Derek couldn't believe that he had decided to come to an LGBT+ mutant bar. 

First off, this was his first time going to a bar at all in New York. It was a little nerve racking for him. Of course the handsome bartender greeted him, but that only made him more nervous. His first time going anywhere made him nervous.

The African American, twenty year old mutant only heard good things about X-Gene Persuasions. It was friendly, had a good atmosphere, and served fabulous food. They even had different themes for each night of the week like:

Transexual Tuesdays were those who identify as a different gender got free drinks or Freya Fridays for females. Best part of all, anyone the age of eighteen and above could enter the bar.

When he first walked in Derek noticed how clean it was. There was a  rainbow flag off to the side and a bar that was in the middle. On the left side, there was  a dance floor, a couple of tables and chairs, and the bathrooms. On the right was a little like Barnes and Nobles with comfortable chairs, coffee tables and bookshelves. He didn't know who owned this place, but it was very interesting.

Derek sat down on a barstool on the left and was greeted with a warm smile.

"Hey, uh, can I get the virgin strawberry daiquiri?"

The bartender nodded his head and asked if he wanted a menu.

"Yes, please. Thank you."

Clubbing wasn't often on Aleksandr's itinerary on a normal day. While he did enjoy the music, the heat, and the chance to socialize, the clubs often got a little too crowded for his comfort. Not that he minded being surrounded by so many people. It was all of their feet that were the problem, especially once alcohol started flowing. Clumsy feet meant scuffed scales and a bruised tail, neither of which he was particularly fond of.

However, a club named X-Gene Persuasions had started making quite a name for itself lately. He'd spotted several fliers and ads throughout the city and the webpage they'd set up looked promising. Not only did it advertise itself as an LGBT+ bar, but it was also well known as a mutant-safe establishment. Aleksandr was both of those things, but what really sold it for him was the emphasis on the club's spacious interior intended to accommodate a variety of individuals with large or otherwise less-than-human builds.

The front doors were certainly large enough and lighter than they looked, which was a welcome change from the snake man's usual struggle with doorways. Most doors just weren't built with an enormous tail in mind.

There were a decent amount of people inside already, but it hadn't gotten too crowded just yet. There would undoubtedly be more patrons filling in as the night wore on, but he wasn't going to complain about their absence. He made note of the unusual, but not unwelcome, section of the club with a reading alcove vibe to it. Once the crowd did get thicker he could retreat to that corner and curl up out of the way if too many feet threatened his beautiful scales. The other club-goers would just have to seek him out if they wanted to continue admiring him.

The dance floor was certainly inviting and Aleksandr would not be shy about conquering it, but first he wanted to get himself a drink. There was little point in going to a club with a bar if he didn't have at least one drink.

Having little use for the seats provided, he moved a couple to the side and coiled his tail up against the bar and beneath himself to rest on instead and waited for the bartender to catch his eye and finish serving another patron before placing his own order.

Pulling the appropriate amount of bills from somewhere within the tangle of tails growing from his head (bags were just so clunky) and giving the bartender a saucy wink, Aleksandr gratefully accepted the drink placed in front of him. Asking for a Sex on the Beach right away might have been a little forward, but then he'd never really been one for subtlety.

Turning to rest the small of his back against the bar, he let his gaze roam over the club-goers and savored the first sip of the drink. Fruity drinks were his favorite. Aleksandr didn't often eat much besides meat anymore so fruits and juices were a nice treat. Mixing it with alcohol was just a bonus.

"You are not a drinker, or just too young?" he asked, having turned his attention to the young man just a few seats down from him at the bar. A little rude, perhaps, but a conversation starter was a conversation starter. "Is sometimes hard to tell here. Drinking age is so high."

Derek had seem the serpent humanoid slither into the bar. This was one of those moments where what he thought what was attractive had changed. From where Derek was sitting, the mutant that just entered the bar, was attractive. He couldn't decide whether it was his long snake-like hair, his tale, or his incredible body all around His nose was cute too.

He made sure to stop staring when he came to the bar. Instead, he turned his attention to the menu he was just handed. Derek knew that trying to talk to that guy would result in his humiliation. Taking a sip of the virgin, fruity drink that was placed in front of him, he picked up the menu and had a mental debate being getting the chicken wings or the cheeseburger and fries.

Derek was about to come to a decision when he heard a Russian accent. Maybe he wasn't talking to him? Derek slowly looked over at the guy that walked in earlier.

"Uh," Derek looked at his drink, then back at the other mutant as if he didn't know the answer already, "yes. I'm a few months short of being able to drink." He managed to answer. He could feel his face heat up so he turned back to his menu. The bartender came over and asked what he wanted to order if he was ready.

"I'll take the cheese burger with fries."

The bartender jotted down his order and went to put it in the kitchen window. Derek took another sip of his drink.

The young man was flustered. How adorable. Aleksandr grinned over the rim of his glass as the stranger flushed and averted his gaze. Or at least, he thought it was a flush. The lighting made it hard to tell, but he'd gotten rather good at making others blush so he felt safe enough making the assumption. If this was any indication of how the rest of the night could go then he'd apparently chosen the right club. And it was so early, too. He could only imagine all the fun he could have when the place was in full swing.

Just shy of the legal drinking age. What did that make him? 19? 20? He always had trouble keeping track of the age limits in New York. "In Russia they do not sell to under eighteen, but we have no other laws for drinking. We drink since we are babies. Is much more fun." Well, maybe not babies but close enough.

"You are a regular here?" he asked, taking another sip of his drink and watching some of the dancers out on the floor. The vibrations from the music, the sight and smell of the bodies, it was all very tantalizing. His tongue flickered out to better catch the scent. Being a predatory animal could be a nuisance sometimes, but occasionally it was a bit of a thrill. "I have not been to this place before, but is looking very promising."

"Oh?" That was interesting all in itself. Derek knew that the majority of the rest of the world had a eighteen year old drinking age while in America, for some reason, it was twenty one. "Well, if I was there I'd be able to celebrate two years of bein' able to drink." Derek shrugged his shoulders and kept drinking.

Why was this guy talking to him? He could make conversations with Almighty Zeus and the king of Olympus he was so attractive. Taking in a deep breath, he continued his daiquiri until it was half way full. Yep, he would need another.

"It sure is..." Derek whispered. His blush could barely be seen underneath his dark skin. He quickly turned back to his drink and touched the edges of his glass. He moistened his lips. His heart was beating out of his chest. He had to be willing to go on ledge and take a chance. If he declined, then oh well. This was New York, plenty of gay fish in the sea.

Taking in a deep breath, he spoke, "C-can I buy you a, ah, d-daiquiri?"

Two years, so that was twenty. He would have to remember that. Twenty-one to drink. America really was absurd. At least the club catered to those under the age limit. It would be a shame to bar any of the adult community for a couple of years just because of alcohol limitations.

Aleksandr quirked a scaled brow at the other young man's offer to buy a drink, slowly pulling his attention away from the bodies on the dance floor. His tongue flicked again, unintentionally, as he regarded the young man who looked like he might have been holding his breath. He hadn't quite finished the drink he'd already bough for himself, but he wasn't about to turn down an offer for another one at no cost.

"You can buy for me any drink you like," he replied, fearing the young man might pass out if he held onto his breath any longer. Aleksandr had made him wait long enough. "I am big boy, I can handle any drinks." Being able to hold his liquor was just one advantage to gaining so much body mass. Or disadvantage, depending on the day.

"You have not yet offered to me your name," he continued, downing the last of what was left of his first drink. He put the empty glass on the bartop and swiveled to plant an elbow on the bar and face the young man buying him a drink. "I am Aleksandr."

Derek's heart beat only quickened when the guy "tasted" the air out in front of him. It sent shivers down his spine and to his toes. The good kind of shivers. The ones you wished happened to you at least once a week.

Exhaling, Derek smiled some. Well, that turned out better than what he thought. "Okay, right," Derek finished off his drink and asked for another one. "I'm a big boy too, but I, uh, I doubt I can handle any drink," The bartender slid the drink over to Derek which he decided to personally hand Aleksandr.

Getting up from his barstool, he made his way over to the other mutant. With every step he took, his heart increased. His fingertips met numb and his shoes felt like lead.

"Here," he placed it in front of Aleksandr. "And...I'm Derek. Nice to meet you." He awkwardly turned around and sat down at his seat.

Aleksandr grinned at the young man's self-doubt concerning his drinking prowess. He might have been big as in mature and fully grown, but he could hardly compare to the snake man's impressive size alone. Not very may could. "In a few months you can practice and become good at drinking. But not so good as me. I am Russian. Is unfair advantage, but is true."

He watched the new drink hit the bar only the be swept up for delivery. The poor boy looked like he was marching to his doom as he approached, all nerves and tension. He thought the kid might get whiplash with how quickly he turned to retreat back to his seat once the drink had been successfully handed off. "Spasibo." Aleksandr gave an amused grin and took an appreciative sip from the new glass.

"Derek. Is a good name, good strong sound." Strong and easy for him to pronounce through his reptilian teeth without any softer sounds that might slip out in that stereotypical hiss. Not that he minded a good hiss now and again, but he'd rather be doing it on purpose.

He wasted another moment taking a long sip from his glass before removing his weight from the bar and sliding his way into the space next to the other young man, carefully moving aside another seat to accommodate his size. It would be much easier speaking to him if they didn't have to compete with the music from several seats away."You are a dancer also? Or you are just here for the fruit drinks?"

Derek smiled, "yeah, I heard that about Russians...and Germans too, but mostly Russians. It must be genetic or somethin'." Derek shrugged his shoulders a bit shyly and played with the ends of his t-shirt.

Why was his like this? Guys like coincidence and right now, Derek was dishing out soft serve chocolate ice cream instead of fudge ice cream with brownie bits from Dan and Henry's. "Thank you," Derek blushed at the compliment and turned his attention to the countertop in front of him.

From the side of Derek's eye, he could see Aleksandr slithering over to him. When he saw him sit on the barstool next to him, Derek turned a bit. "Me? no, no. I'm not a dancer. Well, I don't...professionally dance. I sometimes dance," Derek stammered his words out like a drunk frat boy, "the fruity drinks are good and I came here to...y'know," he gulped, "did that answer your question?"

Not a dancer, what a shame. There was something incredibly freeing about being out on a dance floor and cutting loose. The crush of bodies, the sounds, smells, and vibrations. It all tickled some primal side of Aleksandr that he enjoyed very much. Dancing was just another way to show himself off and in some ways it was also a kind of competition, or even a hunt. A predator like him, he fit right in.

"You do not have to be professional for dancing. Is all about rhythm. If you can follow rhythm, you can dance." It might not always look pretty, but that's what practice was for. If he could learn to handle his alcohol, he could learn to dance. Mix enough of the two and no one would even notice a few slip-ups. It was more about fun than skill anyway.

A low chuckle rumbled through his chest at the indirect way Derek's sentence trailed off. How cute. "Ah, so you are here to... how is this said? Chase tail?" He grinned and swept his gaze over the collection of other people in the club. It was steadily starting to get busier and the dance floor was pleasantly crowded. "You will have many good picks here. There are many pretty faces, but I think you are not finding bigger tail than mine."

Unfurling from the bar he backed away a few paces toward the danced floor, leaving a wink ans a sly tongue flicker behind. Derek might not have been very enthusiastic about dancing, but Aleksandr couldn't pass up the opportunity any longer.

Derek didn't know what was happening. He still couldn't get over how beautiful Aleksandr was. He was more stunning than Medusa was before she was cursed by Athena. If it would've been Aleksandr in that position, the curse would be a blessing in disguise. Though, he was glad that the serpent mutant wasn't Medusa. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to gaze upon his beauty without being turned into stone. Derek couldn't look at him for too long anyways without blush taking his dark skin captive.

"That's true," Derek croaked out, "I can follow the rhythm." He moved his shoulders from side to side a bit for emphasis. As far as Derek knew, his dance moves were subpar. They weren't the best, but he knew how to move his body and dance to the beat of the music.

Derek's head turned to look at Aleksandr was he scanned the parade of mutant men, women, and those in between. He took this time to study him. His eyes traveled down his bare chest to his serpent half. Every part of him was perfect. His gaze quickly picked up when he heard Aleksandr address him again. "...You're right, I won't." Derek whispered as he watched him slither out of his seat and toward the dance floor.

This was his chance to man up and go after someone he wanted. Unlike the other guys he found attractive, he knew for sure that Aleksandr had a thing for guys. With a deep breath, he got up from his seat and followed Aleksandr.

The charmer just became the charmed.

This night was going much more smoothly than expected. Much more quickly, too. Aleksandr didn't usually zero in on a single individual so early into an evening out, if at all, but some people were just hard to resist. And this one was so flustered and eager, it was endearing in a way.

The reptilian grin widened as the other young man hesitated only a moment before also abandoning the bar for the dance floor. It was crowded, but no so much so that there was no room to maneuver between bodies. The snake man slid easily between several bodies to avoid being caught on the outer rim of the floor, but did not disappear so far into the crush that he'd lose sight of Derek.

Aleksandr didn't have any legs to dance with anymore, but he'd managed to get the hang of dancing without them. It was all about rhythm and his flexibility allowed him to follow it well. So long as he didn't let his tail get away from him and disrupt too many other people he had no trouble fitting in with the rest of the dancers.

His tongue flickered again as he spun to keep Derek in sight. All of the smells were so much stronger now, and the onslaught of vibrations was dizzying. It was almost overwhelming, but city life had gradually helped him grow accustomed to such strong sensations. He was in his element.

"Do not be shy, my friend," he called over the music, beckoning the other young man over as he began to move with the beat, swaying in place and pivoting his hips. "Do not worry about skill. This is to be fun only. Follow the rhythm and let show you the way to move."

At this point, Derek would've followed Aleksandr to Hell's Gates and into the underworld he was so capitved by him. Derek rarely got this way for several reasons. The main one being although he found certain guys hot: Devon, Artair-- basically all the men that made up the Haven-- that didn't mean he necessarily wanted to date them (but if asked, he wouldn't turned them down). It was just something about Aleksandr.

He could tell that the Russian mutant wanted Derek to follow him by the way he moved. It was fast enough that allowed Derek to "chase his fine ass tail", but slow enough for him to remain insight. The dancers around him all seemed pale in comparison, though there was a guy with blue skin and glowing green eyes that made him do a double take. However, Derek wouldn't be making any conversation with him anytime soon. Right now, he had something on his mind and it was as primal as it gets.

"Gotcha!" Derek responded over the music. He came closer to Aleksandr, making sure not to step on his beautiful, cream colored tail. His eyes locked on his and started to move to the music. Derek smiled at Aleksandr and leaned in a bit to whisper in his ear, "I never thought I would be dancing in a mutant gay bar," he stated, "let alone with someone who is clearly out of my league."

The African American mutant bit his lip and slowly pulled away. Aleksandr's eyes reminded him of gold.

It didn't take long for the pair to come together on the dance floor. Aleksandr was a little surprised that Derek was able to slip through the crowd so quickly without tripping or bumping into anyone. He thought someone so focused and eager might be a little clumsier with so may other people moving around in such a small space.

He chuckled as Derek finally caught up to him, carefully coiling his tail out from under his feet. It would be such a shame to ruin the fun by getting trodden on. He had to lean down to allow the other young man to speak in his ear, but that wasn't anything new for him. It certainly was an easy way to get closer.

"Is good to do unexpected things. It will open many doors." Clubbing wasn't exactly his thing, either, but having opted for an unusual activity had thus far turned out pretty well for him. He might have to start frequenting the local bars more often if they promised more good evenings.

"I do not know much about leagues," he continued, leaning down in turn to speak softly in the young man's ear and gently place a hand at the small of his back, ever mindful of his sharp nails, "but if you are wanting something, is best to pursue it."

Derek smiled a bit cheekily at Aleksandr. If the current chemistry wasn't strong enough between them, a favorite of Derek's started to play over head. It was a sensible song that made Derek's face and arms heat up. He chewed on his bottom lip and moved a bit closer to Aleksandr. He realized that he was taller than him, but he was okay with that.

"Well in that case," Derek moistened his lips and decided to take another leap, "can I...get your number? Maybe we can go for coffee and a walk through Central Park," The worst he could say is no, right? He gently placed a hand on the his hips and gently threw mini circles there with his thumb.