FIC: Get It Right the First Time
Get it right the first time
Jon Walker & Beth Ditto friendship
This is for lalejandra, who is doing stuff that is hard and that should always be rewarded. Thank you to Moose for the edits.
(To other people: This is part of a huge universe that Anna and I write stories for each other in, about a ridiculous performing arts high school with all of the people we want to write stories about. Eventually the whole thing will get posted. It has absolutely nothing to do with canon, reality, or anything but entertaining ourselves.)
*
Jon has no idea why he watches Beth so much. It’s not that he has a crush on her - she is mindblowingly hot, for sure, but also a little intimidating in a way that Jon isn’t sure he’s ready for. It might be the intimidation that is part of the draw, though. Beth challenges him. Not just “challenges” in terms of making him rethink what he expects from women (although she does) or reconsider his sexuality (he’s aware that he’s straight).
No, Beth challenges him verbally. All the time.
“Jon, don’t be ridiculous, you’re going.” Beth isn’t even looking at him as she bosses him around. She’s rifling through his closet and he can only see the back of her jean skirt and boots because she’s leaned so far in, looking for some kind of cool that he doesn’t have.
“I’m not,” he responds. “I’m really, really not. I just … why would I go to a stupid dance?” Jon picks at the threads on his comforter, his favorite nervous tic. His mom has had to buy him five comforters in the last six years.
“Because the stupid dance is sponsored by the club that you helped found? And it’s funding the play that you’re running lights and sound for? And all of your friends are going?” Beth finally turns around triumphantly with a black button down and a light gray vest that he thinks he had to wear in his cousin’s wedding two summers ago.
“This. You’re wearing this.”
Jon looks doubtfully at the clothes. “Do I have to wear slacks?”
Beth rolls her eyes. “Dude, getting you into a shirt with buttons is a success story for me. You can wear jeans if you put on actual shoes.”
Jon has clearly given up the fight if they’re negotiating on shoes. “I keep telling you, flip flops are shoes. If they let you into restaurants wearing them, they’re shoes.”
Beth puts a hand on her hip and gives him her best no-nonsense face. It’s a very good one. “Seriously, Jon Walker. Shoes. Shoes that tie or slip on or something. Shoes that have a heel.”
He sighs. “Converse?”
Beth grins, this bright, happy, thrilled-with-Jon grin that he basically spends most of his day trying to deserve. “Deal.”
*
Jon knows that he has friends in the Queer-Kinky-Vanilla-Straight Alliance - he loves that the name passed the vote and the look on the Queen’s face when they presented her with the namechange form was priceless. It remains one of the best photos Jon has ever taken.
He has never really been a target or unpopular or anything, so he gets that it might be weird to Beth that he doesn’t want to go to the dance. But the Alliance’s first Inclusion Dance has been such a big deal in the club and there are all of these expectations built up all over the place. People are excited to bring their dates and nervous about what their parents will think and … it’s like a high school movie that Jon doesn’t know his role in.
Jon’s attendance at the dance isn’t a coming out moment for him the way that it could be for other students. He doesn’t have a date and even if he did, his date would most likely be a girl and nobody is surprised at heterosexuality. Most of the kids in the club assume that Jon is there as an ally and that’s cool with him, but … it’s less-than-accurate.
Jon isn’t exactly stealth. There are pictures of him before he started on T around his parents’ house. When it comes up as mattering, Jon talks about it. But he started testosterone at the age that most other boys would start having testosterone production and they had moved right after he started T. His birth certificate was changed around the time he started at Ronnie Spector, so there were no awkward conversations with teachers or other students. It just … doesn’t come up.
Jon’s accidental stealthness can cause weirdness, though. Because he’s a guy. He’s definitely a guy. But he’s also transgendered and his testosterone comes in a monthly shot. And there aren’t any dances to increase visibility for that. He’s not even sure that he wants visibility, but it seems like that’s a lot of what people are talking about and he’s just not in that conversation.
Jon is resolved to just go and hang out with his friends. The visibility moment can be other people’s moments.
He brushes back his hair in the mirror and runs a hand across his jaw. Beth had told him to shave, but his compliance only goes so far.
He likes his scruff. He worked for that scruff.
*
Beth looks absolutely amazing, which is not at all a surprise. She was wearing a gold lame bodysuit the first time he met her and that was just a day at school. He had kind of been looking forward to what “dressed up” looked like on her. Apparently, it looks like a strappy, poofy red dress with layers and layers of red tulle, heavy eyeliner, and a bouffant hairdo.
Seriously, so hot.
Jon opens her apartment door for her and opens the car door, too.
“Lesbians never do that shit for me.” Beth says, kissing him on the cheek after she’s settled into the driver’s seat. “I love our dates.”
Jon grins and sits back in the passenger seat and starts flipping through his iPod to pick out some music. Beth can get them there - she’s the better driver, anyway.
*
Jon brought his camera with him - of course he did - and he’s glad he did when he sees how Hannah, Rihanna, and Jasika had decorated the gymnasium when he gets there. The whole room looks like one of Beth’s outfits - like a rainbow glitter bomb had exploded all over the gym. There are even little sequined rainbows in place of centerpieces in the middle of tables.
It looks even better when people start arriving and Jon can see all of his friends in their versions of “dressed up.” Travie has deigned to wear his “very best hoodie, JWalk” and is talking to Janelle, who has pulled out a full tuxedo. Between the clothes and the full foot difference in height, it’s a fabulous photo opportunity. The best part, though, is how happy their faces are while they’re talking.
From the looks of his jacket, it looks like Mr. Lambert had managed to figure out where Mr. Bryar had hidden the key to the theater costume room. Unless he owns his OWN electric blue lame jacket with white piping, which Jon has to admit is possible.
“Hey, babydoll,” Beth hugs him from behind, leaning down a little to rest her chin on his shoulder. “You having fun? Glad you came?”
Jon smiles and snaps another photo, this time of Hannah knitting a sock in the corner while Rih and Jasika talk animatedly around her. “Yeah. Yeah, I am.”
Jon Walker & Beth Ditto friendship
This is for lalejandra, who is doing stuff that is hard and that should always be rewarded. Thank you to Moose for the edits.
(To other people: This is part of a huge universe that Anna and I write stories for each other in, about a ridiculous performing arts high school with all of the people we want to write stories about. Eventually the whole thing will get posted. It has absolutely nothing to do with canon, reality, or anything but entertaining ourselves.)
*
Jon has no idea why he watches Beth so much. It’s not that he has a crush on her - she is mindblowingly hot, for sure, but also a little intimidating in a way that Jon isn’t sure he’s ready for. It might be the intimidation that is part of the draw, though. Beth challenges him. Not just “challenges” in terms of making him rethink what he expects from women (although she does) or reconsider his sexuality (he’s aware that he’s straight).
No, Beth challenges him verbally. All the time.
“Jon, don’t be ridiculous, you’re going.” Beth isn’t even looking at him as she bosses him around. She’s rifling through his closet and he can only see the back of her jean skirt and boots because she’s leaned so far in, looking for some kind of cool that he doesn’t have.
“I’m not,” he responds. “I’m really, really not. I just … why would I go to a stupid dance?” Jon picks at the threads on his comforter, his favorite nervous tic. His mom has had to buy him five comforters in the last six years.
“Because the stupid dance is sponsored by the club that you helped found? And it’s funding the play that you’re running lights and sound for? And all of your friends are going?” Beth finally turns around triumphantly with a black button down and a light gray vest that he thinks he had to wear in his cousin’s wedding two summers ago.
“This. You’re wearing this.”
Jon looks doubtfully at the clothes. “Do I have to wear slacks?”
Beth rolls her eyes. “Dude, getting you into a shirt with buttons is a success story for me. You can wear jeans if you put on actual shoes.”
Jon has clearly given up the fight if they’re negotiating on shoes. “I keep telling you, flip flops are shoes. If they let you into restaurants wearing them, they’re shoes.”
Beth puts a hand on her hip and gives him her best no-nonsense face. It’s a very good one. “Seriously, Jon Walker. Shoes. Shoes that tie or slip on or something. Shoes that have a heel.”
He sighs. “Converse?”
Beth grins, this bright, happy, thrilled-with-Jon grin that he basically spends most of his day trying to deserve. “Deal.”
*
Jon knows that he has friends in the Queer-Kinky-Vanilla-Straight Alliance - he loves that the name passed the vote and the look on the Queen’s face when they presented her with the namechange form was priceless. It remains one of the best photos Jon has ever taken.
He has never really been a target or unpopular or anything, so he gets that it might be weird to Beth that he doesn’t want to go to the dance. But the Alliance’s first Inclusion Dance has been such a big deal in the club and there are all of these expectations built up all over the place. People are excited to bring their dates and nervous about what their parents will think and … it’s like a high school movie that Jon doesn’t know his role in.
Jon’s attendance at the dance isn’t a coming out moment for him the way that it could be for other students. He doesn’t have a date and even if he did, his date would most likely be a girl and nobody is surprised at heterosexuality. Most of the kids in the club assume that Jon is there as an ally and that’s cool with him, but … it’s less-than-accurate.
Jon isn’t exactly stealth. There are pictures of him before he started on T around his parents’ house. When it comes up as mattering, Jon talks about it. But he started testosterone at the age that most other boys would start having testosterone production and they had moved right after he started T. His birth certificate was changed around the time he started at Ronnie Spector, so there were no awkward conversations with teachers or other students. It just … doesn’t come up.
Jon’s accidental stealthness can cause weirdness, though. Because he’s a guy. He’s definitely a guy. But he’s also transgendered and his testosterone comes in a monthly shot. And there aren’t any dances to increase visibility for that. He’s not even sure that he wants visibility, but it seems like that’s a lot of what people are talking about and he’s just not in that conversation.
Jon is resolved to just go and hang out with his friends. The visibility moment can be other people’s moments.
He brushes back his hair in the mirror and runs a hand across his jaw. Beth had told him to shave, but his compliance only goes so far.
He likes his scruff. He worked for that scruff.
*
Beth looks absolutely amazing, which is not at all a surprise. She was wearing a gold lame bodysuit the first time he met her and that was just a day at school. He had kind of been looking forward to what “dressed up” looked like on her. Apparently, it looks like a strappy, poofy red dress with layers and layers of red tulle, heavy eyeliner, and a bouffant hairdo.
Seriously, so hot.
Jon opens her apartment door for her and opens the car door, too.
“Lesbians never do that shit for me.” Beth says, kissing him on the cheek after she’s settled into the driver’s seat. “I love our dates.”
Jon grins and sits back in the passenger seat and starts flipping through his iPod to pick out some music. Beth can get them there - she’s the better driver, anyway.
*
Jon brought his camera with him - of course he did - and he’s glad he did when he sees how Hannah, Rihanna, and Jasika had decorated the gymnasium when he gets there. The whole room looks like one of Beth’s outfits - like a rainbow glitter bomb had exploded all over the gym. There are even little sequined rainbows in place of centerpieces in the middle of tables.
It looks even better when people start arriving and Jon can see all of his friends in their versions of “dressed up.” Travie has deigned to wear his “very best hoodie, JWalk” and is talking to Janelle, who has pulled out a full tuxedo. Between the clothes and the full foot difference in height, it’s a fabulous photo opportunity. The best part, though, is how happy their faces are while they’re talking.
From the looks of his jacket, it looks like Mr. Lambert had managed to figure out where Mr. Bryar had hidden the key to the theater costume room. Unless he owns his OWN electric blue lame jacket with white piping, which Jon has to admit is possible.
“Hey, babydoll,” Beth hugs him from behind, leaning down a little to rest her chin on his shoulder. “You having fun? Glad you came?”
Jon smiles and snaps another photo, this time of Hannah knitting a sock in the corner while Rih and Jasika talk animatedly around her. “Yeah. Yeah, I am.”