#front of the entire high school music department with two weeks to rehearse and i nearly killed meself with the stress. needless to say i

[writeyourletters-inthesand]

this isn't a question i ever thought i'd ask, but why doesn't Liszt deserve big naturals?

because i hate him, personally 💞

thanks for the ask 🥰

[retvenkos]

rivals to lovers...

tw: mentions of a serial killer themed escape room, lily being two-faced A/N: i apparently have a lot of feelings about antoine ig,,,,,,, this set just goes on forever, lol. also, lol, can’t wait for season 3 to hit us with a ~twist~ where we learn that antoine was really the criminal mastermind all along, and this entire headcanon set is null and void.

OH, NO, YOU SOMEHOW FOUND YOURSELF WRAPPED UP IN A RIVALS TO LOVERS SITUATION WITH ANTOINE FROM HSMTMTS...

— how you found yourself in the middle of all of this east high vs. north high rivalry, you’ll never know.

okay, that’s a complete lie, you actually do know, but it’s a lot better for your self preservation if you plead the fifth, alright?

— because, here’s the thing. you live across the street from ashlyn caswell. you guys were best friends growing up - spending the summers in the others front yards, annoying the street with the way you’d break out into song in the middle of a sunday afternoon...

— but then it came time for high school. and your side of the street was the boundary for north high. and hers, east.

so. despite your best friend owning her own car and driving herself to east high every morning, and despite your best efforts to convince your parents otherwise, ashlyn drove on her own, and you had to walk three blocks every morning in order to take the bus to north high.

(it’s a little shakespearean, really - two friends torn apart by circumstance, yearning to be at the school that housed the other. it’s a little like an enjoyable afternoon soap opera, really. at least, it would be if it weren’t happening to you.)

— but things at north high are fine, y’know. you made some friends, found your niche. you were never quite the actor that ashlyn was, nor were you the singer, and so your love for musical theatre manifested itself in different ways - as a light technician and set designer, and a vital member to your theatre department’s stage crew. and seeing as north high’s art department always has funding of record amounts, you’re able to really hone your craft!

and for literal years, it worked out fine.

— you and ashlyn were still good friends, hanging out on the weekends and poking fun at the other’s alma mater. 

— you fit in at north high and had a purpose in your drama department.

things were stellar! perfect!

....which brings me back to how you got caught up in this mess in the first place.

— because here’s the thing: you’re good at your job, and so of course you were given a big role in helping your theatre department make a stunning show for the menkies.

and it’s never like north high and east high were rivals before, so you do what you’ve always done every year in high school.

— on the weekends, you hang out with ashlyn and brainstorm ideas for her school’s production.

(and like, for months you’d been helping with ideas for hsm2, but then east high decides to join the menkies! and that’s cool, and designing beauty and the beast is going to be so fun for their department, and you just can’t help but gush a little, and offer some ideas for the castle. and it’s not a big deal. you do this every year!)

— and during the week, you put your every waking moment into making your production shine, and you work really intimately with some of the cast, and make a lot of good friends.

you become especially good friends with this new exchange student antoine. he’s very nice, and he’s always genuinely impressed by what you have to offer the show. you help him rehearse lines on occasion (a french sebastian is...... a choice™, but antoine is an amazing singer, and it oddly works), and sometimes the two of you go for pizza at slices, to annoy howie at work. 

(never once did you think he had ulterior motives - that would be stupid, what did you have to hide? - and if he was a little awkward at the beginning, well, it was probably because the only other person he seemed to hang out with was this new girl lily, and it’s not like she’s the queen of social skills.)

— and for a long while things were great! sure, lily is a little much™, and she seems somewhat suspicious of how highly you speak of east high, but it’s not like she’s an authority or anything, and it’s not like your doing anything wrong.

— you have a lot of ideas for the little mermaid, and they’re being executed really nicely! but, oh, wait, suddenly there’s a change of shows, and it’s beauty and the beast you’re putting on.......... and now all those times antoine asked you about your friends at east high are coming back in flashes.......... and you’re starting to see that maybe lily holds more power than you thought, and that this new director, zack roy, is strangely competitive about this whole thing.....

it’s fine, though, when you’re asked. the change in production is all well and good. you have plenty of amazing ideas for this show, too!

— problem is............ you only had them because you’d already been brainstorming for months to help out your friends over at east high. who..... kinda have the exact same show as you, and who kinda are also competing at the menkies.

— sure, a lot of your ideas for east high couldn’t be used anyway because of budget restraints, and now that you have the cold, hard cash of north high, you can truly kick things out of the ballpark, but it’s not as fun as it once was, with lily breathing down your neck, and now you know you can’t play both sides.

you have to tell ashlyn you can’t help east high. it feels like a gut punch when ashlyn says it’s fine, and you can hear the underlying suspicion in her voice, and can feel a simmer of animosity.

— and now it’s settled. you hate lily. for driving a wedge between you and your best friend. for having duped you for so long. for being so oddly attached to this stupid competition.

— and what hurts is that antoine’s a part of that.

it was him who had been spying on you in the first place, after all. there was no way he was innocent in all of it - the only other person he seemed to spend time with was lily, and they were so close, there was no way he wasn’t aware.

— besides, part of you was recontextualizing everything, and coming to the conclusion that he wasn’t awkward at all - he was just a really bad liar.

(and, in turn, you were an idiot for having ever trusted him in the first place.)

— and after that, things are tense. i mean, working on the project of your dreams isn’t exactly 100% enjoyable when you can’t share it with the people you love, and lily hovers over your shoulder like she’s trying to steal your identity...

and what’s worse is when antoine tries to play the fool and pretend like he has no idea why you would be upset with him. 

you have to spell it out for him, one day, when he won’t even give you the decency of leaving you alone.

>> “you betrayed me, antoine! i thought we were friends, but you were just using me so that lily could ruin east high’s production. you pretended to enjoy spending time with me when you were really just trying to figure out secrets about east high and ways to weaken their show. you’re a liar and a thief, and all you’ve ever done is waste my time.”

(and he seems hurt at that, but you tell yourself “good. he should be.” but it doesn’t ever settle in your throat the way it should.)

— and over at east high, things aren’t much better, with all of your designs being scrutinize. because what if (y/n) has been in league with lily this whole time? i mean, who else would have told them we were doing beauty and the beast?

— and things don’t slow down from there.

east high’s beast mask goes missing........... antoine is suddenly hitting on ashlyn, which looks like your doing, despite you having no hand in whatever scheme lily is concocting......... ashlyn looks upset that you seemingly undersold your ideas for beauty and the beast because of the sheer level of glamour that north high’s budget allows for, and.........

oh. you’re going to kill lily.

— and neither of you like to beat around the bush.

>> “i know you’re helping east high with their two-bit production.” lily accosts you one day after school, and it leaves you reeling. “would you mind if i told our director? we don’t take kindly to traitors around here.”

>> and you are tired of this nonsense, really. “i’ve been here at north high longer than you, lily, so don’t tell me what we do ‘around here’. as far as the supporting cast and crew are aware, you’re the stranger. and we take care of our own.”

>>  but she just smiles. “like how you take care of east high?”

>> “like how i’ve designed and built this set from nothing, while you’ve messed with our competitors almost to the point of disqualification from the menkies.”

>> and lily didn’t have much to say to that, which you quite liked. you were appreciative at least. all of her scheming was giving you a headache.

>> “oh, and you can stop having antoine pretend to be my friend so he can spy on me. that’s low - even for you.”

(and lily blinks, but then has a self-satisfied smiled at that, and it almost makes you question your resolve. why would she find it all funny?)

— after that, there’s a lot of petty business that you do your best to dodge.

you were right about the cast and crew being mostly on your side - in favor of an honest competition for the menkies. 

— lily tries some crazy schemes, like stealing the designs for one of their castle platforms. she was going to have you or other crew members make a copy and write in bad measurements so the whole thing would fall apart, and it would be too expensive for east high to fix or replace, but no one had her back - not even antoine.

at some point, there’s a big rift in the north high theatre department, and it’s almost like you’re working against each other? things aren’t going anywhere, and zack roy has to step in because it doesn’t matter how much money you have - to have a show, you need a functioning cast and crew.

— and thus, the north high drama club goes on a vacation/team building retreat to new york city.

you honestly thought it was going to be a trip from hell, and you were not excited to go.

— neither was howie, really. the two of you were hanging out a lot recently, but sometimes it felt like you were both waiting for someone else to say something - like you were waiting for someone who wasn’t there.

(you both knew who it was, but neither of you were going to say anything.)

— but of course, what would a team building retreat be, without the team building exercises?

everyone was put in groups of three - teams, if you will - and each team was given a list of things they had to do each day (few of which were actually theatre themed, you’re docking 2 points for unoriginality, zack roy), and whoever survived at the end had the grand prize of........ zero dollars, but many satisfactions.

— so of course, the teams are a mixture of the factions of the north high theatre department, and lo and behold,,,,,,,, antoine is on your team.

(y’know, the one person you’d been trying to avoid)

— but what else could you do? the one to assign the teams had been zack, and he said no changes could be made. plus, he and lily had made themselves surprisingly scarce upon arrival........

— the first day of the retreat, you both had too-wounded-prides to even acknowledge the other. you did the trivia game without the other, and howie (the third leg of your team) was doing olympic level gymnastics so you could actually finish the game.

— and then, the next day on the scavenger hunt, you and antoine argued so much that neither howie nor you knew what antoine was saying half the time, seeing as it was in rapid french, but hey! at least you were actually speaking. 

howie did so much of the leg work during that challenge, too... so you and antoine both agreed that he deserved something nice to eat. as a treat <3.

>> “the two of you agreeing for once is all the niceness i need.”

— and the next day, you had to do this really crazy escape room with a really scary theme (like,,,,, breaking out of a serial killer’s house or something), and honestly, you should probably sue zack roy for psychological damage, given the amount of near-heart attacks you faced.

howie tapped out in the first 15 minutes because the jumpscares and the ticking clock were not for him.

(and, good for him, good for him. this man deserves a spa day.)

and, being completely honest, you were trying to do your absolute best, but you were also lowkey spinning out once howie left, and you were really bad at figuring out the different clues, and everything was going downhill very fast, but then???? antoine takes your hands very gently and calms you down??? and then he starts to solve these riddles like nobody’s business??? he tells you to not worry about the ticking clock, and he hums softly over the ominous music, and he gets you through the escape room with time to spare.

— he was better at the number riddles than the word play, so sometimes he’d be like ???? what does this mean ??? and then you’d have to explain the play on words, but for the most part, antoine killed this exercise, while meanwhile howie is watching tiktoks in the lobby.

(later, you tell him how much of a traitor he was, leaving you alone with antoine your beloathed, but howie is like,,,,, “yeah, no. i saw you and antoine in there. he’s far from your beloathed.”)

— and later that night, your group played two truths and a lie over a midnight snack, and you found out some very amusing things about your friends.

antoine actually knows a handful of languages! french, hebrew, german, english - he’s even trying to learn spanish on duolingo. (although, his 2 day streak is hurting) but he also had to admit that he knows klingon, and you don’t know which one was more funny - the fact that he had been teaching lily words in klingon under the guise of it being “french” or that he’s a trekkie, sdfghjkjhgfdsdfgh

howie is actually really into fantasy books - the wheel of time, a song of ice and fire, the witcher saga, earthsea, lord of the rings,,,,,, he has racked up a lot of reading time over the years, and he admitted 100% to spending weekends in his bedroom making theories on subreddits (did he start the ‘ned stark is a pigeon’ theory? who knows)

you spilled about your undying love for cats the musical, and antoine actually indulged you in a condensed 30 minute version of your 250 paragraph essay as to why cats is actually a functionally strange but delightful musical, and why it could never work as an adaptation, and all of the missteps that the film took to create it’s utter dumpster fire. (wherein you also had to admit having seen the movie when it first came out,,,,)

— and you were having so much fun and telling so many secrets, and you let all felt so comfortable, that it comes out, then,,,,,,,,,, the secret that you had been wondering about but hadn’t wanted to wonder,,,,,,

antoine hadn’t been lying to you the whole time you were friends. in truth, he had never spied on you at all, although lily had gleaned information out of him on accident. he didn’t even realize he was being used until it was too late, and by then, he had already gotten in too deep with north high’s corrupt leadership that he was faced with a choice - stay at north high and be hated by you, or be kicked out of the musical and sent all the way back to france.

— in the end, he made his choice and, and yes, tried to get between ashlyn and big red for lily’s sake, but it was never because he didn’t respect you or east high, but because he had already come so far, and wouldn’t be sent packing.

(the blind ambition of zack roy truly knows no bounds...)

— and at that moment, you were still too proud to apologize for the way you’d raked him over the coals, and the way you coldly shut him out, but early next morning, you catch him while the rest of the world is still drowsy, and you apologize for everything you were.

>> “it is alright, (y/n). i wouldn’t have trusted me either.”

>> “but it’s not. i shouldn’t have let lily come between us. especially when i knew you as well as i did. you’re a good person, antoine. i shouldn’t have second guessed that.”

>> “perhaps not... but then this trip wouldn’t be so fun, yes?”

 and you just laugh, because of course antoine would find the good in this, right? that’s what you had liked about him so much in the first place, and you missed it.

the two of you are smiling like dorks when howie finally meets up with you both for your next team bonding challenge, and you just knew that this one would be the easiest challenge yet.

(because ~you’re all in this together~)

— it’s only that night that you see what lily and (presumably) zack roy had been doing all break. a stupid, antagonistic instagram video? could they get more cliche?

don’t worry - they’re forced to take it down, once school starts back up again - and honestly, it does more harm than good, because the judges for the menkies care about sportsmanship, and north high has been docked so. many. points.

that’s why it’s my headcanon that north high actually loses, and some other drama department gets the honor.

— okay, but here’s where things perhaps become a little..... fun.

— because, certainly, you and antoine can’t come back from the trip as thick as thieves. it would only toss suspicion antoine’s way, and you know lily would be all over that in a heartbeat.

so instead, you pretend to still be rivals during the school day, when lily is around, but then hang out with each other after school and on the weekends. 

— discreetly, of course. you don’t want lily thinking anything is fishy

— so during rehearsals for the musical, the two of you argue or give each other the cold shoulder. antoine gets away with a lot of “angry” mutterings at you in a different language, which are actually just endearments. you keep up the ruse of “hating each other during the day

.... and then, on your phones, your sending each other cute text messages about funny jokes you heard, or something you want to do later on.

(howie gags at the amount of 😊 emojis antoine uses.)

(as though he isn’t just as bad with this emoji: 🥺  when texting kourtney.... what a clown)

— and after school, you guys have to find a different hang out other than slices, so you often hit up different tea/coffee shops, or try out new diners. you do homework together, or you practice lines, or you just decompress from all of the lily that you have to deal with.

— one time, you guys were at the public library, and you saw lily walk in. you both ran to hide yourselves amongst the shelves, but lily headed to the section you were taking refuge in, and so you guys had to circle around lily, hiding from her in plain sight, and giggling as you tripped over each other’s feet.

at one point, you nearly turned a corner right as lily flipped around, so antoine grabbed your hand and yanked you backwards... right into his arms. he apologized profusely at that and wouldn’t stop for the next hour and a half, but you said it was fine, and eventually admitted to enjoying it, and that only made him blush. just a little, but just enough to notice.

(why you guys didn’t just split up when lily first walked in, you’ll never know. but maybe neither of you wanted the adventure to end.)

— your secret rendezvous become increasingly clandestine over time, and with every outing and every text, you learn more about antoine and smile more at his antics, and find yourself waiting for the next time you can spend time together.

— and one of your favorite pastimes, you quickly learn, is finding ways to make antoine blush.

because, for the most part, he’s hard to crack.

— antoine is not easily fazed, and most everything he can play off with a sheepish laugh, but you notice (y’know, as friends do) that leaning in and admitting to finding him good looking or particularly clever is, 9 times out of 10, a surefire way to get him to blush.

and he’s so dorky about it, too - hiding his face so you can’t see how his nose gets all red, stuttering out a compliment for you, too. one that he doesn’t seem to quite have all the words for, yet, but knows the inkling of - like he’s looked up the way to say it before and repeated it over in his mind, but the words just can’t quite seem to come, now that he’s in front of you.

— and one time, when you were sitting on the bus with your knees touching, and you whispered some compliment that sent him reeling, you laughed so hard, antoine didn’t try to hide his blushing face, because he was too entranced by your smile. 

>> “you’re cute,” you finally settled on saying, when the laughter was dying on your lips.

>> “but you are the most captivating person in the world.”

(and you don’t know what to do with that, so you just look down at the floor while your cheeks warm, and he marvels at you. his knuckles brush against yours the rest of the bus ride, and if he mutters something soft in another language you don’t speak, well, you savor the intonation of his words and play them over and over in your mind until you make sense of what they mean by the feeling of them only.)

— and a favorite pastime of atoines, you learned, is web weaving (y’know, cherry picking quotes or paintings or song lyrics that carry the same vibe).

(it goes hand in hand with the creativity and ingenuity he uses to ~occasionally dj~ and is also something incredibly sappy that fits him.)

you follow him on social media, so you see a lot of it, there, but he’ll also slip you snippets of poetry in your school bag or your textbooks, when no one is looking.

— it’s sweet, and it’s him, but it also can’t be traced to anyone, seeing as it’s not original work, and no one sees who put it there in the first place.

— eventually - and especially during tech week - antoine starts to slip you song lyrics or poetry that he’s written himself. he’s too shy to text it to you or present it to you himself, but you always tell him directly what you think.

he’s bashful, and you’re emphatic, and howie is bashing his head in the wall, wondering when you two are going to get together, ffs.

— and eventually, the day after your opening night, and everyone went to get pizza, you and antoine just got off the the bus that you took home (he insisted on accompanying you, even though he lives in the opposite direction), and he confesses to you.

you’re still at the bus stop. the night is warm and dark, and all the colors of the passing cars and neon building signs are reflecting in your eyes. the world is quiet and drowsy around you, and the world is close enough to touch. and when he confesses, really, it just slips out.

(he doesn’t try to take it back, though this wasn’t the moment he’d imagined, because he means it too much to pretend he doesn’t.)

and you kiss him right there, because you’d been waiting to do it for a while, and nothing would get sweeter than this.

— he walks you home, hand-in-hand, and he kisses you quickly on the cheek when it’s time to leave.

>> “i’ll see you tomorrow,” you say, because all else is hazy stardust in your mind.

>> “before then,” antoine says with a smile, “meet me in your dreams.”

— and that same night, you get a call from ashlyn, apologizing for what happened during the school year. she promises to tell you in person come morning, but she just had to get it off of her chest, now. you tell her you’ll meet her, and you mean it.

— and perhaps things are starting to look up...

AND FLUFF ENSUES.

taglist: @starkeysslut​, @theletterhart​, @brokenandheadoverheels​, @neelia-thedaughtherof-athena​ @kitsdeadwife, @amortensie​, @multifandomlover121, @ggclarissa​, @liliafangirls, @teaand-dreams​ // add yourself to the taglist here!

[pulaasul]

The Menkies

A/N: Credit also goes to @redlyncentral​, @cadetcama​, @caswellprmanager​ for indirectly contributing to the creative process, via reading some of their asks, that and my co-writer was also sending snippets of this fic to them, so I got some feedback

Thank you.

I hope it’s up to everyone’s standards. 

--------

East High’s Drama club members, affectionately renamed the Wildcats, after the school’s fictional mascot from the High School Musical movies, all received official Menkies invitation to the bi-annual Menkies competition.

What surprises could await our wildcats there?

FFN I AO3

[sorry I could not find any other gif that had the entire main cast]

--------

"Is everyone here?" Miss Jenn questioned as she strutted inside the bomb shelter of a rehearsal room.

It has been a week since the entire Drama department, even those who weren't present at the after-party, unanimously agreed to drop out of the Menkies competition against other schools, especially against North High.

"Big Red and Kourtney are on their way, they were called by their teachers after class." Ricky informed.

"EJ's also on his way, he had to submit some receipts to the student council for the senior expenses." Ashlyn relayed.

"So what's the emergency?" EJ questioned as he appeared from the room's entrance door, in full lacrosse gear. "I can't stay too long we have a game to win the day after tomorrow."

"We're just waiting for Kourtney and Big Red," Ricky helpfully informed. "Miss Jenn just got here actually.

"Sorry, we're late!"

Big Red and Kourtney rushed inside the room, both never bothering to place their things on the floor, and immediately stood in front of their drama teacher.

"Miss Jenn, are we talking about the Menkies invitation I got via email?" Carlos voiced.

"Wait, you too?" Ricky asked.

"Everyone from the drama club has received an invitation to attend the Menkies," Miss Jenn revealed. "Their rationale was that we deserve to at least attend the ceremony despite dropping out of the competition."

"Is it possible that this is another of North High's attempts at rubbing it to our faces?" Ashlyn asked.

Everyone agreed with Ashlyn's sentiment.

It was no secret to everyone that Lily resented Ashlyn for booking the Belle part instead of her.

"No," Miss Jenn denied the sentiment. "I've confirmed it with the Menkies board of judges and trustees, and they did say that we should have the privilege to attend the ceremony."

"But…"

"Why don't we treat this as our official field trip?" Nini voiced out her suggestion.

"As long as you have two teachers to chaperone you for the trip, considering there are freshmen in the department," Mr. Mazzara went inside the room and stood beside Ms. Jenn. "Miss Jenn and I will chaperone you for this particular field trip."

"So we're all in agreement?"

"What team?!" Ricky placed his right hand forward.

"Wildcats!" Everyone joined in to the huddle and placed their hands on top of Ricky's.

"What team?!"

"Wildcats!"

"What team?!"

"Wildcats!"

"Wildcats!" Ricky yelled the school's fictional mascot.

"Get'cha Head in the game!" Everyone cheered.

-----

"Howie really looks good as Prince Adam." Kourtney whispered to Nini.

The Drama department used their invitations to get inside the hall where the Menkie awards were taking place. The first part of the ceremony was witnessing the different participating drama departments of the west coast perform a specific number from their respective musical plays before the actual awarding ceremony is held.

Currently on stage were the students of North High, performing the last song and dance number of their production, Beauty and the Beast, the waltz between Prince Adam and Belle after everything has been resolved. They can see Howie as Prince Adam dancing the waltz with Lily as Belle with the other cast members doing the same to the tune of the song 'Beauty and the Beast'.

"You've got to admit, Lily is the stereotypical Disney princess." Ashlyn observed.

"Ashlyn."

"No, I get it, I know I nailed my part," Ashlyn assured her fellow drama kids. "But don't you guys agree?"

"I mean sure," Gina nodded. "She may look like a Disney Princess, but she can't capture the character of one."

"Apart from Howie and Antoine, most of them really feel hollow when they sing their songs," Seb pointed out. "Even when Lily was auditioning with us, her voice felt hollow when she sang her songs, even with the warm-up."

"You noticed that too?" Ashlyn asked. "I thought it was just me."

"No, she really feels hollow when she sings her songs." Seb nodded.

"Even Ricky's awkward 'Bet On It' had more heart than her singing Belle." Ashlyn grinned.

"Oh it's because that I don't think she's all that bad, you're going to make fun of me too?" Ricky raised an eyebrow.

"Look, Ricky, just because she confessed her undying love to your big round eyes and big brown hair, does not mean she isn't the Queen of Mean." Big Red explained.

"Besides Kourtney is definitely dating Howie, and you don't see us harping on her." Nini grinned.

"Face it, Ricky, We all think Lily's bad news." EJ squeezed the younger boy's shoulders.

"You definitely could do better than her." Gina smirked firing his words back at him.

"Beauty and the Beast." The last note was sung as everyone on stage curtsied in front of the audience.

"Thank you North High!" The Emcee expressed, we will have a thirty-minute intermission to give a chance for South High to place their props on stage."

Everyone stood up from their seats and began exiting the room.

-----

From the castle aesthetic that North High presented, South High's set was that of a cave with small portions of the stage decorated like modern-day cities to middle-aged castles.

South High performed 'A Friend Like Me' with a lot of costume changes for Aladdin from his street rat attire to a sultan's robes heck there was even a time when he wore a knight's armor to wearing the beast's clothes from 'Beauty and the Beast'

"Now this is an entertaining number," Carlos grooved with the song. "Didn't think South High had a very high concept for 'A Friend Like Me'." He praised.

"It also makes sense, considering the genie's powers." Ashlyn nodded.

"They also won't be disqualified despite showing Princess Jasmine in the number as it can be argued that it's part of the genie's pitch."

The Aladdin on stage somehow ended up wearing just his harem pants and somehow chained to some rocks.

"So dont'cha sit there slack-jawed, buggy-eyed. I'm here to answer all your midday prayers." The shirtless Genie sang as he helped the equally shirtless Aladdin pull on the chains and break him free from his restraints.

"You got a genie for your chargé d'affaires. I got a powerful urge to help you out."

Smoke came out as the words were sung before another purple waistcoat dropped from above and landing on the Aladdin actor's head.

"I have to hand it to South High, they're creative."

"Shouldn't they be disqualified for the number of dance breaks they have?" Big Red asked.

"Technically, no," Carlos answered. "They did not alter the original script, they just made the number longer than how it normally is."

"Considering the number of outfit changes their Aladdin does in this number," Kourtney snorted. "The number of dance breaks is justified."

"Besides, we're almost at the end of the number." EJ pointed out.

Somehow Aladdin was now hand standing on top of Genie, who was also standing on top of an elevated uneven platform.

"Thank you South High!" The Emcee announced. "We will have another thirty-minute intermission to allow West High to set their set pieces and props.

"I have to say, I enjoyed South High's performance over North High's." Carlos offered. "Their number was enjoyable."

"A shame we decided to check the copycats over South's." Natalie lamented.

"We still have West High to go," Ashlyn reminded. "Maybe they have a better performance than South's?"

------

From the cave-like setting of South High's production, what was on stage were mock-up street lamps and some cardboard houses and at the center was a replica of the Notre Dame church, or at least the front is near identical to the church's entrance.

"Either it's 'Sanctuary' or 'Tupsy Turvy'." EJ guessed.

As soon as the first note was sounded and a man in jester's outfit slid on stage, it instantly clued everyone in on the song number.

As soon as the words started coming in, more and more of the ensemble dancers filed on stage from the back and both wings, dressed like circus performers. Some dancers came out of hiding from behind the cardboard houses, dressed as a commoner of the era.

Not a moment longer, the star of the show, the Hunchback showed trying to get away from the crowd but was thwarted at every turn.

"Their costumes are very creative and stylish." Kourtney praised.

'That's high praise coming from you, Kourt!" Nini exclaimed.

"Their dancers are also good," Gina agreed.

"Their set pieces are also humble," Big Red observed. "They made them work for their scene."

"Even their Judge Frollo looks stylish despite wearing only formal robes." Carlos praised.

"I think even without us competing, North High is going to have a hard time winning against them." Natalie commented.

"How is Ms. Jenn handling this?"

Everyone looked at Carlos, considering she was his chosen godmother.

"Ever since we decided to drop out of the competition, she's been calm, I think the other competition that North High is up against makes her happy." Carlos offered his guess.

The number soon ended with Quasimodo on top of an elevated platform standing on the throne wearing a golden crown and a purple cape.

"Thank you West High, we will have a fifteen-minute intermission, to give time for West High to remove their set-pieces." The emcee announced.

------

The winners for each category had been announced, with the awards being dominated by North High. They won best set design, best lighting, best ensemble performance, best costume design, best director, and best leading actress

South High won two awards best choreography and best orchestrations.

West High won one award best leading actor.

"Of course, North High is going to win most of the categories!" Carlos huffed.

"I mean, we've only seen one number from the other two schools." Big Red offered.

"Still, I was hoping that they wouldn't sweep at the awards," Carlos sighed. "I wonder how mother is doing."

"And for the Alan Menken Award for Excellence in High School Musical Theater goes to…" The emcee trailed off to create some tension.

Suddenly, some people wearing suits appeared on stage and began whispering at the emcee.

"Looks like, we'll just have to wait," The emcee awkwardly laughed. "We'll have another thirty-minute intermission."

As everyone murmured among themselves, the East High Drama club members looked at each other, equally confused as the other members of the audience.

"What do you think happened?" Ricky couldn't help but ask.

"Maybe they had a Miss Universe situation?" Seb offered. "When they mistakenly printed or announced the wrong winner, and looked to correct it?"

"It'd be cruel to the competitors who thought they had won tho." Nini offered her opinion.

"That's just the sad reality." Gina nodded as if remembering something in the past.

"Are you okay, Gi?" EJ questioned his girlfriend, concerned.

"I'm alright, just remembering a friend back in elementary, she was announced to be the winner on stage but they were mistaken and immediately announced the correct winner, humiliating her."

"That's horrible!" Ashlyn gasped.

"This was before Jamie decided to walk out on us, and before we were constantly moving from place to place." Gina shared. "Her parents decided to transfer her to a different school immediately after, fearing for their daughter."

"Kids can be cruel sometimes." Carlos huffed.

-----

As soon as everyone was seated, the person who went on stage was not the emcee of the program, but rather one of the suits who was whispering some words to the emcee earlier.

"After careful deliberation, the board of judges and the board of trustees has since decided to disqualify North High from the competition."

Everyone from the audience gasped at the revelation.

"Of course, North High still has time to defend themselves and appeal the decision. In which case, the awards they have won will be promptly awarded back to them. That will be all."

Out of the blue, someone stood up and began marching towards someone and began yelling.

"It was you!" The girl yelled. "You bribed the board to disqualify us from the competition."

"Ms. Wright, sit down right this instant!" Zack marched to his student. "Do not make this very difficult than it already is!" He growled.

"O my god! That's Lily!" Carlos gasped.

"That means…"

"She's yelling at Miss Jenn!"

"Settle your fangs Wildcats." Mr. Mazzara was suddenly beside Natalie. "Let's not make a scene here, your Miss Jenn is an adult, she can handle this on her own."

"Are we talking about the same Ms. Jenn who told Ricky to jump off of something high?" Kourtney couldn't help but whisper to Nini.

"Kourtney!" Nini elbowed her best friend.

"Why are you booing me? I'm right!"

"Bu-"

"What about you Mr. Mazzara?" Ashlyn asked.

"I'm just here not to add any more offenses to your records." The STEM teacher answered.

The said wildcats had the decency to look down and blush at the subtle call out.

"Caswell, you're in charge, do not let them leave their seats."

Both Caswells instantly knew who Mr. Mazzara was referring to. He was referring to the senior.

Mr. Mazzara immediately returned to his seat, besides Ms. Jenn.

From what every Wildcat could see, Lily was still pointing at Ms. Jenn rudely while ranting, and ranting, and ranting. The girl's words were drowned out by the murmurs of everyone in the audience, trying to make sense of the recent turn of events.

Another surprise came by the sight of a white cloth descending from above, and a projection was shown.

First, it showed Ricky Bowen, in his Prince Adam costume conversing with someone behind the camera, from the looks of things he seemed to be conversing with Lily from the blue cloth at the side of the projection.

The next thing the projection showed was the fully packed backstage of the theater, with everyone inside trying to leave in a hurry as if they had forgotten something. The camera soon stabilized as it showed Lily in full view of the camera, with no one else in the vicinity, gently grabbing the harness from where it's preset.

Lily was back behind the camera, as the projection showed the secret exit way of the school.

And the footage ends there.

"It was her?" Natalie growled. "When I get my hands on her!"

Everyone was upset with the revelation. Whispers and cruel looks were sent in Lily's direction.

"Who played the footage without our authorization?!" One of the suits exclaimed at the microphone.

Ricky was shocked. He was speechless. After all the times he had defended her, it turned out that she was the one behind it all. Behind getting yelled at by Ms. Jenn on opening night.

"Dude, are you okay?" Big Red was concerned.

Ricky simply gulped but did not respond to the question.

"Big Red, Kaden, could you two escort Ricky outside? I don't think he should be here." EJ asked.

Kaden and Big Red nodded as they gently hoisted Ricky off of his seat and accompanied the unresponsive boy outside.

"Couldn't believe that North High would sabotage us." Ashlyn gasped.

"I think she's worse than both Gina 1.0 and EJ 1.0" Gina joked.

"Hey!" EJ playfully protested.

Soon enough, Lily was escorted outside the theater with Zack coming along.

"It makes me wonder, did anyone else know?"

"Howie was sitting away from Lily during the show." Kourtney answered.

"Antoine was in front of Howie." Ashlyn supplied. "But he still could have known of it."

"I implore everyone present not to post everything that happened here on social media," One of the suits spoke through the microphone. "The board of trustees is still in the middle of investigating the matter, let us remember that one of the parties involved is a minor."

There were murmurs of agreement.

"I'll give the floor back to the Emcee to award the special awards."

"Thank you!" The Emcee went back on stage and continued his duties. "Again, I reiterate the importance of not posting what had happened tonight, remember that one or more parties that were involved are minors," He added. "Since we're postponing the awarding for best musical play for today as investigations are ongoing, let's proceed to the special awards."

The audience cheered.

"Not many people know but the Special Awards are given to participants and non-participants of the bi-annual Menkies competition. In this case, even those whose acts were disqualified because of failing to adhere to the competition's rules and guidelines are still given recognition for their efforts." The Emcee narrated. "I award the Special Award of Undeterred Performance to East High."

The peanut gallery clapped their hands in applause.

"East High may have decided to drop out of the competition, but despite the circumstances of their last scene, they were still able to deliver a stunning performance."

"W-we're getting an award?" Carlos couldn't breathe.

"Who should go with Ms. Jenn?"

"Carlos and Ashlyn." EJ decided for the group. "Ashlyn was our lead and Carlos was the one who steps up whenever Ms. Jenn is otherwise occupied.

"What about you? This is the last chance for you to be on stage with an award." Ashlyn questioned.

"I meant what I said a week ago, Ash," EJ smiled at his cousin. "I've basked in my share of spotlights, it's your turn to do the same."

"Aww EJ."

"Shall we, Belle?"

"We shall, Lumiere."

Ms. Jenn, Carlos, and Ashlyn all shared one hug before climbing on stage to receive the award.

"We will always be grateful for this award, but I must say, the reason we dropped out of the competition, even though we have already finished our opening night, was because of how much about the competition has dictated our work ethic." Ms. Jenn started her spiel. "The students and I pushed each other beyond our limits, which lead to few accidents."

Ashlyn raised her hand that still had her bedazzled braces.

"As the competition got intense, the students were filled with a sense of paranoia that led to them trespassing North High property on the assumption that they stole one of our costumes, which their director did, but that's not the point." Ms. Jenn continued. "On opening night, as soon as we realized that our harness was missing, I had told our male lead to jump off, even when he had literally done the same weeks before our opening, which lead to the accidents I mentioned before." She admitted.

Mr. Mazzara looked at Ms. Jenn with proud eyes, proud for admitting her mistakes and flaws.

"As we let the idea of winning the competition get into our heads, we did not realize that we had already forgotten why theater exists in schools. We had forgotten that it was to be a safe place for everyone in the performing arts, where no one would judge them if they put themselves out there, where everyone is accepted for who they are."

Ricky, Big Red, and Kaden returned to their seats they looked confused as to what was happening.

"What's going on? Why're Ms. Jenn, Carlos, and Ashlyn on stage?" Ricky spoke the question.

"Right," Seb nodded. "We were just awarded a special award for undeterred performance because we were still able to make the show go on despite Lily's theft."

EJ tapped Seb's shoulder in disapproval.

"O-ooh!" Ricky's eyes widened.

"Wait, I thought we dropped out of the competition?" Big Red couldn't help but ask.

"It's a special award given to participants and non-participants of the competition." Nini supplied.

"Our moral compass had been compromised as soon as we let the competition get into our heads. That's why we, as a group, unanimously decided to drop out of the competition." Miss Jenn ended her spiel.

"Belle, any words?" Ms. Jenn gave the microphone to the lead.

"What Ms. Jenn said was true, apart from our moral compass, we also had forgotten the one most important thing about theater."

"And that's being with your people." Carlos supplied. "Chemistry on stage says a lot about the actors who play the characters. If one castmate is uncomfortable with one of the leads, then that reflects negatively to the show, no matter how skilled of a singer, dancer, or actor you are."

"We must admit, we were confused as to why we were invited to witness the ceremonies when we dropped out of the competition." Ashlyn supplied.

"But we thank the board of judges of the Menkies for gracing us with this award!" Ms. Jenn raised the trophy. "Wildcats, this is for us."

Ashlyn, Carlos, and Ms. Jenn nodded at each other.

"What team?" Ms. Jenn stated to the microphone.

"WILDCATS!" All the wildcats present responded.

"Once again, thank you to the Menkies's board of judges and trustees for giving us this award." Ms. Jenn gave a last-minute sentence of appreciation before she and her students walked off stage.

"Thank you, East High, for that moving speech," The Emcee praised. "Now to award the Special Award for Costumes and Design, I give this award to West High!"

Everyone clapped as Carlos and Ashlyn went back to their seats.

"You know, it should've been Carlos and Gina, or Carlos and EJ on stage," Ashlyn stated. "I agree that Carlos should've been with Ms. Jenn, but Ej, that was literally your last chance to be on stage as an East High student."

"If it means that my cousin would be in the spotlight, I'll take it." EJ shrugged.

"You know, it would've been appropriate if our leads were the ones on stage." Rico offered his opinion.

"Ricky would have stomped down the idea, fast, if he was here when we were awarded, "Nini stated thoughtfully. "He had always hated change, and seeing his face projected onscreen was one change too many for him to handle, right Ricky?"

The boy in question simply nodded in response.

"You say that, but out of all of us, he's the one who changed the most," Kourtney offered. "Barring you, EJ, and Gina of course."

"Hey!" EJ protested. "No need to call us out like that?!"

Kourtney simply raised an eyebrow at the reaction.

"Now before we end the ceremonies," The Emcee called everyone's attention. "Let's all view the highlights of East High's production, Beauty and the Beast."

"I think Mr. Mazzara may have known that we were getting an award," EJ whispered to his castmates. "He had asked one of the A/V club members to capture our performance on video.

"Once Upon a Time, in a faraway land," The voice of Mr. Mazzara's faux British accent blared through the speakers of the theater.

Everyone watched as Steph walked on screen as the Enchantress who cursed Prince Adam to become the beast, whose transformation into a grotesque figure was quick and jaw-dropping.

The next number was 'Belle' with Ashlyn as Belle roaming around the stage, singing the song.

It was followed by 'Gaston' where EJ as Gaston was on top of the table while the other dancers spin it in its place as he sang the song while Big Red as Lefou was under the table jiving to the song.

The next thing shown was the 'Be Our Guest' number and it began with Carlos as Lumiere and Ashlyn as Belle standing spotlighted before the faux doors behind them opened to reveal the moving utensils.

Followed by the 'Something There' number where both Belle and Beast sang their thoughts together of each other. It also showed the chemistry between the actors on stage.

Followed by the 'Mob song' number where EJ as Gaston was on top of an elevated platform and egging on the villagers as a young-looking Maurice was thrown into a cart followed by Belle before he and the villagers marched to the castle.

The next scene that came up on the projector was how Gaston stabbed the Beast in the back before the assailant himself fell backstage. Followed by the transformation scene where the Beast was lying on a table before the lights went out and focused on the glowing rose cutout at the far end of the stage.

As soon as the lights went back, the Beast was back to being Prince Adam, standing on top of the spinning table.

The last scene to be featured was the waltz between Ricky and Ashlyn as Adam and Belle respectively, with Belle wearing the golden dress that the character was known for.

The lights went out momentarily before it returned, the waltz continued amongst the dancers but with the leads absent.

The ensemble dancers bowed first before Babbette and Lumiere walked on stage together, bowed at the audience, and joined the dancers in dancing the waltz.

Mrs. Potts and Chip followed the former feather duster and former candelabra and imitated their actions as soon as they were on stage.

The mother-son duo was followed by Cogsworth and the Enchantress, then by Gaston and Lefou, and lastly, Adam and Belle.

After the entire cast bowed, the video presentation ended.

"Give it up for, East High!" The Emcee announced.

Everyone clapped their hands as soon as they were prompted as two spotlights shone on East High's drama department in the audience and one on Ms. Jenn.

"They're the ones who got their presentation sabotaged, right?" Natalie could hear the people whispering.

"It didn't even look like they had a problem at all!"

"It's a shame that they dropped out of the competition."

"I know, if what they said on that speech was true, and still able to perform admirably well, then they're true professional actors in the making."

"I don't know, we've only seen a few numbers from their production," Another one played devil's advocate. "They could have made blunders on the numbers we never saw."

"That may be true, but I'm sure the transformation scene at the end was where the harness that girl took was supposed to come into play, judging from how they handled that, I'd say excellent marks."

"I suggest that you stop listening to the conversation." Someone from Natalie's back whispered to her. "You'll miss the moment."

Natalie turned around, but she couldn't tell who was the one whispering to her earlier.

"I thought you said the transformation was just passable!" Nini exclaimed to Kourtney.

"It really just looked passable!" Kourtney defended herself.

"Are you kidding?! It was incredible!" EJ exclaimed.

"Congratulations, dude." Big Red congratulated his best friend. "I'm sorry about Lily

"We did warn you," Gina offered. "I just did not think she'd be much worse than EJ 1.0 and Gina 1.0 combined."

"We weren't that bad, right?" EJ's voice cracked.

"You did steal, but you guys eventually returned what you stole." Ashlyn laid down the facts.

"For the record, I did not steal the phone."

"True, you just deleted a voice message." Nini reminded him.

"Oh c'mon!" EJ exclaimed. "I thought I was forgiven."

"Forgive, but never forget."

"I'm going to steal that, girl!" Kourtney smirked.

------

The day after the Menkies, Ms. Jenn called for an emergency meeting with the drama department. She arrived with everyone already assembled in the rehearsal room.

"So what's the emergency?"

"Has anyone seen the video North High posted on their Instagram?" Ms. Jenn questioned her students.

"What?"

Everyone fished for their phones and immediately went to their former rival's Instagram page.

"Hello, this is Zack Roy." Zack's face was on everyone's phone as soon as the video clip started. "You have heard right, I have encouraged my students to do what it takes to win any and every competition they set their sights on," The man maintained a stoic appearance. "It was up to them to give themselves the advantage they need. I never thought that my students would stoop so low to steal an actor's harness during their opening night."

Everyone was glued to their phones as they processed the apology video that North High posted.

"As such, I deeply apologize for what my students did."

"He wasn't sincere." Natalie commented.

"He's taking everyone down with Lily?" Kourtney scoffed. "How dare he?!"

"Didn't he also steal our mask?!" Carlos growled.

"With the North High's apology video, it confirms that they have been completely disqualified from the Menkies with no hope of appealing their case." Ms. Jenn informed the group. "As such, the Menkies board of trustees has emailed the other participating schools' drama teachers and principals of their verdict with what to do."

"What action did they take?" Gina couldn't help but ask.

"First, they revoked their decision to award Lily of the best leading actress, with no school wanting the award in the once it was vacated."

"W-why wouldn't anyone want to get that?" Big Red and Ricky were confused.

"Because, it'd basically be admitting that you're just leagues below someone else, that and you just won on a technicality." Carlos explained to newbies of theater.

"The winner for the Alan Menken Award for Excellence in High School Musical Theater was supposed to be North High." Ms. Jenn added. "They were supposed to receive $50,000 in check as the school's reward, with North High's offense, the Menkies board decided to split the $50,000 reward money amongst all the participating schools, even to the ones who were disqualified and those who dropped out of the competition."

"How much do we get?" EJ couldn't help but ask.

EJ was in the drama club for four years straight, he was aware of how much the drama club was receiving in terms of money. It was a wonder how they were able to produce Beauty and the Beast, the first time.

"There were 20 participating schools for the bi-annual Menkies awards, barring North High, there'd be 19 left." Ms. Jenn stated.

"If we count North High, each school will get $2,500." EJ answered casually.

"No, with North High's offenses, they're excluded from the count." Ms. Jenn shook her head.

"If we only count the 19 schools, then each school would receive $2,630." Ashlyn calculated.

"You rounded the answer off to the nearest tens," EJ casually pointed out. "Leaving a $30 excess."

"I mean, would you give each school the very exact change up to the last cent?" Ashlyn questioned.

"Wait for a second, you both do math?" Carlos couldn't help but ask the Caswell cousins. "How come we were never aware of this?!" He demanded.

"It's not like we were hiding it." Ashlyn shrugged.

"EJ's literally the senior class treasurer," Big Red pointed out. "But even I can't do math that quick."

"Neither can I and I'm an assistant manager." Kourtney raised her hands.

"That's how the money's going to be divided ideally, with the $30 given to the school North High tried to sabotage, us."

"If only that would come true." Gina sighed.

"At the very least, East High will get $2630 from the money that North High was supposed to win." EJ reported.

"At least the department will have some budget for the fall musical." Ms. Jenn sighed in relief.

The school bell suddenly rang.

"Okay, wildcats, that will be all, please return here after school and we'll decide on some things." Ms. Jenn dismissed her students.

------

"Ms. Jenn, EJ can't make it this afternoon," Ashlyn informed the drama teacher. "He has one last WaterPolo match before he can finally focus on final exams."

"That's okay, I wanted everyone but EJ today." Ms. Jenn smiled at the Caswell.

"Wait, Why?"

"We're doing a graduation party for our Gaston." Ms. Jenn announced. "So anyone got any ideas?"

"I may have a few." Gina volunteered.

[karlyfr13s]

One Love, One Lifetime

A Phantom of the Opera inspired Captain Swan AU

Rated M, cover art by @hollyethecurious

Chapter Two: Think of Me

Friday dawned clear and bright, and Emma woke earlier than usual. While she was normally happy to lay in bed until mid-morning, today marked the beginning of the season and the opening gala at the opera house, and she was anxious to get limbered up and ready for tonight’s performance. The day would require all-hands on deck, and Emma loved it when the whole venue was buzzing with excited and busy cast and crew members. Today was particularly special for Emma as she was given her first starring role. Regina hadn’t shown her face since the incident earlier in the week, though several of her lackies had been spotted skulking around backstage, most likely gathering gossip for her as usual. Emma was sure the managers spent most of their waking hours attempting to call Regina back and garner her favor. Sure, she wasn’t beloved by most of the crew--who she constantly berated and treated like personal servants--and a substantial portion of the cast ran hot and cold in their feelings--probably because she criticized everyone but Sidney and herself--but... Emma lost her train of thought as she stretched with her fellow dancers. Regina was the leading lady, so surely they had no choice but to try and lure her back, right?

Emma wondered aloud to Ruby whether Booth and the others were hellbent on getting Regina back on stage because they didn’t have faith in Emma’s own abilities, guessing that her managers might already fear the worst in tonight’s opening show. Ruby dismissed the thought out of hand as any best friend would do with only hours remaining before showtime. Of course, her managers had no idea how nervous Emma was, but ever since the impromptu audition on Tuesday evening, Emma had nightly conversations with her hidden Angel. He had coached and encouraged her as she practiced, working to perfect her enunciation and ensure she hit each note of the final cadenza in the complex aria with precision and confidence. Though the Angel didn’t always speak to her, Emma never felt alone in the moments she practiced despite the rest of the large venue sitting dark and silent in the small hours of the night.

As she readied herself for costume and makeup, anxiety rushed through her, sending Emma’s pulse racing and her breathing became shallow gasps. She tried to still the fluttering in her stomach, tried to shift into the single-minded focus she usually felt as she warmed up with the rest of the chorus, but doing so alone was far more difficult. Yet as she gazed at her reflection in the floor-length mirror, Emma felt a strange and sudden quiet fall over her. She could do this--she was going to do this. Tonight. She had trained for it, had been practicing numerous complex pieces for years now, had intentionally set herself the repeated challenge of playing secret understudy to Regina. With a nod to her reflection, Emma left her room and made for the theatre and the final rehearsals for blocking.

That evening as she slipped into the sparkling white ball gown, as the costuming crew clipped glittering crystalline stars into her long golden waves, she coached herself under her breath. She said a quick word of gratitude to the spirit of her father and to the Angel whose influence brought her to this moment. As she took her place backstage, Emma straightened her shoulders and Ruby snuck in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. “They’ll never know you’re sweating a river under that thing--way too many layers for anyone to notice. Plus, they’ll be so blown away by your voice that nothing else will matter. Go get ‘em, girl!”

With that, Emma Nolan took the stage and had her first moment in the spotlight. It was an out of body experience. Surely it wasn’t little orphan Emma who commanded the entire stage? There was no way some girl from small-town Maine stood at the Paris Opera House-- at Palais Garnier --and bespelled an entire audience with the light, complicated, and wondrously beautiful “Think of Me”. Knowing the box would be vacant, Emma set her sights on box five and put her whole heart into the next four minutes. She could feel the swell of the music accompanying her, letting the warmth of the strings pull her onward, compelling the crowd with the sudden softness as she reached the third verse, and allowing herself to be taken over by the moment as the song crescendoed.

Recall those days

Look back on all those times

Think of the things we'll never do

There will never be a day

When I won't think of you

In the back of her mind, she heard a loud call, “Bravo!’” ring from the audience, and in the last verse of her solo, Emma felt as though she were flying. Her voice building higher and higher in the cadenza, each note crisp and clear as it rang across the theatre and back to her so that when the last two notes burst from her like some wild, magical thing they were half drowned out by the standing ovation that spontaneously began right in front of her.

Emma didn’t have time to remove her makeup or change before she was completely swamped by well-wishers. Cast, crew, and several attendees who’d somehow made their way to the hall that led backstage all vied for her attention. She couldn’t catch half of what they were saying, wished desperately to get out of her heavy gown, and found herself repeatedly saying ‘thank you’ more than anything else. It was entirely overwhelming. Thankfully, her managers interrupted, Jefferson swooped in and took a bouquet from her laden arms, offering her a flute of champagne instead. “Hell of a first night, Emma,” he beamed at her and they clinked glasses. “Seems Madame Lucas was right about you -- we’ve had to set half the stagehands to temporary security so we can get people out of the building instead of having them wander in search of you.”

“He’s right,” Locksley chimed in, freeing her other arm from the elaborate bouquet of stargazer lilies, which had been starting to make her nose tickle. “You’re quite the sensation, Miss Nolan!” She thanked him for the kind words and he insisted she call him Robin, introducing the dark-haired woman who’d appeared at his elbow as his wife, Marian. “With that, we must take our leave. Babysitters are ludicrously expensive in this city, and Roland should already be asleep anyway. Enjoy the moment, Miss Nolan, it certainly won’t be the last.”

Gradually, the crowd began to disperse and Emma was given a small amount of breathing room between introductions and congratulations. Her feet were aching and she was about to call it a night, when she saw a familiar face lingering in the crowd. “Graham?” She took a few steps toward the man, his light brown hair falling into his eyes as he grinned at her. She took off at a run, kicking off her heels, and he caught her in his arms. “I knew that was your voice -- I just knew it! What are you doing here? How?”

He spun her in a circle, the vast skirts of her gown swirling around them and clearing a space as several onlookers gawked at the pair. “My parents are patrons of the opera,” he explained briefly, kissing her cheek and blushing pink at the public attention. “When I heard tonight was your debut, I told them I’d represent the Humberts for the opening gala -- Emma, you were incredible out there!” The reunion was abruptly interrupted when Granny caught Emma’s eye where she lingered near the hall to her apartment. Granny gestured to her watch and Emma immediately stepped back from Graham’s embrace.

“It’s so good to see you, but...I have to go for the night, Graham, it’s late.” As she spoke, he took both her hands in his, wrapping her slender fingers in his warm grasp and insisting they go out and celebrate both her triumphant debut and their unexpected reunion. “I can’t, Graham, I’d love to -- it’s been so long since we saw each other -- but curfew is strict here, and I have to go. Goodnight.” She stepped back, gathering up her shoes as she fled the attention. The last thing she saw before making her way to her room was Graham with his brow knit in confusion. The image was quickly swept from her mind when she saw her whole apartment overflowing with bouquets and congratulatory gifts.

She turned to face Granny, her eyes wide. The old woman offered a kind smile, though she didn’t mention Graham or even ask who he was, which seemed odd. Instead, she handed Emma a single, perfect pink rose unlike any she’d seen. The stem was tied with a black satin ribbon and as she passed the delicate bloom to Emma, Granny’s only explanation was “He’s pleased with your performance, Emma. You sang like an angel tonight.” She helped Emma out of the elaborate costume, taking care to brush out her hair as she removed the numerous clips and pins. Emma hummed to herself as the two worked, Granny focusing on the items that needed to be brought back to the costuming department while Emma swiped her way through layer after layer of makeup until she was left fresh-faced and rosy-cheeked from the experience. She slipped behind the wardrobe screen after Granny left, changing into a soft floor-length robe.

Graham was here. It had been years since they last saw one another, and Emma tried to hold the vision of him now -- a man grown, complete with stubble on his cheek -- alongside the boy she’d spent so much of her childhood with. So many days had been spent at the top of her father’s loft, daydreaming and sneaking chocolates with Graham -- he was an excellent storyteller, and seemed to have a knack for knowing when her father was feeling particularly unwell. After they received the news that her father’s illness was incurable, Graham had become a daily presence in the house. He was always helping out -- fixing leaky faucets or repairing the shutters after a bad storm. As she sat and pondered her own reflection, Emma was drawn back to their freshman year of high school and to her first kiss -- their first kiss --she’d always assumed she’d end up with the boy next door.

That had changed with the revelation her father was taking her to Paris. Graham had not taken it well, and had stormed out her door for the last time two weeks before she uprooted her whole life with the move. She had needed him, had relied on him as a constant in her life, but almost immediately she saw him around town with someone else. Emma found out later it was some woman a few years older than Graham, and heard they had followed one another through Europe for a year before starting university in England. While that clearly hadn’t worked out, the old wound still stung. Undoubtedly, he had been through Paris several times, and he knew precisely where she was. So why had he never visited until now? It seemed likely she was only catching his attention now that it was her name on the marquee.

“Darling, who exactly is Graham Humbert to you?” came the voice in the darkness. Though Emma knew it could only be her Angel, she’d also never heard him like this. Usually the voice was low and encouraging, a mentor and gentle guide to her, but now...something was off. His pitch was too high, his pace too rapid and it felt angry somehow. She explained to the darkness around her that Graham was a friend, and had been for years. “Uncanny, isn’t it? He reappears suddenly just as you step into your own destiny,” the voice trailed off, his tone harsh and clipped.

“What do you mean? You don’t think...Graham wouldn’t do that! We’ve been friends since we were kids -- his family’s a patron of the arts, that’s all.” Emma felt oddly torn, needing to defend Graham’s intentions, while also feeling compelled to soothe the hurt her Angel so clearly felt right now.

“Men of low ambition seek greatness only through possessions -- through acquiring what is not theirs to have , darling.” His voice kept shifting, changing its origin as though he was everywhere and nowhere. “You are a marvel,” he crooned, voice softening to a low purr in her ear though he remained out of sight. His tone shifted abruptly, voice nearly a growl. “You were born for more than his small mind can imagine, and I will not see him bask in your glory. This triumph belongs to us -- to you and I alone.”

Emma realized then that she mattered to this unseen Angel, though for the life of her she couldn’t understand why . What’s more, he seemed to have eyes and ears everywhere -- had he been in the crowd after the curtain call? Had she seen him and simply not known? The thought seemed impossible; she’d always been sure she would know him the instant she saw him. “I know that,” she began, not knowing what he wanted from her, but wanting to try. “I never thought I could do anything like I did tonight, and without you, I know I never would have tried. Please,” she faltered then, wondering where to go from here and how best to help him understand how much she valued every lesson and moment they’d spent together. She squared her shoulders, looking at her resolute expression in the mirror. “Please, let me finally see you. Let me know who you really are -- who it is that made tonight possible.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere, my dear. Go on then, if you’re sure you can handle it, keep watching your mirror, Emma.” She leaned forward, at first seeing only herself gazing back until the surface swirled with crimson smoke and from the cloud emerged two brilliant blue eyes set in an astoundingly handsome face.

“Oh,” she heard herself gasp softly and she reached toward the image as the smoke cleared. She took in the black hair that tumbled artfully into his eyes, the confident smirk that gave her a brief flash of white teeth. She reached out, startling herself when her fingers found, not the solid glass she’d expected, but the scratch of the stubble that dusted his cheek.

“Come now, darling. I know you’re more curious than that,” he hummed, waiting patiently and leaning against what now appeared as a doorway rather than her mirror. She took her time, sweeping her eyes over his strong, lean frame. He wore all black from the embroidered silk waistcoat to his full-length leather coat and Emma was sure on most men it would look outlandish, but he was definitely not most men. His wolfish grin must have erased something in her brain because she realized belatedly he had a gleaming silver hook where his left hand should be. It appeared deadly sharp, and she wondered what story had led to its existence. She knew she was staring and tried to say something, anything at all.

“How?” she eventually sputtered, not knowing how to form the question she wanted to ask. He was real, and here. The man -- the Angel? Did angels look like this? -- who had watched over her for years now. The man who taught her to take raw talent and shape it into art. He was real. She reached out, laying her hand flat against his chest, her eyes fixed on the place over his heart. Taking a steadying breath, she slowly turned her gaze up to meet his eyes. “You’re real.” She felt stupid the instant it left her mouth, though his low chuckle wasn’t unkind.

“Real indeed, darling. And to your earlier enquiry: magic.” She tittered, faking a laugh at this and thinking she may have found herself at the mercy of a lunatic. He broke out in a warm laugh at her expression. “Not many people greet me in such a way, but you are not most people are you Emma?” She briefly wondered if he read her earlier thoughts, but before she could think much more he offered his arm which she took out of pure curiosity. “Perhaps a demonstration then?” And suddenly the world was shrouded in crimson smoke.

...

Thank you @ultraluckycatnd for beta-ing this piece, and @lonelyspectator12 for being an incredible brainstorming partner.

Shout-out to @eastwesthomeisbest for your artwork--it inspires me to persevere past writer's block!

Tagging CSMM Discord and those who've asked:

@kmomof4, @teamhook, @veryverynotgood, @caught-in-the-filter, @hollyethecurious, @laschatzi, @donteattheappleshook, @lonelyspectator12, @the-darkdragonfly, @zaharadessert, @winterbaby89, @jrob64, @wefoundloveunderthelight, @ultraluckycatnd, @stahlop, @alexa-fangirl-forever, @superchocovian, @monosalvatore16, @snowbellewells, @batana54

[adoraang]

She-Ra Week Day 5 by @fauxghosts

Prompt: PRINCESS PROM / healing

Summary: When Glimmer and Bow bet Adora she can't ask Catra to prom before the end of the spring musical, she gets frustrated with her feelings.So what do you do when you've got a bunch of pent up frustration?You duke it out in the Denny's parking lot with your crush in a lightsaber duel.

Read it on AO3

“You’re not gonna do it.”

“I am not gonna do it,” Adora said dramatically as they stepped off the stage after finishing Act Two.

Their school, after constant begging, had finally decided to do a production of Les Miserables. After doing things like Seussical (they don’t talk about that) and High School Musical (nothing wrong with it, just mundane), the theatre department wanted something more serious. Something that would challenge them.

So they forced their director, Double Trouble, to fight with the school about doing Les Mis. Despite some of the… suggestive stuff from the show, the school probably didn’t want to fight some theatre kids, and let them have their show.

The audition process is always the scariest. Being a soprano, she only had one role really available to her: Cosette. Glimmer and Bow peer pressured her into auditioning for a lead instead of going straight to ensamble, and she still wasn’t going to do it, but then Catra asked her to do it, and she couldn’t say no.

Adora ended up cast as Cosette, and she had practically cried of happiness when the cast list came out. Glimmer had gotten Fantine, being a very low mezzo. But then Catra’s name was listed for Eponine, and she just about proposed right there.

They were far from love interests. In fact, they were love rivals. Sea Hawk was the one playing Marius, and the two girls spent the entire show in love with him, which wasn’t the funnest. Neither of them even liked boys, so for Catra’s character to die because she was delivering a letter to Marius… It was a trip.

Even if they weren’t true love interests, and only shared one song with each other that wasn’t the Act One finale, Catra and Adora still spent the most time in rehearsal together. Ironic, because the one song was called A Heart Full Of Love, and it’s Adora’s hardest song, in her opinion.

She gushed about Catra to Bow and Glimmer everyday in the car home from rehearsal. “Guys, I think my heart is full of love. Would it be weird to ask Double Trouble to switch Marius and Eponine? I’d rather spend the whole show simping about Catra then Sea Hawk-”

“Adora!” Glimmer cut off. “You’ve been halfway in love with Catra since Seussical, and I think that’s saying something. You should tell her. What’s the worst that can happen?”

“She rejects me, never talks to me again, drops out of the show, and I can’t spend the rest of senior year with her or college, since we’re both going to University of San Diego together to major in theatre, and she’ll never want to be in another role with me!”

“You’re freaking out again,” Bow childed, not turning away from the street as he drove. “You know Catra isn’t like that. And I don’t think she’ll reject you in the first place.” “I am so tired of hearing Adora talk about Catra when Catra probably likes her back,” Glimmer growled. “I’m going to do something about it.”

She reached into her pocket, and Adora almost hopped over the console. She thought they were going to call Catra and tell her something, and it was enough to make her take off her seatbelt, despite Bow’s car safety. “Glimmer, wait-”

Instead, she pulled out her wallet. “I will give you fifty dollars if you ask Catra to Princess Prom as a romantic date. I’ll double the offer if you do it before closing night.”

“An extra twenty if she says yes!” Bow chimed in.

Glimmer and Bow don’t struggle with money, so a hundred wasn’t a lot for them, but Adora’s eyes grew wide as she thought about it. Of course, it involved asking Catra out, but she’d figure that out later. “You have a deal.”

“Now please put your seatbelt back on!” Bow screeched, his voice cracking.

Which brought them to now, as they got into position for curtain call. She’d be bowing with Sea Hawk after Catra had hers with Kyle (who played Enjorlas, and it’s still shrouded in mystery how he got the role). Glimmer was one of the first to bow, but she still caught the wink as she walked away.

“That thing is huge,” Catra mumbled when she got in line backstage, waiting for their cue.

Adora looked down at her costume. The huge wedding dress wasn’t her favorite costume from the show, but it couldn’t be more appropriate for the moment (or inappropriate, take the pick). Catra couldn’t look more beautiful in her sleeveless white shirt and brown skirt that hit the floor. Despite the fact that the belt on her waist was big on her and she had dirt slathered all over her, she’s never looked better. Plus the red cap… That stupid thing was going to be the death of her.

“It’s always been like this,” Adora replied, falling into her place next to Sea Hawk, who busied himself with Kyle. Her heart thumped with the question. She doubted Catra had feelings for her, but she could always ask as a friend. Not like Glimmer and Bow needed to know anyways…

Bow had been a life saver in tech. He always knew when to turn off people’s mics, including that one time he turned off Catra’s when she started shit talking principal Hordak backstage when he came to watch rehearsal. Luckily, he turned them off now as Adora made her attempts to approach the subject.

“Princess Prom.” That’s not a question, it’s a statement! “Uh, I mean…”

“Catra, you and Kyle are next,” Scorpia, their stage manager, said.

Catra nodded, then turned back to her. “So, this is it, huh.. Our last curtain call as seniors, being cast as the leads for the first time, our last show in general until San Diego.”

“Don’t remind me.” She already cried in her car as she drove herself and Catra to school, emotional about ending her last show already. Closing nights are always a mess, but it just hits differently as seniors, and when you’re playing love rivals with the girl you’re pretty in love with.

“I’ll see you on the flip side,” she whispered before she ran out on stage, the bright lights shining down on her.

Even though Adora could only see Catra’s back, they were both sad about this being their last show. They had identical tears pricking their eyes, and when she rushed off stage with Kyle, she braced herself for the emotions to come.

She took Sea Hawk’s hand, and they ran to center stage when Scorpia gave them their cue. She couldn’t stop the tears from coming, even as she bunched her dress in her hands to give the curtsey bow. Sea Hawk did the Jeremy Jordan bow, where he clasps his hands in front of him and takes his bow.

Their last show…

The cast got into a line going horizontal, pointing to their lovely orchestra for their part of the bow. They started to make their way backstage again, and Adora took Catra’s hand. For emotional support, you know? She wasn’t going to see the blinding lights or the tech week shenanigans or the mic taped to her forehead in high school again! Obviously she’s going to be very dramatic about it.

As the cast made their way to the green room, everyone was in the same mood: sad. Catra had opted for letting go of her hand to wrap an arm around her shoulders as they silently sniffled. She was going to miss this…

“Closing night isn’t over, people!” Sea Hawk shouted, pumping a fist into the air. “Let’s go say goodbye to Double Trouble, and head over to Denny's!”

Ah, yes. The theatre kid ritual. Every show, they have to go to Denny'safter closing. It’s the law, and she looked forward to it every time. It always created the best memories, like when the obnoxious senior from last year, Octavia, got arrested for stealing a shopping cart.

Denny's always made her night.

“He’s not wrong,” Catra said to her. “Am I driving with you?”

“Duh.” Wasn’t that a given? Or was it too forward to assume. Or maybe-

“That’s what I thought.”

But when they stepped into the green room, all thoughts of Catra disappeared (for one second exactly) as Double Trouble walked in, whopping loudly. They gave their speech about this being one of the funnest shows to do, but Adora was too busy wiping her wet cheeks to really listen.

“Go out there, kids, and rule the goddamn theatre world!” Double Trouble finished, dismissing them for the night.

“To Denny's!” Glimmer exclaimed, giving everyone the pick-me-up they needed.

“To Denny's,” Catra repeated to her, quieter. To Denny'sit was. They walked to the parking lot, heading to her car, but Glimmer caught her wrist as she was opening her door.

“You only have a couple hours left. Use them wisely.” Satisfied with her words of wisdom, Glimmer got into the passenger side of Bow’s car parked next to them.

“I’m really going to kill them,” Adora whispered to herself as she put the key into the ignition. Her little yellow beetle may not be anything for any other high school kid, but it was perfect for her.

“Why?” Catra asked, having apparently heard her. Rats.

“Because.” And it was left at that before Adora opened her mouth again. “Princess Prom. That’s a thing that’s going on. It’s going on very soon. Like, in a month soon.”

“Yes, what about it?” Catra seemed so dismissive of it. She looked out the window, listening to Somebody’s Watching Me on the radio. Was she even going to go? What if she asked and Catra had no plans of going, and Adora’s unknowingly forcing her into it?

“Nothing.”

“Oh…” Catra traced the window with her nail. Now why was she all deflated? This girl is way too confusing for her brain. “I want to go, but I don’t want to be alone.”

Adora is going to kill someone. Seriously, all it would take is driving the car into Denny's. “Really? You’re going?”

“Not as of right now, but I kind of want to. Like I wouldn’t wear a dress or heels. But… I would want to wear a suit and maybe get my nails a color that isn’t black. But I don’t know who I’d go with.”

She momentarily turned away from the road to look at Catra. Bow would be screaming at her right now, but she couldn’t find it in her to care. She was basically given an invitation to ask, but what if Catra didn’t want her to ask? What if she’s just talking about it? What if she wants Adora to set her up with someone else?

Catra opened her mouth to say something, but she got distracted by something gleaming in the backseat. “There’s no way I didn’t notice these earlier!”

She reached into the back, leaning across the console. Her white sweater rode up on her waist, and Adora exploded into a blush at the sight of some skin. Seriously, what is wrong with her? And because she doesn’t get cold, she wore a cropped red cami and regular black jeans. Her outfit did nothing to hide the blush.

Catra came back up, holding the hilt of two lightsabers. They were both big Star Wars nerds, and she spent thirty dollars (each) on these sabers. But the money from the bet would pay it back, if she actually did it. Catra dove into the backseat again, bringing the two sticks of plastic that she fastened back onto the hilt.

She pressed a button, and the blue light from Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber lit up the car. Catra stared at the saber, and Adora couldn’t help but notice how her skin managed to light up perfectly in the blue light. “Try the red.”

Catra turned off the blue saber, and grabbed a hold of Darth Vader’s lightsaber. The red added a dangerous feeling to the atmosphere. Blue was fun and playful. Red was full of passion, and the silence that followed afterward proved her point.

Finally, Catra cleared her throat, moving the saber around a bit. “Oh, I like this one.”

“But I like that one,” Adora protested as she pulled into a parking space at Denny’s. She could see everyone had already arrived. Not like she was driving slower than usual just to get a couple more seconds of conversation. No doubt they would see the red light and question what they were doing.

She pointed the end of the saber at Adora. “Well then, I guess it’s going to have to be a duel to the fate.”

Adora rolled her eyes at the reference, but grabbed the blue saber from the console, igniting it with the push of a button. “Okay, Eponine ‘I Died Delivering A Letter To My Love Interest That Was Actually About Another Girl’ Thénardier.”

“That’s the show’s fault, not mine.”

“Unimportant.”

Catra opened the car door, bouncing to Adora's side within seconds. She hastily took off her seatbelt, practically sprinting out of the driver's seat, spinning the hilt in her hand. “I’m pretty sure you’ve never fought with one of these.”

Adora scoffed. “I own them.”

“Yeah, just like I’m gonna own you!” Catra charged forward, raising her saber above her head before bringing it down on Adora. She barely had time to respond, lifting her own saber to block it as she sunk down to her knee.

“Hey, I just ordered our table! It’ll be ready in a couple minutes,” Scorpia said as she came out the door in time to see Adora stand and knock Catra away from her. “What are you guys doing?”

Catra held Adora in a parry as she turned around to yell, “Fighting, duh!”

“Yeah, we see that!” Bow shouted as Adora brought her sword back to her chest, making Catra stumble as they slowly moved away from her car. “Why are you guys mad?”

“Not real fighting!” Adora answered, moving in closer to Catra as their sabers met in the middle time and time again. “I’m defending my honor and rights!” “Yeah, her rights to dance with me instead of fighting in a parking lot!” Catra responded.

Adora faltered at that. Before she could begin overthinking what that meant in the middle of a lightsaber duel in the Denny's parking lot with the entire cast of Les Mis watching, Catra caught her saber and twisted her arm, causing Adora to completely let go of her saber.

“It’s over, Adora. I have the high ground,” Catra boasted.

“Not yet!” She dropped down low, catching the saber by the hilt before it hit the ground. She brought her blade back up, the two of them getting caught in another round of aimlessly swinging and blocking.

“You guys are ridiculous!” Glimmer shouted, her head in her hands.

“You don’t appreciate the true art of Star Wars like we do!” Adora yelled back.

Truthfully, this isn’t how she expected her last post closing night dinner at Denny’s to go.

When she was talking about it to Catra on their way to school, they imagined a tearful night. Majority of the cast and crew were seniors, and everyone loved them. Glimmer had basically adopted a little sophomore, Frosta, who played Gavroche (no one even noticed the genderbend!). They all thought they were going to be sad, and cry in the back of Scorpia’s pick up truck as they sang One Day More as a cast, one last time.

Instead, Adora was sword fighting Catra in the parking lot as all of their friends watched.

A great conclusion to her senior year musical, honestly.

Adora stood in front of Catra for a moment as they caught their breath. In an instant, they started twirling their sabers in their hands. The light from the blue and red was a whirlwind, and Catra laughed as they recreated that one scene from their favorite Star Wars movie: Revenge of the Sith.

Catra’s laugh was intoxicating. It made Adora let out her own giggle. They went back to fighting after a second, but Catra’s face illuminated by the red light in the nighttime made her stomach go up in butterflies.

“You were supposed to join me, not leave me in darkness!” Catra recited, smiling the whole time.

Adora swiped the saber at her feet, and Catra hopped over it. “Well, I love you!”

She froze, and Catra even faltered. But because she froze, Catra pushed her onto her back, pointing the red saber at her. “I know!”

For a moment, she forgot it was a reference to another one of the movies. But Adora let her saber fall out of her hand, looking up at Catra. The red light was stunning. Everyone else around them had fallen silent to watch the exchange. She then realized no one else knew what the reference was from.

“Guys, it’s from one of the movies!” Adora called out from her place on the ground. “Empire Strikes Back, it’s pretty good. You guys should watch it!”

Catra panted, looking down at her. “What?”

She was equally as confused. “What? What happened?”

“Oh, forget it.” Catra turned off the saber, holding her hand out instead. “Want to rule a galaxy together instead?”

“How about we start by taking over Broadway,” Adora grinned, helping herself up with Catra’s assistance. She turned off the blue saber, but they continued to stare at each other. Catra continued to hold her hand, but neither made any attempt to move away.

“Did we just hash everything out in a Denny’s parking lot?” Catra asked.

“I think we did..”

“Adora!” Glimmer shouted, interrupting their staring contest. “So like, I have a hundred with me. Bow has a twenty, but…”

The bet. A hundred and twenty dollars if she successfully asked her crush out to Princess Prom and didn’t get rejected. But they just beat each other up with plastic toys from the Disney store. Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be. Or maybe they were, but then one of them would fall to the dark side and tragically die. Who knows?

“Oh, that thing where Glimmer and Bow were going to give you money if you asked me to Princess Prom?” Catra raised an eyebrow, laughing at Adora’s horrified face. “Bow told Scorpia, and she accidentally let it slip.”

Adora groaned. She wanted to go fall in a hole and die in a ditch. Maybe she should’ve been shot on stage instead of Catra. “Yeah, about that-”

“I’ve been waiting for you to ask me,” Catra said, tightening her hold on her hand. “I didn’t think I wanted to go, but then I heard that and I realized… maybe I did. The dances and stuff always felt really corporate to me, and it wasn’t my thing. But I went home everyday wondering why you hadn’t asked me yet, and then I realized-”

“Oh my god I am so sorry,” Adora interrupted. She was horrified. Catra knew the entire time. She’s been tripping over herself for the two months of rehearsal and three weeks of the actual production, but never stopped to think what if she already knew. She’s absolutely mortified. “You got dragged into this mess of a joke between me and Glimmer then Bow came in and I just thought, I don’t know. I don’t think or I think too much. Oh my god, I can not believe this is happening!”

Catra chuckled when she spoke without a pause. “Breathe. I’m not mad. Or upset or anything like that. I like you too, Adora.”

Her cheeks flamed. “You did?”

She nodded. “You’re not exactly subtle, per say…”

Adora didn’t feel like crying out of embarrassment anymore. She put her free hand in her pocket, ghosting her fingers over Catra’s knuckles with the other. “You actually like me?”

Another nod, accompanied with a gorgeous laugh. “Yes. Yes, I like you and all your high notes. You think I liked seeing you kiss Sea Hawk every rehearsal and show?” They both laughed. Neither of them like it, apparently, because Adora didn’t. “You and your private story where you rewatch Clone Wars with me and we both cry, and I get to see the video and laugh at how oblivious you were to notice that I liked you. You and your bootleg pirating, despite the fact that Newsies is your favorite and it’s literally proshot. So yeah, Adora. I do like you. You and your overthinking.”

Adora was over the moon, and she wanted to stay here in the parking lot all night and talk. But first, she had something to conclude. “So, Princess Prom. That’s a thing we should go to together.”

“We should.”

They did.

[cali-holland]

The Phantom of the Opera- Harrison Osterfield One Shot

Pairing: Harrison Osterfield X Reader

Prompt: When Harrison signs up for the musical The Phantom of the Opera to impress a girl from class, he doesn’t realize he’s been chasing the wrong Christine. (College AU)

Word Count: 2100

Main songs: Think of Me  -  The Phantom of the Opera  -  All I Ask of You

Warnings: swearing probably

A/N: tom was not billy elliott in this lmao also might have overhyped this one hahahaha my bad

Masterlist   Harrison Osterfield Masterlist

*Gif is not mine*

~~~

“The Phantom of the Opera?” Tom looked at his friend with his eyes wide in surprise and disbelief.

“Yep.” Harrison nodded. A nervous smile on his face found its way onto his face as the two of them walked into the student union to grab some coffee before their shared music appreciation class.

“This isn’t High School Musical. This is a legit musical, one that even has opera in the name.”

“Look, it’s extra credit to just audition, and, if I get the role, I’ll be acting opposite of Vicky.” He reasoned. Vicky was the T.A. in his music appreciation class, the girl that he was currently fawning over, and the girl who was most likely to get the role of Christine. The discussion paused as they ordered their drinks, and stepped to the side, “Can you audition with me?”

“Hell no. No extra credit is worth performing in a musical.” Tom shook his head, scrunching up his nose in disgust at the thought of auditioning.

“Whatever. I’m still auditioning.” Harrison said.

“Hey, Harrison, Tom.” You smiled, coming to stand by Harrison as you waited for your own drink. You were the other T.A. for said music appreciation class, being a music major yourself. “Are you auditioning for The Phantom of the Opera?”

“Yeah, might as well for the extra credit.” Harrison replied, neglecting to add the Vicky excuse.

“Which part?”

“Uh, the phantom?” He shrugged, and you let out a small laugh.

“You’d be better as Raoul.” You told him, making him look at you confused. “I mean, I know the director’s looking for a tenor with a wide range for the role of the phantom. You’d probably be better off trying for the part of Raoul.”

“You haven’t even heard me sing, and I feel like you’re already insulting my voice.” He joked.

“I’m just saying,” You laughed, “Raoul’s role is easier on your vocal chords, especially since you’re not classically trained. I can help you with your vocals, if you want.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Are you and Vicky auditioning?” He asked. Tom elbowed him lightly as a way to tell him he wasn’t being smooth about asking about Vicky.

“She’s auditioning for the role of Christine. I probably won’t audition.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t like singing in front of others.” Before Harrison could reply, your name got called and you went to get your drink. “I’ll see you guys in class.” You smiled before leaving.

“Are you sure Vicky’s the T.A. you like?” Tom teased.

“What the hell are you on about?” Harrison questioned.

“I’m just saying, you and Y/N talk a lot more than you and Vicky. Are you sure Vicky even knows you exist?”

“Vicky knows I exist.” He defended himself, “Y/N’s just a friend.”

That weekend, Harrison met you at one of your college’s piano practice rooms to help him with learning lines and practice singing for the audition. For wanting to do it simply for extra credit, you were surprised he was taking it so seriously. You suspected there was another underlying reason, but you also didn’t know Harrison well enough to try to push it.

“I’m doing it wrong, aren’t I?” Harrison asked with a defeated sigh.

“You’re missing the emotion. This is the first time Raoul is seeing his childhood love. Christine’s is captivating the entire opera with her voice, so you need to sound captivated, awestruck.” You encouraged, beginning to play the notes to “Think of Me” again on the piano. You knew exactly which piece the director would have all the Raoul auditions sing, and so you focused on helping him sing the part. Harrison could act well, but it was the combination of acting and singing that he struggled with. You said, teasingly, “This time, with passion”

“Can it be? Can it be Christine?” Harrison sang, but this time with a sense of awe in his voice. He stood beside the piano, reading off the music sheet. Loudly and passionately, he exclaimed, “Bravo!” before continuing his lines “Long ago, it seems so long ago,”

“Hold it!” You reminded him, knowing he’d try to cut the next line short like he’d been doing.

“How young and innocent we were, she may not remember me, but I remember her,” He finished the part, almost out of breath.

“Okay, so you need to get the breathing down.” You laughed.

“You try singing the same lines over and over again. It’s hard.”

“If you want the role, you’ll have to sing the same parts over and over again.”

“You sing then.” He said, and you started to play the piano again.

“I don’t sing in front of other people.”

“Come on, music major.” Harrison nudged you teasingly. “I’m not even trained and I’ve been singing.”

“Fine, I’ll sing, but just so you can practice coming in at the right part.” You caved. Harrison smiled as you started to sing. “Recall those days, look back on all those times, think of the things we’ll never do, there will never be a day when I won’t think of you,” You nodded over to him, signaling for him to start his part.

He sang through his part with the right emotion again. He smiled, encouragingly at you to have you finish Christine’s part.

“Flowers fade, the fruits of summer fade, they have their season so do we, but please promise me that sometimes, you will think-” You stopped prematurely.

“Why’d you stop?” Harrison asked, “You were really good.”

“Thanks. I haven’t warmed up at all. That’s not an easy note to hit.” You replied, taking a sip from the water you had placed on your piano bench beside you.

“Why don’t you audition? Your voice is incredible, and I’m not even a music person.” He insisted with a small laugh.

“Vicky’s operatically trained, and I mean I took vocal lessons so I’m trained enough to sing some arias, but nothing crazy.”

“I think you’d make a good Christine. I’m auditioning, and you just had to sit through an hour of me singing like shit, so I’d say you got a chance.”

“You’re not bad. You just need practice.” You reassured him, looking at your phone to check the time. You had reserved the room for an hour and your time was already up, “We should go before someone comes to kick us out. The audition’s tomorrow, are you ready?”

“I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.”

~~~

“I swear to god, if you get this role, I’ll do your music homework for the rest of the semester.” Tom said as he walked the halls of the music building with Harrison.

“I sounded like shit yesterday, so,” Harrison trailed off. He halted his steps as he heard a familiar voice coming from a practice room. He peered through the window to see you playing the piano, and singing another piece from the musical.

“Your spirit and my voice in one combined, the phantom of the opera is there inside my mind, is there the phantom of the opera,” You closed your eyes, vocalizing the high notes of Christine’s part.

“Holy shit.” Harrison breathed out, taken back from the intensity of the notes.

“Y/N can sing like that and you’re still into Vicky?” Tom asked in disbelief. You stopped singing to drink some water. The two boys quickly jumped away from the door.

“Right, the audition.” The blonde remembered, returning his anxious journey to the musical auditions.

Harrison didn’t see you again until the next day in class, when you pulled him aside to talk about the musical.

“How’d the audition go?” You asked with an eager smile.

“I think it went well.” Harrison replied, “I heard you in the practice room. You can sing, really sing those high notes.”

“It was nothing.” Your cheeks heated up. His words made your heart do flips. 

“No, I’m serious. You should’ve auditioned.”

“That’s what I wanted to tell you. I did.” You said, “I auditioned for Christine.”

“I’m sure you got it.”

“Actually,” You paused and he raised his eyebrows as a way to tell you to continue, “I’m Vicky’s understudy.”

“The roles are out?” He asked, immediately forgetting about your own role.

“Not officially. I’m not supposed to tell you, but you got the role!” You smiled, hugging him in excitement.

“I’m- I’m Raoul?” Harrison looked at you with a smile of disbelief. He thought it was impossible for him to get the role.

“Yeah, you did! Congratulations!”

“Wow, I’m going to be in a musical.”

“You’ll be a lead in a musical.” You emphasized. You checked the clock and saw it was time for class to begin, “C’mon, lecture’s starting.”

You watched from your spot at the front of the music room as Harrison whispered something to Tom, who let out a small groan. Based on the smile Harrison threw your way, you knew it had to do with his role.

~~~

Over the course of the next few weeks, you and Harrison grew closer as you helped him prepare for the role of Raoul. Of course, during rehearsals, he’d work with Vicky, but he still turned to you for practice outside of rehearsals. With each practice, you found yourself falling harder for the blue eyed boy, which only made it harder during rehearsals when you’d have to watch him and Vicky act as Raoul and Christine.

“One week until we open. How ya feeling?” You asked Harrison, once he’d emerged from the wardrobe department. With opening night only being seven days away, practice was daily and rehearsals had changed to dress rehearsals. You had to admit he made a dashing Raoul.

“Nervous.” He replied, adjusting the collar of his suit.

“You’re going to be great.” You reassured him.

“Y/N!” The director called out to you, drawing your attention away from Harrison.

“Yes?”

“You’re on. Vicky’s ill.” He announced. You hurried off to the costume department, getting into Christine’s dress.

With the rush of Vicky’s absence, you and Harrison didn’t have time to talk before the rehearsal started. Despite the first act of the play leading up to Christine and Raoul’s musical number, you were too focused on going through the lines to really think of “All I Ask of You”.  It wasn’t until you stood on the rooftop set that you realized the magnitude of the situation- you were Christine now and Harrison was Raoul. The soft violins began, striking up the romantic piece.

“No more talk of darkness, forget these wide-eyed fears. I’m here, nothing can harm you, my words will warm and calm you,” He started to sing, gently placing his hands on your bare shoulders as you both looked out into the audience. You turned to him, losing yourself in his warm blue eyes, “Let me be your freedom, let daylight dry your tears. I’m here, with you, beside you, to guard you and to guide you.”

“Say you love me every waking moment, turn my head with talk of summertime. Say you need me with you now and always,” You sang back. He rested a hand on your cheek, keeping your face intimately close to his, just as scripted. “Promise me that what you say is true, that’s all I ask of you.”

“Let me be your shelter, let me be your light. You’re safe, no one will find you, your fears are far behind you.” He continued the next verse as he hugged you gently before leading you in the choreographed walk around the rooftop.

“All I want is freedom, a world with no more night, and you, always beside me to hold me and to hide me.” You sang, the two of you coming to a pause in the center of the stage.”

“Then say you’ll share with me, one love, one lifetime. Let me lead you from your solitude, say you need me with you, here beside you, anywhere you go, let me go too. Christine, that’s all I ask of you” Harrison pulled you into his loving embrace, your back pressed against his chest, swaying the two of you slightly to the music.

“Say you’ll share with me one love, one lifetime. Say the word and I will follow you.”

“Share each day with me, each night, each morning.” You sang together in harmony as you moved to stand in front of him.

“Say you love me,” Your voice trembled slightly as you registered how close you were to Harrison, captivated in his embrace.

“You know I do,” His voice came back, full of passionate emotion.

“Love me, that’s all I ask of you,” The two of you sang. As the music grew louder and more dramatic, Harrison pulled you in for a passionate kiss, taking you by surprise. He and Vicky had been rehearsing without the kiss; this was a change. He picked you up and spun you, his lips still on yours. He set you down and you pulled away from the kiss.

“Anywhere you go, let me go too,” You both sang out, holding out the notes, before softening. “Love me, that’s all I ask of you.”

Before you could help yourself, you kissed Harrison one last time. Hand-in-hand, you two exited the stage, leaving the set for the phantom’s reprise. You watched the scene from the side of the stage, not realizing you still held Harrison’s hand. The director nodded over to you and Harrison, signaling your part of the reprise.

“Say you’ll share with me one love, one lifetime. Say the word and I will follow you. Share each day with me, each night, each morning.” The two of you sang, off-stage. 

“You will curse the day you did not do, all that the phantom asked of you!” The phantom finished the song , with the theme replaying loudly over the speakers.

“That was fantastic! Intermission before the next act!” The director called out, clapping proudly. It was then you realized you were still holding Harrison’s hand, and you dropped it quickly, hurrying off to change, not particularly wanting to bring up the kiss with Harrison (though you were both guilty of kissing the other unexpectedly).

As you changed into Christine’s pink masquerade gown, you found yourself thinking through your last scene. You really liked Harrison, he had caught your eye the first time you’d seen him in class, but now, you were tangled between the blurred lines of fiction and reality. Did he actually want to kiss you, or was that just him acting as Raoul, caught up in the romance of the song?

A few minutes before the second act was set to begin, you were dressed and waiting anxiously near the side of the stage, mentally running through your lines again. You knew this next act focused on Raoul protecting Christine from the phantom, and the romance between Christine and Raoul was intensified as they were now engaged in the musical. You had barely made it through the last act, keeping your feelings for Harrison together, but this next act would just make it all the more difficult.

“You’ll be fine.” Harrison’s voice made you jump in surprise as he appeared beside you. His blond extensions were smoothed back to a small ponytail, and he wore Raoul’s blue masquerade suit, accentuating his eyes perfectly. “You sounded amazing in the last act, don’t stress yourself over this one.”

“Thanks. You were pretty great, too.” You smiled softly. There was an odd tension in the air; you knew how you felt, but you didn’t quite yet know what he thought of you- or if that damn kiss was intentional. He looked as if he was about to say something, but you spoke up first, letting your nerves get the better of you, “Look, Harrison, that kiss-” 

“I meant it,” was all he could say before the masquerade music began, signaling the start of the second act. He gave you a nervous smile before he rushed off to his stage position. The chorus started to sing, and you couldn’t do anything to stop the rehearsal. You and Harrison went through the movements of Christine and Raoul, through the masquerade, the graveyard, all of the scenes. 

When the rehearsal finally finished, you were grateful. It was hard enough to remember lines as it is, but even harder with Harrison’s words racing through your mind. The curtain had barely closed before you pulled Harrison in for a passionate kiss, cupping his cheeks softly. He smiled into the kiss, wrapping his arms around your waist. After a moment, you pulled away breathlessly.

“I’m so glad you convinced me to be Raoul.” Harrison laughed, kissing you again. 

When opening night came, you surprisingly didn’t feel overwhelmingly nervous with Harrison playing your Raoul. He was so happy that he had tried out for the musical. “All I Ask of You” was by far the easiest scene for him to perform.

~~~

Tag List: @viagracex @theamazingtomholland @violette-hollxnd​ @heyitsshrez

Harrison Tag List:  @tomkindholland​ @calhtlland 

[dream-a-little-bigger-x]

Heathers | Sweet Pea

A/N: Part two! Taglist is still open if you’d like a spot on that! Just lemme know. 

Act one - Act two 

Words: 2684

Pairing: Sweet Pea x Reader

Warnings: cursing, angst, mentions of alcohol and parties, heartbreak 

Act two: Big Fun 

“Are we going to have a problem?” Cheryl nearly shouts as she starts her battle with Toni. It’s been weeks since the first rehearsal and we’re off book and in costume, now setting everything on the stage. Cheryl and Toni have been fighting during the entire rehearsal process. I knew they were together, but I have no clue what the fight is about. All I know is, that it’s incredibly unprofessional to fight on stage when Toni clearly has some good choreography. Cheryl even pushes Toni to the side, making her stumble into Peaches ‘n Cream – another one of the Serpents or now the Pretty Poisons. I do not keep up. When the song ends and the Heathers are in their pose, nobody claps. All of us are just staring at them in confusion and utter awkwardness, unsure of what to do. “That was … something…” Kevin says, and then Cheryl storms off in a rage. “Kev, can we do that number again, please?” Betty asks the director in despair. “Vee and I really need to get the steps right.” Without saying another word, Kevin looks at me, knowing I’ve learned the song by heart, and I can keep up with choreo by just seeing it once. So, I nod and get up from my seat between Sweet Pea and Margot. “I am doing the full explicit version. So, please, no duck-duck-goose and doorknobs,” I warn them in advance before nodding to the music department to get started on the music whilst I hold onto my croquet stick. The Heathers behind me nod and Toni goes to sit back down with her Pretty Poisons. “Are we gonna have a problem? You got a bone to pick? You’ve come so far Why now are you pulling on my dick? I’d normally slap your face off And everyone here could watch But I’m feeling nice Here’s some advice Listen up, biotch!” The three of us get into the choreography Cheryl had just done with them, but I alter it a bit and add some of Toni’s steps, which Betty and Veronica follow in. “I like! Lookin’ hot Buying stuff they cannot I like! Drinkin’ hard Maxin’ Dad’s credit card I like! Skippin’ gym Scaring her Screwing him I like! Killer clothes Kickin’ nerds in the nose!” I look back at the two other Heathers. They’re both so concentrated on the choreo and the song, that they forget to have a good time. “If you lack the balls You can go play dolls Let your mommy fix you a snack” “Woah!” Betty and Veronica sing on cue. “Or you could come smoke Pound some rum and coke In my Porsche with the quarterback” I need to find a way to have them make fun while they’re doing this. Because this is the most fun song to do, apart from Dead Girl Walking, if you know what I mean. “Woah! Woah! Woah! Honey, whatchu waitin’ for? Welcome to my candy store Time for you to prove You’re not a loser anymore Then step into my candy store” I walk backwards, lining up with the two other Heathers rather than staying at the front. “Guys fall” Veronica and I sing together, locking eyes. I give her a smile, and her mouth curls up a little for a split second like a little spasm. “At your feet Pay the check” Betty sings by herself, unaware of what I’m trying to do. “Help you cheat” Veronica goes. “All you” we sing in unison, and I lock eyes with Betty as she sings her next line. “Have to do” Then I sing, “Say goodbye to Shamu” while waving as part of the choreo. “That freak’s” “Not your friend I can tell in the end” The smile reappears on Veronica’s face again as she looks at me whilst singing. “If she” the three of us sing in unison. “Had your shot” Betty sounds a lot happier too and when I look at her, there’s a grin playing at her lips as well. A happiness wells up in my stomach as the three of us sing in perfect unison. “She would leave you to rot!” Betty walks a little forward to where I would be as Veronica and sings the next part. “‘Course if you don’t care Fine! Go braid her hair Maybe Sesame Street is on” “Woah!” We all go before Veronica then steps up next to Betty and sings her line. “Or forget that creep” “And get in my jeep” The two smile at each other, and then I step in between them. However, their smiles stay. “Let’s go tear up someone’s lawn” Especially during the next chorus, all three of us are actually having fun singing the song and doing the choreography. It’s almost as if they don’t have to focus as hard on everything as they did in the beginning, and they can have fun doing it instead. Just like I wanted them to. “Woah! Woah! Woah! Honey, whatchu waitin’ for? Welcome to my candy store You just gotta prove You’re not a pussy anymore Then step into my candy store” “You can join the team” I sing, walking towards where I’d be marked as Veronica Sawyer. “Or you can bitch and moan” Betty and Veronica walk up to me. “You can live the dream” “Or you can die alone” They pretend to stab themselves in the gut and glance up at me as I sing the next line before they join me in singing too. “You can fly with eagles” “Or if you prefer” “Keep on testing me” “And end up like her!” I know I then have a spoken line, along with Martha, but since we’re focusing on the song and the dancing, I don’t do that one and instead, the three of us continue singing. “Woah!” “Honey, whatchu waiting fo—” Betty sings, getting ready to pretend to do the high note, but then I come in with my favorite line of all. “Shut up, Heather!” Betty raises her eyebrows with an amused smile on her face. The two of them continue to sing the song normally whilst I hit the high note Jessica Keenan Wynn does so well in the cast recording and in the off-Broadway show. “Step into my candy store! Oooh woah! Woah oh oh!” I then join Betty and Veronica again in singing the last part of the song perfectly. “Then step into my candy store! It’s my candy store It’s my candy It’s my candy store It’s my candy! It’s my candy store It's my candy store!” This time around, everyone gets off their seat and begins applauding and cheering loudly. “That was so much fun, Y/N!” Veronica exclaims, clapping her hands like a school child. “That’s what I was trying to teach you! Sure, you need to get the steps right and sing the right tune, but it’s so much more important to have fun while you’re doing this!” I say with a smile as all of us walk off the stage again for a small break. “And I loved how you intertwined Cheryl’s choreo with mine,” Toni then adds, a thankful face plastered on her face, “Thanks for that, Y/N.” “Since it’s Friday, Evelyn and I thought it would be a good idea to get the entire cast together for a grand big fun party tonight at her place,” Kevin then informs us as we’re nearing the end of rehearsal. “Starts at nine, Evelyn will text you the address.”  

“Dad says act your age, You heard the man, It’s time to rage,” I hear Evelyn sing as I walk into her house a little after nine. I roll my eyes at them. I can’t believe they’re doing the Big Fun number when not in rehearsals. “Y/N!” Evelyn exclaims as she hands me a shot of tequila and a lime whilst Kevin is holding a saltshaker. “It’s salt, then shot, then lime. Very important to get the order right!” she tells me. I nod as Kevin shakes out a little bit of salt on the back of my hand. I lick it up, then chug the shot and put the piece of lime in my mouth. “Whoo!” I exclaim, shivering a little at the sourness of the liquor and the lime. “Thanks, Ev and Kev!” Before I can say anything else, Fangs has already taken my hand and twirls me around. “The party's hot, hot, hot It's time for big fun! Big fun!” I actually sing along now. The song always gets me dancing and singing. I mean, it’s Heathers, come on. “You need a jello shot!” Sweet Pea says to Fangs and pats him on the chest before walking off. I can’t help but let my gaze follow him. Suddenly, I see his smile falter and walk off a little less cheerily than before. He takes a left instead of a right where I’d seen the bar when I walked in. His antics make me curious, so I decide to follow after him since I don’t really feel like dancing too much tonight anyway. “Hey,” I say when I find him outside on a lounge chair near the pool. He looks up at me and gives me a saddened smile. “Mind if I join you out here?” he signals for me to sit down next to him, and I do so. A careful few inches between us as he stares down at his fingers, plucking at the skin. “Not a party person?” he then asks me without looking up from his hands. “Not really, no. I normally just go for milkshakes at Pop’s after rehearsals with some of the cast,” I explain. For some reason, I suddenly feel nervous. I’m not sure if he’s the one making me nervous. But there’s a tingly feeling in my stomach and my hands get clammy. “I’d much rather be at Pop’s right now than here,” he mumbles, but I catch it loud and clear. “Let’s get out of here then,” I suggest. He finally looks up at me, hope displayed in his eyes. “Yeah, come on, let’s go! Neither one of us wants to be here, so why do we stay?” he nods, agreeing to my statement and both of us get up from the chair outside. “I’m just quickly going to tell Fangs I’m leaving,” he informs me, and I nod as I wait for him for a moment. The cast had gone to regular music and just dancing like normal people instead of the theater people. I’ll admit, if I do go to a party, it’s a theater party and we’d only sing musical soundtracks and do the choreography. But this time around, I really don’t feel like doing it. My eyes fall upon Fangs and Sweet Pea again, and I can see Fangs looking back at me with a smirk on his face. I give him a little wave as a smile tugs on my lips. Sweet Pea then walks up to me again, and tells me we can go. “What made you want to leave all of a sudden? You looked like you were having fun?” I ask him when we’re sat in a booth at Pop’s, both with vanilla milkshakes in front of us and a basket of curly fries to share. He slumps in his chair. “Josie and I had a thing this summer, and she told me we couldn’t start something serious because she wants to focus on her music career, but then I saw her making out with Archie Andrews at the party,” he explains whilst popping a fry in his mouth. My mouth drops open slightly. I did not see that one coming. I thought it was something Southside-Northside related or something, but it was mainly just a love thing. I wouldn’t peg Sweet Pea as the relationship-type of guy. He looks more of a fling kind of guy. Someone who just goes for one-nightstands. Not that anything’s wrong with that. “Maybe she was just drunk?” I try to reassure him, but he shakes his head. “She’d just gotten there, and Josie doesn’t drink. I think they’re actually serious,” he shakes his head at his own words. “Can’t believe I was that stupid to fall for her.” I reach forward and place my hand on top of his. “You’re not stupid, Sweet Pea. You don’t decide who you fall for. That’s the thing that sucks about love. If we could decide who we fall and don’t fall for, there wouldn’t be such a thing as heartbreak.” A small tear escapes from my eye as I think about my own ex and how much heartbreak he’d caused me. “Why did you want to leave the party?” he then shoots the question back. I take a deep breath first. “I’ve never been a big party girl. I was never invited to any of the cool parties since I’m the theater nerd. But then Reggie and I dated for a while. At the first – and last – party he took me to, he tried to get me in his bed when I didn’t want to… Ever since, I didn’t even dare to show my face at parties, let alone at school. Reggie had damaged me, really broke my heart. So, being there tonight reminded me of that one party, especially since Reggie was there too.” “So, we’re both kind of avoiding terrible exes then?” he questions, and I nod in response. “Yep, but at least we got the most important roles in the musical, and they didn’t,” I say and hold up my glass. Sweet Pea grabs his too and clinks it with mine whilst looking me in the eyes. A shiver sends down my spine as our eyes stay locked when we’re taking a sip. “Can I ask, is Sweet Pea your real name?” Sweet Pea places his glass down as he shakes his head. “It’s actually Noah, but my mother, before she died, always called me Sweet Pea after her favorite flower. So, ever since she died, I told people to always call me Sweet Pea, as to never forget her. To always have a part of her with me.” A single tear rolls down his cheek as one does down my cheek too. “See, now I’m crying too. You’re not alone,” he says, and it reminds me of one of the songs we have to do as a duet together. “You're not alone” I sing softly, making him look up and then sing the next part as if on automatic pilot. “And when the morning comes” I give him a small smile and echo, “When the morning comes” “We'll burn away that tear, and raise our city here,” he sings. A sparkle flickers in his eyes. “Raise our city here” I echo again, and then we sing the next line together. “Our love is God” The both of us stop there. I doubt a diner is the right place to rehearse a song together and belt out the lyrics. “You’re a great singer, Y/N,” he then compliments and a smile tugs at his lips before he wraps them around the straw and sips from his milkshake again. “Thanks, Sweet Pea,” I say, not being able to stop a blush from spreading on my cheeks. “You’re really good too. You should join the drama club. We’re in need of some strong male lead vocals.” Sweet Pea chuckles as I grab another fry. “I don’t think drama club is for me,” he replies with a grimace. A pout pulls at my bottom lip. “At least come by sometime? We don’t come together during musical, but when all this is over, I’m taking you to a drama club meeting and you’ll see that there is a place for you.” “You know what, I might actually take you up on that offer.”

[notalwaysthevillian]

Parent Trapped

Warnings: Anxiety before a show, crying, feeling like you’re not good enough, food mention

Pairings: Eventual Romantic Remile, platonic LAMP

Word Count: ~2.6k

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Masterlist

Chapter 6: The Play

“Virgil! Patton!”

The twins looked up from their lunches, seeing Roman heading toward them at full speed. Logan had opted to walk instead, lingering behind his brother.

“What’s up?” They asked in unison.

“I hate that you guys can do that.” Roman said, before waving around a packet of paper. “Remember that play I was talking about a few weeks ago? I tried out and got the lead!!”

“That’s amazing!” Patton threw himself into Roman’s arms, hugging him tightly. “I’m so proud of you.”

Virgil gave him a fist bump. “Good job, man. You’ve been working really hard on that monologue they gave you.”

Logan gave them an exhausted look. “At least now that he’s in the play, he’ll have someone other than me to practice with.”

“Aw, c’mon Lo. You were a good partner.”

“Just because I remembered the lines doesn’t mean I performed them well.” Logan took his seat at their lunch table, the others following suit. “I’d appreciate if you used someone else in the future.”

Patton glanced up from peeling his orange. “I’d be happy to help!”

“I can’t wait for you guys to see it!” Roman handed out his Gushers, trading them for Virgil’s Nutty Bar. “And hopefully in the spring I get a part in the musical and you guys can come see that too!”

“We’d be happy to!”

Over the next few months, Roman spent most of his time after school at play practice. Logan saw him every night when he got home, but the twins only saw him if they were at the Sanders’s for dinner. Which was more often than not, but they still missed their friend.

It only got worse during tech week. Roman was at rehearsal past dinnertime, often dragging himself through the door around eight. He’d quickly do whatever homework he had before going to bed, completely exhausted.

When the big day finally came, Roman was finally able to come home right after school.

“What is this stranger doing in my house?” Remy asked as Roman and Logan walked in the door. “I haven’t seen this boy in weeks.”

“Oh, shut up.” Roman slid his backpack off. He twisted, cracking his spine. “I have to be back by five but I figured I’d actually eat something here before I head out. Gas station food is good on occasion, but not every single day for two months.”

“You picked Leftover Night to eat at home?” Logan let out a laugh. “I think we have some bacon in the fridge, lasagna, and some pizza rolls.”

“Honestly, anything is better than eating a burger or a wrapped sandwich at this point.”

Despite it being so early, Remy pulled out the leftovers from the fridge. “So, Roman, are you excited? Nervous?”

“A bit of both.” Looking over his choices, Roman grabbed the pizza rolls and dumped them onto a plate. “We’ve been working really hard and I’m excited for everyone to see it. But I’m worried that I’m going to forget my lines or a cue or something.”

“I’ve known you most of my life and I highly doubt that you’re going to make a mistake.” Logan said. “If anything, one of your fellow actors will be the one to mess up.”

“...and now I’m worried about that.”

Remy threw an arm around his son’s shoulders. “The only thing you can do is your best.”

The microwave beeped and Roman pulled his food out. Logan steered the conversation away from the play, hoping to distract Roman from his worries. It seemed to work, as Roman went on a rant about how Mr. Lockwood claimed he was doing his math wrong.

Soon enough it was 4:30. A horn honked outside and Roman darted to his feet, grabbing everything he needed.

“I’ll see you guys there!” He called out as he left the house, the door slamming shut behind him.

Logan headed up to his room to work on some homework until it was time to go. He’d set about 10 alarms on his dad’s phone to make sure that he wouldn’t fall asleep or forget.

Despite the alarms, he came downstairs to find his dad asleep on the couch.

With a sigh, he headed over and shook Remy’s arm. “Dad.”

“Mmm.”

“Dad, come on, get up.”

Remy rolled over into the couch, pressing his face against the cushions. “Mmm.”

“We’re going to miss Roman’s play if you don’t get up.”

Shooting up, Remy grabbed his sunglasses before they could get launched off his face. “SHIT!”

A horn honked outside. Logan headed to the window, moving the curtain to find the Picanis parked in the driveway. Patton had leaned over the center console to wave through the windshield.

Logan held up one finger before dropping the curtain. “That’s our ride.”

“What do you -”

“I asked Patton if his dad could drive us because I knew you’d forget.” Logan opened the closet, grabbing his shoes. “Now hurry up or we won’t get decent seats.”

“Called out by my own kid, I can’t believe it.” Remy grumbled as he quickly threw his shoes on, grabbing his wallet and keys on the way.

Logan rolled his eyes, but there was a smile on his face. “I’ll be in the car.”

“I’m not that slow.” Remy caught the door before it could close, following his son outside.

Patton slid into the middle of the backseat, allowing Logan to climb in and get buckled up. Remy jumped in the passenger seat.

“Let’s ride.”

Emile raised an eyebrow. “Seatbelt.”

“Oh, right.”

Once everyone was buckled in, Emile pulled out of their driveway and headed to the school.

The parking lot was only about a quarter of the way full when they pulled in. The boys jumped out of the backseat to get in line and get tickets while Emile parked.

“You could’ve gone with them.” Emile told Remy as he found a decent spot.

Remy waved a hand. “They don’t want to be babysat by an adult. Besides, it’s not like they’re going to get kidnapped at a high school play.”

“Wouldn’t this be an ample opportunity to kidnap a child? There’s plenty here.” Emile pulled his keys out of the ignition and slid out of the car. He reached into the backseat, pulling out two bouquets of flowers.

Remy walked around behind, nearly being hit by a car looking for a spot. He held up a choice finger. “Asshole!”

“Maybe you should get out of the road?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Remy moved to the sidewalk, spotting the flowers in Emile’s hands. “F-fudge! I forgot to -”

Emile handed over one of the bouquets. “I thought you might forget.”

“Em, you are a lifesaver.”

The two of them headed inside, spotting their kids toward the front of the line. Virgil pulled out his phone. A moment later Emile’s phone buzzed.

Virgil: We’ll grab seats.

Emile: Thank yo!

Emile: *you

Virgil gave him a thumbs up before the boys headed into the theater.

“How do you think Roman’s feeling?” Emile asked as they slowly moved through the line.

Remy shrugged. “He said he’s both excited and nervous. It’s probably just pre-show jitters. The kid has some raw talent for acting.”

“Have you told him that?”

“Don’t go all therapist on me now.” The teasing tone was clear in Remy’s voice. “But yeah, I’ve let him know. That’s the one thing I’m pretty consistent at. I didn’t get much praise growing up, so I figured that they deserved to hear it.”

Trying to hide his smile, Emile said, “Sounds like you’re opening up to a therapist.”

Before Remy could respond, they were at the front of the line. A person wearing an orange beanie looked up at them. “How many tickets?”

“Two please.”

Emile reached for his wallet, but Remy was already handing over a few bills. “Keep the rest. Consider it a donation.”

“Thanks, dude.” They took the money, handing over two tickets. “You can sit anywhere in the auditorium as long as there isn’t someone else in that seat.”

“You didn’t have to pay.” Emile said as they walked in.

Remy gave him a look. “You got an extra bouquet. It’s the least I could do.”

Glancing around, they spotted Patton waving and headed over to their kids.

“If you don’t want to sit with your parents -”

“Why wouldn’t we?” Patton cut Remy off, before flushing. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Remy shook his head. “All good.”

“I guess that makes us the cool dads.” Emile said as they sat down.

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Don’t push it.”

The five of them chatted idly until the lights overhead were dimmed and brightened again. People that were still standing quickly moved to their seats. A few minutes passed before the person in the orange beanie headed up onstage with a microphone.

“I’m pleased to announce that we are sold out tonight!” They said. The audience let out a loud cheer. “I’d like to thank you all. With the money we raise, we’re able to put on our spectacular productions, as well as take our students on some field trips. With the extra that we received from selling out, we’ll be able to get a new stage for next year.”

The audience began to applaud. After a moment, the person held up their hand and everyone quieted down. “For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Joan Stokes. I teach English here as well as run the drama department with our principal, Thomas Sanders. He’s somewhere backstage making sure no one is dying.”

A ripple of laughter made its way through the audience.

“Which means it’s my pleasure to introduce our play! Thank for your coming and we hope you enjoy Clue.”

As soon as they were off the stage, the curtain opened.

The five of them were silent as the show went on, watching as Roman nailed his lines. There was a brief issue with one of the backdrops, but the show continued without a hitch.

When it ended, the entire audience leapt to their feet, clapping and whistling. The applause only increased when Roman and the leading lady came out for their bows.

Once the curtain closed, everyone started making their way back to the front lobby. By the time the Picanis and Sanders managed to get out, the lobby was full of people, making it hard to find Roman in the crowd.

Instead, he found them.

“What did you think?” He asked as he darted through people effortlessly. His eyes lit up as they landed on the flowers. “Are those for me?”

“Yes!” Remy and Emile handed the flowers over. Remy shot Emile a grateful look over the kid’s heads.

“You did fantastic!” Patton started gushing over Roman’s performance, Virgil adding in a comment here and there.

Logan gave his brother a smile when they were finished. “You did great.”

“Thanks, nerd.” Roman teased, throwing an arm over Logan’s shoulders.

Remy huddled the group together, keeping his voice down. “Now, I think we should get out of here so we can grab some ice cream before the crowd.”

Roman nodded, bouncing on his toes. “I just have to put my costume back in the dressing room and then we can go.”

“What about the makeup?”

“I can take it off in the car!” Roman shouted as he sprinted back down the hall.

Twenty minutes later, all of them were sitting in a booth at Leon’s Parlor. They’d managed to beat the crowd and had grabbed the best spot to sit. As they talked, the parlor began to fill up.

After a while, Virgil asked, “What made you want to do the play anyway?”

Roman shrugged. “I thought it would be fun. And I wanted to get involved with an extracurricular. Logan says that they look good on college applications.”

Logan nodded.

“And I wanted to do something that I liked, you know? I did an acting class for summer school and I thought it was super fun, so I thought I’d give it a shot.”

Virgil stared at him. “How can you just...do things?”

“It helps that I don’t have anxiety.” Roman pointed out, digging his spoon into the last of his ice cream. “Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith.”

“I can’t do that though.”

Roman nodded, looking sorry for Virgil. “Sometimes it helps to have a friend. Are there any clubs you wanted to join? One of us could go to the first meeting with you.”

“Not at the moment, but I’ll let you guys know?”

“Of course!”

As everyone finished up their ice cream, they left a tip on the table and headed out. As soon as they stepped foot on the asphalt, Patton heard a sniffle.

He turned just in time to see Logan break down, sobbing. Darting over, he held open his arms. Logan dove into them, burying his face into Patton’s cardigan.

Roman started to head over, but Virgil grabbed his arm and shook his head. “We shouldn’t crowd him.”

The two of them stood nearby, listening. If anyone tried to see what was going on, their glares sent them on their way.

“Logan, what’s wrong?” Remy asked as he came over, kneeling next to Patton. Emile knelt on Patton’s other side, eyes wide with concern.

Letting go of Patton, Logan moved to his dad’s lap. “I just...Roman did so good in the play and he’s so talented. I - I’m not good at anything except for school. That’s not - I’m not going to be able to get a job because of that! I need to be good at something else...anything else…”

Remy wrapped his arms around Logan, glancing at Emile over his head. He had no clue what to say, and he really didn’t want to make the situation worse.

Patton caught their look, getting up to go stand with Virgil instead.

Emile slid over, reaching out and rubbing circles onto Logan’s back. “Logan, how much time do you spend on homework?”

“Approximately half an hour per class that assigns homework.”

“So when you have homework in all of your classes, that’s about two and a half hours?”

Logan nodded, the tears finally slowing enough that he pulled his face from Remy’s shirt. “Mhmm.”

“How much time do you spend doing something you like to do?”

There was a moment of hesitation. “I - I’m unsure.”

“It’s not good to overwork yourself.” Emile said, continuing to rub Logan’s back. “You have to make time to do things that you enjoy.”

“I don’t know what I like.” Logan admitted. His face, which was already red from crying, grew even redder.

Emile and Remy exchanged another look. “I could help you figure it out.”

“You can?”

“Why don’t you come over tomorrow? We can look at a list of clubs the school offers and figure out if any of them speak to you.”

Scrubbing his face with his sweater sleeve, Logan nodded. “Okay.”

“Ro, can you start the car?” Remy asked, tossing his keys.

Roman caught them, gathering up his brother and heading toward the car. Virgil and Patton hesitated until Emile nodded.

Once the kids were gone, Remy got to his feet, pulling Emile up as well. “Thank you. I have a feeling I would’ve made it worse.”

“We need to learn from each other, remember?” Emile teased, flashing him a smile. “Now let’s get out of here before you get run over for real.”

[microshiner]

Ska, craft spirits, and Colorado's real drinking town

The hangover bell rings loud and clear in my head as I lift a 70 pound guitar cabinet into the back of a white 2000 Ford Econoline XL. Rain falls lightly. I am running on only a few slovenly hours of sleep but despite the pounding head, my mood is jovial. My band mates and I recount the night before over and over. In the world of ska music, there are few bands more respected than Hepcat, and few bands more infamous than Mephiskapheles, and we just shared the stage with both in one night. It was also the kick off to the second leg of our spring and summer run- this morning we hit the road out of Denver and head for Durango, Colorado, where we’ll spend a week in the studio and follow it up with two shows in the area including a performance at the legendary Ska Brewing Company.

Alright.

Personally, I am excited for more than one reason. I went to school in Durango, but it’s been six years since I’ve lived there and from what I can tell, the drinking scene has only gotten better. A new craft distillery just opened up, and the number of breweries has jumped from 4 to 6 (All this in a town of 17,000. Fort Collins gets the glory, but at over 150,000 residents, are their 14 breweries and 3 distilleries that impressive? Which is the real drinking town?)

I contemplate this and other pressing issues to pass the time on a 7 hour haul over the Rocky Mountains. As we climb in elevation, my mood levels off. It always does when passing time in the van. Whether I am headed somewhere new or somewhere I’ve been many times, as long as it’s light outside touring has always had a bit of a weird vibe to me. The late nights, the shows, the people, the free drink tickets - that is what it’s all about and what makes it worth it. The rush of playing a good show is matched by no drug or other experience I’ve ever had. But during the day, driving through the middle of nowhere to the next town while getting further and further away from your personal life back home, the anxiety creeps in.

Maybe it’s because I’ve never been in a band at a level where touring was our income. I’ve always had to hurry back home after each run and get to work in order to keep the bills paid. Right now, it’s about 9:30 on Monday morning. Everyone I know (except the three guys sitting here with me) is at work, or walking the dog, or heading to the bank, something normal.

Don’t get me wrong, there is certainly a level of awesome to all this. I’m never going to be a ‘company man.’ I knew that by the time I hit high school. I take a lot of pride in what I do for a living and for a hobby. But the older I get, the harder I find it to relate the stories of the road and the stories of the pen and the stories of so many nights passed in rock clubs to people who are my age but haven’t had a night out in months. The word ‘baby’ means something entirely different to them.

As Vonnegut would say - So it goes. We pull into town just in time for happy hour but unfortunately the liquor store will have to suffice for tonight; we’ve got to get to the studio. Tomorrow I will have the opportunity to experience some of the actual culture of this town I’ve missed so much.

Tuesday morning I am walking down Main Avenue bright and early in a leisurely search for a cup of coffee and a paper. Part of me feels like a Texan, stopping to gaze into each store window as I pass by and then actually purchasing, after looking around to make sure no one I know is in sight then ducking quickly into the storefront, a “Durango” t-shirt. I’ll have to bury this down in my backpack so my bandmates never see it. I justify the window shopping and eventual purchase as a mere way to pass some time before my scheduled meeting with some real locals, the owners of Durango Craft Spirits, at 10 o’clock.

I walk into the tasting room to meet owners Michael and Amy McCardell. Immediately I can tell that the duo lives by their motto and are ‘Inspired by the true spirit of Durango’ - It is only 10 am but the room is full of bluegrass music and the McCardell’s beckoning call for a drink. Michael handles the distilling of what is currently their sole offering - Soiled Dove Vodka, made from a mash of 60% native grown, non-GMO white corn they get directly from the Ute Mountain Tribe of Ute in Towaoc, Colorado (just a little over an hour from Durango). His soft voice, with a bit of a country tinge, makes even a short sentence sound well-rehearsed and wise. Perfect for telling stories, and I’m guessing he has a lot of them.

Lucky for me, Michael is not at all shy about telling the story of Durango Craft Spirits, his pride and joy.

It is, I learn quickly, Durango’s first post-prohibition, grain-to-glass distillery. “We’ve got a couple friends over at Ska, Dave (Thibodeau) and Bill (Graham), that opened Peach Street Distillery, in Grand Junction) years ago and one day I met the old distiller and Bill brought in one of their first bottles of gin, along with a bottle of Bombay Sapphire,” Michael says. “It was just unbelievably so much better. That first opened my eyes to craft distilling.”

This was over ten years ago, and until that day Michael had no plans at all of going into the distilling business. “A couple years later, I’m hiking around a piece of property up north with the county assessor, and he said ‘I gotta tell you this story. There’s a buddy of mine who thought he found some ancient Anasazi ruins on his property and he wanted me to come check them out. They hiked up there on a cliff to an Anasazi looking wall and there was an old still sitting back there.’”

He decided to do some research and try to figure out what kind of distilling was done in the area. “I started reading a few books about distilling in the area, and there was quite a bit done,” Michael says. “Especially turn of the last century when the silver market took a crash. A lot of the miners took to cooking booze in the mines.”

With his interest piqued, Michael attended three distilling schools and landed himself an internship at Wood’s High Mountain Distillery in Salida, CO, with the intention of opening his own show in Durango once he learned about the operational side. Both Michael and Amy had spent years in the local hospitality industry managing hotels and a golf club.

As their current jobs came to end due to sell offs, the decision was made to go full-steam with the distillery concept. Step one, securing a location. Where They landed right on the corner of 11th and Main, in the heart of downtown, and opened in January of this year.

Their setup is pretty simple - tasting room in the front, still setup and work area in the back (visible to guests), and office off to the side. Nice and cozy. “We go grain to glass right in the building with all regional grains,” Michael says. “We’re real proud to mash, distill, and bottle right in house.” I had been sold on their concept already, but at this point I could not continue the interview without trying some of their product.

Amy, generally in charge of the tasting room and PR, hands me a pour from behind the bar. I stir, smell, and sip. Then I gasp.

I am not a vodka drinker. My taste for the stuff was ruined by too much Smirnoff as a teenager. But this morning I am happy to make an exception. This stuff is good. Smooth, one of those spirits that you know would be perfect in a cocktail but it almost seems like a sin to dilute it, like a fine scotch. Until you realize that a vodka of such high quality could finally allow you to drink those plastic-bottle vodka infused party concoctions you swore off in your mid-twenties because you can’t stand the headaches any more, minus the headache. “I use a pretty strange recipe for the vodka compared to other distilleries, and it gives it a pretty unique flavor.” That, I agree, is easy to notice.

“The product is tied to Durango’s history,” Michael informs me as empty my glass. “Soiled doves being a Victorian term for the prostitutes of the town. They operated into the 1960s in Durango and were fined heavily, with the fines helping to cover the cost of the schools, the police department, and the fire department.”

The McCardells pay homage to these lovely financiers on the back of their bottle. The cocktails served in the tasting room are also related to the town’s history, an effort that has most certainly allowed the curious tourist to feel more accomplished in his imbibing. The distillery looks to release an unaged whiskey this fall, with barreling scheduled to begin this month. The vodka is currently only sold within 150 miles of Durango. “We are being (probably) too cautious about our growth,” Michael says. They do, however, plan to expand further across Colorado. Not bad for a true mom-and-pop and operation.

I like to think that my band is a mom-and-pop operation. I guess it would be a quadruple-pop operation. Like Michael and Amy, we have grown our small company from nothing into nothing less than an amazing life experience, with no real guidance other learned experience. We have made plenty of mistakes over the last eight years but have slowly made progress come from each of them. We’ve dealt with marriages, jobs, mortgages, kids, operational disagreements, and an old van catching on fire on the road, and as life has happened, we have found a way to happen with it. Back in the early days, circa 2007-2010, I put all of my eggs in that basket. I was willing to work crappy kitchen jobs and live in dilapidated apartments so that I would in turn have the flexibility to leave town when I needed to and be able to keep my financial overhead at a bare minimum in order to play music multiple nights a week. I cared about nothing other than making the band succeed. I lost relationships and friends.

The other guys, at least the two I started the group with, did the same. And then, in the fall of 2010, we crashed and burned hard. So hard, in fact, that over the next two years we did next to nothing with the group. We had no money, our leases were up, and we had nowhere left to go. For a while, we went our separate ways. Our biggest lesson, and one of the most important things I have ever gotten out of life, is that you have to have options - you have to have more than one card to play. As we’ve grown up since then, we have found ways to have other priorities in life while still being able to come back and execute with the band when it’s time.

While the band was on ‘unofficial hiatus’, I filled the musical craving in another group, but I was also able to take the experiences I had with the band, mix them with my college degree, and create some kind of shit show career path based on music business and journalism. Five years later I feel I can see it blossoming. To me, the craft lifestyle embodies that same spirit - live life, take what you’ve got, mix in a heavy dose of passion, and throw it to wind. It takes awhile, but when it finally comes full circle, it tastes so damn good.

[justpeachyshua]

vocal unit theater au - seungkwan

seungkwan as the assistant director

“passion. so many people in this world are filled with so much passion. passion for writing, for dancing, for painting, for performing. passion moves us to pursue our wildest dreams and achieve our highest goals. but, what about when one’s biggest passion is also their biggest weakness?”  (warning/tag: angst-ish?)

part 3 of the vocal unit theater au

read below the cut!

as soon as you met seungkwan, you knew what kind of person he was

when you were both juniors, you were paired together for an ice breaking activity in your literature class, the only class you both shared

you were supposed to learn a couple facts about the other person and then present about them in front of the class a few minutes later 

you were super hesitant at first, not really wanting to talk to anyone in class

but when you were paired with the nice-looking kid sitting a few desks away you were a little less nervous

you introduced yourself and discovered his name was seungkwan

as you guys shared memories from summer break you cracked a few jokes and somehow actually?? enjoyed ? a school ice breaker???

when he ‘presented about you’ you got a feel for the kind of person he was

he threw some clever remarks in and got the class laughing and you realized

ah, he’s definitely an attention-seeker

not in the bad way of course!!!! you could just see that he enjoyed the spotlight 

you were actually pretty confused as to how you had never met this guy before,, i mean, he was so vibrant and outgoing and he seemed to know just about everyone

a few months into the school year and you guys were regular seatmates and great friends

you had pretty much mastered the art of discreetly passing notes to each other in class lmao 

(chaewon asked this guy out to homecoming in my science class. i felt so bad for her, she was flat out rejected) 

(how did she ask him out?) 

(full on song and dance TT)

(yikes) 

as you guys were super close, you shared pretty much all of your after school activities with each other, to the point where you had his schedule in your planner and vice versa

you always tried your best to support each other in extracurriculars! 

you were involved in model un and sca while seungkwan was balancing chorus and theater (ofc) 

that’s something that was really important for you two:

as different as you guys may have been - him the more exuberant type, you the more reserved and studious type - you always made sure to be there for each other

you know what they say, opposites attract 

so

when spring came and it was time for musical auditions, seungkwan made it very clear how excited he was to audition

and you were here for it! 

in the few weeks leading up to auditions, you spent countless hours helping seungkwan prepare his monologue and audition song

he was absolutely perfect ofc but he was dedicated and kept nitpicking his skills

even though you knew next to nothing about music, he would still always come up to you asking if something sounded right

“you think i should sing it more like this” “or like this”

“i.. i didn’t really hear a difference”

“do you think i’m too flat on this note?” 

“you know i don’t know what means” 

 you couldn’t quite explain it, but hanging out with seungkwan those few weeks made you feel all jittery inside 

especially moments when he was so involved in acting out his monologue and he had a passion in his eyes that made him look like he truly was in a fictional world

although he could be a bit obnoxious when he started humming, or worse, singing, in class, when he was in his element it was mesmerizing

as these sessions progressed, these jittery feelings persisted and eventually evolved into a more heart-pounding sensation

when seungkwan practiced his monologue in front of you, you spent less time listening to what he was saying and more time staring into his eyes and counting all of the moles on his face

you told your mom about what you were feeling

“it sounds like you have a crush on him!” 

oh

o h 

OH 

you had NO idea how oblivious you could’ve been to your own feelings if you hadn’t been able to see that you did, in fact, like seungkwan 

from then on, you desired to be closer to him

you wanted to get more involved with the musical

so, in a spur of the moment decision, you ended up auditioning for the musical with seungkwan

while seungkwan was effortlessly amazing, you,,,,, weren’t so great

you didn’t have high expectations necessarily

you’d never really acted or sung before and you definitely messed up the lines to your monologue

but when the callback list came out and you didn’t see your name anywhere, you were a little let down

you then searched for seungkwan’s name on the list and saw that his name had been starred

was he a potential for the lead character? did they want him to have a massive solo? what did that little star mean? 

you set your disappointment aside to celebrate with seungkwan when he heard the news himself

when callbacks were finally over and the actual cast list had come out, you were surprised to see,,,,

seungkwan wasn’t on the list at all

“oh, yeah it’s fine!” 

“what do you mean it’s fine?! couldn’t they see what an awesome actor and singer you are?!?! who do they think they are, turning a star like you down” 

that was when he told you he was actually chosen to be assistant director for the show 

“oh.....” 

seungkwan explained to you that the director of the show, the theater teacher mr. choi, was really impressed with his dedication to the class and to the show that he employed him as assistant director

his job for now was mostly to check up on the cast and crew to make sure things were getting done on time and to coach people on their acting/singing

he took it seriously, making sure to be friendly but stern when needed, and always helping out wherever he could

but, as the weeks past and opening night was fast approaching, he started taking it,,, too seriously

at first, when he attended after school rehearsals, he would ask you to join and help with building sets or organizing boxes of props

but soon enough he was so busy with the show that he was no longer inviting you 

lunches that you two used to spend together became lonely when he had to go to the auditorium to run scenes with the cast

while you would normally have seungkwan quiz you to help you prepare for model un competitions, you had to start asking for your parents’ help instead when seungkwan began spending long nights at dress rehearsals

you couldn’t blame him for being dedicated, after all his job was crucial for the success of show 

but it still hurt

there were a few times where you tried to reconnect with him

you tried calling him on nights when (you assumed) he wasn’t busy

but it would go to voicemail and later on you’d see his snapchat story updated with videos of him singing with the ensemble 

on nights like those you decided to shut your phone off entirely

bc it seemed like all at once seungkwan was dropping you for the musical,,,

when you realized your feelings for seungkwan, you made such an effort to stay close to him, even going out of your way to audition for a musical you didn’t really care to be a part of and taking time out of your days to help with the set up

and now it felt like all of your work had gone to waste now that seungkwan barely wanted to hang anymore

so, when your birthday came around, you tried not get your hopes up

when your classmates gathered to decorate your locker with sticky notes, you tried not to look for seungkwan’s handwriting

when you checked your social media and saw a few birthday comments from close friends, you tried not keep refreshing the page, looking for one from him

when your parents brought out the cake and candles, you tried not to imagine him singing happy birthday to you, his voice as boisterous as he was 

when you were about to head to sleep, you tried not to check your phone, waiting for a message or a phone call 

and by the next morning, you had zero new notifications

you walked into school that day downcast

you were assigned a new project in your literature class that day and, to no surprise, you were paired up with... seungkwan

“alright! ready to get to work?” 

“....”

you just nodded, lips tightly pursed

“okay.. well, let’s divide the work up. I can do this half of the research and the works cited if you do the other half and maybe make the note cards for our presentation?” 

“sure” 

it was unlike you to be so un-talkative, especially with seungkwan, so he was obliviously confused but he decided to let it go until you guys were out of class

he approached you in the hallway

“hey are you ok?” 

“i don’t know, seungkwan” 

“you know you can tell me anything, right?” 

“i don’t wanna talk about it” 

“please, you were acting strange all class. clearly, something’s up”

“well you know, maybe i’d be acting more normal if my project partner and closest friend hadn’t completely forgotten my birthday” 

seungkwan’s face dropped

“i’m- god, y/n i’m so sorry. i-i didn’t realize.. shit i’m so so sorry”

“i’m just tired of this, seungkwan. we barely talk anymore and i’m the only one that’s noticed”

"i..what do you mean”

“i mean you spend all your time with the drama department, so of course you don’t feel lonely like i do. you’re always so busy with them that you forget to check up on me, to say hey every once in a while. what happened to calling each other every friday night just to tell each other we don’t have plans over the weekend? what happened to our study sessions? what happened to us?”

“i’ve just been so busy-”

“yeah i know you have. but you can’t just drop your friends like that. i know your job as assistant director is as important as it gets, but you can’t let it take over your life. god, forget the fact that i even have a crush on you, i just want my best friend back” 

“you- what?” 

in the heat of the moment, you seemed to have spilled something you never thought you’d say 

your face was heated with frustration and embarrassment and seungkwan was equally as shocked

“just forget about it”

you sped off to your next class, not wanting to spend another second standing in front of seungkwan

the rest of the week was silent

if you thought seungkwan had forgotten about you before, then he was actively avoiding you now 

you opted to stay home the day you had literature rather than face another awkward class period 

although a part of you didn’t want to leave seungkwan to work on the project alone, you couldn’t possibly face whatever rejection you were anticipating

the day seemed to drag on forever without anything to do or anyone to talk to 

you wanted to be productive, but all you could do was lay in bed, swaddled in at least three blankets

about halfway into the afternoon, you were close to drifting into your third depression nap when your phone began to loudly ring next to you

picking it up, you saw it was seungkwan who was calling before you hit decline

he called again and, again, you hit decline

he called once more

you hit decline again

he call-

“what do you want, seungkwan?” 

“god thank you for picking up. i wasn’t about to keep trying until my phone died”

“what did u call for?” 

“well, i’ve been thinking a lot lately and you’re right, i’ve been spending way too much time on the musical and i’ve been neglecting our friendship. i fucked up so bad that i forgot your birthday and i ended up pushing you away. that’s.. that’s not what i want. i don’t like where we are right now”

“..neither do i”

“no, i-i really don’t like where we are right now. i want to make it up to you, y/n.. let’s go on a date” 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“............are you still there?” 

“yeah i am. i’m still here. i just.. don’t know what to say” 

“that’s alright. you don’t have to say much. but i do hope you’ll say yes, because i did just ask a sophomore to fill my spot as assistant director for tonight’s performance in order for us to go out” 

you couldn’t help but lightly chuckle 

that sounds like seungkwan

“well, it’ll take a lot for me to completely forgive you..... but ok. let’s go on a date”

“oh thank god! again, i was really betting on you saying yes. i can stop by yours at maybe 6 later? if that’s alright by you, of course. unless you think you need more time to get ready. not that that’s a bad thing! but i did buy tickets for a movie at 6:40 so-”

“seungkwan, you’re rambling” 

“you.. you’re right, i am. sorry about that”

“that’s alright. i know we’ll have a good time

....as long as we’re not seeing a musical, of course” 

[kettlewrites]

teacher!woozi

he looks so hot in that gif i cry plus this is the first time i’ve ever done something like this please don’t hate me i can’t write fduvobfiu pls

okay let’s begin

so Jihoon is the talk of the town- well school- as everyone is getting into the new school year

“did u hear about the new choir teacher ???? i heard that his old students called him the spawn of satan”

“spawn of satan??? i think that’s a bit much.”

oM G it’ S hI m R u N

okay okay i’ll stop

he’s the new choir, music theory and piano teacher. the dudeo is a little music prodigy.

he transferred from a school across town bc he was tired of being in the same place for so long, plus his friends worked here too!!

literature teacher wonu, orchestra teacher joshua, and intro to dance teacher soonyoung recommended Jihoon to the principal and with his track record he was s E T

so, first day of school when the students piled into his, not decorated at all, choir room they were sh 0o k.

“is he the TA?” “why he is so smol???” “are you sure that’s a teacher??” “jENNI F E R shU T uP thAT i S toTal LY a StudEn T” “we’re in women’s choir right now kim.”

he greets the class, somewhat coldly “i’m your new teacher. okay let’s get started with warm ups”

everyone does not take him seriously, bc literally it’s a bunch of immature high schoolers who would take someone so smol and adorable very seriously then one day------ mr. lee (jihoon) had eNOU GH

“Mr. Lee where are our chairs?” “ *smiles* until you guys give me the respect, i have taken your chairs away. now warms up-” yes. he does this to every class, even his piano students and they are c r y i n g

after a good week, they respect him. they fear him, he made a student cry (accidentally) by making the entire choir stop singing to talk about how being off tune will bring down the entire score at competition (he wasn’t even singling the person out)

“okay, competition is in 3 weeks today guys. i know it’s difficult but we’ve gone over this part so many times now, so whoever is off tune please realize your mistakes and fix that so we don’t get points taken off for something so simple fixed.” *kim runs out of the room crying* “jennifer please go take care of that”

somehow from then to the end of the school year no one ever sings a cent off tune ever again

so! how do you get into this mess ? M U S IC AL SE A SON B E GINS

you, the also new and surprisingly loved advanced acting teacher, is casting the school year’s musical alongside V E RY loved dance teacher mr. kwon

auditions didn’t go as well as you were planning, the acting was amazing as you expected from your students so was the dancing... but the vocal talent was l a ck ing. so who do you go to ? obviously!! you don’t go anywhere because you were terrified of going to talk to jihoon who you had a crush on since the first day of teacher camp over the summer wait what hu H

soonyoung was like “we need to do something about this y/n, why don’t we ask jihoon? we could talk to him, i’ve been friends since high school”

your heart does a leap in your chest, we talk? ! ? but you wanted to win the high school musical competition (you’ve done it multiple years in a row at your old school, you were determined to do it here as well)

so push comes to shove, you were in the bare choir room that was empty aside from the classical music playing through a speaker somewhere in the room

you took a deep breath in and knocked on the door frame, since the door was open but he had his back turned towards you. once he heard your knock the (tenth) third time, he spun around in his spinny chair and almost fell out bc did an angel just walk into the room omg

“yes?”

“you’re jihoon right? uh soonyoung sent me bc we need help with the musical”

“tell soonyoung to go fu- you said we?”

“yeah, i’m directing and he’s choreographing and w e need help with the vocals, our actors aren’t up to par of where we need them.”

usually jihoon would tell the person to go away, bc he isn’t some charity to give help to whoever asks, but for some reason he !! just !! couldn’t !! say !! no !! to !! you !! (curse you soonyoung for sending a literal angel his way) so as he was trying to say he had no time to- somehow a yeah sure when do you want me to train them came out of his mouth.

and that’s how a friendship between you two blossomed ( even tho you two strictly told your friends and students who were super nosy that it was just a friendship everyone is like ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) “sure miss. y/l/n. sure it is”

and it was !!! for the most part bc you two could not come to terms with each of your own feelings

then when tech week came you were S T R E S S E D bc

 1. 3/4 of your techies were very very very new to all of this and currently is being taught by one of the old techies who considered quitting during this week 

2. one of your leads has the flu and spread it to his co-actress (so it’s flu central)

3. THE ENSEMBLE DID NOT KNOW ANY OF THEIR LINES AND WHY DO THEY LOOK SO DEAD ON STAGE PLS LIVEN UP CHILDREN IM CRYIN g

so you cancel rehearsal on your end (soonyoung actually asks for everyone to stay to have a chat with them) and run to jihoon’s office with tears running down your face

he sadly was out of the room to make some copies of the music, but when he returned he was !!!!!!!!!

“y/n omg what happened? are you okay???”

“i want to quit my job.” you cried due to stress. you loved your job, you didnt want to quit it was just so many things were happening at once and you wanted to crawl into a hole and cry

“n O !” “i mean.. you shouldn’t, i know this week is the hardest week for directors. mingyu tells me about it all the time with his kids over at *insert another high school* you’re strong y/n!!! you can do this!!!” he even did aegyo for you and it did help cheer you up

and you did get through this with multiple hugs from jihoon and soonyoung talking to the kids and telling them to have fun, bc they obviously were just doing this at this point as a routine

and it worked. it totally worked and the show was a H I T. it was such a hit the show had a nomination in every category from best overall to best ensemble to best small prop in the corner during act 2 scene 5.

and when you saw the nomination list, you ran down the hall from the auditorium to jihoon’s classroom (who he was currently scolding women’s choir for being distracted) (they were totally talkign about how he looks at you while you two were speaking in the hallway)

*BOOM* you slam the door open and he instantly lightens up and smiles (spawn of satan jihoon exits the room) !!!

“ W e  GOT A NOMINATION IN EVERY CATEGORY THANKS TO YOU JIHOONNNNIEEEEEE” 

“did miss. y/l/n call mr. lee ‘jihoonie’ ?”

he’s ecstatic to see you so happy which causes very ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) faces throughout the choir

the night of the award ceremony comes, there are over 500 people in that orpheum theatre all hoping that they win some award of some sort.

you were just sitting with jihoon and soonyoung trying to stay calm, you even already pick your representatives within the cast to go get the awards to save looking like a fool trying to find a rep last minute.

then it came to the moment everyone was waiting for, your show had won most of the awards of the night already but there was one category you wanted the most to set the night, best small prop in the corner during act 2 scene 5 overall musical.

you were so nervous, but soonyoung gave you that look that L O O K that you both knew what it meant (we won)

and the look was right, you did. “from Serenity Rose High School, *insert a good musical bc im too tired to name one* wins best overall for this years High School Musical Awards!”

you were jumping, you were screaming and crying and suddenly your lips were connected with jihoon’s

it was such a good kiss, it probably could’ve won best kiss tbh

jihoon is in shock, soonyoung was in shock, your entire cast was in shock they almost forgot to send little jenny to go get the award, and then after a minute you were in s h o c k.

you were kissing jihoon, you were kissing jihoon Y O U w E R e Ki S i N G Ji hOo N. you pull away so quickly, but your hands were still cupping his face.

“i.. uh.” you were beet red, your cheeks were getting hot and you couldn’t remove your hands from his face they were like stuck.

he was also blushing, and trying his best not to smile super widely.

“ihavelikedyousinceteachercampinjulyireallyhopethiswasntawkwardeventhoughiknowitwasimsosorryforkissingyououtofthebluebutomgdidiactuallyjustkissyou”

“what?”

“jihoon, you adorable spawn of satan, i have liked you since the beginning of the school year like a little school girl and i just kissed you because yes, i like you. god im such a hIg H scHOo L ER!”

“y/n y/n y/n, i very much like you too”

“t h a n k g O D”

dating jihoon would be sweet and cute and adored by the entire fine arts department (teachers and students included)

you would always be in his classroom during your off periods, just chilling while you watch him teach his class. everyone would be screaming o TP in their heads whenever a subtle cute interaction between you two would happen

“y/n we shouldn’t do this in front of the students.”

“they’re at lunch what could possibly happen if you kicked all of them out, just kiss me already!!!”

right when you two were just centimeters apart, “mr. lee i needed to ask you if- ..oh.. o  H” “KIM SERIOUSLY I TOLD ALL OF YOU TO GO TO LUNCH”

dates would include late night adventures to downtown or somewhere far, far away from the school. you would even go to see a show at the theatre bc after dating you, he got very interested into the performing arts. 

even though jihoon wouldn’t be very into pda, he’d do it when it was only you two alone (very alone no students, no teachers, no one just you and him)

he’d always be there when you are stressed and he’d provide hugs and soft singing to calm you down, and you would always be there for him bc he sometimes needs to be reminded of the time so he can leave the school at a reasonable time like JIHOON OMG IT’S 9PM WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?!!?

“i just wanted to pick out new music for next semester”

“J i HOo N!” 

but yes, that is teacher!woozi / teacher!jihoon 

i’m terrible at this omg this was so long why is it so long thx for reading all of this if you did. i wrote this at like 2am don’t hate me if this was badly spelt or grammar is terrible too. i hope u liked it, this is what i believe teacher jihoon would be (somewhat inspired by my satan-like choir teacher) but yes, i might do more of these aus someday, if you have any ideas pls hit me up in my inbox! :D

oki bye

[music-in-my-sol]

quotes from the music department

*Repeatedly sings part of the music in scat*

“Ben swore to Jesus that if he didn’t help me at the concert he’d do thirty push-ups in front of the entire band, and I’m just as excited for this as you guys are.”

“If it were easy, football players would be doing this”

“We were 4.75 points off of the next band, and I’ll make certain this number will haunt you until next season.”

“Tomorrow’s gonna be a rough week.”

“I’ll just get a golf cart to follow the band in the parade. Maybe one day I’ll play a halftime show in a golf cart, all by myself.”

“No, Danny, you’re not starting a group chat for jazz.”

“Someone made me a 22&½-inch stick to measure steps. Don’t make me use it.”

“Trumpets, raise your right hand, and move it over to the person next to you. You’ll be fingering the notes on their trumpet.” *leans over to woodwinds* “this is gonna be really funny”

“We don’t have Thursday night rehearsal this week, so live the lives you have outside of band. So basically, catch up on homework.”

“Here it is– wait no, that’s 32 pages, that’s not right.”

“Before we step off on Saturday, you need to focus and say the following prayer”

“All the freshmen are on break, none of them are here!” *section leader raises hand* “Adeline’s here” “She’s the only one ADELINE WHY DONT YOU TAKE BREAKS IN THE STANDS”

“I hope this is loud enough, because this is as loud as its gonna get” *glares at the saxophone that forgot the speaker* “He forgot the speaker, my own flesh and blood.”

“As usual, the bassist knows the articulation and rhythms to the saxophone parts better than the saxophones do.”

*beatboxes to metronome*

“I want you to go home, do homework, practice, do more homework, have a milkshake, and practice some more.”

“If you want to annoy the heck out of a musician, play a cadence but leave out the last chord and wait like 20 minutes”

“this passage is called ‘Glendy Burk.’ I went to high school with her, actually.”

“you aren’t feeling well? Drugs?”

“while I was in the middle of complimenting you, you made a mistake”

“that saxophone line was jazzy as hell”

“you just have to play angrier”

“what’s the point if they’re all accented?”

“you squeaked in tune”

“can you take that d?”

“you can play my final pitch”

“imagine brass knuckles, but on a tambourine”

“I had to blow on my tongue”

“Bethany, you’re my number one!”

“the entire band is pianissimo, so play really loud. mezzo piano.”

“go through the head”

“BAD tambourine!!!”

“112 is the American tempo”

“the audience started clapping during the caesura. I didn’t know whether to continue on or leave the stage.”

“Matthew, while you were gone, Ed and I determined that you’re a freeloader”

“you came in early” “I don’t remember”

“did you just compare terrible bass parts to a terrorist attack?”

“Christ, Elizabeth, you’re such a violinist”

“All of our violas are at another rehearsal today, so we’ll begin today’s rehearsal with a prayer as that is the only thing that can save us.”

“We don’t have a spare bass bow to use while Ed’s is being rehaired, so you two are just gonna have to share. Yeah. Sorry about that.”

“Ah, yes, but what baroque style are we talkin’ here”

“It was at that point she handed the first chair violin a viola part. He proceeded to hand it back to her.”

“I went home and cradled that music. I never get original bass parts.”

“She turned the page in her score and forgot to continue conducting. Honestly, I would’ve been less surprised had she thrown her baton into the cello section”

“There are two basses in pit this year, so we’re an actual section, so he can’t just shove us in the corner this year HIGH FIVE”

“Does she really know how to buy a bow? She should make it a field trip so you get the right one.” *swings hands in air super wide* “it has to AGREE and BLEND with the instrument DO YOU SEE”

“When the orchestra director doesn’t know what to do she just asks the second chair. If he’s gone, she waits until a day he attends rehearsal to ask him.”

“Don’t be afraid to play out. Except during rests. Then you should be very afraid.”

“is it ok if I start to cry a little right now?”

“I had anaemia as a kid, and my schoolteacher’s name sounded like ‘anaemia’, so naturally, I hated her”

“she took the pen out of my hand and said, ‘no, Richard, use pencil.’ I was so mad”

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that there are fewer bassists today and higher rates of suicide, gang violence, school shootings...”

“channel your inner Whitney Houston”

“play quietly, like you’re about to wake a baby. except you’re the baby, because you didn’t practice”

“I have another metronome app now. I collect them.”

“if someone calls my bass a cello one more time I’m gonna lose it”

“at the gig, a drunk guy came up to me, pointed to my harp, and called it a sideways piano”

“I want the space between these notes to be so big you can fit a little drawing of a house, a sun, a tree, and little dog in there.”

“90º angle notes”

“I want the sixteenth notes so sharp they could kill a man”

“turn the soundbox on”

“do you have a fancy phone? the answer is yes, yes you do.”

“I listened to the narration a few times before realising it was in German”

“I’ve got, like, four copies of that piece. the conductor keeps forgetting that I already have it and makes me a new copy.”

“soon I’ll have AIDS. Hearing aids, I mean. I’m old, is what I’m saying”

“more birdlike, turn on roundabout faster”

“kissing from the left is different from kissing from the right. not that I would know. asking for a friend.”

[remembermemorablememories]

Saturday, February 2, 2019

post #390

main points:

- woke up early with mom to drive to flushing

- eat a breakfast at nan xiang

- pick up jwoos and go to LGA

- flight to chicago! watched bohemian rhapsody on the plane

- try to check into airbnb but keys weren’t there

- eat snacks at a chinese restaurant

- check into airbnb after contacting host

- walk around the area and visit chicago mural and get turbo tacos for dinner

- walk along 606 back to airbnb

- chill in airbnb watching youtube videos (vine compilations LOL)

today i:

- woke up at 7:00am to my alarm. then brushed my teeth and packed it. then went downstairs to get ready and load the car. dad also woke up to help move the car out of the way/get ready to take sheena to rehearsal once she woke up later

- mom and i left the house around 7:50am, then stopped by wawa to get some coffee. i haven’t had coffee in a really really long time. but i was like oh well i’ll give it a try

- i drove us for about two hours into flushing. on the car ride mom told me more about our family history. how she met dad, why she thought dad would be the best, her friendship with my uncle/aunt, how other people pursued my aunt but ended up with my uncle, how she helped my other aunt in high school. it was really fun to learn about our family history cause they never really talk about these things. the two hour drive felt pretty short because of what my mom was talking about

- got to flsuhing and we found some street parking relatively quickly. we got some nan xiang soup dumplings, tofu skin, fried pancake roll thing, and scallion pancake + beef. it was soooo good, i really like that place. we were really efficient, getting in around 10am, and out by like 10:40am

mom drove us about 15 minutes to jwoos place to pick him up. we filmed a quick thing with us putting stuff in the trunk for like 3 minutes then left to go to LGA

- got to LGA hella early, like around 11:15am? the security line had literally 1 person in front of us. then we got checked in and got to our gate, with plenty of time left... so we just kind of hung around, listening to music on our phones and watching glitch 6 smash ultimate videos

- we boarded the plane around 1pm, and promptly departed at 1:30pm. on the plane they had bohemain rhapsody so i was like oooooh. i watched it for the whole ride (which was basically the entire duration) perfectly aligned for like two hours. the movie was really really great. i thought the way they told freddie’s story was so inspiring and heart touching. i teared up multiple times and also got goosebumps. i really got the sense that he was someone who was struggling with his own sexuality but still wanted so desperately to be in love with mary. and his love for music was unbounded. great movie and great performance. i looked up online afterwards to see how accurate the movie was and some key things were inaccurate apparently. rip. LOL. i guess ya gotta manufacture some drama anyway

- we landed around 3pm, then got my bag from baggage claim. cause overhead compartments were full so they offered free checked baggage (they forced me to do it basically)

- we ubered and got to our airbnb around 3:45pm. it would’ve been a short ride but there was heavy traffic, making the ride like 40 minutes. we got to the airbnb and when we tried to get the key from the lock box, the box was empty.... we tried to call the host and message him but he didn’t respond. so we were like... might as well get some food cause we’re so hungry. we found a chinese place just down the street and went there to get some small dishes as a snack cause we were really hungry

- once we got there, the host called us and told us to call him once we got back to the airbnb cause he has the key and they couldn’t get it in the box cause it was so cold. thankfully it’s like 40 degrees today in chicago. if it were below 0 degrees like last week, we would’ve been so pissed LOL

- we got back to the airbnb, met up with the host and he gave us our keys. then we dropped off all our stuff, and then walked out to look around logan square

we left around maybe 5pm ish, then walked towards a chicago mural on a wall which looked kind of iconic. we thought it’d be cool. it was like a 15 minute walk from the airbnb. i took some video and jwoos took some pictures. on the way we caught up and talked about how things were going, he talked about how things went with tina, sony vs nikon vs canon, track from middle school and high school, and some other stuff. it was a good time

then we walked over to turbo taco which was a couple blocks down and got tacos for dinner. i got three tacos, two pork and 1 steak and it was pretty good. jwoos got a burrito

then we walked back towards the airbnb, stopping by the 606 trail, since cici said it was like the NYC high line. it was pretty, but there was a bunch of snow on the trail. just a general note a lot of chicago is covered in dark slush cause of the snow from the past week :/ kind of like gigantic puddles at every sidewalk corner

- we took the 606 trail all the way back and then got back around 8pm. we just chilled at our airbnb for the night. we watched some genesis 6 gameplay. like armada, ally, mkleo, leffen. then watched some skits like scott sterling. then we watched a bunch of vine compilations, some roy purdy, and that was about it

i took a shower, typed up this blog post. it’s now 12:24am cst which is 1:24am est. i am ready to sleep. i am tired boi. we just watched leffen vs mkleo, what a hype set

good night

the end

[sunflowerseedsandscience]

X-Files Fic: She’s Beauty, She’s Grace- Chapter Six

Note: I suddenly realized this chapter was getting away from me and cut it off, but there’s an excellent chance (since I was well into what’s going to be the next chapter when I decided it was getting too long) that there will be an additional update later tonight.  :)

Previous chapters: one | two | three | four | five

Even though she’s managed her first uninterrupted night of sleep since her shooting, Scully still wakes up exhausted, and the day begins far earlier than she would have liked.  Skinner, Mulder, and Elise converge on her hotel room within fifteen minutes of her alarm going off, and all four of them order breakfast from room service, rather than taking the time to go down to the dining room.  While they wait for their food to be brought up to them, Elise gives them the schedule for the day.

 “Tonight’s the official start of the pageant,” she says.  “Your call time is six o’clock, two hours before the curtain goes up.  Until then, though, the only two events you’ll need to attend are one last dance rehearsal, which is at eleven, and a rehearsal for the talent portion.”  Scully bites her lip nervously.  Two dance rehearsals, plus the performance tonight?  There won’t be enough Vicodin in the world… or at least not left in her prescription bottle. 

 “What time is the talent rehearsal?” she asks.

 “Each contestant has a fifteen-minute slot, and yours is at one-thirty this afternoon,” says Elise.  “The rehearsal is more for the crew than it is for the performers.  They need to get a copy of your music, see how long you’ll be onstage, and where you’ll be, so they can put together a lighting design.  It doesn’t take long.  And beyond that, you’re free for today.”

 “How free?” asks Scully.  “Lounge-around-the-pool free, or five-strategizing-sessions-before-lunch free?”

 “Somewhere in between,” says Skinner.  “We do have things we need to go over, but you also need to take it easy as much as you can.  It’s going to be a long night.”

 “Tonight will start with the group dance number,” says Elise.  “Then you’ll have the first round of interviews.”  

 “I completely forgot about the interview portion,” groans Scully.  Elise smiles.

 “Don’t worry too much about it,” she advises.  “Each contestant only gets one question in the first round.  Otherwise, with fifty women, it would take all night.”  Scully nods, somewhat relieved.  “Then the night will finish with the swimsuit competition.”  Scully frowns.

 “No talent portion?” she asks.

 “That’s the next night,” says Elise.  “For the top twenty-five, anyway.  After the swimsuit portion is over tonight, you’ll all change back into the evening gown you wore for your interview, and they’ll end the first night by announcing who’s made the cut.”  Scully brightens.

 “So I might not ever have to perform my talent portion at all?”

 “You’re guaranteed to make the top eight,” says Skinner.  “To make sure you’re on hand as long as possible.”  It makes sense, but still, Scully’s disappointed.

 “Don’t worry, Scully,” says Mulder, giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.  “You’ll do fine.”  He’s smiling in a way that says, all too clearly, that he’s looking forward to it tremendously, and Scully just barely manages to resist giving him an impromptu shower with the orange juice that has just arrived.

 As soon as breakfast is over, Mulder and Skinner leave to meet Kersh and the profiling team, and Elise stays behind to help Scully get ready.

 “I had this delivered to your room last night, while you were in your rehearsal,” she says, unzipping a garment bag hanging on the end of a rack in the corner of the room.  “Someone from the Luxor brought it over in the afternoon.  It’s on loan from one of their floor shows.”  She holds up a bright green velvet dress of the sort worn by Irish dancers- long-sleeved, close-fitted through the bodice, with a flared skirt that’s meant to hit the dancer at about mid-thigh.  A complicated Celtic knot work pattern is embroidered across the front in silver.  “Try it on,” says Elise, passing it to her.  “The wardrobe mistress at the Luxor says they have other sizes, but I’m pretty sure this will fit.”

 And fit it does.  Standing in front of the full-length mirror, Scully has a strong sense of having been transported fifteen years into the past, back to high school, when she and Melissa had practiced their routines together nearly every afternoon.  Their mother had driven them to competitions all over California, and once, when Missy had been a senior and Dana a sophomore, they had qualified for Nationals.  They hadn’t, however, been able to attend the competition- their father had been at sea, there hadn’t been anyone to watch Charlie (Bill had already been away at school), and anyway, they hadn’t really been able to afford it.  Airfare for three, plus hotel rooms and a week of restaurant meals, were a bit much to afford on a Navy man’s salary.

 For a moment, standing in front of the mirror, Scully misses her sister more than ever.  Missy would have gotten a huge kick out of this, out of the idea that even though they’d been denied the chance to dance in that long-ago competition, her little sister is still going to be dancing in front of the entire country.

 “Perfect,” says Elise, grinning at Scully and jerking her out of her reverie.  “The judges are going to eat you up.”

 “I feel a little ridiculous,” Scully confesses.

 “Don’t,” laughs Elise, patting her shoulder.  “I’ve seen some truly ridiculous talent performances over the years.  This won’t be one of them, I’m sure.”  She rifles through the garment rack and pulls off a hanger holding a royal blue one-piece swimsuit.  “Try this on next,” she says, handing it to Scully, who takes it into the bathroom.

 True to her word, Elise has made sure to secure Scully a one-piece bathing suit that manages to cover what it needs to while still showing off her figure.  The neckline plunges dramatically, it’s true, and there are large, geometric cut-outs in the sides, but the gunshot scar is covered, with several inches to spare, so that even if the suit shifts (which Scully doubts it will- it fits like a glove), it will still be covered.  Scully imagines, for a fleeting, private moment, what Mulder’s reaction will be when he sees her wearing this, and she flushes all over.

 Elise nods approvingly when Scully comes out of the bathroom.

 “Do you feel comfortable in it?” she asks, and Scully laughs shortly.

 “Comfortable?  No,” she says.  “Exposed?  Definitely.”  She looks down at herself.  She hasn’t shown this much skin in public since her bikini days on the beaches of San Diego in high school.  “But everything’s covered that needs to be.”  She smiles gratefully at Elise.  “Thank you for finding this,” she says.  “It’s probably the best I could hope for under the circumstances.”  Elise smiles.

 “Not a problem at all,” she says.  She crosses to the clothing rack and unzips another garment bag.  “We’ve got a killer evening gown for you to wear tonight,” she tells Scully, “but obviously, we’re not going to make you walk around in it all day.”  She takes out a pale lavender pantsuit and passes it to Scully.  “This should be a little more comfortable.”

 “Finally, a piece of clothing I recognize,” Scully says, laughing as she looks at the suit.  The cut is perfect, definitely something she’d choose for herself, though not in this color- at least, not for work.  “Where’s the blouse to put under it?”

 “There isn’t one,” says Elise.  Scully raises her eyebrows.  The jacket closes fairly high on the chest, it’s true, but still… there’s going to be an awful lot more of her chest exposed than usual.

 Once again, she thinks of Mulder, and once again, she goes warm and red all over.

 Once Scully’s showered and dressed in the suit, a matching pair of heels on her feet, Elise sits her down in front of the mirrored vanity and goes to work on her hair.  There’s not much opportunity for conversation while the blow dryer’s running, but once she moves on to the flat iron and brush, Elise gets talkative.

 “So, how long have you and Agent Mulder been together?” she asks.

 “I was assigned to work with him a little less than seven years ago,” Scully says.  Elise cocks her head to the side.

 “Oh, no, I meant how long have you been together?” she asks.

 “Um….”  Scully’s taken aback.  “We’re not… that is, Mulder and I, we’re not like that,” she says.

 “Oh!”  Elise’s eyes are wide with surprise.  “Gosh, I’m sorry, Dana.  I didn’t mean to be presumptuous.”

 “No, it’s fine,” says Scully.  “Plenty of people think that we’re… uh… involved.”  She shrugs.  “We’re the only two people in our department, we’ve been working together for a long time, and we’re close.  There are always rumors.”

 “I just… well, Agent Mulder didn’t talk about anything except you the entire time I was with him yesterday,” says Elise.  “And I mean the entire time.”  She shakes her head, smiling.  “I guess I’ve never heard a guy talk like that about a woman he just works with.”

 “Well, we’re friends,” says Scully, suddenly feeling defensive.  “Best friends, really.  We’ve been through a lot together.”  Elise nods, but she doesn’t look convinced.  She finishes flat-ironing Scully’s hair, and Scully obediently covers her eyes in preparation for the hairspray.

 “So,” says Elise, as she swivels Scully’s chair around and pulls up a chair of her own to start on the makeup, “if you and Agent Mulder aren’t a couple, are you seeing anybody?”

 “Not for a very long time,” says Scully.  “The job doesn’t leave me with much free time.”  She sighs.  “I’m barely home enough to keep my houseplants alive.”  She waits, tensed, for the question she knows is coming next, now that Elise knows her partnership is not a romantic one: is Mulder seeing anyone?

 But the question never comes.

 ————————————

 The morning meeting with Kersh is uneventful: there’s no new information yet, no further threats have been received, and no one has noticed anything suspicious or out of the ordinary.  All of the other undercover agents are in place as stage hands and security guards, and Skinner and Mulder show Scully the setup for the coming night.

In the dressing room, backstage, Scully has been allotted a space all the way at the end of a long row of mirrors.  Each mirror has a corresponding curtained-off changing area across from it.  There’s a door just to the left, and Skinner explains that there is a conference room immediately on the other side, which is where all of the agents who aren’t undercover will be, watching a live feed of the pageant.  Scully looks at Mulder.

 “That’s where you’ll be?” she asks, and he nods.

 “With a direct line to you at all times,” he says, tapping his ear.  She turns to Skinner.

“And you?”  

“In here with you,” he says.  “Coaches stay with their contestants throughout the pageant, I’m told.”  Scully nods, extremely thankful for the curtained changing areas.  Changing clothing in front of her boss would be a whole new level of uncomfortable.

The door to the conference room opens, and Agents Marino and Young wheel in the clothing rack from Scully’s hotel room.  They say nothing, but smirk at Scully and exchange a look with one another that she can’t quite read.  She assumes they’re still angry about her turning down a body camera, and shrugs it off.

The eleven o’clock dance rehearsal with the rest of the contestants is short, thankfully.  They only run through the routine three times before they’re dismissed.  Scully tries to get Tina’s attention when it’s over, hoping to pick up last night’s conversation where they’d left off.  But it turns out that Tina’s talent rehearsal is starting in minutes, and Scully is forced to leave the theater without her.

Lunch is a solitary affair, in her room, by her choice.  Scully’s been surrounded by people more or less constantly since Mulder had picked her up from her apartment yesterday morning, and she’s desperate for some time alone to recharge.  She stretches out on her bed and relaxes until one o’clock, when it’s time to go get changed and get ready for her talent rehearsal.

The fit of the green velvet dress, the stiffness of the skirt, and the supple leather of her hard shoes all combine to give Scully the strongest feeling of deja-vu she's had in a long, long time.  Backstage, in her changing area, Elise helps Scully apply a heavier coat of makeup to compete with the bright stage lights, and uses a curling iron to give her a head full of tightly-wound spirals.

"Elise, can I ask you something?"  In the mirror, Scully sees Elise smile encouragingly.

"Of course," she says.

"I don't want to sound like I'm ungrateful or like I'm not thrilled you're here, helping me, but... is there a reason you're not coaching a contestant in this pageant this year?  A real one, I mean."  Elise's expression grows sober and uncomfortable.  "You don't have to answer if it's a sore subject," Scully says quickly.  "I just... you're obviously very good at this.  I was just curious."  Elise doesn't answer for a moment, concentrating instead on curling the hair at the back of Scully's head.

"I did have a contestant that I was coaching," she says, finally, not meeting Scully's eyes in the mirror.  "But we had a falling out... just a few weeks ago, in fact, which is how I ended up being available to help you."

"I'm sorry," says Scully.  Elise nods, still not meeting Scully's gaze.

"I'd been coaching her for a long time," she says.  "But things started going south right after she won the pageant for her state... and within two weeks, she was just... different.  Everything I said or did made her angry, we couldn't agree on anything... she was a completely different person almost overnight." Something pings in the back of Scully's mind, some connection she's missing. She gropes for the loose ends in her head, trying to figure out how this information relates to what she already knows, but it eludes her.

"Well," she says, "I feel awful that that happened to you... but I'm definitely happy to have your help, Elise."  She smiles at her, and now Elise does meet her gaze, and she grins.

"You're all set," she says, stepping back.  "Go knock 'em dead."

All in all, it's not as bad as it could have been, Scully decides twenty minutes later as she changes back into the lavender pantsuit, returning the velvet dress to its garment bag.  She did have to run through the routine three times, so that the lighting technicians could make sure they had her lit the way they wanted, and she's a little sore, but the extra repetitions of the routine had served as much-needed practice squeezed in before tomorrow night's performance.  She remembers all of the steps, and while her footwork is certainly not clean enough to win a national competition, it's good enough that she won't blow her cover.  

And at the very least, Scully thinks to herself as she leaves the dressing room, Mulder is busy elsewhere, so there's no way that he could have-

"That was awesome!"  Mulder's enthusiastic shout is the first thing to greet Scully as she leaves the theater, and she cringes.  "How come I never knew you could do that, Scully?"

"I thought you were busy with Kersh, Mulder," Scully grumbles, walking past him with her shoulders hunched.

"I was," he says, turning to walk along with her, "but I made sure to get down here in time to watch you.  You really used to do that in competitions?"  Scully nods as they step into a waiting elevator.  "Why didn't you ever tell me about it?"

"It never came up," she says.  "It hasn't been a part of my life for a long time now.  And anyway...."  She leans heavily against the elevator wall as the car begins to ascend.  "It's something I used to do with Melissa, so... it reminds me a lot of her."  Mulder's face immediately sobers, the boyish enthusiasm fading away.

"I'm sorry, Scully," he says.  "I didn't know."  She shrugs.

"Missy would get a kick out of all this," she says.  "Me, dancing onstage in a beauty pageant.  It's not exactly the sort of thing I ever thought I'd be doing."  She shakes her head.  "It's not a scenario I ever pictured when I made the decision to join the FBI."

"You're handling it great, Scully," Mulder says sincerely.  He reaches out and fingers the lapel of her lavender blazer, pulling the edge ever so slightly towards himself.  "This is a good look for you, by the way.  I meant to tell you earlier."  Scully feels a warm flush spread to the rest of her body from her chest, where his hand is hovering oh so close to where the blazer covers her bare skin.

"Yeah?" she says, her voice little more than a breathy whisper.  "You like it?"

"I do," he says.  He's moved a little nearer without her noticing, somehow.  "I'd say it's too bad you can't dress like this all the time in the office... but then I probably wouldn't get anything done, ever."

He is so close.

"And what makes you say that?" she asks, tilting her head back to meet his intense gaze.  He says nothing in answer... only drops his eyes down to the exposed valley of her cleavage, then meets her eyes again.  He tightens his hold on her lapel ever so slightly, pulling her inexorably towards him...

...until with a sudden, unwelcome ding, the elevator stops and the doors fly open, admitting Tessa Gillman of Texas, with Stephanie Price of Minnesota standing next to her.  Scully tries to pull away from Mulder, but he holds her fast.

"Wait, Kath, don't move," he says.  "I've almost got the mascara off your cheek."  He rubs his index finger across the skin under Scully's left eye, and she freezes, realizing at once what he's trying to do: if a contestant is caught making out (or looking like she's about to make out) with a man in the elevator, it won't look good for her, and she could get in trouble.

Having her makeup adjusted by her pageant coach's personal assistant, however, is perfectly permissible.  

"Katherine, who's your friend?" exclaims Tessa, grinning broadly.  Scully's all too aware that her face (and, likely, the exposed skin between her collarbones) is flushed bright red.

"Tessa, this is my coach's personal assistant, Mul...."  She trails off, but Mulder, thankfully, is still right on top of things.

"Marty," says Mulder, extending his hand.  "Marty Luder."  Tessa shakes his hand, then Stephanie, as they pass.  Tess looks very much as though she'd like to say something- her eyes are sparkling with mischief- but they’re saved by Skinner’s voice booming down the hallway behind them.

“There you two are!” he calls, and Scully turns gratefully, waving good-bye to Tessa and Stephanie, who are still looking between her and Mulder with enormous grins on their faces.  “Katherine, I need you both before dinner.” The elevator doors close, and Skinner beckons them down the hallway.  

“Has something happened?” asks Mulder, and Skinner shakes his head.

“Nope,” he says.  “I just want you-” he points at Scully- “back in your room and resting until dinner at five.” Scully opens her mouth to protest, but Skinner cuts her off.  “That’s an order.  Mulder, Kersh is waiting for you in the command center downstairs.”  His tone brooks no argument, so Mulder brushes Scully’s shoulder with his hand.

“I’ll see you at dinner,” he says, dropping a wink.  “Get some rest.”  And Scully retreats reluctantly into her hotel room to lie restless on her bed, with nothing to distract her from her jangling nerves.

[ti-infires30x]

Symphonic Dysfunction

Chapter 1

The cavernous walls of the hallway seemed stifling and cramped this morning. Namjoon usually found solace in the sound of his shoes click clacking across the tile, reverberating and filling the empty hall as if the acoustics were built for him. A far cry  from the Performing Arts Center that his father had conducted at, with its slatted panels that shifted and directed the sound offstage as if the world was his music box for just a few minutes. Still, he was grateful for what he had here at the YONSEI. Even if the Auditorium practically rattled,  he would make the best of it. Even if ‘the best of it’ included having his kids play their concert in the hallway outside so they could understand how it feels to hear and be heard. The first hour or so that Namjoon was at school were hardly his favorite of the day but they were definitely moments of silence that he cherished. As an interim conductor of 3 string Orchestras, a full symphony, and his part-time student status as he grapples to juggle his final semester toward his Masters degree in Conducting, he has little time to himself.

Running a hand over his face, he wipes his eyes and lets out a yawn as he finally rounds the bend to the fine arts hall. Why they stuck my parking space all the way over by the gym with the coaches, I will never know. Namjoon made it a point to avoid the coaches at all cost after their altercation over funding in the fall. How many soccer jerseys can one team need that we don’t even have room in the budget for a proper score library? Coach Wonho, a rookie soccer coach who everyone took a shining to because of  his reputation as a former starter for the South Korean Olympic team, assumed upon meeting Namjoon that he was a fellow coach. An easy misconception to adopt largely because of Namjoon’s towering height, youth, and physical fitness, however Mr.Kim was quick to correct his colleague. Ever since Namjoon told Wonho exactly where he could go to find his precious special edition cleats for his team, the two had not necessarily been on good terms.

Regardless, Mr.Kim continued to plow on and was already being thrust into his 2nd semester as Orchestra director for the YONSEI University symphony program. Mrs. Eun Joo had been very pregnant at the beginning of last year’s fall semester and had left on her 3 month maternity leave.  3 months turned into 6 months which turned into her resignation as word spread of the paternity of her child. Wonho walked around like he was the most virile man in South Korea for months afterward. The Dean, of course, caught wind and every member of faculty was greeted at the beginning of the term with a flowery email filled with sheepish wording that said in no uncertain terms: don’t fuck your coworkers. Especially the married ones.

Inadvertent as his employment was, he loved it nonetheless. The chief reason that you could tell that Mr. Kim Namjoon loved nothing more in his life than his job was the smile that could be seen on his face whenever he saw one of his kids. The visible change as his chest swelled with pride, his eyes brightened, and his legendary dimples appeared was infectious.  Each student carried that energy and confidence with them throughout their day because when that pride is directed at you, there can be no doubt in your mind that it is genuine and deserved. Of course, he can only call them his ‘kids’ in his head since in reality, there are quite a few members who are considerably older than he is.

Checking his watch, Namjoon winces at the time. 7:45am. Right on time for sectionals. With a concert date looming, Namjoon decided to buckle down and have the kids lead student taught sectionals for his struggling club students. Led by the Chamber top group, of course, the advanced students would instruct the non-major students who were merely in the Camerata Orchestra for something to be involved in, with drills and practice techniques to level up in their musicianship. As lovely as an idea that Namjoon remains convinced that it was, since its inception about 2 weeks ago, it has gone less than smoothly. The first Monday sectional featured the section leader of the violas abandoning their Little’s altogether upon hearing them screech out the opening chord of their Telemann. That Wednesday, the 1st violin first stand knocked over what had to have been the tiniest freshman girl on campus  in their attempt to rock paper scissor who gets to play the tuning note. Oh, and the poor dear that told Hobi he should ‘lighten up’. I honestly don’t know if she’s going to pick up a bass ever again.

It was now the following Friday and it was time for none other than the cello sectionals. The previous week they had gone fairly well under the guidance of Park Jimin, and Namjoon saw considerable improvement of the Camerata group’s G major 3 octave scales in rehearsal. They were working hard and there was no doubt that the reason for the improvement was Jimin’s skill paired with Taehyung’s sheer magnetic approachability. And his smile, of course his smile. As talented a cellist as Jimin is, Kim Taehyung could make the devil feel comfortable in a church. Of course it helps that many of the freshman girls were absolutely infatuated with him. And with good reason, it must be said.

Fumbling with his belongings  at the big double doors of the Orchestra hall, Namjoon goes red in the face as he drops his keys. Again. He’s had a set of keys for the Orchestra Hall since his sophomore year as a student. He was in the room more than the instructors so Eun Joo-nim finally caved and printed her annoying little try-hard a copy.

His father had told him that he should never do something he enjoyed as a job because it would soon become a chore, however, he was never happier than he was now. The job came with its difficulties of course, he got very little respect from the rest of the staff. Namjoon tried to remain patient with those who condescended to him, he really did. He fully understands how ludicrous and humiliating it must be to have a department head who has only been able to drink alcohol legally for 3 years. At 22, he was the youngest faculty member by a long shot, but that didn’t bug him at all. Having graduated high school at 16, 3 years ahead of his peers, he was comfortable with being the youngest in the room. What made Namjoon uncomfortable was the assumption that he was inherently less than qualified just because of his age. If I’m a shitty conductor, then I’m a shitty conductor but don’t you dare pin that on my age.

“Good morning Mr.Kim!”, the proud bearer of a boxy, bouncy smile swoops down and picks up Namjoon’s keys for him. Namjoon can’t help but melt a little as Taehyung grins at him as if he’s never been happier to see someone in his entire life. Taehyung is blissfully unaware of his slightly dishevelled state, touting sweatpants with one leg rolled halfway up his shin, a massive hoodie that he stole from his older brother, ashen hair that stuck straight up the back of his head, and a sleep-puffed face.

“Good morning Taehyungie,”, Namjoon indulges, as he swings the door wide for Taehyung to accommodate his cello. “And don’t call me Mr. Kim.”

“Yah, Tae! Hold the door!” From down the hall, an undeniably beautiful man cartoonishly speedwalks to the door, laden with a stack of papers that makes the broad man look tiny.

“Good morning, Jin!” Tae chimes once again.

Chest heaving, Jin storms into the office door that sits adjacent to the front entrance of the Orchestra Hall and sets the papers down with a huff.

“Yah! You call this maknae ‘Mr.Kim’ but all I get is “Good morning, Jin”? You should be ashamed, how can you treat your hyung like that? Worse still, your concertmaster? I bust my ass making sure we have scores and assignments and all I get is-” Jin’s half-hearted, bemused tirade is cut off as abruptly as it begins as another boy enters the room, the door yawning shut behind him.

“Kim Namjoon. Kim Seokjin. Kim Taehyung.” His soft voice renders any harsher tone obsolete and the boys stare at the smaller boy blinkingly as he takes up the remaining space in the office. As if answering their unspoken question he stifles a yawn and mumbles, “You’re all “Mr.Kim”.’

The tirade quieted, Jimin rolls his case to his section and begins unpacking his cello. A stark difference from his stand partner, Jimin is the picture of elegance. Or as elegant as a 21 year old man can get. His honey colored hair perfectly in place, dressed simply in a loose collared shirt and ripped dark jeans, Taehyung continuously found himself captivated with the effortless way that Jimin presented himself. I wish I could be that cool. Looking down at his own clothes, he mentally kicks himself for not putting in more effort on a day to day basis. That’s just not where my energy goes,he reconciles with himself, I’m concerned with other things.

Taehyung crosses the hall to the cello locker room, fetches his cello case, and returns to take his place next to Jimin as second chair. Jimin frets over his cello, rosining his bow, tuning and re-tuning, ensuring his music is in the right order. Glancing over at Tae, who is busying himself with plucking out chords in an attempt to play a double stop that he hasn’t yet heard, Jimin grows envious of Tae’s care-free nature. I wish I could just fly into things like Tae does, without a plan. It would save me so much trouble.

All too aware of the silence that has settled in the hall since he stopped his plucking, Tae clears his throat to cut the awkward tension. The most unsettling thing is silence in a place that is supposed to be filled with noise.

“So what are we going over in sectionals with the Little’s today?”

“Tae, you can’t call them Little’s, Jeong Jae-Sun is a year older than us.”

“But. But. He’s so… Little!” Tae pouts. “Have you seen his bow hold? He might be able to knock me out in one punch and outdrink… well, you; but he has the bow hold of a 6th grade girl.”

“Yeah I know Tae, I was tempted to bring thumbtacks to fix our Yoo Soo Jin’s collapsing wrist. If they keep playing like this, they’re going to hurt themselves.”

Jimin falls silent and rubs his wrist, empathetic pain from his own tendonitis flaring at the memory of their poor posturing. I got hurt, and I was playing correctly. Jimin had played violin since he was 3 and while he was training for his audition for Julliard his sophomore year, he worked so tirelessly that he developed carpal tunnel syndrome and couldn’t play for months. The beginning of the end of his promising violin career.

    Namjoon takes long strides out of his office to his place on the podium before chuckling, “First of all, no one could ever out drink our Jiminnie. Second of all, I’m glad you’re showing so much concern for the well being and progress of our kids because we’re having an emergency rehearsal Saturday and I need you there if you can make it.”

    Tae heaves a great dramatic sigh and throws his head back, sinking down into his chair until the neck of his cello is resting on the back of his chair. “And if I can’t make it?”

    Namjoon sobers a bit and faces Tae, “Then I completely understand, but I do hope you can make it. You make the kids more comfortable. They love you.”

    Jimin bends to set his end pin up and then hoists his cello up onto his shoulder, “Besides, what do you have planned? You practically live here.”

    “That’s pretty rich coming from the one that I found sleeping in a practice room at 4am last week.” Tae shoots back in mock defense.

    “Yeah, and what were you doing by the practice rooms at 4am last week?” Jimin wheedles.

    Tae’s face falls when he sees that he’s been beat. ”...Practicing.”

    Jimin’s face brightens into a smug shit eating grin and his posture screams an explicit, check mate.

    Tae, already embarrassed at being outed hangs his head over his cello and absently picks at the rosin build up under his bridge. Face reddening at the anticipation of the ribbing to come, Tae mumbles, “I have a date on Saturday.”

    Jin materializes from thin air next to the podium and begins shouting about how “this girl better not break your heart” and “make sure you stay safe, use protection, you don’t know what these hoes got” and “oh lord, he’s just a kid. Don’t you think you should wait a while to date again?”

    Namjoon raises a hand to silence Jin and melts further at the visibly mortified maknae in front of him. Leaning down to where they meet eye to eye, he smiles affectionately at Tae. “Well, who is it?”

    Tae, grateful for the reprieve in shouting, allows his smile to fall open once more and his cheeks redden in a very different tone as he recalls the object of his infatuation. I can’t believe I got this lucky. Years of pining and I finally got her to say yes to  a date. A real date.

    “Chung So-Young.” Jimin could tell from the lilting way Tae hung onto every vowel in her name as if he were afraid to let go of them, that he was head over heels for her.  

    “Oh, the saxophone player from Jazz Band? I thought she was with Hobi?” Jin pops Tae’s love sick bubble without remorse.

    Visibly pouting, Tae snaps back, “Look, if I swore off being interested in any girls that Hobi-hyung has been with then I would never date anyone. I don’t have many options as it is since Kang Mo-Yeon turned the entire Yonsei English Society against me. And I really like this girl.”

    Jin returns to the office, fuming. Shutting the door firmly behind him, he lasts a good 3 seconds before whipping it back open and marching back to the cello stand. Tae might have been intimidated by the massive man barreling towards him with rage in his eyes had it not been for the knowledge of his intent. Jin comes to a halt and in a deluge of profanity begins cursing anything that has to do with Kang Mo-Yeon and the YES club. “How dare she cheat on you and then convince half of the campus that you’re the jackass?! Tae-Tae?! You couldn’t hurt a fly! You’re a jackass but you’re OUR jackass and if she publishes one more vaguely accusatory article in the English Paper I will single handedly drag her ass-”

    “Jin-hyung.” the honorific coming from Namjoon is enough to give Jin reason to pause. Namjoon jerks his head to the door and the herd of cellists that are gathering around it, waiting for the sectional to begin. “There’s a time and a place. They don’t all need to know his business.” Turning to Tae, he places his hand on top of Tae’s mop of hair and  smiles down at him. “Have fun on your date. Just know that there will be a legion of cellist noonas absolutely heartbroken that their handsome oppa isn’t there to show them thumb position for the upteenth time.” Laughing at the sheepish flush that graces the boys cheeks once again, Namjoon adds, “Oh, and stop giving May Sun private lessons, I overheard her working in the practice room the other day and she knows how to do everything you’re teaching her. She’s been playing dumb to get more time with you.”

    Struck dumb by that information and deaf by the resounding cackle from his stand partner, Tae sits mouth agape like a fish as the floodgates of the door break and none other than May Sun is the first to breach the Orchestra room.

    “Good Morning Taehyung oppa!” a bright girl who is far too well done up for 8am, in a cute outfit, heels, and full makeup, plants herself firmly in front of Taehyung and presents a muffin to him. “I brought you breakfast, oppa! I wanted to say thank you for all of the time you’ve spent with me on lessons this week. Kamsahamnida- oppa!”

    Jimin does his best to choke down his laughter but Taehyung just straight up chokes. Stuttering like his bow in the Dvorak piece, he numbly takes the muffin and, in an attempt to avoid further conversation, stuffs the whole thing in his mouth.

    Namjoon prompts the confused looking girl to unpack her instrument so they can start sectionals, and she scatters to do as she’s told. Jimin leads sectionals in his signature matter of fact style, fixing bow holds now and again. Although he receives less attention borne of infatuation from his pupils, he receives the most respect and attentiveness. Jimin has studied at Julliard and has a reputation as being hands down,  the best cellist in the school, and the most stern. Conscious of his intimidating demeanor in rehearsal settings, Jimin is glad to have Taehyung present to lighten the mood. Jimin is glad for the company but frustrated that this is the one facet of the musical process that he doesn’t excel at. Taehyungie is training to become an Orchestra teacher, it only makes sense that he is a natural teacher. People are drawn to his personality, people are drawn to my music. There’s a reason I’m applying for my Master’s in Cello Performance and not Music Education. Despite his regular pep talk regarding the fact that it is ok to not excel at teaching, Jimin still envies the easy way that Tae corrects the kids with kindness and patience shining in his eyes.

    8:40am comes and goes and students enrolled in the 9am Symphony block class begin to show up. A small boy with shining white hair stalks in without a word and settles into the back row of the 2nd violin section as if he was made for that chair. Somehow willing himself invisible even in the morning light, he fades into the background of the classroom. Tae waves at him from his adjacent place in the Orchestra, furiously mouthing “Morning, Yoongi-ssi!”

    Next to make an appearance was a man with the complete opposite and equal energy as Yoongi. A tall figure entered that exuded so much attitude that he actually sauntered into the room through the side door. Dressed to the nines in an effortlessly cool look of dark jeans, a dangerously low-buttoned collared shirt, and the latest Yeezy’s that color coordinated perfectly with his round tinted glasses and bandana. Every head in the Hall turned to follow his gait to the bass locker as if transfixed by his energy. He appeared aware of but completely unbothered by the attention he was receiving, even smirking slightly as he met eyes with several of the cellists, making them blush furiously.

    Namjoon takes advantage of the pause in productivity to address him from the podium. “Nice to have you back Hoseok-hyung. I trust the Jazz Studies field trip went well and you are returning to us as a more enlightened and sensitive musician.”

To which Hobi grins, scratching the back of his head and stammers something along the lines of ‘Uh… yeah it was, great.”

    Seokjin peeks his head out from the office and shouts, “He went to New Orleans and he studied… jazz? Yeah right, Namjoon. He is returning to us with a higher alcohol tolerance and at least 3 STD’s.”

    “SEOKJIN. NOT the time.” Namjoon pulls out his Director-nim voice that he hides away for special occasions such as these.

    The entirety of the participants of the now long dismissed sectional remain standing in the back, watching the verbal volley with bated breath. Eyes bouncing from Jin to Hobi to Namjoon as if if the contents of the conversation were going to be on their final exam.

    “Don’t you guys have classes to go to? Go on, scatter.” Jimin speaks up, shooing the group away with no regard to his social reputation with them.

    The remainder of the relatively small 20 piece orchestra files in, class begins and they go straight into the Holst Planets movements that they had been agonizing over for months. After Hu Yoon-Ji and Seokjin’s savage ‘discussion’ about whether the Andante Maestoso should start on an upbow or downbow, the final missing seat is filled. Another boy barrels in and as soon as he comes into view he gives the impression that he has grown very quickly in a very short period of time. Not exactly towering in height, but large and muscular, he looks as if he should be on his way to lacrosse practice, not Orchestra. He chucks his bag near across the room and rushes to unpack his violin. Crashing through the rest of the Orchestra, nearly knocking Baek Chi-Young’s stand over in the process, he finally takes his seat next to Jin, a huge smile plastered across his face.

    “Nice of you to join us Jungkook.” Namjoon, says, with only minor sarcasm.

    “Joesonghamnida, Sunbae-” Jungkook attempts a full 90 degree bow from his chair but ends up hitting his head on his stand and knocking his instrument out of tune. Rubbing his head, he looks up at Namjoon apologetically. Namjoon could tell that he had prepared a well thought out apology and excuse to present on behalf of his tardiness but the lump on his head and the humiliated look on his face was all the penance he needed.

    “That’s okay Jungkook. Just tell Coach Wonho that you need to leave soccer practice early next week and I’m sure we can get you here on time.”

    “Yes, sunbae.”

    “And stop calling me Sunbae, Kookie.”

    “Yes, sun-... Namjoon-hyung.”

After running their 30 minute show, once, twice, and spot checking trouble areas, Namjoon finally released the class.

    “Good work today, guys!” Namjoon bellows to the fleeing kids.

    “Get home safe, hyung!” Echoes back from the retreating crowd and Namjoon is sure that it’s Hu Yoon-Ji.

    “With Jin driving? Not likely!”

    “Yah, drive yourself then!” Jin snips back from his position in the office.

Although Namjoon was technically Jin’s sunbae by occupation, Jin is more than happy to point out the 2 year age difference between the two roomates. Jin casts his thoughts back to his freshman orientation. He had waited on pins and needles for his roommate assignment and was shocked when a gangly boy with a jet black bowl haircut rolled in with a suitcase that was wider than himself. Tagging behind were an older couple that he assumed were his parents.

“Kim Namjoon?” Jin questioned, as the boy took in the room with oddly wise eyes.

“Pleased to meet you. You must be Kim Seokjin. You’re a violin performance major, aren’t you?” Dumbfounded by this child’s confidence, Jin merely nodded. Namjoon’s parents rushed in with a distinct air of protectiveness.

“So you’re Namjoon’s roomate? Please take care of him. He won’t be here long so just, while he’s here, can you please make sure he doesn't cause too much trouble for himself?” Jin agreed as noncommittally as possible and then beat a hasty retreat to the hall on the pretense of saying goodbye to his parents. His parents had left hours ago, but he needed distance from the smothering tension in that tiny brick prison. Catching his breath just outside the door he catches snippets of a conversation. Chills ran down his spine as they always do when you know that you’re overhearing something that was never intended for your ears.

“You’re only 16, are you sure you don’t want to take a gap year or two? We can still get a spot in the Engineering camp that offered you a scholarship.”

“Min-ya, it’s not worth it. He won’t listen to us. You’ve been telling him for years to abandon this music foolishness.”

What surprised Jin the most wasn’t the sentiment from Namjoon’s parents, it was more common than not in the fine arts department for students to not have the blessing of their parents. What took Jin aback was the stony silence coming from Namjoon’s side of the conversation, as if he had nothing to say so nothing should be said. That level of maturity from a sixteen year old kid was something unheard of. Even Jin, who had a supportive, if absentee family, snapped at his mother occasionally with his 19 years of experience.

He decided at that point that he would do exactly as Ms.Kim requested of him. He would protect little Namjoon and hopefully learn as much as he can from him. Not that he would ever tell him that.

“Jin-hyung, what time is your Music Theory class today?” Namjoon interrupts.

“I only teach Tuesday and Friday. We can go home for lunch and come back at 2pm for Philharmonia.”

“Excellent!” Namjoon, practically bounces out of his chair, rocking on the balls of his feet. Slipping into his jacket he qualifies, “Do you want to go to Goreul-saem first, I don’t feel like cooking tonight.”

“Namjoon, you haven’t cooked in 6 years.”

“Yah, I cook sometimes! I made ramyeon for you last week.”

“Jinja, fine. We’ll go out. But I know it’s just because of that cute noona that works the register.”

“No, I-” Namjoon panics as he goes to lock the door of the Orchestra room behind him.

“Yah, yah, yah, They serve the same menu at Booreul- saem but you’ve insisted on Goreul the past three weeks. Booreul is closer! I don’t care if you like her, just fucking ask her out already so I can stop wasting my time on it!”

Namjoon scratches the back of his head and stares at the floor. “I guess. Yeah, that’s true.”

“I know! When I have ever been wrong?” Jin slings his arm across the shoulders of his dongsaeng and they marched back down the hallway together.

[bewarethebasement]

On Teaching High School Students

Rae Rival

I started teaching Creative Writing at the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) in 2012.  Before PHSA, I was a grade school teacher and an educational materials writer. I was also an active member of Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika at Anyo (LIRA). The approaches that I used to teach poetry came from my training as a LIRA fellow and member.

There was no manual for teaching creative writing to high school students. It was usually offered as a course in college. Arts classes at PHSA ran for four hours a day every afternoon. My former references include creative writing syllabi from universities, my handouts from college and books written by Virgilio Almario such as Sansiglong Mahigit ng Makabagong Tula sa Filipinas, Panitikang Pambata sa Filipinas, Pag-unawa sa Ating Pagtula: Pagsusuri at Kasaysayan ng Panulaang Filipino, Maikling Kwento sa Filipinas, etc. Photocopying parts of novels, collections of poems and short stories both by local and foreign authors became part of my daily routine. I taught the elements of poetry and fiction and used Literature and Its Writers by Samuel Charters and similar books as guides.   

Aside from delivering lectures, I usually come up with “fun” writing exercises or attempts at game-based learning. This year, with PHSA’s calendar shift from June - March to August - May, came the return of the bundy clock. As public school teachers (PHSA being an attached agency of the Department of Education), we sign a contract that requires us to report for 40 hours a week. The Daily Time Record (DTR) form was replaced with a time card, and we were to punch in and out every day. A flexi time was allowed but the options were usually to spend 11 hours a day for 4 days or 9 hours a day for 5 days. It was actually 44 hours if you count the hour-long lunch break.

As arts practitioners, one might find this setup suffocating. PHSA does not really require their arts teachers to practice (it is just a small point for professional growth in the Individual Performance Commitment and Review Form). There are no programs to address this need and during meetings, teachers have to justify and defend the need for practice. Our directors, however, are very open to proposals and approve requests to attend lectures, facilitate workshops, join group shows, engage in activities that are related to our field. But as a general school policy, PHSA teachers are just technically, civil servants who need to complete 40 hours preferably in the workplace. In fact, an approved travel means leaving your students behind. They are left to study on their own when their teacher is away. If this is often done, students’ development may be compromised.

Yet, with the 40-hour work week, how can one practice? The only viable solution is that one may try practicing within the 40-hours, within the premises of the school. That is not always possible for theater actors or theater arts practitioners who need to be part of a production. For writers, it seems plausible (though progressive writers need to be more engaged, need to embed themselves in a community or struggle thus, also has field work). Interdisciplinary artists who weave writing with other forms of art may also need to go beyond finishing a novel or a collection of literary works (and not all writers can do this in front of their faculty tables or computers). If we are to compartmentalize arts practitioners: visual artists need a studio space, and musicians and dancers need to rehearse on their own or with an orchestra or a dance company. Practicing our art in the morning, before the afternoon arts classes begin, is not something that is openly-discussed or even encouraged. We are usually given committee work and mornings are spent doing clerical work, lesson plans, and other duties. Plus, the fact that you have to earn a License (completing 18 units of education first) in order to be a tenured faculty and finisha Master’s degree if you wish to be promoted. With all these requirements, there is no room for art, really.

Initially, PHSA teachers were given dormitories or cottages hence, the term “resident arts teachers.” They were literally residing and living with the students. They were open for consultation after class hours. Until now, music, dance and theater arts students rehearse until 9 or 10 PM with their teachers. Back then, former resident teachers who were married brought their owns kids to the cottages as it was similar to housing privileges.

With the number of students multiplying (the school was initially created for 1st - 4th year high school, now it has to accommodate Grade 7 - Grade 12 students), PHSA dormitories can no longer accommodate teachers. What our school needs is a feasible, scientific, and child-friendly boarding school curriculum. Some resident arts teachers even go beyond the 40 hours and if they are provided with housing/dormitories, they even stay during weekends to train students. A boarding school curriculum will create programs for students that will help them organize and manage their time after class hours. A boarding school curriculum will also provide programs for art practitioners—the resident arts teachers. This will also set clear parameters for the teachers, clarifying our responsibilities as mentors of children and teenagers residing in Mt. Makiling.

This brings me back to my initial and final concern for writing this essay, what PHSA students need are high school teachers. In my short stay in Mt. Makiling, I have applied different approaches to teaching creative writing. As I have mentioned, my training was limited to my college degree and LIRA (which has a highly-academic program for their fellows, they even tried creating  an advanced/ Master’s program for their older members to help them continue honing and practicing their craft). This does not really work for kids as young as 11 years old. My 1st year high school students, we call them Grade 7 now, come here fresh from their elementary schools. Even if they like writing, some of them come here intimidated or with an initial fear for discussing poems. As Edward Hirsch wrote in his essay “How to Read a Poem”, the three misconceptions readers have are: (1) the need to understand what the poem means on the first encounter, (2) the poem is a kind of code, unless they have cracked the code, they missed the point, and (3) the poem can mean anything they want it to mean. That fear is intensified with approaches that are very strict or inaccessible for children and adolescents. I have students from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao who have never heard of writers from the literary canon, whose idea of poetry is that it must have end rhymes. They have to unlearn a lot of misconceptions, a lot of habits.

We hire acclaimed, award-winning writers to mentor our students but not all writers can teach. We also hire college professors to teach part-time here but not all great college professors can be great high school teachers. That is one of the many realities here in Mt. Makiling, aside from the fact that this is a boarding school, not an ordinary school where you can simply deliver a lecture and leave your students. You have to come up with high school-friendly activities and guide them because, well, they are very young. They are given extraordinary responsibilities like producing an entire book, representing the country to international festivals, and conducting workshops to fellow high school students. They get invitations to perform, engage and participate in different arts-related activities all over the country. They are scholars and our task is to guide them well.

“Dapat masanay sila. Paano sila masasanay?” To me, the need to “grill” their works so they can be ready for creative writing workshops is quite complicated. We need to come up with approaches that are appropriate for high school students; we need to be nurturing and socially relevant. Every year is another challenge (a new school year brings in new digital natives with diverse skills and needs). We can guide them to be critical and compassionate. One of the things that I challenge in my class is the practice of workshopping literary works. The challenge has to be thrown to the critic or the high school teacher, how can you deliver this to an 11-year-old or even a 16-year-old?

___

Aside from teaching, Rae Rival helps run Gantala Press, a feminist, literary press. Her poems, short stories and essays have appeared in various publications. "Press Release" (a chapbook of poems) and "Halimaw" (part of Sigwa: Climate Fiction Anthology) are two of her most recent works.

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