She Works Hard For the Money
Role reversal where Rachel's parents lose their jobs and Rachel is the one stripping instead of Sam. This is my first and maybe last attempt at Samchel.
The first thing he sees when he walks into Ponytailz is an all-you-can-eat buffet and the temptation to make himself a plate is overwhelming. His stomach's been growling since he woke up in the ratty motel he barely remembers checking into last night. But he's here on a mission and as his favorite superheroes have taught him, the mission always comes first.
Then again, Captain America and Iron Man have probably never seen a buffet like this. A waitress walks past him and giggles because not many people drool over the food rather than the half-naked girls on stage. He just grins sheepishly and mumbles, "First time in Jersey City."
She giggles again and leans into him, whispering, "Your secret's safe with me."
Ha. If only that was his secret.
No, the truth is that he's here for a girl, which may not seem very out of the ordinary in a strip club, but he's not looking for sex. Well, yeah, eventually he'd like to have sex with said girl, but not until she's twenty-five or has a few awards displayed on the mantle.
"Do you know Rachel?" he asks the waitress, and of course she's confused because who goes by their real name at a strip club? "She's, uh…" He doesn't want to say seventeen since that will get everyone into a ton of trouble, but he's not sure how else to find her. "…on the shorter side, maybe goes by Star or Barbra or… Beautiful."
He doesn't meant to say the last one, it kind of slips out on its own, but the waitress has clearly taken pity on him when she says, "I think you mean Sparkle. She's about to go on."
He thanks her and makes his way across the room, weaving around the tables and other patrons until he's as close to the stage as he can get.
"The ladies of Ponytailz work hard to keep you entertained," an announcer says, "but nobody works harder than our very own… Sparkle!"
He hasn't seen her in months. Not since the last day of school when he gave her a ride back to her motel. She kissed his cheek while her fathers waved to him from the car that held the few possessions they had left. Then she was gone…
…and now she's working the stage like a pro.
He digs around in his back pocket until he finds a one dollar bill and waves it in his fist until she saunters over to him, leaning forward so that he can stick it in her bra. She doesn't get a good look at him at first, but it's not long before she's doing a double take. "Sam?" she asks finally.
He waits backstage for her to finish her set keeps his eyes on his feet while the other strippers pass by on their way to the stage.
"I can't believe you came," Rachel says.
He nods and before he knows it, she's pressed up against his body, kissing him until he feels lightheaded, although that might be because he hasn't eaten all day. Either way, there's no doubt in his mind thatshe's coming home with him. To Lima, that is.
It's funny; he didn't need a superpower or even words. All it took was a dollar and a kiss.
Mission accomplished.