright blue eyes that pulled him in like an ocean wave. He even had a name to match; an angel’s name for the angel in the club. Ty was trying to keep from drooling as he smiled and held out his hand to shake.

“I didn’t know angels really existed. Well, this is pretty cool”

Raphael drew in closer to him and touched his finger to his cheek, and Ty felt his breath quicken before he controlled himself enough to respond properly to the question.

“I’m Thyme, but everyone calls me Ty. What brings you to the club tonight? Did you have a crappy week too?”

He surely hoped that Raphael’s week had been better than his, but at least things were starting to look a little brighter. After all, it wasn’t often that he got hit on by an extremely attractive male in a club.

[Raphael Jenkins]

"Actually, the music, and then your lovely self of course." Raphael's voice was smooth as always when he spoke to the younger man. He flashed him a smile and then ordered a drink from the bar. When it came, he took a long sip, then turned back to Ty. "It's nice to meet you Ty. Shall I try to make your week better?"

It was cliched. But when things were as easy at Ty seemed to be, that didn't really seem to matter. He put his drink down and held out a hand, quirking up an eyebrow in silent inquiry. Would the boy trust him enough to dance with a virtual stranger? Would he want to talk more? It was a crapshoot, but Raphael liked his odds. He could practically feel the anxious puppy vibes coming off Ty.

Raph was delighted when Ty took his hand, and they walked out to the dance floor. The moves they made to the deep beat were far from innocent, and Raphael touched as much of Thyme as he could. He kept it clean, but only just barely. When the dance was over, they walked back to the bar, and Raphael hopped up on a stool and took another sip of his drink.

"That was refreshing. How old are you, dear Ty?" Raphael wanted to be sure he was in the clear before he tried much else. He would kiss the boy, no matter his age, but if the night went where he was hoping it would, then Ty would need to be old enough.

[Thyme Ersilia]

When Raphael asked if he could make his week better, Ty was practically nodding eagerly in approval. Instead, he just smiled and nodded once, allowing himself to be dragged to the dance floor.

“That sounds great”

As they danced, the man did not cease to leave any allowable part of his body untouched. He was respectful and yet sexy and seductive, and the boy was silently swooning. As Raphael already knew, Ty had reverted to his puppy-like state that he sometimes fell into, and he followed the man back to the bar after they deemed that they had danced enough. It was indeed refreshing, but Ty became slightly worried when asked about his age. He wasn’t going to walk away like Reece did simply because of his age, right?

Thyme leaned forward, smirking, before he took a sip of Raphael’s drink and licked his lips at the taste.

“Sixteen, but I’m practically seventeen”

Well, having his birthday being 9 months away wasn’t really practically seventeen, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt, right?

[Raphael Jenkins]

"Practically seventeen?" Raphael questioned that bit of knowledge. The boy didn't seem like he was practically seventeen. More like just turned fifteen. However, since he was in the club, he was bound to be safe enough. Perhaps he'd just keep this relationship going until that 'practically' turned into actually.

"Well, you are a young thing, aren't you?" Raphael laughed as Ty took a sip of his drink. "Be careful, boy, you might get drunk on a few sips." What was he going to do with this boy now? He had to make sure that he wasn't going to get arrested, because that would be a very bad thing. He pondered this question as he tossed back the last of his drink, and then put the glass back on the bar with a rather decisive click.

"What do you do for fun, Ty?" Raphael asked, staring into the blue eyes of the younger man. Their coloring was so similar, it was a bit odd, but still, interesting. He found himself intrigued by it, and he would continue to ply the boy with questions for a while, getting to know him, getting Ty to trust him, whet the appetite for what was to come later.

[Thyme Ersilia]

Raphael seemed wary of completely trusting him, but Ty was all right with that. At least he wasn’t treating him like he was far too young to even be spoken to. It wasn’t like he looked incredibly young either. Although the man did comment on it, he did not seem to turn away, and this left Thyme feeling very relieved.

He did, however, take the drink from his hand, assuming he would get drunk too quickly, and finished it off himself as if to keep him from drinking any more.

“I won’t get drunk that quickly, but if you’re wondering what I do for fun, this is one of them. Drinking and dancing with handsome strangers. I also like running, eating bacon, and lying in bed all day. What about you?”

He stared back into Raphael’s deep blue eyes, mesmerized by the color. He felt like he was at the beach, only without the dangers of being electrocuted. Oh crap. What would he do when he found out about that? This guy was gonna be running miles away once he got to really know him.

[Raphael Jenkins]

It wasn’t about how Ty looked or acted. For Raphael, it was all about how much he could get away with before parents came into the equation, and brought the law in. He had no desire to spend time in the clink for something that both parties had enjoyed. Granted, Ty was likely old enough that there wouldn’t be trouble, but still, perhaps a lead in would be the best way to go. He’d have to test the waters and see. The younger man seemed far more interested in what he could get now, versus what he might get later.

What a prime opening! How could Raphael not walk through it? He leaned forward, brushing his lips over Ty’s and then settled back onto his bar stool. “I go around kissing random men and wondering who might be my next lover. Other than that, I attend classes at the community college, and have dreams to be an interior designer. I also like to lie in bed all day, and eating bacon.” Raphael somehow made it sound like he was reading off an index card filled with his likes that could be slightly risqué. It was all true, but he made it sound somehow boring and sexy at the same time.

“What inflames your passions, Thyme?” Raphael asked slowly, rolling the boy’s name around his mouth like a swiss chocolate. “What makes you tick? What makes that lust light up in your eyes when you stare at me?” He smirked a bit and ran his finger down the boy’s cheek again. He could see that Ty was smitten, and he wondered how difficult it would be to actually get him into bed. At this point, it didn’t seem like much of a challenge. Which was rather a pity. Raphael fancied a challenge.

[Thyme Ersilia]

When Thyme asked the college student what he did for fun in return, he had expected him to say something sexy or something, but what he did instead went a whole step further. He leaned forward and kissed him before answering the question, which only left Ty swooning even more than before. This guy really knew how to get him, and he knew if Taitum had been here, he would have been rolling his eyes the entire time.

Raphael began to ask the boy more personal questions, and Ty wasn’t exactly sure how to answer. He really wanted to know what it was about him that made him act like a crushing school girl? It wasn’t really a difficult question to answer, but he thought that it would have been obvious. The gentle finger traced his cheek again, and it had nearly pushed him over the edge.

“I don’t know…you’re kinda hard to ignore…”

Thyme scooted a bit closer, staring into his eyes again, but before would make a move, he needed to know one thing.

“Hey…you said the college, right? Are you a meta?”

If this guy was a normal human and afraid of metas, he was out of luck, but he couldn’t help but hope that perhaps they had more in common than he thought.

[Raphael Jenkins]

So easy. Too easy, really. Raphael was amused. Had Ty been a bit older, he might have been able to draw out the flirting and make it more interesting for both parties. But his age and inexperience worked against him in this case. Raphael ordered another drink, and a Shirley Temple for Ty, just as Ty answered his question. A large part of him wanted to laugh and say that was the point, but that would be giving away secrets, now wouldn’t it? Can’t have that happening; that would ruin the whole show he was putting on.

Ty leaned forward and Raphael wondered if he was braver than he appeared, but then his question blurted out with no finesse and equally little thought. Raphael leaned back and put space between them, downing his drink in a quick swallow before conjuring up his power with a small smirk. There were benefits to a power like his, invisible, stealthy, even he had to admit it came in handy. Instead of telling Ty to touch him and find out, Raph decided to mess with the boy’s head even more.

“Well, now, why would you just blurt that out for the entire club to hear?” Not that anyone could actually hear them. The techno beat blasting through the speakers was designed to kill everyone’s hearing. “Are you perhaps one? Should I be on guard against you? Tell me, Ty, why would you want to know if I’m a meta more than you want to know if I’ll sleep with you?”

[Thyme Ersilia]

Thyme was ordered a Shirley temple and he graciously took it. He would have rather had a drink with alcohol in it, but he didn’t mind the drink Raphael gave him instead. At least the man wasn’t trying to get him drunk, and that showed a level or respect.

Upon hearing the question Ty had asked, Raphael seemed amused and finished his drink with a smirk. It had been rather abrupt, and the boy was a bit embarrassed for even asking it mere seconds after it was uttered. This wasn’t really the place or the time to talk about things like that, but he was just so curious. As Raphael leaned back, Thyme leaned forward, as if to follow him, but he felt a strange sensation, as if he had hit his head against a wall. He tried to touch the other with his hand, but once again he came into contact with the bizarre, invisible bubble that was now around him.

“Whoa…”

He leaned forward even more, pressing his forehead to the barrier in curiosity.

“I wonder…”

Ty focused, forming a few sparks on the tips of his fingers. It was enough to answer his question, but also safe enough to not cause any damage if he was wrong. As he had hoped, the sparks travelled around the edges of the bubble and did not touch Raphael’s body. Thyme grinned as he listened to the man’s question, trying to hide his excitement as he answered…and he was very excited.

“I guess everyone but you needs to be on guard…”

He stared in amazement, his voice coming out in an incredulous whisper.

“I can’t hurt you…I can’t hurt you…”

He hoped that Raphael wouldn’t find him crazy for saying such things out loud, but he couldn’t help it.

[Raphael Jenkins]

Raphael couldn’t help but laugh when Ty leaned forward and hit the forcefield. He kept it up as Ty explored, although he was watching around them to make sure that no one was flipping out. This was a reaction he normally got when he showed off his power, it being relatively invisible otherwise. Better than being a pixie. Poor creatures.

As Ty tested the barrier and then began babbling slightly, Raph dropped the field and shivered, rubbing his hands along his pants and then his arms to help warm him up. Even such a small display took its toll on the blond man.

“You can hurt me, Ty, don’t ever fool yourself. Until you gain control, we can always hurt someone.” Well, Raph couldn’t. His was a protection thing. The only way he could actually hurt someone was if they ran full force into his field and bounced off it into something hard. But Ty seemed to have a power with electricity, so yeah, he could hurt people. Raph was surprised that Hammel hadn’t instilled that in the younger man yet.

“How is your training going?” The topic was steered to less dangerous things, things that other people wouldn’t raise an eye at. It was important to be careful in public, and even with as flashy as Raph was, he didn’t want Ty to suffer for Raph’s actions. After they talked for a while longer, Raph grew bored with the club and the constant thump of the bass.

“Wanna go somewhere quieter?”

[Thyme Ersilia]

When Raphael saw Thyme’s power, he seemed to understand the level of danger that was involved with it. Ty had hoped that the cute college boy’s powers were a bit stronger than that display, but it was a bit disheartening to hear that he was fooling himself by thinking that he could not hurt anyone. It became apparent to him that so long as anyone was near him, there would always be the danger, and that did not ease Thyme’s conscience in the slightest. Raphael asked how his training was going, and Ty looked down a bit with a sigh.

“All right I guess. I think I have to work a bit harder than some others. Some people got it so easy…they doesn’t even know”

The lust was starting to become replaced with other, less desirable emotions, and when Raph offered to go somewhere quiet, Ty eagerly agreed.

“Yes, please”

He quickly downed his shirley temple and stood up, ready to follow Raphael.

“How’d you learn to control it, by the way…Does it get in the way when you…well…take someone to bed?”

[Raphael Jenkins]

Raphael laughed at Ty’s comments. Mastering a power did come easier to some folks, and pretty much it depended on the power and the individual. It was always hard at first, and even with his power being a defensive one, Raph had to learn how to make it come and go at will, as well as how to make it stay away when he felt threatened. That had been the hardest part. Not depending on the field to keep him safe.

Ty’s eager acceptance of his offer made him shake his head slightly, and the next question told him firmly what was on the boy’s mind. He didn’t answer as they made their way out of the club and out into the rather wintery night. Raph found a bench for them to sit on and he gave Ty a smile.

“Lots of practice. Mine’s more of a defensive thing, although I can expand it to include three or four people if they are close enough. The hardest part for me was always the side effects. And no, sweetpea, it doesn’t get in the way unless I feel threatened. And I’m not going to take you to bed if I thought I’d be threatened.”

The blond leaned over Ty, brushing their lips together briefly. He wondered if Ty would be up for the sort of training Hammel wouldn’t show him. “You’re afraid of hurting someone, so try this. Concentrate on sending the tiniest current possible to your lips, and then repeat what I just did.” Oh, the joys of teaching the younger generation. Raphael laughed to himself as he waited for Ty.

[Thyme Ersilia]

Thyme had hoped that he didn’t come off as too eager. He wasn’t even sure he wanted to do such a thing, but he always wondered if he even could over whether he should with such a dangerous power hiding within him. It was distressing to think he might not be able to ever truly enjoy another’s company, but Ty seemed to be putting a lot of hopes on Raphael. If he could summon a force field quickly enough for when things got out of hand, then he could get his answer without any harm done, right?

Ty recalled that Sage’s father also had the ability to generate force fields, but he had never asked him much about them. The side effects were not entirely unknown to him. They could be pretty brutal from what he heard, but that was the cost of being able to defend yourself against strong attacks, huh? Ty agreed that practice was important, but it was also difficult, and he struggled each time he tried.

“Practice, huh…I guess that was a no-brainer…”

Raphael suddenly pressed his lips against his, although briefly, but the college boy seemed to have a deeper purpose locked in the moment. This was a training that Ty had never seen before. It was unlike the ones at school or even the kind that Taitum had showed him. It was for the sole purpose of being able to touch another without harming them with his powers and not about containing them completely. It was a simpler goal, and he felt like for the first time, he was seeing the first tree in front of him and not the entire forest. One step at a time, right? That was much more manageable.

“Okay…”

Thyme took a deep breath, concentrating and trying his best to direct the flow of electricity within him to a small current to his lips. Was this a moment where he could actually use his powers to his advantage? Slowly, he leaned forward and crossed his fingers as he pressed his lips to Raphael’s, hoping that it would not harm him.