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It was the night after they wrapped episode 4 and he was undressing in the bathroom. His lipstick was barely on his face anymore and his body was aching from the way his outfit had wrapped around him like tape. Despite the communal nature of the room, no one else has decided to join him, too busy either de-dragging in the workroom or, tucking into the spread that was laid out across some of the benches. To say the evening's events had been traumatic for him was an understatement. Having to watch her - see her beat herself up over things he knew she’d perfected was torturous, but knowing there was nothing he could do except place soft kissed on her face and hold her. That was worse.
Suddenly, in a flurry of orange jewels and feathers, a tornado whipped its way into the bathroom, stopping with a heavy thud into Brocks' chest. Quiet whimpers filled the air as he couldn't quite figure out what to do. His mind felt out of sync with his body in its half-drag form but with calm and familiar motions he slowly stroked the hair on her head. She was wigless and shoeless, still in full costume and makeup (although, he noted, without nails) and looked in the midst of an emotional breakdown. It was times like this when he stopped to realise how small she really was. Standing at a petite, 5’4 in comparison to his own 6’1, she was dwarfed - only making the situation more heartbreaking.
Once her breathing has become more slow and ragged, he pulled away slightly, a perfect stencil of her face moulded onto his top. “They know. Everyone knows,” mumbled Vanjie as she mimicked he breathes. “I'm just so scared that this will change everything, being together is dangerous.”
He knew exactly where she was coming from - although, at the same time, this was new waters. Treacherous but swimmable with the right person. Deep down he knew this wasn't the whole reasoning for her outburst but he couldn't find it in him to ask her to delve into herself for him, not like this.
“I was ready to go home for you,” he replied honestly. He could barely believe it himself but knew it to be the honest truth. “I would have given all this up for you, and I don't care who knows it.” She sobbed harder into his shirt, the smell of his cologne seeping into her, soothing her soul just a little bit. The reality was, he’d fallen hard and fast. In the short space of knowing her, he found that he wanted to be with her more and more. Untucked had been the breakthrough of that. The irrepressible urge to comfort the one he cared for had overtaken him to the point where he forgot about the cameras, the lights and the 10 other queens who could see them. He had one goal and that was just to make her smile.
“Don't do that,” she replied, tears pooling in her eyes. “Don't be the hero Brock, you'll get hurt.” She knew what she was talking about. She'd been in the public eye long enough to know the effects of any relationship. She liked him almost too much and knew that if all of it aired it would follow them through their careers. There would never be another boyfriend not compared to him. Selfishly, she almost thought that maybe they could stop it here. There wouldn't be enough to have an interesting story. Just glances and soft touches and a peck here and there. If it stopped they wouldn't have enough to break him. Luckily for him, she couldn't change how she felt, and it was going to hurt like hell when she fell.
“Baby, you don't have to be brave.”
“I know.”
“I really like you.”
“I know”
“I won't leave”
She broke again. Fists balled into his shirt around his waist. His strong arms wrapped around her, making her feel safe and warm and loved. She couldn't hide this anymore. She knew she looked at him like he strung the stars up just for her and they were just going to have to own it. “They're going to wonder where we've been,” he muttered into her hair and she enjoyed the feeling of the vibrations travelling through her scalp. She chuckled lightly at the thought of them, gathered around the fried chicken whispering theories about them - she almost enjoyed the image. “Let them wonder,” she replied as she leant up for a simple chaste kiss. It told him everything she wanted him to know.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped back. He smiled a warm brilliant smile and made quick work of removing the rest of his makeup bundling his stuff into a little rucksack hed brought with him.
Holding her hand out to him at the door, he took it graciously, marvelling at how they just fit together so snuggly.
“Together?”
“Together.”
And they walked out into the workroom to the cheers of Nina West.