Chapter Text
“Who are you supposed to be?”
DiamondDiva lifted his gaze from one of the snack tables and glanced at the prideful, perfumed presence beside him.
A young woman with platinum-blonde hair tied up in a cascading ponytail stood haughtily beside DiamondDiva with her arms crossed, an eyebrow lifted, and an impertinent frown on her face. “Well?” Utter disdain seeped from her dollar-bill green eyes. “Speak up. I don’t have all day. This space is for content creators only, so you’d better spill who you are before I have the staff throw you out on your metal butt.”
DiamondDiva faced her and then wordlessly lifted his V.I.P. con badge with the word ‘creator’ emblazoned on the front. He lifted an eyebrow, content to face off in a battle of sass.
The young woman eyed DiamondDiva’s badge, huffed, and met his eyes again. “Then why don’t I know who you are?” She flicked her polished nails against her ponytail, brushing it back over her shoulder. “I know who everyone is, and everyone knows me.”
Amusement settled in DiamondDiva’s eyes. “Who were you again?”
Her glossed lips twisted into an insulted grimace. She rested a hand on her chest, lifted her chin, and met DiamondDiva’s eyes. “I’m the Cashley McMansion, fashion influencer extraordinaire. I have millions of followers on Insta and Youtube.”
“I see.” The snark within DiamondDiva’s expression tucked away behind a polite smile. “No wonder. We don’t seem to run in the same circles. My channel name is ‘DiamondDiva’. I talk about books on Youtube and play video games on Twitch. I suppose I only have just under a million subscribers.”
Cashley glanced up and down as the gears in her head turned. “Hm. That can change,” she mused. “...You have potential.” She tilted her head. “Why don’t we do a collab? My publisher is on my case about a tell-all book deal, and it’s just such a pain, so if you know so much about books, maybe we could do something together? You’ll get great exposure when I post you on my pages.”
“‘Potential,’” DiamondDiva echoed a bit hollowly. “A delightful word that certainly applies to me at the moment,” he muttered before biting back any unpleasantness in his tone. “Thank you very much for your generous offer, Miss McMansion, but I’m afraid that my calendar is quite full for the following…decades.”
Cashley giggled as she pulled out her phone and swiped around her screen. “Nonsense. You can’t afford to miss out on an offer like this. After doing a collab with me, Cashley McMansion, fashion influencer extraordinaire, you’ll be raking in more money than you know what to do with. You’ll have bottomless pockets, and, with a wave of your hand, anything you like will be yours.” She turned away from DiamondDiva and held her phone up in selfie mode. “Smile, Diva!” She chimed, tapped her thumb against her phone, and stole a few photos before DiamondDiva had a chance to duck out. She then faced him again and swiped through the photos. “People love to see a blonde prep hanging out with an emo with dark hair. It’s the conflict.”
DiamondDiva stood frozen with an expression locked in false politeness. “‘Juxtaposition’ is the word you’re looking for, and my look is ‘mall goth’. Not ‘emo’.”
“Excuse you. I am the fashion influencer. I know different types of fashion.” Cashley swiped her ponytail over her other shoulder. “Those stripes and black outfit are screaming ‘emo’. The difference between ‘emo’, ‘mall goth’, and ‘goth’ is almost nothing.”
DiamondDiva breathed in a slow breath and then released it. “You know what? I might have an opening in a couple months.”
Cashley’s lips quirked into a prideful smile. “That’s what I thought. You’d be nuts to refuse me. We just make too much sense. I have some time today, so I’ll be sure to walk with you so we can take some more pictures.”
“Actually, why don’t you DM me after the con? I’m afraid I have a full schedule. I’ll be sure to reply the moment I have time for you.” He rummaged around in his pocket. “In fact…, I have something….” He pulled out a sparkling purple velvet scrunchie. “Here.” He held the scrunchie towards Cashley. “For you. It’s sure to go with your…—” DiamondDiva struggled for a moment before forcing out a haphazard conclusion, “—yellow eyeshadow. The combination will be subtle and tasteful.”
Cashley’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Diva! How sweet!” She accepted the scrunchie and turned it in the light. “I’ll make it shine even brighter with my look for the masquerade.” She reached up and twisted the scrunchie around her ponytail before rolling her shoulders back and lifting her chin to pose. “Isn’t it just to die for?”
“Oh, just. Certainly just.” DiamondDiva nodded. “Well, I have to go. Effective immediately. Have a good con.” He gave a half-hearted wave and turned as Cashley called out her farewell. The moment his eyes caught sight of Chase and Silver sitting in chairs against the opposite wall, he made a beeline towards them only to be interrupted mid-trip.
“Hey, DiamondDiva.”
He halted and sighed before glancing over to see Simon approaching him. “Hey.”
“Looks like you had a fun conversation.” Simon nodded back in Cashley’s direction.
DiamondDiva groaned and rolled his eyes. “Some people have no idea how to accept rejection.”
Simon looked over to see Cashley chatting with her friends as they broke out into giggles. “That was you rejecting her?”
“Certainly. What did it look like?”
Simon met DiamondDiva’s piercing eyes. “...Honestly? It looked like two hissing prissy cats sizing each other up before deciding to get married.”
DiamondDiva stared, absolutely dumbfounded. “What?”
Simon shrugged and tucked his hands in his jacket pockets. “You two were glaring at each other, then you two talked all friendly-like, and then she giggled and stuff when you gave her an actual gift. She looks like a high school kid with a crush. If you were rejecting her, you should’ve been clear, and she should be pissed or bummed out.”
DiamondDiva huffed and shook his head. “Image matters. She’s influential, so I didn’t commit to anything, and I gave her a treat to shake her off. There’s plenty of other black-haired goth-adjacent people out there with higher follower counts than me she can leech off of. She’ll forget about me by this time next week.”
“Geez.”
“What?” DiamondDiva lifted an eyebrow.
Simon shook his head. “Whatever. If she talks to you again, you should set her straight. Saves you and her trouble later down the line if you guys are clear with each other now.”
“Thank you, Doctor. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Simon sucked in a frustrated breath before releasing it. “Okay. You can be a little less of a jerk, y’know? I get that we’re around a lot of people here and that you’re DiamondDiva, the guy who bitches about books, but we’re backstage. You don’t have to be a jerk here. Actually, if your fans come up to talk to you, are you gonna be a jerk to them, too?”
DiamondDiva sighed and spoke with slightly less venom than before. “That’s none of your business.” He watched as Simon’s stare gradually grew more dire. “...I’ll pull it back. Cashley was pushy. It made me grouchy. I’m going to….” He waved a hand towards Silver and Chase. “I’m going to decompress.”
Simon’s stare softened. “Alright.” He took a step back and paused. “...Hey. If you need help shaking Cashley off again, and if I’m around…, I could probably help you out. So you don’t have to get grouchy about it.”
“...Thanks.”
Simon nodded and turned before heading out of the room.
DiamondDiva watched Simon leave, debating on whether or not to internalize his advice. He then continued his trip across the room but paused a few feet away when he noticed Chase on his phone.
Chase gave DiamondDiva a smile before focusing back on his call. “That’s great!” He waved DiamondDiva over and pointed to the empty chair between himself and Silver. “You two are going to plant tomatoes?” He tilted his phone and pointed at the name ‘Mom’ on the screen.
DiamondDiva nodded, stared at the empty chair, and then watched Silver, who fussed with a seam on her dress skirt. As Chase continued his call, DiamondDiva sat down between Chase and Silver. He reached into a deep pocket and pulled out a tiny sewing kit. He gingerly popped the clear plastic kiss lock open and offered it to Silver.
Silver’s gaze passed over the kit before it registered what it offered. She sucked in a gasp. “Thank you,” she whispered, “I love you. Oh, my goodness.” She plucked a needle and a baby-sized spool from the kit and met DiamondDiva’s frozen eyes. “I mean.” A bit of concern nestled in her eyes before she mentally shook it off with a gentle smile. “You’re a life-saver. Thank you for your help.”
The tenseness in DiamondDiva’s posture slackened, and he sat up, resting the kit in his lap as Silver proceeded to ladder-stitch her torn seam closed. He breathed in and then breathed out as he idly watched nothing in particular and listened to Chase’s side of the phone call.
Chase chuckled. “Nahhh, all my fans are online. Or. In person right now, ‘cause we’re at the con, but I’ll be a needle in a haystack once we get back home.”
DiamondDiva’s eyes slipped closed as the voice on the other line spoke in a tone that was as warm as hot chocolate and as sweet as honey. What would it have been like to have been raised by that voice?
“I don’t understand,” a voice worn down from years of clenching and artificially chiming cut through the tense silence.
The non-absorbent, flat, decorative towel dug into his soft cheek, uncaring if his gums rubbed into his teeth as the towel struggled to rub off the stray remnants of chocolate he had taken in secret.
“I just don’t understand,” she groaned just above a whisper. “You’re such a smart child, so why don’t you think?” A dire plea saturated her tone as her free hand pressed against the opposite side of his head, holding it in place. Her bright red glossy nails pricked his skin every so often—an unfortunate side effect of this sort of cleaning and scolding. “Couldn’t you see him raise his eyebrow?”
Despite the heavenly chocolate he’d had earlier, his stomach slowly sank.
“Don’t you remember what it means when he raises an eyebrow?” The scent of her hair spray hung in the air despite its fading strength over the course of the evening.
Shame scratched at the back of his throat, and his eyes burned with despair. “...I’m sorry,” he whispered and then winced with a particularly painful swipe of the towel.
The towel paused, and the practiced professional smile he’d seen on her face so many times fixed in place. “Don’t look so sad. I love you,” she said in the same forced tone, in the same unsure volume, and in the same cadence she always did. “Even if he’s cold to you,” she added, her assurance pretty but ultimately empty. The tense pause regained itself in her halted movements. Her hand that pressed against his head softened and trailed down to cradle his cheek. “I do love you. And you love me, too, ri—?” Her hand which held the towel moved, revealing the swipe of chocolate on the crisp white collar of his shirt.
His stomach seemed to fall harder as his hands—balled into fists—trembled. A rigidness gripped his whole body.
Her practiced smile fell entirely into an exhausted frown.
His gut twisted as tears bubbled in his eyes. He blinked rapidly, trying to hold them back. He breathed in a shaky breath and whispered, “...I love you.”
She heaved a sigh fit for Atlas and his unending struggles. “If you did, you wouldn’t do things like this.”
The words hit him like a sucker punch, and, in that moment, he sincerely prayed that the polished wood floors would open up and swallow him whole. At least then he’d be free of the decorative towel’s fervent scrubbing.
“Okay,” a honey-light voice murmured, “I love you.”
His eyes snapped open.
“Bye.” Chase finished up his conversation and tapped a thumb against his phone, hanging up. He turned to give DiamondDiva a sheepish smile. “Sorry. I was talking with—.” The cheer from his expression fell, replaced with concern. “Hey…, Buddy, are you okay?”
Buddy. He was Buddy. He nodded shakily. His eyes fell closed as he mentally scolded himself for being so unprofessional. He breathed in, composed himself, and opened his eyes. Buddy’s lips tugged into an ever-so-slight smile. “Yes. I’m fine. I had to….” He nodded towards where Cashley was on the other side of the room with her posse. “...shake a flex influencer off, but I’m fine. Your call sounds like it went well.”
At the mention of the call and reassurance, Chase’s expression relaxed. “Yeah.” He pocketed his phone. “My mom’s feeling a little better. She’s reading the gardening books I got her. She says she wants to grow tomatoes with Grandpa.”
“That’s great news,” Buddy hummed warmly.
Chase nodded, the very embodiment of enthusiasm. “Yup! So, what brings you to this green room? I’m hanging out with Silver for moral support.” He chuckled and leaned forward a bit to meet Silver’s eyes. “How’s it going?”
“Much better,” Silver chimed and carefully placed the needle and the remainder of thread back in the plastic sewing kit and snapped the kiss lock closed. “DiamondDiva let me borrow his sewing kit!” She smoothed out the seam she had been working on. “You can’t even tell it was torn before.”
Chase grinned. “That’s awesome! Well, we got some time before you gotta go next door for pre-judging. What d’ya wanna talk about?”
“Hm….” Silver patted her cheek in thought. “Oh! DiamondDiva, would you go over what you’ve read so far in Disneywar? I’d just love to have an idea of how to organize the vintage cosplay video, and I think I could manage to line up my ups and downs with the ups and downs of the Disney company history.”
“I certainly hope not,” Buddy muttered. “The company’s downs are terribly down. More money and influence means more problems.”
“I mean…, the book is five-hundred pages long, so I can simplify it and pick and choose what it is I’d need.” Silver brushed any stray thread off her lap and positioned herself to partly face Buddy. “Could you recount it, please? If you’re able and if it’s not too much trouble? Chase, you’d want to hear about it, too, I’m sure. Don’t they talk about television company development too?”
“Yeah, Buddy, rant away.” Chase crossed his legs and fidgeted with his jacket zipper. “I wanna hear more about Eisenhower and Katzman being snotty ex-boyfriends.”
A brief burst of laughter broke Buddy’s nearly-placid expression. He shook his head and shrugged off the humor. “Eisner and Katzenberg, you mean?”
“Yup.” Chase nodded and leaned back in his chair. “Gossip away.”
“Alright.” It took little prompting for Buddy to recount what he had read so far, and he added his little praises here and there for the book’s writing style. As the minutes passed, he felt Chase’s shoulder press more and more against his own. He paused and glanced to his left to see Chase’s eyes soundly closed and his neck completely given up on supporting his head. Buddy slowly turned his head to meet Silver’s gaze and nodded towards Chase.
Silver leaned forward and waved a hand. “Chase?” She whispered. When they received no response except for Chase’s soft breathing, Silver grinned and sat back up. “Oh my. Isn’t that sweet? He must’ve been so excited for the con for weeks.” She released a contented sigh. “Well, I can help wake him up.”
“Wait,” Buddy whispered and kept stone-still. “It’s fine. I can wake him up when I need to go.”
“Okay.” Silver rested her hands in her lap and glanced between Chase and Buddy. “He must’ve really felt soothed by your voice.”
“Or perhaps the history of an entertainment company isn’t as thrilling for him as it is for you and me.”
Silver stifled a giggle. She then lifted her head to catch sight of Violet approaching them. She gave her a silent wave before resting an index finger against her lips. “Chase is taking a quick nap,” she whispered.
Violet stared for a moment, taking in the image of Buddy sitting still and allowing Chase to lean against his shoulder in his sleep. She gave a small wave to Buddy and matched Silver’s volume, “Looks like you’re having a nice time.”
“I…don’t want to wake him,” he admitted.
Violet shook her head. “Of course not. I’ll leave you to it, then.” She took a step back. “Silver, your spot should be coming up soon.”
“Wait.” Buddy pinched a bit of fabric on Silver’s skirt in an effort not to move. “Violet, there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk about with you.”
“Oh?” Violet crossed her arms and tilted her head. “Something like how that influencer over there is wearing my space scrunchie?”
Buddy glanced away sheepishly. “I’ll buy you another one. I promise. I just had to get her off my back. The thing I need to speak with you about…is….”
Silver gradually leaned forward in an attempt to meet Buddy’s eyes. “...Oh, I should probably head over to pre-judging then. Don’t want to be late.”
“...Silver, you can hear too,” Buddy mumbled and then released his hold on her skirt. “I…” He sighed. “Chase wants to do a duet, but I don’t sing. He says I can rap my part instead. I don’t rap.”
Violet’s mild annoyance subsided. “It sounds fun. You don’t want to try?”
Buddy shook his head. “Vi, I can’t sing these lyrics.”
Violet fished her phone out of her pocket and held it up to Buddy. Buddy moved as little as possible as he tapped out the song title and the English lyrics for the song. “He wanted me to sing this part.”
Violet moved to stand beside Silver and held her phone up so they could both read the lyrics. Violet mumbled the lyrics between them. “‘How could she not be jealous and sly? / Purer than I? / Feeling the hatred inside, she can't be perfect—a lie! / No weakness to find / Hating you more every time / But hate me more every time / Nobody other than you / Would I allow to rival my climb’.”
A tense worry wormed its way into Buddy’s voice, “So. That’s what Chase wants me to sing. Or. Rap, I suppose. I just can’t sing those.”
“Then don’t,” Violet answered easily as she darkened her screen and pocketed her phone.
Buddy heaved a slow sigh. “It’s a really popular song. The fans—.”
“Then do it,” Violet interrupted.
“...But it’s….”
“Buddy…,” Silver tested the name. When she was met with nothing more than Buddy’s attention, she continued. “You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. You and Chase can still be friends without the duet. The only thing that may make you guys drift apart or be cold to each other is if you need someone else to speak with Chase for you. If someone else tells Chase your feelings, then he’s going to think that you’re afraid of him and that you don’t consider him a friend.”
“Or even worse,” Violet added. “He’s going to think he hurt you somehow, and he’s going to think he’s a rotten friend and can’t recognize it.”
Buddy’s attention drifted as he mulled through their words. “...That’d be far, far worse,” he admitted.
Silver nodded and leaned forward again to catch Buddy’s gaze. “And, you know, you can always suggest something else to him. That’ll reassure him that you still want to spend time with him without promising yourself to something you’re too uncomfortable with. That’ll put him at ease.”
Buddy settled his gaze on Silver and nodded softly. “Thank you, Silver.”
“Of course,” Silver whispered and patted Buddy’s hand. “Violet? Could you help me over to the pre-judging, please?”
“Sure,” Violet hummed and offered a hand to Silver, helping her stand. She met Buddy’s gaze with a soft pride in her eyes. “Good work. Maybe get a septum piercing or partly shave an eyebrow as a reward after you buck up the strength to tell Chase you can’t duet.”
Pink embarrassment dusted Buddy’s cheeks as he shared goodbyes with Violet and Silver, and he watched them walk off, leaving him with nothing but the peaceful sound of Chase’s breaths and the comforting weight of Chase’s leaning.