#a lotta drabbles these dayyysssss

[tylermagnusenvest]

26th September 2015

“I take it back,” Alastair sighed, running a hand back through his hair. “I’m not sure I like you two getting along, not in the slightest.

Tyler had been with Alastair and Ann- as she insisted he call her- for around four days now, it had been an odd sort of four days. Waking up in Alastair’s home was wonderful, the house was big but it didn’t hold the same quiet as somewhere like his grandmother’s, before he was even dressed he could hear chatter in the hall. Alastair and Ann, he found out fairly quickly, had separate rooms, which suited them both fine. He hadn’t been in Alastair’s. Ann’s though, she pulled him into after breakfast that very first morning, her room was beautifully decorated, with art on the walls and bright vases of flowers on various surfaces of the room. She had her own dressing room and a private study, which is where she took him, to show off her collection of books and assure him he could borrow any he liked from now on. He did borrow some too, titles he’d never heard of, all beautifully leather bound. They had a conservatory and Tyler spent much of his morning there, it was filled with flowers, like a floral jungle where he could nestle down on a bench and read for hours without being disturbed. He liked hearing Alastair and Ann talk to each other, he went back to work on that first day but even though he got back to their house late they waited to eat dinner with him, he’d never had dinners like it. They spoke about their days, teased each other, no one mentioned if he was eating slowly or quickly, in fact none of his behaviour was picked up on. Ann would ask him questions about his work, she’d smile when he spoke and really listen, occasionally he’d find Alastair watching him too and his face would grow warm simply from having so much attention on him. They spent the hours before bed in the front room, by the fire. They’d drink tea or wine and Ann told him all kinds of stories about Alastair from when they were growing up. He laughed so much one night he cried. Then there were wonderful, tender moments when Ann would take his hand and simply hold it for a little while, they’d talk about silly things and she’d playfully complain about Alice getting fur all over the place- a fair point because she was allergic. Being here, with the two of them, was like nothing Tyler had ever known.

“Don’t be so cynical,” Ann scolded from where she sat on the blanket.

This was his favourite day by far. He had no work until late today, and that morning Ann had announced they were to have a picnic for lunch. The weather, unfortunately, had not agreed with her. Tyler had learnt, however, that Ann couldn’t be stopped so easily. Instead of in the gardens, she set everything up in the conservatory instead. The three of them sat around a blanket, with tea, cakes and little sandwiches centred between them. They ate and talked and laughed, read poetry and snippets of books to each other, leant back and watched rain patter on the glass above their heads. When Ann found a young photo of Alastair tucked into a battered old book, it had set them both off laughing, he liked how this whole other life Alastair had lead was no longer such a mystery to him now, he liked that his time with Alastair wasn’t something he had to keep to himself.

“Neither of you tease me this much by yourselves, together you’re unbearable.”

“I think you mean unstoppable,” Ann offered him a grin and then checked her watch with a sigh, getting to her feet. “Though unfortunately I actually have some errands to run before tonight, I’ll count on you boys to tidy up without just asking the elves to do it, they’re having a night off and have more important things to organise before they leave.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Alastair gave her a salute and she rolled her eyes as she left.

It hadn’t been the two of them alone for a while. Alastair worked every weekday, he worked in the evenings, other than the time they spent together at dinner this had been there first time truly alone. Tyler wouldn’t say he’d been avoiding it, though even if they’d had opportunities before he might not have eagerly awaited a moment like this. He had a lot to say to him, honestly, he just wasn’t entirely sure how to say it. He opened his mouth to speak, not entirely sure what he was going to say yet but something was better than nothing, when Alastair suddenly sighed, twisted around where he sat and then flopped onto his back, with his head settling to rest in Tyler’s lap. His face flushed and any attempt to speak vanished.

“You seem much better, I wasn’t so sure for a day or two, but today you definitely seem more yourself.” Alastair reached up and tucked a lock of hair behind his ear. “I’m glad the two of you get along, I always suspected you would but... but I was scared to let you into this part of my life, Ann is much braver than me.”

“She’s wonderful.”

“She is.”

“And your home is beautiful.”

“Yes, I’m very lucky.”

“Are you happy?”

A moment passed between them, where he could feel Alastair’s searching his face but he couldn’t bring himself to meet his eyes.

“Yes, my life is good here, for what it is,” he paused and when he spoke again his voice was different, quieter and vulnerable in a way Tyler wasn’t used to. “I would give it all up for you still, if that’s what you’re too afraid to ask, I’d give it up in a heartbeat. I’d take you anywhere, we could start over, I’d feel guilty at first but you’re what I want and, strangely enough, I think Ann would be the first to support us. Though maybe she could come too. I’ve thought about it a lot this week, with the three of us here, we could stay together. I’d be married to Ann, to keep her safe from her family’s interference, until she found someone she truly wanted to marry, but other than for the sake of appearances I could be with you. We could travel for a while, go to places neither of us have been before, Alice would probably like it too. I would look after you, I know I could make you happy, you’d never want for anything and you’d never have to worry about your family again.” Then he sighed. “But you’ve been here a few days now, and I see you checking your phone every night, there are moment when you’re with us one moment and then I can see you’re a million miles away. Or maybe not that far- Jeremy lives in London, right?”

Saw right through him, as always.

“Have you spoke to him yet?”

Tyler shook his head.

“You should. I can see you miss him, and it brings me no pleasure to admit that.”

“I can’t... the way we left things, it’s a complicated situation.”

“One you can talk to me about.”

“You wouldn’t want to hear it.”

“Try me.”

Tyler tilted his head, looking down at Alastair and waiting for him to cave, but he didn’t so Tyler sighed and mumbled, “Well, we hadn’t seen each other in a while, and he just showed up out of nowhere. We were talking and then... then we weren’t talking, because Jeremy is ridiculously sweet but also ridiculous inept at keeping his hands to himself... and we’re kissing and his hands are wandering and-”

“Alright, alright.” Alastair’s hand came up to cover his mouth, he huffed in a way that was completely childish but made Tyler smile. “Perhaps I don’t need all the details.”

Tyler took his hand, linked their fingers together and smiled weakly.

“I don’t fully understand but I know you love him, and you assured me that he loved you. Ann and are attending the remembrance gala tonight- I’m sure she mentioned it- so perhaps you could go and see him?”

“I can’t... not tonight, I have a work thing.”

“Alright. Soon then.”

Tyler sighed, “Alright.”

~~~

Tyler didn’t quite know what to expect when he walked into Spectrum, an hour before his first shift was officially meant to start, he’d been told to come early so he could meet the team and get more details on his shift. It was fairly quite when he arrived, though it was only 7pm and Under Street was known for having clientele who preferred the much later hours, but the club was already being prepared for the night ahead. It was beautiful, honestly, with lights strung across the ceiling spreading all colours of the spectrum across the floor. Music was already playing, the beat pulsing into the floor and making it vibrate, there were even a few people at the bar already too with fizzing, foaming, colourful drinks before them. Tyler had been to clubs before, muggle ones mainly, as he was less likely to bump into anyone he knew there, but this was something else. Two men stood behind the bar. One was young, with a handsome face, he had glowing rainbow bands on both of his wrists. His blonde hair shone with rainbow glitter, his cheeks were brushed with a dusting of it too, though they were also highlighted with a glowing blue tinge that curved over his cheekbones and flicked upwards towards his temples. The other man, who was slight older but no less attractive, had dark hair and dark eyes. He wore a single glowing band on each wrist but the colour on his cheeks was fiery, a gradient of colour from a deep red to electric orange, with silver gems studded throughout.

“You alright there, lovely?” The blonde had looked up from the bar and was now looking to where Tyler was unintentionally hovering, adding the finishing flourished to a drink with a smile on his face. “Don’t be shy, gorgeous, take a seat and I’ll whip you something up- what’s you poison? I could take a guess at it, something sweet or maybe something more fiery?”

“Ignore him,” The other bartender rolled his eyes, leaning on the bar with both hands pressed to the surface. “He doesn’t mean to scare customers away.”

“Oh, no, I’m...” Tyler stepped forward then, reminding himself to remain confident and calm, though unable to help being a tad shy when he continued, “I’m Tyler, I’m here for-”

“Tyler Envest, you’re right on time!”

From behind the bar a door sung open and a woman stepped through it with her hands on her hips. She had a warm, playful smile, with her hair styled into seven different puffs atop her head, each shimmering with a different colour. Her eyeliner was a bright turquoise, curling out from the corner of her eyes into blooming yellow roses at her temples. She strode along the bar and around the end, taking confident steps towards him, and then offered a hand which he took with a small smile.

“Don’t let the boys scare you off, Alfie flirts with everyone and everyone, and the two of them will bicker from now until kingdom come if you let them. Other than that, they’re a good pair. I’m Delara, weekend manager here at Spectrum, we’ll be seeing a lot of each other so if there’s anything at all you need you just let me know, alright?” Tyler could barely keep up but he gave a nod and Delara stepped aside, dropping his hand and gesturing to him instead. “This here is Tyler, our new weekend hire, his CV is impeccable so if you two scare him off on his first day there’ll be hell to play.” She turned to him again and her smile only widened. “Now come on to the back, you must let me paint you.”

He had no idea what that meant but when Delara walked back behind the bar he followed close behind, she took him through to the back of the club, where it was immediately quieter and up close he could see there was a ‘staff only’ sign on the door. There were hangers along the hall with bags, glowing bands and jackets hanging from them, she lead him right through to the back where the space opened up into a room with desks and mirrors all along one side, and sofas and seats all along the other. The seats and sofas were full of pillows, sequins and sparkles, in all different colours. Canvases were hung up on the wall with slogans on them such as ‘we’re here, queer, and serving beer’ and ‘baby, we were born this way’. At the back of the room was a small kitchen set up, basic with a kettle and a microwave, a mini-fridge and little else. A door to the back had the toilet symbols on the front. It was basic but nice, comfortable, he’d never been to a place like it. He was still trying to take it all in when he was ushered into a seat at one of the many mismatched dressing tables along the side of the room, blinking rapidly when Delara pressed a button and lights strung up around the mirror came to life.

“Well, now I get to see you in better light I have to give Alfie credit, you’re a pretty boy with a very pretty face. I’m going to have fun working on you.”

Tyler could feel his face go red but before he could reply the blonde- Alfie- from behind the bar came strolling in and dropped into the next seat along.

“See, it’s not all about the tips, I have a good eye for a good face.” He offered a hand across the space and Tyler took it, they shared a firm handshake before the boy continued, “Alfie Devin, I’m here most of the week, guess we’ll be working together from now on.”

“Tyler,” He replied, doing his best to offer a smile but it was hard to concentrate when Delara adjusted his face forward and tilted his chin back slightly. “Nice to meet you.”

“Alfie here is a hard worker, you’ll be shadowing him tonight as it’s your first shift, he’ll show you the ropes.” Delara explained, talking as she opened several pallets of eye shadow and blush onto the table. “But fair warning, he’ll flirt with everything and anything that walks through those front doors.”

Alfie sighed dramatically. “We work for tips, y’know? Sure, everyone complains about my flirting but when we’re splitting tips at the end of the night no one’s got anything to say about it, I like to contribute to the team and all that...” He waved a dismissive hand. “Trust me, Tyler, it’s not necessary to flirt with the customers but you’ll definitely walk away with more at the end of the night if you do. I’ll point out the big tippers for you, some you’ll flirt with because they’ll get you extra cash, some you’ll flirt with because you’ll want to.”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t you listen to everything he tells you. First things first, if you work here you’re part of the family, and you do what makes you comfortable.”

“Thank you-”

“Tilt your head this way a little,” Delara instructed, tipping his chin up again.

“I’ve never done anything like this before.”

By anything he meant all of it. Bartending, that was new but he could learn skills, the way he saw it mixing drinks could only be as complicated as brewing potions- hopefully a lot less complicated, really- and he was very good at that. This though, what was happening right now, was very new. Tyler had never worn make up or glitter or anything like it. His family would never have allowed it and, perhaps, he’d always been a tad shy about it. Even when he wasn’t under his family’s thumb he was usually trying to avoid them, he didn’t want to draw more attention to himself than necessary, decorating himself in any way was asking for trouble... but no one in his family would come here, and anyone related to them who might find him here could never admit it without admitting they were there too, it was relatively safe. Still, this was all very new to him.

“I hope you don’t mind me experimenting a little, it’s your first day, when we get fresh blood with faces like yours I like to see what inspiration strikes. As part of your job here you’ll be expected to decorate your face every shift, you can do your own if that suits you better, or I’m happy to do it- as you get used to it you can give me preferences for colours, patterns and things like that. Sound good?”

Tyler nodded.

It was nice just to hear them talk, there was a natural banter to their conversation, while Tyler mostly stayed quiet as Delara analysed his face and occasionally brought brushes across his cheeks. A few times she wiped it off again, tutting and shaking her head, rolling her eyes when Alfie pulled a face and made the odd suggestion. They told him other things about working there, occasionally asked him questions about his school and what it was like, he answered when he could but otherwise was a little scared of moving too much in case he accidentally messed something up. After some time the conversation died, Alfie wandered off to make coffee and Delara lost herself in the situation at hand. It was strange, she spent a lot of time looking at his face, studying him closely, but it was as though she barely saw him. He wasn’t under scrutiny, she wasn’t looking to gain anything from him, she was just looking because it was necessary. It was a nice thing. Everything was very soft, he liked the way the brushes felt on his skin, the best was the big one she dabbed in powder, it was gentle on his face and occasionally ticklish. When he had to shut his eyes he was nervous, honestly, but he barely felt the touch on his eyelids for the short time it was there. She blew gently over them and it tickled, but he resisted the urge to laugh. After some time Delara stood back, her hands came to rest on her hips and she grinned.

“I’ve got to say, I’m marvellous at this. Come take a look, Alfie!”

He appeared by her side a few seconds later, he was looking at his phone intently but when he spared a glance up in Tyler’s direction he paused, and shortly after broke out in a smile. His phone was otherwise forgotten as he too placed his hands on his hips, he searched Tyler’s face a moment and then gave a nod of approval.

“It suits you, I wouldn’t worry much about making tips.”

“Take a look, see?”

Delara turned his chair around so he was back to properly facing the mirror and Tyler was able to see her progress for the first time. His cheeks were a spectrum of colour, quite literally, a streak of matte colour curved across his cheekbones, starting in a deep red but gradually passing through every colour in the rainbow, finishing up in a bright purple. His eyes were enhanced with a run of red eyeliner, flicking out at the corners of his eyes. Studded against his temples were tiny gold gems, some were the shapes of tiny stars, the glinted in the light when he tipped his head from side to side. The bottom half of his face was left completely alone, all except a tiny red heart that had been painted above the right side of his lips. He’d never seen himself like this. He looked pretty and flamboyant and shamelessly proud.

It made him unbelievably shy.

“You don’t like it?”

“No, I-” Oh Merlin, please don’t get emotional. Tyler inhaled a breath, and tucked his hair behind his ears, sitting forward in the seat to get a closer look before he confirmed, “It’s beautiful, thank you.”

“You’re very welcome, hon, it’s all part of the job.”

“Come on,” Alfie encouraged, clasping a hand on Tyler’s shoulder. “You can pick out which bands you want before we get out there, things tend to pick up pace between eight and nine, it’s when a lot of people around here get off work and stop by, we’ll head out a little early so I can show you around the bar.”

“Ok.”

Tyler stood, trying not to seem as self conscious as he felt.

“Don’t be nervous,” Alfie encouraged, giving him a nudge with his shoulder as he headed back down towards the bar, Tyler in tow. “We look after each other here, you’re in good hands, for tonight you just have to observe and look good- you’ve already got half of that covered so it’ll be a breeze.”

Tyler gave a nod and smiled a little easier, “Alright.”