He dipped the brush into the red dye before painting his lips.
He hated it. He hated doing this every night. He hated putting on the makeup, wearing the revealing kimono, stripping down to nothing in front of idiotic men... But he needed the money, he really did. Sure, he could find a normal job that didn't make him toss away his dignity, but he wouldn't find a normal job that paid his as much as this job.
He didn't sleep with anyone, he just stripped for money. He was a 'look but don't touch' item, not that everyone followed that rule. He felt the occasional brush of fingers on his thighs, or the 'accidental' tug at his hair. And he hated that too.
He hated his boss, he hated his co-workers, and he hated every man who walked into this bar. And he hated himself too. He felt dirty and disgusting, but he had no one to blame but himself. He took the job knowing what it implied, he wasn't tricked into it. So, he hated himself too.
Maybe, secretly, he liked it. Liked all the attention he was getting. And maybe he just disguised it with hate. He liked that, when he walked out on stage, all eyes were on him. They watched his every move, they didn't even glance at his fellow workers. His boss had said he was a natural, even though every time he went on stage the first thing he wanted to do was flee the building as fast as he could. He wasn't a dancer or a professional, he just held his grace. He must have been born with it, because he couldn't remember working to be the way he was. Sure, he trained with his sword, but he didn't think about it. He knew that stripping wasn't just getting naked, doing a small turn and then expecting people to throw money at you. You had to earn it. You had to do it slow, make eye contact if need be, fucking smile. Whatever it took to make a little extra, he did it.
He took his hairband out and watched his hair fall to frame his face. He looked at his face and he hated that too. Red lips against pale skin, cold eyes that held a lustful gaze when on stage. His on stage 'persona' he created... God, he hated that the most. Did that mean he liked it the most too? He didn't know anymore.
Maybe he didn't have to put on an act, maybe his audience would like it. He had requests of guests paying to be in a room with him alone, just to hit, kick, and insult them. There was a lot of sick people out there.
But what if it backfired? He couldn't afford to lose this job. So, he'd just have to keep up the act, pretend it didn't bother him.
"Yuu~"
There was a lot of things he hated, but there was one person he couldn't stand. He'd have to learn to thank him later though.
Who would've thought that the biggest pain in his ass would introduce him to the love of his life? Damn, that sounded sappy.
AN: Yeah, it's really short. And the next one will be too. Maybe not the next one after that, that one might be a bit longer, you never know.