Fleur-de-lis

Requiem: Side B

Vanitas's p.o.v

Another night at the castle. I was on stage dancing in the common room which was my usual routine. Me and a couple of other guys were typically just eye candy for the men who passed through here at night and not much else. I didn't really do anything extravagant. I learned early on that it was better to not stand out amongst this crowd so I didn't put a whole lot of effort into my dancing like I had at Gomorrah.

Suddenly two guy make their way inside the club who were noticeably different from your typical denizens. Both on the younger side like they were in college, perhaps. One was oddly talkative, practically chewing his friends ear off.

"Bro, I'm telling you that you need to be more adventurous. What's the point of having broader tastes than most but still choosing not to explore them?"

"I just don't really like gay shit." The other more silent friend responds.

"You're definitely missing out."

The two men head to the bar area and order a couple of drinks.

I resolve to minding my own business but before I can focus my attention elsewhere I notice Raimi sauntering over to the pair. I sigh...knowing that he was about to make someone uncomfortable.

"Hey boys." Raimi greets, leaning a little bit too closely for an introduction.

"Uh-hi." The extroverted one responds warily.

"Can I get either of you anything?" Raimi asks. "A drink...or maybe something to put in your mouth." Raimi licks his lips suggestively while making direct eye contact with the introvert.

"Yeah, okay. I'm leaving." He says, getting off of the barstool and leaving Raimi with an offended look on his face.

"Hold up!" His friend calls. "We haven't even done anything yet?"

"The gay crowd just isn't for me." The introvert responds.

"Come on." The extrovert begs. "I was trying to make your coming out something memorable."

"People are bisexual sometimes. No need to make an event out of it." The introvert says.

His friend rolls his eyes. "Let's at least get you a private dance before you decide if it's a bust."

The introverted guy sighs. "Fine." He returns to his friends side.

The extroverted guy looks around the room for someone to fulfill his request. "Hey, you... Sexy emo guy." He points at me.

'Sexy emo?' I think to myself. I mean...my hair had grown out over the past year so I guess I looked like one of those emo/scene guys a little bit but I hardly classified as emo. Then again I was currently wearing a black arm band to cover the scars of when I cut myself. But that was an entirely different kind of self-harm.

"How much would a private session from you cost?" The guy continues to ask.

"It's-err...wait...why me?" I question.

"You're the hottest guy in here." He shrugs.

Was I really? I suppose that I wasn't that skinny small town church boy anymore and had more of an athletic build but I was still incredibly thin. Nobody in this club was exactly the Calvin Klein esq type of guys like the boys back at Gomorrah but I was pretty sure some of them were much more conventionally attractive than I but I guess people can like different things.

"It's...uhh...twenty dollars." I inform. "Tips expected."

"Well then..." he holds out his hand for me to take, twenty dollars resting in his palm. "How 'bout it?"

He was almost kinda smooth. If I was anyone else I might've blushed a little. I take his hand as well as his financial offering and step off stage before leading him and his friend into one of the private backrooms with an actual smile on my face.

I waste no time getting up on the pole and doing a little something extra for the two of them. I twirl around the pole with more finesse than I had been using earlier which earns some praise from the extroverted guy but his friend still held his arms crossed, keeping his social barriers up. I do a couple tricks...some vaguely flexible or acrobatic things but nothing more advanced than the next pole dancer, however it was still enough to earn a whistle and a few extra dollar bills from the more talkative friend...and yet...the other guy still maintained his school shooter vibe, not even looking my direction anymore.

The preppy dude nudges his friend. "Having any fun?"

"I guess." He shrugs. "He's super ordinary though."

The smirk fades from my lips. I wouldn't necessarily say that his words made me angry. More like...I felt challenged by them.

"You're always so closed off. I wish you'd open up a bit." The extrovert guy comments. "I'm gonna head to the bathroom for a minute. Try to have fun while I'm away."

The introvert guy scoffs at the notion of fun.

I however, suddenly had ill intentions. Or rather...I was about to do something a little predatory. I watch as his friend exits the room. I could tell that this guy would never show his true colors around people he socialized with so us being alone worked to my benefit. Once he was gone, I start to show my true colors.

With the change of the music, I start to move with real passion, dancing my black magic. The introvert's eyes flicker over to me and then away again in surprise. He tries not to show his emotions but the subtleties shine through the expression on his face. He was taken aback. I do some gravity defying stunts, leaving him straining himself trying to continue appearing uninterested. I decide to instigate things further and do a cat-like backward hands spring off the stage, turning to dance directly in front of him. He can no longer ignore me and acknowledges my existence, captivated, watching as I swing my hips in just the right way.

I look down to see his hands fidgeting slightly. I smile, flattered by his curiosity. Deciding to indulge him, I lean in just inches from his face and he stares, wondering what I was planning. I grab his hand and place it on my chest, prompting for him to touch me as much as he wanted. He runs his hand down my chest and stomach while climb into his lap. His hands start to drift towards my ass while I move my hips in a circular motion. The expression on his face is that of complete captivation and I can feel his excitement pressed against my rear. Then with a sly smile, I get up, and do another cat-like hand spring back onto the stage just as his friend comes back and I return to my basic routine as if nothing happend.

The introverted guy just stares for a moment, wondering if the past few minutes were real or not.

"I'm back." His friend announces.

He snaps out of the trance subtly and crosses his legs to hide his erection. "A-about time." He says, resuming his false disdain.

"Are you still being a crab?" The extrovert questions.

"I already told you...the gay crowd just isn't for me."

"Ugh...fine, we'll leave." The extrovert decides. "I'll just take you out to eat or something."

"That's probably what we should've done in the first place." The introvert says.

The extrovert gets up and tips me an extra twenty dollars for the short lived session. "Sorry for the trouble." He says before he and his friend start to leave.

I do one last little trick around the pole. "Come again." I say, prompting the introvert to blush as he leaves.