"This isn't exactly what I was expecting."

Ellis glanced over his shoulder and grinned before he went back to shuffling through the multitude of shorts hanging in his wardrobe. He was already wearing an electric blue retro pair that seemed to be made of some kind of toweling material. And nothing else.

"What did you expect?" he asked, handing over an equally small pair in black cotton with white piping.

"Maybe a Dom? You know, a sadist?"

"I think Gray will say you're ready for that soon, honestly. I think he wants you to know what to expect before you jump in head first."

That's pretty much what Gray had said when Gabe had questioned it. It was fair, but that didn't stop him feeling frustrated. Because he'd asked, but Gray had still resolutely refused to use any harsher implements on him – Owen had thrown a query in too, because he was fine using things like crops and paddles on him. But Gray had insisted he wanted an experienced sadist to do it, because if it wasn't done right, it could set Gabe's recovery back.

On the plus side, the session after Owen had spanked him, Gray had introduced him to hot wax, and when Gabe had come without even being touched while the wax was being drizzled on his inner thigh, Gray had reiterated that he was showing clear signs of being ready for the next stage.

Except, apparently, the next stage was going to the club when other people were there, which, to Gabe, seemed both mundane as fuck and utterly terrifying.

"Do you want a shirt?"

Gabe looked between Ellis, who was semi-naked and glistening with some kind of oil, his defined muscles on proud display, and Kaiya, seated cross-legged on the bed, wearing black shorts with a red side-stripe, that looked like leather and came down to his mid-thigh, and a long sleeved cotton top.

"I don't know."

"You've been working hard on your arms, wear this one."

Ellis passed him a tight-fitted sleeveless shirt and he nodded. He had been working hard, using the weights under Ellis' careful tutelage. He hadn't been doing it for long and his arms were still on the spaghetti-noodle side of things, but he had to show Gray he was confident enough.

Kaiya pulled his sleeves over his hands, picking at the edges.

"You could wear something like that too?" Ellis suggested.

"Oh, no. I don't like to."

"You used to?" Ellis asked, but softly, like he'd realized as the words were coming out that there was a good chance it was something Kaiya didn't want to talk about.

"I- er, I have some scars."

Ellis stood straighter, his jaw clenching.

"John did something?"

"No. I- got sick. When I was still with him. Varicella? You know? It was itchy and I scratched too much and ended up with scars." He pointed self-consciously to his eye, and Gabe could see a small patch by the corner that he could recognize as a chicken pox scar, as well as another tiny one by his mouth. That might explain why he often let his long hair hang loosely, obscuring his face.

"He didn't take you to the doctor?" Ellis asked, still looking angry.

"No. He said a good sub would just cope with it, and wouldn't scratch. So, I was a bad sub."

"Dammit," Ellis whispered, and Gabe stared in shock, though he got it – obviously he did.

"Anyway, I have quite a lot of scars on my arms and chest now. John said they were disgusting. I think it's part of the reason he found someone else."

"Nope," Ellis lifted his head, "he found someone else because he's a total jerk. And don't you forget it. You're cute as fuck, Kaiya, with some scars too." Ellis glanced at Gabe with a tight nod, as if he knew that the conversation was reminding him of all his striking scars across his back.

It was, but Gabe barely ever thought of them. Partly because he knew they weren't all that visible on his pale skin, though he was sure they came up bright as day when Owen turned him blush-red with the spanking, but partly, also, because they were his tiger stripes. His evidence that he'd experienced something bad and got through the other side. And he hoped they could get Kaiya to thinking like that too.

"Actually, we should play that up," Ellis said, and pulled out another long-sleeved black top that was similar to the one Kaiya was already wearing, though it looked impossibly soft – almost like a fine fleece, or maybe velour.

Gabe was confused, until Kaiya shimmied it on and he saw it had a hood with tiny ears, and thumb holes in the cuffs.

"Adorable," Ellis breathed, eyes wide, making Kaiya and Gabe laugh.

They were almost ready, and Gabe knew François was waiting for them downstairs, but Ellis wouldn't let them go until he'd put eyeliner and highlighter on Kaiya and ruffled some kind of gel through Gabe's hair.

"What do we wear on our feet?"

Gabe had usually been barefoot before, and he knew he'd get more choice now, but when Ellis pulled out a pair of heavy combat-style boots, he tilted his head in confusion.

"Yeah, really," Ellis confirmed. "Some people do wear other stuff. Bare feet or cute sneakers, but I think it's because the Doms normally wear big boots and we want to keep our tootsies safe."

Gabe laughed, but, actually, once he had the heavy boots on with the tiny shorts, tied tightly at the waist to stop them slipping off his hips, it was a good look. Stompy functionality mixed with perky sportiness. He liked it.

"You ready?" Ellis asked them both, and they nodded, with varying degrees of trepidation.

The club was still relatively quiet. François disappeared into his office, and Ellis took them past the long line of people signing into the dance club, waving at people and hugging a few, who looked with interest at Gabe and Kaiya. He guessed it meant something to be entering the club with the sub of the owner, but he didn't know what yet.

Upstairs, it was the first time Gabe had been in the lounge when it was open. The lights were lower, and there were already a few people at tables around the edge, being served by waiters wearing about as much as Ellis – even a boy kneeling by the side of a big man, who was running his fingers through the happily dazed-looking sub's hair.

They went to the bar, where Jax was pouring drinks for the waiters and paused to get them three sodas. The space started to fill as they sat on barstools sipping their drinks, and Gabe noticed that a lot of people – Dom and sub – greeted Ellis and gave the two of them polite nods. It was so far removed from what he remembered from the club Sawyer had taken him to that it made him feel almost nervous, as if it were too good to be true.

They saw Laurent and Loki arrive and go to an area with comfortable seats that was separated from the rest of the lounge with a thick, red rope. They didn't spot the boys, still perched on barstools, though Ellis was starting to wriggle.

"You can dance if you want," Gabe told him, and he was off after a grateful smile – not far, just to a small dancefloor in the middle of the room, where River was already dancing with a guy with sandy blond hair and a wide smile. It took him a moment before he realized it was Mat, who he'd known at school but who River had reported was giving him space because he was a Dom now. Gabe could just remember his being really happy and nice – and nothing seemed to have changed: he was watching River dance like he was the best thing he'd ever seen.

"You want to speak to Laurent, don't you?"

Gabe started, because he hadn't even been looking at Laurent, though now his eyes were drawn back there. The man was relaxed, chatting more animatedly with Loki than Gabe had ever seen him. No snark or stern lines there, and he wondered if those were just for him. But then he remembered how Laurent was with his brother and with Ellis and figured, no, it was the other way around – it was Loki who was special. Gabe felt a pang at that.

"I reckon it's more you want to speak to Loki," he deflected.

"Well, maybe."

"How many dates is it now?"

"Depends what you call dates. We've spent time alone four times."

"Ahah, well, you know what that means."

"What does it mean?"

Kaiya sounded so worried, Gabe couldn't mock any more. He could understand why Kaiya was drawn to Loki – he was an ideal example of gentle giant. Huge, muscular, masculine, but kind and soft spoken. Kaiya deserved something like that after all Gabe had heard about the jerk he'd been with before.

"You should approach him. That's allowed right?"

"I can. I've never done that though. What if he doesn't want me, here?"

"Why wouldn't he?"

"Look around, Gabe." Kaiya sounded uncharacteristically sharp as he flayed his hand out, as if to demonstrate the pantheon of perfect specimens before him.

Gabe looked, as instructed. There was a lot of prettiness around. Handsome, too. Lots of smooth flesh, dark and tanned and pale. Plenty of eyeliner and sparkles, long legs and cropped tops. But then he looked back at Kaiya's pale, serious face. The soft curve of his jaw and the glossy black hair. Large dark brown eyes framed with long lashes. Delicate fingers playing with the cuff of his shirt, and he blew air through his lips.

"Yeah, I think he's still going to want you. In fact, look."

Gabe pointed subtly to where Loki had spotted them, his face lighting up as he stood to approach. But Kaiya whimpered, a tiny, pained sound, and Gabe looked, realizing he wasn't looking at Loki, but to the other side of the room.

"Why is he here?" he gasped out, all color leaching from his cheeks. "Why is John here?"

A/N: and what on earth will happen next - in the same room as Laurent and Loki, John's here, and Gray and Owen must surely be on their way.