Outside a Metal Bar and Beyond, Baltimore, Thursday Evening

[suitably_heroic]

"Okay," Atton said, staring back at the door he'd just been thrown out through. "Okay, that could have gone better."

One of these days he was going to charm his way back into Linda's good graces. Damn it all. She'd yelled at him some more about being a jackass when he and Sparkle'd tried to come in acting like nothing had ever happened (what? It worked with Sia), but that clearly hadn't worked out for him all that well.

And okay, he did have some more aces up his sleeves if he wanted to use them, but he was... kind of trying not to do that.

"But hey, the night's still young, right?" Right.

The night was young! And cold. Very, very cold.

[[ for sparkle and misadventure. ]]

Comments

[myownface]

Sparkle had his hands in his pockets and a smirk on his face, if that answered that question.

"It's still plenty young," he agreed with a grin. "Wanna try to sneak back in?"

He kind of liked that place. The bouncers were, you know, friendly. For huge guys that took sadistic joy in picking you up and throwing you out into a snowbank, and all.

[suitably_heroic]

"No, she knows me," Atton muttered. "She'll spot me in five seconds and call the bouncers back on me. Plenty of bars in this town anyway."

Just not ones he liked this much. Damn it!

[myownface]

"Yeah, but none with quite the same, uh..." He glanced back at the door, where the bouncer that was standing outside just raised an eyebrow. Sparkle blew a kiss right back before returning his attention to Atton. "Ambiance. None with the same ambiance as this place. So, you know, all we need to do is dress you up a bit. Disguise you or something, and we can get back in, no problem. You can find her and give her like a proper apology for being a dick, and then we get smashed at the bar and dance like drunken assholes until we can't even crawl our way into a cab to get back to the island."

Sounded like a good time, right?

[suitably_heroic]

"Yeah, just let me go find my fake mustache," Atton said. "Or would you happen to have a bantha costume lying around somewhere? You can be the ass."

Charming, Atton.

[myownface]

Oh, please, Atton. It wasn't like you hadn't met Sparkle before. He grinned, and shrugged out of his backpack.

"Change of clothes, make-up, we can do something with your hair..."

Really, Atton. Really. It wasn't like Sparkle ever left the island without his bag, in case he could find something fun to steal.

[suitably_heroic]

Atton squinted at him. "Did you actually plan for this?"

He wasn't sure whether to be impressed or disturbed.

[myownface]

"What, you've never needed a change of clothes after going clubbing? Like, nobody ever puked on you or any shit like that?"

So, no. Sparkle was just... conscientious.

And maybe he'd planned for this.

[suitably_heroic]

"You take a stick or a rag or something and take it to the toilet, good as new." Atton had some very particular ideas re: hygiene - including where to stick it.

He also blamed the fact he was actually considering this on the pre-drinking drinking. (Which, for once, he'd actually done.)

[myownface]

"Aw, come on. It's not like I'm gonna paint an ass on your forehead or anything. Just enough make-up to make it hard for them to pick you out in a crowd. It's dark in there, right?"

You were going go be so pretty, Atton.

[suitably_heroic]

And he did really like this bar...

"Fine," Atton said, "But if I find out any pictures of this make it out there, it's your head." He did not need Cade to find out about this. Or Sia. Or Jessica. Or...

... he knew too many people who liked making his life hell.

[myownface]

"But you'll be so pretty," Sparkle laughed, and then reached for Atton's arm. "Come on, I saw a McDonald's near here, they've probably got a bathroom we can duck into to get you all changed up."

He shouldered his backpack again, shot Atton a winning grin, and added, "Oh, I can't wait to do your hair."

[suitably_heroic]

"Shut up and stop making me regret this, okay?" Atton grumbled.

Next time he was sticking to fake-drinking. Damn it!

[myownface]

"Aw, you won't regret it when you're strutting across the dance floor, with big beefy guys trying to mosh you back off again," Sparkle countered, making his way toward the McD's. "Anyhow, it's not that bad. I'm not going to make you look like a bigger freak any anyone else we saw in there tonight."

Considering the number of people with safety pins through their eyebrows, this was possibly not saying much.

[suitably_heroic]

"I should never have come here on a Thursday," Atton muttered. "It's quieter on Saturdays. I could just get drunk and talk to the locals."

And by locals he meant the girls with safety pins through their eyebrows.

He followed after Sparkle, muttering complaints under his breath.

[myownface]

And Sparkle grinned and silently mouthed 'blah blah whine whine,' as he led Atton confidently straight to the men's room at the restaurant.

"Here," he said, setting his backpack on the set counter by the sink. "Throw these on, first. It'll make your hair easier later."

Yes, he was pulling out some unholy combination of torn black t-shirt and fishnet, just for you, Atton.

[suitably_heroic]

"This is a joke, right?" Atton said, holding up the shirt. "You fished this out of a lake somewhere?"

[myownface]

"Thrift store chic," Sparkle countered, leaning back against the countertop with a grin. "You wanna get in there without people recognizing you, or not?"

[suitably_heroic]

Atton didn't do hygiene, but he did have standards, Sparkle...! Or, well, this edition of him did. Whatever, it didn't matter, since apparently the fishnets passed the bar after another couple of annoyed faces.

"If this doesn't work," he muttered, tagging the shirt over his head next.

[myownface]

"If it doesn't work, at least you'll give the ladies something to look at when we get thrown out again," Sparkle replied, smirking and, yes, ogling. Why not? "What's not to like about that?"

[suitably_heroic]

Atton raised his voice to point out exactly what and how far Sparkle could put it somewhere unpleasant-- "Yeah, okay, good point."

If he got to go home with some girl tonight, Sparkle was completely off the hook.

[myownface]

Aw yeah. Appeal to the desire to get laid, and you'll go far. Lessons from a guy named Sparkle.

"Thought so. Now c'mere, I'm gonna do your eyes."

Yes, that was eyeliner he was pulling from his bag.

[suitably_heroic]

This was for drinks, good music, and girls. Drinks, good music, and girls. Drinks, good music, and girls.

"Don't stab anything out."

He'd just sit here. And look annoyed.

[myownface]

"Don't do anything stupid like ram your face against the pencil, and we don't have that problem," Sparkle countered. "Now, just with your eyes, look up."

Oh, this was the best night out ever.

[suitably_heroic]

"I mean it," Atton said, rolling his eyes up to the ceiling.

See? He could do what you said and be an ass about it.

[myownface]

"Yeah?" Sparkle rolled his eyes too, just briefly, before he got to work putting makeup on Atton's face. "So did I. You think you can sit still for like five minutes, here?"

It would be an exercise in patience, right?