by Harukami

The arrangements had been made, and all Robert Lingrand had to do was show up.

So why was he sitting on his bed and having second thoughts?

It wasn't that the theatre was a bad one.  It had a good, solid reputation for excellence and was the only all-male theatre company that Rob knew of in the area.  They had agreed to let him stay there to watch their actions while preparing for a play, and it was exactly the research he needed for the book he had planned.  When a story centers around life at an all-male theatre that adjusts its plays so that men can play female parts or even eliminates female parts altogether... then where better to go?  With luck, one of the theatre members would be having a sordid affair with a female critic like the plot demanded, but Rob didn't hope too much for that many similarities.

Actually, he was rather scared of some of the rumours he had heard.  It was only to be expected to find a few homosexuals in the theatre community,  he reminded himself.  It wasn't like the place would be overrun with them, anyway.  He'd probably never pass their paths more than once.

He hoped.

It wasn't that he was homophobic, he told himself.  It'd just be an uncomfortable situation.

He picked up his bag.  He set it down again.

"Why am I /doing/ this?!" he muttered.

What he'd do for the sake of art... ugh.  Living in small quarters, sharing a room with someone else for three months, and sharing close space with nineteen other people.  His mother had allways told him he couldn't stay a loner forever.

Rob glanced over at the mirror and anxiously ran a hand through short brown hair.  First impressions counted.

Why was he /DOING/ this?!

He grabbed his bag.  The arrangements had been made and it was too late to go back on them now.

"Brother, he's late."

Monologue nodded absently at his twin's words, brushing chin-length hair back.  "That he is.  Well, what's time anyway?"

Soliloquy held up a tax form.  "What'll lose us the damn theatre if we don't get this calculated before it's up."

"Too true, Brother."  Monologue opened a desk drawer and pulled out some checkbooks, shrugging.  "You've added these things up twelve times and still can't figure out where we're missing the eighty cents, right?"

The slenderer twin smiled darkly.  "Brother?  Fuck the eighty cents."

"Bad mood?"

"Too many damn forms to work through and now some outsider coming in."

"You agreed as well."

Soliloquy threw delicate hands up.  "Yes, I agreed as well!  And why not?  He assured complete confidentiality and Ecstasy agreed to let him share a room!  But it's just one more stress and you KNOW how hard I work arranging everything near the end of the month."

His brother smiled and kissed Soliloquy's hair, rubbing the other boy's shoulders.  "Poor darling.  Perhaps I can relax you later?"

"Mmm."  Soliloquy leaned back into Monologue's strong touch.  "That'd be nice.  Once I find the eighty cents..."

There was a knock at the door.  Soliloquy looked depressed again. Still.  Monologue stepped back and leaned against the desk, relaxed. "Come in."

The door opened and an ordinary-looking young man entered, looking uncomfortable.  "Uh, hello.  I'm, uhm, Robert Lingrand.  Rob.  You are, uh..."

"Monologue and Soliloquy," Monologue supplied helpfully, stepping forward to shake the man's hand.  "Welcome to Le Theatre des Espoirs. My brother and I hope you'll enjoy your stay."

Soliloquy nodded over at him, flipping open a checkbook and punching some numbers in.

"Uh, thank you."

"A tour?" Monologue invited, seeing Soliloquy growl and clear the calculator.  "Let me show you around."

Rob nodded jerkily.  "Uh, thank you."  He was eyeing Soliloquy oddly and Monologue forced down a show of possessiveness.

The larger twin smiled deliberately.  "Keep the desk chair warm for me, Brother.  Come on, Rob."  At Soliloquy's idle wave, he led the even more alarmed-looking young man out of the office.

"This," Monologue said in a slightly bored tone, "is the lobby. "

Rob was DISTURBED.  This strange man was finishing the tour and so far, although the facilities looked fine, the people had all looked odd. Most of them were very... pretty.  And there was that strange boy in the fuzzy purple bunny ears...

"This is the lounge," Monologue announced.  "Where our people go to, well, lounge.  Ah, look who's here.  Ecstasy!"

A boy looked up from where he was playing 'Battleship' with a very calm-looking young man in tan pants and a brown top.  "Hey!"  He leapt up, paused, and when the man he was playing with waved him off with a smile, ran over lightly, breathing slightly hard.  "You must be the outsider!"

Rob stared.  He knew he was staring.  He wished he would stop.

Everyone here was very pretty but Ecstasy was... beautiful.  Delicate, but not in the fragile way some of the others exhibited, earthy but light.  Long hair flowed down past his waist in golden honeyed waves, pushed back slightly by two braids.  He was small and slender, with curves only barely on this side of masculine.  Rich pink lips turned up in a smile and brown eyes sparkled.  "I'm Ecstasy, and I'll be sharing my room with you," the boy said, holding  out a hand.  "Pleased to meet you."

Rob blinked rapidly and took the hand.  "Uh... yes.  The same."  The touch burned and Rob dropped Ecstasy's hand hurriedly, scared.  "Uh, thanks.  Nice of you to share."

Sharing with...

Monologue watched them and smiled.  "Ecstasy, darling, if you would show Rob to your room, I'm sure he'd like to unpack."

"Oh!  Of course!  I'm sorry," Ecstasy apologized, and smiled sweetly. "Just come with me, please."

"Uh, right."

...Sharing a room with HIM?

Rob followed the smaller boy downstairs, giving one-word answers to questions.  His stomach filled with dread.  Was he-- he certainly LOOKED--  Oh, wouldn't that just figure if he was?

The room was small, yes, but somebody had managed to move a cot into it for Rob, who put his suitcase down on it.  Ecstasy sat down on his own bed and smiled. "If you have any questions, I'd be glad to answer them for you."

Rob felt the question rising and tried to force it down, but it came out anyway.  "Uh, I was just wondering... you would know, right, and... uh... is anybody here gay?"  He bit down on his tongue a moment too late.  "Sorry.  I just, I was, uh..."

Ecstasy blinked.

Then he started to laugh.

"Hopeful or scared?" The boy giggled out.

"Neither!" Rob blustered.  "I just, uh, well, I wanted to know so I could, you know, not - I mean, I don't..."

Ecstasy laughed harder.

'Oh shit,' Rob thought, foot well in it now.  'I asked this question to the wrong person, didn't I?'  Embarrassed, he buried his face in his hands.

By tomorrow, no doubt everyone would hear about this This was bad.  Extremely, terribly /bad/.