Halloween falls on a Sunday this year, and two weeks before, Sören and Anthony decide they're going to hold a Halloween party at the shop - nothing huge, maybe a couple dozen attendees at best - with karaoke and refreshments, for a small cover charge. After the attack from the MAGA hat wearing guy, Anthony feels emboldened for the cover charge fees to all go to benefit the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, and Mark is proud of that. Anthony's strong sense of compassion and justice reminds Mark very much of his late uncle Finarfin, and that makes Mark love him all the more.
Not that Mark feels he can say anything about it.
On the Tuesday before Halloween, Sören, Anthony and Mark go out to run their usual errands... and one of their stops is at the local Dollar Tree to buy decorations for the shop and supplies for the party. Anthony has a bemused look on his face as they walk across the parking lot to the store.
Sören stops sipping his electric blue slushie and raises an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're too posh for the dollar store, Posh Spice."
Anthony rolls his eyes, then throws his head back and laughs - Mark remembers the Spice Girls from the 90s, and didn't think much of them, but it amuses him that Sören has given Anthony that pet name - and then Anthony shakes his head. "We're kind of poor now, so no, I'm not being a snob. This is my first time going to a dollar store."
"I assume you were too posh for that shit in England, though."
"We don't have dollars in England, you dork," Anthony says. Then he grins. "Our equivalent of Dollar Tree is called Poundland."
Sören almost spits his slushie on himself. Mark catches what Sören is laughing at - the innuendo - and he and Sören lean on each other, doubling over, heaving in hysterics. Sören's face turns bright pink and his eyes tear up. Mark's sides hurt. Anthony innocently whistles.
"Poundland. Wow, that sounds like a gay amusement park," Sören giggles.
Anthony facepalms, shaking with silent laughter. "You know you're bloody terrible, right?"
"Takk," Sören says. Then he adds, "No, bloody terrible would be asking if they have dick hats instead of mouse ears." Sören strokes his chin. "Maybe I should make one and wear that for Halloween -"
"No, we have to keep it below E-rating," Anthony says, and grabs Sören by the arm, dragging him along to the shop, making Sören laugh harder. Anthony glances around to make sure nobody else is watching and then he smacks Sören's ass. Sören moans, and Mark's face burns, feeling that thrust in his loins.
Aching for them all over again. Wondering what it would be like for Anthony to smack his ass just like that. Wondering what it would be like to smack Sören's bare ass, he and Anthony disciplining Sören together...
Stop that.
They're on a budget, but they still manage to get a good haul for their money - orange-and-purple fairy lights, black paper bat garlands, pumpkin-shaped pails and candy, orange-and-black cups and plates, hanging LED lanterns, and for the shop window there's little fake coffins, a witch doll, and ghosts.
They also browse the limited selection of cheap Halloween costumes. None of them have discussed yet what they want to be for Halloween. Anthony gives a disapproving look, especially when Sören shows him a pirate costume.
Sören holds the pirate costume out at Mark. "You'd make a pretty good pirate," Sören says.
"Arrr," Mark replies, then he shakes his head. That seems too common, he doesn't want something he's sure at least a couple of the party guests will wear. However, there are some eyepatches sold separately, and suddenly the wheels start turning in his brain. They were listening to the 80s music of Anthony's childhood in the car, and while Mark doesn't idealize the 1980s - it was a much rougher time to be any flavor of queer - he misses the wild hair and the flamboyant outfits, and...
...Mark picks up a black eyepatch from the display bin, and starts spinning it around on his finger.
Anthony refuses a few more suggestions - vampire, doctor, Sherlock Holmes, and he cringes at the knockoff Harry Potter costume - and then he says, "I can't decide right now."
"Fair enough," Sören says.
Anthony puts a hand on his hip. "What about you? You getting anything?"
"My costume's at home," Sören says.
Anthony leers. "Oh? Gonna be a catboy?" Anthony growls.
Sören crinkles his nose, bites his lower lip, and turns around to give Anthony a sassy butt wiggle - Anthony smacks his ass again and Mark wants to climb the walls, going out of his mind with lust, fighting the urge to throw himself at them and beg "just do me already" - but then Sören purrs, "You'll see."
Sören leads them into the makeup aisle. Anthony looks a little uncomfortable, and Mark gets the sense Anthony feels some minor dysphoria, but Anthony manages to smile as Sören picks out some makeup in dramatic dark colors for himself. "What about you?" Sören asks Mark. "Need anything while we're here?"
Mark quietly picks out some mascara, eyeliner and lip gloss, and throws it in Sören's basket.
Back at the apartment, Mark and Anthony make vegetable lasagna together while Sören draws on his tablet, then as it cooks they pass a joint around and watch Muppets eating apple cookies. Anthony laughs too hard at Beaker and explains to Mark, "Sören meeps sometimes."
"I've noticed," Mark says with a fond smile.
"My own little muppet," Anthony says, tousling Sören's curls.
Sören gives him a look, but his eyes are crinkled at the corners, shining. "So... does that make you muppetsexual?"
Anthony chuckles.
Sören smirks and goes on, "You do like to put your hand up me -" Then he turns bright red, realizing Mark is right there. "Er, sorry, no brain-to-mouth filter -"
Mark laughs - and tries not to think about Anthony fisting Sören, and wishing he could watch... or eat Sören out while he's being fisted. "We're all adults here."
"Some of us are muppets," Anthony teases, booping Sören's nose.
"Jæja, you're pretty muppety yourself." Sören boops Anthony back. "Hot muppet-on-muppet action."
"I am not a muppet," Anthony says, and shoves an apple cookie in his mouth.
"OK, Cookie Monster."
Mark finds the banter adorable, and it makes him wistful for the way Fëanor used to tease his brothers.
Just then Anthony's phone goes off and Anthony accepts the call without checking the number. "Anthony Muppet-Johnson," he says, then he facepalms and says, "Er."
There's wild female laughter over the phone, and Sören and Mark double over. Mark's sides hurt again. He also feels that fierce, tight ache in his chest - he loves them so much, and it's starting to be unbearable, but he doesn't know if it's a good idea to tell them.
"Anthony, are you all right?" comes a deep woman's voice with a British accent, and Anthony says, "Mum!" and then gives a little wave as he gets up and takes the phone down the hall.
Sören pauses the Muppets and they wait - Anthony goes in the bedroom and his voice is muffled. Mark strokes Solly, who's come over for pettings, and Sören zones out a little, and Mark tries not to notice how beautiful Sören is. When Anthony comes back, he's frowning slightly. He sits back down next to Sören and the cats circle, seeming to sense their father is in distress.
"Everything OK?" Sören asks, putting an arm around him. "No?"
"Mum's starting a new, much more aggressive round of chemo." Anthony pinches the bridge of his nose. "It's why she called this late, she's feeling ill and couldn't sleep."
"Ohgod. It... it doesn't look good, does it?"
"No." Anthony's shoulders heave with a deep sigh.
"Is Elaine still coming for Christmas? She has at least that long, right?" Sören's voice breaks and he tears up.
Anthony nods. "That's still the plan." Anthony rubs his face like an annoyed wet cat. Seamus hops up, stands up and puts his paws on Anthony's chest to give him a few hard headbutts, then he chirps and climbs up to drape himself on Anthony's shoulder. Anthony holds the grey tabby and strokes him, and Mark can hear the purring across the room.
"I'm sorry," Mark says, not knowing what else to say.
"Me too." Anthony nods again. Then he cracks a wry smile. "At least I made her laugh." Anthony chuckles and shakes his head. "I can't bloody believe I answered -"
"Anthony Muppet-Johnson." Sören giggles. "That's a thing of beauty, right there."
"Anyway... I promised my mum I would... go get an exam, since these types of cancers tend to run in families. I don't get my period anymore because I'm on T, but my periods used to be bloody awful - literally bloody awful - and I was always told it was normal but it felt like something was wrong, and..." Anthony looks down.
"He hates going to the gynecologist," Sören explains to Mark. "Dysphoria."
Mark nods. "Me too." I've never even been to one. Elves don't get the same diseases as humans, so there was never any need, and Mark's pregnancies were a very long time ago.
"I haven't been to a gynecologist since I lived in New York," Anthony says. "Yes, yes, I know one should get yearly exams but I just." Anthony scowls. "Fuck."
Anthony lights up the joint again, takes a deep hit, and leans back, holding it before he blows out smoke rings. Then Sören cuddles him, petting - Seamus is sitting on both of Anthony's shoulders now, and kneads. As much as Mark hurts for Anthony, knowing the impending probable loss of a parent is difficult - once again Mark remembers watching Fëanor die - Mark thinks they're beautiful together, taking care of each other, their love clearly shining through in moments like this.
Mark is afraid of disrupting that peace, if he tries to shoehorn himself into the relationship.
And still, he can't help but want. Even as he knows things have potential to get complicated... even without them finding out he's an elf and he's lied about who he is and where he comes from... and Anthony's mother's mortality makes Mark aware that someday, Anthony too will reach the end of his days, and the thought of watching them die, losing them... Mark blinks back tears.
Tears unnumbered ye shall shed.
The next day Anthony, Mark and Sören decorate the shop. It's one of those beautiful crisp autumn days with cool weather and blue skies that makes Mark wish he was hiking in fall foliage, but at least the nice day draws a decent amount of customers - not enough to be overwhelming but not a slow day either. Good business.
Anthony gets another call as he's taking a short break in the cafe, and his phone rings again and Anthony swipes to accept without looking at it. "Anthony Muppet-Johnson." He facepalms. "Oh bloody hell."
There's laughter on the other end, but a different kind than yesterday, more girlish, so it's not Anthony's mother. Mark and Sören explode behind the counter and have to leave the cafe to not drown out Anthony's call with their laughter. From what Mark can pick up on, Anthony is making an appointment and had requested a callback specifically to address his concerns with being trans at the gynecologist. When the call ends, Anthony comes out, glares daggers at them, and then he laughs too. "Jesus."
"I'm proud of you for making that appointment," Sören says. "I know that was hard. I hope the office will be, um, understanding."
"I hope so, but the person I just spoke with seems nice so there's that." Anthony sighs, then he frowns. "The earliest they can get me in as a new patient is the beginning of December. That'll have to do. I hope the weather won't be total shite."
"You have insurance, right?" Mark has no idea how any of that works anymore, but he's willing to offer working for free if the medical bills are going to be expensive.
"Oh, yeah, I have self-employed health insurance, since we have to see the doctor a couple times a year to get our, um..." Anthony looks around to make sure nobody is watching and listening. "T scripts. Bloodwork and all that. Worst case scenario I'd do Care Credit if something major came up - like if you ever had an emergency -" Their eyes met. "But."
It touches Mark that Anthony would be willing to help in that kind of situation, and Mark doesn't want Anthony to worry about money, but he also doesn't think telling them I'm immortal and can take a pretty good beating before I need a healer is the best course of action.
"Anyway..." Anthony folds his arms. "I'm stressed out now, between this upcoming appointment in a month and worrying about my mum..."
"Oh, elskan." Sören puts an arm around him, and then he and Mark pull Anthony into a group hug.
"Anything we can do to help?" Mark asks. "Do you need a distraction?"
"Actually..." Anthony pats them and steps back, stroking his chin. "I think I know what I'm going to be for Halloween, but I want it to be a surprise. Can you guys watch the front while I go shopping for an hour or so? I... really need a break."
"Totally understandable," Sören says.
Sören and Mark play Rock Paper Scissors to see who will mind the cafe and who will mind the front. Mark gets the front, and feels that warm fuzzy feeling that Sören and Anthony trust him with handling money. He's been used to people acting suspicious of him for being homeless, and of course he isn't really homeless anymore, but they knew him when he was.
About a half-hour later, two guys enter the shop, holding hands, and Mark notices these customers more than usual because he doesn't see a lot of obvious queer couples out in the wild, even here in a liberal state. They're also an interesting-looking couple. One is tall, barrel-chested and heavyset, with a grey fauxhawk but a surprisingly young, cherubic face, aqua green eyes behind black-framed rectangular glasses, wearing a grey cardigan over a black shirt and black cargo pants, giving off nerdy professor vibes. The other is younger by at least a decade, a few inches shorter, skinny, fey and innocent-looking with brown eyes and chestnut hair, wearing a blue United States Navy hoodie and jeans, and wire-rimmed glasses.
"Hi," Mark says, giving a genuine smile. "Can I help you with anything?"
"Nah, we're just looking," the younger one says. The older one smiles, showing adorable dimples, and the younger one drags him to the selection of art books.
Mark doesn't want to be pushy and breathe down their necks to get them to buy something, and awkwardly tries to organize the supplies at the register, glancing over at the gay guys looking at an Andy Warhol book. The younger one grabs a basket and puts the book inside, then they disappear into the aisles, and Mark sits, waiting.
A short while later he hears hysterical laughter, and out of curiosity he makes his way over, putting a few books away here and there. When he finds the couple they're in the LGBT section...
...kissing. Mark notices then that the older one is wearing an O-ring collar just like the one Sören has on, and the younger man has a finger hooked through the ring. He whispers "Daddy" and starts kissing the older man's neck and Mark hears a sound like purring and he's confused, then he realizes, remembering the vibrators he saw in Spencers when he went to the Maine Mall, but didn't have enough courage to buy with Sören present. Mark sees a remote control in the younger man's free hand and his mouth opens.
"You know," the older one says, his voice breathy, "it's not nice to tease your daddy."
The younger one grins. "I haven't even started yet." He kisses the older one again.
"You're so bad." The older one bites his lower lip. "I love it." He moans as the younger one resumes kissing his neck.
Mark blinks - the older man's voice is deep for a woman's but slightly too high for a man's, and Mark listens to the purr of the vibe, looks at the older man's barrel chest and realizes the guy's binding large breasts and he's looking at a trans man who's either pre-T or non-op. He feels awkward about noticing, though he hadn't at first...
...and then he feels giddy at seeing another real live trans man. He's not used to encountering other people like himself - it still feels surreal to be living with two of them - and it makes him happy to see another trans person getting to be his true self, and finding love and acceptance with another person. Mark knows from things he's heard Sören and Anthony say that dating as a trans man is difficult, especially if one likes men - a lot of cis queer guys are transphobic - and the younger man appears cis, if a bit of a twink.
Maybe there's hope for this world, Mark thinks to himself, followed by: ...if not for me. He doesn't expect that his feelings for Sören and Anthony are returned, even though they're obviously fine with being with another trans guy.
The older man's eyes sparkle and his cheeks are pink and he smiles at his younger mate adoringly as they rub noses. Mark feels that ache again, and then his cunt twinges as he watches them steal another kiss. Seeing two people who are that into each other is hot, and all the hotter for knowing they're at least a little bit kinky. Mark secretly has a daddy kink, having been in love with his own father Fëanor, and Fëanor was submissive in the bedroom, and here and now with seeing an obviously submissive daddy... his mind goes there with thinking of Sören and Anthony as his daddies, and Sören being submissive...
"Oh fuck," Mark says under his breath, almost drooling on himself, and then the guys stop kissing and glance over at him with alarm.
"Oh god!" Mark gives a nervous laugh, wanting to run away and die, face on fire. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. Um... you guys make a cute couple. I'm queer too," he adds, even though that's not usually something he discloses to strangers, but he doesn't want them to think he's a homophobe and that they're potentially in danger.
"Well, thank you," the older man says. He cocks his head to one side. "You're pretty cute yourself. Want to have a threesome?"
The younger one nods, then cracks up laughing and Mark stands there with his mouth open, not able to believe what he just heard. No one has ever been that brazen with him, not even back in the late 60s through the 70s, the time of free love.
Mark doesn't even know what to say to that. Part of him wants to and has a feeling it would be fun, but he feels like it would be disloyal to Sören and Anthony somehow even though they're not even a throuple. Plus he doesn't know if they mean right now - like going into the bathroom and fooling around - or later. If they mean now, he isn't sure when Anthony is getting back from costume shopping and he doesn't want to piss Anthony off for not doing his job.
"I. Um. I can't right now, I'm at work," Mark says. Then he dashes off, face on fire, hoping that didn't come off as too rude. Before he gets too far he hears a smack, and a moan, and realizes the younger man just swatted the older man's ass.
By the time Mark gets back to the register his underwear is soaked and he tries not to rub himself against the stool as he sits down. He watches the clock, and finally, close to twenty minutes later, the gay couple heads to the register with a basket full of books.
The older man laughs as the younger man unloads the basket. "Yes, I know, I have an addiction," the younger man says.
"There are worse habits to have," Mark says, and starts ringing him up. "Cash, credit or debit?"
"Uh, debit." The younger guy hands over his card and then just casually turns up the remote control with a naughty look on his face, and the older man's breath hitches. Mark feels more cream drip down his thighs.
"So um." Mark glances at the older man, squirming a little, and back at the younger guy. He kind of wants to accept the threesome offer, but is also still shy about it. "We're having a Halloween party here at the shop on Sunday night, if you, um... want to get together after the party, and the party itself should be fun - and the cover charge goes to the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund -"
"Oh damn, that's a good cause," the older man says, and the younger man nods. "A bit close to home, if you get what I mean."
"I couldn't tell," Mark says, which isn't entirely a lie - he didn't clock the older guy immediately, only when he spoke. Then Mark adds - once again, he normally doesn't disclose this sort of thing, and can't believe he's telling them - "I am too."
"I couldn't tell either," the older guy says, and the younger man nods. "He's cis," the older guy adds, affectionately tousling his boyfriend's hair.
"Meeting up after the party would be fun, but unfortunately we'll already be gone. We're just in town for the week, we're here for our anniversary," the younger man says, putting an arm around the older man, who leans on him. "He's originally from Maine and I always wanted to see Maine, so, we decided to take a road trip out here and see the fall foliage. We're heading home on Saturday."
"Oh, where are you guys from, out of curiosity?"
"Indiana," the guys say in unison, and both make faces.
"Ah, Hoosiers." Mark hasn't been to Indiana in a long time, and has no desire to ever go back there if he can help it.
Anthony walks in before the guys can check out - the older guy is jotting something down on a notepad, and rips off a sheet and quietly hands it over. Mark sees the name Joshua with a number and e-mail, and the older guy says, "If you have some time between now and Friday night. Or if you just want another queer trans friend to shoot the breeze with."
"Thank you," Mark says. He folds up the paper and puts it in his pocket, his heart beating a little faster. He wonders if he'll get the courage to call for a hookup between now and Friday.
Anthony has slowed down and is watching with interest, and the guys hold hands again on their way out and Anthony smiles as he walks to the counter.
"So..." Anthony cocks his head to one side. "How's things?"
"I just got propositioned for a threesome," Mark blurts out, then he claps his hand over his mouth. That was not how he wanted to start the conversation.
Anthony throws his head back and laughs. "Nice. You gonna take them up on that? They're pretty cute."
Mark facepalms and tries not to crawl under the counter. "I don't know. I..." He looks around to make sure nobody else is in the vicinity, even though he knows no other customers are in the shop right now. "It's been years since I had sex."
Anthony pats him reassuringly. "It had been years before I was with Sören, but it was... all instinct. I'm sure you'll do fine."
Mark can't believe he's even having this conversation with Anthony. At least Anthony is beetroot too.
Anthony takes the front of the store again, and Mark dashes off to the bathroom to splash cold water on his burning face and try to ground himself.
He ends up taking his jeans and boxer-briefs down and pawing himself to a fast, furious orgasm, thinking of what a threesome with those two guys would be like... thinking about what a threesome with Sören and Anthony would be like. Thinking about an orgy with his father and uncles and...
Mark comes hard, doubling over the sink, gasping for breath, shuddering. He licks his fingers clean, wondering what Sören and Anthony taste like.
He sits on the toilet, not going, just letting himself recover from the shattering climax. He closes his eyes and silent tears spill down his cheeks, not wanting to ache like this. Feeling like this, too, is part of the Doom, to have healed enough to be able to love again... and for it to be a bad idea in so many ways.
Tears unnumbered ye shall shed.
They sell thirty-two tickets for the Halloween party, which raises close to five hundred dollars for the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund. They close the shop early on Sunday afternoon, to give them time to get ready for the party at six PM. Mark hasn't called Joshua yet, though he's thinking about sending an e-mail to say hi in a few days - it would be nice to make a friend.
Mark regrets not going through with the threesome offer from this older trans guy and his twink boyfriend, but not anywhere near as much as Anthony probably regrets his decisions in life as he walks out of the bedroom in a Cookie Monster onesie costume.
Mark, himself, is dressed up like Pete Burns from Dead Or Alive - before all the plastic surgery - with his hair teased to hell, wearing an eyepatch and all black. Sören walks out of the bathroom wearing lipstick, heavy eye makeup, black lace fingerless gloves, a black corset, black silky panties with lace garters, fishnet stockings, and heels, and when he sees Anthony he moans, "Oh... Cookie!"
Mark realizes it's instead of "Oh Rocky" and he leans against the couch to not fall over, shaking with laughter as Anthony scowls, all the more comical for scowling in a Cookie Monster costume.
"I'm Biscuit Monster," Anthony says indignantly. "Cookie Monster's British cousin."
"Um, OK." Sören gives the thumbs-up then silently mouths "Cookie Monster" at Mark. "Come on, let's go make idiots of ourselves."
The party is a karaoke party, with refreshments - canned soda and bottled water, chips and dips and crackers and cheese and cookies and brownies and a tray of egg rolls and a huge vegetarian party pizza and a few bowls of wrapped candy.
Anthony, as host, plays up the Muppet persona. "OH BOYYYYY, BISCUIT MONSTER SO HAPPY SO MANY PEOPLE SHOWED UP! ME HOPE TONIGHT WILL BE REALLY FUN! ME THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING TRANS LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATION FUND, TRANS PEOPLE DESERVE LOTS OF BISCUITS!"
"Cookies," Sören calls out. Anthony mock-glares.
"ME START PARTY BY SINGING EVERYONE FAVORITE SONG!"
Mark will never forget Anthony Hewlett-Johnson performing "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley... as Biscuit Monster, in-character.
WE'RE NO STRANGERS TO LOVE
YOU KNOW THE RULES AND SO DO ME
A FULL COMMITMENT WHAT ME THINKING OF
YOU WOULDN'T GET THIS FROM ANY OTHER MUPPET...
ME JUST WANT TO TELL YOU HOW ME FEELING
GOTTA MAKE YOU UNDERSTAND
Sören gives Anthony a big hug after the song, the two of them doubling over in hysterics; Mark is heaving too. "You're gonna make my mascara run," Sören says, face red, eyes too bright.
"Don't worry," Anthony says, and drops his voice, looking around to make sure just Sören and Mark can overhear. "I'm sure there'll be plenty to make everyone cry."
Anthony isn't wrong. Most of the singing is pretty bad and Mark cringes, not able to help it - people singing off-key is physically painful to him - but then it's time for Sören to do his thing.
Sören gives a nervous little meep, then pulls himself together and gives the crowd a sassy butt wiggle as his song starts. He turns around and winks - more of a clumsy blink - and then he purrs:
How d'you do, I
See you've met my
Faithful handyman
He's just a little brought down because
When you knocked
He thought you were the candy man
Sören struts across the "stage", over to Mark, commanding the entire room as he belts out:
Don't get strung out by the way that I look
Don't judge a book by its cover
I'm not much of a man by the light of day
But by night I'm one hell of a lover
Sören thrusts in Mark's face, and Mark almost comes in his pants. Sören struts off again, one hand on his hip, the other hand waving like he's channeling Beyonce.
I'm just a sweet transvestite
From Transsexual, Transylvania, ha ha
Mark remembers when Rocky Horror was new - he used to go to audience participations back in the day - and Sören is the best Frank N Furter he's ever seen next to Tim Curry himself. In those moments Sören is Frank, and Mark is sure he's not the only person creaming himself watching the performance. Anthony's tongue is practically lolling.
When the song is over Mark gives a standing ovation. That'll be hard to top, Mark thinks to himself, then his mind goes in the gutter, thinking of topping Sören.
Sören comes over and, still in-character, starts petting both Anthony and Mark like he owns them, even though Mark is perfectly aware Sören is Anthony's submissive. And while Mark knows Sören is still playing the Frank persona, he can't help but wonder if Sören is flirting with him - his face burns as he remembers Sören thrusting his hips, panty-clad pussy close enough to lick, catching the faintest whiff of his musk.
Whether or not that meant anything, when it comes time for Mark to sing, his own performance is even more blatant. The lighting turns blue and out comes a disco ball.
Mark dances over to Sören and Anthony as he sings:
All I know is that to me
You look like you're lots of fun
Open up your lovin' arms
Watch out, here I come
Sören opens his arms and Mark's jaw drops, then he composes himself and walks back over to the crowd, dancing like he's in the video, swinging his arm back and forth, singing:
You spin me right 'round, baby
Right 'round like a record, baby
Right 'round, 'round, 'round
He comes back over to Sören and Anthony to bellow:
I want your love
I want your love
Mark gets a standing ovation and wild applause - that song isn't easy to perform with its powerful vocals and Mark is glad he hasn't lost his touch. Sören brings him a can of ginger ale and a bag of chips. "Because you're all that and a bag of chips," Sören tells him.
Mark laughs and boops Sören's nose. "You were pretty fabulous yourself there, Dr. Furter."
Sören has a can of lemon-lime soda and a plate of cookies for Anthony. "Cookies for the Cookie Monster."
"Biscuit Monster," Anthony corrects him.
Sören sticks his tongue out, signaling he knows perfectly damn well Anthony is Biscuit Monster and is just fucking with him. Mark grins.
When the party's finally over at eleven PM and the last few guests have left, they put away the leftover food, do a little cleanup and then Anthony says, "Fuck it, we'll take care of the rest tomorrow." They're off through Wednesday morning, taking another two days off in a row - Anthony has some lingering stress from the attack in the shop earlier this month.
"Awww, are you all pooped out?" Sören asks. "Early to sleep?"
Anthony leers. "Something like that."
Sören giggles. "Oh, myyyyyyyyyy. Did I make you horny?"
"Yeah." Anthony chuckles. Then he glances over at Mark, realizing Mark is there watching everything. "Er, sorry."
"It's all right," Mark says. He still feels high from performing even though he's sober tonight and he feels emboldened to pay a very honest compliment. "He was pretty hot out there."
"He sure was," Anthony says. Anthony grins, cheeks turning pink. "Your own performance was amazing."
Sören nods vehemently. "You fucking owned that song."
Mark sighs. He can't believe the words he just blurts out, but here he is, no longer able to hold back. "It wasn't just a song, Sören. It was the truth." He looks at Anthony, and back at Sören, and he nods. "I want your love. Both of you."
Anthony and Sören exchange stunned glances, and stand there looking dumbfounded.
"Oh god." Mark realizes what he just said - that he finally confessed his feelings. He made things weird, just now. "Oh shit, I'm sorry..."
Mark bolts out of the shop and runs upstairs.
Tears unnumbered ye shall shed.
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