Work Text:
Christine had decided to go to a karaoke bar. She wanted to perform, but didn't want all the stress that came with auditions and actual shows, she just wanted the rush of singing in front of people. She didn’t want to go alone, so she decided to message the only other performer in her friend group, Jeremy.
To Oh, Jerm?: Hey Jeremy, want to go to a karaoke bar with me?
From Oh, Jerm?: yea sure, what time?
To Oh, Jerm?: I’ll pick you up in an hour?
From Oh, Jerm?: ok cool
Christine put on her music and set down her phone. She had about 45 minutes to get ready, which was a good amount of time, but she knew she was going to spend half of it dancing around her room.
She had barely changed her shirt when her favorite song came on, The Schyler Sisters . She began singing along, calmly at first, but soon she was all over the place. Her feet took her across the room in seconds as she changed her voice for every character singing. Her arms were waving around, cutting through the air, determined to go wherever they wanted. The intensity of the song made her forget about her surroundings, that was until she stubbed her toe on her bed post.
She screamed and pulled her knee to her chest, holding her foot. She hopped on one leg for a few seconds before ultimately falling onto her bed. She yelped as her back hit the mattress. Her feet fell to the ground, holding half her weight as she bent against the mattress. She laid there for a good minute before getting up again.
She checked her phone: 15 minutes. Okay, that’s still plenty of time . She skipped a few songs before actually beginning to get ready.
She sat on the ground and started digging through her clothes, humming along to her music. She pulled out a pair of shorts and threw them on her bed. She opened another drawer and grabbed a pair of socks, cats and dogs. She threw those on the bed too. She got up from the ground and changed her clothes. She pulled on her sneakers, grabbed her phone and keys, then headed put the door. Another glance at her phone showed that she had left the apartment with 5 minutes to spare. She smiled and messaged Jeremy
To Oh, Jerm?: You better be ready! I’m on my way.
From Oh, Jerm?: yayaya ok, see you in a bit chris
Christine got into her car and turned the key. She grabbed the aux cord and played all of her music on shuffle. How Far I’ll Go from Moana started playing. WOW!!! She started singing along as she drove out of the parking structure.
Going to Jeremy’s apartment was almost like second nature to Christine. She’d visited him so many times, only half of those times was with invitation. She knew it wasn’t a very nice thing to do, but showing up unexpectedly was fun. Jeremy would normally open the door in his pajamas or work clothes with a controller in his hand. She would normally just hang out with him and Michael until she got tired and needed to go home. They were a nice constant for her.
She arrived at his house with 5 minutes to spare.
To Oh, Jerm?: Outside, h u r r y u p !
From Oh, Jerm?: you’re early :)
To Oh, Jerm?: Whoops.
From Oh, Jerm?: i’ll be right out
Christine flicked through apps on her phone as she waited for Jeremy to walk out of his apartment complex. She’d barely gone through Ben Platt’s instagram when Jeremy knocked on her window and opened the door.
“Hey, Jerm!” Christine radiated joy upon seeing Jeremy.
“Hey, Chris.” Jeremy was less visibly excited, but he was still smiling warmly at Christine, who had already started driving.
30 minutes of singing and talking later, the two arrived at the karaoke bar.
“Did we even need to come here? We could’ve just sang in your car,” Jeremy joked. “Saved some money.”
Christine rolled her eyes, “Oh hush, you know it’s not the same.”
They walked in and were hit with the smell of alcohol and the sound of what Christine thought was pure joy. There were people laughing amongst themselves, a group was cheering on the person on stage, some were had there phones out and were recording various things that were probably going to end up on snapchat.
Christine and Jeremy walked further into the bar, sitting at a table close to the front. Christine picked up the songbook and started flipping through it with Jeremy. They were both pointing out songs they thought the other should sing.
They’d decided to do a duet together, but the hard part was finding a duet that they both knew and could do. 30 minutes and a drink later, they both agreed on “Only Us” from Dear Evan Hansen. It was in both of their ranges and was an overall good song. They wrote it down on the list up front and sat back down, listening to the other singers as they waited to be called up.
Almost everyone who got up to sing seemed so sure of themselves, they sang as if it was just them in their bedroom. Some had drinks in their hands, they were the most rowdy. There was also the odd person who seemed to cave in on themselves as soon as they stepped on stage. Jeremy sympathised with them. They started out timid, opting to being too quiet than too loud, but soon they were moving along with the song and their tense stature seemed to melt away.
Once they were called up, Jeremy was sure he was going to combust from nerves. Christine dragged him onto stage and passed him his mic, smiling reassuringly.
The music started and they both took a deep breath. Christine started singing, softly at first, but she got gradually louder, more sure of herself. Jeremy joined in and his voice sounded more steady than he had expected. His voice was a bit stronger than Christine’s was, but soon their intensity both matched. They sang as though they had rehearsed this song a million times, which in a way they had.
It seemed too soon that the song was on the last verse. They were belting at this point, but they were slowing down. They were singing softer and softer until the song ended.
The room seemed deathly silent, as if the power of their voices had stunned the world still. Jeremy could feel his heart pounding in his chest. The smile on Christine’s face was so wide, nothing could bring her down from a performance. Especially one as powerful as that. People clapped and a few shouted, others just went on with their conversations. It didn’t matter though because Christine and Jeremy were giddy.
They sat down once again, talking and laughing more animatedly than before. They were happy.