Chapter Text
Valani stared at the letter in his hand. The big, red letters spelling “Overdue” burned right into his eyes.
He thought he had more time…
This is exactly what he gets for deciding to check his mail before work. Why couldn't he stay patient and look at it after like every sane person?! An exasperated breath escaped his lips as he stuffed the letter into his work bag. He wasn't even sure if it was the electricity or the water bill.
Valani closed his eyes briefly.
He would get paid next week — and he was pretty sure he still had around 20 dollars on his card… Hopefully the interest rate wasn't too high.
Or worse. He really didn't want to deal with no water or electricity for a few days.
He exhaled once again, taking a deep inhale right after. This was fine. He had been in this type of trouble before, back when he lived with him. At the end of the day he always pulled through. Be it picking up extra shifts, begging his boss to pay him earlier or…
He could work extra hard tonight.
Valani scratched the back of his head at the thought. It wasn't that he minded the work but it wasn't often he could actually give his everything. Who could blame him after working an entire shift in a service job right before?
His hand reached up to his face to push his round glasses up while glancing down at his old phone — it had a crack running down the middle of its screen making it a little more difficult to tell the time.
Speaking of time and work, he should probably get goin—
Fifteen minutes before his shift was about to start.
Run. He should run. He had spent far too much frozen in the spot staring at the overdue notice.
His blond hair trailed behind him as he started to speed walk to his workplace. He wasn't sure when but somewhere in-between the traffic light and a closed off street he had actually begun to run. Until the familiar coffee shop came into view.
The Vanilla Orchid.
It was a cozy little thing — a staple of a bustling neighborhood. Its large windows were decorated with various plants and flowers, both real and painted onto the glass itself. Outside he could see a few customers enjoying their drinks at old yet ever so charming wooden tables and chairs. Truly, entering this place was like entering a completely new dimension — one filled with warmth and tranquility. Often one could see older people having a nice chat while sharing a drink, students working tirelessly on their laptops or even people simply coming to read books or draw in the nooks and crannies of the café.
Valani could feel his stress slowly wash away as he approached. It wasn't perfect but it was calm — it was like his second home. He opened the doors, a soft sound of wooden wind chimes following in his wake.
“AHHH—”
“I TOLD YOU TO BE CAREFUL—”
It was sometimes calm.
Valani sighed, shaking his head in amusement as he approached the counter. There, his two coworkers — a woman with long tied back black hair and a teenager with messy brown hair. Currently the latter was holding a torn bag leaking coffee beans all over the ground while the woman was glaring daggers at him with a very unamused expression
Ray and Ginger.
“Guys… you're scaring the customers.” Valani laughed quietly offering the two of them a gentle smile. Just then a set of keys was thrown at him which he quickly caught.
“Yeah, yeah whatever. Go get ready — you're late.” Ray told him, giving him a halfhearted squint. “And you clean up this mess!” She barked at the young man who straightened up and nodded furiously.
“Aye, aye.” Valani joked, giving her a playful salute which earned him an eyeroll. The two of them had become fast friends back in the day when he had just started working here. With her determination she quickly climbed the ladder, earning her place as the manager of The Vanilla Orchid. Valani meanwhile… kind of marched in place. He wasn't particularly competitive — he enjoyed making good coffee while chatting with customers. Perhaps that was his downfall at the end.
He unlocked the doors to their break room to set his bag down, taking a brief moment to breathe again. The letter weighed heavily in his mind, but maybe he could distract himself with work today? Valani took his almond colored apron off of the wand, tying it swiftly around himself. The myriad of pins that he had collected over the years made a jangling noise as he did. Lastly, with a hair claw he pinned up his long blond hair — as per Ray’s long standing orders.
Finally, he was ready to face the world.
Once he exited he saw Ginger sweeping the floor frantically while Ray explained to him how to open the bags properly — again.
Ah…
Valani approached with an air of gentleness around him. “I'll finish it, go help the customer.” He told the kid, parting him on the shoulder. He watched as he lit up, basically running to the register to take an order.
“He will never learn if you baby him.”
“He's just a high schooler.” he replied as he picked up a broom left behind by the other. He started to sweep the floor quietly, gaze growing a little distant.
“I'm going to head out for the day, Ginger said he had to go home early so you're closing alone. If you want I can swing by again and—”
“No need, I can close the shop blindfolded.” He replied with a small smile.
“Fine… I made you your usual.” She said, gesturing at a large cup of white mocha with blueberry syrup on the counter. “I still think you have weird tastes.”
“Oh!! Thank you!” He lit up at the drink, setting the broom aside to go and get a sip. A hum of deep satisfaction escaped his lips at the taste. “What can I say, I just like blueberries!” He smiled.
“Then eat a blueberry muffin like the rest of us. Don't put it in your coffee, freak.” The woman teased him lightly, patting his back twice.
The two of them chatted for a little while longer until Ray finally bid her goodbye. The key to the break room now hung around his neck as he finished up a latte for a customer.
“Wow!! Valani, how do you do that?” Ginger gasped, peering over his shoulder.
“Hm? The hearts? I have shown you already.” He laughed a little, setting his pitcher aside.
“Yes, but you do it so effortlessly! I always have to focus super duper hard!” The young man continued in amazement.
“I guess I've just been working here far too long.” He joked, setting the cup on the tray before calling out the name of the customer who had ordered it. “Speaking of working, you should go, your shift ends soon.” He said as he took off the keys around his neck, offering them to his coworker.
Ginger looked at the keys hesitantly before his eyes scanned the busy café. “Are you sure? I can still stay and—”
“Shoo.” Valani replied playfully, waving him away with his hand as he turned to take another order while the other went away to gather his stuff.
“Hi, welcome to The Vanilla Orchid, what would you like today?” he asked politely, offering his best customer service smile to the person in front of him. Said smile fell a little as the person barked out an order at him — without a trace of politeness.
Great.
Just what he needed.
“Okay, that will be $5 please!” He continued, his smile tightening around the edges a little. He watched with mild disbelief as the customer tossed the money onto the counter as if even just doing that wasn't worth their time.
Wow.
“It'll be done in a bit! Meanwhile, here's your change.” Valani continued in the same tone as he picked up a few coins. The temptation to toss them at this wonderfully rude person grew inside of him… but he was an adult man, he wasn't that petty. He had to give a good example to Ginger, he won't stoop to their level.
He placed the money on the counter before walking away to make his hundredth latte of the day. Maybe he should ask one of his coworkers to blindfold him one day so that he can try making one. He was pretty sure he could do it with minimal damage. Then again he could just take off his glasses and get the same effect.
The thought made him chuckle a little as he foamed some milk. His eyes glanced at the customer who — frankly was making a show of waiting. Valani debated going extra slowly, just to annoy them. Instead, he settled on no latte art — deciding to cover the coffee with a lid to hide his secret little crime.
“Here you go, and have a wonderful da—” the coffee was snatched out of his hand and the customer stomped away. “—day..” he sighed, shaking his head. His gaze shifted towards their little, unchanged tip jar.
Valani opened it up quickly counting the money inside. If he were to take it all he'd definitely be able to pay off that overdue bill—
“Are you super duper extra sure you don't need help, Valani?” Came a familiar young voice that made him smile.
“Yes I'm super duper extra sure. You have to study for your tests, it's far more important.” He told the high schooler. He counted the money in his hands again, taking more than half of what they had earned that day. “Here, these are your tips.” He told Ginger, offering it to him.
He watched the young man's eyes light up and sparkle at the amount only for the gaze to turn hesitant as quickly as it came. “Boss, are you sure? This seems like a lot.” He asked, hesitantly.
“Yes I'm sure, I counted it twice.” He reassured the other, placing the money in his hands.
It wasn't evenly split at all. Valani had given Ginger a far larger portion of the tips — it was reasonable in his mind. The kid worked hard and earned less than him, of course he should get more.
“O-okay!!” He gasped, quickly pocketing the bills. “Thank you! I'll see you again on Tuesday!” He chirped, waving at Valani who offered one back.
“Good luck on your tests, kid! See you Tuesday.” He smiled, watching Ginger rush out of the store with a pep in his step.
Ah, to be that young again.
Valani looked at his leftover tips. Well he won't be paying that overdue bill today. But it was enough for a pick me up dinner after work — maybe he could even get a pack of cigarettes?
You should really quit.
Came a familiar, deep voice of his friend in the back of his head. He really should… he did at one point but with balancing two jobs and an apartment — who could blame him if he wanted to have a smoke break every now and then, right? Other than his lungs that is.
Valani tapped his hand against the counter as he thought it through. Not that there was any use in overthinking something like this — he hadn't even opened the letter!
His eyes glanced at the clock. He should probably start cleaning up soon — Ray might murder him if he closed lacklusterly, or worse his other coworkers would have a hard time.
With one big stretch Valani got to work — clearing up the tables, cleaning up their equipment, setting everything back in its place for the sake of the morning shift. He swept the floor as well, humming softly to the sound of music in his head. Maybe he could ask Ray to tell the owner that they should invest in some speakers — thinking more about it, he'd probably waste far too much time dancing around with the broom rather than sweeping. Valani stopped, looking around the cozy, empty store once.
…
Oh wow he felt lonely.
Valani bit the inside of his cheek for a moment before shaking his head. It wasn't like he had the time to date anyway — that's exactly why it didn't work out the last time. But… maybe he should pay him a visit soon? Then again, tomorrow was Saturday which meant he will come by with his son anyway.
His hold around the broom tightened for a moment. The sound of an alarm on his phone filled the empty, far too quiet coffee shop.
…
They were closed.
Valani was out in no time, making sure twice that he locked everything up. His plan now was simple, he'd rush to the corner store to get dinner (and cigarettes) and then once home he'd have around an hour to get ready and head out to the club for the night.
If his calculations were correct, he should be able to make enough money to pay the club fees as well as the overdue bill. Which meant he couldn't just take off his top and be done with it.
Valani's gaze went over ready made dinners — nothing looked appetizing, yet he didn't have time to cook tonight, or really any night. At the end he picked up whatever was on sale that day, some green pasta with vegetables? He didn't really bother reading anything other than the red price that had been stuck to the box. He also got some fruit as a snack for later, hopefully this time he won't forget about their existence until it was far too late.
What else…
He hated how his hand itched as soon as he came to the register — face to face with boxes of cigarettes. It felt like they were getting more and more expensive by the day.
He shouldn't.
Yet, almost automatically his hand picked up his favorite brand. Suddenly, his cheap little trip to the corner store turned out.. well.
“Crap.” He muttered as he saw the price flash on screen. He definitely didn't have enough cash for this — he could only hope that there was in fact 20 dollars on his card as he pressed it against the screen.
…
Declined.
“Oh! Would you like to pay another way?” Asked the nice cashier as he stared at the big error message. “Sir?”
“Wh— no, it's okay… you can take the—” his eyes twitched between the cigarettes and food. He swallowed once.
“—the cigarettes. I'll just get the food.” He told the cashier. This time when he paid it went through, thankfully. Great.
Good!
He wanted to quit anyway!! Again!
This was an amazing first step!
He convinced himself as he started his walk home. The path to his apartment was dimly lit, but hey — it was walkable! This was one of the reasons he had moved here, he couldn't afford a car currently so the ability to walk to his work and the little corner shop was absolutely needed. However to get to the club he actually did need a ride — which, naturally, would be deducted from his earnings tonight. Because why would life ever be easy?
Valani exhaled as he set down his grocery bag once inside. Home sweet home. He let his long blond hair down, tossing the hair claw onto the living room couch as he made his way to the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror for a few moments, pulling at his cheek. Geez, his eye bags have been getting worse and worse.
Maybe he should coordinate more days off from both jobs to catch up on sleep.
He thought briefly, patting his face a couple of times. Focus. Eat.
With an exhausted exhale Valani went back to pick up his ready made dinner, popping the pasta into a separate bowl. He was pretty sure he had to heat it up but — eh. Speaking of hearing stuff up..
Valani finally picked up his overdue letter that had been burning in the back of his mind the entire day. He flipped it around a couple of times, biding his time. He could still turn on the lights which meant surely it wasn't the electricity!
Carefully he opened the letter.
His eyes scanned quickly through the words, trying to find the amount he had to pa—
Oh wow.
Valani let out a deep exhale, setting the letter face down.
…
He picked it up again, just to make sure he read that correctly and — yup.
He would need a miracle to pay this off before his water was shut down.
Shit.
He ran his hands through his hair a few times, messing up his light blond strands. Cool. Amazing! His eyes briefly glanced at his food — he really wished he had bought the cigarettes instead.
Feeling the little bit of hunger he had vanished into thin air he stood up, leaving his poor dinner out and untouched.
Valani walked right back into the bathroom, already having stripped his light blue and yellow sweater on the way there. Now in just a plain shirt he gave himself a glare in the mirror.
…
He squinted his eyes a little harder, pouting his bottom lip. He really was completely unthreatening outside of his persona, was he?
He set up an alarm on his phone before turning on some random music — he didn't really care what it was as long as it could drown out the ringing in his ears that started once he opened the letter.
Almost automatically his hands started to move through his makeup. He had done this so many times over the year he had worked in the club, it was almost as easy as making coffee. His hips moved a little to the beat of the music as he leaned over his sink to get a closer look in the mirror while putting on his black lipstick — truly a staple.
His makeup was done quickly, dark and threatening. Now when he glared at the mirror he looked like he had shifted into an entirely different person. He could totally pass this look off for Halloween. The thought made him chuckle a little.
Valani looked over at a small box next to the sink — his favorite part. His piercings.
He was lucky to work in an amazing coffee shop with amazing coworkers but that didn't mean he had total freedom. Face piercings, for some reason, weren't allowed. Which left him only with his invisible ones on his body and his ears. Truly, it was depressing — he liked them!!
He looked between the two colors of metal he had, gold and silver. Gold was his favorite, yet every time he would go into the club he put his silver jewelry in — just in case anything got lost during the night.
Valani slipped his snake bites, nose piercings, eyebrow and bridge piercings inside of his face. He squinted a little, poking his cheek where theoretical dimples could be.
If he had the money… dimple piercings could be adorable! Then again if he came into money he'd probably get another tattoo. Plus how could he let them heal if he had to take them out every day for work?
With one swift motion he picked up the black hair spray he had started using recently. He sprayed the edges of his hair, using his fingers to spread the color up his hair — turning his sunshine blond hair into something dirtier and, he'd like to believe, more rugged.
Time to go make some money.
Valani left his apartment in his usual, dark coat while carrying a large duffle bag with him. He would change once he got to the club, it was too big of a hassle to walk into an Uber looking like that. Now he just looked edgy. His teenage emo phase self would've weeped with joy.
He played around with his phone while he waited to be driven to his work. His gaze shifted outside of the window once, watching the buildings change from run down to New as he exited his little neighborhood. The further into the city they went the more the scenery and the people around them changed.
It was a little frustrating, to think about how divided the city truly was when it came to wealth. But, it's not like he held any power or say in it. He was just one of the cogs in the machine.
Or, perhaps two.
Valani exited the car, offering a warm smile to the driver — which looked almost uncanny when he looked like he could eat someone for breakfast. He kind of enjoyed seeing people be surprised whenever he'd smile like this.
He looked at the club a little ways away. It was bustling with people eagerly waiting to enter. He, meanwhile, took a turn into a dark alley, entering from the side, right into the hallway that led into the changing rooms. Of course you couldn't just enter, no. You had to type in a special code into multiple doors — which honestly, he appreciated. As…questionable… as the morals of this place were when it came to paying its employees the safety he felt was absolutely unmatched.
The changing room was empty — everyone was already outside and entertaining the guests, he got lucky when it came to his work hours.
Valani checked his make up in the large mirror again, humming softly. Good. Finding nothing wrong with it he went behind the changing screen to get into his outfit for the night. He was going to only bring his loose tank top and shorts but a certain letter drastically changed tonight's plans.
He zipped up his tight, black top up to his neck, smiling a little in amusement. It ended right under his chest and shoulders yet it covered his neck — how scandalous it'd be if he had a V neck!!
Valani suppressed a giggle at his own bad joke, shaking his head as he put on his black leather shorts and arm fishnets. He walked out, holding his knee high, skin tight boots in his hand — it was absolutely impossible to get them on without sitting down. He sat himself on the bench, taking a deep inhale.
Universe, please help him put on these boots without crying.
Once the battle has settled, with the boots winning for the third time this week, he felt like taking a mental health break. Why did he get these ones?! He could've picked the ones with a zipper but nooo— his clients prefer these monsters!!
Valani glanced down, giving them a little click. Okay, they did look damn good. Even if he wanted to pull his hair whenever putting them on.
But this new frustrated, rugged look only helped his persona! So maybe it was a win! He tried to convince himself as he picked up his black and gold cloak with a big fur collar.
“VAL— YOU'RE UP SOON!!” Came a voice from a fellow dancer outside of the changing room doors.
“COMING!” He answered, taking a moment to check himself out in the mirror for the last time. He messed up his hair a little, letting his long bangs fall into his face. With a few moments to collect himself, he let his expression fall into an uninterested glare.
Truthless Recluse — the stage name he had thought of on a fly when applying — walked out of the room.
This character he made up was a confident man who couldn't be bothered to even look at you. And when he did? His glare was as sharp as his heels, cutting you piece by piece.
At least Valani liked to believe this was the energy he brought to the table.
Truthless Recluse walked to the wings of the stage, taking a quick peak at the audience. It was filled with men and women dressed up for something far fancier than a night club.
The Spire Night Club was a staple of the area.
It was the place where filthy rich people came to party, drink and watch a good show. The floors were checkered with black and dark blue velvet, the tables gilded with silver, couches made out of real leather.
Valani hated it.
But without it he'd not be able to afford his apartment.
His heels clicked as he walked onto the stage, silencing the room in an instant. His head turned once towards the crowd, scanning each and every person in it.
He made a point of holding eye contact for a little longer with anyone who would come every night to watch him — usually his regulars. They always sat in the front, the best places in the house. He had heard rumors that people would come as soon as the club opened just to claim the seats closest to his presence.
How silly.
How desperate.
And yet, it wasn't enough. One would think that such people would pay him well — but those were always the greediest. Those were the types of people that wanted to just take and take.
Everyone held their breath as they waited for him.
This feeling — it was powerful. He hated to admit that he liked it. He liked being the commanding presence of the room — he liked that here he could let his frustrations from his day job out and that the people on the receiving end would cheer and cry his name.
He was the most popular attraction of this place after all.
His hand grabbed the cold, silver pole.
This was the part he loved. He loved pole dancing. It had been a hobby of his for far longer than stripping ever even came into his mind.
His movements were slow to the quiet beat of the music. He walked around the pole once, the clicks of his heels deafening. It looked like he was teasing the audience, but in reality he wanted to make sure the pole was stable and working — which it was.
With his back turned to the audience he let out a soft exhale, closing his eyes.
He had to give them a good show today.
Slowly he turned his head, looking over his shoulders into the crowd.
…
The cloak slipped slowly from his shoulders down to his elbow with one perfectly placed roll of his strong shoulders.
The reaction was instant.
The cheers of people drowned out his music so, until they stopped he didn't move, patiently waiting. Leaving everyone in anticipation. This was his first dance of the night, he was going to keep everyone on their toes.
Finally, when he felt enough time had passed he started.
This was another way he was different from other dancers. He had trained and polished his dancing for years. Unlike the rest his focus wasn't stripping off his clothes — yet. It was the performance itself, his smooth movements that seemed like they defied the laws of gravity paired with the way he looked were enough to make anyone in the crowd fall in love with him, regardless of gender.
His first dance of the evening ended with his cloak on the ground, leaving his strong arms and midriff completely exposed.
With his back against the pole he leaned down, to the audience, toying with the zipper of his top. Slowly, it started to go down…and down…
The song ended and with it his zipper went right back up his neck — leaving the people in front of him to whine in disappointment.
Without a second look back he walked off the stage, flipping his long hair once — leaving everyone hungry for more.
Speaking of hunger — he was really regretting not eating before he came here.
“THAT WAS SO COOL VAL!” His coworkers chirped as she moved to cling onto and shake his arm.
“Mhm.” He replied, making his way with her to the break room. “It's just what I always do.”
“I know!! But it's still so AHHH!! You had me blushing!!” She continued to chatter away, following him.
“Do you have a cigarette?” He suddenly asked, looking down at her.
“Duh — come let's go take a quick smoke break. You need to tell me how you did that upside down move!” She chatted enthusiastically, making Valani crack a smile.
“Sure, it's really not that hard. It's all about your core strength.” He started to talk, letting his inner self out a little as they went to a private balcony.
“But you made it look so seamless! Surely there's more to it!” She argued as she handed him a lighter and a cigarette which he more than gladly took.
He took a deep inhale, blowing smoke away from her after a few moments of holding it in. Sweet nicotine.
He will quit tomorrow.
The two of them chatted for a while about different pole dances and moves but at some point Valani had zoned out.
For how long would his life be this?
He threw away the cigarette bud into the ash tray, leaning over the balcony.
How long will he have to work two drastically different jobs?
Live in fear of being found out by people who looked up to him?
Alone?
If only he had the money… maybe he could actually apply to med school. Make a real difference in the world. Truly help people.
Valani shook his head just as his name was called out again for another dance.
This time he didn't walk out with his cloak, after all this was only a continuation of the first time.
His eyes scanned the unchanged audience— huh.
Seems like someone had managed to fight his way to the front. Someone who wasn't his regular. Someone new. Someone around his age. Someone wearing a black and white suit with a dumb tie. Someone who was nursing a bottle of far too expensive beer.
Someone with obnoxiously blue hair.
Truthless Recluse held his gaze quietly, ever so slightly tilting his head to the side.
…
And just like that, Shamil’s heart was caught.