Strip and Score; Minho/Taemin
What he does is strip.
What he does is score.
They have nothing in common.
Well, except, maybe, one thing.
"You never lose by loving. You always lose by holding back." - Barbara de Angelis
Author's Note: Written on request for a college/stripper au 2min with Minho as an average jock and Taemin as a stripper hiding behind a confident persona. it's been long since i wrote 2min and i roughly know how such a plot can be common so hopefully, you'll like my take on this! and just to be sure, any similiarities with other stories are purely coincidental. lastly, the title of this fic doesn't make much sense so don't take it too literally. i don't even know how to go about explaining it but it should be read like how you read Tom & Jerry, so in this case, Strip = Taemin and Score = Minho. makes sense? no? then forget everything i said and just head straight to the story. >v< thanks for reading and enjoy the fic, dear lovely readers! ♥
Lee Taemin's life was as normal as any other twenty year old until word got around that he worked as a stripper. How? Taemin guessed that someone in college had seen him at work and just couldn't keep his/her mouth shut. Whoever it was just had to share the juicy gossip to taint his otherwise squeaky clean reputation (people knew he danced, they just didn't know how he danced). Not that knowing how the news spread made a difference anyway because before the sun could even set, it became an open secret that Lee Taemin, university arts student by day, was a stripper by night.
Taemin honestly didn't care what people thought of him though. The day he applied for the job as a stripper was the day he decided he was ready to face whatever that would come if people were to know. The curious looks, the stereotypical assumptions, the offensive remarks, Taemin was prepared to deal with everything that came associated with strippers. Since even the "normal" would get judged to a certain degree, he knew he could handle being subjected to a little more unfair judgement because of his job. As long as he knew what he was doing and was happy just the way he was, the twenty year old had no regrets with how he chose to live his life.
Taemin couldn’t say he hated his job, but that didn’t mean he loved it either. After all, he did love performing so having to be trained in choreographed dance routines was definitely something he could enjoy. In fact, Taemin did enjoy his work; he liked mastering the art of seduction, loved having the control he had on others when he performed a striptease, especially when his work environment made him feel like he was safe and secure, and free from harassment from unruly customers. However, it was a whole lot of hard work and Taemin never went back home a day without feeling exhausted. Being a stripper was indeed a tough job that most would look down on but Taemin liked to think he was a professional. Besides, his stint as a stripper was just going to last until he saved enough cash to quit his current college and enter the nation’s most prestigious dance school.
Although it was the truth that Taemin didn't care what people thought of him, he still had hopes that no one would find out he was a stripper because there was something he wanted to do. Taemin wanted to let Choi Minho know about his feelings for him. He had fallen for the senior ever since he saw how the determined star striker ultimately led the college's soccer team to victory after going 2 goals down in the first half of the finals at the national soccer championship. That fighting spirit and determination which Minho showed had captivated so many hearts that fateful day and Taemin's was no exception. He knew he was a fool for liking Minho, who in reality, he had discovered after doing some snooping around, was nothing more than an average jock, but it seemed that love was indeed blind.
Taemin had always been confident of himself. He knew what he wanted and he had the guts to do whatever it took to get what he wanted. And so, Taemin had come up with a plan to introduce himself to Choi Minho and ultimately confess his feelings to the senior. He made it a point to sit at the bleachers every time soccer practice was going on in hopes of catching Minho's attention. Taemin even made it a little too obvious that his eyes were set on Minho as he only showed interest in subtle but noticeable ways when Minho appeared. And indeed, by the fifth time Taemin was on the bleachers, Minho had realised his presence and recognized his existence, knowing that the beautiful boy on the bleachers was there for him.
Taemin never rushed things. It was part of his scheme to make Minho get so used to him being at that particular spot on the bleachers so that if one day he wasn't there, Minho would feel as if something wasn't right. Taemin made sure not to approach Minho too enthusiastically even though he wanted to deep down inside. Instead, he would make eye contact with Minho if he looked his way, occasionally smile at the soccer player or maybe acknowledge him with a nod or a wave on the rare few times Taemin was in a good mood, but never anything more than that. He could tell that Minho had been puzzled at first, but had soon got used to him and even started looking for him every time he entered the field. Evidently, Taemin's plan had been going smoothly, Minho was comfortable with having him around, and the time finally felt right for him to approach the jock so they could officially get to know each other. However, luck wasn't on Taemin's side and the news that he was a stripper had spread so far and wide that it reached Minho as well.
From a nobody that went unnoticed in college, Taemin became the person everyone was talking about. Needless to say, when the soccer team found out that the guy who was after their star striker was the same guy who worked as a stripper, they cornered him on the bleachers and began taunting him by throwing cash at him and shouting for him to take his clothes off.
“To think we all thought you were shy... Come on Lee Taemin, do what you do best!”
“Show us your moves, pretty boy!”
“Move those hips! Shake your ass!”
“Nah, he needs a pole, guys! Something he can grind on!”
“Why the clothes, Lee Taemin? You don't need them, do you?”
With his face as emotionless as can be, Taemin let out a yawn and slowly looked up at the bunch of idiots who had surrounded him, “Are you guys done? Because if that's all you got, then I think you guys should get back to soccer practice. Your striker is waiting for you...”
Taemin pointed at Minho who he noticed, in the midst of the teasing, had been standing on the field silently watching them.
“Why you little brat!”
One of the guys who couldn't stand Taemin's attitude curled his fist and threw a punch at Taemin. But his fist ended up punching air, and the resulting force had caused him to stumble forward on the bleachers, because Taemin's swift reflexes had saved him from the blow originally intended for his face. Immediately after he had avoided the punch, Taemin looked up and realised that a breathless Minho was now standing between him and the rest of the guys, pushing his teammates away and silently warning them not to start trouble since their coach was about to arrive soon. When his teammates had grudgingly turned around to leave but not before giving Taemin threatening looks, Minho then looked at Taemin, meeting his eyes for the first time at such a close proximity, and finally broke his silence.
“Get lost.”
Upon hearing those two words, Taemin swore he had never felt so mad in his entire life.
He instantly stood up and pushed Minho hard on his chest, shouting at the same time, “So you find out that I'm a stripper and you want me out of here?! What are you? Afraid? I didn't think you would be scared of a stripper, Choi Minho!””
Shocked at Taemin’s sudden outburst, Minho stepped backwards and stared at Taemin in confusion, “What the hell are you saying?!”
“I'm saying you're a coward, you're as stupid as everyone else.” Taemin huffed as he eyed Minho with disappointment, “I can't believe I thought you were worth it.”
“I don't even know you, Lee Taemin.” Minho frowned, “Who are you to judge me?”
“Exactly!” Taemin breathed in, “That's the point. Who are YOU to judge me when YOU don't even know anything about me too?”
“You're a stripper.” Minho deadpanned.
“And so?” Taemin titled his chin up in defiance.
“Just...” Minho let out a huge breath, looking rather defeated, “Just leave alright? You shouldn't come here anymore.”
Taemin crossed his arms, “What? Afraid that your teammates will talk about you and I together?”
“I'm not afraid!”
“Alright.” Taemin answered as he stared into Minho’s eyes, “Prove it. Come watch me tonight.”
“What?! Why the hell do I need to watch you?”
“To prove to me you're not a coward.”
Taemin then ruffled his hand through the contents of his backpack before he found what he was looking for and pulled out a black name card that had silver words printed on it.
“Here.” Taemin stuffed the business card into Minho's hand, “Just in case you grow the balls to come watch me.”
And with that, Taemin took his leave with his head held high, not even looking back because, well, there wasn’t a point, was there? He had done all that he could up to that moment in time. And everything else was left for Minho to decide.
*
There were a couple of things Choi Minho could do on a late night like reject confessions from admirers, decide which soccer match he should watch or perhaps just simply sleep, but standing on a street in Hongdae facing a strip club and deliberating if he should step inside definitely wasn't one of them. What’s more, the fact that he was deciding if he should enter a strip club to watch a guy was something he never imagined he had to consider.
Standing a distance away from the club entrance and hiding in a nearby alley, Minho looked at the business card in his hand and then glanced at the sign of the club (he couldn't look at it for too long because the white neon lights were too glaring).
Neverland.
Minho let out a sigh and wished that it hadn't been that easy to find the place. Because if it had been difficult to locate the address, Minho would have an excuse to convince himself that the reason why he didn't show up wasn't because he was afraid to visit the club but it was more because he simply had issues with directions. Yet, his late night drive out had been a success and Minho was left groaning, still unable to understand how he got himself in such a situation.
His life had been as smooth sailing as anyone at 21 could ever wish for until word got around that Lee Taemin was a stripper. It was absolutely bewildering, how such news could even affect him because technically, he knew nothing at all about the boy who would watch him from the bleachers every soccer practice. Perhaps the only thing (or two) Minho knew was, for one, Taemin was too pretty for a boy and two, the beautiful boy was interested in him. In fact, Minho wouldn't even have found out his name if not for his teammates who had curiously searched their school database for a photo of Lee Taemin after hearing about the stripper who studied at their college, and ended up discovering that it was the exact same boy who had the hots for their star striker.
Honestly, Minho had no intentions to approach the junior. It wasn't his concern that Taemin was interested in him. As star athlete in their college, lots of people were interested in getting his attention and asking him out; you really couldn't expect Minho to care about every single one of them, now could you? Exactly. And so, Minho wasn't at all bothered with the fact that the junior began spending at least three hours on the bleachers two times a week. Yet, Taemin proved to be different from everyone else. For a person who was supposedly the chaser, he was doing so much better at playing hard to get to the extent that it even got poor Minho confused at one point in time.
Minho was fine with having Taemin around but he couldn't understand why the junior didn't do anything except sit down and watch him train. There were even times when Minho noticed that the boy wasn't even looking at him, simply absorbed in his notes and readings or working on an assignment. If Taemin was using reverse psychology, well, it had certainly got to Minho. That didn’t mean Minho decided to take action, because he didn’t. What he did instead was join Taemin as he played the waiting game as well. The jock had all the patience in him to wait for the day Taemin would make the next move. However, that day never arrived. Instead, Minho found himself being involuntarily pulled into the controversy, which really wasn’t any of his business, by a certain Lee Taemin.
Through Lee Taemin, Minho learnt not to judge a book by its cover. For someone who not only looked too pretty for a boy but was also more beautiful than the average girl, Minho had never expected Taemin to have the guts to go against guys that were obviously strong enough to beat him to pulp. And as if that wasn't enough to surprise him, Taemin's outburst at him that afternoon had certainly caught him off guard. In fact, their first ever exchange of words had shocked Minho enough for the striker to actually find himself troubling over a matter that he could simply just ignore. Lee Taemin was obviously quite a character and Minho found himself intrigued by the junior so much so that he eventually left the comfort of his bed and went for a late night drive to Hongdae.
And here he was now, almost an hour had passed since he had parked his car, and Minho was still standing around like a fool, acting as if he had some sort of life changing decision to make. It was nearing 2.30am and Minho really should have been fast asleep by now considering he had a class at 9am. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to leave the place. There was something that was stopping him from moving. Minho didn't know if it was an issue of pride or something else but he only knew his heart was telling him he shouldn't leave until he saw Taemin (or Taemin saw him). At the rate he was going though, it seemed like it was going to take forever...
Or maybe not.
Just when Minho was looking up to the night sky and wondering if the heavens above would give him the courage to step into a place like a strip club, the jock suddenly felt a presence standing in front of him and the next thing he knew, there was a hand obstructing his sight as it waved directly in front of his eyes. Minho gasped, taking a step back, and instantly looked down. There, he found Lee Taemin blinking at him, looking very much amused.
“You do know the club is just there right?” With a small smile tugging at a corner of his lips, Taemin pointed vaguely to his back, his eyes never leaving Minho's.
Discreetly stuffing the business card into his pocket, Minho cleared his throat nervously and decided to play stupid, “Is it?”
With his smile becoming more obvious, Taemin raised an eyebrow at the striker but chose not to say anything, giving him the benefit of doubt, and waited for Minho to speak.
“So umm...” Minho began as he shifted awkwardly in his position, “I'm here.”
Taemin nodded, “You are.”
“I proved you wrong.”
“How so?”
“I am standing in front of you, aren’t I?”
“But if I remember correctly, you were supposed to go inside and watch me.”
“Tae…” Minho swallowed, pausing for a moment because the junior’s name felt somewhat weird on his tongue, before he started again, “Taemin, I’m sorry but I don’t think I’ll be comfortable watching you strip.”
“Why apologise?”
“I…” Minho was stumped. He didn’t know why he apologised; neither did he know why he was even trying to explain himself to Taemin.
But Taemin seemed to know because in an instant, the stripper let out a chuckle. It took a moment for him to calm down before he let out a sigh of relief and finally explained himself to a confused Minho.
“You know, I thought we could get to know each other first and then I would wait for the right time to tell you personally what I worked as, explain to you why I have such a job, so you could take the news better. It’s a pity though; that you had to find out like this because I knew this would happen… that you would judge me from the very beginning. I can’t blame you for seeing me in a different light but I just wished things had gone my way.”
“You… umm… like me, don’t you?” Minho clumsily asked.
“Yeah.” Taemin shrugged, not even hesitating one bit since the answer had been obvious right from the start, and then continued, “But it’s not like I want you to accept me or feel the same way about me, or give me an answer-”
“You don’t?”
“What?”
“You don’t want anything from me?”
“I…” It was Taemin’s turn to be stumped because now that Minho had got him thinking, his plan had only been to introduce himself to Minho and confess to the senior.
All this while, he had never once thought about how he wanted Minho to react. Maybe, subconsciously, his job as a stripper had stopped Taemin from having any hope of his chance at love. Perhaps he was the one who was afraid instead… afraid of being let down, being despised by the very object of his affection so much so that he was satisfied simply with letting the other know his feelings. The realisation had hit Taemin hard and the stripper was left speechless.
Minho crossed his arms, once again finding himself interested in the beautiful boy who stood silently in front of him, and pondered out loud, “So let’s say, if I tell you right now that I would like to get to know you, you wouldn’t be interested?”
Taemin gulped and cleared his throat before he asked, “Would you?”
Minho shrugged, “Why not?”
“I work as a stripper.”
“Where did your confidence go, Lee Taemin?”
“I may have used it all up when I challenged you in the afternoon.” Taemin replied before he added as an afterthought, “Or maybe I drained myself dry just now when I had to dress as a policeman and strip myself in front of at least 20 women.”
“You what?!”
“Well, it is ladies night, and the ladies love the police uniform.”
“But you’re…”
“Too pretty for a guy?”
Minho nodded before he could stop himself.
Taemin laughed, “They actually love it even more.”
Minho shook his head incredulously, “Wow... I can only imagine what could have happened.”
A grin appeared on Taemin’s face, “Well, it's not too late, the show's not over yet.”
“What?” Minho blinked.
“Come on.” Taemin took hold of Minho's hand and pulled the taller male along as he led them out of the alley and into the open street, “How did you get here?”
“By car?”
“Awesome, you’ll drive us back then.”
“Hey wait, where are we going?” Minho realised they were walking away from the club and Taemin was already searching for his car as if he knew what his car looked like (Taemin did because he always watched Minho leave campus in his car), “Shouldn't we be going inside?”
“I’m done with work, Minho hyung.” Taemin liked the sound of that, absolutely loving how his name rolled off his tongue so easily…
It wasn’t such a big deal to Minho on the other hand, mainly because he was still more concerned about where Taemin was bringing him, “Then why did you...”
Taemin turned back to wink at Minho and answered, “I'm gonna give you a private show.”
“What?!” Minho couldn’t help but shout, completely shocked that the junior had plans to strip for him, “No, Taemin, I can’t, no, you can’t. I do like you but we should probably get to know each other first before we, I mean you-”
“Hyung, it’s not like I’m going to sleep with you.”
Minho instantly shut up, trying very hard not to blush in front of Taemin as all the wrong images suddenly appeared in his head.
“I’m just going to bare myself to you tonight.” Taemin smiled with eyes twinkling with mischievousness, “And then maybe, if you find yourself falling in love with me, because you know, I’m already very much in love with you, we can do that in the future.”
“Do what?” Minho stupidly answered because he really couldn’t think straight right now, knowing that Taemin was going to bare himself to him in less than an hour.
Taemin laughed as he leaned into Minho’s personal space and whispered into his ear, “Whatever you’re thinking right now…”
Instantly losing the ability to speak, Minho could only allow a cheerful Taemin to lead the way and follow the junior’s instructions to drive them back to his place.
If only Minho knew that Taemin wasn’t being specific with his words and only had intentions to bare his soul to him tonight…
Oh well, at least throughout the car ride, Minho found himself considering the possibility of doing more with Taemin in the future. That alone was a very good start... and all Taemin could ask for.