New Story again, sorry. Couldn't help myself.
Not only was the young tanned boy, record time late for his 'interview' but he was anything but prepared for it as well.
His brown locks were hazardously sticking up in every single direction possible, defying gravity almost and his clothes were anything but professionally for this place. An unironed gaming t-shirt with a faded logo on the front with matching faded denim jeans, not to mention the ratty old grey converses with a hole clearly visible near his big toe; Yes, Eren Jeager would be the lead cast in 'How to get fired before you're hired' series if it were a thing. He is the epitome of 'Poor College Gamer'.
He didn't have the time to change out of the ridiculous outfit, he was already nearly five whole minutes for the time he had scheduled with the owner of the bar. He hastily jerks his helmet off of his head, tossing it on the handlebar of his crappy bike. He didn't bother to chain the damn thing to the building, with his luck someone would steal it.
The helmet did nothing to improve the state of his hair, he runs his hand through the thick mass of brown to try and at least smooth it down somewhat but his efforts are fruitless.
Now, one would think that walking into a Strip Club would be the first thing that he would be concerned about, but Eren seems to merely brush the matter off, he'd long since prepared for this day, pride and dignity was left with the helmet on the his bicycle, waiting patiently for his return because no one else would want pieces of tattered trash such as those.
"ID please" the blonde haired bouncer waved his hand with a sarcastic smirk forming at the corners of his mouth.
Eren scowls in response, emerald eyes sparkling with hatred as he fishes his wallet out of his pocket.
"I don't have time for this" he groans, waiting impatiently with a tapping foot and crossed arms as his friend scanned his ID with already knowing blue eyes.
"Well what do you know," the larger, buffer man snorts, leaning back in his place against the doorway, "You're not ten after all, nice shirt by the way, I'm sure it will send the ladies swooning."
Eren gives him a nice birdie before shoving past him into the already familiar building.
He'd been introduced to the Strip Club by his friend Bertholdt, but everyone just calls him Bert because that's a mouthful. He's a tall Hispanic boy with a shy personality when he's not on the Club's or Reiner's pole, the bouncer outside who was unfortunately, his boyfriend. It was a secret between the three of them, the strip club, and that's where it would stay.
When they'd pulled Eren aside to offer getting him hooked up with a job he had blushed ten inhumanly different shades of red and tried to laugh it off as a joke. As horrible as it was he desperately needed the money, and a job at a cafe just wasn't cutting it.
He had his mom's hospital bills to help pay, college, his apartment, food, and every other thing he needed to live. He was driven into a corner, and that corner was a strip club named 'Club Maria'.
If you'd asked the virgin three years ago if he thought he'd ever strip for money he probably would have punched you in the face, but now, he had nowhere else to turn and in all honesty, is a complete wreck.
After four weeks of strenuous training and humiliation at Bert's house on a pole they had bought at Spencers from the professional himself as well as some instructions from some sort of DVD, they deemed Eren ready. He felt far from it.
Butterflies swam in his stomach as he wove around employees arranging chairs and stools around and wiping down the marble tables that surrounded the center stage. The entire main room is themed black and red; the furniture and stage being black while the walls, tiled floor and uniforms for the normal employees, like Reiner, waiters, waitresses and Bartender, are red.
There are several doors that lead into different sections of the club. The doorways to the stairs lead upstairs towards private rooms that are cleaned daily, Eren had an inkling that there was some illegal prostitution going on but he wasn't about to rat out a place that could bring him a decent amount of money home. He'd save justice for when he becomes a lawyer.
The two other doors in between and spaced evenly apart from the doorways to the stairs are the restrooms. The doors are black with red gender signs painted on.
Next to the bar is the room where only special employees are allowed, also known as, the strippers. They come in way before opening time and head to the back to change out of their normal attire into their 'uniform for the night' as well as pamper up some for the ladies and men.
One thing that attracted a lot of people to Club Maria is it's wide variety of strippers. You name it and they probably have it.
Eren waves awkwardly to the bartender, she waves excitedly back from behind her thick goggle like glasses before returning to whatever concoction she been trying to make with the two different alcoholic substances in hand.
He runs a hand over the barely visible scar on his left hand, swallowing around the building lump in his throat and wiping his face to make sure there was no sweat collected there before opening the door exclusively made for employees.
There's a short hallway that leads the the next room,the makeup room or as Eren likes to refer to it as; Inhale twenty different perfumes and snort a big puff of face powder from just walking in room.
He tries his best to avoid it, and any ridiculing stares from anyone already inhabiting the room as he beelines towards the managers office straight at the end of the room ahead. His efforts are cut short when too tall comes parading over to him.
"Eren what in god's name are you wearing" he hisses, grabbing the young adult by his forearm and dragging him away from the office, "When I said wear something comfortable I didn't mean wear the most outdated outfit in your entire wardrobe. Eren flushes in response, heat racing up the back of his neck and touching the tip of his ears as he realized just how many people were in the big room, and how all of them were trained on himself.
"I-I tried, I panicked I was running late" he grumbles. Bert groans, rubbing at his jaw and mumbling a few curse words in spanish under his breath.
"You're a wreck, here hold on" he finally says, walking off towards a woman perched up on a stool, he speaks with her in hushed whispers, her honey eyes widening a bit and she nods with a smile. The entire ordeal is not only making Eren feel like the fucking bulls eyes of a dart board, but a part of him is now regretting ever thinking this was a rational option.
Bert comes rushing back over with a loose piece of dark green fabric in his hands, tossing it at Eren who quickly caught it. Eren fumbles to hold the shirt up, flushing a bit when he sees just what kind of shirt it was.
A tanktop with half near spaghetti like straps and and holes littering the end and if that part didn't strike a nerve in the green-eyed boy the big bedazzled words 'Drama Queen' on the front certainly took the fucking slice of the shit cake.
"I'm not fucking wearing this!" he exclaims, but before he can glare up at his friend with the rage of a thousand suns he has a powder balls shoved into his face and batting around along it. He swats at the tall stripper with a growl and scowl.
"You will if you want the job" Bert grins cockily, eyeing his pants and shoes, "take the shoes off, the pants should be okay though, they're pretty tight."
Begrudgingly, Eren relents and kicks off his sneaker with a scowl, red staining his cheeks while doing so. He changes into the shitty shirt and Bert gives him a pair of slipper like shoes to slip on for the time being and runs a comb through his hair with a big cheeky grin.
"He's gonna love ya'" He coos at Eren, pinching his cheeks with a wink, "Now go show em' what you're made of, Jeager!"
Eren wanted to flip him off too, just as he had Reiner but he probably does have a higher chance of getting the job now. He stalks quickly off where he originally had wanted to go, ignoring the lingering gazes of Bert's co-workers.
The door to the managers, , office was shut and Eren stood before it, summoning up whatever courage and knowledge he had built up in preparation for this moment into his hand and rapping it loudly on the wooden door.
"Come in" the masculine voice chimes from the other side and Eren is half tempted to turn right on his heels and run the opposite direction.
The door knob turns and he's pushing his way into the tiny cramped office of Erwin Smith.
"Eren Jeager I presume?" The man from behind the desk muses, shuffling papers in his hands and leaning back in his rolly chair.
He has slicked back blonde hair with the bushiest eyebrows Eren had ever seen resting above his stunning blue eyes. Aside from his thick brows this man was a near incarnation of Captain America.
"Y-yes" Eren stutters shakily with a small smile, the door shutting silently behind him. Erwin motions to a chair resting against the wall to his right, flashing Eren a sparkling too white smile.
"Please, take a seat" the grown man offers, eyes flickering over Eren's physique and get up before returning to scan over the papers in his hand, "Alright, Eren, care to enlighten me as to why you want this job and all that jazz. I've read your files and seen your background check, now I'd like to get to know you a little better."
Eren rubs his sweaty palms against the edges of his pants.
"My mother is sick and I need the money" he tells the man coolly, "I'm in college and the pay at my other job just isn't enough."
"So this was sort of a last resort of sorts" he muses, folding his hands neatly on his chest and staring at Eren with scrutinizing eyes. Eren goes to respond but Erwin cuts him off, "That's generally what everyone is here for, college is rough and family problems just make the matter worse. You have the look, Jeager, and the physique for the job."
"U-uhm..thank you?" Eren responds, scratching the back of his hand absentmindedly. Erwin chuckles and bit and leans back in his chair, amused by the other in some way.
"Now I have to ask you a few mandatory questions before I hire you" Erwin continues waving his hand dramatically, "Are you comfortable with showing the most amount of skin possible without being naked?"
"Yes" Eren replies, Bert had warned him about these things, he needed the job, pride can come later.
"Good. You don't have a drinking problem do you?"
"No, sir"
"Are you in an abusive relationship?"
"No, sir"
"Do you have any illness that I'd need to know about?"
"No, sir"
"Good" He thumbs through the papers before laying them down neatly in a pile on his desk, "You seem to check out for everything thus far. I have to inform you of the club rules now, it's another boring mandatory thing, and then you'll need to sign at the bottom of this line, as neatly as possible if you would."
Erwin leans of the desk, handing Eren a pen and placing a document down in front of the other on the desk.
"Your shift will always be at the same time, you come in at eight and work until midnight, your days off will vary from week to week, you'll get two a week. You will always come in through the door beside the bar. You will be nice and courteous to all of our guests, if someone is bothering you then you will inform me, Reiner, or any of our other bouncers. Your outfits will be decided by Petra Ral, you'll meet her tomorrow, Any questions?"
"So...I'm hired?" Eren asks dumbly with a smile forming quickly. Erwin smirks and extends his hand to the other.
"Now before we jump the gun, I want you to know that this isn't permanent until after your first show, I'd like for you to really make an impression. Your work tomorrow will decide if your employment here is concrete or not."
Eren shakes his hand happily, and the proceeds to skim through the document giving his consent and what not, any injuries blah blah blah, he scribbles his signature in the best cursive he can manage before handing the paper back to his new boss.
"Normally I'd have you perform for me but Bertherdolt gave me a video beforehand and I think you're above and beyond what most beginners are, hell I'd go as far as saying you can go head to toe with Bertherdolt himself and he's one of my best, don't tell him I said that though" Erwin comments, Eren flushes at the information but nods his head.
"T-thank you?" He laughs shakily, rubbing his sweaty palms on his jeans.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Eren" Erwin ends the conversation with a small smile. Eren nods his head and goes to stand up, "Before you leave, do you have a stage name in mind, everyone has it as a small form of privacy and I don't think you'd want me to give you one."
Eren freezes and ponders for a moment, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"Cherry Jager"