Archive of Our Own

Lights flashed to the rhythm of a pleasant melody in the background, one that did not obfuscate the environment around, volume growing louder gradually with each step that the main attraction took towards the stage. Wearing heels so tall and thin, nearly comparable to a needle; it was hard to pick what one wanted to focus on the most when it came to Heartvinelle's biggest show. Maybe on the gracious way with which he walked, exerting a certain dominance with his elegant posture; or maybe on the expression on his face, so daring and unabashed that made it look like he could knock down any one of the clients just by staring at them. If not on any of those, then one could focus instead on his clothes, so provocative and obviously meant to look sensual in the best of ways, all tailor-made in order to fit perfectly around his thighs and enhance his beauty, each piece so short and thin, yet so beautiful and mesmerizing.

Since that was his last show for tonight, Riddle Rosehearts was determined to give his best to impress, that was one of the rules he had established for himself: it did not matter how tired or exhausted he was, he would never let such thing bring down his performance and, consequently, disappoint his clients. Not that he cared about how they felt or what they thought exactly, Riddle couldn't give less of a fuck about the happiness of those men, but what he did care about was his own performance and his ability to always do a good job.
With all eyes fixated on him, being venerated in such way often brought a bittersweet feeling, sometimes, and closing his eyes was the best way to tune out the reality that surrounded him, then focusing on nothing but the brief excitement of being onstage. What bothered him the most was the spiteful feeling that he couldn't help but develop towards all of the people that admired him so much- not that being adored by people was unpleasant, no, the root of the problem would be born the moment those same people saw themselves in the right to break into his personal bubble. Those incidents had happened so often that sometimes it made it hard to focus on his own job.

"Calm down, Riddle. Don't think about that." Is what he tells himself, a self reflection exercise that he had taught himself in order to relax before each performance, hands reaching for the pole and getting ready to start with his movements. Riddle's dance had never been characterized by body contortion techniques or overly complicated steps- despite the fact Riddle could easily pull off such moves, he rarely ever felt like doing so. He preferred to bring out movements that were smooth and elegant, and maybe that was the biggest thing that made his performances different from all others, how admirable it was that he could be so excellent doing a style that most people would find boring in this line of work, and still manage to be the most awaited attraction each and every night. If it was anyone else, certainly they wouldn't be able to pull it off with the same class or effortlessness that he did, and they surely wouldn't be able to attract as much attention either. No one even dared to attempt, knowing that their performances would never be able to reach the same level as Riddle's.

Circus was a great song for this show in particular, Riddle had always enjoyed the song's strong rhythm and the way how he could plan out slow movements to fit with the tempo perfectly. Especially when it was mere seconds before the chorus, when the music allowed him to feel as if he was able to fly just by holding the pole with his legs. Using only instrumental songs was a long timed whim of Riddle, which started as a mere personal choice but after a while became one of his many rules: the lower was the sound of a singing voice while it coexisted with his performance, the less the clients' attention would be diverted from his movements into something else. And that would always fit perfectly with the song's lyrics, 'All eyes on me'.

There was a long list of rules that people should always follow during Riddle's performances, and he was not willing to play oh you've been such a naughty boy with people who dared to disrespect those. Whenever that happened, the anger he would feel was very much real, observing how people dared to go ahead and break the rules he held so close to his heart, a fact that would often lead to problems happening. Divergences with Azul happened often due to that, but even knowing that much Riddle could not resist the opportunity to punish those rule breakers himself. He felt, then, that something bad was going to happen, a bitter feeling in the back of his throat as he glanced at the public and noticed some restlessness, probably coming from first time clients who were not used to Riddle's set of rules and thought all of that was, probably, nothing beyond a fetish for dominance and discipline.

It was in the moment that one of those men tried to reach out his hand to touch Riddle during his performance that the stripper snapped. A fluid movement of his leg was all that was necessary to step on the man's hand, roughly, and perhaps it would not have hurt so badly if only Riddle hadn't been wearing such thin high heels and... Well.

At the same time that a scream of pain echoed around the building, whispers and murmurs started between the people, some condemning Riddle's action as well as some reasoning with and giving him all the reason- even if those came mostly from people who thought that doing so would earn them Riddle's favor, a terrible misconception. The redhead did not stop dancing even for a second, however, moving and spinning around the pole as if nothing had happened at all. On the other side of the building, from behind a wall of glass in the administration room, Azul could not make up his mind on whether he found the situation to be amusing, or if he should worry over how tragic such thing could be for his business as the club's owner and director. Sitting beside Azul, Jamil could barely hold back from laughing, muttering to himself about how the guy deserved what happened to him. The silver haired man could certainly agree with that, but he was also thinking over the consequences that would surely bloom from having a precious client be hurt in front of so many people, by one of the club's best strippers no less. After a moment of pondering, however, Azul ended up concluding that it couldn't be that much of a big deal, after all what did one lost client mean when compared with the hundreds that would come to the club daily attracted by Riddle's popularity.

After being finished with his performance, Riddle gathered all of his energy and effort in order to be able to smile in a pleasant and alluring way to his audience, instead of the scornful one that he felt growing inside of him with each passing second. They were all gross, the men who did not respect him, the ones that didn't follow his rules and saw him as nothing but a toy they could own for a night. They were not exactly wrong in seeing Riddle as entertainment, after all that was the truth and the reason why he was there in the first place, but the biggest thing that disgusted Riddle was that they thought they could do whatever they wanted to him for whatever low price they could pay. It had been a while since Riddle started refusing to give his clients lap dances for that exact same reason, and while some beginners such as Ace and Deuce gave all their efforts into trying to grab themselves any personal client to get some extra money, that was no longer one of Riddle's worries as he now prioritized his own mental sanity over monetary compensation, even if admittedly ldances could be fun sometimes. Nowadays, that was a privilege reserved solely for Riddle's most loyal and trustworthy clients that he knew would never dare to break any of his rules; when he said they weren't allowed to touch, then they should keep their hands to themselves. If he told them to hold their breath, then they should do so until their body could no longer allow it. If he told them to close their eyes, then they'd go blind for however long Riddle wanted them to. And so beyond.

It was only upon walking through the hallways towards the back dressing rooms to pick up the long overcoat he liked to wear after his performances(even if Riddle could just change into normal clothes and head straight home, he never felt like doing so), that he heard a muttered complaint coming from Ace, who would never personally compliment Riddle to his face- despite Riddle having heard from Trey that Ace often would jump at any opportunity to compliment Riddle's performances as long as he was not personally present to hear it. Ace had been whispering something about how acting so carelessly would bring problems to all of the people who worked at the club, but Riddle only rolled his eyes, telling Ace that maybe he should mind his own business and come talk to Riddle again when he had been able to reach 10 per cent of how good Riddle's performances were. Deuce obviously laughed at Ace's embarrassed face, then, but Riddle only kept walking, deciding that he had better things to do rather than watch two newbies bickering for no reason other than their own pride.

Between important things that he needed to get done with before leaving, Riddle should include talking to Azul in the list as quickly as possible. Even if it wasn't something that he particularly enjoyed, there was still the need to explain his actions during the show earlier as to avoid any misunderstandings or posterior problems that could come to arise. Thankfully, the meeting did not take that long, with Azul being weirdly understanding of the situation and Riddle would even risk saying he was in a particularly good mood. That could be due to Jamil’s influence however, as for once the viper did not try to convince his boyfriend into going against Riddle’s words, even going as far as to call his show ’A true example of etertainment’. Riddle hated Jamil, but this once he could thank the man.

And, now that the one issue that burdened him the most had been solved, Riddle could finally relax. He adjusted his coat a little bit around of himself, trying his best to fit inside as snuggly as possible in an attempt to warm up against the cold. During the presentation there was an unmistakable adrenaline and thrill that made him able to ignore the air conditioning that for some reason would always keep the insides of the club as cold as possible- but, with everything done with and his body calming down from its high, he no longer had to care about the sweat dripping down his body with each bold movement his did, instead all that was left now was to cross his arms to try and keep some body heat inside his coat as he walked towards the bar. Fortunately it was nearly empty, what with closing hours being almost there with maybe only more hour left before all of them were dismissed for the night, even if such thing was a little unfair to the workers there, as the last hour as reserved for all the newbies and beginners who had little experience. But that was all Azul’s business strategy to not have clients be unsatisfied by showing them performances from new people who had just entered that line of work.

Some more lights had been turned on at that point, making it so things around were more visible as opposed to only the stage being lit up. Thanks to that, it was possible to see Jade preparing the drinks with such calm and graciousness that Riddle would dare compare the man’s movements to his own performances. And he didn’t even need to order something specific himself, Jade knew him so well to the point of knowing what drinks he would order according to his mood: the post-performance frown on Riddle’s face could only mean he would order something alcoholic, strong enough to help his mind relax and calm down a little. Riddle did not start the conversation, either, deciding that it would be a good idea to leave that task to Jade, after all if such responsibility was left to himself he was afraid he would just let something bitter and unpleasant slip past his lips. Not that Jade wasn’t already used to Riddle’s grumpy behavior.

“I noticed you lost your patience back there at the show.” Ah, Jade was just like that. He knew that it wasn’t exactly a topic Riddle wanted to talk about, something that would only stress him further, but there was still the need to discuss it as bottling it up would end up making Riddle’s mood even worse in the long run. That was how things normally went whenever he tried to keep his frustrations to himself, and his bad mood could come to last for weeks, so Jade usually took it upon himself to force the words out of Riddle in those moments.

“He deserved it.”

“Of course he did.” There was not a hint of scorn or sarcasm in Jade’s voice, it was a genuine affirmation without doubt even if someone who did not know the man could have labeled the words as mocking.

“I’m tired of people who think I am some kind of sexual toy which they can treat however they want to.” At that moment Jade only listened to Riddle’s rant patiently, multitasking between figuratively lending his shoulder, and preparing another drink that had been ordered by someone on the other side of the counter. “They seriously know how to shorten my temper and make me angry.”

“Not that such thing is hard to do.” That was but a simple tease, thrown out in the open by Jade with such stealth that could only be achieved by him. Riddle only rolled his eyes, knowing very well not to give much thought to the jabs that came out of the barman’s mouth.

Maybe it was fate deciding that Riddle’s mood needed to be made even worse, because he noticed that Floyd- Jade’s twin brother, and the club’s very-large-very-scary body-guard- was approaching the counter, sitting next to Riddle in such an informal and nosy way that certainly only years of friendship(if it could even be called that) would allow, not that the man hadn’t acted the exact same way since the start, but now it no longer bothered Riddle as much as it did before.

“Is Goldfishie okay?” It almost didn’t sound like genuine worry in Floyd’s voice, since there was not much to worry about in the first place. Riddle was very skilled at getting over and discarding any feeling that could come to cause disgust inside of himself. The only thing that was genuinely a problem to him was anger, now that was the feeling he had the most difficulty in controlling and often caused trouble due to that. “I kicked that horrible man out for breaking Goldfishie’s rules!~”

“All you did was kick him out?” Riddle asked, with a sour taste in his mouth and looking at Floyd with a half hopeful look in his eyes, expecting the other man to have taken as drastic measures as he did himself. The sharp teeth showing in a large happy smile on Floyd’s face was enough to denounce him, everyone knew there was no bigger pleasure for the bodyguard than to punch someone’s teeth in using the excuse that they did something unsavoury inside the club. He didn’t even need to say it out loud for Riddle to already know the answer to his question.

“I will see you around, then.~ If Goldfishie needs anything you know you can just call me.” With that Floyd got up to leave, a slow wave of his hand being the decisive goodbye even as he did a quick twist of his body to obviously steal one of the many drinks on the counter, before going back to doing his job near the corners of the club. Although, Riddle wouldn’t consider it stealing as Jade watched all of it happen and could surely stop his twin if he so wished, but it wasn’t like that would cause any problems to any of them.

“Have you ever thought about handcuffing your audience?” At that point Riddle couldn’t tell if Jade was being serious or merely joking, his facial expressions were somewhat confusing to read at times and Riddle wasn’t able to decide if what he thought was genuinely what Jade meant, or if it was only whatever Jade wanted him to think it was.

“Hmph, that would be a good idea, but I’m scared it might only arouse them even more.” He said, huffing through his nose once again. Riddle noticed that his drink was finally ready, not hesitating to pick the cup up and finally take a sip, allowing the burning sensation running down his throat to help him relax after a slightly stressful show.

“I agree that being handcuffed by you would certainly be a pleasant experience.”

At that moment Riddle nearly spit out his drink. Even though he himself was the kind of person who would tease others in a sensual way, and would often receive provocative remarks from other men(ugly, old and disgusting men), it always felt weird to get the same treatment from Jade, exactly because he would always go back to acting normally right after, as if nothing hat happened and it all had been only a delirium that existed in Riddle’s mind only. Taking a deep breath and trying to play along to whatever game Jade was trying to set up, Riddle decided that he wanted to have some fun too.

“Hm? Would you like me to handcuff you?”

It would be a shame if Jade simply decided to stop playing after doing the first move, not as a cowardly player who knew they would lose and forfeited before the ending, but instead as an infuriating one who only seeked to make the other side angry and frustrated

“No.” The dry response was enough to cause Riddle to pout in mild discomfort, a bittersweet feeling of being teased invading his senses. “It wouldn’t be very convenient to have my hands tied in the middle of work.”

And seeing the smile on Jade’s face, the most insufferable one, since he was someone who acted so seriously all the time and he knew that acting in a different way would cause an amusing reaction from Riddle, that made the redhead want to handcuff him even harder, half as a serious punishment this time.

“It’s admirable the way you…” Riddle started, mocking tone obvious in his voice. “Take your job so seriously.”

“It is my responsibility to give it my best, to prepare the best drinks to satisfy my clients.” The way Jade spoke only made everything worse. It was a fake tone of innocence, one that could trick almost anyone into thinking he was indeed a fool. Maybe he was a little slow at times, anyone who knew Jade for real was aware that, despite his absurd intelligence not being a lie, he could be quite dumb sometimes. In that moment, however, Riddle was pretty sure the man was only pretending.

...He couldn’t be that slow, could he?

“Well, the drink is delicious.” Riddle moved his cup around with his hand, watching as the contents inside shook a little with the movement. He lifted his glance up to look at Jade, cursing the man’s height that made him so much taller in comparison. Riddle’s fifteen centimeters tall heels were useless in that setting, when he was sitting down and… Shit, not even with half meter tall heels could he come close to being as tall as Jade. “Just like something else in here.” He spit into the air, looking to the side and avoiding eye contact as to pretend he did not just attempt to directly flirt with Jade.

“Indeed, there is an inestimable stock of amazing drinks in here.”

Sighing deeply, Riddle did not see any option other than just take another sip of his cup.

“Did you like my performance?” He asked, so directly, his mind still deciding if it was a good idea to get himself drunk enough in order to be able to speak more boldly to Jade. The truth is that he could, surely, corner the other and confess- not only his romantic feelings- but also just how much he would like to have Jade’s mouth on his. It wouldn’t be difficult to do so, even if a big part of Riddle’s mind wanted to convince him otherwise. It was a mixed feeling of fun and sadness that overflowed in Riddle’s heart, and it was in these moments that getting angry was more of a distraction than a problem, allowing himself to get slightly irritated at Jade’s oblivious behavior, not only because they made things a little more fun but it also made the idea of winning him over much more exciting.

Riddle’s objective wasn’t to simply kiss Jade, it was to make Jade want to kiss him. Trying to see just how far the man would go, to try and push him to the limit until he didn’t have any other option but to take the first step… That was the fun game that Riddle wanted to play.

“It was spectacular as always.”

“Is that all?” Those words were nearly an offense, such an empty compliment did not please Riddle in the slightest, even more considering Jade could be so good with his words. He certainly could do better, describe it better with beautiful poetic words, but saying it in such a vague and dismissive way just made it sound like he hadn’t paid attention to the performance at all.

“Oya? I apologize if I came off as rude. Allow me to think for a second.” Jade said, placing his finger under his chin and looking vaguely deep in thought. Riddle couldn’t help but admire how handsome the barman looked doing even those simple movements. “It was gracious, if I had to summarize it with only one word. The movements were so fluid, so natural and with a hint of calmness that is incomparable, it was much like a bird seconds before setting flight. An elegance so beautiful, like a swan, free of any burdens or weights. To you, in that moment, the floor was like a cloud so soft to the touch, all the air around you lost its resistance and allowed you to float. The pole, then, became your weapon- a tool to be used by you, to show everyone that you are more than just a beautiful face, but someone who’s ready to defend their honor and their ideals. The lights shone upon you as if they admired you, the music surrendered itself to your talent, and each movement you did was a telltale story of how the world should bend to you and your whim.”

Riddle’s jaw dropped, rendered completely speechless and not knowing how to react to Jade’s description of his work. It was true that he might have asked for a couple compliments to inflate his own ego, but that? Hearing that description had felt as if some kind of trigger had been pulled on his stomach, shooting his insides and exposing all of it to the outside world. Back to real life, his lips only shook as he looked at Jade, as if he was some newbie actor first learning how to practice facial expressions in front of a mirror, still unable to properly react, his lips moving but no sound coming out, as well as his eyes searching for a place to look at. It was a certain feeling of confusion that made him understand very well what it meant to feel lost.

“Woah…” Losing his composure for a second and, above all, not caring entirely about that fact, Riddle only took a longer sip of his drink, trying to think through his next words as to not make a complete fool of himself. “That was… Very pleasant to hear. Thank you.”

“I am glad that you like my words, Mister Rosehearts.”

The both of them were too close to each other for such formal treatment, with Jade still calling him Mister Rosehearts despite having known each other for years, and normally Riddle would be more than happy with being called Mister Riddle- that, if only he didn’t find it so delicious the way Jade’s voice would sound when pronouncing his surname, it almost sounded provocative, after all he hadn’t noticed Jade give anyone else the same treatment… Certainly it wasn’t possible that the barman had been doing it on purpose, however.

“I admire the way your choreography involves the steps and skills of a professional ballet dancer. It almost makes me think that…” In that moment, Riddle could notice a specific smile on Jade’s face, one that looked slightly sadistic and that he would only pull out whenever he had found something that he deemed extremely interesting in his eyes. It made Riddle want to sigh, knowing very well that it meant Jade was about to thread into a topic that surely wouldn’t be very pleasant to discuss, but he knew it would be almost impossible to stop the man from doing so, even more since a part of Riddle was aware that ignoring such things and feelings that he tried to bury more and more with the passing time would only hurt him harder. “So, Mister Rosehearts, do tell me. What are the deepest and worse traumas a ballet dancer can develop in their childhood?”

Riddle had never met someone better at reading people than Jade.

And nobody who was able to rip out words from someone’s mouth in a way that was so relaxing and therapeutic, such a pleasant harmony that was that voice in Riddle’s ears that made him want to, despite the bluntness of the words and how invasive the question would have sounded, it still made him want to pour out all of his secrets, all of his insecurities and feelings in front of one Jade Leech so easily.

“It was just…” Almost choking on his words, Riddle noticed how hard it was to willingly allow them to flow out. “My mother wanted me to dance ballet, and I practiced very hard in my childhood so that I could become one.”

“And yet, in the end, you became a stripper.” Jade pointed out, as if saying so was nothing but a peculiar observation, moving his hand to his chin once again and continuing to listen to Riddle’s story as if it was some kind of delicious meal that he couldn’t get enough of. “Could this be your rebellious phase?”

“Maybe… I put all my efforts into practicing, and I was good at ballet. That’s why I dance like one.”

Jade leaned forward on the counter and, for a moment, Riddle thought he was going to pick up the cup that was still placed between them, but instead of doing that, Jade went directly for Riddle’s hands, holding them and pulling them up slowly at the same time as he kept leaning forward, having to bring Riddle’s hands up in an awkward angle due to their height difference in order to reach his own face. As if that was not enough to cause Riddle to internally lose his mind completely, Jade went as far as to kiss his hands, first right above the knuckles, and then kissing his palms. Of course Riddle’s first instinct was the most natural one, and that meant pulling his hands back harshly as fast as possible, the bubbly feeling fermenting inside his stomach making him act before thinking properly about things. After that, he couldn’t do much more than freeze and stare at Jade while he lost control over his breathing.

“I must take the opportunity to declare that you are the best dancer I have ever seen.”

If there had ever been any negative feelings attached to the memories from his childhood at all, they all dissipated with the same speed with which Riddle’s heart hammered against his ribcage in that moment: completely accelerated, so fast he couldn’t keep track of it. He felt like he could faint at any second, and maybe asking for another drink would be the best way to solve things in that moment.

Yeah, another drink, that’s exactly what he needed.

“I’m thankful but, I don’t have any intention to go back to ballet.”

“You have fun when you’re on stage, I can see it.” Jade affirmed, at the same time as another client came over to order a drink. Focusing on preparing the mix, it was almost as if Jade didn’t mind leaving Riddle hanging by himself on an unfinished conversation while he finished his work. Once that was done with, however, he turned his attention back to the redhead, finally finishing his train of thought. “When you’re there, your expressions are genuine and real. But, when you remember things such as ballet, there is pain that taints your face.”

“Is it that obvious?” Deciding to distract himself from the heavy subject, Riddle noticed that it was a good opportunity to try and flirt with the taller man again, finding it a little fun to interrupt the conversation with a brief tease. Ah, he must be spending way too much time with Ace if this is where his thoughts have been going recently. That was the only explanation. “Or do you just enjoy paying close attention to me?”

Jade laughed lightly, it was so enchanting that Riddle felt like he could have a stroke just by listening to that simple sound.

“I like to look at you. It is similar to a beautiful painting in an art gallery, and much like the painting, you too have many stories and meanings behind every stroke of the brush. It is definitely interesting to unravel.”

Riddle hated this man.

Oh, how he hated him.

The thing is, Riddle was a sexually active person, and he enjoyed having his partners under him, exerting all of his dominance while still being the person who would get penetrated in the end, he had always been the kind of man who enjoyed having someone handcuffed to his bed, who liked saying whatever dirty thing that came to mind and who would hit their partner once or twice in case they dared disobey him. However, there had been a long time since the last time Riddle had that kind of relationship and, really, that left him feeling way more needy than he would ever admit. Exploring his own sexuality had always been some kind of way to escape reality, as if he had been trying to be the more rebellious possible, it was just like Jade had said, that much as all part of his rebellious phase after all. Marks and bruises on his body always gave him a brief sense of spiteful satisfaction, whenever he remembered his mom talking about how he was supposed to always keep his body as immaculate and untouched as possible, so his beauty would not be tainted in any way.

(Of course, that rule didn’t seem to apply to every time she would leave the bruises on his skin herself.)

To stare directly and personally at Jade Leech, a man with such exorbitant perfection, at the peak of his most sexually needy moment was, definitely, entering a dangerous and risky zone.

Riddle’s phone vibrated for a second, then, signaling that one of his close contacts must have sent him a message considering he had turned off notifications from anyone other than his friends. He took the opportunity to unlock the device and check on his texts, considering Jade had busied himself with organizing some bottles on the counter and taking the orders from a couple more clients that had sat down. Riddle inserted his password, and it wasn’t even 10 seconds past reading the text before he already regretted doing so.

’Yo! I totally see the way you’re staring at him, when do you plan on sucking him off yet?’

If Riddle was a little more physically strong in that moment, then maybe his phone would have broken in half from how strongly he was gripping it.

He hated Cater as well.

And the worst thing came not too long later, when he noticed that Cater’s message hadn’t been a private text but instead, it had been sent in a groupchat with all of Riddle’s other friends too.

(Even if he still wasn’t sure whether he should consider Ace a friend or not.)

’Suck who off?’ Speak of the devil. Riddle had to take a deep breath while he read over Ace’s text, asking himself why the hell was the newbie texting on his phone instead of focusing on his own performance.

’Quit being nosy, Ace.’ Cater’s message came right after.

’But you’re the nosiest person I know, damn.’

’But you are not me.’ Riddle thought it would all be okay if he just ignored the commentary after all it seemed as if the both of them had gotten side tracked, but apparently he was wrong because of course Cater couldn’t keep his mouth closed about some juicy gossip. ’The super hot barman, duh.’

A hint of jealousy sparkled in Riddle’s mind, but he decided to brush it off after all it was impossible to deny that Jade was, indeed, super hot.

‘If I recall correctly, Ace, you were supposed to be performing right now, no? Delays will not be allowed in any capacity and, if you continue to be on your phone instead of doing your job, then I think a punishment would be suitable for you.’

’Oh my fucking God, you can’t even have fun around here anymore.’ Attached to a bunch of rolling eyes emoji, Riddle noticed that Ace had finally gone offline.

‘Cater, how many times have I told you to not stick your nose in my personal life.’

’Haha, I’m sorry, but I thought you wouldn’t be able to do anything if you didn’t have an incentive :p’

Riddle almost typed in that he didn’t need Cater’s help at all but, upon realizing that saying that could come off as too rude, he decided against it. Cater was wrong, the only reason why Riddle wasn’t already there behind the counter making out with the barman was solely because he decided that playing a game of teasing each other was much more fun for now.

The first step needed to come from Jade.

Not knowing exactly what to say in answer to that, Riddle just turned his phone off, directing his back to Jade, noticing that many people had left already.

Half an hour before closing, then?

“Was it something important?” Riddle wanted to laugh at Jade’s question, thinking that it was ironic considering how that conversation couldn’t have been more irrelevant.

“Why do you ask? Are you jealous?” Instead of laughing then, Riddle smirked, at the same time as he internally cursed himself for the fact that it was so impossible to make Jade lose his cool, and how he didn’t even know if that was due to Jade’s serious personality or because of his dumb side that never quite caught onto Riddle’s teasing. “It was just my friends being stupid.”

“That must be their way of showing they care about you.”

“Uh, must be…” Biting his bottom lip slightly, Riddle took a deep breath. “Hey…” Acting in a gentle way and abandoning his more serious posture, Riddle tried his best to let his words flow while staying loyal to his feelings in that moment. For a brief second, he felt truly vulnerable, he felt like someone who could be shot down by any rude words thrown his way. “Do you really like my performances?”

“Is validation really that important to you?”

Those words may have sounded rude, even more considering the serenity with which Jade spoke them, and they affected Riddle as such. At the start, it hurt, it hurt as if he had gotten impaled right through his heart, slowly and non-stopping like a beautiful torture. Seconds later, Riddle found the peace that came with a realization.

If they were supposed to be direct, harsh and honest when it came to how they felt about things, then Riddle didn’t mind spitting what he truly felt.

“Yours is.”

And, again, no sharp reactions from Jade. The man was, literally, a lamppost and Riddle hated how much he loved that fact about him.

“I’m honored to know my opinion is held in such high regard by you.” He spoke with such indifference, something that led Riddle to often question how often did his words and feelings truly reach Jade, even if he wouldn’t say it out loud. The other didn’t do much more than simply concentrate on drying the cups he had just finished washing in the sink, but somehow Riddle had a feeling Jade just didn’t know how to demonstrate the way he’s feeling, or simply wasn’t very good at it.
“That’s not what I mean…”

A loud sound interrupted him, and Riddle noticed that Jade had placed a cup on the counter a little too strongly, hitting it against the flat surface. Ignoring his small mistake, Jade turned to Riddle with a small smile(nearly sadistic one) on his face, showing a little bit of his pointy teeth, and it was so exciting to finally see a change in Jade’s expression and posture, Riddle couldn’t help but feel a little high from being the one who caused it.

“If you want to know more about your performance, I would like to emphasize the fact that all of your rules do make it feel like some kind of BDSM exposition show.”

…

…

…

Right.

For fuck’s sake, now that was something Riddle wasn’t expecting, and had he been taking a sip from his drink right now he was sure all the contents would have flew straight out of his lips. Jade knew perfectly and exactly how to time things in order to catch him off guard and render him speechless, a very admirable skill that Riddle envied, how nice would it be to have the same skill and be able to make Jade lose his composure whenever he wanted to too.

That’s why Riddle found himself going completely red from head to toe, although he had no idea if it was from anger, embarrassment, or both.

“What do you expect me to say?? If you break the rule number 68 of the Queen of Hearts, you’re going to get your ass whipped?”

And Jade laughed.

It was a laughter that drained all the color from Riddle’s face, only to fill it up again right after with an even brighter shade of red, however this time he was sure it was from embarrassment. He wasn’t embarrassed about saying something so silly in front of Jade, but for seeing him laugh in such a carefree way and having loved every second of it. He was embarrassed about how stronger his heart would beat and how much he wanted to just melt into a puddle just from the simple sound of Jade’s happiness.

It was a little cursed thing, those feelings.

Riddle hated it- how could God allow a being so perfect as Jade to exist and even go as far as to make the both of them cross ways, that is something Riddle will never understand.

“I apologize. It was impossible for me to hold it back.” Riddle almost wanted to whine because of Jade’s words- did he not realize how much power he had over Riddle? How much the kindness and warmth of his small smile made his brain turn into mush?

Riddle wished, then, that he could stop time and be allowed to live in this specific moment for the rest of his life.

“Anyhow, I don’t think it is necessary for you to hear me describing the complexity and beauty of your performances over and over again. It is truly a shame that you deal with insecurities when your work is absolutely perfect. Please, do not tie yourself so tightly to such concepts and simply do what makes you happy and pleases you. Is that not why you decided to work here in this club? So you could be whatever you want to be, and not what others expect of you.”

Riddle took yet another deep breath, each word that was said going straight into his heart to the point it was hard to process all of it.

“I think you might be right.” His voice came off as distant, his mind getting whiplash from focusing on so many things at once and not knowing what to say in answer, looking up the clock only to realize it was already time to go home. “I think it’s time for me to go home.”

Riddle just wanted to get up and leave, knowing that if he kept speaking the anguish in voice would only become more and more obvious with each word that he spoke. His mind was confused and his heart was beating hard- but before he could move, Jade had already moved to grab at his hand, keeping him in place and only enhancing the rate and speed of his heartbeat.

“I really appreciate your company, Mister Rosehearts. And it is very pleasant to be able to always talk to you after your performances.”

Yeah… It had been a while since this became a habit, hadn’t it, even if he didn’t notice that he would always repeat the same routine over and over again. Riddle sighed, a little melancholic, how did he allow himself to do such thing without even realizing it?

“I do that often, huh?”

“You do it every night.”

Riddle wanted to choke up and die.

“I see…”

For a couple seconds, they did nothing but stare at each other, almost as if time had stopped. It was like a hole in their souls, previously empty, got filled little by little with each little special moment they spent together, it was a weird way to pass the time, but felt so pleasant and nice. Once again Riddle wished he had the ability to stop time and stay there forever. Even with such a melancholic atmosphere around then, there was also a glint in their eyes that would only ever be present when they near each other.
Riddle didn’t even know how much time had passed at this point.

“It seems like the club is about to close.” Jade was the one to break the silence, of course, looking up again at the clock. The clock hand that looked like it wasn’t moving before, suddenly started going so fast, seconds and minutes passing by with a torturing speed that mocked Riddle’s secret wishes, going against what he wanted.

“That means it’s my time to go, then. It was a pleasure to chat with you as per usual, thank you for your attention.” He tried his best to sound as mature as possible about it when the time came for them to say goodbye and part ways, even if right now, on the inside, Riddle wanted to do anything but get up and leave, two sides forming a stupid fight inside of him much like a kid who did not want to stop playing his favorite game.

Before he could leave, however, Jade’s voice caught his attention once again as the taller man walked out from behind the counter and joined Riddle in the front of it.

“If you may allow me, Mister Rosehearts, I would like to take you to my house tonight.”

Riddle had no idea how to react to that.

“Ah, why?”

And Riddle certainly wasn’t ready for what was about to come.

“Because I see that, deep inside, you are alone.”

The words hit him like a bullseye, even though he was already growing used to the way Jade seemed to always have the perfect strategy to affect him and poke at his deepest feelings, some of which not even Riddle himself remembered they existed, some that he had sealed and locked deep in the back of his mind to never be talked about again.

Alone? He was alone? Even with many friends around him, even with sometimes having a pleasant company to spend the night with, even with so many people adoring him and yearning for him… Yes, Riddle couldn’t be more alone than this. A hollow shell, so decorated and well cared for on the outside, but so dry on the inside, not allowing himself to express his true feelings and not being able to deal with things with any emotion other than anger and stress, so needy and desperate for something meaningful to happen in his life to the point that his biggest happiness on the daily came in the shape of chatting with the barman that worked in the same stripper club as him after his performances. A daily routine that ended up becoming a habit of his after a while.

“And I believe that spending every night alone in your apartment, with nobody to help warm up your heart, only buries you deeper and deeper in the snowstorm that chases you.”

Riddle wanted to tell him to shut up, wished he could make Jade stop speaking at all, he didn’t want to hear even one more word, because they were all so real and accurate, even with how much they burned, just like a medicine that hurt so much before helping your wound close up and heal. In that moment, he realized that rather than ordering him to be quiet, he wanted to make the other man shut up, and the only way to do so was with his own lips, getting on his tip toes and kissing Jade so hard that he was completely unable to speak now. Riddle closed his eyes, ignoring everything that surrounded the both of them for a while.

Jade knew what would be good for Riddle, even if it hurt sometimes. Riddle wanted to ignore all of it and simply live hiding behind his fabricated ignorance, having fun with pole dancing while a thousand men venerated him.

But Jade… Wanted to see Riddle smiling all the time, not only in short moments where he could escape reality and pretend he was somewhere else entirely.

Riddle had been focusing so much on the concept of a carnal closeness and pleasure, that he completely ignored the emotional closeness that him and Jade had shared in the past weeks, growing closer with a warmth and affection that Riddle had neglected up until now.

Maybe Riddle really did mean something to Jade after all.

No, he definitely did.

“Please, allow me to be the one who could keep you warm.” Jade broke the contact, asking the question with a hint of fondness even as he took hold of Riddle’s hand calmly.

The kiss had meant much more than just a physical contact of lips, between the two of them, something that Riddle certainly hadn’t felt before and, if anything, he doubted anyone else could make him feel the same way. So frustrated and uncomfortable in one second, only to realize it was a good thing in the end, if only he had paid closer attention to things and to his own feelings since the start.

Riddle collapsed into Jade’s body, hugging him so tightly and so closely, not caring the tiniest bit about the size and height difference between them, actually feeling quite comfortable with the way how Jade could hold him in a way that could embrace him completely.

“Let me sleep in your bed and hold me close eternally, do not let me escape even for a moment. This is the one promise you must keep.” He said, closing his eyes once again and focusing on the feeling of Jade’s body against him. Maybe they had built something together this whole time, even before Riddle realized his own emotions. Only because Jade did not express his feelings in the same way as other people would, even if his gestures could often be misread as dismissive or uncaring, even if he was a mysterious figure that was hard to understand… That did not mean he didn’t care about Riddle. “Rule number 452, a promise should never be broken.”

“That, I promise. Allow yourself to trust me, too.”

With a soft kiss against the top of Riddle’s head, Jade ran his hands up and down his back, ready to protect and help the redhead through any and everything that would burden him in his life.

And while Jade would do his best to extract all of Riddle’s hidden negative feelings to try and help him reach true genuine happiness, Riddle knew he would slowly unravel every secret behind Jade’s insincerity, his fake expressions and even the lack of reactions at all that seemed to always walk side by side with the man.

That night, under the comfort of Jade’s soft blankets and his slim warm body, Riddle allowed himself to relax, to smile without thinking about anything else, to not give a care in the world about things that would normally seem so important to him. In that moment, none of that mattered, and for a second he remembered the first time he had met Jade, with such a gentle and inviting smile, so completely different from all the other pests that would gather at the club to watch Riddle. Jade was different, had always been, he looked at Riddle with admiration, not with malice or second intentions that could only mean bad things in the long run; he was kind, honest and truly appreciative, even with all of his manipulative and eccentric tendencies that just made him all the more intriguing. He was thrown back to that moment, one of the only and few ones where he had gotten to see Jade without any mask or any attempt at disguising what he was truly feeling on the inside, an image that he would never be able to forget even years later.

The smile the both of them shared when they first met… That was, indeed, a most genuine thing.