After most of the trainees had taken the stage, it was finally Aqua's team's turn.
The moment they walked out, the room exploded with cheers, whistles, and very enthusiastic catcalls from their fellow trainees. Most of the room hyped them up, but of course, there were still a few sour little gremlins who couldn't help showing their disgust — the same ones who made a hobby out of being homophobic toward Aqua and his squad.
Those guys harassed them every chance they got, like it was their life's mission to hate on gays. Not for religious reasons, not for "beliefs" — nah. Just straight-up immature little incels who refused to grow the hell up.
But then something happened that shut everybody up: Bobby walked in with Aqua's squad. Shyly, sure, but confidently enough to shock the room. Even the evaluators raised their brows.
Once the team lined up center stage, they introduced themselves.
"We about to turn this place upside down. We are—"
"The Kweens!" they shouted in perfect sync, striking a dramatic pose.
"And Bobby!" he added with adorable comedic delay, flashing a simple peace sign.
The whole theatre lost it.
"The Kweens… and Bobby," Tuesday repeated, perfectly mimicking his timing and milking another wave of laughter. "Well, well, well… who would've thought?"
"I agree," Luca said, nodding. "This combo is wild. Bobby, I thought you were doing another original. How'd you end up here in a pineapple Hawaiian shirt?"
"That was the plan," Bobby admitted. "But the deeper we got into the week, the more my gut screamed I was making a huge mistake. Honestly, if these four beautiful humans hadn't taken me in, I probably would've done something I'd regret forever. So… thank you to Aqua, Kitty, Javi, and Pink."
"Alright then, let's see what you've got," Foca said, sinking back to enjoy the show.
The five took their positions, Bobby front and center. Everyone inhaled together.
And right before the music hit, something in Bobby snapped — in the best way. Courage, chaos, confidence… whatever it was, it told him to stop being shy and go for it.
So when the music started, he did something absolutely unhinged in the most iconic way possible.
He ripped open his shirt — buttons flying into the void — and tossed that pineapple monstrosity aside, revealing a slim, toned body that made the crowd LOSE their damn minds.
🎶 I step out in my new bikini
Heads turning when they see me
Keeping it ocean-breezy 🎶
The audience went feral. Screaming, stomping, waving arms — Tuesday straight-up stood up and did finger claps like she was blessing the child with gay holy water.
And Bobby? He SERVED. Confidence dripping off him like he'd been bottling it up for months.
🎶 Might wanna be me, be me
Come over here and see me
Strut in my new bikini 🎶
He pointed at the crowd, did that "come here" finger wave, and delivered it with so much swag he nearly caused emotional whiplash.
"BOBBY WAIT, I'M COMING!" one trainee screamed.
When they shifted formation, they were so clean it looked like they'd been a group for years. Aqua, Kitty, Pink, and Javi were internally shrieking for their baby boy, but they kept it together — no way were they letting Bobby out-slay them on their own stage.
Every move had intention. Every lyric had emotion. Every moment landed.
Then the hook dropped again… and the whole building basically shook.
The five started booty-poppin' like rent was due tomorrow, and the audience collectively lost their minds.
The lyrics were simple, but damn, they hit:
When Pink sang,
🎶 You can go talk whatever you want
But it ain't cute being so hateful 🎶
he aimed it directly at the bullies — not even pretending otherwise.
"Oof."
"Get good," someone piled on.
By the end, the performance was an undeniable success.
They held their final pose, chests heaving, faces glowing, soaking in the roar of unfiltered support. When they finally relaxed, emotions hit them like a truck. The four queens teared up, overwhelmed. Bobby pulled them into a group hug, and they stayed there, just breathing each other in.
Then they lined up for comments. Bobby grabbed his discarded shirt, but the buttons were long gone, so he clutched it closed with one hand like a Victorian widow.
"That was… bravo," Luca said. "You all did so damn well. I'm honestly speechless."
Tuesday responded by screaming like a banshee.
"WERK! SLAY! TENS ACROSS THE BOARD! This was pure JOY! I'm blessed, BLESSED I got to see this!"
The room quieted for Foca.
"For me," Foca began, "this wasn't the hardest song. In fact, compared to many others, it was simple. But what your group delivered was pure joy. It felt like a celebration — and everyone celebrated with you."
"Amen," Tuesday said.
"What I saw," Foca continued, "was courage. Bobby stepping outside his comfort zone. Aqua, Kitty, Pink, Javier — all four of you showing the world exactly who you are, despite the hardship. All five of you stood courageously on that stage. And for that, I applaud you."
He stood, clapping — and the entire theatre followed, giving them a thunderous standing ovation.
"My mom always said, 'Courage is fear that said its prayers.' I still see the fear in you — but tonight, those fears definitely prayed."
"Damn, that's poetic," Luca muttered.
And with that, the second evaluation came to a close.
****
Since the day after evaluations fell on a Sunday, almost all the trainees slept in. A few morning people were already up and roaming around, but the dorms were mostly silent — blissfully so.
Kang Ian, Mika, Aqua, Bobby, Isaac, and Akash had already decided to move into the main dorms. Their old place was gorgeous but completely isolated from everyone else. After a week of feeling left out and too far removed from the chaos, they wanted to be with the other trainees — their makeshift family.
While Kang Ian was working out in the living room, he suddenly heard a noise that made him pause mid-rep. It sounded… suspiciously like someone throwing up.
At first he thought he imagined it — maybe he was just dehydrated or losing his mind — but then the sound came again, louder, unmistakable.
He immediately dropped his weights and sprinted upstairs. He checked the bedrooms one by one, and once he noticed someone missing, he knew exactly who it was.
The bathroom door was locked.
Kang Ian knocked gently.
"Mika? Dude, you alright?"
A beat. Then—
"Y-yeah! I'll be out in a minute!" Mika called out — way too quickly, way too startled, the kind of tone that screamed I did not expect anyone to hear me puking my soul out.