Chapter Text
"Scott, let's go! You're going to be late!"
"I'm coming, dad!" Scott called, blue eyes scanning the bag he had packed quickly to make sure that nothing had been forgotten. His script, water bottle, and snacks were accounted for almost instantaneously, and it was only then that the blond boy decided he was ready to go.
The ten year old had never been in a play before, but he had been a gifted singer since he had learned how to speak. That was what had landed him in the role of Augustus Gloop in a local community theater's production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Scott couldn't be prouder. In a way, he was carrying on his mother's wishes for him.
Connie had loved the way his voice sounded, and it was a shame that he couldn't sing to her anymore, but it was something that the boy had loved to do for his mother no matter what was going on. Even now, when he was close to being late to rehearsal while still in his home, he would have made time to belt out a familiar tune before he left if possible.
Satisfied that he wouldn't need anything else, the gangly boy dashed down the stairs and to the front door where his father was waiting. Richard had recently realized that his son was a procrastinator, so it was no surprise that the two of them would likely be late to the theater. There was a chance that his son would make it on time, but there was no guarantee when a theater at least ten minutes away was expecting them in five minutes.
Richard did his best to usher the excited blonde out the door as quickly as possible, but despite the sense of urgency between them Scott was inevitably late when they pulled up to the theater. The building loomed over the parking space his father had chosen as if the bricks themselves were ready to punish him for his heinous crime, but there wasn't time for Scott to be scared. He had to get inside before he got scolded by someone that could actually scold him.
His father's well wishes barely registered in his ears as he yanked the glass doors open and dashed into the massive building, blue eyes searching for the next set of doors before he'd even set one foot inside. The last thing that Scott wanted was to lose his chance to be a part of this production because he was late, and at this point he was determined to shave as much time from his tardiness as possible.
He sprinted towards the stage the moment he was able to push the thick wooden doors open, and Scott couldn't remember feeling more embarrassed in his life as all eyes landed on him.
"I'm sorry I'm late!" He apologized, his own pair of pupils falling on the only empty seat in the circle of actors and actresses. Was he the only one who had arrived late?
"Hey, don't worry about it Scott. It happens, but try not to let it happen again," a voice boomed from the stage, "Now why don't you have a seat? We were just about to introduce ourselves."
They all went around the circle as Scott took his seat, and it was as his peers introduced themselves that his eyes landed on the most enchanting human being he had ever seen. His name was Mitch Grassi, and everything about him was magnetic. From his thin brown hair to the chocolate brown eyes scanning the circle of performers, there was only one way Scott could describe his physical appearance: adorable. Not only that, but he claimed everyone's attention the moment his high pitched voice left his mouth. No wonder he had been cast as Charlie.
Scott's introduction was very brief, for he didn't have a history of past experience to dish out to the other actors. He preferred it that way, though, for it meant that they could get to the read through of the script faster. "Hi, my name is Scott Hoying, I'm ten years old, and I'm very excited to work with you all on my first production as Augustus Gloop," he admitted, fidgeting in the stiff metal chair he had scrambled into when he'd arrived. He hoped that they wouldn't be sitting in them long, or he might have to remember to get there earlier next time so that he could procure a more comfortable chair.
Then again, he had a feeling that he would be fine as long as he was able to befriend a certain brown-eyed boy.
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By the time the read through had ended, Scott was only more convinced that forming a friendship with Mitch Grassi was imperative. He was a natural, and it was no surprise to the blonde when the rest of the cast appeared just as captivated as he was. However, his acting couldn't hold a candle to the moment he started singing.
Angelic, divine, gorgeous... There weren't enough adjectives to accurately describe the effect that Mitch's voice had on Scott and the rest of the cast. He was far more talented than any of them could have imagined, and yet his brown eyes looked on the crowd for only a moment before dropping to his shoes.
Scott couldn't understand the boy's timid actions, but wasn't close enough to attempt any sort of quiet conversation as the rest of the actors focused on their lines. Perhaps he would wait until after rehearsals had ended to confront Mitch about it. However, before he could pursue the thought any further, Mitch was singing again and Scott's concerns were lost to the melody of the high pitched voice echoing across the stage. He could listen to that voice all day long if not for the fact that they were reading, and singing, words from a script that moved in a chronological order. In order to follow the same path as that script, Mitch would need to stop singing at some point.
The brunette did stop singing eventually, and it wasn't long after that that it was Scott's turn to impress the circle of people with his voice. His blue eyes stayed glued to the music throughout the song to avoid straying to his peers, but simply hearing his voice echo throughout the theater seemed to pull his mind away from the thought of being watched. He immersed himself in the words he was singing and the piano pushing him along, but despite the solitude he had found he couldn't help but hope that he had turned a few heads. More specifically, he hoped that he was able to turn Mitch's head.
What remained of the rehearsal flew by for Scott, and though every instruction was carefully considered and written down he felt as if he was barely present as he packed up his belongings. All he could think of was Mitch, and the fact that his beautiful voice was escaping his lips in a quiet hum as he sat on the edge of the stage. He wanted to speak to the boy badly, but he couldn't seem to convince his feet to move. Come on Scott, just go say hello. It's not that hard!
His feet were moving before he could argue with himself again, dragging his apprehensive form over to where Mitch was quietly practicing his songs.
"Hey, you were great during rehearsal today."
"Huh? Oh, thanks! You were awesome, too," Mitch complimented, wide eyes focused on the boy towering over him at that moment. Scott's blue eyes were mesmerizing, to say the least, and he found himself a bit less intimidated than he had been when the boy had been acting as Augustus prior to their conversation. Then again, anyone would seem less intimidating to him when they weren't trying to bully him.
Mitch found himself shifting a bit to the left, leaving room for Scott to slide into the empty space beside him. There was something about that blonde boy that drew him in, though the reason for it was lost to him for the time being. He'd felt connections to people before, but nothing this strong. However, before the reason for this strange attraction could be revealed, Mitch's brown eyes spotted the one person he'd hoped would wait just a bit longer to show up: his mother. Nel was an amazing mother, but tended to show up at the most inopportune times for him. Like now, when he was trying to befriend one of his cast members. There was always the next rehearsal, right?
"And that's my mom. I have to go," Mitch sighed, brown eyes still focused on Scott as he stood. The boy seemed nice enough, and hopefully he wouldn't be late to the next rehearsal so that they could talk a bit longer. "It was nice talking to you, Scott."
"Yeah, nice to see you too, Mitch," the blonde replied, the smile on his face clearly forced as he watched Mitch walk off the stage and towards his mother. The woman shared many of the brown-haired boy's features, hair color included, so he could easily see the relation between the two. Scott wished his mother was still alive to pick him up. However, the thought was pushed from his mind almost as soon as it came. She had been gone for over a year now, anyways, so he shouldn't be mourning her any longer. That's what his father had told him, but Scott was almost sure that Richard had been ignoring his own advice since it had been given. However, hypocrite or not, his mother was the last subject he would be bringing up when his father arrived to pick him up. If anything, he was anticipating that the conversation would turn towards a certain talented boy he had just finished talking to.
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"How did the first rehearsal go, sweetie?"
Mitch had been expecting that question from his mother before he even saw her waiting by the door of the theater, but it certainly wasn't one he wanted to answer. Not because he hadn't thought that the rehearsal went well, but because there were so many moments that he wanted to talk about that he wasn't exactly sure where his mind wanted to start.
"I think it went well. I made a new friend," he admitted, though it wasn't quite clear to Mitch what to call the two-sentence interaction he'd had with the tall blonde moments before.
He'd known the moment that Scott had charged through the doors of the theater five minutes after the start of rehearsal that he would be an interesting character. What he hadn't expected was for that interesting character to be so talented that he could tear the breath from Mitch's lungs on the first note of his solo. It had happened, though, and it took a surprising amount of effort for the ten year old not to drool over Scott Hoying every time that he had spoken or sung during the entire rehearsal. He had revealed an immense amount of talent for his first show, and Mitch was surprised that very few members of their cast seemed to appreciate it as much as he did. Then again, maybe they were too focused on him to notice.
The reaction he'd received from the director and majority of the cast had surprised him, and at the same time he couldn't understand why they were fussing so much over his initial performance. There had to be children out there with just as much, if not more, talent than him, right? Mitch wasn't anything special, and he hoped that his peers soon stopped talking about him as if he was.
One good thing that might have come from his abilities was the opportunity to work with Scott more often. Mitch was sure that the blonde didn't go to his school, and the short talk they'd had before the arrival of his mother wasn't enough for either of them. He wanted to get to know Scott better, and Mitch was hoping that he might show up earlier tomorrow so that he could make that wish a reality.