PunkPrince
Elder Member
Jupiter stumbled back into the dressing room as the song ended and the crowd burst into applause. It took all their energy not to collapse. They stumbled forward, only to be caught by Eva. "Get me...out...of this corset," they gasped, wiping their forehead. Unfortunately, the attempt to wipe away the sweat also managed to wipe away the eyebrows they had put so much work into earlier in the night.
"Fuck," Jupiter sighed as Eva unlaced the black waist cincher and let it drop to the floor. The woman gave their shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You were brilliant. Nicely done. Now sit down before you collapse. Take a breath before you worry about your eyebrows." She pushed Jupiter down into the nearest chair, and they ran a hand through their short blonde hair. It had remained styled up, despite the amount they had sweated. They had chosen to go without a wig that night, more of a genderfuck look, which worked for the song they had just done. They took a few minutes to catch their breath and then shuffled toward the dressing room mirror, leaning on their elbows and taking a black pencil to etch their dramatic brows back in and touch up the rest of their makeup. Not perfect, but it'd do. That number had been their last for the night. They just needed to look okay to go out and mingle. Or step out and get some air.
They pulled a studded leather vest on over their otherwise now bare chest. No tits for this look either. As they turned away from the mirror, the dressing room door opened and the small figure of Tommy Gunn slipped inside. He was the only drag king of the show that night, and he had stayed out of the dressing room to watch Jupiter's last number. He grinned at them and extended a hand toward Jupiter. "I believe these belong to you," he said, his voice and height being the only indicator of the woman that he was when he scrubbed off all the makeup and removed the duct tape that kept his chest taped back. He held the tips Jupiter had earned during the number, which Jupiter accepted with a nod.
"Thank you, Tom," they said with a grin. Kennedy looked up from the corner of the dressing room, where she was hastily lacing Jupiter's panicking brother Ronan, or as he stood now, Kyra, into a corset. Kyra was always in a constant panic before a show, whereas she was usually quite calm otherwise. But shows were another story. She was so concerned with looking good and not forgetting anything. "I'm sure you were wonderful, as usual," Kennedy said. She hadn't been able to watch the number, having had to struggle with getting the twins switched out of the costumes from their first numbers. "Certainly made enough tips."
"Where's my wig?" Ronan asked, glancing around and scrambling about the dressing room, nearly knocking Jupiter over in the process.
"It's in your bag," Tommy said, adjusting his outfit and rummaging through the duffel bag that held most of Ronan's things before tossing the curly blonde wig toward him. Ronan pulled it on and Kennedy began securing it with bobby pins.
Hugo, in contrast to his anxious brother, actually seemed to be quite calm, a rarity for him. He leaned toward the mirror putting the finishing touches on his makeup, dressed as Kyra, of course. Tommy nudged in beside him and after analyzing himself and his outfit in the mirror for a moment, shrugged and said, "Good enough."
"Is your mother here?" Eva asked, and Jupiter, as usual, watched Tommy's expression go from confused to recognition. She was asking about his drag mother, not his real mother. His real mother wouldn't be caught dead in a place like this, and everyone knew it. His drag mother, Cherie, had been Eva's drag sister, the pair having learned their skill under the same person, a burlesque dancer named Marcus, though Cherie wasn't a trans woman like Eva was.
Tommy shook his head. "Not tonight. Lita was here for a while, but she had to go home before her dad got home from work." Lita, out of drag known as Cody, was one of his drag sisters. His dad had no idea he did drag, and he had done his best to keep it a secret for the past year and a half. At least Tommy's parents knew, even though they were less than supportive. Jupiter was lucky not to have that problem, at least not anymore.
They had with their aunt and uncle. It had been horrible. But once they had met Eva and Kennedy and ended up living with them, they hadn't had to hide who they were anymore. Neither had Ronan or Hugo. It had felt strange. Acceptance had been such a foreign thing to the three of them. In some ways it still was, even after two years. The idea of their identity not being punished was a strange one.
Jupiter glanced at their reflection and then said, "I'm gonna go get some air. I'll be back before the second half of the show. 'Scuse me," they chirped, slipping past Kasha and out the dressing room door. They weaved through the crowd of people and slipped out the back door, a sigh of relief escaping as the cool air hit their face and they stepped outside. The quiet was a nice contrast to the constant noise of the bar.
They sat down on the concrete steps and gazed around the darkened street. They stood up after a moment, stretched, and walked slowly along the wall of the bar, running a hand over the brick exterior, tapping their bright red nails against it as they moved. Their mind drifted, and they jumped back as they suddenly bumped into someone. "Sorry!" they said quickly, taking a few steps back.
As they focused on who they'd bumped into, they let their guard down a bit. This was just a kid, not a threat to them. Sge looked...hesitant, for lack of a better word. "Hey," Jupiter said. "Are you okay?"
"Fuck," Jupiter sighed as Eva unlaced the black waist cincher and let it drop to the floor. The woman gave their shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You were brilliant. Nicely done. Now sit down before you collapse. Take a breath before you worry about your eyebrows." She pushed Jupiter down into the nearest chair, and they ran a hand through their short blonde hair. It had remained styled up, despite the amount they had sweated. They had chosen to go without a wig that night, more of a genderfuck look, which worked for the song they had just done. They took a few minutes to catch their breath and then shuffled toward the dressing room mirror, leaning on their elbows and taking a black pencil to etch their dramatic brows back in and touch up the rest of their makeup. Not perfect, but it'd do. That number had been their last for the night. They just needed to look okay to go out and mingle. Or step out and get some air.
They pulled a studded leather vest on over their otherwise now bare chest. No tits for this look either. As they turned away from the mirror, the dressing room door opened and the small figure of Tommy Gunn slipped inside. He was the only drag king of the show that night, and he had stayed out of the dressing room to watch Jupiter's last number. He grinned at them and extended a hand toward Jupiter. "I believe these belong to you," he said, his voice and height being the only indicator of the woman that he was when he scrubbed off all the makeup and removed the duct tape that kept his chest taped back. He held the tips Jupiter had earned during the number, which Jupiter accepted with a nod.
"Thank you, Tom," they said with a grin. Kennedy looked up from the corner of the dressing room, where she was hastily lacing Jupiter's panicking brother Ronan, or as he stood now, Kyra, into a corset. Kyra was always in a constant panic before a show, whereas she was usually quite calm otherwise. But shows were another story. She was so concerned with looking good and not forgetting anything. "I'm sure you were wonderful, as usual," Kennedy said. She hadn't been able to watch the number, having had to struggle with getting the twins switched out of the costumes from their first numbers. "Certainly made enough tips."
"Where's my wig?" Ronan asked, glancing around and scrambling about the dressing room, nearly knocking Jupiter over in the process.
"It's in your bag," Tommy said, adjusting his outfit and rummaging through the duffel bag that held most of Ronan's things before tossing the curly blonde wig toward him. Ronan pulled it on and Kennedy began securing it with bobby pins.
Hugo, in contrast to his anxious brother, actually seemed to be quite calm, a rarity for him. He leaned toward the mirror putting the finishing touches on his makeup, dressed as Kyra, of course. Tommy nudged in beside him and after analyzing himself and his outfit in the mirror for a moment, shrugged and said, "Good enough."
"Is your mother here?" Eva asked, and Jupiter, as usual, watched Tommy's expression go from confused to recognition. She was asking about his drag mother, not his real mother. His real mother wouldn't be caught dead in a place like this, and everyone knew it. His drag mother, Cherie, had been Eva's drag sister, the pair having learned their skill under the same person, a burlesque dancer named Marcus, though Cherie wasn't a trans woman like Eva was.
Tommy shook his head. "Not tonight. Lita was here for a while, but she had to go home before her dad got home from work." Lita, out of drag known as Cody, was one of his drag sisters. His dad had no idea he did drag, and he had done his best to keep it a secret for the past year and a half. At least Tommy's parents knew, even though they were less than supportive. Jupiter was lucky not to have that problem, at least not anymore.
They had with their aunt and uncle. It had been horrible. But once they had met Eva and Kennedy and ended up living with them, they hadn't had to hide who they were anymore. Neither had Ronan or Hugo. It had felt strange. Acceptance had been such a foreign thing to the three of them. In some ways it still was, even after two years. The idea of their identity not being punished was a strange one.
Jupiter glanced at their reflection and then said, "I'm gonna go get some air. I'll be back before the second half of the show. 'Scuse me," they chirped, slipping past Kasha and out the dressing room door. They weaved through the crowd of people and slipped out the back door, a sigh of relief escaping as the cool air hit their face and they stepped outside. The quiet was a nice contrast to the constant noise of the bar.
They sat down on the concrete steps and gazed around the darkened street. They stood up after a moment, stretched, and walked slowly along the wall of the bar, running a hand over the brick exterior, tapping their bright red nails against it as they moved. Their mind drifted, and they jumped back as they suddenly bumped into someone. "Sorry!" they said quickly, taking a few steps back.
As they focused on who they'd bumped into, they let their guard down a bit. This was just a kid, not a threat to them. Sge looked...hesitant, for lack of a better word. "Hey," Jupiter said. "Are you okay?"
