The bass thudded through the walls of the Paris nightclub like a second pulse, vibrating through bone and blood alike. Lights strobed overhead in bruised purples and deep reds, casting the crowd in flashes of shadow and heat as bodies pressed together on the dance floor. Leviathan moved like he belonged to it all—loose, reckless, every motion effortless, practiced over decades of losing himself to nights just like this. His smile flashed sharp and unapologetic, confidence rolling off him in waves as he let the rhythm guide him.
A drink had long since been abandoned somewhere behind him, forgotten the moment the music took hold. Dancing was easier—safer—when he let the noise swallow everything else. For a few precious minutes, he forgot the centuries weighing on his shoulders, forgot the itch beneath his skin, forgot the way hunger liked to rear its head when he stood still for too long. Here, in motion, he was alive in the only way that still mattered.
Then he saw him.
Across the dance floor, through the haze of smoke and sweat, a handsome stranger caught his eye—and Levi slowed just enough to truly look. The world seemed to narrow, the crowd blurring at the edges as his focus sharpened. There was something in the man’s posture, the easy confidence with which he held himself, the way the lights traced over his features like they already knew him, that made Levi’s attention snap into place. Instinct stirred, old and familiar, like a predator catching a promising scent.
His lips curved into a slow, knowing grin as he continued to move, deliberate now, every motion calculated to be seen. His gaze never wavered, dark eyes locked onto the stranger’s as if daring him to look away first. When their eyes finally met, Levi felt the spark—brief, electric, unmistakable. He lifted his hand then, casual and unhurried, fingers slicing through the air. Two curled inward toward himself in a lazy, silent invitation. No words wasted. No need to shout over the music. Just that crooked smile and the promise lingering in his stare—an unspoken challenge hanging between them. @arsxpoetica
