Disclaimer: Not mine. Well, Rachel and Kurt and the other Gleeks aren't mine. However, given the fact that Rachel's dads haven't been developed at all; they don't have names, I'm going to claim them as mine for now, and all the numerous OCs are mine. And the plot. And this pen. Which is going to start writing now.
Dedicated to Claudia: For kicks mostly… also her enthusiasm. Though I guess she already knew that.
"Kam, try not to spill the glue everywhere…"
"I'm sorry, but the glitter won't stick!"
"Luke! You off already? Don't forget to sign out. Who has the sheet?"
"I'm not going anywhere. Trace and I are going for a smoke."
"My bad! But what have I told you about that disgusting habit?"
"And what have we told you about trying to get rid of us? It's not going to work."
"No… just trying to keep some order. Anyone want tea?"
There was a chorus of confirmations.
"One of you'd better turn the kettle back on then," Nathan said, smirking down at the outrage upon several faces. He sat back against the kitchen cupboard, his own mug of tea cradled between his long hands, as he observed the chaos in the small room. Fourteen boys and eight girl, one in between, in chairs dragged around the table, piled in the window seat, perched on the sideboards… LGBTQQAP one and all; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, asexual or pansexual. No straighties in here. Not in the Lima community centre, not on a Thursday evening. That was when SNAP ruled, and took over – the only LGBTQQAP youth group for the city. The youth group where Sexuality's Not A Problem.
It was continually a hectic activity, and Nathan loved it. It was the perfect way to restore his faith in humanity when he saw so many kids supporting each other, through the times which were difficult for gay teens, and laughing through the rest of them. Just at this moment, he could hear seven conversations, see three people ravaging plates of sausage rolls and slices of ginger cake, hear one complaining that she didn't like ginger cake, and why hadn't Nathan warned her that the cake had ginger in it?
Nathan's fellow youth worker, Kim, sidled up to his side, stealing a biscuit on the way, and asked, "So, how's the husband?"
"Louis? He's fine. Cooking up a storm for later." Nathan grinned to himself in enthusiasm at even the thought.
"God, I do not want to know what you two are cooking up tonight," Kim said, waving the thoughts away. Ew… men.
"Urgh, don't make everything a euphemism… He's just trying out a new recipe," Nathan replied. He mimed hitting the other on the upside of the head.
"How's the daughter, then?"
"Rachel' Rachel… Her newest craze is Glee club, but I'm pretty sure she's loving it."
A smile lit up Kim's face. "Following in her father's high-heeled footsteps?" At Nathan's groan, muffled by the hands that he had covered his face with, a laugh bellowed from her lips. "I am never going to let you forget that night…"
"You guys got me drunk. It was a mutiny!" Nathan growled.
"You should come to karaoke nights at Dylan's house more often… You have a fantastic voice."
"What's this?" Two of the girls at the table turned around. "The Doc has a voice?"
000
Kurt glanced along the row of red fabric seats. He was next to Finn, who was next to Rachel, who was next to Puck, who was next to Quinn. On Kurt's other side was Mercedes. Was there a more awkward row of seats in the entire theatre? He looked down a row; Mr. Schuester was flanked by his wife and the crazy careers advice Lady. That was awkward. The rest of the gleeks were in the front row – Kurt bridled with jealousy; they were in the best seats because it was the only place Artie could sit. And Kurt had lost in the race for seats.
He was snapped out of his thoughts by rustling from his right. Mercedes was unwrapping a sweet and a whole packet of them was waiting for her in her lap. But Kurt held up a hand. "Mercedes, please tell me you do not plan on eating those throughout the performance tonight."
"Of course I am! That's why I bought them from that man in the red jacket that looks like it's yours," Mercedes protested.
"This isn't the cinema, girl! It is bad theatre etiquette to rustle during a performance. It's disrespectful to the performers," Kurt explained.
"Why do they sell them then?" Finn asked, frowning his confusion.
"Money… obviously," Kurt started, rolling his eyes. "So either unwrap everything you have before curtain up, or don't eat them at all." Kurt sat back in his seat, crossing his legs contemptuously. Seated between his best friend and the boy he loved about to watch a performance… He could get used to this. The fact that he had to watch it with Rachel Berry on the other side was not important.
Finn leaned over him in order to steal a sweet from Mercedes, and Kurt forgot to listen to the girl's protest as a wave of Finn' aftershave washed over him. Several of his brain cells melted from the heat of the sparks in the pit of his stomach. Oh Finn… So close, and yet, so beautiful... "So what exactly is this play thing about?" Finn asked the world in general, but surprise surprise, Rachel was the first to answer.
"Hairspray is about a talented but overweight and misunderstood girls who doesn't fit in, until she starts to dance, and then the most popular boy in school falls in love with her, and they live happily ever after."
"Also, racism," Mercedes put in.
"There is a political subtext, yes, but it was set in the 60s…" Rachel conceded.
Finn's head flipped from side to side as if he was watching a tennis match, in order to listen to both sides of the conversation. Kurt didn't help when he put in, "It makes sense why both of you would pick up on those plot lines, but they hardly count as that. Hairspray's all about superficiality; it doesn't follow through on its political statements, and it's more an excuse for cheap jokes."
"I'm hearing controversy behind me," Mr. Schuester turned around to face the row of kids, "But let's not judge it before we've seen it."
"I don't think we're expecting too much from this city's only theatre…" Kurt said disdainfully.
"Don't knock it before you've tried it. You know, I once got offered the part of Link," grinned Mr. Schuester.
"What? Why didn't you take it?" Emma exclaimed, turning to him.
"He'd have had to have worked evenings and weekends, and then who would have cooked dinner?" Terri replied. "You're not married, you wouldn't understand that sacrifices have to be made in order to spend time with the one you love."
Down below, the lights dimmed, and the orchestra struck its tune.
000
"Erm… Erm…" Mark was staring desperately down at the Taboo card, trying desperately to think of some way to describe it.
"Think of words, Mark! Colours, smells…" Tory urged his team mate. They were running out of time.
"There's one in New York!" Mark eventually exclaimed, scrabbling at straws.
"Central Park!"
"Empire State Building!"
"Big apple!"
"Big apple? What the hell Dean?"
"More clues! There's loads in New York." Mark just stuttered a little.
"Brooklyn Bridge."
"Carnegie Hall."
"Yanks."
"The Bronx."
"Time's up!" Nathan announced, laughing as he spoke. "What was it, Mark?"
"A zoo!"
Silence followed this explanation, until one of the girls in an opposing team dissolved into loud, almost honk-like laughter. The rest of the room quickly followed into mirth. Mark blushed, rapidly, and protested, "But you couldn't say animals or cages or…"
"No worries, Mark," Nathan chuckled. "You'll do better next time."
An exclamation of, "There are like four zoos in New York," floated over and Nathan winced.
One of the boys from another team, Ollie, grin plastered across his cheeks, called out, "Next time describe the elements of it – the animals inside it and stuff."
Mark smiled back at him.
"So have you been to one of the NY zoos then?" Ollie continued.
"Right!" Nathan shouted over the hubbub. "Four poofs and a pen. Your turn."
000
Quinn was the first person to speak as the applause died down. "Thank God that's over." She'd spent most of the performance with her pregnant head pillowed upon Puck's shoulder. The thought of a pregnant head amused Kurt for a moment – a giant pregnant head… In a jar… But Finn' lips were twisted in irritation at the whole seating arrangement. During the interval, they'd switched seats with the rest of the gleeks so that those in the cheap seats got to sit at the front instead. However, the arrangement had, irritatingly, remained the same.
"I liked it," Finn said, getting to his feet, and talking down the line.
"I had better things to do," Quinn replied, "And so did you. You should have spent this evening working."
"We're all allowed to have a bit of fun," Kurt said, looking upwards at the quarter back behind him. Finn followed him with a grateful smile, that made Kurt's stomach fizz and spark with heat. "How's work going, Finn?" Kurt queried, and moved to distract Finn from his woman troubles. He wanted that boy's smile again, and again, and again.
They spoke until they reached the bus, and Finn was obliged to sit with Quinn. Mercedes gave Kurt a soft high five as he made his way past her into his seat.
"Smooth, boy. Very nicely done," he told him.
"Thank you," Kurt said, primly, settling himself into his seat, and rearranging the cloth of his clothes.
"Welcome." Mercedes glanced down at her fingernails. "So… Whilst you were flirting, I was thinking… Hairspray would be so good for New Directions. Were we not Glee club."
"With you in the role of Miss Motormouth Maybelle, I presume?"
"Yup, and your charming Mr Hudson as Link?"
"Quinn as Velma, and… Britanny as Amber?"
"No! Quinn as Amber."
"Either way… Rachel as Tracy… like she'd let anyone else take lead and live…"
Mercedes' argument was interrupted by Rachel leaning over the back of her seat to talk to them. "I'm sorry, but are you once again trying to insinuate that I'm fat?"
000
By 9.30, everyone had left the community centre; it was a school night after all. And they had a bar to get to – even if they did have to hop on a bus to get to the nearest gay one. Stupid Ohio…
"Kim, these evaluation forms aren't going to do themselves!" Nathan shouted up the stairs.
"Two seconds! Someone dropped a mug up here… again…" Came the response.
Chortling to himself, Nathan moved back to the kitchen. Only to find that not everyone had left… "Ollie, what are you doing here?" he asked, his laugh failing in his throat. "Your mom not turned up yet?"
The blonde shook his head, staring down at the plate in his hands that he was slowly and methodically washing. Long strands of his fine hair fell in front of his face, so Nathan could not see his expression. "She can't pick me up tonight. I'm getting the bus and it's not here for ten minutes."
"Better waiting in here than out in the dark, I get it," smiled Nathan. "But you didn't have to go and start the washing up."
"I wanted to. Beats… just... sitting."
Nathan took a step forwards and took the plate Ollie was soaping from his hand, to dry it with a dishcloth. He frowned to himself as he did so; he'd been planning to raise it with Kim at evaluation, but Ollie had been acting strangely once people had started peeling away. The bubbly, confidant, striking boy had diminished slowly into this mite which was left. Was that all just an act? Was it all always just an act? "Are you OK, Ollie?"
It was as if the boy had been waiting for him to ask, and the words blurted out immediately. "Everyone else here is out to their parents. Everyone but me. I need to tell mine."
Ah. "You can't let other people's choices dictate yours," Nathan told him at once. "We all come out at times of our own choosing. It's completely personal. If you need time, you take your time." He paused for a moment. "Not everyone here's coming out went as planned. That's why Nina's living at Annie's and Dean's at his Aunt's."
"I know, but… it's something I have to do," mumbled Ollie.
"You don't have to do anything…"
"You wouldn't understand!" Without warning, the boy threw down the bowl he was holding, and it smashed in the sink. A second later, Ollie had whipped out of the room.
Under his breath, Nathan swore, as he heard the door slam closed.
From upstairs, Kim called, "If you've broken something else, the owners will kill us!"
A/N: Worry not, my friends. I have plans! Mostly focused around OCs I will admit, because they're fun. Any resemblance to real people in SNAP is not at all coincidental. Review!