Chapter Text
Ripped with confusion in different places she fell apart
Standing on that stage felt like holding all her bones, bending her body, twisting her voice entertaining the sea of hungry eyes. Usually this is exactly what she wants, pouring her soul into the ocean, but he was here.
Contorting his own body so smoothly so effortlessly. The King Cobra. The figure head of it all. She was used to these types, those self proclaimed kings, drawing pawns into their empty promises. They never even looked at girls like her, even up on that stage they still manage to take the attention of the whole room subtlety; she is left there writhing, unable to tell who to cater to.
Stepping off the stage and collapsing into herself in front of the dressing room mirror, feeling a burning at the back of her mind
“They’re bad for business,” she muttered to herself.
Trying to get their attention ends In one of two ways, ignored, given a brief smile or laying dishevelled on their office table with powder in her hair, yeah it’s good pay for one night and occasionally makes for good conversation, but mind and body can only stretch so far apart, a loveless life really gets to you sometimes.
“No more powder” she muttered again.
Sets already coming up and that half an hour break felt like 5 minutes. She can’t cope with the lights today it’s all just too much. She groans and swiftly pushes off the table and claws out her her chair “there’s no ecstasy left to suck out of this fucking club”
The King Cobra was still here annoyingly. Usually he would only be here if it was a detour to a meeting but, he was here for a drink? Sure he drinks here now and then but never when it’s this crowded, never.
He was facing away from the stage on a seat directly in front of the bartender, once again extremely uncharacteristically.
She was already back on stage swirling unconsciously with the Rhythm, occasionally having to forcefully break her eyes off of him, watching the back of his head stare down into his cup. Why do I want to care? She thought, and sunk into herself.
Halfway through the set and he was still there, still facing away from the stage some other girls were trying to guess his favorite songs, changing up the set order, trying to gage a reaction, everyone wanted to get their hands on his bag regardless of how fucking dangerous he was. She just kept thinking how annoying it all was, as if he’s gonna have much on him its the fucking king Cobra, he’s probably only carrying a gun, or a knife or something, “that’s bottom shit” she told them, she’d been at the club years longer than most of the girls but still couldn’t deny how exciting it would be getting him to turn around even for a second.
She gave the bartender, chuck a glance, he shrugged his shoulders and signaled to the Cobra. He looked back up with worried eyes, more watery and shimmering than usual with that signature furrowed brow, he turned the flat ice shovel so that it reflected in her face, it blinded her for a second but once he forced his hands to stop shaking she could see the Cobra’s face in its reflection.
Slowing her dancing to pay closer attention……………..he looked really fucking depressed.
She felt a smile creep up onto her face, she might actually have a chance with this! King Cobra was his presence not how he operated, being a show off was just, showing off.
The next day she came in early, she had to see how things were going, there was no way a man with that dark a face was NOT going to be drinking the next morning, his sorrow had just begun.
Working where she did you see every kind of person, you become a fucking empath, she could read every single customer with her eyes closed.
The next morning she just practised an old set on the down low and just watched, like a strippers stake out. Early morning people at the bar are the real sad fucks, even sader thing is it’s usually the same people on rotation.
Sure enough there he was, sipping on that same old whisky like it was water, kind of impressive but surely he had the worst headache ever, now was her chance to get a better look. She walked back behind the bar and gave Chuck this really vague ambiguous look.
“So you need help cleaning up?” It wasn’t a question, she began to check the sink for glasses, chuck gave her a blank look.
“yeah umm..” he began “the ice needs refilling so-“ she cut him off “yeah yeah you go get that I got this”
Chuck got the message too late and was swept out back.
She stood in front of the Cobra wiping a glass. He had this dark aura about him with his head resting on 2 fingers in a sort of woe is me pained way.
She wondered what on earth he had to be so mad about and tilted her head,
I just have to go for it the curiosity is killing me she thought.
“Saw you around here last night, don’t catch you often”
She stayed tilted drying the glass, he gave her no response.
“Right got it..” she said reaching down putting the glass away before grabbing the next one
“Was gonna ask you if you liked my set but,.. ha ha’- You know it’s rude to ignore a girls set like you did last night”
She gave him a slight smile and his eyes darted for a second up at her before he rolled his eyes and his glass.
“Right,.. well I’ll be sure to take a look next time” his voice was tired, he wanted absolutely nothing to do with her.
Life continued on its dry and predictable route until a couple weeks later on a Friday night.
The Cobra had his coat on this time and was definitely just passing through like usual, strangely enough though he looked her way, forgetting what she had told him.
Caught off guard she sort of froze, and decided to give him a really sincere soft smile before continuing and finishing the song. She knew then and there that she had to have fucking got him, surely now she must have had some impact.
Sure enough, next time she saw him a few nights later he was rushing through the crowd, she was leaning on the bar from the outside blocking his path.
One of his men pushed her out of the way “move bitch”
And like clockwork he defended her just like she wanted.
“No don’t be like that- ugh, excuse me-uh what was your name again- darling? ”
the darling was quick and forced and really uncomfortable.
“***”
“excuse me ***”
She gave him an empty sad smile in return as he passed, this was honest.
Something about that bitch cut her,
And she knew what this would turn into.
The most she was ever going to get out of the Cobra was a smile and an excuse me and a sort of unspoken friendship, she later found out that he didn’t do the whole ‘private parties’ thing so that ship had sailed and at this point she didn’t want money, love is totally overrated but a friend would be really really fucking nice in this dump.
Maybe she should have been born topside, wrote poetry, her body was her poetry in the under-city, the way she moved and danced across the stage was the only way she could get people to listen.
That same night though it was raining,
Raining and she was walking home.
She stood at the back door of the club undercover, heals in hand wrapped in a large coat.
something miraculous happened
Down the ally a black important looking car pulled up and the Cobra was walking towards it escorted by several men
Standing there dimly lit she caught his eye
He started at her before holding his hand out
“Would you like a lift?”
She was as surprised as his body guards
“Umm yes please”
Sitting in the backseat of the car next to the Cobra he started to ask her questions
“how long have you been working at my club”
“Umm a while now actually, almost 2- umm years I think?”
“Wow how come I’ve never seen you before, uh-until recently that is.”
“I could ask you the same”
He smiled
Behind the back seat they were in was another, 2 men sat behind them with the quarter glass open
“Where did you say you were again, ember street?”
“Yes..”
She began to feel uneasy from such a strange question, she had just told the driver where she lived as they got into the car why was he asking again?
“Say, *** you wouldn’t mind if I asked you a strange question would you?”
She shook her head
“You keep tabs on everyone right?, remember faces?”
She stared at him with sharp eyes
“I see everything.”
She had returned the favor and made him as uneasy as her, he went on
“Right….…You see I’m on the look out for this man”
He reached into his pocket for a crumpled up piece of paper and showed her a tall looking man in a blue beanie.
“ring any bells?”
The picture was dark and taken candid of him on the street, hands in his pockets of a navy blue hoodie with rips on the elbows.
Suddenly she felt a sharp pain up her spine
And the back of her neck was freezing
Any contentment she held on her face fell away, and he watched as her face turned cold and dull, she took a long pause before giving her answer.
“How long have you been looking for him”
“Almost a week, hmm more like a few days or so”
His answer was clearly purposely vague
She sighed,
“I have been working non stop for three days, working nights and cleaning mornings, if he came by here he didn’t come inside”
He tried to reply but she cut him off
“I remember every single face, I smell every drink if he came by I could tell you how long he was here and how many cents he spent, IF he came by he did not come inside”
His face fell grim and tired, any positive persona he was holding up was gone
“You seem very sure of yourself”
She could feel the anxiety in her chest build up and crawl towards her throat, she couldn’t take it any longer.
“in my line of work you see everything, every excruciating perverted detail of every soul that crosses your path. You start to forget you life ever existed before this job, and when you do it for as long as I have any fragment of enjoyment or fun you ever felt for this is fucking gone, but what’s really a thorn in my side is knowing nobody else in the club feels the same way. My girls aren’t really my girls, we keep to ourselves these days, only thing we share is a dressing room, a schedule, and danger when we see it, I am uncomfortably aware of anything that could possibly be dangerous to me 24/7, so I would really appreciate it if you would tell your guy to stop pressing his gun to the back of my chair, and tell me if I should steer clear of this guy, or let you know if I see him”
a silence fell on the whole car every eye was placed on her including the drivers in the rear view mirror.
The man sitting directly behind her was firmly pressing a pistol into the back of her chair just like she said the minute the Cobra had pulled the crumpled piece paper out of his pocket.
He stared at her completely content with eyes like knifes refusing to show any gawk or surprise on his face.
His lips moved slightly and softly snarled, this was the Cobra everyone talked about, not the, can I humbly offer you a ride home bullshit.
He began to let out a cold chuckle as he waved his hand strangely signaling the man behind her to lower the pistol
“Haha sorry *** just a precaution, you understand, obviously quite clearly”
She began to relax again
“I’m not sure I do actually”
He was getting increasingly annoyed and impatient and was sighing as he spoke
“Look it’s… just business, to answer your question, if you see this man you are to report to me immediately, is that fair?”
She spoke as if verbally rolling her eyes
“sure”
They did not speak for the rest of the car ride
Only a few minutes passed before they arrived at *** apartment complex one of the men came out to open the door for her and the Cobra peaked through in shock at the complete dump she was living in. She quietly giggled at the look on his face, did he seriously not realise how little he was paying her?
Sort of embarrassed he said
“I-trust your fine from here?”
She barely looked back at him nodding
“Thankyou, I’ll let you know if- …yeah”
She caught a glimpse of him lighting a cigar before one of his men closed the door.