"Arthur...Did you send me to a strip club?"
"Yes," Arthur's sharp voice came loud over the phone speaker and music played in the background. "Get in here. Now."
Arthur hung up before he could say another word, and Alfred sighed. He was faced with a clean, normal building. It looked nice enough, but the building seemed too normal for what it was. The only thing that hinted at what it held inside was the name: Naught or Nice.
Alfred approached the doors and hesitated, but quickly pushed them open. The lobby inside was nicely furnished and completely ordinary. Couches were placed about the room, coupled with side tables that held a few magazines and abstract wall art. The room reminded him of a hotel, clean and neat, but it was only a front of other things. He walked up to the receptionist, who read a magazine. "Um...Excuse me."
"Oh, hello." The woman looked up at him and her red lips curved into a feral smile. "Hello," she said again, green eyes gave him a quick once over and her lips pulled back to reveal purely teeth. "Naughty or nice?"
"Excuse me?" Alfred let out a nervous laugh, and shoved his hands in his pockets. Arthur always scolded him for that habit, but he didn't know what to do in this situation. He'd never been to a strip club before, and this one was especially nothing like he expected.
"I'm sorry, I know you're new, but I assumed you knew what we do here." The woman's smile didn't falter, but grew into a smirk. She didn't mock him, but she obvious found great pleasure in Alfred's ignorance as if he was treat she didn't get very often.
"Well, I can take a few guesses, but I'm looking for a friend." Alfred tried a smile, and that seemed to please the woman.
"Might I inquire who?" The receptionist tilted her head slightly and her short, blonde hair fell to one side.
"Arthur Kirkland."
The woman blinked in surprise, sitting straighter, and gave him another once over. "You know Arthur Kirkland?"
"Yes, he does." Arthur snuck up from behind him. "Don't give him a hard time, Belle."
"I wouldn't dream of it, Arthur, but what are you doing bringing someone like him to our establishment?"
Arthur smiled at the woman. "Wouldn't you like to know."
"Are you taking him into the Naughty Room with you? I think he belongs in the Nice Room. What's your name, dear?" Belle bat her eyelashes at him and smiled again.
It took him a moment to realize the question was directed at him. "Er, Alfred F. Jones, miss. What's the Naughty and Nice Room?"
"Don't ask stupid questions, Alfred," Arthur snapped at him. "You can bloody well figure it out."
"Now, who's being hard on him?" The woman scribbled something down in a book. "Alright, proceed."
"Thank you." Arthur grabbed his arm and hauled him to an unmarked door, opening it and pushing him inside. They were faced with two doors, one reading Nice and the other reading Naughty. Between the two doors, a small table stood with a bowl of wet naps in it. Alfred flushed at the many reasons it could be there. "Is it too late to turn back?"
"Don't be such a baby." Arthur gave him a small shove and opened the Naughty door. There was a hall lined with doors and Arthur steered him down to the very last one, pushing him inside.
The room would have looked like any private lounge, comfortable—inviting even—if it hadn't been for the handsome men walking around in nearly nothing. Men of every size, shape, and color strolled around in enough clothes to cover the important parts and allow the imagination to wonder. Alfred felt his face grow hot, but there was no where for him to look that didn't land on some skimpily dressed male. "What are we doing here?"
"I want to show you something." Arthur ushered him over some plush couches.
"I don't think I should be here," he stammered, but allowed Arthur to push him into a seat. "I think I should leave."
"Would you still want to leave if I told you Lovino was here?"
"Isn't it a bit creepy to be here?" Alfred nibbled his lip nervously, but Arthur had piqued his interest and there was no way he could leave now. "I mean, he probably already thinks I'm weird from the way I act around him."
"If he already thinks you're 'weird', as you put it, then you have nothing to lose. You can't possibly make it much worse."
A dark-haired man detached himself from the crowd. Unlike the other workers, this man wore a silk robe, tied loosely at the waist, and fell all the way to his ankles. "Hello, Mister Kirkland. Did we have an appointment I was unaware of?"
"No, Kiku. I was just showing my friend here around. I'm not here to play," Arthur replied with a slight smile.
"That's too bad." The man turned his deep gaze on Alfred, tilting his head as if perplexed by him. "Are you Alfred Jones? Arthur has told me much about you."
"He has?" He flushed, wondering when Arthur found the time to talk about him between 'appointments'. Alfred glanced at Arthur, but his friend was conveniently focused on something else.
"May I be of assistance to you? Here at Naughty or Nice, we have a large selection of men. I can pick out a few that would best suit your tastes," Kiku said politely, but the way he spoke in soft seductive tones, promised so much more under his polite exterior and silk robe.
"That is not necessary, Kiku. Alfred is here for one man alone."
"May I inquire who?"
"Lovino Vargas," Arthur answered before Alfred could stop him.
Kiku frowned slightly. "I'm sorry, but Mister Vargas doesn't take clients. He only dances on stage. It's a rare occasion that he's even dancing in the lounge this evening. Usually, he only does private dances."
"I know. I arranged it to where he would dance tonight for my close friend. Would you be a dear and get me a drink, love? You know what I like." Arthur smirked and chuckled at Kiku's soft blush. Arthur watched with predatory glee as Kiku scurried off.
"Arthur!"
"What?" The Brit frowned at him.
"You—" Alfred lowered his voice. "You talk to whores about me?"
"Don't call him that," Arthur snapped sharply. "I pay Kiku for companionship, not sex. He is just as much my friend as you are and I expect you to treat him with the utmost respect. If you say anything insulting, I will blacken both your pretty eyes."
"I'm sorry!" Alfred looked away from Arthur's fury. "It doesn't really matter what he does. If he's a friend of yours, he's a friend of mine."
Arthur sighed. "Then I apologize for being harsh. Kiku has become...rather close to me."
He grinned. "Do you like Kiku?"
"Of course."
"No. Do you like Kiku?"
The Brit flushed. "Shut up, Alfred. Don't be ridiculous."
"Oh my God, you do!"
"No!"
"You do! You do!"
"At least, I didn't fall in love with a stripper!"
"What?"
Music came on and the lights dimmed, leaving only lights to illuminate the stage that ran down the length of the room. Alfred suddenly recognize the song, having only heard it a few days ago. His mouth went dry and he stared fixed at the stage, waiting for what was waiting to set his body aflame and swallow him whole.
A spotlight came on, bathing a dark figure in bright light. Black sin clung to the slim figure, hiding smooth skin from the riveted eyes of the men around the room. Dark eyes peeked out from under a black hat and a coy smile pulled on full lips. The man pulled the hat down to cover half of his face, leaving his eyes to scan the crowd.
"Lovino," he whispered, his eyes glued to that lithe figure as it sauntered down the stage.
Lovino walked down the stage, his movements slow and seductive, and spotted a victim. The brunet crouched down, spreading his legs opened lewdly, and dropped his hat on the man's head. The man rewarded Lovino with a wad of cash being shoved in his pants. The brunet smirked and moved on to the pole at the center of the room, losing his shirt in the process. Lovino ground on the pole, dancing around it, and ran his hands teasingly down his chest. At times, Lovino would drop down slowly and gaze at the audiences, inviting them to come up, have a feel, and lose their mind with a single look.
"I can't watch this." Alfred covered his eyes, willing himself not to peek. Lovino already had his pants off, leaving him in tight shorts, and he didn't want to know how much further the brunet was going to go. It was wrong to see Lovino this way without Lovino knowing. "Let's leave."
"Too late. We've been spotted." Arthur chuckled, obviously amused by his embarrassment and the possible bodily harm he might face.
Alfred opened his fingers just enough to see Lovino strutting towards him. "Oh God, he's going to hate me. Do something, Arthur!"
Lovino dropped down from the stage and other dancers took their places grinding on poles. The brunet climbed into his lap and gripped his hands, yanking them from his face. "What the hell are you doing here? If this is some ploy to blackmail me, I will fucking destroy you," Lovino growled darkly in his ear and moved his hips against him.
"No, no, blame Arthur. I didn't know!" He flushed and looked away. Alfred tried pressing himself into the couch to get away from Lovino, but that only made the brunet press closer against him. He didn't want Lovino to feel the hardness in his pants. That would truly make the situation more precarious.
"Are you lying?" Lovino stop moving and searched his face, sitting back on his knees.
He shook his head vigorously, looking everywhere and anywhere, but at Lovino.
"Alfred's telling the truth. I dragged him here, because he has such an adorable crush on you," Arthur finally spoke up in a vague attempt to save him.
"I wasn't talking to you. Alfred, your friend is an asshole." Lovino got off his lap and grabbed his shirt, pulling him to his feet. "Come on. We need to talk."
"But—"
Lovino yanked him along, pulling him towards a back door. A man beside the door, glanced at them apathetically. "Did you finally take a client, Lovino?"
"Go suck a dick, Lars." Lovino pushed open the door and dragged him inside. The brunet walked quickly down the dimly lit hall and into a room. Inside, a couch took up most of the small space and it smell like the room had been cleaned far too many times.
"Er, should we be in here?"
"It's the only place we can go. My dressing room is backstage and you're not allowed back there." Lovino reached under the plush couch and pulled out a thin robe.
Alfred adverted his eyes and blushed deeply. There wasn't much between him and Lovino in the small room. "What did you want to talk about?"
"First, why the hell are you here?" Lovino glared at him.
"I swear I didn't know. If I did, I wouldn't have come. Arthur didn't tell me where we were going or why. I'm so sorry. I'm not a stalker or anything. I swear," he babbled until the brunet held up his hand.
"God...If you weren't so damn pathetic, I might think you're lying."
"I'm sorry..." He looked away guiltily.
"Stop that. You look like a kicked puppy." Lovino sighed and sat on the couch. "You can't tell anyone about this. If my brother and Antonio find out—I don't care how—I'm going to kick your ass."
"I won't," he said quickly. "I promise."
His instructor stared at him silently, his hazel eyes unmoving and intense. It took all of Alfred's will power not to look away, but he managed to hold Lovino's gaze.
"I don't know why," Lovino finally said with resign coloring his voice, "But something about you makes me want to believe you." The brunet leaned back and rubbed a hand through his hair, letting out a frustrated groan. "I fucking hate people like you."
"I'm sorry?" Alfred looked down. Although most of Lovino problem wasn't his fault, he still felt guilty for just being unhelpful.
"Just stop fucking apologizing already," Lovino grumbled and looked at him expectantly. "Well?"
"What?"
"Idiot. You're going to make me say it." Lovino sighed and shot a tired glared at him. "Aren't you going to ask me why I'm working here?"
He blinked in surprise. As shocking as it'd been to see Lovino on stage, it didn't occur to Alfred why he could even possibly be there. "Er...I am really curious about that, but I figure it's also none of my business. I've kinda already made a mess of things and I don't want to make it worse. So...No, I'm not going to ask."
Lovino looked vaguely surprised and, for a moment, the brunet didn't know what to say. "Holy shit, you're an honest kid. You really don't belong in a place like this."
"I wouldn't be here if Arthur hadn't tricked me," he confessed with a sheepish grin. Alfred practically glowed when Lovino returned the grin ever so slightly with one of his own faint smiles.
"Idiot." Lovino shook his head and rubbed the fleeting smile from his mouth. "Get out of here and go home. If your friend won't take you, then fuck him and I'll get your pansy-ass out of here."
"In your car?"
"No, I'll fucking fly you there in my private helicopter," Lovino said sarcastically and scowled at him. "Yes, in my car, you dumbfuck."
Alfred's ears grew red. "I meant, your convertible."
"It's the only car I have here." Lovino put his hands on his hips and frowned. "You really like that car."
"Maybe...Just a tiny bit."
Lovino rolled his eyes. "I'll take you home then. Go tell your asshole friend and I'll go get dressed."
"Awesome!" He scampered out and back to the lounge Arthur was in. His friend was seated with a drink in one hand the other rubbing casual circles on Kiku's leg. Alfred ignored the strangeness of seeing Arthur so affectionately close to someone other than himself. Arthur wasn't the cuddling type, but he did enjoy the occasional comfort of breathing the same air as someone else. "Arthur!"
"What?" The Brit glared at him. "It's rude to interrupt two people talking, Alfred."
He put on his biggest grin. "Sorry, dude, but great news. Lovino just offered to take me home."
"Wow, the Italian works fast." Arthur looked mildly impressed and still a bit irritated with being interrupted. "He couldn't have been amazed by your utterly average dick."
"It's still bigger than yours!" He pouted. "And he's just taking me home. We're not going to have sex."
"Wonderful. I would have lost some respect for Lovino if he fucked you." Arthur took a sip from his drink, a cruel smirk curling on his lips.
"But, Arthur, haven't you also had relations with Alfred?" Kiku asked calmly.
"Yeah!" Perhaps Kiku wasn't such a bad guy after all. "I can't be that bad."
Arthur blinked at the man in his lap and smirked, sliding his hand under Kiku's robe. "You shouldn't make such comments unless you plan to pay for them later."
Kiku blushed and stood up from Arthur's lap. "I must be going, excuse me. I have a client in the Nice Room that I must get ready for."
"That's disappointing, poppet. I was hoping you'd be off today." Arthur's voice dropped in tone and even Alfred blushed at the implications.
"Tomorrow, I'll be off." Kiku's face turned a bright shade of pink.
"Until then, love." Arthur caught the man's slim hand and pressed it to his lips.
Kiku turned his face away and hurried away with a flustered goodbye.
"My goodness, he's adorable." Arthur stared fondly after Kiku.
"Man, you got it bad. Why didn't you tell me you're in love?" He sat beside his friend.
"Love?" Arthur laughed harshly. "I like him, yes. But by no means am I in love with him. You know how I feel about such preposterous ideas."
"But..." He held back his surprise (yet it wasn't quite as surprising as he wished). The previous display had confused Alfred for a moment, but he'd experienced first hand how much Arthur could change his temperament for different people and different reasons. The Arthur that Alfred first met had been one of that most alluring people he'd met. Arthur made him want to protect him and love him with a single charming smile. Of course, it had all been an act, as Alfred unfortunately learned. Arthur was a better actor than Alfred gave him credit for most of the time, and was the type of man who could turn a straight man gay with a few drinks and one conversation.
"So, you're leaving me for Lovino?" Arthur took a sip of his scotch.
"I'm leaving you for his car. He has a beautiful convertible. It's amazing, Arthur," he gushed.
"Oh, I'm sure. He's certainly wealthy enough to afford a nice car. It's kind of him to let you have a ride. God knows I don't want you in my car."
"You're so mean!"
"So I've heard." The Brit drained his drink. "Well, this would be a perfect opportunity to make a move on him."
"No way! Not after I accidentally stalked him here."
Arthur rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me you're afraid of talking to him. Where's that supposedly charming hero?"
"Hiding." He pouted.
"God, you're such an idiot. He can't possibly be anymore turned off by you. If he truly disliked you, he wouldn't have offered you a ride." Arthur waved down a skimpily dressed waiter and ordered another drink. "You should thank me for taking you here. Lovino can't be surprised by anything else you do now."
"No! That is the most messed up thing you've ever said to me." Alfred shook his head in amazement at Arthur's nerve.
"Then you obviously haven't been talking to me much." A crooked smile twitched on Arthur's lips and amusement played in his usually stony eyes. The alcohol had already taken effect and made Arthur more tolerable as a person. It amazed Alfred when Arthur started drinking. The Brit just lets go, starts making jokes, and even smiles. That is until he got seriously drunk. Arthur was all smiles and laughs until he drank enough to turn his smiles into tears and his jokes into bitter laments of the past. But, as much as Arthur tended to drink, he never let it go that far often. It always hurt his pride to do so, and Arthur is, if anything, a prideful man.
"It looks like your ride is ready. Go forth and subdue the wild horse that hath claimed thy fickle heart." Arthur snagged his refilled his glass from the waiter and rose it to him before taking a long drink from it.
He flushed and spotted Lovino slinking along the edge of the crowd towards him. "I'll see you at home, Arthur," Alfred said quickly and rushed over to Lovino.
"Come on. Your house better not be far. I have a private showing at one that I need to get back in time for." Lovino smoothed a hand through his hair. The brunet had exchanged the thin robe for tight pants and shirt. He completed the outfit with an edgy leather jacket and black boots that almost put him at the same height as Alfred. "What the hell are you staring at?"
"N-Nothing." Alfred adverted his eyes. He could only hope the dim light hid the blush on his cheeks.
"Cheh. Come on." Lovino gripped his arm and pulled him along. They came out in the main lobby and Lovino was stopped by the woman at the desk.
"Where are you going? You have a show in an hour!" She frowned.
"I'll be back in time for it. I have to take this kid home first." Lovino leaned over the reception desk and smiled charmingly. "If you say anything to Lars, I'll tell him you let an underage kid into the club again."
Her red lips pursed and pressed together again. "That isn't fair! He looks old enough."
"You said that last time," Lovino said sternly. "And, even so, you know someone like him belongs in the Nice Room."
"But Arthur came out and you know how he is." Belle pouted.
"Yes, I know exactly how he is, but if Alfred ever comes to this club again, I don't care what Arthur does or says, you don't let him in. We don't need to give the police a reason to shut this place down, because you're a fucking push over when it comes to attractive men." Lovino frowned.
"You've caught me." Belle smirked and held up her hands. "I'm guilty of everything you accuse me of, and some. But can you really blame me? You're both so hot."
"Get your fag meter checked. It should be going off like crazy right now."
Belle laughed and turned her gaze on Alfred. "That's unfortunate. It's so hard to find an attractive man these days." She winked at him and Alfred flushed, although he couldn't help his grin.
"Lower your standards and some idiot will fall into your lap. You're so beautiful, I'd date you if I wasn't gay. Hell, I'd date you now if I could." Lovino straightened up and started pushing him towards the door. "I really got to go."
"Make sure to get back before one," Belle called after them.
"Wow, she's something special," Alfred commented once the door closed.
"She's definitely something," Lovino mumbled and walked through the dark parking lot. His boots thumped with each step and Lovino unlocked his car.
"So...You know Arthur?"
"Of course, he owns half the fucking club, and he fucks my brother's best friend. Everyone knows him." Lovino slid into the driver's seat with ease and started the car.
Alfred sat down quickly and felt the motor hum to life. He ran his hands over the leather interior. "Wow..."
"I know," Lovino said proudly and backed out of the parking space.
The car drove beautifully, or it might have just been Lovino's skill. Either one was amazing. Even in cramped city streets, Lovino handled the vehicle like it was an extension of his body—making smooth turns that rocked Alfred's body and righted it again without him even moving.
"What are you even doing with a guy like Arthur Kirkland?" Lovino broke his religious experience at a stoplight.
"He's my best friend. I guess it's kinda weird that we are friends considering how we started out. I suppose you could say we were together for awhile." He watched the city lights fly by.
"Let me guess, he fucked you for awhile and left? Then, when you tried to talk to him, he acted like you had fucking cooties or some dumb shit like that."
"Pretty much." He glanced at Lovino's profile and found the brunet scowling. "How'd ya know?"
"He was pulling that shit on the other side of the Atlantic when you were still a minor. He went through the wealthy bastards like a fucking disease. Everyone ended up either hating his guts, wanting to marry him, or both." Lovino sped up and barely made it through an intersection before the light turned red. "But that doesn't answer my question. Why are you still around him? I thought Arthur ditched all his used up fuck buddies."
He frowned. Alfred didn't like the way Lovino was talking about Arthur. "Don't talk about him like that. I don't care what you think about him. Deep down, he's a good person, just a little bitter."
"Cheh. Whatever you say. I just don't care much for people who do whatever they want to whoever they want. I don't really blame him that much. It's fucking Francis' fault for breaking his heart and creating such an asshole. I actually thought Arthur was tolerable before he turned into a whore bastard."
"Francis?" Alfred remember the blond from a few days ago, but decided it couldn't be the same man.
"Yeah. Arthur and that bastard were engaged until Francis called the whole thing off without any warning. After that, Arthur did scandalous things that eventually got him banished here. It was pitiful, but I guess I'm in the same damn boat." Lovino turned on to main street. "Where the hell do you live, dammit? I can't just keep driving without a destination."
Alfred gave him the street name and stared out the window. "Arthur never told me any of that."
"I wouldn't have either."
"Well, yeah, but I've been living with him for almost a year now." Alfred pouted. "You'd think that sort of thing would come up in one of his drunken rants."
Lovino chuckled and turned off main street. "It must be such a joy to live with him. Even before he turned into an asshole, he was an asshole."
He laughed, relaxing at Lovino's playful tone. "How do you know so much about Arthur?"
"Antonio is friends with Francis and my brother's husband was friends with Arthur. They both gossip enough for me to hear a few things. And, when you're rich, the most entertaining thing to do is to laugh at other rich people's pain."
"Are you rich now?"
"If I was, I wouldn't be showing off my asshole to perverts for money," Lovino snapped harshly.
His mouth snapped shut and Alfred fell silent. The tension was so palpable, Alfred felt he could reach out and grasp it.
Finally, Lovino sighed. "Unlike Arthur, I didn't get to keep my money. All I had was the prize money I'd won with Antonio and that went into buying the studio. It doesn't make as much money as I'd hoped and if I didn't have this second job, the place would go under. I'd screw my pride and damn myself to hell before I give my bastard relatives the satisfaction of knowing I failed." The brunet's hands tightened on the wheel and the speedometer began to go up.
"At least, they left you the car." Alfred clung to his seat. They were lucky no one else was on the road this late.
Lovino slowed to an abrupt stop and looked at him. Alfred couldn't tell whether he was angry or offended, until Lovino let out a small laugh. "We're here. Get the fuck out of my car."
He grinned at Lovino and got out. "Thanks for the ride."
"Don't come to expect it. I got better things to do than drive your ass around." Despite the brunet's harsh words, Lovino smiled slightly. "I'll see you Monday."
"Or, maybe, Sunday?" Alfred put on his most charming smile.
"Close my fucking door, you bastard."
"Bye." He shut the door and waved until Lovino drove out of sight. Alfred let out a whoop and ran into the apartment building. Maybe he should thank Arthur for being his usual jerk self.