(Untitled)

[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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[priorlives]

The stage wasn't far from the hut in Bohemia where Prior lived. He was walking nearby when he heard the singing, and it was enough to make him head that way. He arrived just in time for the boy to start the chorus, and he stood near the back of where the audience would be, and watched.

He'd been on this stage before - he'd played Dr. Dillamond in Wicked, which was one of the very, very few times he'd been a man on stage, even if he'd been a goat, too.

He loved this song. He'd seen Company more than once during its original run, and this song... yeah. There was something to be said for feeling alive, in the time that he'd come from.

When the (pretty, young, and clearly gay) boy finished, he waited a moment and then started to clap.

[dancin_maxxie]

Putting your heart and soul into it isn't always the prettiest choice. It isn't even always the best sounding choice, from a technical perspective. So when Maxxie hears the applause and opens his eyes, sees a man he thinks he has seen once or twice in passing, a flush of embarrassment warms his cheeks. But it's easily pushed aside. He's applauding after all. Obviously, he was good.

Of course he was good.

"Thanks," he calls out to the man, then follows with a cheeky bow. "Broadway in the jungle. Glad you enjoyed my totally necessary show."

[priorlives]

Sadly he has his cane so his entrance does lack some finesse, but Prior makes his way to the stage anyway.

"You won't get any judgment from me," he said. "I wore goat horns on this stage. But you're good, I don't get enough random musical numbers around here."

[dancin_maxxie]

"Thanks," Maxxie says again, the grin brightening in pleasure and amusement. Looking at him more closely, taking the time to consider him now, Maxxie's got the feeling he has seen him somewhere before. Maybe they met at some party and he was baked.

"Goat horns? I haven't been around long enough to see any plays around here. What was that for?"

[highf]

Apparently, Kurt is not the only young man of his age who sings showtunes as an outlet. On a practical level, this is something that he knows, the fact that the theater industry is rife with people like him, people who share his interests, people who he would deem rivals in every sense- but the thought of such people existing and walking the same paths as Kurt himself is a distant one. Hard to conceive of, when he's yet to come across any such people himself. They sing showtunes in glee club, sure, but with New Directions it was all at the point of a nostalgic man who'd hit his prime several years ago, and in the Warblers, it was always meant as a novelty that would resonate with the older audience or catered towards the image of the group, one sustained over many decades. To actually come across someone who, without an audience, without any prompting, would sing from Company is a first for Kurt, who happens to be walking by the stage simply because it's a place he goes often, a place where he reflects, practices, lives

[dancin_maxxie]

He doesn't open his eyes for any reason, just another normal bodily reaction, a desire to see what's around him after he's belted out the longest note, sliding immediately into the next refrain. There's a turn in the song, where it goes from uncertain to desperate, from scared to a fuck it attitude that Maxxie can relate to. It's impossible for him not to feel that shudder, that surge of emotion in that moment, and when he opens his eyes and sees Kurt there, it just fits.

He doesn't know Kurt very well. He's the kind of boy you notice though, a subdued kind of fabulous waiting to burst out. And that's not counting his voice which is, Maxxie knows from weeks of classes together, amazing. Almost as amazing as his eyes and his mouth, but that's Maxxie personal preference, no disrespect to his voice. They haven't had a chance to talk, for one reason or another, and Maxxie's got no reason to assume he wouldn't be embarrassed by some direct singing attention except that Kurt's a performer like him. Even if he is embarrassed, Maxxie wagers

[highf]

Although Kurt may spend a fair amount of his school hours in the auditorium, although Kurt sometimes even sits in the rows to watch his friends on stage, the fact of the matter is that he hasn't really been part of the audience very often in his life. Certainly, he hasn't often been the person who any performance is directed at, simply because he's usually involved somehow instead, a partner, someone who engages, rather than just sits by. A few exceptions immediately come to mind, of course. Finn's dedication at their parents' wedding. Blaine and the Warblers on his 'first' day of school, when he hadn't actually signed up to transfer yet, with the entire room seeming to vibrate to, of all things, a Katy Perry song. Every time, he feels his heart skip a few beats, like he can't keep up, too caught between wanting to join and wanting to step back to watch everything for what it's worth. But even then, this is different.

Probably because it's obvious that a great deal of Maxxie is singing for himself, singing of himself, even as he

[dancin_maxxie]

Maxxie laughs under his breath as well, less out of awkwardness and more because he's still trying to catch his breath and still his beating heart from the rush. Even if he's not scared of performing, those butterflies hit him all the same. He just thrills with them.

"Thanks," he says. "Kind of the point, so... I'll take it as a good sign." His licks his lips, wanting to seize this chance, to talk to this guy he's been sneaking glances at. But the fact that Kurt's shied away from or ignored even those little signals makes him cautious. Far more cautious than he usually is. It's not a lack of confidence so much as trying to find the right next step.

"I love that song though." Falling back on the old standard, common interests. That never hurt. "You know Company, right? Do you like Sondheim?"

[quite_a_delight]

It felt wrong, interrupting him.

Marshall wasn't an avid musical theater fan, and Maxxie's voice wasn't remarkable, but that didn't matter. Maxxie had a way of throwing himself head first into whatever he did. Singing, dancing, fucking, he carried with him an intensity that Marshall had always been distantly afraid of. That kind of passion meant a loss of control that Marshall had never, and might never be comfortable with.

Still, if he stood close enough to him, spent enough time with him, Marshall swore he could feel a little bit of that spark seeping into him.

Waiting for the end of the song, Marshall shifted his weight awkwardly from foot to foot and then cleared his throat.

[dancin_maxxie]

The problem was that that song in particular, like many finale songs in many a musical, ended on a long note that had to be belted, full roar and with all your soul in it. Maxxie couldn't have noticed Marshall even if he had cared who was around. Not that it would have changed anything, but singing a song about wanting desperately to be in a no holds barred, passionate relationship in front of the guy you're in a not-really-at-all relationship with is at least a little bit awkward.

Luckily, they both understand the concept of acting, even if it's in song and in private.

"Hey," Maxxie calls, walking along the edge of the stage until he's lined up with Marshall. "What, no applause?"

[quite_a_delight]

"One person applauding always seems kind of weird, right?" Marshall said, moving forward until he was standing just below Maxxie.

"You sounded really good," he said, a little breathless with nerves, even though he couldn't explain them. After all these months, he had no excuse, feeling even a little anxious around the other boy.

[dancin_maxxie]

"I dunno. Depends on who's doing the applauding," he counters. He wouldn't have thought it was weird at all, coming from Marshall.

"But thanks." Maxxie hesitates, sneaking his hands into the pockets of his trousers, then decides thinking about an approach is overrated. He climbs down, half-jumping off the stage, killing the potential silence with some theater babble. "Sondheim, you know? He can be a bitch, but done right he's amazing."

Once he's on his feet in front of Marshall, he gives him the kiss he's been wanting to, soft and sweet.

[floozyfacade]

It's not uncommon for Olive to take a detour and go wandering instead of heading home from school. She's finished her classes for the day, and when so much of it today has required her to be on her toes intellectually, it's nice just to walk and clear her mind. She likes being pushed, she loves that the teachers here are smart and engaging and give her that push, but she likes this, too, the quiet and calm.

It's broken by a song that sounds vaguely familiar, but which she couldn't put a name to if she tried, and when she heads in its direction, though she didn't think who it was, it comes as hardly any surprise at all to find Maxxie there. "That's beautiful."

[dancin_maxxie]

The last note's a killer, not that it's especially hard to hit but it's especially long and loud. So Maxxie falls forward in an exaggerated pose of exhaustion, fingers touching his toes and tongue sticking out of his mouth, before he straightens up and greets Olive.

"Thanks," he says. Though the slight breathless quality to his voice isn't put on, it's leaving quick enough. "I haven't been on a stage since I got here. I think I got carried away."

[floozyfacade]

"Well, I think that's what it's for," Olive says, heading over to pull herself onto the edge of the stage. There's nothing wrong with getting carried away at times, as far as she's concerned, and Maxxie's more talented at these things than she is anyway. "I've been out here, but I've never done that. I've pretty much drawn the line at karaoke."

[dancin_maxxie]

"There's nothing wrong with drawing the line at karaoke. More people should," he says with an emphatic arch of his brows. "I'm sure you're great though."

With Olive headed over, Maxxie moves forward, clambering down to sit on the edge of the stage himself. "I don't suppose you would be interested in trying?" he asks. An innocent face is mostly wasted on him, but he tries anyway. "Maybe, hypothetically, in theory, someone could convince you to try out for a musical?"

[turnedoutfine]

By the time Alexis found herself at the stage, Maxxie was too absorbed in his performance to notice her arriving, and so she simply took a seat, front row center, to watch. It didn't matter to her that his talent wasn't necessarily the height of Broadway magnificence. He was captivating to watch, the way he lost himself in the song, and Alexis leaned her elbows on her knees, chin resting in the heels of her hands as she watched.

As the last note of the song rang out, she straightened and burst into applause, adding a cheer for good measure.

[dancin_maxxie]

He doesn't jump or startle obviously, but there is surprise on his face when Maxxie opens his eyes and looks out at the empty seats to find them... not so empty. Laughing softly, his breath still coming back to him after that note, Maxxie bends into a deep bow.

"Thank you, thank you!" he calls back with a wave. "I'll be here every day. Matinee performance on Sundays."

[turnedoutfine]

"If I'd known there was going to be a performance, I would have brought you a bouquet," Alexis said with a grin. "That was really beautiful, Maxxie."

[dancin_maxxie]

"Aw, well I'll leave a note in your box so you can be better prepared next time," Maxxie replies, pretending to tell her off. But his smile returns, quick and easy.

"Thanks," he says. "It's a really beautiful song. Sometimes Sondheim's too much, but most of the time.. I dunno. I just love singing it."