Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

After the wedding of Dolly Levi and Horace Vandergelder, next came the after party. Of course, since it was Dolly’s own doing it was going to be extravagant. The whole town was buzzing as rumours of what the party was like flew in the air like lightning bugs. Naturally only her closer friends were invited, which led to Barnaby, Cornelius, Minnie and Irene sat in the girl’s new parlour in Yonkers getting ready. Irene sat in front of her vanity, meticulously powdering her face whilst she let the curls in her hair rest until she was ready to take them out. Minnie sat on the floor with a doll in her lap, munching on a piece of chocolate.
Cornelius was in the bathroom giving himself a shave which left Barnaby perched on a chair, looking around the room uncomfortably.

It was known that Irene and Cornelius were now a couple, but the same couldn’t quite be said for Minnie and Barnaby. Instead of dancing together, they would prank each other and erupt into fits of giggles whenever they got too close to one another. They were more like a pair of mischievous siblings than anything else, but Cornelius paid no mind to it, he was usually in a mind of his own. Irene originally gave her friend a stern talking to, but soon realised that was just who Minnie was and she would likely never change. ‘As long as they’re happy together.’ She thought.

Minnie had a mouth full of chocolate and glanced up at Barnaby, who glanced back at her before looking away just as quickly. She let out a snort which received a sharp glare from Irene, causing the girl to swallow and behave. She was all too used to that glare when they owned the hat shop together.

“Minnie, darling, you should really be getting ready. Is that what you’re wearing?” The girl had picked out a lime green and white dress with a bow at the back and a flower clip to wear. She glanced down at her outfit with hesitation, before nodding.

“Why? What’s wrong with it?” She’d never been the best with co-ordination; she was better at selling things than making things.

“I just don’t know whether it’s suitable for the type of celebration Dolly is having.” Minnie hesitated again, before sighing and standing up to head to her own room to change. Not before shooting Barnaby a stink eye and giggling as she left the room. He, in return, laughed a little and continued to stare down at his feet whilst waiting for his friend to finish in the bathroom so they could go.

Irene added a dash of red lipstick across her lips to match with the mahogany dress she’d chosen, with ruffles down both sides of the skirt and bows on the hem. She let the curls down from her hair and added a hat adorned with fake roses.

“Barnaby, can I ask you something?” The sudden voice scared the poor boy as he snapped his gaze up to Irene, nodding in response.

“Is she doing okay? I worry about her sometimes. She seems to not care about courting at all. Why, I dare say, she isn’t even committed to being together with you. She does…like you, doesn’t she?” Barnaby frowned at her question. It was difficult to answer. After all, the two did have a strange ‘relationship’ going. As far as they were both aware, they were dating and liked each other. But with every passing day, and seeing how Irene and Cornelius acted, he began to wonder what love truly was. Minnie and he seemed to be together purely because Irene and Cornelius were, and the two younger people got sandwiched together.

“She’s fine! Absolutely fine. And…I think she likes me? She just shows her affection differently.” He wasn’t wrong about that – Minnie did weird things sometimes, but it was usually to show that she liked someone. Like the time Barnaby said he thought frogs were cool so she brought a dead one she found in a jar to him. On the surface very odd and maybe even creepy, but deep down it meant that she had thought of him enough to fetch a frog she saw to him because it reminded her of him. Irene simply hummed at his response.

“Good. As long as she likes people like you I have no problems.” It took Barnaby a minute to understand what she meant by ‘people like you’ – men. He understood. She didn’t want her being one of those homosexuals, he guessed. Well, he didn’t care what Minnie was as long as they kept being friends.

Finally, Cornelius exited the bathroom with a smile on his face, already dressed in his tux ready to set off. Barnaby stood up, looking slightly too eager to finally leave this place. The parlour room had an overbearing smell of perfume and kept making his eyes water.

“Well, are we ready to go?” The older man asked, clapping his hands together once and collecting the few belongings he may need. Irene stood up and grabbed her purse.

“Minnie! Are you ready?” Minnie came back in a slender pink dress that puffed out at the bottom, with a small pink hat and matching clutch. Irene gave her an approving smile and linked her arm with Cornelius. Barnaby followed suit with Minnie and soon they left the building to head to the celebration.

Chapter Text

“Horace! Will you be a dear and hold this for me?” Dolly balanced on a step ladder, trying to pin up a streamer that had fallen loose. Her newly-wed husband was stood in the middle of the large hall, a frown on his face as he ordered caterers about to let off steam. He couldn’t be happier that he was with Dolly, but he was such a stickler with money that he dreaded to think about how much this would cost him. With a grunt, he helped Dolly hang up the streamer and helped her off the step ladder. She flashed a grin to him and gave his hand a squeeze.

“It’s showtime. Look more chipper, darling. It’s a celebration!” Dolly tapped under his chin to lift his head up and he sighed.

“I don’t like having to socialise with a bunch of people I’ve never met just because you invited them.” She tutted and swatted at him jokingly, sashaying to the buffet and taking a nibble of a cracker.

“Oh, hush Horace. Ambrose and Ermengarde will be here, as well as Cornelius, Barnaby and their partners. There’ll be lots of people you know. You’re just finding excuses to be grumpy now.” She teased, wiping her mouth after she finished eating and adjusted her hair in the window reflection. The first few guests began arriving and she hurried to go and greet them, dragging a less than enthusiastic Horace with her.

“Good evening Maurice! Thank you for coming.” She said as she shook the guests’ hands with her usual charm.

Now that the boys owned their own business they could easily afford niceties such as a horse and carriage, but after that one eventful night in New York, walking became the norm. Irene would constantly tease Cornelius for the tale they told about ‘the real elegant thing to do is walking’ and such. Irene and Cornelius walked faster and were therefore at the front whilst Minnie and Barnaby were a few steps behind them, speaking in a hushed tone so the others couldn’t hear them.

“Minnie? Can I ask you somethin’?” Barnaby was a shy boy, but what Irene said to him that afternoon had stuck with him.

“Sure!” She replied.

“What are we?” It was a simple enough question, but it caused Minnie to giggle.

“Uh, I don’t know.” She nudged him in the ribs with a snicker and he stopped walking, looking at her with frustration. She bit her top lip as she sometimes did to repress her laughter.

“Minnie, please be serious! I need to know. I’ve never been…with someone before, so I don’t really know how we’re supposed to act. It feels like we’re just kids pretending to be adults!” He was frustrated, but not with her. With himself. He didn’t understand what he was missing – you ask a lady out and fall in love, but he hadn’t fallen in love. He felt nothing towards her, apart from friendship. All this time he’d assumed it was Minnie, but what if it was his fault?

“Gosh, Barnaby, I don’t know. Is this not how it works?” Minnie’s face hesitated as if she was suddenly questioning it all herself. She looked away with a saddened sigh, messing with her handbag to keep herself busy.

“I’ve never felt anything for anyone before. It’s not your fault! I guess I’m just not interested in men. Or women!” Minnie continued, adding that last part with certainty so he wouldn’t get any ideas from her. Barnaby gave her a sympathetic glance, before linking up with her and pulling her forward so they could catch up with the other two.

“I understand.” He sounded relieved at her answer, glad he wasn’t the only one who felt like this. Minnie couldn’t help her giggle as she playfully slapped his arm.

“That would explain why we never kissed. I’m too squeamish for that.” Barnaby grinned and mimed a gross, wet kiss and she squealed, running forward and caught up with Irene. Minnie then linked onto Irene and smiled to her, joining in on the conversation she was having. That left Barnaby behind the three, looking on through to the distance with a sigh. He let himself kick a pebble, not caring about scuffing up his good shoes. Cornelius let out a belly laugh which caught Barnaby’s eye. He soon couldn’t stop staring at how Cornelius looked in the evening light, with the lamp posts illuminating him in such a way that defined his cheek bones and eyebrows. Barnaby felt a jolt of mushiness in his stomach and snapped his gaze away immediately. He always knew his friend was handsome but, in that moment, he’d seen him in such a different light that made him question himself. Was that what Cornelius felt when he looked at Irene? He stayed silent for the rest of the walk and they soon reached the hall which was now bursting with jazz music and laughter.

Cornelius was happily chatting to Irene about his childhood, slightly exaggerated stories about scrapes and bruises and chasing his friend around the quarry. He was an honest man, but sometimes he embellished his tales to make it sound more exciting. He was quite a popular kid despite him growing taller than most of the boys at a younger age. His hair was kept short by his mother who ruled with an iron fist as his father had passed away. He never had any memories of bad times happening when he was a kid, apart from when he broke his arm jumping off a swing. Even though his childhood and teen years were relatively normal, he still felt that he didn’t always fit in. He would get overwhelmed sometimes and lash out as his friends – his mother and doctor described him as ‘different’, whatever that meant. He also felt guilt when he kissed his childhood best friend, Jack Houle, whilst they were playing hide and seek with a group of friends. It was nothing really, but they never spoke of it again. Sometimes he’d think back to that moment, how warm he felt in that one moment. He hated to admit to himself, but he got those warm feelings whenever he would playfully touch Barnaby. Cornelius would just bury it deep down however, as it didn’t mean anything, right?

Chapter Text

The four of them entered the building and Dolly soon came running to them, balancing a champagne glass in one hand.

“Good evening! How are you all?” She gave everyone a peck on the cheek and led them forward to a table they could sit on, helping them get comfortable as she engaged in small talk.

“I would love for Horace to come and say ‘hello’ but he’s disappeared again. That’s the third time tonight! He keeps hovering around poor Ambrose, he makes it seem like the poor boy is going to eat his niece up.” She tutted and gestured a waiter over, telling him to fetch them drinks and a few plates of food for them. Dolly then waved herself off, disappearing as quickly as she appeared to chat with guests and seek out Horace again.

“Isn’t this lovely?” Minnie marvelled, eyes sparkling as she glanced around the hall at the couples chatting and dancing. Irene grinned and nodded, taking off the white gloves she wore.

“It’s absolutely stunning. I wouldn’t expect nothing less from Dolly Vandergelder though.” She put emphasis on the last name with a cheeky smile. Cornelius nodded, tucking into his plate of food once it sat in front of him.

“She sure knows how to throw a party! She even got a live band! Wow.” He bit his bottom lip to try and stifle his smile as he nudged Barnaby and pointed to the band playing in the corner. Barnaby glanced at it with fake interest and nodded, poking around on his plate. Irene took a sip of her drink and messed with her earring she wore.

“The wedding was so wonderful. Oh, I do love a good wedding! Do you, Cornelius?” Barnaby shared a confused glance with Minnie, wondering if she was really insinuating what they thought she was.

“Weddings are too fancy. I don’t understand ‘em myself.” He wasn’t too sharp at times and didn’t even catch what she was hinting at. Irene looked slightly deflated as she replied with an ‘Oh,’ and took another sip of her drink. Barnaby let out a silent sigh of relief (though not sure why) and took a bite from the potatoes on his plate. He wasn’t feeling particularly hungry, but it gave him something to do.

After ten or so minutes of eating, drinking and casual chit-chat, Irene stood up and gestured towards the dance floor with a smile. Cornelius glanced about nervously, as he still wasn’t too confident about dancing in front of people but stood up and followed her to the floor. Irene placed her arms on his shoulders and he placed his on her waist, swaying to the jazz music. Cornelius glanced back to the table for a second to see Barnaby staring at him. Once he caught him looking, they both looked away, a flash on confusion on the older man’s face. He couldn’t prove it, but he was sure Barnaby had been acting different with him recently. He was much more reserved and quieter than usual, and though he was quite shy, it was never around his best friend. Irene noticed the furrowed brows and gave him a sympathetic smile.

“What’s wrong?” Cornelius sighed, deciding to tell her what he was worried about.

“Has Barnaby been acting different with you lately? He’s been being kind of… off. Especially tonight, he hasn’t said a word.”

“Minnie has been the exact same! Do you think it’s a trick they’re playing on us?” Cornelius shook his head and glanced back at the table to see it empty. He hoped they were both fine and dancing or something, but he never knew with those two.

Minnie sat outside perched on a homemade swing that had been attached to a large tree. She left for a moment to take a breather – it was too crowded and loud in there for her. She let the heels of her shoes scuff the dust and dirt on the floor, not bothering if she got her socks and petticoat dusty. Barnaby had soon joined her out back and leaned against the tree.

“Are you alright?” He asked, glancing to her.

“Are you?” She stopped herself from swinging and held onto the ropes tighter.

“I’m fine.” Minnie rolled her eyes, shooting him an irritated gaze.

“Barnaby, I love you. But we can’t be together.” That was two very shocking juxtapositions in one sentence and it took him an extra minute to process it.

“Why?” She reached out and took his hand in hers.

“Because we don’t like each other. Romantically. Barnaby, please don’t get mad with what I say next.” Barnaby opened his mouth to talk but she shushed him before continuing.

“You have someone in your life who you love. I saw it before. You give them looks that will never be shared by us.” His hand went clammy but couldn’t bring himself to move his hand away from hers.

“That’s, I...” He stammered. “It’s not true. I don’t know what, or who, you’re on about.” Of course, he was lying. He knew exactly what she meant, and this exact predicament had been causing him turmoil for weeks now. He was stuck with what to do, not really understanding his feelings and knowing they were not acceptable to have. It was a main reason why he had stayed with Minnie – to feel normal. Little did he know, she was in the same type of boat.

“I want you to be happy. You can’t be happy with me.” She squeezed his hand and gave him a light smile. He shook his head in response, a look of shame on his face.

“This won’t solve anything. No matter how much I want to be with him, I can’t. First of all, Irene. Second, people like me don’t get to have that.” Minnie frowned, pulling her hand from his to give him a gentle slap on the arm.

“Just talk to him. Maybe he and Irene are the same as us?” She knew that wasn’t the case, especially as she was the one who had to deal with Irene going on and on about what dress she would wear if they ever got ‘hypothetically’ married. Barnaby wanted to stay positive about this and gulped, pushing out a nod.

“Okay. Maybe. Could you send him out here?” Minnie nodded and swung backwards to jump forwards off the swing, pausing only to give him a friendly kiss on the cheeks and then disappearing inside the hall. He replaced her spot on the swing and pushed himself forward, the gentle rocking somehow comforting. He couldn’t help but stare at the moon and stars, noting how beautiful and big they looked this particular evening. Soon he heard footsteps and felt a presence sit down beside him.

“Sure is quiet out here, huh?” Cornelius said, following his gaze and looking up at the sky. Barnaby didn’t respond and instead leant against one of the ropes slightly, closing his eyes.

“What’s wrong? You can talk to me, you know?” Cornelius spoke again, removing his gaze from the night to look at his friend instead, seeing the pain in his face and wishing he could do something about it. He
couldn’t help noticing that no matter how melancholy Barnaby felt right now, the soft lighting from the moon and shadow from the trees made him look much gentler than normal. His soft bangs swept across his forehead and his face looked so peaceful and almost… pretty. Could you define your male friend as pretty? Cornelius didn’t see why not.

“Minnie and I aren’t together anymore.” This wasn’t the biggest problem he had but he thought it was easier to start from there and back out if he felt uncomfortable.

“Oh gosh. I’m so sorry.” Seeing his hand dangling from the swing, Cornelius reached over and held it, much like how Minnie did previously.

“If it makes you feel any better, Irene and I have been in a rocky spot recently.” Barnaby piqued interest at this, feeling horrible as he admitted to himself that made him feel slightly better.

“Oh, really? What’s happened?” Cornelius shrugged and intertwined their fingers. This wasn’t too unusual for the boys as they were best friends and would hold hands sometimes when they were feeling sad.

“I don’t know. She’s very demanding. Which isn’t a bad thing! She’s the loveliest woman I’ve ever met but… I don’t know if I’m ready for all of this, Barnaby. Is it bad that I miss our life before New York sometimes? Life was so much simpler. Just me and you, taking on the world!” Barnaby laughed lightly, sitting back up properly and opening his eyes.

“I understand.” Barnaby glanced at their intertwined hands and smiled to himself, allowing his heart to flutter.

“Barnaby. What’s wrong? You’ve been acting different around me. Is It because of the new business?” The younger boy shook his head and got off the swing to instead sit on the floor besides him.

“It’s not that.” Cornelius made some room for him and gave him a puzzled look.

“What is it then?” Barnaby searched into his eyes for a moment, looking for a spark to give him the courage to do what he wanted to do. He knew he’d regret this – every fibre of being was telling him not to do it, but he didn’t care. Leaning forward, he pressed a light kiss to the corner of his mouth before pulling away.

“That.” That was his problem. He loved Cornelius. Gosh, he might even be in love with him. It was forbidden, wrong, but right now he didn’t care. He was afraid to look at Cornelius, and when he did there was confusion in his eyes.

“Barnaby.” His voice was curt, though not meaning to sound so rude.

“I’m sorry.” Barnaby reached a hand out to cover over his own mouth, angry at himself for doing that and ruining everything. Cornelius continued to stare at him, the clogs turning in his own mind. His pretty best friend Barnaby had just kissed him, something that didn’t happen with men. He should be disgusted, but he wasn’t. And that scared him the most. It felt natural, even more natural than kissing Irene. This was what was wrong this entire time? Cornelius understood everything now. The looks he’d give him, the lack of touches, the distasteful stares to Irene.
Cornelius reached out and stroked the back of his hand down Barnaby’s face, pulling his hand from his mouth. He still wasn’t sure about this but all he knew is that he wanted that feeling again.

“Do it again.” Cornelius practically demanded, shocking Barnaby for a moment. Was it a joke? Whatever it was, he didn’t care. They both leaned forward, bumping noses as they turned their heads and shared a more intense kiss than the last, but still something so chaste. Once they pulled away, Barnaby let out a slight laugh and couldn’t help his grin, with Cornelius soon following suit. They rested their foreheads against each other, before Barnaby’s face fell.

“What does this mean for us? And Irene? Are we…” Cornelius shushed him and closed his eyes, wanting to cherish this moment a little longer. The feeling he had with Jack when he was a young teen reminded him of this and he didn’t want it to end. A shadow fell upon the boys and they looked up to see Minnie with a smile on her face.

“Irene’s getting antsy that we all keep leaving her. Y’all should probably go back in.” She offered a hand to help Barnaby up and glanced at the two men, her face showing no emotion.

“You want me to tell her?” Minnie asked, knowing how to navigate Irene since they’d known each other so long. Cornelius shook his head and interlocked his and Barnaby’s hand, pulling him back into the hall with a confidence Barnaby rarely saw. They came back into the hall to see Irene sat back at the table and having a chat with Dolly and Horace. Dolly soon caught sight of the two boys (with Minnie trailing behind) and arched her brows.

“Well, isn’t that something?” She muttered, drawing attention to it and Irene glanced around. She didn’t seem too phased as she knew the men were close friends.

“Where have you two been?” Irene asked, turning slightly in her chair. Cornelius approached her and puffed out his chest. Barnaby hid behind him slightly and Minnie didn’t know where to stand so just stood awkwardly.

“Irene Malloy.” She smiled at him addressing her formally, letting out a laugh of breath through her nose.

“Cornelius Hackl.” She replied courtly.

“I…” His free hand came to his chest and his fingers danced as they sometimes did when he was nervous or excited.

“I… Um…” Suddenly, his confidence had left him as he stared at the woman he thought he’d loved and would spend the rest of his life with. Barnaby sighed and stood forward, shooting Cornelius a sympathetic glance.

“Irene Malloy.” At this point, Irene was getting tired of whatever was going on.

“Barnaby Tucker.” She said.

“Now, I can’t speak on behalf of Cornelius but… I realised that, well, I love Cornelius! And I know it’s taboo, and it ain’t heard of, but I don’t care. I’m happy with him. I…I love him.” He sighed in relief as he finally admitted it, looking up to his friend with a shy smile. Cornelius glanced back down at him with pride, squeezing his hand. Irene sat there speechless, glancing at the boys before looking at Minnie with confusion.
She just shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

“Cornelius are you…breaking up with me?” She asked, a hurt look on her face. Cornelius opened his mouth, but Dolly interjected, who had been sitting still this entire time.

“What I think the boys are saying is they don’t want to hurt you. You don’t choose who to love – an something like this which is so… brave, is definitely not a decision someone would want to pick. Irene, darling, there are hundreds, thousands! Of eligible men who would fall in love with you in an instant. But for these two, well, the barrel of fish is smaller if you catch my drift.” Dolly talked in her usual fast tone, her words seeming to mean nothing yet always helping to diffuse a situation. Irene simply nodded and stood up, a saddened smile on her face.

“I’m going home. I’m happy for the both of you.” She nodded and kissed Cornelius on the cheek a last time before heading off. Minnie glanced between the two choices she had but ultimately decided to follow her friend to make sure she got home safe.

There was a silence between everyone before Cornelius grinned.

“Shall we dance?” Barnaby snickered and nodded, the two running to the dance floor and dancing with each other. It was a very energetic dance, as the men could sometimes get carried away.