Chapter Text
"What?" Glisten yells, almost so hard that I flinch, the script crumpling in his hand as he squeezes it.
"Look, it wasn't my decision-" Dandy starts, but he barely manages to get the sentence out before Glisten starts yelling at him again.
"No, no! This is ridiculous," He stabs a finger into the script he's holding, the pieces of paper letting out sad, winkling noise in protest. "It's borderline offensive is what it is! You can't actually expect me to do this, or to take any of this seriously."
"Glisten," Arthur sets a gentle hand on Dandy's shoulder as he steps forward, attempting what I can only assume an honest and pitiful look. "None of this is ideal-"
Glisten interrupts again, crossing his arms and looking away in a huff. "No."
Arthur continues, keeping his same almost reassuring, slow talking speed. "I wish it were different Glisten, I honestly do. I think you're such a wonderful toon just the way you are, but... We've spoken to the network, this is the only way you're going to remain on the show."
Slowly, Glisten turns towards him again. I can almost see the fire in his eyes, moments before he hurls his script at the ground and stands up, yelling "What?!"
Dandy swallows as he looks at Arthur. "Sorry Glisten..." He mumbles.
"This is outrageous! This is obscene! How can you expect me to go through with this? To be remotely okay with any of this? Insane! Disastrous!"
The script in my own hand had become wet with the sweat of my damp palm, my fingers fidgeting as I try to avoid looking at him so I don't make him feel worse. From my point of view, I held no objections to this. It's only a show, and it's not that big of a deal for me anyway. But I can understand his reaction.
"Glisten please sit down." Arthur mumbles, and with a seconds pause, he sits back down in his seat.
"I don't understand why you're making my femininity my problem when you designed me!" He folds his arms again, scowling as if his life depended on it.
"Well that is the problem... You've been designed, and the network is making it your problem. I never thought there was anything wrong with you but apparently audiences disagree. Mostly parents. The parents of the audiences." Arthur rubs the back of his neck. "At least you'd make a good girl then?"
"I am not dressing as a girl for this stupid show!" He yells, so much so that I flinch backwards in my seat.
"Glisten please-"
"This is ridiculous!"
"I wish it wasn't this way, I really do! But we have to either listen to the network or pull you from the air. Plus this way you can get a whole episode to yourself...?" Arthur tries, and I can see something in Glisten's eyes shift.
"But it's not me..." His voice is remorseful now, a silent sort of sadness carrying softly through it. "It's this weird girl version of me."
"Same name, same face. Just different pronouns." Arthur tries again.
"Well what about him!" He points to me, and I can feel everyone in the room's eyes on me.
For the first time, I actually have to think. What do I think about this? I hadn't had much time to stop and think since Glisten took one look at the script and started protesting. I'm not really sure how I feel. This whole proposal is ridiculous, the idea of Glisten having to be a girl on the show. And worse, us having to be in a relationship. Supposedly to prove his heterosexuality. Or 'her' heterosexuality.
I cant possibly imagine how far this could go, I mean it is a stage relationship for a children's show. It wont go too far. Maybe some hand holding, a peck on the cheek. But again, with Glisten. As far as I know I'm straight. Won't this make this just incredibly awkward? Having to encounter him day after day knowing I have to pucker up to him on screen. And when we open Gardenview for visits. Will we have to walk around holding hands and calling each other pet names the whole time?
Plus I don't know how I feel about Glisten himself. He's rather new, in that he's only made one on screen appearance. I haven't been able to form much of an opinion on him if I'm honest.
He doesn’t speak to many people, or at least he doesn’t speak to me. I can catch subtle glances of him at meal times, or during a shoot. Well one shoot.
He’s kinda just there if I’m honest, he’s not a big part of my life.
And him as a girl? It’s improbable. Impossible even, even with his feminine demeanour and appearance he’s still overwhelmingly masculine to me, a man in every sense of his demeanour. With all that makeup on anyone would think that he would look like a girl already but no, he looks like a man.
With this sense of femininity instilled in him I can’t imagine him any more girly, or anything close to a girl.
I shrug slightly. “I don’t really mind if I’m honest.”
Glisten stares at me for a few seconds and I’m sure his eye twitches slightly. “Of course you wouldn’t, you’re the one who gets to fondle all this.” He gestures to his own body, sighing, clearly done with trying to use me as an escape.
I can feel something in his words making me blush, how forward he is. I’m not attracted to him, but the situation in itself is enough for me to get flustered.
“Please Glisten.” Dandy tries again.
Glisten looks away, his lips puckering, arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently. He mumbles something under his breath.
“I’m sorry what?” Arthur says, leaning in.
“I said I’ll do it.” He seems almost ashamed, still not wanting to admit this to us or himself.
“Oh wonderful!” Arthur clasps his hands together, seeming genuinely joyful with a wide beam spreading across his face.
Glisten stands up abruptly, almost storming out of the room, and slamming the door behind him. There’s an awkward, almost deathly silence that sits in the room.
I look between Dandy and Arthur, before clearing my throat.
“I’ll go give this to him.” I mumble, reaching down and grabbing his wrinkled script, keeping my own in my hand as I exit the room.
I’d never been to Glistens room before, but I knew it was on the fourth floor, a few floors below my own room. I decided upon taking the elevator, thinking about what I would say in my head, but in all honesty I had no idea.
How could I even approach such a topic with enough grace, or any grace at all? But I didn’t have enough time to think before the doors swung open and I was forced to walk my way over to his room.
In the empty hallway, I started mumbling to myself as if to practise what to say to make it less awkward.
“Hey Glisten,” I clear my throat, “Hi there… Hello Glisten…” My palms were getting sweaty again.
With very little certainty, I knocked on the door with the back of my knuckles, and to my surpise it opened almost immediately. “What?” Glisten grumbles, before almost doing a double take. “Rodger?”
“You left your script.” I say, with little inflection, offering it to him.
“Oh… thanks.” He mumbles, taking it from me, trying his best not to look at me. “Well… I’ll see you.”
“Yeah.” I go to say, but he’s closed the door before I’m sure he heard what I said, slipping out of it in an awkward manner, and shutting it with a firm click.