Brightside | ✓

27 | true colours

"If you're done, we should probably head back to..." Eddie waved her hands and stomped her cigarette into the ground. "Whatever the fuck this is."

Moxie opened the door. "After you."

"Thank you." Eddie stepped through and the air in the room felt less thick than it had before.

Cruella looked like she was having the time of her life watching whatever was happening between Axel and Olive Dixon. She hid her smile behind a hand but there was no denying the joy in her eyes.

"Are you sure you've never been here before?" Olive asked. "Feels like I've known you my whole life."

"This is only the second time I've been to Illinois, actually," Axel said. "And the first time I've been to Treasure Trail, but I like it here. The vibes are good."

"We've got a couple lesbians who work here who know all about good vibes." Olive laughed.

"Maybe it was a mistake leaving the cishet with only one bodyguard," Moxie said.

"Can't bring a man who looks like a lesbian anywhere," Eddie said. It was nice to actually let herself look at him.

Getting to see Cruella Queen light up when Moxie King walked into a room was a wonderful sight to behold. A child watching the first snowfall of the season in wonderment and awe. A wide smile across her baby pink lips and eyes bright with glee. "How's the lung cancer doing?"

"Wonderful," Eddie said. "Thank you."

"Leave it to lung cancer to put a smile on everyone's face." Axel frowned at what he'd said. "I don't mean that in a you should smile way, fuck me—"

"If we're asking for volunteers—" Olive said.

"Axel," Moxie said, pointedly, "as a straight man, it's very nice of you to come here and support us. Major ally points."

"Pretty cool of you." It was all Eddie could do not to laugh.

"Well then," Olive said. "Enjoy the show."

Axel grinned. "Thanks." He turned back to the mirror. "Can someone please help me with eyeliner? Maverick did it last time I wore it but I think he's just singing for fun right now—"

"Straight men have really lost the art of a winged liner," Moxie said.

"Okay," Cruella said. "But if you blink it'll hurt and go into your eye and probably smudge and then you'll look like a raccoon. So, hold still, alright?"

"Mav drew on my eyeball because he's got terrible writing skills and it was fully his fault so if you don't do that, we'll be fine."

"I don't know if I believe that," Cruella said. "Not about his awful handwriting but about you not being at fault."

Axel didn't even look offended. Whatever they'd spoken about while Moxie and Eddie were outside seemed to absolve her of any arguments from him. "I'll sit still, I promise."

And he kept that promise. Cruella did his eyeliner wonderfully, as if there was any doubt. Eddie even let herself look at him—the pair of horns that had been clipped into his hair didn't even deter her from doing so. The eyeliner was working—the eyeliner had worked since day one.

"That's... You..." Moxie looked vaguely pissed off. "Babe, you're a miracle worker."

"Thank you," Cruella and Axel said at the same time.