Just Another Night
Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own JatGP or RHPS. Wouldn't it be fun if I did?
Note: No, this isn't a crossover. Just a fun fic. And would a Rocky Horror fan just brush off a giant peach as normal? No, but he or she would probably be able to handle it better.
And thank you, Shireheart, for giving me the positive reaction I needed to post this fic!
To many people, the sight a giant peach falling onto the top of the Empire State Building would be enough to blow their minds. Add in an orphaned boy, a family of giant bugs, and two evil aunts, and it is likely that even the most grounded person would be caught off guard. That is, any person who lived in what is dubbed the "normal world" would be caught off guard. But to certain groups of people, wild souls who thrive in a universe of imagination, surrealism, and fun, such an event wouldn't shock them as badly. And on this night, one particular group happened to be in attendance.
Standing on the ground with his new family, James was at ease. It was hard to believe that only a few days ago, he had been miserable beyond belief. Now though, all that misery was gone and a better and brighter future lay ahead; a future that his aunts would not be a part of.
Speaking of which, James could see Spiker and Sponge, surrounded by police officers, standing a few feet away. They had been cut down from the crane, as they could not just be left dangling in a cocoon of silk (although Centipede maintained that they looked better tied up). Now the two women were glaring at their nephew, but didn't dare say anything. They knew that they were in serious trouble and didn't want to make it worse. But if looks could kill, all of New York City would be dead.
A sudden burst of laughter reached James's ears and he turned toward the source of the sound. A group of young adults was approaching the front of the crowd and the very sight of them was enough to make people stop and stare.
The group, about fifteen in all, were a mix of boys and girls, all in their late teens and early twenties. Every single one of them wore make-up; some had merely outlined their features while others had really plastered it on. They wore a wide range of strange outfits: fishnet stockings, sequined tailcoats and corsets, stiletto heels, maid outfits, leather jackets, party hats, and other strange articles. They had covered any and all exposed flesh with glitter and under the strong lights set up around the peach, the youths sparkled as though they were infused with diamonds.
Either the laughing group didn't notice the stares they were getting or they simply didn't care. They laughed and shouted and each person had a case or bag of some sort that they swung playfully at each other. None of them seemed particularly fazed by the scene around them.
"Are you crazy?" After keeping silent for so long, Spiker seemed almost relieved to have some one other than her nephew to direct her anger at. The group paused and stared at her and Sponge, their mascara-ringed eyes alight with curiosity. One of the group, a slender dark-haired girl wearing a gold sequined tailcoat and top hat suddenly flashed the two women a dazzling grin.
"I said, hey, listen to me! Stay sane inside insanity!" she sing-songed. Her friends broke up into laughter again, which did nothing to ease Spiker's temper.
"Just who do you think you are?" she screeched. This time, it was a boy dressed in a dirty suit who answered.
"Well," he drawled, "tonight I think I'm Riff Raff. Tonight she," he pointed to a red-haired girl wearing a maid outfit, "thinks she's Magenta. And as for Livvy," he indicated the dark-haired girl, "tonight she thinks she's Columbia. Does that answer your question?"
The group cracked up again; they obviously knew that Spiker and Sponge (and indeed a lot of people) had no idea what they were talking about and found it hilarious. James felt himself smiling at the strange group; their laughter was so infectious that it was hard not to be amused.
"Where'd ya come from," Centipede asked them. The girl Livvy smiled and approached them.
"We just came from The Rocky Horror Picture Show."
"The what?" Earthworm stretched forward, as if unsure of what he'd just heard.
"The Rocky Horror Picture Show," Livvy repeated. "It's the biggest cult film in the world. You gotta dress up, shout lines at the screen, throw props, it's great!"
"Oh, boy, Rocky Horror fans," one of the nearby police officers muttered rolling his eyes.
"You're just going to let them parade around like that?" Sponge piped up.
"They're nuts, but they're not hurting anyone," the officer replied, rolling his eyes. "Besides, my brother goes to Rocky Horror too; it's weird, but all in good fun."
"Hot Patootie, bless my soul! I really love that rock and roll!" one of the boys in a leather jacket sang out, swinging another girl around.
"If you're gonna dance, let's do the Time Warp!"
"The Time Warp is the signature dance of Rocky Horror," Livvy explained, still standing by James and his family. "It's fast, but easy and fun."
"Yes, well, I'll toast to that," Spiker growled. In all actuality, she couldn't have picked a worse thing to say around Rocky Horror fans.
SPLAT! From inside their bags, the assembled friends pulled out pieces of toast and threw them at the two aunts, who were so shocked by the action that they couldn't speak. But everyone who saw it immediately started laughing; the Rocky Horror kids positively howled with mirth and moved out of arms length of the police officers.
"Told ya! Throwing props!" one of the guys yelled.
"You really throw toast?" James asked, wide-eyed.
"Toast, confetti, rice, a number of things," Livvy replied, still shaking with laughter. "All part of the experience!"
"Alright, that's enough!" The police chief moved toward them, but the fans waved and dashed off, whooping and hollering as they did. Their voices carried as they fled.
"It's just a jump to the left!
And then a step to the right!
Put your hands on your hips!
You bring your knees in tight!
But it's the pelvic thrust
That really drives you insane!
Let's do the Time Warp again!"
"Completely crazy, all of them," another officer muttered.
"Why do I get the feeling that this is just another night for them?" Mr. Grasshopper mused, watching the group's retreating shadows. His question was not answered, but it was clear to see that, for that group of fans, anything out of the ordinary was a way of life.