See You In Chicago (Crygi Fanfic)

Chapter 8 - First Show / My Favorite Muppet

Later that afternoon, the girls had made their way over to the outdoor venue. Settled in their individual trailers, they carefully focused on the final touches for their looks. Gluing down wigs, zipping into their outfits and, in Crystal's case, dabbing on some extra bits of glitter. In her own little space, Crystal fluffed her crazy purple wig as an array of plushies and pom-poms dangled from her arms. She cheerfully hummed her opening number song, blissfully distracting herself from her pre-show nerves. Over the quiet lull of her tune, she could hear five quick knocks on her door.

"Come in!" Crystal replied from across the room, assuming it was one of her sisters. Through the mirror's reflection she could spot the doorway, only slightly obscured by the light shining in from outside. Squinting to get a better view, she immediately spun around in her seat when she saw who it was. Of course it was Gigi, confidently stepping into the room and somehow looking sexier than ever. She wore a fitted red velvet dress with gold adornments reminiscent of a royal guard. From her slim thigh-high boots to her curled ginger wig, each petite detail had been sculpted to perfection. Crystal was completely speechless. Sneaky Gigi had surprised her, waiting until that night to reveal any part of the look.

"...Hi," the small greeting managed to squeak from Crystal's mouth.

Gigi's eyes glimmered at the reaction, a wide grin emerging from her mauve lips. That love-struck look on Crystal's face was one of Gigi's favorites.

"Impressed?" flirted Gigi, twirling around to give a complete view.

"As if you even need to ask?" chortled Crystal. "Can I get a closer look?"

Gigi drew near, her fingers freely examining the details of Crystal's own dress. "Your mind never ceases to amaze me," Gigi chuckled as the colorful cacophony of plushies stared back.

Just as soon as Gigi had arrived, there was another knock at the door. Crystal and Gigi automatically retreated back from one another, casually regathering themselves.

"Come in!" Crystal called out once again. It was one of the show's stagehands, giving the heads up that the girls were needed on stage in ten minutes. "Ok cool, we'll be right out," she replied for the both of them.

Quickly checking herself in the mirror, Gigi took a focused, deep breath. Sure, she had performed live countless times before. But this was her first show in months; even more so, her first show since the drag race finale. Looking over, Crystal had a similar reaction. She fussed around with her wig one last time, wanting to make sure her look was flawless for her Chicago debut. Hey, she had barely performed outside of Missouri at this point. Each detail seemed exceedingly important to perfect. Glancing to her side, she caught Gigi's reflection. Poking fun at their days from filming, Crystal goofily started to sing.

"Now I'm ready for my first show

'Cuz finally now I don't

Hate the mirror, hate the mirror anymore, oh oh"

"Shut up, you're ridiculous," joked Gigi as she playfully nudged Crystal's side. "Like quite literally a Muppet. But somehow I still love you. Even with your Kermit the Frog singing voice. Isn't that right, Kermit?" She glanced at the plush green frog perched on Crystal's shoulder.

Crystal beamed as she flaunted off her dress once more. "She's a look queen, she's a comedy queen, she's a Muppet queen."

Gigi couldn't help but chuckle as she lovingly leaned into Crystal. She lingered for a moment, taking in the sight of them together. "Ready?"

"Chicagoooo, here we go!" Crystal enthusiastically rallied. She scanned the room one last time to make sure she wasn't missing anything. Hand-in-hand the two girls strolled out the door. Well, at least for a few moments, until they were soon in view of the audience. As if a conditioned reflex, their hands silently untangled. Back to their usual routine of keeping things a secret.

Just a few yards away from their trailers was the stage. It honestly reminded Crystal of some of her hometown performances, in random places like outdoor venues and parking lots. But this time around she was in a big city, with a crowd of people who actually knew her name. This time around was different.

Gigi by her side, they both headed over to the main stage. A few fans in the distance caught sight of them together, enthusiastically squealing as they screamed "CRGYI!!" It was almost weird hearing those cheers in-person for the first time. Giving a quick wave and laughing off the reactions, Crystal and Gigi joined the other queens backstage.

"There you two are! Can you believe this is actually happening?!" Jaida excitedly exclaimed, reveling in the energy of the moment. After most of their season had been spent in quarantine, they were beyond thrilled to have an in-person show. Just a bit of normalcy amongst the madness.

"Diva I am SO beyond right now, like I don't even have the words," Gigi beamed in anticipation. Her hands were soon met by Crystal and Jaida's as they gathered in a circle.

"I'd like to make a little good luck toast. Eh hem," Crystal mockingly cleared her throat as if preparing for some kind of big speech. "Cheers to Jaida's elegance, and her reign as our queen. To Gigi's beauty, which we will be seeing on the cover of Vogue someday. And to El Debarge, aka me." The two other girls broke out in laughter, rolling their eyes at Crystal's ridiculousness. "But really, to us, our gorgeously talented top three. Now let's make this show awesome because we what? Deserve it!"

"Woooo! I love you both so much," Jaida enthusiastically replied.

"Love you too!" Crystal and Gigi chimed in unison as they all embraced for one last hug. What felt like seconds later the stage lights dimmed, the volume of the music much louder than before. A producer approached the girls, giving them the heads up that the show was about to begin.

"Good luck out there- we've got this!" Gigi squealed as she, Crystal, and Jaida joined the other queens. The song for the opening number began to play as all seven queens stepped into the spotlight, met with the roaring sound of applause from the audience. After all of this time they were finally back on the main stage, the second home they had so greatly missed.