Steve walks along the beach, sunglasses on his nose and enjoys the breeze bringing the ocean's salty smell with it.
It's their third day in San Diego and he already loves it. What he loves even more is how much Billy smiles and laughs, showing Steve all his favorite spots. How much younger he looks, how carefree.
Billy is exactly where he left him behind. The man lies on a towel, snoring loudly. Before Steve left to get their ice cream, he moved the sun umbrella Billy insisted he doesn't need ("California born raised, Harrington, I don't burn"), so that he lies in the shade.
Billy still got sunburned. Just like Steve told him he would. He can already see it.
Because he has written "Harrington's" with sun screen on the small of his back, an arrow pointing at Billy's ass. It's childish and maybe more a thing Billy would do- he's rubbing off on him.
Billy only realizes after they get back to their motel and he takes a shower.
"Steve," he yells. "Are you fucking serious?"
"What?" Steve asks innocently, giving Billy his best doe eyes. Maybe it's a bit mean. No one can resist them.
Billy opens the door to the bathroom, Steve's favorite fluffy towel around his hips, pointing at his back.
"That," he growls. "You damaged the goods."
Steve tries not to laugh and gives his best "I'm confused"- impression. "I don't see anything with the towel there."
Billy turns around, gripping the towel tighter.
"And people think I am worse than you." He rolls his eyes.
"If the goods are damaged, I need to check." Steve walks closer. "Just drop the towel."
"I'm fucking sunburned," Billy complains. "On my back as you can see."
Yeah. The white Harrington's on Billy's red skin makes Steve unreasonably happy.
"You can ride me," he offers generously. "Then you don't have to lie on your back."
"Fuck off," Billy grumbles. But he drops the towel anyway.
An addition! To my Steve Becomes A Rocky Horror Performer au (link to part one here)
So! Steve has just been cast in the part of Dr Frank-n-furter, and he really did NOT expect to get this far, but he isn’t too worried. He had been while working up to the audition, because he had Zero experience in theatre, like, even less than most people because he’d never even BEEN to a stage show until his Adoptive Gay Parents took him and Robin with them to a midnight showing.
But the audition has passed! Steve has the part! Rehearsals start soon, but he knows the songs, he’s got his lines, and he’s sussed the fact that in order to pull off the part of Insane Sexy Alien Transvestite Doctor, all he really needs to do is walk into the room like he knows he’s the sexiest person in it which, hey! Finally a good use for the EXACT skill set he spent all of high school honing.
And then the casting director hands him a pair of platform heels and a case of makeup and tells him to get practicing.
Naturally, Steve calls Robin, freaking out down the phone about ending up looking like a clown with broken ankles, “fuck this was such a bad idea I’m gonna ruin the entire show for everyone help”
To which Robin replies, “Why the hell do you think I’m going to be able to help? I can barely walk straight in sneakers and I own three (3) items of makeup, all of which were gifts from distant aunts.”
“For gods sake Robin I need moral support GET OVER HERE”
Needless to say, it takes some work. Steve is not an artist, and makeup turns out to be incredibly easy to Mess Up. He spends multiple hours hunched over his bathroom sink swearing while Robin lounges on his bed offering unhelpful advice without looking up from her magazine, and cackling at him when he suddenly realises that he has makeup but not makeup REMOVER. His skin may never recover, honestly.
And then there’s the heels for Dr Frank’s costume. The first time Steve puts them one and tries to walk, he almost gives himself (another) concussion. There’s a whole different centre of balance to walking in heels, but Steve is an ATHLETE goddamn it, he is GOING to master the Sexy Strut™️ if it’s the last thing he does.
And, after a week of wearing his borrowed platforms around the house while he does chores and trying to mimic the hip sway that he’s always enjoyed seeing girls do, master it he does.
He demonstrates said mastery by striding confidently into the living room in full costume while Robin wolf-whistles and waves a wad of dollar-bills at him like he’s a stripper.
I made a thing! I literally haven't stopped thinking about making something like this since I saw the scene for the first time. It's a bit rough since I edited on my phone instead of laptop.
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV), 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin & Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin & Nie Huaisang, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin & Xue Yang | Xue Chengmei, Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao & Nie Huaisang, Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao & Xue Yang | Xue Chengmei, Nie Huaisang & Xue Yang | Xue Chengmei
Characters: Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin, Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao, Nie Huaisang, Xue Yang | Xue Chengmei
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Group Therapy, With the worst people, Counselling, Humor, Social Service Worker Jiang Cheng, Professional Meng Yao, Flirtatious Nie Huaisang, Xue Yang | Xue Chengmei Being Xue Yang | Xue Chengmei, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously
Summary:
Jiang Cheng, social service worker, gets a new assignment - Anger Management group sessions with Nie Huaisang, Meng Yao, and Xue Yang, all of whom have managed to evade convictions for attempted murder.
Somehow, he manages to survive the session without strangling his clients.