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Glisten could not believe Toodles had dragged him into this again. She had just gotten new clothes for him from Dandy without Glisten's permission. He loved dressing up with her, but she really needed to learn how to ask a toon beforehand.
“Which one do you wanna try on first!” Toodles jumped up and down giddily. She held up about five dresses, unable to control herself. The dresses were dragging on the floor with every jump. She hoisted them up as they slipped from her grip again.
“I don't think you should hold that much at a time, Toodles..” Glisten sighed. She just gleamed up at him with that big bright smile that always made Glisten do whatever she wanted.
“Pick, pick!”
“How about you pick?” Glisten smiled softly. Toodles’ eyes lit up with pure excitement.
“You'll let me pick? Really! Really?!” Toodles squealed. She put the dresses down on her bed and spun around. She stared at Glisten with visible glee in her eyes.
“Of course, you asked Dandy for them.” He smiled. “And, you really want to play dress up with me, so why don't you choose?”
Toodles’ smile faded for a moment while she thought before it came back even bigger. “So, it's like.. you're basically a living doll for me!”
Glisten laughed nervously, rethinking if this was a good idea or not. “Haha.. if you want to think of it that way.”
Toodles jumped around, squealing with joy. “I need to make a set. It can be a fashion show, a super duper cool fashion show starring you, Glisten!” She giggled, vibrating with more excitement.
Glisten cleared his throat, avoiding the little eight-ball's gaze. “Wouldn't that take a lot of time to make..?” He saw the smile on Toodles’ face strain at the edges. He panicked, frantically searching for an answer. “Ah, I mean like, the set would take a ton of time to make, wouldn't it? Sooo wouldn't it be better if we postponed this fashion show for a few days while you get the set ready?” He paused again, “If you still want to make the set, that is.”
Toodles puffed out her cheeks, huffing in annoyance. “I can make it today!”
“You can make a whole set, do my makeup, and decide what dresses I will wear in only one day?” He raised a brow in question, putting a finger up at every task.
Toodles visibly deflated. She looked down at the floor with a frown growing on her small face. “M-maybe I can't.. I..” He could hear little sniffles come from the girl. Glisten squeaked. How could he comfort an eight-year-old?!
Toodles’ head went up to Glisten again, her eyes began to fill with tears. She let out small whines. “I can't do it, can I?!” She cried loudly, screaming her words. “Why can't I do it today, Glisten!”
Glisten's eyes widened, his head spinning around the room. He didn't know how to help Toodles, he couldn't even help himself when he cried!
“No, no, it's okay, Toodles. I'm not saying you can't do it today..” Glisten trailed off, thinking of more to say. “It's just I was saying that it would be better if you did it in a few days. See, you'd have a whole set at that time and be ready for everything! But, if you do it now, then.. you won't have any of that ready!”
Toodles sniffled, her teary eyes staring up at Glisten with a flicker of hope inside of them. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” Glisten nodded his head, patting Toodles’ shoulder. He really didn't know what to do. Was he supposed to hug her? Was he supposed to pat her back? What was comforting for her?
Toodles wiped her nose and eyes with her arm, sniffling again. “Okay, we'll do it in a few days then.”
“Okay.” Glisten smiled. He resisted a sigh. Phew, I did it. How does Rodger put up with her mood swings? His thoughts were interrupted by smaller hands wrapping around his waist. His eyes widened in surprise. He looked down to see the smaller toon hugging him, her face squeezed up against his body. He awkwardly wrapped his arms around her to reciprocate.
“Thank you, Glisten.” She sniffled. He could feel the vibrations coarse through his body. He didn't know what he did, but he couldn't help but smile even more.
He looked down at her with a gentle smile, patting her head. “No problem, li’l one. Anytime you need me.”
The next few days were torture. Toodles kept parading Glisten, Rodger, and Teagan around, stealing Glisten from Rodger and Teagan. Glisten was so tired of it, but at least he was making Toodles happy. At the cost of his energy, that is.
“It's done! Do you like it?” Toodles presented her set she built with Scraps inside her room. It wasn't a fully fledged set, but it was something an eight-year-old was capable of with a little help. There was a red carpet lying on the floor of Toodles’ room starting from her door. At the end of the carpet were two chairs for Rodger and Teagan, then a few pillars made out of stacked boxes at the edges of the carpet. There was glitter thrown everywhere. It covered the carpet, the boxes, and more. That will take weeks to get rid of. Glisten swallowed down the thought.
“I love it!” Glisten smiled. “But, was the sign outside really necessary?”
“Of course it was!” Toodles put her hands on her hips, then raised her hands high. “We gotta tell every toon that this is a fashion show for Rodger and Teagan, no other toons allowed!”
The sign was made out of purple cardboard—that Scraps kindly gave Toodles—reading “Fashion Show In Progress! Dont Enter!” Toodles had told him that she had to go through many pages just to find the right phrase and decorations. She had yellow cardboard stars cut out and glued onto the purple cardboard for “effect” she had said.
“Okay then, let's get this fashion show started!” Glisten grinned, waiting for the little toon to get all excited again. She let out a cute “hooray” before pushing Glisten to her mirror.
“Quick, quick, quick! Makeup first, then dress, then another dress, then another dress!” Toodles shouted, still pushing Glisten. He laughed, letting her push him with all her might.
A few days ago, Toodles had told both Rodger and Teagan that she was going to dress Glisten up in “a bunch of dresses” and that they had to come and see the fashion show. Of course they said they would come over to her room. Why wouldn't they? But Glisten had told them that it was postponed due to “renovations.” Rodger didn't think he had meant a whole set, well, half a set at best.
“This seems very interesting.” Rodger told Teagan. Both Rodger and Teagan sat in the two chairs facing Toodles’ door inside her room, Glisten was supposed to walk into the room and then leave again to put on another dress. Supposedly. Rodger wasn't entirely sure how this was supposed to go.
She nodded. “Indeed. I wonder what fun things Glisten had to go through today?” Teagan emphasised the “fun.”
Rodger laughed. “Toodles is a whole bunch of fun, isn't she, just a ray of sunshine.” He smiled, thinking back to all the times Toodles kept dragging him around on mini adventures.
The door slowly opened up, revealing the eight ball toon they were talking about.
“Hi, hi! Uh, Glisten will be here soon, so.. be prepared!” Toodles proclaimed, then shut the door immediately. Rodger and Teagan both looked at each other with skeptical looks.
A few minutes passed with the occasional chat from Rodger and Teagan before the door opened again, revealing the familiar mirror toon they were both waiting for.
Rodger felt his heart jump out of his skin as he lay his eye on the mirror toon. He spluttered out coughs, face bright red. Glisten's face was stunning, alongside his dress, of course. He had taffy pink, glittery eyeshadow above his eyes, and a subtle rouge lipstick. Apart from those distinct features, Rodger wasn't sure what other makeup items were possibly applied to the other toon.
Glisten walked down the red carpet, a fake confident smile on his face while blushing bright pink. His dress was whitish pink, the pink tint barely noticeable unless you were to really look at it like Rodger and Teagan were. There were no straps to hold the dress up, resulting in the dress clinging to Glisten's body, revealing his slender figure. A big bow was attached to his dress at chest level, while another bow—bigger than the front one—at the back had ribbons that dragged across the floor. The bow part was attached right above the waist level. The dress itself was relatively short, only reaching down to the mid-thigh. His heels were darker pink than his dress yet still classified as light pink, bringing attention to his legs.
Teagan felt like they might faint, heat travelling straight to their face. Glisten's dress was a lovely off-shoulder minidress with two bows, one at the front and one at the back that dragged across the floor. The colours contrasted beautifully with his pale yellow frame, his makeup contributing, too. They felt their eyes observe his dress in detail for a few minutes before blinking her view away, flushing more. She watched as Glisten stood there awkwardly, looking back to the door for Toodles’ advice.
“Hah.. hello?” Glisten's smile, now wobbly and uncertain. Teagan heard their heart beating in their ears, the thump, thump, thump of it affecting her hearing in that moment.
Rodger cleared his throat, his voice trembling as he spoke. “Where is Toodles? Shouldn't she be here by now..?”
Glisten nodded, his initial response to his glamour slipping from his mind. “Agreed, she told me she'd be here before me. But she's not even here.”
“Maybe dear Toodles is preparing the.. next dress. You will be wearing another, correct?” Teagan asked politely, trying to hide her desperate tone. Her face was bright red, hands sweaty in her orange gloves.
The door suddenly burst open, Toodles’ hands up in the air as she screamed her arrival as well as flooding the group with questions. “I'm here! How'd you like the dress? Did I do good with the makeup? Do you like it, Glisten? Am I late? Are your hearts fluttering? Is there romance in the air?!”
Rodger felt a sudden dizziness hit him as he was bombarded with absurd questions from the smaller toon. His vision spun until he blinked the feeling away.
“Calm down, Toodles, you'll get your answers soon.” Glisten laughed, patting her on the head.
“Well, they've seen enough, next dress c'mon!” Toodles grabbed Glisten's hand. She pulled his arm with all her strength. He smiled and followed behind her out the door.
Rodger and Teagan sat in another familiar silence with the occasional chat. Rodger could hear his thoughts swirling around his mind, things about it being wrong to date both toons, to date Glisten, a man, and that he himself was disgusting. Glisten and Teagan had informed him that this was called “internalised homophobia.”
“Rodger?” Teagan repeated again, their eyes staring into Rodger's.
“Yes?” Rodger answered, wondering to himself how long he had been trapped in his thoughts.
“Are you okay? You have been spacing out recently.” Teagan furrowed her brows.
“I–” Rodger paused. He wanted to lie. He wanted to tell Teagan he was fine. That he was okay. But, that was not the truth. The truth was that he wasn't okay. He wasn't fine. He made the difficult choice of telling the truth to Teagan. He took a deep breath, gulping down his nerves. “To be completely honest, I'm not okay.” He fidgetted with his fingers, looking down at the floor.
“Please, tell me more if you would like.” Teagan enquired kindly, never forcing an answer out of him. They shifted closer, their face held such a kind expression, it was beautiful. She was beautiful.
“Well–” Rodger started.
“We're back!” Toodles interrupted the seemingly intimate scene. Teagan and Rodger's eyes widened at the sudden interruption. They shuffled away from each other like two teenagers caught by their parents. Both their faces a bright red. “Presenting… Glisten, outfit two!”
Glisten entered the room with more confidence than last time, a big, genuine, smile on his face, making his outfit look even better than before. Teagan flushed, the previous event forgotten by both Rodger and Teagan. Glisten's makeup was the same stunning look, which surprisingly matched his first and second dress. The top half of the dress above the waist seam that connected the two garments was a glittery black bodice with black straps. The bottom half of his dress was hot pink with a slit on the left side of it, while his heels were black. Teagan noticed a shine on his left hand, her eyes glanced down at it. There were two golden rings on his ring finger on his left hand. Teagan almost let out an astonished gasp.
“So, when will I be finished with this, Toodles?” Glisten whispered to Toodles from where he stood. He flexed his fingers on his left hand. He couldn't believe she had him wear two rings. She grinned at him mischievously. That was never a good sign for him.
“When I'm bored!” She said with a big, innocent-looking smile. Glisten's smile faltered into an annoyed frown.
Toodles’ eyes narrowed, she pursed her lips. “If you really aren't enjoying this, then we can finish at your third dress..” She somehow visibly faded in colour.
Glisten sighed. “I am enjoying this Toodles. But, I'd just like to do something else after this, we can do it another time if you'd like?”
Toodles’ colour came back even brighter, almost blinding now. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Let's go for your third dress! Bye-bye Rodger, Teagan!” She pulled Glisten, actually managing to pull him this time. He tripped over before catching his footing. She was barely giving any time for Rodger and Teagan to look at him.
Rodger blinked in disbelief. One second, he was lovestruck by Glisten, then another second Toodles is dragging him away. “She is very animated today.” He commented to Teagan.
Teagan laughed. “Isn't she always?” She smiled, her mind still catching up on the latest happenings. Then, it came back to them, her and Rodger's previous talk. “Oh, Rodger. You didn't get to speak, would you like to continue?”
Rodger nodded, then remembered to use his voice. “Yes, definitely.” Teagan waited patiently for him to continue. “Well, the “internalised homophobia” is still in play. I know these things do not go away. It has just been bothering me more lately.”
Teagan furrowed their brows, Rodger looked so cute when sad, but she didn't want him to be sad. She watched him explain what he felt.
“I feel like I can't be an adequate partner when I am like this.” Rodger sighed, closing his eye. The truth was out. It was out, and he wasn't sure how Teagan would react. He couldn't possibly be a good partner when he felt this way. Could he be? He felt a hand rest on his thigh.
“It's alright. Everyone has some sort of bad quality they can not get rid of. You just have to learn to live with it, to not let it get to you.” Teagan shifted closer, their shoulder brushing against Rodger's.
“I know, but–”
“Back we are!” Toodles opened the door with a loud slam. They all winced at the sound. “Oops, well, revealing Glisten, again!”
Glisten walked down the red carpet for the last time. Finally, he thought. He saw the awestruck expressions on both his lovers' faces. He smiled warmly, as long as they were happy to see him, he was happy with himself.
Glisten's last dress was in another shade of pink. It had fake pink flowers scattered everywhere on it. The top part was slightly translucent, with a few more flowers sprinkled around. A lone flower sat on his right collarbone. The dress reached down to the ground but didn't drag along the floor. It seemed to have two layers, one a glittery translucent layer and the other a light dusty rose colour. The dress covered Glisten's legs and heels, for all Rodger knew Glisten could be wearing no shoes! That's weird, Rodger. Stop imagining things. Rodger attempted to shush his internal thoughts with no effort put in. He chanced a look at Teagan, her face red and eyes filled with interest.
Teagan adored Glisten's third dress. The flowers, the pink, the modesty, the length, did she mention the flowers? They observed every inch of Glisten's body. The flowers seemed to fade as the dress went down to the hem, decreasing in the amount of them on the creation. The flowers were on the translucent tulle attached to the pink dress. There were also smaller leaves beside the flowers, creating a more nature-like look even though it was pink. Another larger pink flower attached to a thin strap sat on his right collarbone, completing the look. The bottom of the bodice from waist to hip was a bit see-through, still covered in flowers and leaves. The bodice had a structured seam, giving it a similar look to a fitted corset. The upper part of the bodice that covered the chest was an opaque pink just like the dress. Teagan felt the sudden urge to call Glisten a princess. She flushed even more red, hiding their face in their hands.
“Teagan?” Glisten rose a brow. He leaned in closer to her. She jumped, his eyes widened.
Rodger looked over to the two other toons he called lovers, leaning in to feel included. “What is it, Teagan?”
“N-nothing– nothing at all.” Teagan laughed nervously, her smile uncanny.
Toodles clapped her hands. “So, how'd I do?” She smiled innocently up at the three toons, fluttering her lashes.
“You did great.” Rodger smiled down at her. “We will definitely be excited for next time.” Toodles lit up, her energy flying over a hundred percent.
“Really, really, really?!” She squealed. “I did great! I did great!” She chanted, jumping around her room in victory. She ran to the door. “I'll be right back!” She left the room in an instant.
“You have to stop praising her too much Rodger, she will become dependent on praise.” Teagan joked with a smile. Rodger laughed. She had never heard such a happy laugh from Rodger in a while, a real one. She smiled, fulfilled by her own great work.
“Hey, Rodger!” Glisten waited until Rodger's eye was on him. “Open your arms for a quick second.”
Rodger's stomach did another strange twirl at the sight of Glisten. Rodger did as he was told with furrowed brows. What was Glisten up to now?
“Catch!” Glisten shouted, jumping into Rodger's arms and resting on his lap. Rodger flushed brighter than ever, his confused expression turning into rapid stutters.
“I– you– w-what are you doing?!” Rodger felt his face heat up again. What was Glisten doing? Glisten's dress flowed down Rodger's legs.
“I'm making you red!” Glisten smiled at Rodger. Teagan watched them both with her own smile, holding back laughter. “Your super easily flustered, super red, like Brightney red!”
“I am not.” Rodger argued weakly. He flushed even more. He knew Glisten was winning this argument. He never stood a chance at winning against Glisten.
“You are, actually.” Teagan included. “Very, very easily flustered, Rodger.” Rodger's face gave off a mix of mad, defeat, and embarrassment directed at Teagan. Glisten shifted in his position, turning sideways to face Teagan. Rodger raised his hands up, looking away from Glisten entirely.
“What's wrong, Rodger? You're looking very red.” Glisten teased the toon, grinning at every miniscule reaction.
Toodles entered the room in a giddy jump. “Hey, does anyone have boxes for–” She gasped, her energetic body slowed. She screeched loudly.
“I-it's not what it looks like!” Rodger flushed redder, his mind in a daze. First Glisten sat on him then Toodles saw him like this! Now that he thought about it, what could it have possibly looked like?!
“I need a camera, I need a camera!” Toodles left the room in a hurry, Rodger's eye widened. Camera? He wanted so badly to get up, but he didn't have it in him to push Glisten off. He readied himself for the consequences of his actions, grabbing Glisten's slender waist with one hand and preparing the other.
Glisten's laughter faltered, he bit his lip, stifling a small squeak. “Rodger?” His gaze drifted down to the man he sat on, Rodger looked as red as he always was, but a spark lit in his eye.
Rodger lifted Glisten up princess style, then turned around and gently placed him on Teagan's lap instead of his own with a mischievous chuckle. Then, without a second to waste he ran out of the room before the two toons could process what just happened.
Teagan put their hands on their boa. “G-glisten.. are you okay with.. this?” She asked, a red tint to her face.
“Huh, um..” Glisten couldn't get out words, face flushed. He wasn't expecting Rodger to lift him up at all, and to put him on Teagan?! That was even more surprising. “If you don't mind if I could stay here.. just for a bit..” He murmured, hiding his face in his hands.
“Until Rodger and Toodles are back, how does that sound?” Teagan asked politely. They brought their hands down to Glisten's waist, wrapping her fingers around his slender waist.
Glisten squeaked, opening his fingers to look at Teagan. He was a flustered mess. “Sounds good.” He muttered.