Work Text:
"Hey, come here often?" Romance flashes an easy grin, hand curled around a whiskey tumbler. He'd had about half of his double on the rocks, while waiting for a date that ultimately stood him up.
It's also his first time in this particular bar. But he had his script ready, watching as the woman gives him a once-over, pursing her lips in consideration.
"More than you, I'd bet." Her voice is huskier than he expected. A vocalist maybe? She didn't look like a smoker to him, and he drew the line at vapers. "First time?"
"Shucks, how'd you know?" He chuckles softly to try and maintain his cool. He needs every bit he can get. "I ain't wearing a name tag, am I?"
"No, but first timers don't know that Marv in the back hates cheesy pick-up lines. He's glaring at you right now."
He freezes and tries to glance over his shoulder to see...some guys playing darts. A quick scan around showed no one was looking at the two of them, and his heart rate started to calm down again. "You do that to every guy who hits on ya?"
"Only the special ones." The lady smirks before giving him a nod. "I'm Ben."
"Ben? Is that uh, short for something?" He didn't want to judge, but he starts to look much more closely at her.
"It's better than my legal name, trust." Her lips were exaggerated with a dark red lipstick, made to look fuller. A button nose, and a surprisingly strong jawline under the dangling overhead wired lowlights. "My eyes are up here bud."
"Romance. Uhm. Can I ask if...?"
"Depends." She—them?—swivels in the bar stool cushion, legs crossed demurely under a knee-length skirt, with one arm casually resting in her lap and the other holding onto the marble countertop. "You ever kiss a guy?"
"No. Never." The denial is too quick, and he raises his hands in surrender. "Look, I'm sorry for bothering you Ben. I'm not...yeah."
"Ooh. Scared of a three letter word?" Ben taps the tabletop and he settles on the barstool beside them. It wouldn't do to be impolite, even if Romance had no script for this. His eyes are darting around, trying to find the right words to extricate himself from this awkward social situation.
"Hey, Romance?" He swallows, looking Ben in the eye. He looks tired to him. "We don't have to talk if you don't want to. But. If you keep an open mind, you might not look like you'll shit your pants any second now."
"I... Nah, I'm uh, pretty nervous. Is everyone here...?" He clamps up. Nope, he should NOT get that started.
"Dunno. It's better to ask for pronouns than to make assumptions." Ben puts a hand over his heart, his two fingertips pressing into wait a minute— "I use he/him pronouns, and I like dressing up in feminine clothes."
"Also, he/him. Uhm. Can I...ask..." In for a penny in for a pound. Romance takes a deep breath. "Are you trans, or in drag?"
"Ooh, so you did take Gender 101." He shakes his head, "Neither. I like wearing skirts some times, and drag is an art form. I'm not a drag performer."
"I mean I got friends who..." Romance clears his throat, "But, uh, would you say you're performing...gender? I read a bit of Judy Butler."
"You mean Judith Butler?"
"Yeah, her."
"They go by they/them. Last I checked."
Romance blanches. "So even if she—er, they, aren't here. We should use their preferred pronouns?"
"That's the respectful thing to do, yeah. Just gotta watch your words."
"Right." The itch to leave has dulled, at least. "And uh... What're you doing here? Just, uhm, out for drinks?"
"Waiting for my friends to finish their game." Ben gestures to the dart players. "It's the final game in the season."
"Ah, huh. And I—I'm into women. Just so we're clear."
"Crystal." Ben let his amusement slip through. "Might be a bit hard picking up women at a gay bar though."
"Oh...huh." With the final piece clicking into place, Romance winces. "I got stood up then."
"Really? Yikes." Ben looks around, humming. "I mean, some straight girls come by every now and again. Usually with their friends though. It deters randos from hitting on them."
He puts his face into his hands. This kind of...sucked ass. Sigh. "I think I'd rather go. Might catch the game or, uh, yeah."
"If you're sure. But hey." Ben takes out a scrap of paper, kisses it to leave a dark stain, and hands it to him. "If you ever want to chat, drop me a text. I'm nicer over dms."
"You...sure? I'm not. Interested...?"
"Hey. Being a friend first can go a long way."
Romance nods, tucking his contact away. He gives him a small smile.