A/N: For Crafty Companion, who requested a few text posts using 3x2. I decided to combine all of them into one fic, which you maybe intended anyway? ( (text): .a bottle of vodka. My place. now,(text) pants optional,(text) wanna be my plus one for my ex's wedding? And pretend to be in love with me?).
A/N 2: Thank you, as always, to Ro.
A/N 3: I know a few people have been looking forward to more of this, and I really appreciate the encouragement. I also just want to say, reviews mean the world. I cannot emphasize enough how much it literally makes my day to see that someone has reviewed my work. I love writing these two uncommunicative assholes, but hearing YOUR love for them is what motivates me to keep exploring new ways to write them. So, please, if you enjoyed, leave a review. Even just a "thanks" means the world to me.
A/N 4: This will probably surprise absolutely no one, but I don't have much knowledge of the ins and outs of a strip club. I worked for Chippendales in Las Vegas for a while doing wardrobe, but Chippendales is very different than an actual strip club so my experiences don't translate all that well. I'm making a lot of this up and trying to be respectful and vague, but I apologize if anyone takes any offense.
A/N 5: Would you believe it, but the song used later in this chapter is the song that inspired me to make Trowa a stripper in the first place - I've been desperate to write this scene since I started.
First Five Times
Chapter Seven
I barely made it backstage in time.
The opening chords to our song, as Alex called it, had already started to play through the speaker system.
Alex waited until I was in place, waited for me to nod, and then walked out onstage.
He had a clipboard in one hand, and as he strutted down the polished black stage he pretended to write on it.
I drew in a deep breath, shared a grimace with Ninja, the DJ, and waited for my cue.
"I know what boys like."
As the first words came through the speaker system, there was a roar of approval from the audience. It seemed there were more than a few regulars in the crowd tonight.
"I know what guys want."
Alex continued walking down the stage, looking up at the catcalls and preening.
"I know what boys like."
It was my cue, and I adjusted my briefs, drew in another deep breath, and stepped out just as the next set of lyrics began.
The shouts and applause of the audience almost drowned out the music.
"I've got what boys want."
I made my way down the stage, taking my time, my gaze focused on Alex as he turned and pretended to be shocked to see me.
"I know what boys like."
He walked towards me, meeting me halfway, and I paused to tug at the stethoscope around his neck, setting it to rights.
"I know what guys want."
And then I continued walking past him, towards the stripper pole farthest downstage on the runway style stage.
I reached out one hand and wrapped it around the shaft, running my hand up and down it.
"I see them looking."
I thrust my hips forward, rolling along the length of the pole, and there were calls for more from the audience.
"I make them want me."
I couldn't see him, but at this point I knew Alex was walking back towards me, staring at my ass as I sensuously moved it in time with the music.
"I like to tease them."
I crouched down to my knees and rose slowly, spreading my hands along my legs from my ankles to my thighs, and then gripping my groin in one hand and squeezing.
"They want to touch me."
I felt Alex's hand on my ass, and didn't even bother to turn or look as I swatted it away.
The crowd laughed and cheered at the same time.
"I never let them."
I turned around and wagged my finger in Alex's face.
"I know what boys like."
I walked around him, running my hands over his arms, chest and shoulders as I positioned myself against his back.
"I know what guys want."
I gave a thrust of my hips and the audience howled.
"I know what boys like."
I smoothed my hands down Alex's shoulders until I could reach into the left breast pocket of the lab coat. I fished out the prop that had been my sole contribution to the creation of this ridiculous act. I had let Alex choreograph everything and had even given into his costume choices, but this I had added just for me. And for the audience, who always appreciated it.
"Boys like, boys like me."
I pulled my hand out to reveal a bright red lollipop in the shape of a penis.
It wasn't that big, only about an inch around and maybe three inches long, but it was big enough to read and, as usual, the audience cheered.
I moved away from Alex, pulling off the wrapper and dropping it into the lap of a middle-aged man sitting beside the stage, and ran my tongue up the length of the lollipop. Raspberry. That was new.
"But you, you're special."
I turned back to look at Alex, who was watching me with a dazed expression.
"I might let you."
I opened my mouth and pushed the lollipop in far enough to have the audience cheering again.
Alex dropped to his knees.
I walked over to him, slowly, moving the lollipop in and out of my mouth just as slowly.
"You're so much different."
I tugged him back to his feet and his hands went to my ass, squeezing roughly.
"I might let you."
I turned around, so that my ass was against his groin, and spread my legs wide.
"Mmm, would you like that."
I bent at the waist, still sliding the lollipop in and out of my mouth, and Alex held me steady.
I folded myself in half, until I was looking at the audience behind Alex through his legs, and the crowd was cheering.
Until I was looking into the wide-eyed stare of Duo Maxwell.
"I might let you."
I was transfixed. I forgot how to breathe, how to move, how to think, as I stared into his face.
"I know what boys like."
He wasn't in the first row - was, in fact, a few rows back, but I could see him, could make out his features in the blue glow of the club lights, and I-
"I know what guys want."
Alex pulled me back to my feet, breaking the contact, and I sucked in a breath.
Shit.
I had missed so many cues.
"I know what boys like."
Alex grabbed my thighs and hauled me upwards, spreading my legs over his and holding me in place.
I forced myself to continue sucking on the lollipop, to put the sight of a flabbergasted Duo Maxwell from my mind and do my job.
"I know what's on their minds."
I should have stood up earlier, should have removed Alex's lab coat and pulled it between my legs while rocking back and forth before tossing it towards backstage.
Instead, the coat was still on, and as a result, most of the audience didn't see Alex pumping his hips, humping me even while balancing me on his thighs.
"I know what boys like."
Alex loosened his hold and allowed me to slide down his thighs until I was kneeling on the stage floor.
He walked around me, ripping off his lab coat and flinging it in the general direction of the back.
I expected to see him fighting back anger or irritation. Instead, he looked genuinely concerned.
"I know what guys want."
I held out the lollipop, and he took it from me while I positioned my face in front of his groin, sticking out my tongue, no doubt stained a deep red from the raspberrry sucker, and licked a stripe down the front of his scrubs.
"They talk about me."
Alex spread his hands and gestured to the audience, who helpfully called out suggestions of what he should do to me.
"I got my cat moves."
I slid under Alex's legs, spreading my own as I did and using his thigh to pull myself up, dragging my groin along the side of his body as I did.
"That so upset them."
Alex still had his arms spread wide, and I ran my hands over his torso and down to his waist, slipping my hands under the waistband of his pants.
"Zippers and buttons."
With a firm yank, I pulled the tear-away scrub bottoms off.
"Fun to frustrate them."
I did the same to his shirt, holding onto the stethoscope with one hand so it didn't go flying - the first time we had done this, it had careened off into the audience and hit someone on the head. An hour alone in the Champagne Room with both Alex and I had prevented any lawsuits, and we had been careful ever since.
I sank to my knees again and went back under Alex's legs, taking my time to stand up and letting him grab my hips again with one hand before pushing him away.
"They get so angry."
I turned and smirked as I plucked the lollipop from his hand.
"Like pouty children."
I stuck out my tongue and ran the sugar-sculpted cock, now little more than a thin red cylinder, over my tongue before easing it down my throat.
"Denied their candy."
When I pulled it out, the rest of it was gone, and the audience cheered again.
I handed off the stick to another man in the front row, who held it aloft like some kind of trophy instead of the now useless prop that it really was.
"I laugh right at them."
I reached down and pulled off my briefs, revealing the red thong and the garter belt that held up the white stockings.
"I know what boys like."
I returned to the first stripper pole and took hold of it again, pulling myself up until I was several feet off the ground.
"I know what guys want."
I gripped it tightly with my thighs and slowly eased my hands away.
"I know what boys like."
I bent over backwards, so that only my thighs held me up, and my hands reached for Alex.
"Boys like, boys like me."
I thrust my crotch towards the pole, rolling my hips as much as I could without dislodging my grip, and once again the audience roared.
Alex sank to his knees.
"I feel sad now."
I reached up to take hold of the pole again, and let myself slowly slide down.
"I will let you."
I gave the pole a final hump before turning to Alex.
"Sorry I teased you."
I dropped down to all fours and started to crawl towards him.
"I will let you."
I stopped in front of him and climbed into his lap.
"This time I mean it."
I stood up slowly, my chest, groin and thighs rubbing against his face as I stood.
"I will let you."
I ran my hands over my chest, down my defined abs, and cupped the thong covering my cock and balls with both hands.
"Anything you want."
Alex ran his hands over my thighs, grabbing my hands and pulling them away from my cock before pulling me back down into his lap. He gave a few exaggerated thrusts of his hips, and I threw my head back in pretend ecstasy.
"You can trust me."
I used the move to reach behind myself and put my hands on the floor. I did a backbend, flipping to my feet, carefully negotiating around Alex's body.
"I really want to."
I crooked my finger at him, and he rose to his feet and stalked me upstage.
"You can trust me."
I knelt down in front of him and reached for the waistband of his briefs.
There were few strip clubs in LA that served booze and did full-nudity, but Exiles was one of them. Not every act featured full nudity, but this one did.
"How would you like it."
I gave a firm yank, pulling the briefs off and exposing Alex's half-hard cock to the full view of the audience, leaving it dangling right in front of my eyes.
"You can trust me."
I opened my mouth and leaned in close, and the audience was silent in expectation.
"Sucker."
I slid between his legs again, and there was a cry of disappointment from the crowd. I smirked, not even acting at that point.
I walked upstage, taking my time and letting the audience get a good view of my ass and enjoy the sight of Alex as he sank to his knees again.
I paused and turned, put a finger to my lips as though reconsidering.
"Hmmm."
And as the last repeat of the chorus kicked in, I finished walking offstage, leaving Alex alone, naked and kneeling in the dark.
"I know what boys like.
I know what guys want.
I know what boys like.
Boys like, boys like me."
My heart was pounding, the adrenaline from the show, the relief that it was over, the bass of the music Ninja played between sets, the absolute terror at having seen Duo in the audience all combining to make me feel more than a little lightheaded.
By the time Alex made it backstage, after waiting to gather up our tips and tantalize his fans, I was braced over my station in the dressing room and trying to fight off a panic attack.
"Tro?"
I ignored him, even when he came up behind me and put a hand on my back.
"Dude, are you- You are not okay." He moved, his hand leaving my skin, and I shuddered.
I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the sound of his voice. That didn't help. Instead, it made it much, much easier to visualize Duo's face again.
He had looked… amazed and devastated and shocked and… and it was like he was seeing me for the first time. Was realizing who I really was, and he wasn't able to wrap his head around it at all.
"Here. Tro, turn around. Breathe into this."
I blinked my eyes open and saw that Alex was holding out a paper bag.
I clumsily grabbed it from him and fisted my hand around the neck and drew in a deep breath.
There had been a guy, back when I was still telling my boyfriends what my real job was, who insisted on coming to see me perform, who would pay for a private dance after my sets and then insist on a repeat performance at home. He got off on it, on the idea of fucking a stripper - he hadn't known I was also a prostitute - and it was clear he was using me to live out some fantasy, some delusion of his own appeal, and I had begun to resent him almost immediately. I had told Cathy about it - had questioned his behavior and my own.
Didn't I want someone who didn't mind what I did?
There is not minding, Cathy had told me, and then there is fetishizing.
It was painfully clear that Duo was most definitely not fetishizing my work. At all.
"Dude, what the fuck happened out there?"
I managed to open my eyes, to see the worry in his eyes and the crease between his brows.
I hadn't known he cared - not really, not this much.
I let out a breath and eased the paper bag away.
My head was still swimming, my pulse still racing, but I didn't feel on the verge of blacking out anymore.
"Duo."
"Duo?"
"He was- he was here. He's here. Out there."
Alex's eyes widened and then narrowed.
"Where?"
His tone and the look of anger on his face had me choking on a laugh.
"Are you going to go defend my honor?" I asked.
"Look, that little shit fucked you up and-"
"He didn't," I insisted, finally getting myself under control. Amazing how Alex's misplaced righteous anger could do that. "I did that all by myself."
Alex looked ready to argue, but the chime of a text message on my phone stalled him.
I reached into my bag, blindingly fishing for my phone, and pulled it out.
A single text notification stood out in glaring contrast to the dark screen surrounding it.
Can we talk?
It was from Duo.
-o-
Endnote: This was legitimately the most challenging thing I have ever written. I have no idea if it makes sense, if it's GOOD even. I felt stupid writing most of it and it is really, really damn hard to write an entire strip performance and I just… I do not want to do that again anytime soon and I very sincerely hope you all didn't find it too cringeworthy. I'm sorry if you did.
