#Gunter Meena and Ash are also part of this team

[tigresslanzhu]

New Moon Family Feud

Steve Harvey: Give a name you would call your new plant.

Miss Crawly: FERNY MCFERN-FERN!

[The audience laughs while the other contestant scowls at the interruption]

Steve: No, Miss Crawly… No, no, no…

Miss Crawly: Don’t no, no me! We’ve had Ferny McFern-Fern for twelve years, didn’t we, Mr. Moon?

Buster: We did!

Steve: No. you were supposed to buzz in!

Miss Crawly: Oh my god! [presses buzzer] Ferny McFern-Fern!

[Insert classic Steve Harvey Can’t Believe How Stupid This Person Is Look here]

[meenasmoon]

Singing in the Moonlight Ch 6: Thinkin’ Bout Love

Johnny spent the rest of his night packing up his belongings in boxes and preparing them for the day. The theatre family was going to take the day off to help them move in. They would meet at the theatre for announcements and then they would go to Johnny’s place with the moving truck and then to Ash’s place to pick up all of her stuff. Since he was being packed up first, he had to be ready. As he lay in bed that night and looked at the empty walls of his bedroom he felt a sense of nostalgia. This room held so many memories, both good and bad, and tonight would be the last time that he spent a night there. He rolled over under his covers and looked out his dirty window, gazing at the moon, his companion every night. Johnny laid his head on the pillow and let the light of the moon wash over him and lull him into a peaceful sleep.

 The next morning Johnny got up early to load his truck with his boxes and prepare the furniture that he would be taking when the truck came. He drove the truck to the theatre, whistling happily to himself and enjoying the morning. He snagged a great parking space in front of the theatre and he was practically walking on air when he strutted into the theatre. Everyone else was already waiting onstage when he entered the theatre so he quickly jogged up and took his place next to Meena.

 “’Ey Meena I ‘eard that there’s a fair in town tonight. Do ya wanna go wif me?” He leaned over and whispered in Meena’s ear. His heart was pounding like a drum and his hands were sweaty but Johnny knew that if he didn’t ask her now he would lose his nerve. Meena immediately blushed but gave him a shy smile.

 “Sounds like fun.” She whispered and Johnny’s good mood lifted impossibly higher. So much so that he couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across his face or the way that his heart skipped a beat when she accepted.

“Alright everyone!” Buster motioned for them to come closer as he looked down at his little clipboard, reading off from his list. “Before we move on to the moving party there are a couple of announcements that I have about the show. We still need to get costumes finished and put up fliers but that shouldn’t be too hard. Also I’ve decided to add a big finisher to the show, a duet to be exact.” He looked up from his clipboard and pointed his pen at Meena and Johnny.

 “Meena. Johnny. You two are gonna do the duet.” He handed them both a sheet of paper, which they both looked at in shock, “I have a list of songs for you both. Choose from them and then let me know okay?”

 Meena and Johnny looked at each other, shrugged, and then nodded their agreement.

 “Alright well that’s all I have for today. Let’s get going team!” Buster led the way to the moving truck that thankfully Eddie was driving and not him. There was a good reason as to why the koala was confined to a bicycle as his only mode of transportation. Johnny followed them with Ash and Meena in his truck.

 When they finally got to his place it didn’t take vary long to load up his furniture. All he was taking was his bed, his dresser, and the piano that Ms. Crawly had given him. Once all of that was loaded up and secured they headed to Ash’s place where the real work began. The loaded up all of her furniture and essentially stripped her entire apartment in a matter of hours. Meena and Johnny did most of the heavy lifting while everyone else handled small things and boxes. Once the apartment was packed up Ash went inside to give the key to the building manager.

 When she came out Johnny and Meena were waiting for her. She walked over to them and stood on the sidewalk, looking at the building. This was the building where she and Lance had been happy, where they had spent night after night talking, making music, making love. But now those memories, and this building, were tainted with all of the hurtful words he said, the times he kept her talent hidden, and worst of all Becky. She felt a pang in her chest as those dark thoughts that she had been fighting since the night that she saw Lance singing with Becky. As if sensing her pain, Meena reached down and clasped her hand and Johnny put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

 Ash let herself absorb their support, their comfort for a few seconds. She squeezed Meena’s hand, took a deep breath and then released her hand.

 “Let’s blow this popsicle stand. I got shit to do.” She grumbled and walked back to the truck, the weight that had been lingering in her heart lifting with each step. Meena watched her walk away and turned to Johnny, a worried look on her face.

 “Do you think she’s gonna be ok?” She asked softly as they started for the car. Johnny looked up to where Ash was sitting in the truck, a soft, almost relieved smile on her face.

 “I fin’ that she’s gonna be just fine Meena.” He gave her a reassuring smile and reached over, squeezing her hand momentarily.

 “Yeah. Yeah you’re right.” Her bright smile lit up her face and she quickly got into the truck. Johnny followed suit and lead the caravan to the new apartment.

 Once there the group was once more a flurry of motion as they brought in all if the large furniture pieces and then the boxes. When everything had been brought in, Gunter, Buster and Eddie left to return the truck and grab a late lunch for everyone. Rosita had insisted upon setting up the kitchen and since neither Johnny nor Ash really wanted to argue with her, they had let her station herself in the kitchen and get to work.

 Ash and Johnny went their separate ways, unpacking their respective belongings in their rooms. Meena had volunteered to help Ash first and spent the better part of an hour sorting through the obscene amount of clothing that her best friend had. Once everything was hung up, folded, or put in drawers Meena stepped back and observed her work. Satisfied with her organizational skills she turned to help Ash with her various guitars and pieces of musical equipment. She knew all of the cases on sight because Ash had insisted on showing Meena every single one of her ‘babies’. She was sorting through the mess of musical equipment when an unfamiliar guitar case caught her eye.

 She gently picked it up and carried it over to the bed, surprised at how perfectly it fit in her arms. In a daze, she stroked her hand over the worn leather, memorizing how it felt on her skin. Carefully she opened the clasps with a pop and the top of the case creaked slightly when she lifted it to reveal its contents. Nestled in a bed of red velvet was an old acoustic guitar, chipped and faded, but still in relatively good condition. Meena ran her hand over the strings and the instrument let out a soft hum that made her gasp.

 “Oh you found that old thing.” Ash suddenly broke her trance as she peeked over Meena’s shoulder into the case.

 “It’s beautiful.” Meena breathed out and Ash snorted in disbelief.

 “Meena. This guitar is basic, old, and totally boring.” She slowly trailed off her insults when she actually saw the way that Meena looked at the guitar with wonder in her baby blue eyes. Ash recognized that look; it was the same way that she had looked at her very first electric guitar.

 “But it’s also a classic with character.” She added and put a hand on Meena’s shoulder, “You should take it.”

 “Oh Ash I couldn’t take one of your guitars.” She protested immediately but Ash just smirked and covered her friend’s mouth with her hand before Meena could launch into one of her nervous ramblings.

 “I insist. It’s too big for me and I don’t even play acoustic.” Meena looked at the guitar longingly and Ash could see that she had her on the ropes. It would just take a little more convincing and maybe she could be the one to introduce Meena to her very first musical love.

 “If you don’t take it it’ll just collect dust in my closet.” She nudged Meena’s side good-naturedly. Meena seemed to consider it for a second as she aimlessly stroked the strings. Suddenly her face fell and she let out a heavy sigh.

 “I don’t even know how to play it.” She said morosely and Ash rolled her eyes.

 “Meena. Duh. I’ll teach you.” She gently shoved her friend, grinning once she saw the smile begin to reemerge on Meena’s face. “And I won’t fall asleep in the middle of the lesson.” She laughed and winked at Meena who began to giggle at the memory of Johnny passed out on her bed, cuddling her favorite pillow. She was still kicking herself for not taking a picture.

 “Oh Ash! Thank you.” Meena snatched Ash before she could get away and pulled her into a tight hug. Ash sighed and patted her friend’s back gently, hoping that the hug would end soon. When Meena was still squeezing the life out of her a minute later she decided that it was enough and gently poked Meena with one of her quills, just enough to signal that she was done with their little hug session.

 Meena rubbed the sore spot on her arm absentmindedly, the smile never leaving her face. She closed the case back up and hugged the guitar close to her chest for a second.

 “Leave that here and go check on Pretty Boy. I don’t want him falling asleep on me or wandering off. I want this done today.” Ash gestured for her to go to Johnny’s room and Meena practically floated across the living room to Johnny’s room. She knocked carefully on the door to signal her entrance.

 “Johnny?” She called out but there was no reply. She pushed the door all the way open and frowned when she found his partially assembled room. His furniture was all set up and placed where he wanted it, with the piano by the window. He still had a couple boxes left to unpack and all of his posters were just lying in a stack on his bed. She walked over and looked through them curiously, wondering what exactly they depicted. Meena smiled when she recognized many of the posters of music groups that she had up in her own room, and even some that she wanted but couldn’t find.

 She jumped slightly when she heard the creaking of metal coming from behind her. She spun around to find Johnny perched on the railing of the fire escape, just looking out at the city. Cautiously she climbed out onto the metal platform and joined him at the railing. Instead of sitting on it she leaned against it and smiled up at Johnny. He looked so content, so happy in this place and in that moment, with the early evening sunlight washing over them both, did she realize that this might have been the best thing for Johnny.

 “Enjoying the view?” She asked quietly and Johnny chuckled, kicking his feet slightly so that they swung back and forth over the empty space.

 “Beautiful ain’t it?” He said in response and Meena hummed her agreement. She sighed happily and leaned more into the railing, taking in as much of the view as she could. They stayed like that for a while, just enjoying the view and each other’s presence. Neither felt the need to fill the companionable silence that lingered between them.

 Their moment was interrupted when Eddie, Gunter, and Buster pulled up in front of the building in Eddie’s convertible. They walked into the building carrying four pizza boxes and talking loudly.

 “I guess we better go into the kitchen and get some food before it’s gone.” Meena said quietly, reluctant to leave but the growling from her stomach was starting to get hard to ignore.

 “Yeah…” Johnny frowned as he turned around and hopped down off the railing.

 “It’s not gonna disappear Johnny. It’ll be here when you get back.” She teased and led the way through the window and back inside. Johnny chuckled at her comment and followed her through the window, shutting it tight once he was inside.

 “I guess yer wite. Na let’s go get sum food.” They walked out into the kitchen where Buster was directing Eddie and Gunter where to put the pizza boxes. Meena and Johnny grabbed paper plates and grabbed a couple slices before settling on the floor of the living room. Pretty much every other surface was covered in boxes, both empty and full.

 “Ash! Come aht and get pizza before we eat it aw.” Johnny called and Ash quickly emerged from her room. She grabbed a plate and filled it with pizza before settling down next to Meena and digging in. The group all sat on the floor and talked as they ate and Johnny was reminded of their usual lunch hour in the theatre. They were able to drag Rosita away from the kitchen long enough to get her to eat but she was the first to finish and return to her kitchen project. Everyone else hung around until Ash was finished and began directing them on what to unpack and where to put it. Meena snuck away with Johnny into his room and she spent the rest of the afternoon helping him get his stuff set up and his room decorated.

 Her trunk reached up just as high if not higher than his long arms so hanging his posters was easy as pie. She spent forever hanging them just right so that they overlapped slightly and created a collage of music on his main wall space. Johnny secretly watched her from his position in front of his speaker system where he had been painstakingly adjusting wires and such. He couldn’t stop himself from gazing at the look of pure concentration on her sweet face. The fact that she was putting in so much work to make him happy in his new space made his chest ache with the overload of gratitude that threatened to burst out.

 When she finished hanging his posters she stepped back, examined it with a critical eye and then nodded to herself as if deciding that it was perfect as it was going to get. She turned to Johnny and gestured for him to examine her work. He grinned and gave her a thumbs up.

 “That’s a bangin’ wall Meena. Thanks.” Meena blushed and looked back at her work, obviously overthinking the placement of a few of the posters. She reached out to unpin a Pihranna poster and Johnny quickly put his hand over hers, stopping her in her tracks. He gently pulled her away from the wall and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

 “Daan’t change a fin’ Meena. I love it loike this. I promise.” He gave her a soft smile and Meena nodded shyly in response.

 “Good. Na pick aht a song. I fin’ I finally got the bloody stereo workin’.” He stepped back from the stereo system and rubbed his sweaty hands on his jeans. Meena leaned over and scrolled through the list of the songs on his old iPaw that he had hooked up. Eventually she found some old jazz songs that she loved and within seconds the sweet sound of the saxophone filled the room.

 Johnny nodded his approval and they resumed their work, him putting away clothes and her hanging up the rest of his photos and knick-knacks. Once everything had been hung up she put a couple cushions, a soft blanket, and a pillow on the wide ledge by his window. She had brought them from her garage on the whim that they would work with his room and the window that he loved so much. She had been right.

 She stopped for a second and sat down on the cushions, looking out at the city around them. The colors of sunset were already starting to dance across the sky, creating a masterpiece that was unique to the end of each day. She leaned against the wall and watched the city life dim and calm under the new sky, contentment flowing through her. She felt someone behind her and a warm feeling spread through her body when Johnny laid his hand on her shoulder.

 “That view was the reason I fell in love wif this place.” He whispered and Meena looked up at him with a bright smile on her face.

 “It really is amazing.” She whispered, not really talking about the view anymore, she was so immersed in his brown eyes.

 “Yeah. Yeah ya 're.” He whispered, his mind numb to what he had just said until Meena’s eyes widened and her entire face started to turn cherry red.

 “I-I mean the view! I mean ya look nice to but…but I was really talkin’ abaht the amazin’ view.” He nervously looked around for a distraction, anything to get Meena’s mind away from his verbal blunder. He found it in the fair tickets that were sticking out of the pocket of his jacket. Before Meena could say anything, or withdraw further into embarrassment he spoke up again.

 “Whew would ya look at the time.” He pretended to check his nonexistent watch and stiffly walked over to the other side of the room where he felt like he could breathe again, “We better get ready fer the fair tonight.” He breathed a sigh of relief when Meena’s ears flared open in excitement and she stood up off of the window ledge. 

 “Oh! You’re right. I better get home and get changed. Can you pick me up in an hour?” She asked as she grabbed her things and started for the door. Her proximity made his throat close up again and his palms grew sweaty.

 “Yeah. Sure fin’. I’ll be there wite at seven. Not a minute early, not a minute late.” he stuttered out, trying to be cool, but coming off as nervous. Thankfully Meena just giggled and kissed his cheek as she went out the door and into the living room. She said goodbye to the others and then she was gone and the air was no longer thick with tension.

 “Idiot. Stupid, stupid, stupid.” He berated himself and slumped against the wall in despair. When had talking to Meena become a battle with his beating heart and his tripping tongue? Suddenly his door opened and he straightened up, trying to look unaffected by whatever had just happened. In reality, his ego had taken a real blow. He used to be smooth, cool, and now he could barely stop his mind from running away with his mouth and saying something embarrassing.

 Ash was standing in his doorway, an unimpressed look on her face. “You’re in deep Pretty Boy.” She smirked and Johnny’s eyes darted around nervously.

 “I dunno wot yer talkin’ bout.” He murmured and shoved his hands in his pockets.

 “I’m talking about you being smitten with Meena.” He opened his mouth to protest and Ash held up a hand to stop him, “Save it. You’re both so obvious it makes me sick. And you’re obviously struggling with this. So I’ll help you.”

 She said it like she was giving in to his begging and she let out a sigh as she came into his room and shut the door behind her.

 “First we need to get you in something nice. This is your first date after all.”

 “Date?!” He sputtered and tried to reason with Ash as she began looking through his closet for something for him to wear, “Wait, Ash, I never said anythin’ abaht this bein’ a date.”

 Ash just ignored him and pulled out his navy jeans and a white long sleeved t-shirt with a watercolor design of a light bulb on it. Johnny was momentarily silenced as he looked down at the shirt in shock. He didn’t even know that he owned a shirt like that. He quickly recovered and continued at Ash shoved the clothes in his arms and began looking through his hair products in his bathroom.

 “If you’re not dressed in that by the time I get out I will replace your hair gel with super glue.” She threatened and Johnny immediately began stripping off his casual moving clothes. He was just putting on his shirt when Ash came back in carrying his favorite hair gel and cologne.

 “Sit.” She gestured to the chair at his desk and Johnny cautiously followed her orders, still wary of her threat.

 “Why ‘re ya doin’ aw of this?” He asked as she poured gel into her hands and began running them through his hair, styling it to her liking.

 “Because Meena is special, and so are you. You deserve each other. So I refuse to let you mess this up. You got me?” Johnny nodded solemnly; still in awe that Ash knew so much about feelings that he hadn’t even fully figured out yet.

 “Where are you guys going tonight?” She asked conversationally, but Johnny could tell that this was a test. He gulped audibly and nervously answered her question.

 “Ter the fair.” Ash snorted but smiled down at him.

 “That is so corny. Meena is gonna love it.” Johnny relaxed slightly and Ash spiked his hair with a flick of her wrist. She stepped back and inspected it, adjusting some rebellious hairs before she grabbed his cologne and began lightly spraying him with it. When she finished she climbed up on Johnny’s desk and stared down at him seriously.

 “Now when you get to this carnival, fair, whatever it is, you continue to be corny. Got it? Buy her cotton candy, win her a prize at a booth, and then ride the Ferris wheel. That’s where you’re gonna kiss her.” She sternly pointed at his chest, her serious look never fading.

 “Kiss ‘er?!” His voice cracked as his anxiety spiked and he began to sweat at the idea of kissing Meena.

 “Yes kiss her. You know how to do it.” She smirked and pushed him out of his chair. “Now go get ‘em tiger.” Johnny looked back at her as if hoping that she would give him an excuse to stay but she just pointed at the door. He took a deep breath and then wrenched the door open and strode to the front door, grabbing his leather jacket as he left.

 When he pulled up to Meena’s house it was a little after seven. Meena was waiting on the porch staring out at the street. When he arrived she stood up and began hurrying over to where he was parked. As she walked he took in her appearance. She was wearing an A-line white sundress covered in colorful little flowers. She was wearing white sneakers and was carrying a small backpack-like bag. His heart immediately went into over drive as it tried to beat out of his chest and his mouth went completely dry. She got into the truck and sent him a bright smile that made his heart practically stop beating for a moment. He wasn’t sure which sensation he liked more.

 “Y-ya look beautiful.” He stuttered out and Meena flushed and fiddled nervously with her dress.

 “Th-thanks Johnny.” She said in a voice so soft that he barely heard her over the roar of the engine. He nodded and drove away towards the outskirts of town where the fairgrounds were. They parked in a dirt parking lot and followed the crowds of people towards the entrance. The lights of the fair light up the night as it covered the city and it almost seemed like a dream. 

  Why are the stars getting so heavy?

 They keep on falling from the sky.

 Meena walked closely to Johnny, holding onto him as she looked around in awe. The rabbit who took their tickets smiled cheerfully at them and gestured for them to move along.

 Johnny led Meena to the snack booth first, and despite her protests that he didn’t need to spend money on her he purchased kettle corn and a blue cotton candy. He handed the sweet treat to Meena, hoping to whatever deity was listening that she liked cotton candy.

 Creating this magic between us,

 Meena ripped off a piece and eagerly ate it, gasping when the fluffy substance immediately melted in her mouth. She giggled and grabbed another piece, obvious delight shining in her eyes.

 “This is so good.” She exclaimed and offered some to Johnny who skeptically tore off a small piece and put it in his mouth. The fluffy substance tingled against his tongue as it melted and left the sweet taste of blueberry on his tongue.

 Makin’ you think: give it a try

 Music rang out from the speakers around the grounds as the walked through the crowded dirt pathways. The soft, romantic beat lingered in Johnny’s ears and suddenly the warm weight of Meena’s hand on his arm meant so much more than it normally would. Here in the flashing lights of the carnival, her eyes alight with joy and her sweet face pulled into one of the biggest, happiest smiles he had ever seen Meena was suddenly all he could see.

 But wait just a minute now you’ve got me thinkin’ bout love

 Don’t understand it but nobody does.

 He couldn’t stop smiling as he let Meena lead him to booth after booth where he would spend a couple bucks so that they could play the games that were offered. Meena was fairly good at the ring toss while Johnny failed miserably. For her troubles she won a small squirt gun and the first thing she did was lightly squirt him. He gasped in mock offense and over-exaggerated his pout. She laughed musically and the mere sound made him smile, he couldn’t help it.

 Now wait just a minute now you’ve got me thinkin’ bout love.

 They got to the beanbag toss where both of them were just a bit too strong to accurately throw the beanbag into the hole. Though neither of them won they still walked away from the game with big smiles as they exchanged teasing remarks.

 Don’t understand it but nobody does.

 Suddenly Meena caught sight of the fun house and she let go of his arm, taking off toward sit like a child. He shrugged and chased after her, laughing when she launched herself into the first room and bounced on the trampoline floor. She turned around to see him waiting at the edge and pulled him in with one tug of her hand. She didn’t let go as they bounced together, their laughter echoing off of the walls.

 But wait just a minute now you’ve got me thinkin’ bout love.

 As they moved through the fun house, slipping and sliding on a floor made of rolling platforms and zigzagging up ramps, Johnny felt his nervousness from before melting away. He was having too much fun to think about the pressures of the night. Suddenly they didn’t exist anymore. 

 Don’t understand it but nobody does.

 The both walked into a big tunnel and Meena squealed as the tunnel began to rotate slowly. She reached back for Johnny as she lost her footing and he deftly caught her in his strong arms. Carefully he helped her out of the tunnel and she impulsively leaned over and kissed his cheek as he was stepping out of the tunnel.

 He froze mid step and fell quite spectacularly back into the tunnel. Meena burst into another fit of giggles and pulled him out of the tunnel and back onto his feet. He smiled sheepishly, hoping that she wouldn’t comment on his graceless fall, and Meena just led him towards the final part of the fun house, the mirror room. He lost track of the real Meena as the room was suddenly filled with her reflections. Her beauty was everywhere, her smile surrounded him and her laugh came from every angle. He smiled and began searching the maze-like room for the real thing. The mirror Meenas were good imitations but he knew the real Meena the moment he saw her waiting for him by the exit. 

 Now wait just a minute now you’ve got me thinkin’ bout love.

 There was no way a mere reflection could have the twinkle that lived in Meena’s eye, could fully imitate the way that her ears flared in excitement and happiness, could live up to the standards that she set just by smiling in his direction. He took her hand when he came up to her and winked charmingly.

 Don’t understand it but nobody does.

 “Found ya.” She blushed and played with the skirts of dress distractedly. Johnny heard the ring of a bell in the distance and suddenly he hand an idea. He could win Meena a prize if he just played the right game.

 “Come wif me. I ‘ave an idea.” He said and Meena nodded eagerly. In that moment, Johnny was sure that Meena would follow him just about anywhere he asked. He led her through the crowds of people, weaving through them expertly. Meena stayed close to him, still a little nervous around crowds, not that he minded the feel of her gripping his hand and her dress brushing against his legs.

 He stopped in front of a tower with a bell on top and notches that had silly saying about the strength of the player if they managed to reach those points. Johnny paid the operator two dollars for two tries and took off his leather jacket. Meena readily accepted it and stood back as Johnny hefted the large hammer and got ready to swing. With a grunt he swung the hammer in an arch and landed it on the platform. The little meter went up to just before the bell where the word: STUD! had been painted onto the wood.

 “One more try kid.” The operator said as he and the onlookers watched as Johnny hefted the hammer over his shoulder once more. This time he glanced back at Meena who was cheering his name and clapping excitedly.

 The time for asking is over,

 He took a deep breath and gathered his strength.

 The time for living is now,

 He felt his blood pounding in his veins and the roaring sound of the people moving through the carnival and talking ran circles around in his head.

 This is a limited offer,

 Meena’s voice broke through the overwhelming crowd, “Go Johnny!” And that was all it took.

 Let me show you how…

 He swung and the hammer came down hard enough to send the marker all the way up to the bell, ringing it loud enough for everyone to hear. Johnny cheered and excitedly embraced Meena who flooded him with congratulations and praise. When he chose his prize he picked out a stuffed cupcake pillow, which he immediately presented to Meena. She tentatively accepted it, looking up at him with surprise clear on her face.

 “Thank you Johnny.” She said with a soft smile and Johnny just smirked in response. It was a thrill to see her cradling his gift so close to her chest, with obvious affection.

 “I fin’ it’s time for wahn last fin’.” He said as he steered her towards the large Ferris wheel that stood proudly in the middle of the fair. They got in line and eagerly waited for their turn to get in the seat.

 But wait just a minute now you’ve got me thinkin’ bout love.

 When it was their turn Johnny helped Meena into the seat and then quickly joined her. Only when the operator pulled the bar down over their laps did it hit Johnny that this was the moment that he had been worrying about all night. The romantic Ferris wheel ride that would ultimately end in their first kiss. 

 Don’t understand it but nobody does.

 He gulped and as the ride slowly began to move them towards the top he tried to make small talk, both to break the silence and to calm him down.

 “So uh… ‘re ya excited that we’re doin’ a duet together.” He asked and Meena shyly pulled her ears in close to her head. After a few moments of silence she said something that made his heart start pounding in his chest again.

 “There’s no one I would rather do it with.” So much for calming down and acting cool. He smiled nervously and wiped his sweaty palms against the fabric of his dark jeans.

 Wait just a minute now you’ve got me thinkin’ bout love.

 “Same ‘ere.” He tried to be smooth but he knew that Meena could tell that he was nervous. He might as well broadcast it to the world. The ride continued to climb higher and the lit expanse of the city was revealed to them piece by piece. They lapsed into silence once more and Johnny gazed at Meena as she marveled at the beautiful sight laid out before them like a gift from the heavens.

 “Oh my gosh.” She breathed and clutched his hand in hers, her eyes never leaving the sea of lights that seemed to stretch for miles.

 Don’t understand it but nobody does.

 The ride stopped for a moment at the top, letting them enjoy the view for just a few minutes longer. This was it. This was his chance. Johnny cleared his throat anxiously and Meena’s attention switched over to him.

 “Meena ‘ave ya ‘ad a good time tonight… ‘ere…. wif me?” He spoke slowly and he could see Meena’s cheeks turning a slight pink in the lingering light of the fair.

 “Yes I have.” She leaned in slightly and Johnny followed, moving a couple inches closer.

 Don’t understand it but nobody does.

 “I’m glad cause…well… tonight is pretty special.” He murmured and leaned in again, Meena coming the rest of the way so that their lips were mere inches from each other. Now was the time, it was his only chance. He couldn’t mess this up, there was no way.

 “How so?” Meena asked breathlessly and Johnny tilted his head to get a better angle.

 Won’t try to hide it cause nobody does.

 “Because…” He paused as fear overwhelmed him out of nowhere and the sense of impending doom seemed inescapable. He tried to move, close his eyes, do anything, but he was petrified.

 And then the ride jerked forward and they made their way down back to the ground. They immediately jumped apart and Johnny was overwhelmed not by fear but by his failure.

 Meena, on the other hand was filled with confusion and disappointment that she had read Johnny’s signals wrong. Or at least she thought she had been reading them right until now. Now she was left feeling unsure and analyzing her every move to see if she had done something wrong.

 After the Ferris wheel debacle the good mood of the night was dampened and they wordlessly walked to the car. Meena clutched her cupcake pillow to her chest as she got into the truck and looked out the window in silence. As Johnny drove her home and the awkward feeling was resting thickly in the air between them. Meena glanced at Johnny who was staring listlessly at the road, resting his cheek in one hand.

 How was she supposed to know what was going on in his head?

Previous

Next

First

[everyonesastar]

Sing! Apocalypse AU!

I remember making a small post about this- though I never got to explain the characters in the AU- so might as well!

What if the Sing! universe had suddenly just got thrown into the apocalypse? 

While living in his own theatre, no one had any idea on what was going to happen, except Buster Moon. He had opened up his theatre to anyone who needed shelter for this awful night. Only few animals had came for shelter as they were all separated from their own groups, and shortly after Buster had close his doors to anyone who needed shelter as well, the theatre ended up collapsing which sent the gang off. They learned how survive on their own and learned how to get stronger from the losses in group

Buster: Before the apocalypse had started, he had majority of the time spent his days with his close friend Eddie and making musical shows, one of which never really was successful. Still, he continued to do what he believes in. Once the theatre had fallen, he believed that they could all still survive in the hard conditions if they believed as well, he was right, even after losing some friends along the way. He was right.

Johnny: While helping his dad in his heist, they were everywhere on the streets. The Dead. Once his father had escaped, they all drove down to the garage for shelter. Only overnight his father and the rest of his gang friends had disappeared to find more weapons and eventually never came back. So Johnny set out for the streets, trying to survive on his own. Until a friendly koala had opened up his theatre for those who needed shelter-and he needed it badly. Once it had all collapsed down, he had known very well on how to survive on the streets so it was a good advantage to the team. They all had hopped to one place and another until they had lost too many to even go anywhere. (Still editing his part so this is all I have for now)

Rosita: While helping all 25 kids to school, she hadn’t noticed or even heard the news about what was going on. Once she did, she had called the school and the office Norman had been working in to check if they were ok, no answer from anyone. She figured they had went to the shelter a koala had opened to the public, none of them were there, she was losing hope on finding them. So she tried to focus on her new family she'd take care of for a long time. As they traveled from place to place and lost people along the way, she had gotten used to feeling alone and hungry. But also she had gotten used to fighting as well, that surely wasn't hard for her to get used to.

Ash: Hearing the news immediately, the only thing she could think of was Lance. And she did all she could to protect him, to get food for him, and everything else he needed. One night in particular, Lance was making too much noise due to him playing his guitar. No one was there to save him because Ash had went out to go find anything from any near by gas stations or restaurants. Once she had returned home she had turned into a mess. She couldn’t believe he had let them get him, let alone bite him. She did all she could to save him, but to no avail, after having to kill him herself she had took everything she had owned and things that were useful with her while she traveled along the streets. She did hear the call about open shelter but felt like it was some trick or that it had been taken over by the dead. She remained on her own until encountering a group of animals, they weren’t bad, the couldn’t hurt a fly. Except from the gorilla, who she had seen on the streets before as well. So she joined them, she knew they were going to need more help out in a world like this.

Meena: Her and her family had taken all precautions, they hid in every place they could from the dead. It lasted for a while before one had broken into the house and caused a pretty big problem, which resulted in Meena losing her dad, she had her grandpa, grandma, and mother alive still but she couldn’t believe they made it out without him. They walked everywhere to see if their neighbors would offer to let them in or make a deal, but some didn’t bother to answer the door or they yelled for them to run off. They found out about Buster’s shelter which was a theatre, they couldn’t hope for anything more better than this. Only to be even more shocked when 3 days later, the theatre had fallen apart and they were put back on the streets again. During her and her family’s travel with the new group, they encountered the dead themselves but had no way of defending themselves. Not many of Meena’s family made it from the attack, however Meena was given another chance when being saved by the group she was staying with. However how many more chances will she get?

Mike: He had no idea on what to do or what was going on, it was late at night when he had noticed there was motionless animals wandering around. When he left the club with Diana, thats when things got even more crazy. They started driving as fast as they could away from them and eventually lost them in a matter of minutes. Many people were doing the same thing as them and were trying to drive off away from the city, that means loads of traffic which would not help them whatsoever. So they hid below in the dark sewers, waiting for them to all pass by. Once they had, they ran off and continued doing so and sneaked into Buster’s theatre, not knowing there were other animals there as well. Him and Buster had fought over who’s place it was, they only settled it with a deal. Buster would let him and Diana stay as long as he had helped them survive in these conditions, even for Mike’s size, he’d be able to steal some supplies without getting noticed by the dead roaming around. Which really did make a very good advantage once the theatre had went into pieces. It continued to be that way through every place they had went through, maybe this wasn’t too bad after all.

Gunter: Skipping around as he usually does for his daily exercise, it didn’t take too long for him to notice the odd people on the streets. He quickly warned those around his neighborhood and the streets, though, the houses looked as if there was no one even remotely in them. He came across a fallen building and luckily found people alive under the crumbles of whatever building was. He was offered to join in the group for helping them out and possibly saving them from being dead meat. As he tagged along with them, he became very close with them all and kept encouraging them through everything, even after some of their losses. He began learning fighting techniques from his dancing routines, it didn’t take too long to learn, it almost seemed as if he was a natural. His fighting without a weapon was very impressive and useful at the most, with a weapon like a gun, would cause sound. Sound brings the dead closer as Ash has learned. They were glad to have someone as optimistic and skilled as him.

Eddie: He was off to visit his Nana, it was on the schedule after all. He had arrived and supervised and talked to her calmly about certain topics, not like they were interesting. Until he had gotten a phone call telling him to turn on the TV, radio, or just simply look outside. It was from his best friend Buster. Once he did, he and his Nana immediately hid somewhere. But couldn’t, all of the downstairs exits were blocked by the heards on the streets. They exited by going out of one of the windows of the house by using tied up fabrics as rope to get down. The first they could go was his friend’s theatre, it was the closest place they could get to in a few minutes before getting cornered by the dead. Though the shelter didn’t last very long for anyone who had stayed there but they made it out and started traveling and learning combat, it was the only thing that was going to help them. Only Nana had gotten too old to move very fast or to even fight, that was one of the reasons he had been practicing, she was her only family right now besides his friend Buster who also was another reason why he was practicing as well. He couldn’t risk losing the two, and once he lost Nana it was devastating to him. But he still had Buster there to comfort and fight along his side.

Mrs. Crawly: She hadn’t made it very long into the apocalypse, not even long enough to fight the dead or to see the theatre fall down. The last thing she had remembered doing was sending out a radio broadcast of the news of the dead and that there was shelter to help all stray citizens who needed the shelter. She held on as long as she could, enough to tell Buster to let her out on the streets. She knew what she was doing in her last moments was crazy, but she knew what was going to happen once she had died and she didn’t want to hurt anyone who decided to come and take shelter. Most likely, she was glad she made her decision, because she knew what was right. 

----

And thats about it! I may make some wardrobe doodles for them and I’ll eventually write up a story about it sometime soon. Anyways if you have any questions, or just wanna submit a story or headcannon, I’m all ears!

[meenasmoon]

Secret Agent AU

This was bouncing around in my head a couple days ago and I developed it a little bit just for fun.

Essentially Special Agent Buster Moon is assembling a specialized team for impossible operations.

Buster Moon runs the operations from headquarters. He always is well-dressed and has a cigar in his mouth but he never ever smokes it,

Ms. Crawley is his secretary, no one knows what exactly qualifies her to be part of the unit except Buster who knows that she was a lethal femme fatal in her days with the agency and age only made her kinda eccentric, not any less deadly.

Rosita is an engineer who builds their vehicles and works on their gear but she also brings snacks to meetings and tries to make headquarters “more homey.” She has 25 children and her family has no idea that she is an agent. Her husband is a banker at a large banking company.

Eddie is the big boss’s grandson and serves as an intern in the unit because his parents were sick of him depending on them for everything. He is generally very clumsy and wears a headset that is out off battery because he wants to look like he is part of a team.

Gunter is the getaway driver but is a gymnastics expert and very eccentric. He is from Germany and loves donuts and is on loan to the US for an unknown amount of time. He seems too happy and friendly to be lethal but he’s perfectly capable of getting down and dirty.

Mike is a mob informant that made a deal with the government for protection. He is small but he has many contacts in the criminal underworld and knows everything about everybody. He is money hungry and will often take valuables when on the job. He also has a gambling addiction and an odd love affair with a mobster’s girlfriend, Diana.

Ash is the demolitions expert who has an intense love of rock and roll and explosives. She is the ex-girlfriend of a black market dealer and can get just about anything for a low price and possibly illegally.

Johnny is Ash’s best friend and partner and is trained in pretty much all forms of lethal combat. His father is in prison for connections to the mob and grand larceny. He visits his father every week and uses his connections to get him into appeals and out of jail. He is a bit of a ladies’ man in that he flirts with women to get what he needs while on mission but never has had a steady relationship.

Meena is new to the team and is their tech expert. She invents all of their gear, gadgets, etc. She can hack into just about anything and generally doesn’t leave her lair but she goes on every mission as an analyst for the team. Johnny has a huge crush on her since the moment he and Ash recruited her but Ash told him to take it slow because of his reputation.

Soooo. What do we think??

-Meenasmoon

[everyonesastar]

Hi, would you do a story centered around Buster and Rosita? Not a ship. Something like Buster's really late getting to the theater and the gangs starting to worry, especially Rosita and like he arrives he's badly injured from like knife wound from the bears or something, but doesn't tell anyone and he tries to go about his day without telling anyone, but he's hurting badly and finally Rosita (who knew something was wrong from the start) confronts him about and the gang tries to help?

Alright! Let’s do this!

I hope you like it!

—

They gang had been waiting a while for Buster to return, usually he was always here before them. Mike had been tapping his foot impatiently.

“When’s the guy gonna be here? I mean its got to have been an hour ever since we all got here!” He said, his voice loud enough to be heard from outside. “Well..actually, it’s only been thirty minutes Mike..” Johnny paused after he looked at his watch “But I think we’re all wondering why he’s not here…”.

“Well I hope he gets here soon…” Meena mumbled while Rosita nodded in agreement.  

More moments had passed, even Eddie had shown up, he was usually known for being the late one. “Hey, Eddie? Have you..by any chance..seen where Buster has been for the past..” Rosita looked towards Johnny for the time “Forty eight minutes..?”.

“No….I thought he was with you guys this morning. He called me saying he was here, maybe he had to go and get something or some costumes?” Eddie replied, confused.

“Well, that would make sense. He probably called all of us here because of a new performance. So if he’s getting costumes…then there’s nothing to worry about” Ash said with a shrug. “But Ash, what if something else happened? I mean there could be something seriously wrong with him right now!” Rosita said.

She was very worried about him, she cared about him as much as she did about everyone who’d came into her life. “Come on ya’ big egg! He’s probably taking his time on gettin’ here!” Mike said while crossing his arms. 

“Ya! Maybe he’s right! He could just be takin’ time ya know..” Gunter said, surprisingly agreeing with Mike. “L-Lets just hope that is it…” Meena whispered.

Ten more minutes passed….

“Alright, thats it! It’s been an hour and i’m not going to stay any longer!” Mike said while stomping off the stage and walking past aisles of seats before the doors had busted open.

“Sorry I’m late gang! But thank you all for staying while I was…” Buster paused to think of an excuse, Rosita took notice of this. “A-At the bank! Yeah, I had to stop by the bank to grab some money just in case we uh…had any malfunctions or…” Buster just continued mumbling and gripping at his side.

“See Rosita! Nothing bad happened to him, all he needed to do was make a stop at the bank” Ash said slightly grinning, happy to know Buster had finally arrived.

Still, Rosita had this feeling that Buster was lying about it. She had been used to her kids trying to lie, but she’d always find out what they were trying to cover up. She also saw how Buster was gripping at his side, something definitely was wrong.

“Yeah yeah, thats great. Now why did you call us here Mr. “I take my time” Moon” Mike said with slight laughter in his voice. “Thank you for asking shortie, and i will explain that in a second.” Buster replied with a grin on his face while looking at a aggravated Mike.

“Anyways, I called you all here because, I’ve already announced to the public about this new theatre and how there will be a party for its grand re-opening! I want you all to perform one of these songs I give you from the list I hand out.” Buster paused while handing out some papers to all of them separately.  

“Now, I want to try something different for you Mike, I want you with Meena. Johnny and Ash will be soloists and Gunter and Rosita will be together again, since they both make a very good team when it comes to amazing an audience!” Buster said with a smile.

“Now, if you have any questions, just come and see me in my office!” He said while walking off before Mike could start complaining, though this time he kept quiet and went off with Meena to practice rehearsing.

“Alright Rosita! Lets go and get some dancing done!” Gunter said while running towards their rehearsal room.

They all had exactly three days to get their vocals and choreography down if needed. 

So far the past two days they had all came early for rehearsing, and somehow Buster had always arrived late. This made Rosita only grow more suspicious of what was going on with him. Every time he had shown up late, he had used some excuse anyone would use to get out of being asked questions. 

It was probably the time to ask what was going on, because what was even more odd was that he had came back with something wrong with him. First, his side, then his neck, and last of all was his leg and how his clothes were ripped near the bottom of his pants.

“Rosita, it’s time to come to the rehearsing room! Aren’t cha’ coming?” Gunter asked “I’ll be there in a minute, I just need to ask Buster something.” Rosita replied. “Ok!” 

Rosita walked the down the hallway that led to Buster’s new office, she hadn’t gotten to used to the new look, but she couldn’t lie, she loved it.

She knocked on his door lightly, “Come on in!” He said while there was shuffling heard in the room. She opened the door slowly, the room wasn’t as big as she thought it would be, but it was very clean.

“So Rosita, whats up?” He asked while sitting in his chair. “N-Nothing, but um-I do have a question” She stammered, she didn’t want to embarrass him if she did ask, but she was concerned for his safety.

“Oh ok..” Buster mumbled while looking at Rosita. “So, me and the gang have been noticing you’re coming in late alot..” “Rosita I’ve already sa-” Buster said being being shushed. “I wasn’t finished. A-Anyways…..Buster I’m not sure if everyone else has noticed this but….why have you been coming in with so many injuries? Or a part of your clothing ripped?” She asked.

He stared off for a moment, “I..have no idea what you’re talking about Rosita! It’s just my usual style thats all!” Buster said with a forced smile. “Buster, I’ve known you for awhile to know you like to dress formal or atleast pleasant, so you wouldn’t ever want to be walking around with your clothing ripped.” Rosita paused while taking a closer look at him and slowly noticed he had a black eye as well.

“And if scars and black eyes are the new things in style then please let me go get ran over! Buster, what’s going on? Who’s hurting you?” She asked while walking towards him. She began to examine his wounds before he had gotten up suddenly.

“No…im fine Rosita just go back to your rehearsal room with Gunter” Buster said while quickly walking out of his office. “Oh no he just didn’t walk off” Rosita whispered while following him.

Rehearsals were almost over, Gunter actually began to fear that Rosita just left for no reason. The theatre gang were standing on the stage and talking, “Man, Mike…Meena! You both sound incredible!” Johnny said with awe in his voice. 

“Well of course we were! Obviously because of me..” Mike paused before looking at Meena “And…” it pained for him to give credit to someone else for this kind of stuff. “And her too” He grumbled while Meena smiled, though she was contemplating on if that was a compliment or just a joke.

They all noticed Buster quickly walking around or possibly away from someone, and that someone was Rosita.

“Buster tell me whats going on!” Rosita yelled with a concerned look. “I-I’m fine! I swear!” Buster yelled back. “Well if you’re ok, then why are you running?” Meena asked. “Buster, if somethings going on…we’re here for ya…” Johnny mumbled.

They heard some shuffling from backstage, probably Eddie. “Ok, got the music tracks and lights set-Buster? You ok?” He asked. “Thats the same thing we’ve been asking” Ash said.

“Someone’s hurting him…” Rosita mumbled which made them all gasp in shock. “Wait what?! Who?” Eddie asked “Thats what I’m trying to get out of him…but he refuses…” Rosita mumbled.

“I-It’s nothing I swear! It’s not even that much of a big deal guys!” Buster protested. “Well, if its not a big deal, then its going to be ok to tell us…” Ash said now walking more close to Buster. “N-No! I don’t want you guys getting hurt by them too-” “Them? You mean there’s more than one person?!” Mike said stomping towards him.

“Yes…” “Well…that means we’ll all be able to handle them…” Johnny said, he looked like he was growing angry by the second. “No…not even you guys could handle them….they’re…huge…and…they have sharp fangs and claws…and” Butser looked terrified by even describing whom the people were.

“Bears…” Mike whispered and saw Buster slowly nod. This reminded Rosita of when he’d ask her if there were any bears on the streets, now she knew why.

“So they got you too Mike?” Rosita asked. “Well no! Or else I wouldn’t even be alive nor would Diana..but why are they hurting you? You’re just some koala!” Mike said.

“Well, remember when they walked in with you, looking for the prize money I didn’t have? Now they’re hunting me down for it still…” Buster mumbled. “Oh my gosh Mr. Moon….I’m so sorry..” Meena whimpered. She looked closed to crying, as so did Ash and Johnny. The had all felt so awful for the pain he had been going through.

“Guys…d-don’t cry please…” Buster whimpered, he felt like crying himself. They all felt as if they were going to cry, even Mike. “You know…..what helps a little when…i’m at rock bottom?” Eddie said while sniffling.

He walked up and gave Buster a hug, then one by one. So did everyone else, and they all stood there for a moment just hugging and calming down. He was right, it kinda did help.

They all slowly let go and whipped away their tears and smiled, even giggled a little. Rosita then looked in her purse and pulled out some supplies she had gotten from one of the first aid kits in her home, and began to stitch up his wounds and gave him some colorful band aids for his remaining scars.

They all had cartoonish designs on them, which in all honesty, looked silly and cute on him. Ash even took a picture of it “Man I’m going to save this forever.” She said while giggling. “You may have to send me on if you can” Eddie said jokingly.

They were all giggling about it, “Were these really the only ones you had?” Buster asked. “Well thats what you get from a mom with 25 kids” Rosita said while shrugging it off.

“A-Anyways….thank you guys so much…”

“No problem” They all said, grinning.

—-

BONUS!

Buster smiled. 

After a few minutes of them saying goodbye-

“Wait-we shouldn’t stand by and watch this happen to our friend. We’re going to look for them.” Rosita said, with a look of determination on her face, no sign of fear whatsoever.

“Yeah, I don’t think it would be right to see my bo-best friend hurt like this, soon enough we’r going to run out of these band-aids and medicine.” Eddie said agreeing. 

The others weren’t so sure about looking for the bears, but they knew that Mike would not participate whatsoever. Eddie and Rosita both set out on the streets while the others had cowardly followed, Buster ran after them to stop them.

“Guys! W-Wait! Maybe we shouldn’t-” Buster yelped loudly once he had been picked up by someone.

A bear.

“Well look at this, our lil’ friend Buster Moon.” One of the bear’s said while smiling widely, showing his fangs. “Buster!” Eddie yelled while tapping Rosita to get her attention. 

“And he’s brought his little friends with him! How more funny can this get lads?” The bear chuckled as so did the others.

“Stop it right now, we’re fully aware of what you’re doing to our friend and we do not like it!” Rosita said while her arms were crossed. “And whatcha going to do about it Mrs. Piggy? Take off your pretty gloves and make someone do the hard work for ya?” The bear snickered.

“No, but I will certainly be pulling up my sleeves and doing this!”

Rosita snapped her fingers, Gunter stepped forward and gave Rosita a boost up,the reach the bear’s height. Then she had slapped him hard and loud, people began to stare. The bear finally loosened his grip on Buster and let him go

“Piggy power!” Gunter said while laughing very hard. 

Rosita walked towards the bear whom she slapped and was now kneeling.

“Now you better leave my friend alone or me and my friends will do something far worse than that.” Rosita said while walking off, leaving the bears and the rest of theatre gang amazed.

—

There you go anon! Enjoy!