GRUFFY DON'T READ THIS

How It Started

((jesus christ. thanks az for putting these thoughts in my head /lh
sorry to anyone else in the rtc fandom that finds this
Faustus=OG
Karnak=MC))

"This is going to be a disaster."

Faustus had been pacing for the better part of an hour. Savannah had been laughing at him while she played on her Switch in the living room. She was waiting for her choir friends to come over and for Molly, Noel's mom, to come pick up her dad.

"It's gonna be fine. You'll have fun!"

"Savannah, I'm fairly certain this will be the opposite of fun. Being in a crowded room with a bunch of drunks, watching people dance half-naked–"

"Okay, dad, TMI!"

He rubbed his face, already exhausted. It was only eight o'clock. "Sorry, sorry. Just not... looking forward to this."

She looked away from the TV to regard him, eyebrows raised. "Then why did you agree to go with Molly?"

"Agree is a strong word." He adjusted the collar of his polo again. That plus his khakis made him look tacky as hell. He looked like someone's grandpa at the tender age of 34. The cane and graying beard didn't help much. He adjusted his turban as well. "I sort of owe her a favor after she went to that art exhibit with me last month."

There was the sound of a car pulling up. Her friends were finally here. She got up and headed to the entryway to greet them. "At least try to have a little fun, okay?"

The door flung open, and the teens all rushed inside. They were planning on having a slumber party since the house would be free for a bit. He had thought of putting his daughter in charge, but she was kind of, what one might call, a juvenile delinquent. Noel and Mischa were going to be in charge instead.

"My mom's waiting for you, Mr. Lamb."

He sighed and nodded. No avoiding it now. "Please, children. Don't burn my house down while we're out."

Savannah leaned out of the living room to smirk at him. "Have fun at the strip club, dad!"

"It's not a fucking strip club," he grumbled as he left the house. Molly honked the horn at him as he approached making him nearly jump out of his skin. He gave her the stink eye when he clambered into her van. She looked absolutely wired.

"Sorry! Just pumped!" She beamed at him as she backed out of the driveway. "I'm so excited for you. You've really never seen a drag show?"

He settled into his seat and tried not to feel sick. He hadn't been out to such a public space in a long while. He hadn't been to a club... ever. He preferred bars, if he went out drinking at all. "No, I haven't. But Savannah told me what to expect. And showed me lots of pictures of drag queens. It looks... interesting."

"Well, this'll be a little different since it's a drag king show."

"...What's the difference?"

She just kind of stared at him. It really was like he lived under a rock. "You'll see when we get there."

He did in fact see when they got there. She pulled him aside before they entered. He was trying not to look like he was about to throw up and was failing miserably.

"Okay, listen. This is a queer club. We're going to meet a lot of queer folks. When in doubt, ask for pronouns, okay?"

He scoffed and brushed her aside. "I'm not that much of an asshole, Molly. I'm not just going to assume."

She shrugged. "Last time I came, I brought some coworkers. They weren't respectful at all. I'm not dealing with that again."

Fair enough. They headed inside, and he tried to stick to her as close as he could. It was packed, likely because of the show that'd be starting soon. Bar first. He watched as Molly ordered herself a strawberry margarita. He could use something to drink himself, something hard to help him get through the night. But he was the designated driver for the two of them. He'd have to suffer sober.