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[dancin_maxxie]

The last two months have been hard on Maxxie. In little ways, and in big ways, but nothing that he wants to complain about. He turned into a girl, and that was weird, but it's about the only thing that centers directly on him. (That involved Claire, too, but nothing Maxxie did hurt her by it.) But he fucked a guy he shouldn't have twice, kissed a

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[dancin_maxxie]

Kurt walks in a way that Maxxie’s pretty sure he isn’t consciously aware of. There’s something about it that always draws his attention, whenever they’re passing each other or happen to be in the same room. He has a grace to him that is unlike what Maxxie encounters in his world, or even here on the island. Not that it’s otherworldly or something daft like that, but different. He tries very hard to keep his gaze up and not to drift down to the subtle way his hips move. And that’s fine too, because he likes the slight tinge of pink to his skin.

He raises an eyebrow only because Tony wouldn’t be the first role that came to mind when he thought of Kurt, but his attentive smile doesn’t change its nature. Of course Kurt would want the lead. “Aw, man, wicked,” he says. “I would have loved to have done Rocky. Our musical was this utter shit thing that our drama teacher had written. It was..” Maxxie pauses and shakes his head, letting his breath out in a helpless sigh. “Really, really bad. But it was a musical and the only show for the year so… what can you do? I got the lead so I couldn’t complain too loudly.”

[highf]

"At least your drama teacher didn't decide halfway through to insert himself into the musical to impress a lady friend, I'm assuming," Kurt replies with a teasing tilt of his head, though the point itself is a valid one, in his opinion. Mr. Schue has, admittedly, done a great deal to revive the interest in Glee at McKinley High, raising membership enough for them to compete, opening the door to more opportunities. Yet, there are times when Kurt can't help but feel that glee is just a chance for Schue to relive his glory days, too many Journey covers in their programs, too many occasions when Ms. Pillsbury inexplicably ended up in the choir room, as though she had as much experience with show choir as she did with counseling.

(Nonetheless, Kurt reminds himself, there's very little that he wouldn't give up now for the chance to sing with New Directions again. If the school had only tried harder. If the school had a way to be more strict about bullying. If, then.)

Still standing, Kurt rests his weight unevenly on his feet, before he lets momentum take him a few steps forward, until he can lean his back against the stage, glancing up in Maxxie's direction, just a couple of feet away. "You know, we could always put together a performance of Rocky Horror here on Tabula Rasa. If nothing else, you'd make a fantastic Rocky, and we all know that he's the one meant to steal the show."

[dancin_maxxie]

"No," Maxxie concedes with a matching tilt of his head, eyebrows arching as he prepares to counter with his own awkward teacher story. The smile fades somewhat as he remembers, not just what happened to Bruce, but everything that came after it, how it all directly related back to Maxxie. He hasn't stopped to think about it, not really, until now, and the realization hits him like a slap in the face. "He was accused of touching of one his students halfway through and the director's chair went to the vice-principal."

It stops him for a second, leaves him staring blankly at the middle distance between himself and the ground below, but then he shakes his head and tries to brush it off. It's the only way he knows how to cope with Sketch: reassert himself and what he knows. So he turns a teasing smile on Kurt, much more play than heat, for now. "Are you just trying to get me into gold pants?"

[highf]

Any hint of levity disappears at once in Kurt when Maxxie elaborates further, brows raising and words coming to a screeching halt. To Schue's credit, he's never compromised a student in that manner, wouldn't even dream of it (his choices with the women in his life are another story, but what consenting adults do on their own time isn't any of Kurt's business, and he doesn't plan on judging, besides). But it's never been a secret, the reasons behind Sandy Ryerson being fired from his position as glee coach in the first place, rumors of inappropriate touching, of fording as many boys as possible into the club. Something about Maxxie's expression seems to press even further than that, and Kurt ducks his head to get a better look, imploring, eyes wide.

Before he can get a word out, however, that smile flashes across Maxxie's face again, like a sudden peek of sunshine through the blinds, and for a second, Kurt can only blink in the wake of it. "Uh..." he grasps helplessly at words, feeling the flush creep over his cheeks, and when he presses his hand to the back of his neck, it feels unsettlingly warm. Giving up, he laughs under his breath. "I was going to make a remark about tainting the integrity of the show, but somehow, I'm left feeling that you actually hit it on the head with that question right there."

[dancin_maxxie]

There's always a part of Maxxie that feels, maybe weirdly, that he's scored a point when he makes another boy blush in that way. It's a good blush, a good discomfort, not something truly painful but simple embarrassment at having thoughts voiced, thoughts that Maxxie doesn't think should be all that well-hidden in the first place. It's a step towards admission, which is a step towards doing. But they're just steps and small ones at that. A blush doesn't mean anything more than Kurt's noticed him. But, then again, that's more than Maxxie knew going into this conversation.

"Rocky's not like any other show," he agrees. "A hot guy in his underwear is necessary. But what about you? Would you be my Frank? Or a blushing Brad?"

[highf]

Though circumstances have changed, Kurt finding himself on an island where people are much more tolerant on the whole, where being homosexual isn't something which forces him into a stereotype, or forces him into taking this role or that, there's still something which causes him to flinch at the idea of playing Frank. Besides, he knows full well that Mercedes took the role and made it hers, completely and fully, lending it a power that Kurt himself isn't sure he'd be able to match, not in that outfit, not in a play with this type of content, the type that leaves him as the fish out of water.

"Actually... I'm not sure that either Frank or Brad are my cup of tea, honestly," he replies, rocking his head lightly from side to side. "I was Riff Raff in our school's production, and had a lot of fun with it, surprisingly. Eddie wouldn't be a bad second choice, either, but I don't really have the right type of confidence or experience to pull off the lead roles. Not for Rocky."

[dancin_maxxie]

There's a comment waiting to be made expressing his disappointment over Kurt's choice of role. Because who can, with a straight face, flirt with Riff Raff? Magenta doesn't count. In character it would be one thing, but behind the scenes, Maxxie would be too interested in poking at Riff Raff's fake hunchback to sincerely try and get into Kurt's pants. But since he's only just made him blush, Maxxie avoids that train of conversation and goes with.. well, the honest.

"You mean you don't want to strut around in heels and women's underwear?" Maxxie asks, doing his best to look as falsely shocked as possible. It fades into another easy smile as Maxxie shakes his head. "I know what you mean though. There's only so gay I can go. And it just looks like the most uncomfortable costume."

[highf]

Kurt waves his hand dismissively and shakes his head, even as he lets out a small chuckle at Maxxie's expression. "No, no, you misunderstand," he replies with a small tilt of his head. "I'm all for feathers and sequins, I'm all for caring about every last crease ironed into a pair of slacks, I'm all for glitter and pizzazz. Admittedly, being immediately cast as Frank by my glee coach was borderline offensive, though I don't think he ever really realized, but more than anything else, it's the fishnets I don't think I could rock."

Biting down on his lip briefly in embarrassment, knowing that anyone who wants to go into theater would be best served by not having such reservations, he raises an eyebrow. "Same reason I wouldn't be able to play Rocky. It's just a modesty thing. Which isn't to say that you aren't modest," he adds quickly, "but you know, some people are clearly comfortable in their own skin. You seem to be one of them."

[dancin_maxxie]

Though an eyebrow does twitch up when he hears Kurt was cast as Frank like a foregone conclusion -- Yeah, that is almost offensive -- it's not until the other boy reveals his real reservations that Maxxie truly looks surprised. He hides it, mostly, aware that a shocked face is not the most welcoming of sights. But there's disbelief in his gaze as he flicks it quickly over Kurt's body, down and up.

Okay, so, he knows this is probably going to get a blush, no matter how he phrases it, but he can't not. There's a lot of things Maxxie understands about the world, but some things baffle him, too. How a guy like Kurt isn't brimming over with confidence is one of them. "I've got my limits.. and I'll admit there aren't a whole lot of them. But you've got no reason not to be comfortable in your own skin. Not from where I'm sitting."

[highf]

Parting his lips and prepared to engage with whatever drops from Maxxie's lips next, Kurt finds himself at a slight loss with the compliment, all at once closing his mouth again and resting his cheek against his knuckles, shy. The vote of confidence is appreciated, Kurt can't deny that. At the same time, there are certain issues which aren't possible to brush over in a minute, and with all the remarks that have passed by him over the years, names and descriptions innocuously pinned to him that have circled back, this just happens to be one of them. If he's to be honest, it's not just having people assume that he loves the glitter and gold that bothers him (he's aware of how he dresses, after all, and that his ideas are all shaped around that spotlight).

"I recently had another growth spurt, a couple of inches that have definitely helped around school," he says first, so as not to completely discount Maxxie's remark, even as his cheeks flush something fierce. "But if my well-meaning school counselor still referred to me as looking like an eleven-year-old milkmaid, you can imagine what else went through the school. And either way, I never saw the point of playing too far from my comfort zone."

[dancin_maxxie]

"Yeah, but... that's what other people think." Maxxie realizes just how stupid this sounds after he's said it; he bites his bottom lip and huffs out a laugh at his own expense. Of course that's what other people think and of course what they think matters. But that's not the point that Maxxie's actually trying to make.

"What I means is," he says, trying again, "and no offense to your well-meaning school counselor, but do you want.. her or his attention?" He raises an eyebrow, fully expecting a no, because school counselor's are made to be old and weird or female. "Does it matter? Did your boyfriend think you looked like a milkmaid? Or any guys who fancied you?" Maxxie's guessing of course, on the boyfriend count too, but regardless, no guy in his right mind would say something like that when they're trying to get into another boy's pants. Unless there was something very kinky going on. "You're in fine shape and the rest is confidence. So if you don't care what they think around school, then fuck what they think when you're on stage, too. The people who get it will get it."

[highf]

"I was the only out student- no, only out person at McKinley, before I transferred over to private school," Kurt point outs, not unfriendly or harsh in tone, but simply in the interest of letting Maxxie better see where he's coming from at all. There's simply a lack of education, a lack of exposure, and for all that he keeps his eyes glued on the pride parades, wherever they may be, it isn't the same as knowing what to do in the everyday. Maybe he shouldn't need reassurance when it comes to these things, but Kurt's pretty sure that everyone comes across this type of insecurity at some point in their lives, even if some aren't nearly as prone to dwelling on the matter for long. Only he hasn't had the background support. "Dalton had more out guys, but I'd only been there for a short while before I landed up here on the island, so."

He shrugs, breaking eye contact and managing a crooked smile. "It's not a big deal, anyway, I'm not about to hide myself from the world just for any of this. I've simply learned to appreciate subtler ways of making oneself known and... the beauty it takes to craft one's entire appearance through fashion. Which has always been a better way of expressing oneself than hoping for a certain height or body type."

[dancin_maxxie]

As… lackluster as Bristol’s gay scene could be at times, Maxxie can’t say he’s ever been completely alone. Then again, he knew where he was going. He sought out the company of others, knew pretty well from the beginning what he wanted to be and didn’t let himself waver from that. He knows it’s not that easy for others and that hiding it a lot easier than taking chances. He feels for Kurt, wishes things were different, but he can’t really understand it.

“Well, you’re not alone now,” he says with a gentle smile. “And you’re a performer. You’ve got to learn to work with what you’ve got, which is just yourself, your body, and that means being comfortable with it. But that’s a lifelong thing, I guess, so…” Maxxie trails off with a shrug. He wants for all his friends, most of the people around him, to be happy, but he doesn’t want to be pedantic about it. No one likes that. “I guess I’m stuck in the short shorts and you get the hunchback, Riff Raff. Maybe one day we’ll switch.”

[highf]

There's something distinctly uncomfortable about discussing his issues with body image, like a slight itch under his skin that makes him want to move, shift, slink into denial. Maxxie is a safe enough audience that he doesn't, and there's a great deal of reason to keep on the topic for the sake of principle alone, but when he offers an out (more or less), Kurt grabs it, flashing Maxxie a smile that would have fooled most people, soft and confident- if not necessarily in the ways that they're discussing now.

"It's a work-in-progress," Kurt declares at last with a grin. He isn't crippled by any of it, he reminds himself, even if he isn't as willing or able to parade himself as wholly as Maxxie or Sam. (And if even guys like Finn find themselves at a loss, is it really surprising that Kurt does as well?) "I don't exactly plan on letting up on my lifelong attempt to expand my limits. But... thank you."

[dancin_maxxie]

"Welcome," Maxxie says simply.

Serious conversations aren't really Maxxie's strength. He knows they're necessary sometimes, but he doesn't feel comfortable in them, ever. There's always something else going on that he can't ignore and this moment isn't any different. He cares about Kurt's opinion of himself, about how he lived back home, all that. But he can't ignore how much fun they could be having.

"Come on," he says, climbing back onto the stage. Crouching down, he offers Kurt both his hands to help him up. "Two dudes and a stage. I think it's time for a duet."