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It was late December, those few days after Christmas when Ezra suggested something. Something specifically for Elle. She was queer, like him, but in a different sense. Ezra was only ever into men even before he started his transition while Elle was into both men and women. She had a much harder affinity for women though. This “something” had to do with the insane amount of strippers Ezra had the pleasure of meeting throughout his life.
Yes, that’s right. Ezra had planned to take Elle out to a strip club–there were plenty since they lived near a big city. He also wanted to take Benoit with him although he had only been with men so Ezra wasn't sure how the detective felt about seeing almost-naked women. Then again, the club he chose had both men and women dancers. An all inclusive, really. Ezra tried to dress as inconspicuous as possible while Benoit and Elle dressed about the same as they usually did. Benoit had his tweed suit and glasses, that could certainly give some people the wrong idea in a club. Elle wore a simple black jacket over a sweater and some ripped jeans.
“Ready to go?" Ezra asked as he adjusted the baseball cap sitting on his head. One habit he never quite got rid of was fiddling with his hair. Maybe the hat would help.
Benoit hummed a little as he got in the car, Elle close behind him. Similar to Benoit, Ezra had a fairly old car. A 1967 Chevy Impala in black that was restored by Ezra himself to drive like a new car. It didn't have any of the old brakes or handling. Ezra got in the car and started up the engine, the car rumbled to life.
He handed the aux cord to Elle. "Play whatever you want." Ezra said as he backed out of the driveway. He wasn't too picky with his music unless he was tired and absolutely needed to listen to something familiar or else he'd have a meltdown.
That happened sometimes and Elle wasn't not used to seeing them. Benoit, though, had not had the displeasure of seeing one of Ezra's meltdowns just yet.
Ezra hummed slightly as they parked at the club. It was a more upscale one since it was in the city, attracting a higher end clientele. Ezra just so happened to know a few girls that worked there. A bartender and a dancer. Both were excited to show Ezra around. Sure, it wasn't his first time at a strip club but this one was a lot different than the run-down, hole in the wall ones that had horrible management which caused the dancers to fear going on stage every night. This was safer. For both the dancers and patrons since it was a queer strip club. This was how Ezra knew Elle would like it much like how he would.
As Ezra and his family went inside, they were met with something they didn't expect. This was more akin to a burlesque club with less lip syncing and more skin showing. This was sure to be fun. On the stage was a woman wearing a bedazzled bra and panty set.
Elle was staring at her, mouth open. Yeah, she liked what she saw.
Benoit was trying his best not to stare, a flush on his cheeks as he scooted closer to Ezra. He had a strict affinity for men so it was slightly jarring to see half naked women. It was like nothing he's ever experienced before. Then, of course, there were half naked men as waiters among the waitresses, grabbing drinks and other stuff for the patrons.
Ezra let out a light laugh at their reactions just as he saw his friend come up to them. She was slightly younger than him, long dark hair and dark eyes with a black and blue lingerie set on. "Hello, Mr. Wayne." She teased softly and motioned to a table, it was a booth facing the stage and was practically right in front of it. "Right this way."
Elle's eyes were wide as she followed her parents, taking in every last womanly body in the club. There were some other girls observing the dancers, making similar eyes to them as she was. Queer strip clubs, huh?
Ezra looked at Benoit who had not let go of his hand since arriving. "You okay, Blanc?" He asked softly.
Benoit nodded as reassuringly as he could. "'M just not used t'all of this." His accent got a bit thicker with his embarrassment. As much of a gold star gay as he was, he wasn't the type to go to queer clubs much.
Ezra patted his thigh, pressing a kiss to Benoit's cheek and he could feel the anxiousness wash away slowly afterwards. Elle, on the other hand, was almost drooling as the dancer on stage continued her number. They were so up close to her that Elle could almost see the details underneath her outfit.
While Benoit was occupied staying as close to Ezra as possible, he handed Elle twenty dollars all in one dollar bills. "Go at it, kid." He teased softly.
Almost immediately, Elle was throwing as many ones as she could onstage to get the dancer's attention. Unlike her father, she wasn't the most experienced in relationships. No girlfriends or boyfriends. There were almost times she'd have one, but they never quite passed the threshold where she could call them hers.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Benoit asked, eyes focused on a starry-eyed Elle.
Ezra hummed softly and looked back at Benoit, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. "Elle is gonna be fine."
"I meant, for you." Benoit cocked his eyebrow at the brunet. Being the detective he was, he always thought about how certain things would go over for his actor boyfriend.
Ezra let out a light laugh. This wouldn't be the worst thing he was caught doing. There were pictures of him and a past co-star fixing their clothes after getting out of a car. It was easy to figure out what they were doing in that car. Benoit knew what he was getting into, Ezra wasn't a cheater but he was adventurous.
"I'll be fine. I can take whatever the fuck the media throws at me. Plus, you're the only one I have eyes for here." Ezra hummed, cupping Benoit's jaw. The detective practically melted at his words.
A weird place for romance. But so was a Glass Onion.
Elle bounced up and down giddily when her bills were all thrown and the dancer was finished. "God, I love women…." She sighed happily.
At her words, Benoit and Ezra laughed. A mix of pretty women, booze, and two men in love seemed to be a pretty great concoction for family bonding. Or maybe they were just weird.