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ratticus-writes · 4 months ago

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2 Stepping Stone

The promoter had told him on the phone that he was now set up to be an official WVBA Minor Circuit competitor, and for him to show up at the Minor circuit tomorrow at 7:30am. He mostly wore the same outfit he wore when first going up to the WVBA building, except his shirt was plain teal instead of having a surfer dog on it. His coach, Martin, had suggested that a plain tee shirt would make him fit in better at the WVBA. He however couldn’t convince Macho to wear neutral colors.

Macho decided to take a taxi this time to avoid his feet hurting from the walk to, and from the WVBA building. Even in tennis shoes walking the route four times had absolutely obliterated his legs the day before last.

Entering through the Minor Circuit Lobby same as before, Macho was greeted by a stout, tan man wearing a red track jacket with white accents down the arms and the Acronym 'NFC' embroidered on the right pec of the sweater. He had a handlebar mustache and his hair was curly, black, and at shoulder length.

He introduces himself as Mario Albano, and explains that he'd be showing Macho Man around the Minor Circuit Branch of the WVBA building for today.

Mario lead Macho through a door on the left wall of the lobby and down a hallway that lead to another door. They enter the new room that had a boxing ring in the center of it and exercise equipment surrounding said ring.

Macho soaked in everything about the room. The faint smell of sweat poorly covered up by Lysol and lemon scented cleaner. Shoe polish and leather were also a faintly present smell in the room for some reason. The dim, loud lighting from the busted rig made him squint from the contrast the better lit hallway had. He was certain that if he jumped up from the canvas, he could touch the ceiling. The air conditioner was rattling as well. Over all, it was a little overwhelming to say the least.

"This here is the Official Minor Circuit ring- Slash Training Room. The WVBA Producers figured they'd go ahead and... Meld the two together... Rather than pay the extra cash to expand the place," Mario said with sheepish smile. Macho furrowed his brows and frown slightly. "I don't have to use this gym, right? I can still go to my local one?" Mario let out a boisterous laugh and pat Macho firmly on the back, "Yeah paesano, you don't have to use this one if you're not comfortable to."

They made their way to a door that let to a transitional room. The door at the back of the room was for the storage closet, and the door on the right wall was to the locker room.

When they entered said locker room, a man was sitting on one of the benches polishing his boots. His hair was burnt umber at the roots, bright orange in the light, parted in the middle, and he had a handlebar mustache. He wore a white shirt, brown pants held up by suspenders, and brown army boots. The smell of shoe polish was stronger now, and seriously making Macho nauseas.

"Ayy would you look at that, it's good old Viktor! Aka- Woah you alright paesano?' Mario asked Macho. Macho felt like he was either going to throw up or faint from the combined smell of shoe polish, leather, steam, BO, and mold that incased the room. Viktor looked at Macho with a worried expression as he closed the case of shoe polish next to him. "I'm alright, just a bit woozy from the fumes in this room," Macho said as his vision flickered and his face turned paler. "What? I don't smell any- Um Alright well, you know where the locker room is so we can go head out now. Later Vickie," Mario said as he helped Macho out of the door way and back into the Training room, not able to wait for Viktor to respond.

_____

Mario went and got a water bottle for Macho, While he sat on a bench up against the apron of the ring. This was feeling like an absolutely awful start to his official boxing career. Not even being able to so much as say hi to one of the Minor circuit competitors, all because he couldn't handle a bad smell. At least he wasn't obligated to train here, not that he would be able to with how overstimulating everything felt.

"Are you alright, monsieur?" a voice to his left asked. Looking up, Macho's eyes widened at the face he actually recognized?! Before him was a man with bright orange that was swept to the left side of his face. His eyes sunk in to his sockets with the skin a deep purple. He wore a pink tank top, red and white boxing shorts, red boxing boots, and off white hand wraps.

Macho knew him from plenty of Official WVBA Recorded fights, and he was currently most known for the almost impressive loosing streak he'd been building. His only win. Being from a weird twist of luck. His opponent had tripped over his own foot, and landed on his temple with 16 seconds left of the third round!

"Monsieur?" The man asked again with a more worried expression. Macho blinked at him and was only able to say, "Uuh-" before he was cut off by Mario reentering the room. "Joey! Good ta see yeah!" he said while handing Macho a water bottle, "This here is the rookie that signed up the other day. Calls himself Super Macho Man!"

It took everything in within him to NOT spit water everywhere upon hearing his ring name said in casual conversation. Though the way Mario pronounced it was anything BUT casual. "Super Macho Man?" Joe said in a questioning tone while looking to Macho with a slightly raised brow.

Macho Unconsciously grabbed at the base of his ponytail, and ran his left hand down it. He smiled sheepishly and spoke, "Heh Yeah uh, just setting my ambitions high Y'know. Picking a name that'll make more sense later or whatever heh heh."

"Hmm," Joe said with a nod. "Yeah that's the spirt! Pave your own road! Shoot for the stars kid!" Mario added with a slight hop and fist bump. "Hey! That reminds me of a time," Mario stated, proceeding to ramble about something that Macho doesn't really pay attention to. Instead he focusses on drinking his water and calming down.

_____

No longer feeling light headed nor anxious, Macho slowly stands up and stretches his upper back and arms. "Well this has been fun and all, but didn't you say there was some paperwork for me to sign or something?" Macho asked looking toward Mario, noting how Joe's eyes seemed wider than before.

"Oh yeah, I've got a thing for you to sign and then a paper to give you that has your match info on it. We can go ahead and go now if yeah want," Mario said. Macho responds, "sure," while unconsciously doing the Shaka hand gesture.

The two of them go back to the lobby, leaving Joe alone to his own devises. Once in the lobby Mario goes behind the reception desk and pulls a file from a organizer hanging on the wall, and then grabs a pen off the desk. "This is just a second consent form about being fine with putting yourself at risk of brain damage and what not," Mario said while handing the form to Macho across the desk.

When actually reading the form, Macho noticed it was not labled as New York Department of Licensing & Regulation like the form he first submitted. This form had World Video Boxing Association Non-Disclosure Agreement in bold text above more text and a place for Macho to sign.

Skimming the paragraph, sentences like, "...Exception to traditional Boxing regulations..." and "...weight classes are a formality..." had Macho concerned of what he might actually be signing up for.

"Hey uh. Don't take this the wrong way, but what exactly is your job here?" Macho asked with an uncertain expression. Mario laughed at the question before answering, "I mainly work as manager and janitor outside of matches, BUT I'm a Official WVBA Cornerman During Matches." Macho nodded at this answer noting that Mario's smile was warm and friendly. He skimmed the paragraph again.

Macho decided that since Mario wasn't dissuading him from becoming a WVBA Boxer, then that must mean it's not that big a deal if the WVBA 'does things a little differently' than other Boxing Associations. With that final thought he signs the form and hands it back to Mario.

"Alrighty! You're officially a WVBA Minor Circuit Boxer! Here's the paper with when your match against Joe will be," Mario said with a smile. "Wait, I'm fighting Joe?!" Macho said with a overly enthusiastic smile. "Wha- Yeah! Didn't you hear me when I was telling joe about your win streak of thirteen KO's so far??" Mario asked in disbelief. "Oh no I totally missed that! Maybe that's why he was looking at me with wide eyes before we left." Macho said absent mindedly.

"Yeah, Joey hasn't had a win in a looooong while. Doubt he's liking his chances against you, beef cake, " Mario said while putting his elbow on the desk, and his chin in his hand. Macho frowned looking down at the paper Mario gave him.

"Well, he's got six weeks to work his ass off, and I hope he at least puts up a good fight," Macho said with positive vigor. Mario just looked at him with a questioning look, before chuckling softly.

"I be sure to let Joey know he has someone cheering him on."

_____

The six weeks leading up to the match are long and rhythmic. Macho has complete focus on training while feeling impatient for match day to arrive. Though he would like to train at the WVBA just to see the other boxers, he opts to go to his regular gym. He's already familiar with the regulars there and he won't need to find a new coach.

Eventually the day arrives and Macho gets there way too early, already in his boxing shorts and shoes. Mario unfortunately doesn't show up at all, and a different cornerman instructs Macho to wait on the bench while the ring is set up. He bounces his right leg while waiting on said bench. By 10PM Joe arrives with a woman, presumably his manager, walking with him.

Instead of aggressively waving to him, like he instinctively wants to, Macho smiles at him from across the room. Joe glances in Macho's direction, and a wave of panic visibly washes over his face. Macho turns away, guessing he must look insane or something. His hand goes for his pony tail while his leg begins to bounce again.

_____

10:40PM! The room is filled with an audience that is silhouetted by the dim lighting. Joe is the first to enter the ring putting on the bravest face he can muster. Then the announcer introduces,

"SOUPER. MACHO. MAAAAAN!!"

Macho hops up into the ring absolutely soaking in the sound of his new name. He flexes and smiles wide just as he’s always done for any performance. He then relaxes his stance, though still bouncing a bit as his feet spread apart then together rhythmically. He faces Glass Joe, still smiling like a dork. This time Joe smiles back, albeit nervously, causing Macho to smile even more.

The two meet in the middle of the ring. The second the ref says ‘fight’, Macho swings at Joe’s face. He assumed that the shorter man would at least have an advantage in speed, but that seemed to not be the case.

"Come on Dude, Show me what you got!" Macho yelled to Joe, who only smiled sadly as his right eye began to swell. Macho than went for an upper cut that collided perfectly with Joe's Jaw.

A final jab at his face sent Joe flying to the canvas, completely unable to get up. The bell's ringing fully cementing this for Macho.

~Souper. Macho. Man. WINS!~

#punch out #von kaiser #glass joe #super macho man #Mario Brothers super show referenced #God I'm writing Macho to be such a flip'n nerd > w <#As an artist I will NOT say read hair unless I mean Fire engine red hair >:(#take a sip of water every time I write WVBA or WVBA Minor Circuit #<- I shouldn't have added this tag BEFORE I was done writing the Chapter JFC #This is going here until I get an AO3 Account

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tmngoose · 4 years ago

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Some Assembly Required: a Rottmnt story

Remember this post? Well, I decided to clean up what I had and show it to y’all. This was supposed to be a much longer story, but back when I was writing it, I jumped ship for a different fic I was working on and never came back OTL Characters: Donnie, Mikey, Raph, Leo, April, Shelldon, Draxum, Huginn & Muninn (albeit super brief) Tags: Lab accidents, fires, minor injuries, hurt/comfort, obscure UHF reference I won’t be uploading this to Ao3, so you can read it under the cut :U

For the longest time, Donnie dreamed of the perfect lab partner. Though Shelldon was an impeccable assistant, there were moments where Donnie longed to work side-by-side with another scientist. Someone with a thirst for knowledge! Someone who shared his passion for all things technical and methodical; a scientist, just like he considered himself to be!

To think Baron Draxum would be Donnie's long-awaited lab partner was not a scenario the Softshell had ever fathomed. Still, it was one he accepted with great enthusiasm.

Draxum and Donnie saw no reason to doubt their capabilities. However, the rest of the family remained wary whenever the two of them went off meddling in the lab. With April's help, Raph, Leo, and Mikey devised a strict set of guidelines to ensure Donnie and Draxum wouldn't get into too much trouble.

"Scoff!" Donnie threw the hefty packet of rules down at his feet, offended. "What do you take us for: a pair of unhinged Frankensteins? Y'know, it'd be nice if, just for once, you guys would have a little faith in our scientific endeavors!"

"It's not that we don't trust you guys," April explained, "It's just... you guys tend to get a little carried away with your projects, that's all!"

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"The last time Barry was in a lab, he created the Oozesquitos," April folded her arms, "And don't get me started about the time you messed with your brother's brains."

"Okay! I get it!" Donnie sighed. He picked up the packet of rules and flapped the dust out from its pages. "We won't get carried away: Todd scout's honor."

April smiled, "Thanks, Dee."

"Yes, well, if you'll excuse me, Draxum and I were just about to partake in our latest scientific acquisition: Professor Philo's Chemistry Set for the At-Home Scientist!" Donnie started off for his lab, tucking the packet into a compartment in his battle-shell.

April shook her head, smiling as she headed inside the living room, where the sounds of 8-bit gaming welcomed her. Raph and Mikey were too invested in whatever racing game they were playing to notice April.

"Soo, how'd it go?" Leo asked from his beanbag chair. "Is Donnie mad that we're afraid he'll bring Potatozilla into existence or what?"

"I say he handled it pretty well!" April plopped herself down in the recliner. "I told Donnie that we just wanted to make sure he and Draxum toned it down a bit, that's all."

"See? I told you he'd listen to April!" Mikey grinned smugly at Leo.

Leo rolled his eyes, "Whatever." He went back to scrolling his social feed on his phone, "I'll believe it when they don't create a giant mutant potato or somethin'."

"Be nice, Leo," April swung her legs over the armrest. "We've gotta have a little faith in 'em. Besides, I've never seen Donnie this happy since-"

KA-BOOOOOOM!!!

A powerful tremor shook the lair, taking everyone by surprise. The trinkets Splinter's 'Do Not Touch' cabinet rattled and shook, a few of the lighter items clattered to the floor. April held onto the armchair with Raph steadying it before it could topple over backward. Mikey hid inside of his shell out of reflex as Leo jumped to his feet, prepared to face whatever threat was upon them.

"Omigosh!" Mikey exclaimed, popping his head out of his shell. "What was that?!"

"You don't think DIGG's tryin' to take down the Kaufman Coliseum again?" Raph frowned, trying to rub the ringing out from his ears.

"Um, guys?" Leo sniffed the air, "Does anyone else smell something burning, or is that Raph's 'Taken-By-Surprise' stink?"

Raph sniffed at his underarm, "Nope. It's not me!"

April and Mikey took a moment to smell the air, their noses wrinkled at the familiar acrid odor of smoke.

And smoke could only mean one thing: something was on fire.

Oh no! Donnie! Barry! April's stomach dropped over the thought. She bolted out of the living room with Raph, Leo, and Mikey right behind her. "Please let it be a giant mutant potato!"

It wasn't a giant mutant potato.

By the time they entered the atrium, a thick cloud of smoke had spilled out from the mouth of Donnie's lab, billowing up into the rafters above. Although they couldn't see it, they could hear the fire roaring from deep within the lab.

"Mad Dogz!" Raph barked, "Initiate ‘Fire Safety Plan Alpha!’" “FSssPAH!” Mikey pronounced the acronym from the back of the group.

But before Raph could lead the rescue, Draxum leaped out from the smoke carrying Donnie in his arms; their matching lab coats singed. Shelldon flew out, not too far behind, with Huginn and Munnin holding onto his back.

"Barry!" April ran up to the soot-stained alchemist. "What happened?! I thought y'all we're gonna take things easy? Didn’t y’all read the packet?!"

"We were," Draxum rasped, passing Donnie's limp body into Raph's arms. "If it weren't for a pair of idle hands." He gave his gargoyles a sharp look while removing the safety goggles from his face, leaving clean rings around his eyes.

Munnin's wings sagged, "The instructions weren't joking when it said 'everything in this chemistry set is a fire hazard.'"

"Yeah, including the instructions," Huginn hung his head, "Our bad."

"So, how're we suppose to handle this whole situation?" Leo asked, gesturing to the raging inferno that was (formally) Donnie's lab.

"I'm on it, dudes!" Shelldon replied, concentrating on his emergency protocols hardwired into his drives.

The fire-alarm system blared to life. Then came the hissing of the sprinklers going off and the gush of extinguishing foam spraying deep within the lab. Slowly, the smoke was beginning to ease up, much to everyone's relief.

Slowly, Donnie began to stir, groaning as he slowly regained consciousness, "Ugh... what? M-my lab..." His confusion morphed into panic as he realized the severity of the situation. "My lab!!" He squirmed feebly in Raph's arms, mortified.

"Woah, take it easy," Raph held Donnie against him, firm enough to subdue him yet careful not to hurt him. "That chemistry set of yours nearly got you guys barbequed."

Donnie frowned, "No, you don't understand!" His eyes stung with tears as he thought of his life's work gone in a blaze of unsupervised stupidity. "Everything's ruined!"

"Hey, you don't know that for sure!" April gently touched Donnie's shoulder. "Besides, what's important is you're both okay!"

"April's right," Mikey agreed, clinging to Draxum's side, "We're glad y'all made it out safely. A little flambéed, but you get the idea."

"But my lab," Donnie emphasized.

"Lab shmab, we can worry about that later!" Leo nudged Draxum with his elbow. "For now, let's focus on getting you toasted marshmallows taken care of."

"Yeah, what Leo said!" Raph adjusted Donnie in his arms, heading for the bathroom where the first aid kit was kept. "Just you wait; maybe it's not as bad as you think!"

-x-

Raph's sense of judgment was always a mixed bag, and this time, he couldn't have been farther from the truth.

The lab was a smoldering mess, virtually unrecognizable to the Turtles, Draxum, and April. The walls were blackened, and the smell of burnt wiring and computer parts hung sourly in the air. Puddles of foam and water gathered in parts of the floor, adding to the disarray.

Donnie searched desperately for anything salvageable, but the prospects were slim to none. The bandaged Softshell approached the remnants of his workstation, absolutely gutted. He reached for what was once a prototype for a new battle shell, but it crumbled into ash in his hands.

"Alas, this must've been what it felt like to lose the Library of Alexandria," Donnie mourned poetically, sinking to his knees. Shelldon drifted up to his heartbroken creator, pressing his head against Donnie's side like the loyal drone he was.

"Okaaayyy, so it's a little charbroiled in here," Leo cringed. "But if anyone can fix this, it's you!"

"Do you have any idea how long that'll take me?" Donnie moaned, overwhelmed by the daunting task. "It took me years of refurbishing junk and computer parts, and now I have nothing! Zilch! Nada! No equipment, no materials, no anything!"

Donnie's outburst left the others speechless. They had seen him upset before, but nothing to this extent.

Quietly, Draxum approached Donatello, "As someone who has lost their life's work twice, I understand your plight," he said, joining the turtle on the floor. "However, unlike myself, you are fortunate not to face this endeavor alone. You have your friends, your brothers, and... your lab partner," Draxum looked off to the side, somewhat flustered by the sentimental mushiness his words implied.

"Draxibald's right, Donnie!" Mikey beamed. He was so proud of Barry for stepping up to the plate. He popped up in between them, slinging his arms over their shoulders, "You've got us to help you! We'll have your lab up and running in no time!"

Leo smiled, "Yeah, with you bossing us around, we can totally get the job done!"

"But a total rebuild of this scope requires a certain level of technological sophistication!" Donnie deflated, "So unless you know of any tech-savvy geniuses out there, I don't see how any of this is possible."

"Oh, I know a guy," April answered, "And I'm lookin' right at him~" She smiled at Donnie, who didn't know how to process the compliment. "Have a little faith in yourself, Dee!" Donnie blinked, stunned that his own words were used against him.

"Yeah, you said so yourself!” Raph joined in, “You and that big brain of yours built this lab out of nothin' but junk! If there's anyone who can build back better than ever, it's you! So whaddya say, Don?"

Donnie looked at Raph's hand extended out to him. He then glanced over at Leo, Mikey, and April, all eagerly awaiting his response. He turned to Draxum, who gave a curt nod.

Touched by the support of his family, Donnie wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye, "I say let's order some pizzas and chop-chop! Rome wasn't built in a day, people! We've got our work cut out for us!" He took Raph’s hand and was lifted up from the ground. Yes, Donnie supposed he could have a little faith in himself, and everyone else as well.

#rottmnt #tmngoosepost #abandoned fic #rottmnt fic #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt april #rottmnt draxum #rottmnt mikey #rottmnt raph #rottmnt leo #rottmnt shelldon #huginn and munnin #I was going through my old WIPs and decided to show y'all this one

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ownworldresident · 6 years ago

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I TRIPLE dog dare you to write a story that uses the sentence "Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo."

OKAY *rubs hands together* let’s do this…

I leant back dangerously far in my chair to peerdown the wide hallway. We just put in massive pot plant next to the door at theend and it looked ‘grown up’y so we were pretty stoked. Charlie joked that weshould get the smokable kind. Would’ve been hilarious if it hadn’t been infront of the freaking store manager where we bought the bloody thing. It wasgreen though, and he had already taken to hiding small toys in it. With eerieglowing eyes. Dickhead. My mate’s door was open, so he wasn’t entertaining and,taking off my headphones, I heard him swearing.

“Hey, Charlie?” I called, starting and leaningforward again as the dining chair legs threatened to give way, “woah!” tumbledout of mouth as I gripped the table. Nothing echoed down the hall. “Charlie.”I called again. Nothing, “fucking… hey, CHARLIE!!”

“Jesus christ calm down Mike.” his head pokedaround the doorframe, dark locks hanging unkempt across his face. “What d’youwant? I’m busy.” I stifled a laugh.

“Bullshit.” I put the lid back on my pen and grippedthe dining table again to lean back further. “You’re just shouting at Rennie.They aren’t gonna back down just move onto something else.” he rolled his eyes,head still floating in the doorway like some omniscient being, then grinned.

“Gotta have something to keep busy with. What thefuck are you there doing anyway? My turn to use the kitchen.” I groanedpointedly.

“That system is shit Li you never even use thekitchen.”

“Sure I do.”

“Getting a can of beans from the cupboard doesn’tcount.” I glanced back at the paper in front of me. “I need a hand.” for amoment he just stared at me, then a sly smirk settled on his features and therest of his body appeared.

“Is that so?” I recoiled and squeezed my eyes shut.

“Fucking hell! Put some fucking clothes on,fuckface.” I heard him snigger and peered through my fingers to see he wasgone. “You’re such an asshole.”

“You saw it first!” came the reply from hisbedroom. I shook my head.

“Yeah I can never UNsee that, thanks mate.”

Barely a minute later I heard him come around andstayed staring at the page in front of me. When Charlie’s hands rested on myshoulders I tensed and grit my teeth.

“You better be wearing something, or I swear togod…”

“Relax!” he lifted his foot onto the edge of thetable. “See?”

“Shit Charlie are they my fucking jeans?” I turnedaround to see that the jeans were literally all he wore. He shrugged.

“No.” they definitely were. I narrowed my eyes.

“Seriously.”

“Okay yeah they were but Angelo pissed onthem so I figured you wouldn’t want them back.”

“Angelo is an asshole you need to actually trainhim.”

“He’s a wild jungle animal, you can’t ‘train him. He’s a free spirit.” Charlie was way too protective of thatanimal.

“You mean you can’t be fucked training him.”

“Look we can argue about it all day, but I need toget back to Rennie, she still thinks it’s-”

“Weird that she’s not the fucking prime minister Iknow. Let her have it. Move on. Rock up at her election campaign for the free piss.” Charlie snorted and I turned back to the table, shaking my head. “Look atthis.” I lifted the paper so he could see it. Charlie groaned.

“Jesus fucking christ on a trike. How can you possiblyneed help with that? You passed preschool, right?”

“If by preschool you mean a fucking doctorate thenyeah. I did. Answer the question.”

“Cow.”

“No.”

“Horse.”

“No.”

“Dog.”

“No!”

“I give up.”

I put the picture down and rested my head in myhands, rubbing my eyes and sighing exaggeratedly.

“So you’ve never seen one of those before.”

“Nope.” I froze when I felt his hands on myshoulders again. They started rubbing circles along my shoulder blades.

“What the fuck nugget are you doing.” my fistsclenched, still pressed against my eyes. We had talked about this. Severaltimes.

“You are way too tense my dude. Relax! Thenyour brain can focus, and you’ll figure it out.” He patted my shouldersharder than necessary and ruffled my hair but at least he had stopped the‘massage’ and I could relax.

“Wait…” I clapped a hand to my foreheadand groaned. “Fuck, Charlie, can’t fucking believe I couldn’t seeit.”

“Looked at your bloody phone didn’t you? Jesusfucking christ you’re thick. Next time you write 'MD’ on your door I’m shovingthe sign in DC, got it?”

“Last time you did that some random chickstuck her hand in and grabbed it, and why the fuck did you name thatplant?” I looked up to see him shrug, having sauntered back to the kitchento grab my yoghurt and now leaning back against the counter. Fucking scavenger.

“It needs a name! If we can’t call it smokoit’s gonna be DC. That can stand for a lot of things.”

“Surprised you even know what an acronym is,asshole…” I mumbled, throwing the pen across the room.

“Alright calm the fuck nugget down.” Charlieglanced at the pen as it hit the window and landed on the cat tower, then backat me. “What did you say?”

“I said asshole. And this is a–” ifroze, head spinning to the window beside the fridge as the aforementionedasshole’s did the same.

“D'you hear that?” He whispered, comingover to stand beside me. I stood fast, heart racing and chair crashing behindme. “Fuck! Watch it–”

“Shut up.” I hissed, then watched thewindow again. The Star Wars mug left on it rattled across and fell, smashing onthe lino.

“Ah jesus, Rennie’s gonna kill–”

“Shut up!“ I glared at him and he lifted thehand that wasn’t holding my favourite yoghurt. The ground shook. Both of uswatched as the lamp on the coffee table rocked to the edge and smashed onwooden floor. Charlie swore, then silenced. Somewhere outside there wasrumbling. I glanced at my roommate, who’s eyes were wide with terror, andswallowed hard.

“What the fuck is out there…” Charlie mumbled, andI barely heard him over what sounded like a mosh pit stamping their feet at therequest of the band. He could almost smell the piss and the sweat from the lasttime he’d been in one…

“I have no fucking clue…” I mumbled in return,knowing he wouldn’t hear me. I couldn’t hear myself.

The rumbling got louder. And louder. Whatever itwas was gonna fuck up our living room just by the volume.

“End of the world?” called Charlie, and I couldn’tbring myself to disagree, watching the window with difficulty.

A horn sounded, or an animal, or something. Therumbling got louder, like rolling thunder almost on top of you. This was it.This was the end.

The living room wall imploded.

Through it came the same animal I had justidentified. Which was fucking impossible. Through one end, crushing the cattower, and through the other end, flattening the already flat tv.

“Holy fucking shit, are you seeing this!?” Charlieyelled my thoughts, I nodded, not tearing my eyes from the beasts crashingthrough one side of the living room and through the other.

“Yeah.”

“What is that?” I turned to him.

“You don’t fucking know!??” I yelled,incredulous. The sound was deafening.

“Of course I fucking don’t!!”

“It’s a-” they kept coming, and I had to shout toreach him.

“What!!??”

“A buffalo!”

“Buffalo?”

“Buffalo!”

“Buffalo?”

“Buffalo! Buffalo!!”

“Buffalo!”

Recognition dawned on Charlie’s idiotic face as thelast came through and I heard my heart racing again. And there, riding on theback of it, hissing, lying low and looking more at ease than when Charlie triedto hug him…

“Jesus fucking - ANGELO!”

–

That was an interesting ask :D

Tag List (mostly from discord): @dc-writes @angelolytle @tawny-lion-writing@annieslibrary @b-works-074 @bookenders @caz-writes@imaghostwriter@leicawri @collapsedkaleidoscope@katonahottinroof @pen-in-hand @srjacksin @minusfractions@candy687 @1-2-butter-my-shoe@quilloftheclouds @mvcreates@marlettwrites @txintedsxint @hopefulmoonobject @mfackenthal @muggle-the-hat @whynotwriting @xpouii @ofinscriptions

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ithoughtyouweredifferent · 7 years ago

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Epilogue-Opening Night

Y’all this is it. Realy. It. The end. No more. (I’ll probably find some reason to come back in like two weeks this story is addictive lol)

Tagging: @superwholockbooknerd526 @panacebean @genericusernameblahblahblah@casual-vaporwave and special shout out to @kealohilani-tepise because your comment was the kicker motivation.

Summary: Opening night from about 11:45 night before until after the show. Even featuring the portions of the show itself!

Word Count: about 7,300

Table of Contents

Previous Chapter

"Liiinnn," you whispered poking his cheek. "Liiiinn wake up wake up. Liiiinnn" you kept poking him and very slowly he groaned and swatted your hand away before his eyelashes slowly fluttered open.

"Wha-oh hi," a small sleepy smile spread across his face, "what're you doing here?"

"It's almost midnight. It's almost tomorrow." You said grinning like crazy despite the late hour, you felt like a kid on Christmas morning.

"What's tomorrow?" He asked still in a sleepy haze,

"Opening night." You said almost giggling,

"No s'not. It's next week. The fifteenth." He sunk back down into his pillow but you bounced down on the edge of the bed beside him

"Today's the fourteenth. Tomorrow's the fifteenth."

"No it's-" he looked at his alarm clock that had the date on it and he jerked fully awake sitting up straight and eyes wide, "it's opening night. Oh my..." his mouth started silently mouthing words, "it's our opening night. It's our opening night." He let out a loud laugh that made you giggle again and he wrapped you into a mess of a blanket knot hug.

"Can you believe..."

"No can you.."

"No." You both stayed in that semi uncomfortable hug grinning for a while

"Why are you here though?" He asked,

"I don't know. I just wanted to be with you, make sure I'm the first to tell you to break a leg tonight I don't know. It just felt right for us to be together right now. Like ringing in a new year except it's a new adventure entirely." you tucked a lock of hair behind your hair realizing how dumb you sounded but his grin grew,

"I'm glad you did. We're opening our show tonight." He whispered again,

"All those weeks of practice are finally paying off. The years of writing. Months of workshop and then of performing for peanut pay and fangirls. And now....We're taking on Broadway by storm. With our show. Our show." He repeated the last two words quietly as if really taking it in for the first time and pulled you tighter into the embrace. "I love you." He whispered into your hair and you smiled,

"And I love you. This is...this is so surreal. I can't...we did it, Lin."

"Yes we did." He said kissing your temple. "Wow."

"Do you ever get used to this feeling? This incredible state of awe and pride and almost disbelief?" You asked

"I thought I had but now it's entirely different from everything else." Your smile grew at his answer and you both watched his clock and when it hit 11:59 you began a soft count down together

"Fifty-nine...fifty-eight....fifty--seven...fifty-six...fifty-five" and on for a whole minute not looking at the clock at all when you got to ten. Just staring at each other smiling, "Nine, Eight, Seven, six, five, four, three, two..." it was almost an instinct that instead of saying "one" you shared a soft tender kiss that was so filled with love and hope you might have drowned in it.

"Happy opening day," you whispered when the kiss broke but your foreheads were still pressed together.

"You tired?" He asked, "we've got a long day ahead of us and it'll be a late night. The adrenaline retires at some point you know." He said leaning back and scooping up the covers holding them up so you could climb in beside him. You hesitated for just a split second before slipping off your shoes and snuggling up against him.

"I love you" he whispered into your hair and you both slowly fell into a peaceful sleep.

The heavy pounding on the door was an unwelcome alarm that came far too soon. You groaned as your eyes tried to open and take in the surroundings and then register why you were here.

The door suddenly slammed open and Lin jerked awake beside you and pulled you tighter against him.

"Rise and shine sunshine!" Chris all but yelled as he walked through the living room and small hall towards the bedroom, "I said it first happy opening in-Woah," he came into the bedroom and then backed right out seeing Lin's arm draped over you and you tucked firmly into his chest. Your face heated up as you stretched minimally and got out of the bed and walked the other way to the kitchen.

"You two? I'd have suspected plenty of couples coming from the cast but I'd never have pegged you two. Was this some sort of-"

"Shut up Chris." Lin said standing up and going a whopping four feet to lean against his doorway, "Good morning though"

"You two are a thing? I can't believe it. Are you going to tell the rest of the cast or is this some sort of secret scandal?"

"Shut up."

"Oh... I see this was a one time where celebratory drinks got taken home or-"

"Hey." You walked away from the fridge where you had been searching for something to make. "Literally nobody wants this so early in the morning."

"Oh, I see, not a good-"

"Chris!" You both said together before looking at each other and laughing. "I came over at like 11:45 so I said happy opening day first. Hah!"

"Oh well excuse me. We've only been together for our adult lives but special girlfriend perks or whatever. You hurt me, man." You rolled your eyes,

"Who wants to make breakfast. We've got a big day." You said, "Happy opening night to you too Chris." You added,

"I'll whip up some eggs give me just a minute," Lin said and drifted into the kitchen followed closely by Chris. You began making up the bed ignoring the mocking sounds from the other room.

"That smells absolutely divine," you said when you finished and wandered into the kitchen to see both guys leaned against opposite cabinets completely relaxed. For some reason, the picture made you oddly happy.

"What're you grinning at?" Lin asked as you walked over to lean against him,

"Uh oh PDA alert someone call the cops," Chris said, you smirked and started scratching that spot at the nape of Lin's neck while he rubbed your shoulders both of you exaggerating as much as possible and Chris made exaggerated gagging faces until breakfast demanded all the attention by catching fire making the three of you laugh.

"Okay but seriously can you keep scratching right there? You have just enough finger nai-ah wow yes. Thank you." He began tilting his head and rotating it around while you and Chris both snickered, "s'not funny" he said and when you started to pull your hand away he leaned back which made you both laugh even more. "Keep laughing and I won't share the food" he threatened

And Chris's mood immediately flipped, "hey man no need to bring food into this."

"I scratched your neck. You owe me food."

"You also woke me up in the dead of night." He challenged,

"No regrets. I beat Chris to the punch of well wishes for this new adventure."

"You woke me up at 11:45 and didn't let me fall back asleep until after midnight before this new adventure. My last chance to sleep for months."

"Are we gonna eat or not?" Chris interrupted and Lin exaggerated a sigh

"Take your food. Gosh. If you weren't my very best friend-"

"Is everyone you know your very best friend or something? I don't think I could pay you not to give people your food. Or my food." Chris challenged and you nodded agreement. Way too many times you'd been somewhere together and a formal dinner had turned into a family style meal.

"Sharing is caring

"Unless you've got the plague." You coughed and he rolled his eyes.

"And everyone is a very best friend," he continued, "now eat your eggs. I slaved over those for hours."

"You are incredibly moody today," Chris said and you nodded,

"Seriously where's some punny 'so eggsited for opening night in Berkeley Repertory tonight' with a picture of the food?" You teased

"Check your phone." Chris said and you sighed

"You're kidding....I don't know where my phone is. Lemme see." Lin slid his across the counter.

"I think you love twitter more than you love me." You said and Chris bobbed his head side to side like he was debating it.

"I think he needs both of you about as much as he needs oxygen. Possibly more than he needs oxygen. So much 'loml' insert pun on potential lyrics here." Chris said and Lin laughed,

"Is loml really not a thing? So many people were confused. I just don't understand. Call me old when I don't know be right back has an acronym but love of my life doesn't?"

"No if someone's really that important to you they deserve over half the characters in your tweet," you said and he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah but if I type all that out I don't have a chance to explain any of the reasons why you are the loml"

"I love you too now eat your food. We need to be across town in a few hours and I need to go home first for crazy stuff like a shower and day clothes." You said getting out three forks and passing them around.

"Not to pry but this is at least the third time I know of that this has happened. Why don't you just steal that drawer in his nightstand or something?" Chris asked and you looked at each other

"I dunno I've never thought about it." You said and Chris rolled his eyes. "Besides, three times in two years does that warrant a drawer of my own?" For some reason, this was completely new territory for you and Lin even though it wasn't at all three times. You had passed out on his rug or piano bench or couch during the writing process more times than you could count and half the time it was easier to just crash with him instead of going another several miles. Several miles more than enough to be too much after a long day of rehearsal and then a performance to keep going.

"I dunno. We're in basically the opposite side of town every day now. Maybe you should clear out space for me." He suggested

"Hmm," you responded very noncommittally. This didn't feel like a breakfast conversation especially with Chris fishing for drama and gossip and certainly not today.

"Well. I just came over to make sure you were awake and steal your food. So I'm out. See ya in a few hours."

"Yeah."

"Bye bro." It was uncomfortable silence while he rinsed off his plate and then walked out the door with a wave.

"So."

"So." It stayed quiet neither of you sure what to say.

"I should umm I should get going. But I'll see you in a little while?"

"Yeah. In a while crocodile." You stood up at the same time to rinse your plates.

"Later gator." You said dragging your feet as you trudged to his room to grab the shoes you'd left there, "and hey," you added before walking out the door you couldn't leave with this uncomfortable atmosphere lingering. "I love you," he gave you a half smile and kissed you softly. You waved one last time before walking out the door.

"Ten minutes to places. Ten minutes." The voice called over the speaker. You had only run completely through on this stage one time. It was roughly twice the size of the one you had been on for the past several months and the set was completely different. You and Lin hadn't spoken hardly at all since you'd arrived to the theater, but in your defense, you had both been incredibly busy.

Hectic was not even a remotely accurate word for the atmosphere.

You were going on stage in ten minutes. Ten minutes until your escape from the insanity of being the writer and star. Ten minutes until you were gone and your inner Isabella took over. Ten minutes.

Someone tentatively knocked on your door frame, you hadn't even bothered to close the door. So many people had needed to talk to you about something that it was pointless to close it. You spun around to see Lin standing there scratching the back of his neck,

"Hey, how're you doing?" You asked walking over and hugging him.

"How am I doing? How're you doing? I've got this in the bag man I'm completely one hundred and fifteen percent fine and not a teeny bit nervous or worried or-" you pressed your lips to his very briefly to make him stop talking. A small thing, hardly even a kiss but it was enough to make him stop rambling.

"You're going to be amazing Lin. Shake out all of those silly worries."

"Are you in some sort of shock? How are you calm? This is this is huge. I mean, we're in Berkeley about to be the stars of a show that we wrote I can't even-are you okay? I mean with your uh-"

"I'm fine. I'm great actually. I...it's so weird. We've been doing this for months and it feels like in ten minutes and everything I know will be turned on it's head. It's crazy. When we started this I couldn't even play a basic melody on a piano with just you without being afraid of some sort of panic attack and now...I'm a Broadway performer. Alex Lacamoire is playing the piano while I play opposite of Lin-Manuel Miranda. And I'm not afraid. It's surreal."

"Yeah playing on stage against that guy phew how will you do it. I always knew you were just using me to get here" He teased,

"A girl can't fall in love and take advantage of some perks along the way?" You joked elbowing him. "Are we okay though? Was it just me or did things get weird this morning?"

"Things got very weir-"

"Five minutes. Five minutes."

"I need to get dressed...and start my hair." You said

"It takes you basically no time to change." He said and you rolled your eyes,

"I'm meant to be here obviously. Now go. I'll see you in a few hours. You're gonna kill it tonight. Break a leg." You kissed him again before all but shoving him out the door so you could start transitioning. It wouldn't take long at all for you to physically change but you needed a minute emotionally and you couldn't do that with Lin right there.

"Take a deep breath and focus. Focus. Blow it and know it. If we roll this pair of dice we can roll our way to paradise cross your eyes twice let's go. Focus." You whispered the cut line into the mirror. Everything lately had been a gamble for you lately and this was the final draw before a new round.

Deep breath in. Deep breath out. You can do this. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. You weren't downplaying it. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. You can do this. You can do this. You couldn't do this. You felt the anxiety try to rise up. You couldn't do this. You were so far out of your league. You didn't belong here. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. In. Out. You can do this.

"I've got this. I've got this." You said it over and over determined to believe it

"Sixty seconds. Sixty seconds."

You didn't have time for this. You stared in the mirror for just one more deep breath cycle before waking away swallowing it. You could deal with your emotions later and deal with the way it would hit you stronger in revenge for bottling it now but you had to do this. People were already saying you only had this because of your relationship but you couldn't add fuel to their fire by failing. You had blown people's socks off only last week in normal theaters. Now you had a whole auditorium of people expecting an amazing production that they had paid handsomely for. You couldn't let yourself let them down.

It's not the fear of the people. It's the fear of the fear you knew he was right when he said that you mentally recited it as you made your way onto the stage. Blindly walking and relying fully on muscle memory to find your place behind your respective curtain. You saw Chris looking almost twenty years younger kick off the show and Lin walked in only seconds later.

Your worries slowly retreated watching them. Terrance and Jacob. They could do it. All of the people around you preparing to flood the stage could do it. Together you could also it.

From the cut short potential drug deal to show the new girl around. Set in an unnamed big city with family all scattered across the world most of the characters not ever interacting once but every single one somehow tied together.

You did your part in the first several numbers before slipping back away waiting for your cue. The bakery. You smiled at Monica nodding ready to tackle the world. Somewhere you had fallen into your grove and now you were completely ready to be Isabella.

"I always knew you'd find your way back here. All the ways we grew apart these past years but your spirit always near. I've missed you Meredith but the real question is-"

"Yes?"

"I know why you left. I understand it, Meredith. I do. But..." you let the indecision and internal debate shine on your face as if you were t sure if you really wanted to ask, "I don't mean to pry but my curiosity is hitting full force" breath one two three

"Your divorce" almost the entire cast whispered it with you from behind the curtain creating a chilling effect before she laughed,

"Jacob and I are done. We were dumb and young but that's behind us. The future doesn't need my past to interrupt. All that drama God, call it karma. It's barely a warm up for all what-"

"Hello, good morning!" Lin sang walking through the 'door' into the small bakery. "Something smelling good. The pastry bakery making tasty-"

"Is this going somewhere or are you just here to make me pull out my hair?" You interrupted, "don't answer that. Look who's back." Monica waved and Lin blinked shocked to see her,

"Meredith?"

"That's what they sing at the end of the birthday song." She replied

"Still trying to find the place you belong?"

"Something right will come along,"

"Hope you're not wrong," he said you paused waiting to see if they were done,

"I was hoping for a friendly reunion," you said slightly laughing, "the girl who's basically a sister, you know how much you've missed her and now we're all together for the first time in forever. And she's home." It was silent,

"I do not dislike you," Monica said as if the words were acid,

"You're not so bad yourself but if, my dear dear Meredith, you hadn't left me in such bad health-"

"That was not my fault-"

"Not your fault when because of you every night we fought before you were up and gone? Without a word of explanation just set you on some wild expedition. Gone."

"It takes two to tango. Even you know that's true." Lin shook his head frustrated with her,

"I'll just have two tri-split biscuits and be outa here with a tock and a tick" he almost snapped and you walked off stage briefly to grab the pastry platter and heard them continue

"When did you become so confrontational? What we had was so sensational. Then you moved away acting completely irrational. We were happy everything we had was utter bliss and all of it to the gutter so fast it could've been missed. We could've worked it out, it's a fact but you just like that you whisked-"

"I'm back!" You called interrupting him. "What did you want to say?" You asked handing 'pastries' to everyone,

"Are these burnt? I thought I smelled smoke?" Lin asked

"Only the flames that came from the fire fueled by every phrase you ever spoke" Monica all but spat in a perfect stage mutter.

"Jacob, Meredith it doesn't have to be like this." You said but were ignored. "I have better things to do with my day than hang around you all day. I'd like to talk with Meredith, so many things to catch up with and you together but it seems one on one would be better." Lin all but stormed away,

"Can you believe him?" She asked, "Acting so superior-"

"Or are you upset that you don't have control anymore?" The beat changed from underscore with occasional back up when your lines had rhythm to the pit in full force for her song.

"Superior. Inferior. Why are they one in the same? One wrong step and you're expelled from the game. But can someone just spell it out, spell it out What is this life is all about? I've tried to make it on my own, drifting 'round searching for a home but it always turns out that I'm alone. I'm alone. Alone. All alone. Don't tell me I don't know. Or that I'm in the dark where I can't even see what I've been shown. Maybe I'm overcome by bleak shadows and I know I often break and be shy, though maybe give me a chance. Grant me one glance, some way to advance. Let me live set me free. Let realize who I should be. But I'm alone. I'm alone. Alone. All alone. I drift around from place to place while my past tries to chase me, it tries to erase me, wishing we could replace it all but it all comes back here. Where do I belong? I've been searching all along, I try to be strong but the only song the rings true is the one telling me I'm wrong and don't need you. I'm alone. Alone. All alone. All alone. No one to love. All alone. No one to care for. All alone. No prayers to above because I'm all alone. A crowded room but still all alone. All alone." The applause was deafening. It took everything you had not to join in but you couldn't. You waited the proper amount of time before reentering the scene and continuing the show.

It continued to a new song shared by you in which she told you to avoid living in the country and in the suburbs and France in the summer. You told her a few things that had happened since she left before the song flipped halfway through to about half of the cast singing to loved ones about where they had gone and where they wished to go.

Then Chris and Safah, the girl playing Marirea, were together before it was Samara's song "Searching for my Star"

Then "Something's Missing" started off with you and Meredith again in the bakery complaining about what you were searching for, what you wanted, what was wrong before you noticed the missing tea set.

"Something's Missing" bridged into "The Interrogation" Which was one of the most intense songs in the whole show. "Everyone has questions it's an interrogation!" Renato's grandmother said something about hoping it was found soon it reminded her boy of his mother. Fingers were pointed left and right. The teenage portion of the cast yelled at each other for different reasons, Chris was literally cornered several times always looking back at Safah begging her to let him tell. Meredith and you and Jacob all yelled at each other before the overlapping began and then it ended loud and bright before everything went black for intermission.

You didn't speak to anyone, you just jumped from one costume to another and readied yourself for the opening song of Act 2.

It was just you and Lin in a song filled with so much tension you could cut it with a knife. It had been compared with everything from songs ranging from "For Good" to "Sunrise" to "Watch What Happens" to "You and I and No One Else"-people had accused you of stealing from that one but that show had opened the weekend after you officially posted the OBC.

You weren't singing a love song. Not on the surface anyway. On the surface, it was a denial of a love song. Both saying how deeply you cared for Meredith and how valuable she was to both your lives. That he bared no true animosity to her and that he had long since moved on but was hung up on someone new. That she was your best friend and you would never want to hurt her or upset her. You had moments staring intensely at each other before turning away and going to opposite sides of the stage for a small solo part

"Someone new? If only you knew that I meant you." Was one of his lines and it made your heart swell

"She's my sister and I've missed her. She's my closest confident and I can not hide it. I love her. She's my whole life" you said down stage left

"But for my ex-wife" he all but interrupted on down stage right

"There's nothing there," you said together turning back around to face each other and then turned back around after you made eye contact for three beats "nothing here. Nothing there. Nothing between us except the one who means the most to us." You started walking semi backward until you were standing back to back only inches apart

"It's just me," you sang holding the word while he joined

"It's just me"

"Me and him and my friend, our Meredith," you said at the same time as you said "me and her and my ex our Meredith."

The blue spot lights followed you back to the table while you sang together leaning closer and closer across the table your noses only inches apart

"Me and you and Meredith." You froze while the audience applauded you heard the cue from the pit and both snapped apart.

"So about that tea set," you said while he coughed trying to pretend that that moment never happened.

"Everyone knows it was Terrance," you said and he shook his head,

"It wasn't."

"What makes you say that?"

"The truth."

"C'mon he has no alibi and you were with me and Meredith right here underneath that," you pointed to the camera, "so you can't tell me you know where he was."

"He wasn't stealing a tea set. He was..." he lowered his voice "he was with Marirea."

"The new girl?" He nodded, "why is that a secret?"

"Because she doesn't want anyone to know he even knows her him much less that they were having dinner together."

"It's more important to let people think he's guilty than to be an open couple?" He nodded glumly,

"Sometimes love...you can't tell people how you feel. You'll fall short of expectations and disappoint maybe even hurt the ones you are closest to," there was a pause while Meredith's unspoken name lingered in the air, "her mother of course" he added after a second.

"Right her mother of course. I should..you should go. I need to find out who actually stole the tea set give Meredith's heart a rest you know?"

"Yeah. I'll just go. It was nice talking to you though,"

"Bye Jacob"

"Goodbye Isabella." And he began a short song about conflicting feelings with the Isabella/Jacob/Meredith situation, the narration a scene silently played out by Marirea and Terrance downstage, as well as one of the shows universal underlying themes of your relationship with yourself and your surroundings.

You had a few minutes before you had to go back on so you took your time changing.

You kept going through the show before it was finally time for the hints at Renato's tragic backstory all throughout the show to finally be explained as little Christopher took the stage for "Spilled Tea" with a hushed choir behind him repeating certain phrases and other times just "ooohh-oo-o" ing.

"If only you could see me now mama. Would you be proud of me? Or would you tell me to sit back and drink my tea? Or would you just leave? Why'd you have to leave mama? Why couldn't you have stayed and played with me? Mama? We were so happy and then I went to sleep and when I woke up there was nothing but spilled tea. You always told me no use crying over spilled milk but you never taught me what it meant, so many questions like like umm like why does the peppermint melt? Why do cows moo? What happened to you? Where did you go? Why aren't you here?" He walked around the stage his eyes searching all over the place, stepping in and out of shadows and lights.

"So many things you wanted to do. You told me to stay true and never cry and to always know you're by my side. I know you wanted me to grow big and strong. You always told me not to cry and I've tried! But mama you're gone now and everyone tells me it's alright but it's not." He walked back to the tea set on the ground

"I miss you, mama. Why couldn't you have stayed? If you had stayed we could have played. We could've had more tea parties but instead...it's just me and the tea and instead of you, it's just a grave. Just a grave."

You walked slowly on stage kneeling down beside him as he cried ignoring the audience's applause, you rubbed his back trying to consul a poor child whose whole world was gone. You and Christopher began speaking once the audience had quieted down enough. When he handed you back the tea set people came out of the wings,

"I'm too old for tea parties anyway aren't I?"

"You're never too old for a tea party. In fact, I think there might be one soon back at the bakery. Care to join me?" You held out a hand and very tentatively the boy took it as the set shifted into your bakery and with some tricks of the light the whole cast seemed to appear out of nowhere as "Honesty Hour" began.

A confession between you and Lin.

"Isabella I've gotta tell ya you make me a really happy fella."

Christopher being sandwiched in a hug between his 'grandparents' "your mother would be proud of ya."

The high school cliques re-clicking but still bickering.

Chris and Safah told her 'mother' about their relationship and Chris was given a firm lecture but as soon as she was done taking he was grinning.

All of the various groups made by the ensemble reconnected.

The only one who didn't have someone to connect with and realize that they do, in fact, belong here and they are home and they are loved and important was Monica.

She sat in the back corner isolated forever a drifter the entire time, watching everyone else reach their happily ever after. You noticed her sitting there and went back reaching a hand to help her up. She shook her head no and pushed herself off the ground. She tipped her head at several of the groups and walked almost off stage

"Good luck to you," was all she said. Her last solo line of the show there was a gasp throughout the cloud when the light on her flickered and then turned off

"And you as well." You called back but she was already gone.

There was a pause as she walked away before the intro to the finale began.

"Some find home where they've always been. Others are home when they reach a new destination. Others still have to go back to their roots to find their hearts location. Home is a place that is hard to define. For me, home is a place where I wait in line."

"For me, home is a place where the stars are aligned."

"For me, home is a place where there's mountains to climb."

"For me, home is a place where the food is mine." A chuckle came from the audience when the meat vendor from the beginning spoke again,

"For me, home is a place to reflect on good times"

"For me, home is a place where there's perfect rhymes"

"For me, home is a place where I hear the church bells chime."

On and on as every character said the line in a place reflecting the other lines that were shared by all. It was almost too long of stepping forward and announcing one home at a time when Monica re-entered.

"For me, home is a place that I am yet to find. Maybe my fate is sealed, maybe I never will."

The song went on. All of you sending comforting words and redefining what home and love truly are one at a time. When one person spoke nobody else made any movement or sound. Before everyone began joining in in a soulful song.

Bows and applause lasted for what felt like hours. After bows, there was the passing around of speeches and thank yous. You hadn't prepared yourself for that at all and were more than slightly shocked when Alex handed a microphone up from the pit which Lin basically dove down to grab.

"hello hello hello! Congratulations! You have sat through our entire show, you're doing good now just give me a few more minutes to ramble. As you might know, my name is Lin-Manuel Miranda and I sorta made about a fourth of this show possible. Alex down there," Alex stood up on a chair or something to poke his head up and wave, "he is a true genius pulling all of the mess we threw at him and making the music come together. Everyone give it up for Alex Lacamoire!" there was an applause,

"Now, of course,” he continued, “we have our beloved techies up there. please give them a hand because so much of the reason you could hear us at all and the reason it was visually appealing is due to them. My man Tommy directing us and keeping us in line, telling us when we were wrong and what to touch up on and last but not by any means least," he looked at you and you shook your head rapidly but he ignored you,

"And this, this, ladies and gentlemen, this is a face you probably haven't seen before unless you are incredibly lucky. It's her debut here on Broadway as it is with so many other of these beautiful, beautiful people standing behind me wishing I would shut up so they can change and get out from under these lights. I've called her Socrates for almost eight years. She was the inspiration for this from the very beginning when we were playing silly tunes in a high school auditorium and then we took a brief break before quite literally running back into each other. We spent forever working together, countless nights stressing out over my piano, we should invest stock in Pilot because of how much we wrote and now, we made this. You all know her as Isabella but you'll find her name at the top of your playbill. Socrates, will you please step forward and take a bow because wow do you deserve it." you froze staring into the orange lights rather than the people, "come on," Monica and Chris were standing on either side of you and pushed you forward and Lin walked over to take your hand,

"This has been an amazing adventure. Many amazing adventures actually. I love you. Thank you." you bowed your head but couldn't physically manage much more, "Alright now everyone, c'mon one more time and then we'll bounce." the rest of the cast stepped up so you were in line once more and you all bowed before walking off all of you cheering and exchanging congratulations. You had barely cleared the curtain when people were already holding layers of clothes over their arm. Everyone seemed preoccupied talking to each other so you hurried to your dressing room where your street clothes were still lying on the vanity.

You had barely finished pulling on your top when you felt strong arms wrap around you from behind,

"You were so amazing," Lin whispered into your ear and you grinned tilting your head back and twisting so you could see him,

"You're one to talk. You just wow. That was everything I just we I mean,"

"Slow down. Your brain is in overload right now. How it hasn't exploded yet I'm not sure. They loved you out there. I think you got more cheers than the rest of us combined."

"That was so great. Once I got into it, it was like all of my problems disappeared. It took a minute, you know? I thought I was going to drop, that it would take over but then it was like when I went on as Isabella it just vanished. During intermission, I almost broke again but then I went on and it...it's like some sort of magic."

"Are you okay? We can skip-"

"We can skip stage door about as easily as if we skipped the whole show. Especially you. Half of this success is because the show is riding your coattail."

"I can camp out in here all night if you need to."

"No, really, I'm good. When you called me out up there I thought it might be bad but I'm good. Really. I'm on a victory high let's not lose it because I have no idea what it will be like if I crash." you took his hand and headed outside, there was only one more ensemble member, Micky, waiting to leave. You waved goodbye to her with your free hand before she disappeared outside. You smiled up and Lin and took a deep breath waiting a few minutes so that Micky would be gone before you walked outside.

The cheers for the two of you were all but deafening and your smile was so wide that it hurt.

You started to let go of his hand so you could both sign playbills but he just held your hand tighter, picking up pens and giving side hugs and small conversations with fans.

"They love you," he said when you finally got away and you laughed,

"That was absolutely amazing," you said relishing in the leftover thrill,

"Good news is, you get to do it again tomorrow night. And the next night. And the next night."

"Bad news?"

"It's exhausting and draining and will be stressful. But this thrill. Worth it. So worth it." he sighed, "Are you absolutely sure you're alright? Don't bottle anything up right now okay, be perfectly honest with yourself okay? I'm here for you."

"Lin. Really. I'm fine. I think...I'm going to be fine."

"Good." he jerked his head in a nod, "That's good. I love you, you know."

"I love you too," you replied easily,

"And remember, when you're some big great sensation all over billboards people begging you to be in this that or the other, I knew you first and have full rights on your nickname Socrates and I will not let anyone forget it." you laughed in response,

"I love you, you dork," you said "and nothing anyone says, no fame or glory or ego inflation will change that." you bumped him to the side jokingly but he wasn't expecting it and almost fell. You both stopped and laughed for a second all of your emotions and feelings still electrified by the adrenaline and somewhere the laugh turned into a kiss that sent your heart flying out of your chest.

"And that felt just right," you said and he grinned kissing you again. The fact you were standing in the middle of the sidewalk didn't matter. All that mattered was this moment and all of the potential for many moments after that.

"Come on," he whispered after a minute, "We need to get home and it's a long way back from your place to mine."

"About that," you said coughing, "I um I thought about what you and Chris said this morning and I uh, there is some space if you want just for nights that run a little late or whatever and instead of coming all the way out here and then backtracking...not like a permanent thing but I ah, if you want you could um," your face was burning you felt awkward and scripted which was ridiculous but true.

"Are you sure? You don't sound-"

"Just yes or no," you said not wanting him to give you enough time to lose your nerve. He didn't answer. He only kissed you again.

"Ask me again when you're not coming down from the performance high and you're really really sure." he said breaking away and taking your hand as you silently made your through the city where he dropped you off and you realized that without the aide of show high that your home was walking down the sidewalk back across town.

"Lin!" you called before he was out of earshot, he turned around, "We did a good job with the show." he walked back towards you, "I realized something,"

"What?"

"The real meaning of home."

"Okay?"

"I love you," you said and he nodded,

"I love you too, what-"

"You're my home." you blurted out interrupting him and he smiled.

"And you're mine."

"No, I meant-"

"I know. Now get some sleep, Socrates. There's a long day ahead of us. Goodnight."

"Night," you sighed and watched him walk away before you went inside leaning back against your door frame taking in everything, the long journey it took to get here and the long, long road ahead of you.

#lin x reader #i thought you were different

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