A Sky Full of Stars

| 1 || Club Red |

"Hey there, Red. Looking for your regular?"

"You know it."

"By the bar."

"Thanks Loli."

The girl walked casually across the dark, red-lit floors in her black beanie. At the end of the bar table was a small girl equipped with deadly heels, who smiled flirtatiously with a customer. She leaned into him provocatively and whispered in his ear, eyes darting up to connect with the girl who had just come in. A different smile replaced her expression as she pushed herself off the high island and ran her hands along the back of his meaty shoulders.

"What's your name?" The new girl asked over the loud music.

"Jane! Let me take you up," she yelled back. 

"Hey, hey, I got here first! Go fuck off somewhere else you-"

"I'm so sorry but she's a special customer," Jane said in a sickly sweet voice. "You're into Asian girls, right? I've got a great friend. Tash!" 

She left him sitting there yelling for specials as she lead her own special customer up the narrow staircase in her pink lace stockings and white furry tail. They stepped through beaded curtains into a small, also red-lit room and she flung herself onto the bed with an exhausted sigh.

"What's up with the tail?" The still standing girl chuckled, pulling a paper bag from underneath her baggy shirt.

"It's cat day. Shut up, Mami."

"You're telling the person with food to shut up?" Mami dangled the bag and it was snatched away in no time at all. She laughed as the redhead started devouring the chicken wrap in a way that did not live up to her bare clad image.

"You're gonna get a cramp and barf all over your next customer," Mami said. 

"Yeah, well, screw him then. I haven't eaten anything all day," she muffled. She swallowed noisily. "But really, you have great timing, Mami."

"I always come at the same time. It's when my work ends." The orange-haired girl turned on the lamp at the corner of the room and switched the red light off. She moved to sit on the floor beside the bed.

"Yeah, but it's been like six weeks."  Tomomi stretched and rolled over to her side. "So it wasn't the red light. You really dyed your hair orange," Tomomi giggled. She pulled off Mami's beanie and ran her hand through its glossiness.

"You kept track?"

"Of course! You haven't been returning my calls either so I was getting lonely." A coded knock of six beats signaled that someone was coming to check in on the rooms. She stuffed the paper bag under a pillow as Mami hit the red lights and immediately got thrown onto a chair. Tomomi landed on her in a scarily accurate way, straddling her waist and grabbing a fistful of her hair before starting a slow grind. 

"What's your name today?" Tomomi whispered.

"Red."

Mami's hands came around the waist following a familiar path and scratched her back like how one would to a cat for good measure. Tomomi had to hold in her giggle and produce a more raw sound as the rattling of beads sounded. She bit her lip and discreetly looked over her shoulder to see who was by the door. Mami leaned forward to place chaste, hungry kisses along her neck, bringing Tomomi's attention back to her. Before she could ask, the redhead guided one of the hands on her waist down to her thigh then against the thin lace underneath her short skirt. Mami raised her eyebrows.

"My boss. He's a creep with eyes like a hawk," Tomomi whispered and moaned the name Red pointedly afterwards. She kept at the grinding motion and Mami responded by grabbing the furry tail and stroking it. All the while her other hand stayed stationary. Finally, two loud knocks freed them from the act. She returned the hand back to Mami sheepishly and pecked her cheek.

"Less than two months and they changed the restrictions already?"

Tomomi sighed. "Yeah, because we got a new boss. I'm not his favourite pet."

"For blowing off your customers?" Mami chuckled. Tomomi just rolled her eyes at the many connotations but made no move to get off. "That's illegal though, isn't it? The place has got license agreements."

"And no one cares. Plus, I need my dinner."

"So how are you?" The orange-haired girl asked, wrapping her arms around her slim waist. Tomomi slumped forward and inhaled the clean cucumber scent that still faintly clung to her friend. She murmured a "same as always" and redirected the question back at Mami.

"My girlfriend and I broke up last week."

"I'm sorry. You seemed to really like her, too, huh?" Tomomi shifted and crossed her leg behind Mami's back for more comfort.

"No, don't be. She couldn't stand me having a 'stripper girlfriend' as a friend," Mami quoted mockingly.

"Is that why you dyed your hair? To get some kind of closure?" Tomomi laughed.

"Haha, I don't need closure. Anyways, that's why I thought of moving in with you," Mami said. The other girl's eyes widened in surprise. "I mean, we could share the rent and save us both the money. The apartment wasn't mine anyways."

"Oh yeah, you even moved in with Rina. Shit, well, it's not like I could refuse you," Tomomi sighed.

"Why would you refuse me?"

"'Cause my place is kind of embarrassing but-" she fumbled towards the bed and scribbled down an address on the paper bag before handing it to Mami, "here."

"K, then I'll be by your place tonight. How many hours you got left?" 

"Two. Thanks for coming by Mami, really." Tomomi smiled gratefully.

"Anytime. It was nice seeing you, too," Mami returned, hugging the girl and chastely kissing her on the lips. "Want me to fix your tail?"

"Shut up, Mami."

//