It's fascinating how life works, Minho thinks as the crowd roars excitedly when Onew finally comes out to play. 

A year ago ze was homeless both physically and emotionally, abandoned by those who claimed to love zir the most.  

Today ze lives in Seoul, ze is a student again, ze owns a fancy apartment and a nice car, ze's got friends, money and Jinki.  

That's definitely the biggest change in zir life and also the most fantastic, Minho has Jinki now. 

Onew is dressed in all black leather tonight, from his skin tight pants, vest and arm warmers to his signature 6 inch pumps. As always a lace face mask is tattooed on his skin, Minho recognizes this night's chosen pattern as one of zir favorites and a wide smile brightens zir face.  

He knows Minho's there. 

With all the things messing with zir head, for a moment ze'd forgotten today is Friday, but as Onew saunters to take his starting position Minho feels the thrill coursing though zir veins. Friday night is pole dancing night.  

In the air that man is the definition of grace. His strong, sinewy body spins and twirls with uncanny agility making the audience go mad. 

He loses the first piece of clothing when his feet touch the ground after one of many spectacular moves. Onew smirks at his admirers of the night and lets the vest slide off his body, reaping more impassioned screams and heated confessions. 

Minho's seen Onew perform a lot of times, but the elegance and sensuality of the man's movements still mesmerizes zir. Just seeing the way his muscles tense with the effort he puts his body through and  how his creamy skin gleams under the spotlight makes Minho's mouth dry and zir groin pulsate with a now familiar need. 

Suddenly, the light illuminates the face of a young man in the audience, who is quickly pulled to the stage by security guys. 

The man's friends shout and laugh animatedly as the man is seated on a chair. Minho lets out a little snicker from zir spot. 

An attractive grin pulls at Onew's full lips as he walks towards the man, who trembles with a nervousness Minho knows all too well. 

Onew sits on the man's lap in one smooth move and the men in the room cheer even louder. The stripper nuzzles the man's neck affectionately as he takes the guys hands and guides them to his chest, urging him to touch.  

The young man seems on the verge of collapse  by the time Onew finally takes off his pants and shakes his hips enticingly. 

Honestly, Minho can't blame him, ze understands what it's like to be under the intense gaze of those kohl rimmed eyes. Ze still remembers the awkwardness of zir first time on that chair. 

It was Kibum's fault, as it was with most good things that happened in Minho's life. Not two months after ze'd left Chicago and moved to Korea to live under zir grandfather's care, Minho found zirself being dragged to  this really cool club you just have to see! It was supposed to make zir forget this guy ze had met a  couple weeks prior, the leader of the team in charge of the design of Kibum's new restaurant, the one Minho had invested good money in.  

Because of who ze is, because of whom ze likes, Minho rarely dared to let zirself feel attracted to someone, normally as soon a the feeling appeared ze  would crush it and bury it deep inside zir heart. The one time ze allowed that emotion to grow zir life was destroyed end ze ended up on the street. 

Unfortunately ze couldn't do the same thing with the designer. Maybe it was because ze felt safer in Seoul, protected by a true family. Maybe it was because the man didn't look at zir weird when ze told him zir pronouns. Or maybe it was just that Minho had never come across someone so alluring. Whatever the case, ze had let that desire flow freely through zir body and allowed the man to occupy zir dreams. 

Kibum tried to convince zir to do something about zir crush, but  even in ze was a more confident person since ze cut ties with zir parents, Minho didn't feel ready to expose zirself to heartbreak just yet. Surely in time ze'd forget all about the man with the pretty eyes and the cute smile. 

Minho was expecting a lot of things when ze entered Stairway to Heaven for the first time, but somehow the idea of it being a place to watch handsome men take their clothes off never crossed zir mind. Knowing Kibum, it should have. 

Even if ze felt  a little out of place, it was an interesting experience to be in a room full of people that understood some of zir desires, people who wouldn't judge zir for zir need to  suddenly dry lips or for letting zir gaze linger on a muscled chest and narrow hips. 

"You think that's good?" Kibum commented with an amused grin, when he caught Minho eyeing interestedly at the  blond guy in bright red booty shorts who was pouring champagne for the group of friends seated a few meters from them. "Just wait till you see Onew." 

"Who's Onew?" 

"A friend of mine." 

Minho nearly chocked on zir martini after the revelation. 

"You're friends with someone who works here?" Ze asked with a mixture of alarm and fascination. 

"Sure. This is Jonghyun's place, so I'm familiar with his staff." 

Ze had met Jonghyun before, he was the youngest son of one of zir grandfather's best friends. He seemed like a fun guy, someone who enjoyed the kind of life their last names granted them and truly made the best of it, but not in a million years Minho would have imagined he owned a place like this. 

"I didn't know he's  gay." 

Kibum threw his head back and  cackled for a good minute before answering.  

"He's not. He just has a really good eye for business... and men." 

The screams alerted Minho something special was about to happen, strident chants of a name Minho barely recognized.  The song changed and a man walked to a platform in the main stage.  

He wasn't as tall or as brawny as most of the other dancers, but Minho was sure ze'd never seen a body that attractive before in zir life. And that was before he started dancing. 

Minho watched entranced as the man wrapped his fleshy legs around the pole and contorted his body in the most delicious ways. Ze heard Kibum tease zir for how creepy zir stare was but ze payed no mind, all zir senses were focused on the fantastic creature enamoring men with his thigs. 

Just like the guy nearly salivating on stage right now, Minho ended up with a lap full of gorgeous Onew that night, again all part of Kibum's evil plan.  

Onew smelled wonderfully, a heady mix of cedar and something floral that had Minho almost burying zir face in the man's hair only so zir entire being could be permeated with the bewitching aroma.  

Nobody had to tell zir to touch for as soon as Onew was within reach, Minho let zir hands wander across the smooth skin, fingers pressing against the  tempting curve of the man's waist, making the dancer giggle and squirm in his lap, which only increased Minho's new found lust for him. 

"Are you enjoying the show, Minho?" Onew whispered hotly as he rotated his hips in slow circular motions. 

Mihno's entire world crumbled and was built anew at the sound of that deep voice. A voice ze'd heard only a few a times before but was deeply engraved in zir memory. 

"Jinki?" Ze asked, both frightened and hopeful of the possible answer. 

The response was a simple hum, but that sound reverberated all the way to Minho's core, filing zir with passion and longing. 

Why? How? Minho questioned inside zir head. Were things like these truly possible in the real world? 

"I had to make you come to me somehow," Jinki said, with a coy, little smile. The same smile Minho had been dreaming about since that first meeting in his office a few days before. 

That close, Minho could almost understand why Jinki had become someone special from the moment ze laid eyes on him. There was something in the glint of his eyes, in the curve of his nose, in the pout of his lips, in the sharpness of his jaw, that resonated with Minho. It felt like destiny, meeting Jinki then, meeting Onew now. 

It was scary and new but Minho liked the feeling and ze couldn't wait to experience more of it, so ze turned off zir brain and let instinct take over. 

Minho kissed him. 

Tonight, Minho waits in the alleyway for zir favorite dancer to leave the venue through the backdoor.  

"Hi," Ze mutters cutely, once the man waves the security guy goodbye and walks to meet zir. 

Jinki doesn't waste a second and scoops Minho in his arms, letting his boyfriend bask in the scent that's ze has  come to love as a symbol of trust and security. 

"Hi, babe. Did you enjoy the show?" He asks, holding Minho's flushed face in his hands and rubbing their noses together playfully. 

Minho laughs breathily and  steals a quick peck from Jinki. "I always do."