His skin gleamed against the lights from above. Beads of sweat mingled with the glitter that clung to his skin. Right now, all eyes were on him, and that's exactly what he wanted. He could hear whistles and a few hoots here and there but many were too entranced in his performance. They merely watched as he gracefully wrapped his leg around the pole again. Yuuri always felt like he was some sort of enticing serpent, sending its victims into a trance with his movements. He almost felt bad for the other dancers in the room. As soon as Yuuri stepped in there and began to work the pole, he was almost guaranteed to have the attention of everyone in the room. He was already booked with the number of clients he wanted to take tonight. It was exhausting work, but he made bank doing it and why not keep doing something he enjoyed?

He licked his lips as he heard the tiniest of gasps from an onlooker during his performance. He hardly needed to work that hard for tips. Most of them just threw the money on the edge of the stage, and he'd pick it up afterward. He supposed many found his "hard to get" charms attractive. He'd move on from one to the other, never getting pinned down by any man. If anyone asked him what was so appealing to objectifying himself like this, Yuuri would say it was the power. His sexual appeal and arousing performances gave him a power over the onlookers and clients. The proof was right here. Some would throw away nearly all their money on that stage just for him. He was sure he could easily drive a man broke in less than a day just from dancing.

Yuuri ran his fingers through his slicked back hair, bowing slightly at a roar of applause once he finished. Sweat dripped from his chin and his chest heaved up and down as he made his way to his dressing room to catch his breath before heading out to mingle by the bar. He knew he was already guaranteed free drinks as he always was after performances like that, making sure to practically ooze sexual love to make it practically hang in the air. There was no doubt that there was a bunch of horny people out there right now. He reapplied some hair gel to keep his hair in its slicked back style. He dabbed away some sweat and smeared on some more glitter. Looking at himself in the mirror, he couldn't help but smirk.

It's amazing how much sexier I look without my glasses on. It's too bad I didn't figure that out until now.

All eyes were on him again when he reentered the main room. Nonchalantly, he took a seat at the end of the bar, crossing his legs and simply waiting for some attention. He had about an hour until he'd start with the private dances for his clients, so he intended to get some attention for the time being, an opportunity to make more money.

It was only a few minutes after he sat down that an older man was talking him up and buying him any fruity drink he wanted. Yuuri preferred the flavorful, fruity drinks over the hard ones. He sipped on a strawberry daquiri as he wore a bored expression, though he managed a little smile, and listened to how much the guy loved his performance and how enthralling he was. It was the usual kind of thing Yuuri heard from guys like this. If he had to choose, he wasn't his type, but he was on the clock currently and had to act nice with everyone.

Now that he had gotten so popular, his prices for lap dances and such had dramatically increased. He was thankful for it since now he got the higher end of clientele. Because of that, his costumes had gotten more elaborate. Tonight, he wore a black skin tight suit that was made of a see-through lace everywhere besides his crotch. It had a deep V neck line that stretched down to expose a bit of his chest. The lace created complex patterns against his skin and was made to accentuate his ass. While he was here, he went by the name "Eros."

Within that hour, he managed to give two lap dances, raking in the cash and always putting on his best performance. He relished looking back at them and watching the desire in their eyes. He knew how much they wanted to touch him but the rules when he was on the clock said otherwise. He couldn't help but smirk at how much they were fighting the urge. This was another part of the power he relished: how they could look but not touch.

Soon, he was heading off to the private room he used for the clients. He crossed his legs and sat in the red velvet chair, waiting for the client. He had whispered to the bouncer outside of the room beforehand to let the first client in.

It had been another busy day with the press for Victor. He had announced his upcoming retirement from competitive figure skating, and the world seemed to be in a frenzy. Every day now, it seemed there were conferences and interviews and such for him to go to. Now, he was in bed with his poodle Makkachin cuddled up by his side. He was lazily scrolling through YouTube, trying to find videos to distract him from this new stress. He was looking through new and recommended videos and was surprised to find what looked to be a video of an erotic dancer's performance on the pole. It wasn't the usual video he'd go for since watching pole dancers wasn't really his thing, but it was the name of the dancer that caught his eye: Eros. From the thumbnail, he looked to be rather attractive, so with a shrug, he clicked on it. It looked to be in Japan, Kyushu to be exact. The dancer's costume already had him interested. It was an interesting design, almost like something a figure skater would wear but with much less see through lace. A few minutes in, and Victor was already invested. His movements were so alluring and fluid. Eros was a fitting stage name. He practically oozed sex. To Victor, the way he moved wasn't like how most erotic dancers moved. His performance looked very professional, making Victor blush the whole time. When the video ended, he found himself thinking immensely about that dancer. Here, all the attention from the press was rather oppressive. Perhaps a trip or get away was a more fitting name, would be good for him. He could simply tell Yakov he needed a break from all this stress. He'd understand, or at least he'd act like he did. There was no need to mention going to see some erotic dancer he had just watched a video of. No need for that at all.

Yuuri stretched his arms, feeling comfortable in his street clothes as he walked down the sidewalk from the club and to the bus stop. He had to go a little ways out of his hometown of Hansetsu. He promised himself he wouldn't let his family find out about this job. For now, he had them believing he had gotten a job, just a regular old part time job. The hot springs hadn't been doing so well lately. A lot of the money he made went to helping with costs to keep the place open. The reason he gave when his mom asked him where the extra money came from was that he was taking more hours at the grocery store. It was easy to keep this a secret from his mother. His sister, on the other hand, was much more nosy and skeptical. He found that his stories had to get more and more creative with her. If worse came to worse, he could simply tell her the truth and beg her not to tell mom or dad. He was sure she wouldn't, especially with the hot spring being in a worsening financial situation, but his family was hopeful that this coming season would be better. It had to be.

By the time he got home, it was well past midnight, and he tiptoed through the house as quietly as he could. He had chugged his whole water bottle on the bus ride into town and the walk home from the stop and his bladder was beginning to bother him for a bathroom break, which he took care of in the shower. He went straight there, shedding himself of his clothes and hopping into the shower, relishing the hot water hitting his skin. This was always the first thing he did when he got home, wanting to wash as much glitter off as he could. With his skin turned a light pink due to the heat, teeth brushed, and bladder empty, Yuuri headed off to bed, quietly closing the door behind him. He fell onto his bed like a rock and instantly drifted off to sleep, exhaustion making it quite easy.

Unlike most, Yuuri never wanted to forget his experiences with his clients. He relished watching how their faces changed when his warm mouth would wrap around them in their most sensitive area. He made sure to utilize his tongue to its fullest potential. His goal was to elicit as many sounds of pleasure as possible. And unlike many, who would see a position like this as submissive, Yuuri saw it as a source of his power over them. In that moment, he was the one giving them the illusion that they were in charge, when really, he was the one that controlled just how much pleasure they would feel. All they could do was clutch at his hair and beg for more.

"Oh, Yuuri! Would you like some breakfast?" He heard his mom say when she saw him pass by.

Yuuri was going to head to the rink but looking at her smiling at him, he sighed before nodding and walking over to the table. It was no use. He was weak against that smile of hers, plus last night had been his second night working in a row, and he hadn't really seen or interacted with her or dad in a few days. Tonight was his last night working before he had a break from it. He went about it like a part time job, usually working three days or so a week. If he needed extra money, he'd pick up another shift, but it wasn't needed this week.

"Hi, mom. Sorry if it seemed I disappeared for a few days. Working a few days in a row does that I suppose," he said.

His mouth immediately started watering when she put a pork cutlet bowl in front of him. She knew it was his favorite.

"Thought I'd make your favorite dish since you've been working so hard. Is tonight your last one for this week?" she asked, sitting down and sipping on some tea.

For now, she thought Yuuri was working at a grocery store that was out of town, so that's why he had to take the bus. Of course, he knew what he was actually doing wouldn't be able to stay a secret. He planned on telling them eventually but maybe when the hot spring was in a better financial position, and he didn't necessarily need to work to help out. He wasn't sure if her little heart could take it if he bluntly said he was an erotic dancer or stripper or pole dancer or whatever one would want to call it. Personally, he found erotic dancer to sound more professional, but of course, everyone had their own opinions on that. Knowing his level of skill with his figure skating, his dancing always attracted attention. There were probably multiple videos of him on the Internet already. He prayed no one would recognize him, though knowing someone like Minako, who knew his body type quite well from ballet lessons, he wouldn't be surprised if she brought it up. But for now, his secret was safe.

"Yeah, I'll be free until next Thursday. Let me know anything I can do to help out with the hot spring. I really have nothing better to do besides lessons with Minako and practicing at the rink. This place means a lot to me too, mom. I just wanted to make sure you knew that. I'm sure you already did."

He felt his back stiffen a bit when he noticed a tear rolling down her cheek.

"I know you do. Thank you, Yuuri. But you've been working so hard, so after tonight, you just relax and do whatever you want tomorrow."

Despite the few tears, she wore her usual happy smile. Both of them enjoyed the peace and ate breakfast together.

Yuuri spent a bit of time at the rink, skating around, practicing a few jumps. He used to be competitive but due to a humiliating loss, he said he was on a "break." Whenever Yuko would ask about going back into competitions again, he'd say he'd have to find the right coach. For now, it was back to being an outlet for him, not to mention good practice for his dancing. As usual, he also made a run out to the bank. He had to have a safer place to keep all his money besides hoarded in his bedroom. The clerk always gave him a suspicious look when he'd bring in so many individual bills, but he'd simply say he was a delivery driver, and these were all his tips that he made. Though depending on which clerk, most were used to this usual routine. Money was money after all.

Soon, it was getting close to the evening, and Yuuri had to make his commute out of town and into the nearby city. He showered again before he left. He waved goodbye to his mom, letting her know he'd be home late again. As always, the owner greeted him enthusiastically met by a casual wave from Yuuri as he went into his dressing room. He was always excited whenever Yuuri was working, knowing it'd be a profitable night. Yuuri took his time with getting himself ready. He started with his usual tight, black lace outfit and slid his glasses off, carefully placing them by the mirror.

I am becoming Eros.

Victor had done some asking around and eventually found the club that the dancer worked at. It was a relatively upscale one in the downtown area, and he was quite impressed. There looked to be a wide range of different ages. The club itself had different large rooms featuring different dancers. Some rooms had women dancers while others had men. He made sure he was in the right one that featured Eros, who looked to be one of the most popular ones. The room was packed, and Victor ended up having to lean against a wall. His eyes were immediately drawn to stage right as he spotted Eros walking out onto the stage and towards the pole. His lips were drawn into a tiny smirk and seductive eyes scanning the room. Victor felt his heart nearly stop when their eyes met, lingering for a few seconds before the dancer winked at him and Victor instinctively winked back and felt his smile growing when he noticed the dancer's face turn a bit red before directing his gaze elsewhere.