Chapter Text
It’s a rainy, unlovable night, but Jesse booked the gig three weeks ago, the girls got sick, and now Danny is staying home to take care of them, so Joey has to go. The weather sucks and it shows; the streets have already thinned out even though it’s a Friday. The turnout isn’t half-bad, but the crowd outside the venue looks like the Addams Family Reunion - wet, wilted, and dressed in all black.
By the time Joey makes it to the door he’s technically still five minutes early. He jerks to a halt when the bouncer steps in front of him to block him from entering. Luckily, Jesse catches sight of him and pushes his way through the crowd.
“Is there a problem?”
“Jess, this guy won’t let me in. He says I’m not following the dress code.”
The bouncer turns back to Jesse as if to say just look at him. He’s wearing a pink two-tone shirt with a collar - which is already twice as much fabric as anyone else has got on.
“Is he with you?”
“Yeah, can you let him in?”
“Not dressed like that.”
“What’s wrong with how I’m dressed?” Joey looks down at his button-up shirt and denim pants and back to Jesse. “This is crazy!”
Jesse shoots an apologetic look to the bouncer and takes a step closer, lowering his voice when he speaks. The people still in line scowl and complain among themselves, glaring at Joey for holding everyone up.
“Joe, just - take off the shirt.”
“What?”
“Trust me. Lose the shirt.”
Joey sighs and presses his lips into a thin line before starting on the column of buttons down his brightly patterned shirt, moving as quickly as he can with a line full of impatient people waiting. Jesse takes off his leather vest and tosses it to him.
“Put that on.”
The fit is awkward, a little too tight around the shoulders but it’s better than a blouse and it shows off his muscles - at least, according to the bouncer. Joey feels like a greaser in the black vest and jeans.
“We good?”
The bouncer rolls his eyes but motions them both inside at last. Joey starts talking the second they pass him by, so involved in his own disbelief he barely observes his surroundings.
“I don’t know what was up with that guy.” He lowers his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “I think maybe he was flirting with me. I mean, what kind of place makes you take off your shirt before they let you in?”
He stops dead in his tracks when a topless woman walks by, breasts swaying as freely as if they were in a nudist colony. His eyes go wide as dinner plates. Finally, he takes notice of the rest of the people around them. They’re not just wearing all black - there’s leather, there’s straps, there’s tassels! One of the guys over by the bar is showing off his assless chaps.
Joey blinks.
“Oh. Well, this - this would be that kind of place, I guess.” His brain is still trying to catch up. “Why didn’t you tell me you were playing at a - uh - a place like this? ”
“Look, when I booked the gig I didn’t know it was for a...special interests club.”
Joey feels like a kid in a candy store, too excited to look at anything for too long, until his gaze freezes on a nearly naked man in the back, being led around on a leash by a woman in a red latex bodysuit. It’s not just the props that have caught his attention, but the way the man with the collar is sticking out his tongue like a real dog, panting for attention. He drops to his knees beside her when she stops to talk to a woman with faded green pigtails.
“Yeah, this is a special interest alright.”
“Tell me about it. I don’t even know what half of this crap is. And I don’t wanna know.”
The woman in latex mindlessly cards her fingers through the guy’s hair while she talks, ruffling it affectionately when he presses his head into her hand. Joey finally wrenches his gaze away when she catches him staring, smiling at him in a small, secret way. He refocuses on the stage where three men are performing in drag.
“Where’s the rest of your band?”
“I don’t know, I think I lost them to the lady with no shirt.”
The speakers are blasting Soft Cell so loud Joey can hardly make out what he’s saying. One of the drag queens is beckoning the audience with a curled finger and perfectly painted, glittering nails. Joey looks around the room and easily notices a handful of women without shirts.
“Which one?”
“The one with the…” Jesse uses both of his pointer fingers to turn circles in front of his chest. “You know, the thingies.”
Joey laughs.
“I think they’re called tassels.”
“Whatever,” Jesse huffs. “All I know is we were scheduled to go on five minutes ago and the stage still isn’t clear. I don’t know what’s going on and the guy I booked the gig with isn’t here.”
“That’s crazy. Do you want me to try and find a manager?”
“No way!” Jesse glances furtively to the back of the stage, where he’s already left some of his equipment. “You’re not leaving me here alone. There’s a grown man dressed like a baby and I’m scared he’s gonna try and talk to me again.”
“Jess don’t be silly, babies can’t talk.”
“You’re not funny.”
“I’m hilarious.” He places a hand on Jesse’s shoulder. “But really, you don’t have anything to worry about. You’re great with kids.”
Joey takes off before Jesse can protest again, cutting through the crowd without much trouble. He passes by someone bound face-first to a black X, some unrecognizable equipment that looks like you need a gym membership to use, and a guy laying prostrate on the ground in a black hood that covers everything but his mouth, before he finally makes it to the bar.
“Hey buttercup, you lost?”
Joey turns and finds himself face-to-face with the woman in the red latex. Her black hair is pulled back tight. The bar is mostly deserted except for the two of them, an older gentleman, and a couple who hasn’t stopped kissing once since Joey got there.
“Oh geeze, do I look that out of place?”
“No, not really.” Her black lips stretch into a smile. “I just wanted a good opening line. I’m Eva. Is this your first time?”
Joey laughs nervously at the phrasing.
“I’m just here to help out a friend. He’s supposed to be on stage tonight.”
“You sure? Because in my experience it’s always you vanilla bean looking ass bitches that are into that freaky shit.”
Joey swallows hard. He wishes he had a drink in his hand but the bartender is too busy watching the performance from the far corner of the bar.
“Sorry about earlier - I didn’t mean to stare.”
“I think he likes it anyway.”
When she gestures with the toe of her shoe Joey notices her companion is still present, on the floor by her feet. The blond is obediently holding the handle of his leash between his teeth. Something weird is happening in Joey’s gut. He feels naked in just the open vest and jeans.
“I have to go find my friend,” he tells her.
Joey leaves in such a hurry that he forgets to talk to the bartender. He wants to stop in the bathroom just to splash cold water on his face but the line is worse than the one to get in. When his hand finds Jesse’s hip, he jumps before realizing who it belongs to.
“What took you so long?”
“Sorry, Jess. I looked everywhere but I couldn’t find anyone in charge. I don’t know who’s running this thing.”
“That would be me.”
A smooth, familiar voice catches his attention.
“Eva?”
They turn to her at the same time, the black bombshell in the red PVC. The crowd parts around her like she’s Jesus walking through the red sea.
“You know her?”
Jesse looks borderline betrayed.
“We just met!” He looks back to Eva. “Why didn’t you tell me you were running this place?”
“You didn’t ask.” She shrugs one of her bare shoulders. “Besides, what kind of a braggart does a person have to be to work that into every conversation.”
“I guess that’s true.”
Joey checks the floor for her collared companion but he’s nowhere in sight.
“So this is the friend you came here with?”
“Yup,” Jesse declares, fingers digging into Joey’s arm. “We came here together, we’re leaving together, going home together…”
“He’s supposed to be on stage,” Joey says, managing to sound authoritative for Jesse’s benefit. “We’re just trying to figure out when that will be.”
“My stage? He’s part of the show?” She gives him a long, disbelieving look. “I take it you’re in charge?”
“Oh no, I’m not really his manager or anything.”
“Of course. I assume that’s all part of the scene.”
“The scene?”
Joey can tell Eva is becoming short. She takes in a deep breath and shakes her head.
“Wait a minute. When did you say your friend is supposed to go on?”
“Friday the fifth. Nine o’clock, which is almost fifteen minutes ago, last I checked.”
“That’s what I thought. Saturday is the fifth.” She turns to address Jesse for the first time. “You aren’t on until tomorrow, sweetheart. Feel free to stay and enjoy the atmosphere though. I can tell you need to loosen up a little.”
When Eva walks away Jesse is the first to speak.
“Why would she pick you?”
“Jealous?”
“No, why would I be - I’m not jealous. I just don’t see what’s so unbelievable about me being in charge.”
“Well for starters, you look scared to be here.”
“That’s because I am!”
“Well, there you go.”
“What - and you’re not?”
“I don’t know, I think it’s kind of interesting.”
“You would.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means what it means.”
It feels wrong to go home their separate ways without resolving the tense, uncomfortable silence, but that’s exactly what they do.