Chapter Text
Louis picked up his speed to catch up to his mates. He frantically kept looking at every single person that they passed in the alleyway. Everybody was practically naked, dressed in little to nothing. Weren't they cold? Or had some decency?
Girls wearing pasties on their nipples and spandex shorts so short that they wouldn't even be considered shorts outside of here.
Fishnet stockings. Furry boots. How is this rave wear? Is this how it is everywhere?
Guys in spandex shorts. Shirtless. Toned bodies everywhere and laughter filled every inch of the space.
Niall held onto Liam as he looked at Louis excitedly. "I can't believe you've never been to an underground rave, Louis! This shit is the best!" He jumped up and down as they got closer. Liam smiled as his boyfriend and pecked his hand with his lips.
Louis could tell they were excited, but him on the other side, he was sweating. He could feel his palms sweating and his throat feeling tighter. He had decided to wear a simple white v-neck and black jeans. He didn't know how to dress for a rave!
They were almost to the entrance. Louis looked around for an escape plan and immediately felt Niall wrap his free arm around him.
"Lou! Chill! Let loose and have fun for once!" Niall couldn't help but laugh at Louis nervousness.
Louis nodded his head rapidly.
You can do this, Louis. He reassured himself. He can have fun and let lose! Could he even do that?
They got to the entrance and the line was going in fast. The entrance was dark, and it led them down a narrow hallway, everybody was moving fast.
Once they went down the stairs, everything changed. It's a different world in here.
He couldn't help but gape at everything he was seeing. He followed along behind Niall and Liam as he took in his surroundings.
It was dark but there was flashing lasers and lights all around him.
The music he was feeling since outside the building had increase.
How could people even talk over this?! Do people even speak to each other at raves?
He noticed mostly everybody was wearing white. They were glowing underneath the darkness. UV lights? Probably.
He could see different colors of pink, blue, purple, green and orange neon accessories all around him.
He could physically feel the beat of the music on his body and it felt-in a way-exhilarating? Louis couldn't understand this feeling. He had never felt it before.
People were everywhere. Some were dancing, some jumping, and some were sitting near the back. He could smell the stench of weed and it made him scrunch his nose. He noticed people putting pills in their mouth. People sniffing their hands and tilting their head back. Was it for fun or for pleasure? Both?
He also started noticing that mostly everybody was covered in paint. Why paint? Is this a paint party? Why would someone willingly ruin their clothes and dance while having paint thrown at them? Preposterous. He saw the paint guns in front of the stage and girls on stage throwing paint to everyone.
This is incredibly weird.
Niall and Liam made their way to the bar in the back and ordered themselves drinks. Niall handed him a neon blue drink. Louis took it and sipped on it. "Blue balls!" Niall yelled out at him over the music.
Louis spit his drink out and shrieked. "What?!?" He pushed his drink back to Niall.
Niall let his head fall back as his chest expanded with laughter. He pushed the drink back to Louis. "That's the name of the drink, Louis!"
Louis blushed immediately from embarrassment and avoided Nialls eyes. Liam was dancing behind his boyfriend and moving his hands all over him. Niall was grinding himself into Liam. "Let's go dance!" Liam yelled at Niall. Niall looked at Louis in a way of asking if he wanted to go as well.
Louis shushed them away as he sipped on his drink again. Niall practically ran into the crowd with Liam right behind him.
He leaned against the wall. He couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. What was he even doing here?
He felt like a loser. Twenty-four years old and he couldn't even let lose at a simple rave. He shook his head to avoid his negative thoughts from invading his mind. He needed to focus on something else.
He let his eyes scan the dark room again and that's when he noticed someone in the middle of the room. But how could he not notice him? He was dancing crazily and excessively. He had the whole crowd around him, and anybody could tell he loved the attention.
The boy-no man-had a white bandana pushing his hair back and he was covered in paint. Louis scanned his body. He wasn't wearing a shirt and he had pasties on his nipples.
A guy with pasties? Louis scrunched his face. The pasties were white glitter X's. His body was glistening in sweat and paint. He had on tight white spandex shorts which were different shades of pink and green now. He could tell his body was toned even underneath all that paint.
In front of him was another man wearing a red bandana, red glitter pasties and red spandex shorts. His olive skin was glowing, too. He had long black hair slicked back from the paint. Were they a couple? They were dancing together so intensely it almost made Louis feel jealous?
They danced on each other and touched anything they could. The way they looked into each others eyes so intensively as they danced made Louis feel as if he was almost being invasive by looking at them.
Louis couldn't bare to look away as he continued to sip his drink.
The mystery man was jumping up and down, pushing himself off other people's shoulders and moving around intensely with red bandana man.
He looked insane! How could anyone dance and move like that without caring what other people thought about him?! Louis shuttered at the thought. He couldn't imagine himself dancing that way in front of a bunch of strangers. He knew he would instantly feel judgement eyes and then he would probably cry himself to sleep.
He couldn't bear the thought. He finished his drink and ordered himself another. Niall and Liam were close to the mystery man. They were also dancing without a care in the world. Grinding, jumping and kissing.
They were hungrily kissing each other and barely reached up for air. Louis sighed. Why couldn't he be like that? Why did he have to be the way he is? He couldn't do anything without overthinking his next step or doing it till it was perfect. He always second guessed himself and never did anything without purpose. Maybe it was the constant pressure he felt as being the eldest of his siblings and having to be a roll model. Louis rolled his eyes at the thought and palmed his forehead. He shouldn't be thinking of his family right now.
Louis was in such a trance with his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed mystery man right next to him till he felt a wetness all over his forearm.
He pulled back quickly and wiped his arm off on his pants. He looked at his hand. Paint?
He looked next to him and saw mystery man. He looked at him. "Sorry, mate! Didn't see you there!" He flashed Louis a pearly white smile that looked incredibly white against his painted skin. Where was red bandana man?
He turned to the bartender and asked for a piece of gum and ice water. Why would the bartender have gum? Louis thought.
Louis couldn't look away and he hadn't even responded. Mystery man looked at him again, his eyes curious.
"Uh-it's okay..." Louis mumbled looking down. Mystery man put his hand on Louis. "Why aren't you dancing?! It's a rave and you've been standing there for a while now!"
Louis scrunched his eyebrows together. Did he notice me staring at him from here? How would he know how long I've been standing here? Louis didn't respond. He didn't even know how or what to say to this mythical creature!
Mystery man eyed him curiously and Louis locked eyes with him. His eyes were so green and beautiful. While getting a closer look at him, he noticed mystery man also had jewels on his face. Around his eyes. Mystery man was really into this "rave" scene.
Louis mentally slapped himself.
Speak, idiot!!
"I-I-I've never been to a rave!" Louis yelled raising his voice an octave since it was so loud.
Mystery man's eyes went wide as he chugged the ice water and immediately popped the gum into his mouth. He massaged his jaw quickly before replying. "Never, ever?! What the hell! Who brought you here and left you to sulk?! Finish your drink!" He ordered as he put his hands on his waist.
Louis gaped at him and didn't know what to do. What the hell? He drank his drink quickly and held it in his hand waiting for mystery man to say something. Hello?
Mystery man laughed and pushed his drink to the counter. "Come with me," he said as he gripped Louis wrist and started pulling him into the floor. Louis immediately held his breathe, and his chest tightened. He can't go in there!
No, No, No I can't.
He tried pulling away from the mystery man, but once he turned around and smiled at Louis so big, he couldn't help but wrap his own hand against his wrist. His clean hand looked contrasting against the mystery mans painted skin.
What is he doing?!
Mystery man pulled them back to where he was before he kidnapped him. He started dancing as he was before as if he had never moved. Louis stood there awkwardly not knowing what to do. How does someone that's never even been to a dance... dance in a rave?! Mystery man, still dancing, pulled Louis towards him.
Louis chest was right on him and he was getting covered in paint from every direction by peoples bodies. The music was much more intense here in this spot. Is this why mystery man liked being in the middle? He could feel the beat under his feet, on his body and with every touch he felt. He didn't know what to do! He started moving his hips in hopes his own body would take over. It didn't.
He felt mystery mans hands on his hips and soon his lips near his neck. Hot breathe. Louis felt goosebumps rising on the back of his neck.
"Loosen up, baby!" He yells into his ear as he moved his hands from Louis waist onto his own.
Mystery man was touching his own body, Louis started jumping up and down a little to not look to awkward, but he couldn't look away.
Mystery mans hands were moving all over his own body, it was as if he was having an out of body experience with himself. Louis felt his jeans tighten.
Hands moving all over his naked chest, over his nipples, on his arms, his neck, pulling his hair and then moving them all above him. Louis looked at him in awe. He was so careless, so free and without worry.
Louis wanted to be like him. Why couldn't he be like that?
Louis wanted to be carefree and wild. But he couldn't.
His own mind wouldn't allow it.
Mystery man got a hold of Louis arm again and started pulling him into the front of the crowd. Louis looked around frantic for anybody that could save him. Niall? Liam? Where are they?
They ended up being in front of the rails and before Louis could comprehend what was happening. Someone was helping him get on top of mystery mans shoulders. "Wait!" Louis yelled as he felt someone's hands on his waist lifting him up as if he was sixty pounds light and placing him on mystery man who was bending down in front of him!
What's going on?!
Louis legs gripped onto his back and he hunched down to look at mystery man. Before he could say anything, mystery man was laughing loudly pushing him up while pointing at the stage.
Louis straightened himself up and looked around. Everybody was dancing and having fun. It was as if time was going by in slow motion. He noticed everything and anything. From the girl with the butterfly wings dancing to her own beat in the corner, to the boy wearing glow in the dark gloves, the girl hula hoping and to every different couple attacking each other's mouth. Louis felt a weird emotion in his stomach.
He was almost happy. He wanted to let go. He felt mystery man dancing underneath him as Louis held on to him tightly with his legs. He treated Louis as if he was not even on his shoulders. There were a bunch of people up there with him and they were yelling and dancing to their own beat.
Louis started moving his upper body the best he could think of. He felt shame. He probably looked like an idiot doing this. Everybody was judging him.
He felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He turned to see a girl covered in paint wearing a bedazzled bra and her pink hair was in space buns. "Let the music take over! Let yourself feel the beat!" She yelled as she gave him two thumbs up.
He gave her his best smile and turned back to the front of the stage. He slumped. Did he really look that out of place? He must look so lifeless on top of this wild soul underneath him.
Deep breathe.
Louis closed his eyes and listened to the music. He could feel the beat everywhere, he just needed to let his own body feel it as well.
He started to slowly move his hands along his body the way he had seen mystery man do it earlier on the floor. He felt goosebumps on his flesh as he started feel the beats within himself. Is this how it's supposed to feel?
Does everybody feel this way?
He started letting lose slowly. Very slowly. He felt himself start smiling as his own body started moving on its own.
He felt a hand squeeze his thighs strongly. Louis looked down and mystery man was giving him a big thumbs up while smiling.
Louis kept doing what he was doing when he noticed two girls walking around the stage with two big hoses. What in the world? They were wearing skin tight clothing with different colored wigs. They looked incredible.
He kept dancing.
The DJ started yelling a countdown. Louis looked around at everybody getting excited and then once the DJ said one, the beat dropped, and he felt himself wet. He looked back at the front of the stage and covered his mouth. All he could see was paint!
He was soaked in it and he couldn't help but let out the laugh that was building in his chest. He let his head hang back as he wiped his eyes. He felt himself on the floor suddenly as mystery man gripped his waist to steady him.
Louis held onto his arms for support as he was still laughing. "How was that?!" Mystery man yelled with fresh new paint all over him, as well.
"Amazing!" Louis yelling back, smiling and gripping his arms. Louis couldn't help but notice how muscular his arms were at this moment.
Mystery man kept dancing. Louis had to find Niall and Liam. How long had he been here? He felt as if he lost track of him during his time with this man. He needed to get back to his friends.
He pulled on mystery man and he bent down. "I'm going."
Mystery man nodded without looking at him. Ouch.
Louis felt hurt in his chest as he started walking away. He felt the same warm hand grab his wrist and turn him around.
Blue eyes meeting green. Mystery man smiled and hugged him tightly. "I knew you could let loose!" He kissed his check so gently that Louis wondered if he had really done it or if it was all his imagination. Louis just smiled and nodded.
Mystery man turned back to the stage and started dancing with the people around him.
Louis took one last look at him and then made his way back to the bar.
Niall and Liam were drenched in paint as the both drank their drinks. Niall ran to Louis and hugged him. "I saw you up there! I knew you would have fun here!" Liam just smiled at Niall excitement.
Louis nodded his head and was still in a bliss. "You guys ready? It's almost over. We should leave already to avoid the crowds," Liam said while looking around. Niall chugged his drink, nodding in agreement.
Louis started following them as they headed towards the entrance. Louis couldn't help but turn back one more time to the crowd. There mystery man was in all his glory. Dancing freely and without limits. Red bandana man was back and together they looked indestructible.
Louis walked out of the rave wondering if he was ever going to see mystery man again.