Title: The Imperial Palace Chapter 11

Setting: Strip Club AU.

Rating: Le T.

Reason: This chapter was inspired by my friends' recent breakup. Yes, I know that makes me a bad friend but oh well.

Pairing: That broken Alpha pair problem.

Warnings: Uncreative content, possible OOC-ness, Yukimura is a confused soul, Sanada is in lovelove, fuck I want to hit everyone in this chapter, etc.

Disclaimer: Prince of tennis + Me = I own nothing.

~o~o~o~

The first rays of morning shined through the curtains, lighting up the bedroom the color of dawn. From outside, the sounds of cars and buses rolling people to work could be heard in the apartment. However, the noises of the bustling city had long ago stopped bothering Yukimura.

Yukimura was never usually up this early. He would normally sleep until noon at the very least, especially since his job kept him up all night. Today was different. The clock told him it was nearly eight in the morning when he woke up. Yukimura quickly remembered that he had not gone to work the day before and it was enough to make him dread his shift later today. He blinked, adjusting his eyes to the light in the room. His head was pounding and he felt groggy, like he had nightmares all night and didn't get enough sleep. His eyes felt crusted and there were trails of dried up liquid on his cheeks. Yukimura didn't remember crying last night so it must have happened while he was asleep.

He rised from his bed and went to the washroom, stripping himself of his loose shirt on the way and dumping it on the floor. A quick look in the mirror showed that he looked as bad as he felt. His hair was a messy nest of tangles, his eyes rimmed red and his chin felt scraggly instead of the usual smoothness; he hadn't shaved in a few days.

As Yukimura went through his usually-in-the-afternoon-but-now-morning routine, he made it a challenge to not think about anything in particular. He washed his hair and body in the shower, brushed his teeth, combed his hair, got dressed and shaved his face in silence, his mind a blank buzz through it all. The whole time Yukimura felt like he was a ticking bomb, holding in something that was ready to explode.

He wasn't hungry but he poured himself a bowl of cereal. It was when he was seated at his desk, staring down at his bowl of grain and milk, that his concentration slipped and the thoughts swamped in before he could pull his guard back up.

"Damn it," swore Yukimura. He slammed his fist on the table, tears coming to his eyes. His hand started throbbing from the impact. He swore again.

Why was this happening? This was nothing new. Yukimura had dated before... he had dated multiple people in fact. Sanada hadn't even been around for that long. Most of the people Yukimura dated would last two or three times as long as Sanada and Yukimura would only end it when he felt things were getting too serious. But despite the short amount of time he and Sanada had been together…

He ached.

It was a good thing he had ended it there. It had been getting far too committment-like for him. Sanada had been very serious from the start but Yukimura had simply let it go, telling himself that he could have a bit of fun. Sanada had been so kind and caring, so Yukimura stalled, finding one excuse after another to go on yet another date with the handsome college student. And now this happened, this ache.

Sanada just had to ruin it by saying that. Yukimura could still picture Sanada's face so clearly in his mind as the raven-haired man opened his mouth and whispered those poisonous words.

I love you.

Just remembering those words sent a shiver through Yukimura and filled him with fear and dread. Love, he thought, could only be associated with heartbreak and being caged.

Yukimura spent the rest of the day completing small chores around his house. He wasn't the type to clean very often but he couldn't just stay home doing nothing and be reminded of Sanada. He kept himself busy, straightening out his wardrobe, doing laundry, watering his plants, dusting every flat surface in his small apartment and getting groceries at the end of the day.

Yukimura was not looking forward to work tonight. After all, he had skipped work without a word to anyone yesterday. He had ignored the calls from Atobe and Fuji all night and he could just imagine how furious his boss was and how worried Fuji was. It wasn't something he had ever done before but he had felt far too vulnerable to work yesterday. He had anticipated that Sanada would be at his workplace to demand an explanation and Yukimura hadn't felt ready to confront him yet.

Today he had no choice. Yukimura had to show up and that probably meant facing Sanada and his boss. He was dreading it.

The evening came far faster then Yukimura would have liked. His walk to work was taken in small steps with as many detours as he could find. Yukimura stood outside the Imperial Palace until he could stall no longer. He took a deep breath before walking in. Just smile and make up an excuse, he thought.

Jackal let him in with a nod. The security guard's worried face said it all: You are in so much trouble.

The club was not yet open for the night. The stage was being lit up and the tables were being wiped. The other employees stopped their conversations the moment Yukimura entered and everything became unnaturally quiet. Mukahi and Zaizen gave him looks of pity, knowing Yukimura was in for hell tonight. Shiraishi looked relieved and gave him a small smile. Tezuka blinked at him but went back to wiping his counter a second later. There was a young man standing close to Fuji; the young man had silver hair and looked vaguely familiar but Yukimura didn't think much about it.

Fuji was the last one to meet his eyes. Fuji looked relieved for a second and then his face turned into a frown. Yukimura shook his head and nodded towards the door leading to the dressing rooms. They would talk later, in private. Right now there was something else Yukimura needed to do.

Yukimura heard the footsteps before he even moved from his spot.

A cold wind swept through the club and Yukimura could swear the room suddenly got darker. The door leading upstairs to Atobe's office slammed open so hard Yukimura was surprised the wood didn't break. Atobe stood behind the door and Yukimura had never seen his boss look so furious. It seemed like thunderclouds were looming over Atobe's head, crackling menacingly with each step Atobe took.

Yukimura swallowed thickly and stepped forward to face his imminent doom.

~o~o~o~

The imminent doom wasn't pretty.

Yukimura had to stand perfectly still for what felt like an hour well Atobe ranted on and on about his complete lack of responsibility, how he should be fired for skipping work, what problems Yukimura had caused for the whole club in his absence and mainly what a stupid jerk he was. The verbal assault continued until Fuji mercifully interrupted Atobe, saying that the club was ready to open its doors and that Yukimura was not yet dressed. Atobe cursed at him once more, threatened to fire him if it ever happened again, and then waved them away. Yukimura muttered an apology, knowing he was going to have to work extra hard all week to make up for his missed day.

At least that was one thing over and dealt with. The next obstacle was in front of him in the form of Fuji. Yukimura didn't want to talk about the reason he had decided to skip work yesterday but there was no doubt that Fuji wouldn't yield until his curiosity and concern was put at ease.

Fuji at least had the decency to let Yukimura get dressed in peace. Their changing room had gotten new costumes in Yukimura's absence. Instead of the usual tight and tighter leather, what he found was frills.

"A maid?" asked Yukimura, holding up the frilly apron. Fuji had just finished changing and came out wearing the very short black and white attire and thigh-high stockings. Fuji looked far better in that outfit than he had any right to.

"Yes, it's Atobe's new theme," nodded Fuji. "And yes you do have to wear the whole thing. Shiraishi tried bending the rules yesterday and Atobe wasn't happy."

It didn't take long for Yukimura to strip down and put on the skimpy outfit. Unlike Fuji's, his was mostly white with a very exposed backside. The skirt barely covered his ass and his white stockings were made of lace. Fuji helped him tie the apron and put on the finishing touches: a choker and some equally frilly headpiece.

"I feel stupid," said Yukimura, looking at himself in the mirror.

"Well the customers are very enthusiastic about this theme so I assure you they'll be thinking of much dirtier things when they see you."

"Thanks Fuji, that makes me feel so much better," said Yukimura. God, he was not in the mood for this. Today was going to be so busy and Yukimura knew he wouldn't have a moment of relaxation all night. It would be an endless night of dancing and flirting with people he didn't know. Yukimura couldn't remember the last time he had been so unenthusiastic towards his job. He sighed and slumped down on the couch.

Fuji waited in silence for a minute and then that was when it started.

"What's going on, Yukimura?" said Fuji.

Yukimura blinked, then smiled sweetly. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Yukimura," said Fuji. "You missed work the other day; something you've never done before. You look exhausted and I know that the sweeter your smile is, the more you're trying to hide something. Now talk."

Yukimura's smile flew off in a second. He looked at Fuji sceptically.

"And how many days of observation did it take you to figure that one out?" asked Yukimura.

"About a few hours. Don't change the subject."

Yukimura sigh and looked down at the floor. The room turned quiet save for the sound of loud music emitting from the club. Fuji didn't talk, deciding to let Yukimura have a moment to think it over. He knew he couldn't force Yukimura to tell him what was wrong, but Fuji was concerned. As a friend, it was only fair that he wanted to know.

Finally, Yukimura opened his mouth.

"I… dumped Sanada," said Yukimura.

Fuji nodded. "Ah, that's what I thought," he said. "But you liked him- no, Yukimura, no use denying it, I can see it in your eyes. Sanada-kun was a good guy and I know you liked him a lot. But if it caused you this much grief, then why did you dump him?"

Yukimura swallowed thickly. "He told me he loved me."

Fuji sighed. "Oh, Yuki-"

"No, I don't want to hear it," snapped Yukimura. He stood up, not wanting to hear Fuji's usual talk that meddled in his love life. "I don't feel the same as him. He likes me a whole lot more than I like him. It's not what I signed up for."

"You could just give him a chance and wait-"

"If I stayed with him, I would only be leading him on and preparing him for an even bigger heartbreak. He should be glad I ended it there."

"Are you glad then, Yukimura?" asked Fuji. "Because you look really unhappy about it."

Yukimura turned away. "It doesn't matter. I made my choice. I'm going to work now."

Fuji cringed when the door slammed shut behind Yukimura. Fuji felt sad that his friend was acting this way. He really wanted Yukimura to find someone he could let his guard down around and just be happy with. It was so sad that Yukimura kept an iron wall around his heart and knocked down everyone who got too close. I'm being cautious, Yukimura had told him once. That way I won't get hurt.

Oh, how he wished he could help.

~o~o~o~

It was after hours and hours of dancing and grinding that Yukimura allowed himself a short break to drink a glass of water. Tezuka gave him an icy glass the moment Yukimura came close, as if the bartender could somehow read minds. Yukimura drank his water, looking around the club. The music was booming and people were everywhere, lining up outside the door by the looks of it. All the dancers and waiters were being kept very busy. Even Tezuka was sweating, trying to keep up with all the orders he was getting with difficulty.

Yukimura spotted Fuji leaving the dance floor, pocketing some bills after a dance with a small group of young men and women.

There was the silver-haired guy trailing Fuji around the club and Yukimura cocked his head to the side, wondering where it was he had seen the young man before. The new guy's hair was rather long and slicked back as neatly as possible, probably to match his butler uniform - or what used to be a butler uniform before the top had been discarded. The young man was thin and pale, but he appeared to be learning fast and had no qualms about undressing.

As he got closer, Yukimura remembered where it was he had seen the silver-haired young man. The young man had been with Sanada, the night they had first met. Yukimura blanched.

"Ah, Yukimura!" Fuji spotted him and went to him, the trainee trailing not far behind. "This is the new guy, Niou Masaharu. I don't think you two have met yet."

Yukimura forced a pleasant smile and greeted Niou. Instead of greeting him back, Niou shot him what could only be described as a glare.

"We've met, or at least I know who you are. You're the guy who broke Sanada's heart," said Niou. Yukimura's heart sank. "You've been avoiding him, yeah? He tells me he came here last night looking for you and you won't return his calls."

Yukimura clenched his teeth. "That," he said, "is none of your business."

Niou shrugged. "No, I suppose it isn't," he said. "Still, I wouldn't have taken you for the fuck'em-and-leave'em type when I first saw you. I guess looks are deceiving. I can't wait to hear what excuse you'll tell Sanada tonight."

Fuji had the good sense to drag Niou out of there before he could do anymore damage. Yukimura stood there, shaking in anger. He was angry at everyone. He was angry at Niou for insulting him. He was angry that everyone was taking Sanada's side. He was angry at himself for being a coward. And he was angry that Niou's words had held some truth.

People were starting to eye him and Yukimura remembered he had a job to do. Niou had implied that Sanada was going to be here tonight but the last thing he wanted was to deal with that right now. Luckily Yukimura didn't see Sanada anywhere yet. If he stayed hidden on the dance floor, then perhaps Sanada would not see him even if he did come to the Imperial Palace today. He turned around to do just that when he bumped into someone.

"Excuse me-" Yukimura's voice trailed off when he ended up staring right into Sanada's face.

Yukimura froze like a statue, seeing Sanada slowly shut his phone. This time, there was no lingering adoration radiating from the larger man. Sanada's eyes were steel cold. Yukimura swallowed thickly, his heart racing. He had never seen Sanada looking angry before. Far behind Sanada, Yukimura could see Niou snapping his phone shut as well as he smirked and waved innocently at Yukimura. That... trickster! Yukimura was going to murder Niou for giving away his position like this.

"You," Sanada hit him hard on the chest with an accusing finger, "have made a fool out of me."

Yukimura took a step back. It was suddenly hard to breath.

"I thought it was a fluke at first, you know," said Sanada, his eyes downcast. "I thought you didn't receive my calls, or that you were sick and unable to come to work. I was a fool, wasn't I?"

Yukimura said nothing. The guilt returned to him with stronger force than before.

"Tell me this at least," said Sanada. "Did I do something wrong?"

Slowly, Yukimura shook his head. No… it wasn't Sanada. Sanada had treated him far better than anyone ever had... and perhaps that was why he was scared.

"No, it's not you," whispered Yukimura, barely audible over the loud music.

Sanada exhaled in relief. The cold melted from his eyes, replaced by warmth and longing. He reached out and cupped Yukimura's cheek in his palm. The bluenette stood immobilized, feeling a tugging pain in his chest. Sanada looked at him with the same love as before, as if this whole ordeal had never happened. Yukimura hated it. He hated how naïve Sanada was, yet Yukimura didn't want to pull away from the hand on his cheek.

It was when Sanada leaned in that Yukimura snapped back, turning his head away to dodge a kiss.

"Don't," hissed Yukimura, shaking Sanada's hand off.

"Why not?" Sanada's tone was challenging. "Give me an explanation at least. I think I deserve that much."

Yukimura didn't answer, staring hard at a spot on the floor.

"Please Yukimura," said Sanada. Yukimura felt like a knife was being stabbed through his chest. "Tell me what's wrong. I can't help you if you don't tell me. Please, I love y-"

"Don't say that!" yelled Yukimura angrily, startling Sanada.

Yukimura took yet another step back. This was exactly why he couldn't keep on doing this any longer. Sanada always looked at him with nothing but complete adoration, always gave him gifts and would cook when he was hungry and stay up late to ask him how his day went, and it was all too much. This was too much for something that started off as a one-night thing. Sanada wasn't supposed to have come back to the Imperial Palace and Yukimura was not supposed to have accepted to go out on dates with him.

Yukimura tried stomping away but Sanada was faster and darted in front of him in a flash.

"Move. I have a job to do," said Yukimura.

"Not until you tell me what's wrong."

"I won't tell you."

"Then I'm not moving."

"I'll call security," said Yukimura. "And trust me, we're big on kicking out clients and getting restraining orders when they get too clingy."

Sanada's expression flashed with hurt. This time he let Yukimura walk past him to the awaiting crowd.

Yukimura didn't look back. Instead, he realized that Atobe was looking at him from his seat at the bar as if he was wondering why Yukimura wasn't currently doing his job. The bluenette sighed. He just couldn't get a break today.

He agreed to dance with the next person who walked up to him, flashing a 2000 yen bill at him with a wink. Yukimura forced himself to smile at the young man and followed him to the dance floor. The man appeared to be the average drunk college student that came in everyday when he should be studying. The man danced sloppily, swaying from side to side and groping his behind. So long as the client didn't get touchier, Yukimura could handle it. If he wasn't feeling so down, Yukimura would have attempted to be far more social. He used to like having this sort of effect on the men here, being the object of their affection, like a prize they couldn't get.

Halfway through the dance, Yukimura allowed himself to look back at where he had left Sanada. He found Sanada sitting at the nearby table, staring at him. Yukimura turned and continued grinding but could feel Sanada's gaze boring into his back the whole time.

The same thing happened when Yukimura moved on to the next customer. This time it was a businessman in a suit too big for him and a loose necktie. Every time Yukimura looked back, he found Sanada staring at him. The man he was dancing with murmured something that Yukimura didn't catch.

"Sorry?" Yukimura asked.

"I said you seem distracted," said the man, his breath thick with the stink of alcohol.

Yukimura smiled coyly. "Oh, don't worry. You have my full attention," he whispered, emphasizing it by rubbing himself all over the man.

But the man was right and Yukimura couldn't help but be distracted. His annoyance grew as the night went on. Sanada didn't leave, just sitting there and staring and it was driving him mad. It was normally encouraged for the dancers to slowly peel off their layers of clothes as the night went on, but Yukimura didn't remove a single piece of clothing, too conscious of the eyes on him.

After several more dances and clients, Yukimura felt ready to snap. He broke himself free of the customer's grasp as soon as the song ended and stomped over to Sanada.

"Stop it," said Yukimura, crossing his arms angrily.

Sanada blinked innocently at him from his chair. "What is it?"

"You know what it is!" said Yukimura. "You've been staring at me all night long! I am a hairbreadth's away from calling security and getting you kicked out."

Sanada snorted. "Now you are being paranoid." He lifted his glass, full of some untouched beverage. "I'm a paying customer."

Yukimura let out a humourless laugh. "Right, because customers in a strip club come in for the drinks. It's not like you ever dance with anyone."

Sanada's eyes glinted challengingly. He put his glass down and rose from his seat. Yukimura suddenly felt very small with Sanada towering over him, but he wasn't about to back down now. The bluenette stared back and stood his ground.

Suddenly, Sanada thrust a handful of bills into his hands. Yukimura stared, confused.

"What's this for?"

"You just said I never dance with anyone. So I'm now requesting a dance. From you," said Sanada. "It is your job, isn't it?"

It took all of Yukimura's self control to not throw the money back in Sanada's face. "Keep your money. I'm not dancing with you," he said and turned his back to Sanada.

"Are you sure that's wise?" called out Sanada. "I am a paying customer and I do think it is within your club's policies to dance when the customer asks. You will see that I gave you a hefty enough sum."

"It's not about the money, you dolt!"

"Then I don't see why you are refusing. Shall I have a talk with your manager then? That's him over there by the bar, right?"

Yes, that was indeed Atobe seated at the bar, sipping his drink and chatting with Oshitari as usual. Damn it, Yukimura knew he couldn't get reprimanded again… he couldn't afford to lose his job.

"Bastard," muttered Yukimura under his breath.

Sanada followed him back to the dance floor, crowded between the packs of swaying bodies. Sanada then stopped and looked at him expectantly. Yukimura made a show of sighing and moving so that their hips touched, putting one of Sanada's legs between his own. The bluenette felt himself blush even though he had been doing this sort of thing all night with the other clients. It was so different... touching Sanada like this felt like being shocked by electricity. Through the smells of sweat and liquor, Yukimura could detect that musky husk emitting from Sanada. A new song started playing and Yukimura moved like he was on automatic. Sanada said nothing, wrapping one hand around Yukimura's hip.

They were just so close and Yukimura had trouble thinking. Once again, Yukimura found himself cracking first.

"So why are you still here if you're going to do nothing but stare at me all night?" asked the bluenette.

"I came back here because, as you may very well be aware of already, I do like you very much," said Sanada. "And you still haven't told me why you left me, nor why you are being very hostile towards me right now. It makes me very sad, you know."

"Fine. I dated you for the sex. Is that what you want to hear?" demanded Yukimura.

"No. At least try to make it more believable," said Sanada.

Yukimura resisted the urge to swear at Sanada. God, he hated this. He hated how being this close to Sanada made his head spin with longing. Sanada's arms and chest were pleasingly solid under his fingertips and every grind made him want to pin Sanada's hips in place and thrust back.

He was remembering all those times they went out on dates and he would step into Sanada's warm embrace and let Sanada comfort him after a long day of work. He remembered how they kissed and it would always make Yukimura feel light-headed. Oh, how easy would it be to just wrap his arms around Sanada and say he was sorry and that he missed him? And then what? Yukimura would simply continue feeling undeserving of Sanada's love and attention. Sanada's infatuation would eventually wear off and he'd realize soon enough that Yukimura was nothing special. That was how it always happened. Things are always nice and fun until someone gets hurt.

"Fine, you want the truth?" snarled Yukimura. He wrapped his arms around Sanada's neck to let his body come in full contact with the taller man. "Our relationship was a one-way street; you gave and gave and I did nothing but take."

Sanada frowned. "But I like you. I want to make you happy."

"And eventually you would have realized that I never do anything for you," said Yukimura. "Because while you've made your feelings for me very clear, I don't feel the same way. I don't love you." He ground his hips in again. Sanada made a strangled noise and Yukimura remembered with amusement the first time they had met. "Don't soil your pants now," he said with a small smile. The memory of their first meeting was still amusing.

"I won't," said Sanada, his voice gone low and empty.

Yukimura stopped dancing, seeing that his comment had greatly hurt him. Sanada had probably been under the impression that Yukimura felt the same way towards him and had been too infatuated to see any imbalances in their relationship. Yukimura bit his lip. He should just leave it at that, part now and then they wouldn't see each other again.

But... Sanada's heartbroken expression made Yukimura's guilty conscious rise and he couldn't stop himself from trying to fix this.

"Sanada, I- …I'm sorry. I like you and you are a very nice guy. You'll find a great person someday who will make you very happy," said Yukimura gently.

"But I want you. I don't want someone else," muttered Sanada.

"I'm sorry," repeated Yukimura, "for everything. For leaving you so abruptly. For giving you false hope. I shouldn't have accepted your proposals when I knew I had no intention of being in a serious relationship."

Sanada was looking at him with that searching gaze again. Yukimura shifted uncomfortably. The song was over, switching to a hip-hop dance song that was very inappropriate for the current situation.

"I could wait for you. If you aren't ready now, I can wait until you are," said Sanada, not giving up.

It was heartbreaking for Yukimura to see such a usually proud man breaking down, clinging to a lost hope. Sanada looked so tired and sad like he would never be happy again. Yukimura thought he was going to be sick from the guilt. Yukimura knew he had to stop this before he did something he would regret.

"You had your dance. I'll go now," said Yukimura and left. Sanada remained standing motionless in the middle of the dance floor.

~o~o~o~