Candy Bar Crunch #1, Strawberry #1, Strawberry Banana #27 - LoveGame
Author: askingxalice
Title: LoveGame
Story: Phase
Timeline: June 2035 - Chloe and Kurt are 19, Rayne is 49.
Challenge: Strawberry #1 (strawberry), Strawberry Banana #27 (intruder), Candy Bar Crunch #1 (top of your lungs)
Topping: Caramel
Word Count: 2,407
Rating: PG-13
“Are you sure I’m allowed to be back here?” Of course, he was asking just to make sure it was alright. At least, that’s what he wanted his brother - sister? - to think. Kurt was completely supportive of the gay thing, and the drag queen thing, but he was pretty sure he didn’t want to see a bunch of dudes duct taping themselves up before they got dressed. There are just some things you don’t need to see, you know?
Joey - No. Starr waved a hand at his question, and Kurt wasn’t sure if that was an answer or just a motion to show she didn’t care. So, he gave a sigh and gathered his pride and dutifully followed his older brother/sometimes older sister towards the back of the, for now, silent club. It would be a little while until the place opened and the show started, and it looked like he was going to have to stay until everything was over and done with. Great. This was totally how he wanted to spend his Saturday night.
The back room was about what he expected. A dressing room the size of a large walk-in closet, stuffed to the brim with make-up tables and queens, and Kurt was relieved to see that there was another room completely where the girls got everything tucked away and ready. Thank God. It’s not that he was homophobic or anything - hell, Joey was his brother, and you don’t just dump your family for liking dudes - but Kurt just really wasn’t interested in seeing some other guy’s junk. Positioning himself in the corner once introductions had been made, to try and keep out of the way, he busied himself with checking his texts and email, hoping for something that could distract him until the club opened and he could find something else to do.
He only glanced up a few times when someone addressed him, answering with short answers and a few shrugs. Luckily, the girls didn’t seem to want to talk to him too much, far too focused on themselves. That all changed once the door banged open and he had to quickly move before the doorknob hit him in the sternum.
“Hello, my lovelies!”
Immediately, there was a flurry of activity that centered on the girl that just walked in. If it was a girl, really. Kurt wasn’t sure at all, anymore. Carefully looking her over as she fluttered back and forth, helping the girls with their make-up or clothes, he still couldn’t decide if she was an actual she, or... but if was talking about performing as much as she was, he could only assume she was a queen. A young one, considering she barely looked any older than he was, but she definitely had that dramatic air about her that he had only seen with Starr and her friends on performance night.
Eventually, the club opened and the girls were ready, and Kurt heaved a sigh of pure and utter relief as Starr, now in full costume, led him from out of the room. “Jo - Starr, how much longer am I going to have to be here? Clubs aren’t really my scene.” He asked, following the drag queen through the crowd and towards the bar. Luckily, the music hadn’t started playing just yet, so he didn’t have to shout. For a moment, Kurt wondered when his lucky breaks would end.
“Well, if you didn’t want to come, you shouldn’t have bet against me in that poker game.” Starr answered, turning to pinch Kurt’s cheek in the way she knew he hated before walking over to an older redhead at the end of the bar. Rubbing at his cheek with a glare, Kurt followed, eyeing the redhead with wariness. “Kurt, this is Rayne. She owns the place and offered to babysit me for you. Rayne, Kurt.”
“I don’t need a babysitter.” He grumbled, even as he slid into a seat next to the woman and accepted her handshake. He received a blinding smile for that, and Kurt felt himself blush before he looked away.
“Well, sweetie, she could easily leave you be. I’m sure the crowd here would just love jumping all over you.” Rayne answered with him an eyelash flutter, and Kurt heard Starr laugh as she made her way back through the crowd.
Unsurprisingly, his blush intensified, and he shrugged, embarrassed. “I’m not... you know. This place isn’t really hip to my jive.”
“Anyone here with eyes can tell you aren’t gay. Calm down. Besides, as long as you’re with me, no one is going to bother you.”
“What, are you part of a gang or something?”
Rayne only raised an eyebrow and gave an enigmatic smile. “Of a sort.”
They chitchatted for a little while more, but the flashing lights and sudden music let Kurt loudly know that the show was about to start. He turned to watch from the bar out of curiosity more than interest, but found he couldn’t really look away once the show actually started. He knew the gist of drag shows - the girls lip synch and usually have a performance with it - but he didn’t know that most of them were so intricate. It was like he was at an actual concert, and he found himself smiling and dancing in his seat after a while, much to Rayne’s amusement.
Once the last queen had performed, Kurt was shocked to check his phone and realize it was nearly two AM and closing time. Looking around at the crowd, he turned back to Rayne with a confused expression. “Why aren’t more people leaving, since the show is over?”
Rayne took a moment to answer, looking over the crowd with a critical eye. About half of the people were slowly trickling through the door, a few of the more intoxicated ones being helped by friends or security. “More people are staying than usual. It seems like Chloe is finally getting a bit infamous.” She said, though she knew it wasn’t the answer Kurt was looking for. “The show isn’t really over until Chloe goes on, but most people don’t stay to see her. She’s new, and she doesn’t quite appeal to them as much as the other girls do, either.”
That didn’t help ease his confusion a bit, but he didn’t get the chance to ask any more questions as the lights lowered again. Turning back to watch, Kurt was surprised as the girl from earlier walked on stage. He hadn’t even noticed she hadn’t performed yet! As the techno beat of some song started playing through the speakers, he almost immediately realized something very different from this performance and the ones from earlier.
Turning back to Rayne, he waited for her to notice him before invading her personal bubble to lean forward and yell, “She isn’t lip syncing!” His obvious remark was met with an amused smile and a shake of the head. After a moment, Kurt asked one more question. “What’s a disco stick?”
Rayne’s laugh went unheard over the music and Chloe’s singing and noise from the crowd. Leaning closer to Kurt so she would hear him, she gave that enigmatic smile again. “Well, what do you call yours?”
After a moment, it clicked, and Kurt again blushed. Turning back around, he watched the showed with renewed interest now that it was technically live. The dancing was certainly more intricate, and for a few seconds, he wondered how she did some of the moves she did without everything sort of... falling out. Why the hell more people didn’t stick around to see this act was beyond him, since this was definitely better than anything else he had seen that night. (Not that he’d be telling Joey that.)
As the song ended, Kurt joined in on the clapping as Chloe bowed and gave the crowd a smile before excitedly bouncing off the stage where she was immediately met by what he could only assume were adoring fans. “How does she not appeal to people?” He asked, once the ringing in his ears stopped and he felt like he could talk without yelling.
Rayne only shrugged. “She isn’t what people want to see when they come to a gay bar.” She answered, waving a hand as if that simple answer sufficed.
“But that was amazing! I mean, she even sounded like a girl, and the dancing and - I mean, she was really convincing. Joey told me that it takes most queens years to be that convincing, but she’s, like... my age. People really don’t want to see her?” Kurt continued, before he registered the look Rayne was giving him. It was amused and amazed and confused all at once. “What?”
The redhead stayed silent, until she finally just laughed. “You... are in for a surprise. That’s all I have to say.”
“Aunt Rayne!” Suddenly, Chloe was there, all smiles and excitement and showtime high. “Did you see? They liked me, and some people said they would definitely be back next week, and there have never been that many people staying behind before and ohmygod that was somuchfun.” Finally, she stopped babbling, the need to breathe having gotten too great.
For a moment, Kurt wondered if this chick was on some sort of drug, or if she really was just this hyper. Maybe it was because she had just performed. He hoped it was because she had just performed, or he would have to really start pitying her parents.
“Yes, yes, I saw. You were wonderful. It won’t surprise me if people start crowding the place just to see you instead of the whole show one day.” Rayne answered, with a smile. Kurt had a feeling that she said those words to a lot of performers, those they sounded genuine now. “Chloe, meet Kurt, Starr’s younger brother. I think he was in the dressing room earlier, but you two weren’t properly introduced.”
As Chloe turned to him, he offered a wave and was surprised as the girl hugged him. For a long second, he had a face full of curly black hair and was close enough to notice the strawberry shaped birthmark below her ear. “Wow. Uh... you’re friendly.”
“Oh!” Finally realizing her social error, Chloe backed off with a blush and a hurried apology. “I’m so sorry, I’m just really excited and when I get excited I get really touchy feely and apparently I start hugging complete strangers.”
“Chloe.” Rayne waited for the girl to breathe before speaking up, knowing that she’d have to wait for a pause to jump into any conversation that Chloe had. “Kurt here thinks you’re one of the queens.”
For a moment, they were all silent. Rayne waited with a look of amused anticipation, while Chloe looked between the both of them wide-eyed, and Kurt just wondered if he had made some huge mistake. If she wasn’t a queen, then... Oh. Oh, crap. She was an actual girl. Frantically, he wondered if there was a nearby sewer grate he could climb into and make his escape.
Chloe surprised them both by laughing hard enough to where she had to lean against the bar for support. “You... You thought...” Having to take a moment to get her breathing under control, she wiped at her eyes, smearing her make-up just a bit. “Well. I don’t know if that should be a compliment or not. I guess I know I can fit in with everyone around here, huh?”
Even if she was obviously taking it well, Kurt still felt mortified, and prayed that Starr would be back to Joey soon and ready to leave. And then he could just forget this night ever happened in the first place, embarrassment included. “I didn’t really mean to - I just thought since you were back there, I figured maybe you were already in costume or something. Honestly, you don’t look anything like a guy in drag and now that I know I can tell a lot easier. You don’t have the, you know, Adam’s apple or anything.”
Chloe waved a hand to dismiss it, before she was momentarily distracted by Rayne standing. The two women talked to each other in low tones for a second, and Kurt was far too busy being caught up in his blunder to take much notice of what was being said. Finally, Chloe turned back to him as Rayne walked off, and she appraisingly looked him over before smiling, rather brightly.
Kurt wondered how much her parents paid in dentist bills to get her teeth that pearly white and even before he realized she had been talking. “Sorry, what?”
“I said Aunt Rayne’s put you in my wonderful, caring, carefully manicured hands until Starr is ready to go, and I feel obligated to tell you that I haven’t let anyone get kidnapped yet.” She repeated, sounding as if she had announced that Christmas had come early this year.
He wasn’t really sure how to answer that, and it seemed like he wouldn’t have to. Chloe, with her back still to the stage, didn’t see Starr - now dressed down and back in Joey mode - come from behind the stage, and Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. “Actually, you won’t have to go to the trouble.” He replied, hoping it wasn’t obvious that he was a bit annoyed at supposedly needing a babysitter now that the place was nearly cleared out.
She turned, and her smile (somehow) got wider at seeing Joey, and the girl gave an excited wave. Somehow knowing that she was about to start talking about the show - and her performance more than anything else, most likely - he quickly hopped off the barstool to meet his brother halfway. “Hey! Great show! Ready to head back home?”
His brother gave him an odd look at that, but didn’t ask what was up. Joey waved to Chloe over Kurt’s shoulder and called out a goodnight before he started for the exit, and Kurt was glad to follow for once. As they reached the door, he cast a glance over his shoulder to see Chloe staring after them with a thoughtful expression on her face though it changed once she caught him looking at her. Immediately, a smile bloomed over her face and she waved. For some reason, Kurt found himself smiling back before the door shut behind him.
Title: LoveGame
Story: Phase
Timeline: June 2035 - Chloe and Kurt are 19, Rayne is 49.
Challenge: Strawberry #1 (strawberry), Strawberry Banana #27 (intruder), Candy Bar Crunch #1 (top of your lungs)
Topping: Caramel
Word Count: 2,407
Rating: PG-13
“Are you sure I’m allowed to be back here?” Of course, he was asking just to make sure it was alright. At least, that’s what he wanted his brother - sister? - to think. Kurt was completely supportive of the gay thing, and the drag queen thing, but he was pretty sure he didn’t want to see a bunch of dudes duct taping themselves up before they got dressed. There are just some things you don’t need to see, you know?
Joey - No. Starr waved a hand at his question, and Kurt wasn’t sure if that was an answer or just a motion to show she didn’t care. So, he gave a sigh and gathered his pride and dutifully followed his older brother/sometimes older sister towards the back of the, for now, silent club. It would be a little while until the place opened and the show started, and it looked like he was going to have to stay until everything was over and done with. Great. This was totally how he wanted to spend his Saturday night.
The back room was about what he expected. A dressing room the size of a large walk-in closet, stuffed to the brim with make-up tables and queens, and Kurt was relieved to see that there was another room completely where the girls got everything tucked away and ready. Thank God. It’s not that he was homophobic or anything - hell, Joey was his brother, and you don’t just dump your family for liking dudes - but Kurt just really wasn’t interested in seeing some other guy’s junk. Positioning himself in the corner once introductions had been made, to try and keep out of the way, he busied himself with checking his texts and email, hoping for something that could distract him until the club opened and he could find something else to do.
He only glanced up a few times when someone addressed him, answering with short answers and a few shrugs. Luckily, the girls didn’t seem to want to talk to him too much, far too focused on themselves. That all changed once the door banged open and he had to quickly move before the doorknob hit him in the sternum.
“Hello, my lovelies!”
Immediately, there was a flurry of activity that centered on the girl that just walked in. If it was a girl, really. Kurt wasn’t sure at all, anymore. Carefully looking her over as she fluttered back and forth, helping the girls with their make-up or clothes, he still couldn’t decide if she was an actual she, or... but if was talking about performing as much as she was, he could only assume she was a queen. A young one, considering she barely looked any older than he was, but she definitely had that dramatic air about her that he had only seen with Starr and her friends on performance night.
Eventually, the club opened and the girls were ready, and Kurt heaved a sigh of pure and utter relief as Starr, now in full costume, led him from out of the room. “Jo - Starr, how much longer am I going to have to be here? Clubs aren’t really my scene.” He asked, following the drag queen through the crowd and towards the bar. Luckily, the music hadn’t started playing just yet, so he didn’t have to shout. For a moment, Kurt wondered when his lucky breaks would end.
“Well, if you didn’t want to come, you shouldn’t have bet against me in that poker game.” Starr answered, turning to pinch Kurt’s cheek in the way she knew he hated before walking over to an older redhead at the end of the bar. Rubbing at his cheek with a glare, Kurt followed, eyeing the redhead with wariness. “Kurt, this is Rayne. She owns the place and offered to babysit me for you. Rayne, Kurt.”
“I don’t need a babysitter.” He grumbled, even as he slid into a seat next to the woman and accepted her handshake. He received a blinding smile for that, and Kurt felt himself blush before he looked away.
“Well, sweetie, she could easily leave you be. I’m sure the crowd here would just love jumping all over you.” Rayne answered with him an eyelash flutter, and Kurt heard Starr laugh as she made her way back through the crowd.
Unsurprisingly, his blush intensified, and he shrugged, embarrassed. “I’m not... you know. This place isn’t really hip to my jive.”
“Anyone here with eyes can tell you aren’t gay. Calm down. Besides, as long as you’re with me, no one is going to bother you.”
“What, are you part of a gang or something?”
Rayne only raised an eyebrow and gave an enigmatic smile. “Of a sort.”
They chitchatted for a little while more, but the flashing lights and sudden music let Kurt loudly know that the show was about to start. He turned to watch from the bar out of curiosity more than interest, but found he couldn’t really look away once the show actually started. He knew the gist of drag shows - the girls lip synch and usually have a performance with it - but he didn’t know that most of them were so intricate. It was like he was at an actual concert, and he found himself smiling and dancing in his seat after a while, much to Rayne’s amusement.
Once the last queen had performed, Kurt was shocked to check his phone and realize it was nearly two AM and closing time. Looking around at the crowd, he turned back to Rayne with a confused expression. “Why aren’t more people leaving, since the show is over?”
Rayne took a moment to answer, looking over the crowd with a critical eye. About half of the people were slowly trickling through the door, a few of the more intoxicated ones being helped by friends or security. “More people are staying than usual. It seems like Chloe is finally getting a bit infamous.” She said, though she knew it wasn’t the answer Kurt was looking for. “The show isn’t really over until Chloe goes on, but most people don’t stay to see her. She’s new, and she doesn’t quite appeal to them as much as the other girls do, either.”
That didn’t help ease his confusion a bit, but he didn’t get the chance to ask any more questions as the lights lowered again. Turning back to watch, Kurt was surprised as the girl from earlier walked on stage. He hadn’t even noticed she hadn’t performed yet! As the techno beat of some song started playing through the speakers, he almost immediately realized something very different from this performance and the ones from earlier.
Turning back to Rayne, he waited for her to notice him before invading her personal bubble to lean forward and yell, “She isn’t lip syncing!” His obvious remark was met with an amused smile and a shake of the head. After a moment, Kurt asked one more question. “What’s a disco stick?”
Rayne’s laugh went unheard over the music and Chloe’s singing and noise from the crowd. Leaning closer to Kurt so she would hear him, she gave that enigmatic smile again. “Well, what do you call yours?”
After a moment, it clicked, and Kurt again blushed. Turning back around, he watched the showed with renewed interest now that it was technically live. The dancing was certainly more intricate, and for a few seconds, he wondered how she did some of the moves she did without everything sort of... falling out. Why the hell more people didn’t stick around to see this act was beyond him, since this was definitely better than anything else he had seen that night. (Not that he’d be telling Joey that.)
As the song ended, Kurt joined in on the clapping as Chloe bowed and gave the crowd a smile before excitedly bouncing off the stage where she was immediately met by what he could only assume were adoring fans. “How does she not appeal to people?” He asked, once the ringing in his ears stopped and he felt like he could talk without yelling.
Rayne only shrugged. “She isn’t what people want to see when they come to a gay bar.” She answered, waving a hand as if that simple answer sufficed.
“But that was amazing! I mean, she even sounded like a girl, and the dancing and - I mean, she was really convincing. Joey told me that it takes most queens years to be that convincing, but she’s, like... my age. People really don’t want to see her?” Kurt continued, before he registered the look Rayne was giving him. It was amused and amazed and confused all at once. “What?”
The redhead stayed silent, until she finally just laughed. “You... are in for a surprise. That’s all I have to say.”
“Aunt Rayne!” Suddenly, Chloe was there, all smiles and excitement and showtime high. “Did you see? They liked me, and some people said they would definitely be back next week, and there have never been that many people staying behind before and ohmygod that was somuchfun.” Finally, she stopped babbling, the need to breathe having gotten too great.
For a moment, Kurt wondered if this chick was on some sort of drug, or if she really was just this hyper. Maybe it was because she had just performed. He hoped it was because she had just performed, or he would have to really start pitying her parents.
“Yes, yes, I saw. You were wonderful. It won’t surprise me if people start crowding the place just to see you instead of the whole show one day.” Rayne answered, with a smile. Kurt had a feeling that she said those words to a lot of performers, those they sounded genuine now. “Chloe, meet Kurt, Starr’s younger brother. I think he was in the dressing room earlier, but you two weren’t properly introduced.”
As Chloe turned to him, he offered a wave and was surprised as the girl hugged him. For a long second, he had a face full of curly black hair and was close enough to notice the strawberry shaped birthmark below her ear. “Wow. Uh... you’re friendly.”
“Oh!” Finally realizing her social error, Chloe backed off with a blush and a hurried apology. “I’m so sorry, I’m just really excited and when I get excited I get really touchy feely and apparently I start hugging complete strangers.”
“Chloe.” Rayne waited for the girl to breathe before speaking up, knowing that she’d have to wait for a pause to jump into any conversation that Chloe had. “Kurt here thinks you’re one of the queens.”
For a moment, they were all silent. Rayne waited with a look of amused anticipation, while Chloe looked between the both of them wide-eyed, and Kurt just wondered if he had made some huge mistake. If she wasn’t a queen, then... Oh. Oh, crap. She was an actual girl. Frantically, he wondered if there was a nearby sewer grate he could climb into and make his escape.
Chloe surprised them both by laughing hard enough to where she had to lean against the bar for support. “You... You thought...” Having to take a moment to get her breathing under control, she wiped at her eyes, smearing her make-up just a bit. “Well. I don’t know if that should be a compliment or not. I guess I know I can fit in with everyone around here, huh?”
Even if she was obviously taking it well, Kurt still felt mortified, and prayed that Starr would be back to Joey soon and ready to leave. And then he could just forget this night ever happened in the first place, embarrassment included. “I didn’t really mean to - I just thought since you were back there, I figured maybe you were already in costume or something. Honestly, you don’t look anything like a guy in drag and now that I know I can tell a lot easier. You don’t have the, you know, Adam’s apple or anything.”
Chloe waved a hand to dismiss it, before she was momentarily distracted by Rayne standing. The two women talked to each other in low tones for a second, and Kurt was far too busy being caught up in his blunder to take much notice of what was being said. Finally, Chloe turned back to him as Rayne walked off, and she appraisingly looked him over before smiling, rather brightly.
Kurt wondered how much her parents paid in dentist bills to get her teeth that pearly white and even before he realized she had been talking. “Sorry, what?”
“I said Aunt Rayne’s put you in my wonderful, caring, carefully manicured hands until Starr is ready to go, and I feel obligated to tell you that I haven’t let anyone get kidnapped yet.” She repeated, sounding as if she had announced that Christmas had come early this year.
He wasn’t really sure how to answer that, and it seemed like he wouldn’t have to. Chloe, with her back still to the stage, didn’t see Starr - now dressed down and back in Joey mode - come from behind the stage, and Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. “Actually, you won’t have to go to the trouble.” He replied, hoping it wasn’t obvious that he was a bit annoyed at supposedly needing a babysitter now that the place was nearly cleared out.
She turned, and her smile (somehow) got wider at seeing Joey, and the girl gave an excited wave. Somehow knowing that she was about to start talking about the show - and her performance more than anything else, most likely - he quickly hopped off the barstool to meet his brother halfway. “Hey! Great show! Ready to head back home?”
His brother gave him an odd look at that, but didn’t ask what was up. Joey waved to Chloe over Kurt’s shoulder and called out a goodnight before he started for the exit, and Kurt was glad to follow for once. As they reached the door, he cast a glance over his shoulder to see Chloe staring after them with a thoughtful expression on her face though it changed once she caught him looking at her. Immediately, a smile bloomed over her face and she waved. For some reason, Kurt found himself smiling back before the door shut behind him.