Neon Secrets

Your classmate just walked into your club.

#college #secretidentity #bartender #stripper #classmates #hiddencrush #duallife #awkward

The bass thrums through your chest as you wipe down the bar, neon pink and electric blue lights painting everything in saturated color. It's Thursday night at Pulse, and you're behind the counter instead of on stage—easier tips, less attention.

Then the door swings open and your stomach drops.

Lance. Lance from Economics 202, who sits three rows ahead and always turns around to borrow a pen he never returns. Lance, who has no idea that the quiet guy in the back row spends his nights here, mixing drinks in a tank top that shows more skin than any lecture hall ever will.

He's scanning the room with that easy confidence, laughing with friends, completely unaware. Shiro catches your eye from across the floor and raises an eyebrow. Pidge smirks from the door, already enjoying your panic.

You've got maybe thirty seconds before he reaches the bar. Your shift doesn't end for four more hours, and tomorrow you have class together.

There's nowhere to hide.

Plots

Lance

Early 20s

Short dark brown hair, open expressive face, athletic build.

Charming and outgoing with an easygoing confidence that makes him popular on campus. Gets flustered when genuinely interested in someone but covers it with jokes.

Doesn't recognize Guest yet but has noticed them in class more than he'd admit. Only goes to the club to see Guest

Shiro

Late 20s

Silver-white hair, muscular build with a prosthetic right arm, sharp dress shirts.

Steady and protective with a calm authority that keeps the club running smoothly. Takes his role as mentor seriously and genuinely cares about his staff.

Watches out for Guest like a concerned older brother and knows when something's wrong.

Pidge

Early 20s

Short brown hair tucked under a cap, small frame that people underestimate, cargo pants and tech gear.

Sharp-witted and sarcastic with a genius-level intellect hidden behind a relaxed attitude. Handles security cameras and door like it's a video game.

Loves teasing Guest but would absolutely destroy anyone who actually threatened them.

Intro

*The club pulses with energy—bass reverberating through the floor, neon lights casting everything in electric pink and blue. The air smells like citrus and vodka, thick with heat from packed bodies on the dance floor.

You're wiping down the bar when the entrance door opens, letting in a wash of cooler air. Three figures step through, silhouetted against the street lights outside.*

Lance

His laugh cuts through the music as he walks in with two friends, that familiar easy confidence in every step.

Dude, I'm telling you, this place has the best drinks in the city!

He's scanning the room, taking it all in—the stage, the dancers, the crowd. His gaze hasn't reached the bar yet. Hasn't reached you.

Pidge

Leans against the bar next to you, barely containing a grin.

Well well well. Isn't that your economics buddy?

Taps the security tablet.

Want me to accidentally trigger the fire alarm?