Fair warning - there's not a lot of actual stroke material in this one. If you're just looking to rub one out, maybe skip ahead. All characters involved in sexual acts are over the age of 18.
CW: Implied non-con, some emotional distress.
Showtime, Chapter 1: Prologue
Marcia hung up the phone, managing to fight the little tremble of anticipation back down as she replaced the handset. The red plastic receiver, a digital thing made to look analogue, clicked as she laid it back in its cradle. Allen had bought it online.
She had been short as a child and in adulthood, very little had changed - the very peak of her scalp just grazed five-foot-one, and Marcia was under no illusions that her sons would tower over her before long, just like their father. A thick, curly mop of dark brown hair spiralled down off her head, coiling up just short of her shoulders and typically finding a way to tumble across her face.
The last of the baby fat from her pregnancy with Alex continued to linger about her hips; while she had found herself sighing in the mirror at first, it had quickly become apparent that Allen loved it.
So Marcia came to forgive herself for not dropping the weight the way she had promised herself she would.
Everything was in place - her mother-in-law had phoned to let her speak to the kids before bedtime, promising again not to let them come home stuffed full of ice cream again. Doctor Wheeler had already made it clear at their last appointment that Alex, the younger of the two boys, was on his way to a cavity and Marcia and her husband were determined to cut back on sugar around the house.
Allen's mother had been very understanding, hinting at some idea of what Marcia and her son had planned for the weekend.
"I know, honey. Oh believe me, I know" she'd said wistfully, and Marcia could practically feel the knowing smile trickling into her voice on the other end.
"It's important for a husband and wife to have some time to themselves - and, you know, we're always happy to see the babies."
Marcia bit her tongue; if Allen's mother knew exactly what they were planning to do with the 36 hours they had
to themselves
, there may have been a different tone to the conversation. But she didn't, and the knowing of the not-knowing made it all the sweeter for Marcia.
From upstairs, Marcia could hear the shower running and Allen's voice thrumming softly through the walls as he sang to himself. From the kitchen, the deep, wine-and-herb laded smell of chicken wafted from the oven. When Allen was out of the shower, they'd dance in the living room, like they had in their first apartment, then share dinner.
And when dinner was finished, it would be time for the show.
Five hours.
This time, Marcia allowed herself a squeal.
***
The trucks had been arriving since six that morning, set decorators and maintenance men clambering silently out of the back. They were dressed to work; boots and cargo pants all.
They were paid handsomely and those who had worked the show before knew better than to talk, making sure any newbies followed suit. Their employers preferred that things be arranged quickly and quietly and, for the amount of money Miguel received after the curtains finally fell, he would certainly oblige.
Once inside and out of immediate view, he rubbed his forehead with the back of his wrist and went over the clipboard with his crew's number on it, muttering softly in Spanish as he took in their work detail and began to relay the day's orders. A pushbroom mustache lay across his top lip, his skin a dark tan and wrinkled in places. He looked almost to be made from leather.
"OK...they haven't redesigned so many of the rooms since last month" Miguel began, checking again to make sure he wasn't reading the set descriptions wrong. "Dani, take Rog and Lou out to truck number five. Get everything unloaded"
The lanky pole raised a hand to catch the keys as they were tossed to him, nodding to the other two specified and leading them back outside to start retrieving the set pieces.
The others waited for Miguel to speak again as he flipped through the pages on his board.
"The rest of you...A, B, C A, B, C..." he started, pointing at heads until everyone had been assigned a letter. "A's, you take one through four. B's, five through eight. C's, Nine through twelve. We've got a little under..."
Another pause, this time to check his watch.
"...Fourteen hours to get everything up and running. Any screw ups and we don't get paid."
Miguel walked over to a store cupboard and opened it up, revealing brooms, mops and other cleaning equipment. Racked up toward the back were a series of toolboxes, mostly beaten up.
The tools inside were anything but - anything that needed sharpening had been sharpened. Anything Miguel said needed replacing after last month's show had been restocked or replaced entirely with a newer model.
He turned back and pointed out the doors to where Dani and the others were hoisting boxes from the back of the truck.
"Every room has got to be ready. I do not want a repeat of last time, you understand?" he asked.
A low murmur of acknowledgement rumbled from the crowd of men before him, and Miguel nodded curtly.
"Alright, Chico, Jax, Abe, you're taking rooms one and two..." he began.
They worked through the day, pausing once for coffee mid morning and again for lunch at around two. The sets were easy enough to build, it was just that some of them became...difficult to work in once they were fully set up. After checking the specifications for Room 6 again, he gave the order to hold back on the barrels until right before the curtains came up. You never know what might need doing at the last second until the cameras are already rolling and it's too late.