Chapter Text
A/N: Sooo, after some plotting and consideration, I've decided to write my first long story... Let's see how it goes! xD Enjoy the first chapter and lemme know what you think! ^^
It's been a hell of a day at the Shubert theatre. And it wasn't even noon yet.
Sitting slumped behind the table in front of the stage, Leo stretched his already aching neck wearily, looking down at his watch. 6 more hours to go. He fought the urge to groan at the mere thought. Usually, they would be done long before dinner time, early enough to enjoy a little bit of evening sun while walking home. But those were hardly usual conditions.
At the height of a production, everyone going crazy was nothing out of the ordinary. As a matter of fact, it would shock him if they got through a single technical week without Roger storming off the stage melodramatically at least once. Or without Carmen and the rest of the crew following him frantically, joining in with their own proclamations of dissatisfaction in a chattery batch of chaos.
No, this was certainly nothing surprising, and being completely honest with himself, Leo loved to watch these little charades; it at least brought some entertainment into these stressful days. The problem laid elsewhere and it was nothing like the common issues him and Max had to deal with on a regular basis up until now.
This time, it was them against the nature. Autumn made itself known in its full power, when half of the cast had been taken down by a sudden outbreak of the flu last week. At first, it had been just a few members of the crew and several chorus girls they could easily replace. But then, as the weather outside grew gradually colder, important people like the lead actors, spotlight operators and even producers had been affected, too. The last part was especially troublesome for Leo. Personally, he'd been lucky enough to make it through this accursed epidemic unscathed still. Max, not so much. The worst part was, it had probably been his fault.
Earlier that week, Leo had insisted on taking the long way home from work, just so that he could get some fresh air after a particularly long day that had got his anxiety levels shooting through the roof. Little did he know that had only been the beggining. The first part of the walk had been ideal; Max had managed to lift his spirits by making fun of the day's events, carelessly laughing and imitating yet another of Roger's infamous fits. They had even stopped to order take out for the evening, as both men had been starving at that point. A change only came as the sky had darkened and the first drops of the usual autumn rain began to fall. Heaven knows that Leo hated to be caught in the rain no matter the situation, but combined with the chilly evening temperature and a storm beggining to rumble in the distance, it had been hell. By the time they had reached home, he'd been shivering like a leaf, spending the rest of the night wrapped in wool blanket to battle the chills. Max, on the other hand, had simply jested about Leo's sensitivity, changed into dry clothes and went right to sleep. "Come on, you're not made of sugar. You won't melt!" He had simply exclaimed, patting Leo's back forcefully before retiring to his room.
And now, several tiring days later, Leo had finally managed to convince Max to stay home and recover, even if it meant loads of extra work for Leo. As much as he wished to be with his partner while he felt unwell, it just wasn't possible, especially in this advanced stage of putting on a show. And besides, he felt more comfortable knowing that the sickness wouldn't spread among other workers; it was complicated enough to keep the production going as it was. At this rate, he was likely doomed to fall ill sooner or later too. They just had to hope it will be the latter.
Nonetheless, there was no point in feeling sorry for himself, or for Max, for that matter. There was work urgently waiting to be done and he'd just wasted precious time by staring into space and contemplating his rotten luck. So, setting his glasses down for a moment to rub his eyes, Leo leaned back a little to get a better overlook on all the papers sprawled across the desk. This was a mess. As hard as he tried, he just couldn't focus on one thing for longer than a few minutes, before yet another crew or cast member interrupted his train of thought, demanding his opinion on often unnecessary things. They were all just as nervous as him, Leo knew, but this was spiralling out of control. He couldn't imagine how Max ever managed to work without a partner.
As if that wasn't enough, all the accounting was his responsibility, too. He had always served as both an accountant and a producer; more often than not, it was more the former anyway. But now, with Max's unexpected absence, it all came crashing down on his head. Thinking of Max... It weighed down on his mind constantly, even though he was aware it was not something he should worry about now. Everyone fell ill once in a while, but it just wouldn't leave him be, for he knew that if it was him being sick, he'd want Max to be with him. At least in the beginning. But he also knew what Max was like; he wouldn't let anyone fuss over him and tended to take it pretty lightly. Thinking of which, he hoped he didn't go outside despite Leo ordering him not to. It sounded like it was raining outside...
"Everything swell?"
Leo jumped in his seat upon hearing an unexpected voice next to him, banging his knee against the table in the process.
"Ow, God damn it!" He cursed a little too loudly, causing several actors to turn and look at him in mild shock. Leo never cursed.
"Ah gosh, my apologies," he heard an all-too-familiar voice giggle. Leo finally inspected the person sitting to his right, while holding one hand against his racing heart.
"Jesus, Carmen," he began warily, but then had to laugh at himself too. "Give me a little warning next time, could you?"
"A little warning?" Carmen squealed incredulously, "I said hi and noisily pulled the chair across the floor... Need me to blow a whistle next time? Or sound the horn? I could take your blanket, too... Would you notice that?" He elegantly rested his chin on his hands then, looking at Leo with those observant dark eyes and a typical smirk plastered on his face.
"Haha," Leo couldn't resist a smile of his own at his friend's ever-present cockiness. He could clearly tell that he was merely trying to amuse him, though. "Alright, you got me. Congratulations, I'll be sure to get you a raise for that... So what can I do for you in these trying times?"
"Trying times?" Carmen raised an eyebrow, looking extremely satisfied with himself that moment.
"Well..." Leo only managed to mumble with a fading smile. Of course Carmen noticed. How could he not, after all? He had practically looked through him when he tried to address him.
"I see," Carmen simply replied with that unrelenting smile. He knew Leo would talk to him without being prompted.
"It's just this," Leo confessed after a short pause. "I wasn't prepared for such a mess. It all went so smoothly up until last week. How could have we predicted this would happen? A few actors dropping out, sure... But this? Nothing is certain and... It just kind of stresses me out, you know?" He raised his head then, giving Carmen a small reassuring smile. He shouldn't have to worry about this on top of everything, Leo knew him and Roger had a lot to deal with, too. Producers and directors. Always the most responsible ones for the outcome of a show.
"We've got understudies," Carmen offered calmly.
"For most of them, yes. But do they know their roles properly? No, not really. And what about the lead? Both she and her understudy are out... What are the odds?" Leo complained without really wanting to. He just couldn't stop himself.
"One of them will surely recover before the opening night," Carmen pointed out.
"What if they won't?" Leo disagreed.
"What if they will?"
"They'll miss tech week."
"So? Look at this, no one's doing anything productive anyway... They won't miss much, really." Thus Carmen leaned back against his chair, observing the scene onstage and never losing his smile. It unnerved Leo a bit, he had to admit.
"Yes well, that's the problem... No one's doing anything. And I don't know what to do, either. Max would know..." Leo added a little sadly, staring blankly at one of the unfinished books.
"Ha!" Carmen suddenly sat upright again, a sparkle appearing in his eyes.
"What?" Leo asked a little uncertain.
"I knew this was about him." He crossed his arms defiantly, that smirk only growing.
"It isn't..."
"Is too," Carmen waved his hand dismissively, as if he needed no clarification. "So what is it? You miss his professional guidance? You could always ask him once you're home, though, so... No. That isn't it. Hm," he supported his head with both hands again, pretending to be deep in thought.
"Carmen..." Leo just said helplessly, but the smile was infectious.
"Oh, I got it!" He turned to Leo again, his teasing smile softening. "You worry. Cause that's just what you do. Am I right?"
"Touché," Leo confirmed. Geez, this guy could be persuasive if he wanted. He wouldn't want him to be any other way, though. However, as much as he appreciated Carmen's well-intented attempts, he wasn't quite in the mood. And his head felt like exploding, for lack of a better word.
"Aw, come on," Carmen's voice changed from jesting to rather empathetic. He must have felt the little change in Leo's spirits. "Everything's gonna be fine. And Max? When has anything ever taken him down? I bet you 5 dollars, by the time you're home, you'll have found him dancing in the kitchen, making himself pancakes... Cause that's all that he can make, you know," he finished with a pleased smile.
But it worked. Imagining such a sight, Leo laughed sheepishly, covering his mouth with one hand and curling his head closer to his chest. He always knew just what to say to cheer him up and suddenly Leo felt guilty for having been cranky. This was Carmen, after all. The cheerfulness just radiated off of him wherever he went.
"Alright, but seriously," Carmen continued after regaining composure again. "It will work out, somehow." He winked at him, leaning closer to whisper in his ear. "Don't tell him, but Roger is a little... irritable, too. In case you haven't noticed, of course. And honestly? I can't blame him. Or you, for that matter. We're all stressed and overworked and uncertain. But why make it any harder than it is? I know you can handle this with grace. And besides, you're doing great; no one's killed anybody yet, they've argued only several times... Really, this is normal." He nudged Leo playfully, his jesting tone returning. He made it sound so easy. Although it was refreshing to hear someone staying positive and above things while everyone else went berserk.
"I guess..." Leo merely shrugged, his smile being genuine this time. "Thank you. What would I do without all of you here?"
"Probably have a moment of peace," Carmen joked, hopped up from his seat and outstretched one hand towards Leo gracefully. "So, up with you!"
"What?" Leo stared at the hand dumbly. "Why?"
"We're going to Neverland," Carmen rolled his eyes half-heartedly. Leo just continued looking up at him incomprehensively, not moving an inch. "Roger wants to talk to you," he finally explained with a sigh.
"Oh..." Somehow that little fact made his mood drop again. Maybe a part of him hoped that Carmen had come to talk to him just for the sake of talking, not in the name of yet another responsibility. He didn't know what had he expected, though. No one had time to pointlessly gossip during this period. "Of course," he offered a tight smile, striding past Carmen to get to the stage.
"Wait!" Carmen jumped after him in one dance-like movement, "I better come with you."
"You don't have to," Leo dismissed him shyly as he climbed up the few steps leading to the stage, avoiding the eyes of people he passed. He knew they were watching him keenly, for everyone wanted to know what was going on between the producer and the director. Even more so in a situation like this.
Taking a deep breath, Leo proceeded towards Roger warily, with Carmen following him like a stray cat, faithfully by his side. There were dancers stretching on the floor, some already going over their routine, some just idly standing around and waiting for directions.
And there was music coming from every corner. Singers practicing, accompanists playing and the orchestra tuning their diverse instruments, creating an unpleasant disharmony that bellowed through the entire theatre. On top of that, everyone was talking over each other; and from what Leo could overhear, they were no pleasant conversations. It certainly didn't make his headache any better.
Among that chaos stood Roger, one hand on his hip while the other stroked through his hair repeatedly, as he often did when exasperated.
He was obviously in the middle of a discussion with a very agitated-looking young woman who was gesturing wildly, her loud complaints raising above all the other voices. There were several actors standing around the heated pair, joining in with their own opinions. And it looked like they were all against Roger.
Leo gulped. This was not good. He knew how much the director hated to be corrected, let alone be berated by a group of distressed young actors who didn't even understand the complexity of the situation yet. He could feel his heartbeat rising as he came closer to the scene, reminding himself who he was doing this for. Usually that was something Max would deal with in a blink of an eye, for he knew his way around Roger by now and the cast respected him immensely. But now that he couldn't be here, it was Leo's job to step in for him. So, after a moment of consideration he straightened up and stepped forward, clearing his throat soundly to get their attention.
No one even turned. It was as though they were all looking right through him, not acknowledging his presence in the slightest. Leo was just about to speak up when one of the dancers jostled him roughly as he stormed away, probably unable to listen to that nonsense any longer. Leo just looked after him incredulously, but the guy didn't even bother to turn. He just kept going, apparently not listening to a word as his co-workers attempted to persuade him to stay, but it was in vain. As soon as he reached the nearest entrance, he went right through it, shutting the door after him noisily. Leo winced at the loud sound, cursing inwardly. Great. Another one out. The last thing he needed was Roger snapping and quitting, too. What would he tell Max when he returned and saw that half the company had gone?
"Excuse me," he tried to address them emphatically again, "could I have your attention? Please?"
But it was no use. They just continued shouting at each other, probably not even noticing that someone else had spoken. Leo closed his eyes for a moment to suppress the frustration that was steadily building up inside of him, but he knew he had to stay calm. Somebody had to be the voice of reason in times of panic. Funny that it had to be him, of all people. He almost laughed at that thought.
Taking another fortifying breath he turned to Carmen helplessly, begging him to do something with that single look. Taking the hint, Carmen just patted his shoulder encouragingly and pushed him slightly aside to address Roger himself.
"Rog, darling," he said simply, leaning close to his ear so that he'd hear him.
Roger, on the other hand, just turned his head to his direction and frowned slightly, dismissing him with a plain "not now, Carmen."
Taking offense from his disinterest, Carmen let out an aggravated puff and stepped in between the two quarrelers.
"Roger!" He barked at him then, finally putting a stop to that brawl.
At long last, everyone turned to the two of them, expecting an explanation. Carmen just rolled his eyes and gestured to Leo melodramatically, giving him room to speak his mind.
"Oh, um, thank you..." Leo stuttered nervously, suddenly losing his courage from moments ago as they all stood there, staring, waiting for him to interfere. To fix this. However, he collected himself rather quickly and turned to the person he came here for in the first place.
"You wanted to talk to me, Roger?" he asked uncertainly.
"Ah, yes... Leo, darling, I'm afraid this is not the moment-"
"This is exactly the moment!" The young actress suddenly intervened, stepping uncomfortably close to Leo and clinging to his arm as if she expected him to save her. "Mr. Bloom, tell him he's being unreasonable!"
Taken aback, Leo looked from the girl on his arm to Roger, not grasping what was going on. "I... I'm not sure I understand what-"
"She's not doing her job! What's there to understand?" Roger shot, pointing an accusing finger at her.
"You're not doing your job! We're not prepared!" she shouted back. The others joined in, making noises of agreement and nodding vigorously.
"You're the swing, damn it! That's what's expected of you, to be prepared no matter what!"
"Then why did no one prepare us? Why didn't you? You promised us the understudy will be ready!"
Roger was fuming. Leo could see that he was close to snapping. He had to do something. Anything.
"Alright, alright... Look, I don't know the story behind this, but Miss... He's, you know, I'm afraid he's right... You are the swing, therefore you should be prepared for situations like these and..." Leo trailed off, hoping that someone else will fill in. Instead there was a moment of unnerving silence while the actors looked at him as though he'd just betrayed them all. Once again he wished that Max would be there with him that moment.
"Oh, you can go to hell, too!" The girl suddenly looked close to tears as she let go of Leo's arm. "No one wants to see the swing! Or the understudy, for that matter... Why don't you just postpone the show? This is hopeless!"
Leo felt his stomach drop at the last part as he recalled Max's words from earlier that day: "Whatever happens, the show must go on, understand?"
No. Rescheduling wasn't an option. He was responsible for the finances just as he was responsible for making sure that this show will make it til opening night as planned. He couldn't disappoint like that after being in charge for barely 3 days.
"With all due respect, I don't think you understand how complicated that is. We'd have to give money back to loads of-"
"Of course!" A tall man joined the dispute. Most probably one of the dancers, but Leo couldn't remember his name. "Who cares about our health when there is money to make, right?"
"I didn't say that..." Leo defended himself, but the uncomfortable tightness in his chest just grew. This was beginning to be overwhelming.
"But you meant it," the man scoffed. "Seriously. Where's the producer, anyway?"
"I am the producer..." Leo said, perplexed.
"I meant the real one. The capable one. No offense, but you should stick to accounting," he jeered, looking at Leo as if he was beneath him. An insignificant accountant.
"Offense taken!" Carmen stepped in then, that exaggerated look of shock on his face. "Leo's kindness isn't your invitation to walk all over him, alright? He could have you fired if he so pleased!"
"Fine! Have me fired, but what then? Can you really afford another performer dropping out?"
After that, it all meddled into one havoc of voices. Roger was shouting at someone who had shouted at Carmen, while Carmen was berating the man who'd shouted at Leo. Soon the whole Debris household was included, some demanding to know what was the turmoil about, some stepping between Leo and a man who was apparently trying to argue with him. But Leo couldn't really hear them. He only noticed how his breath became faster as more and more people gathered around the scene, adding their own opinions and pressing themselves closer so that they could get a better view of the situation. He just wanted them to shut up. All of them.
"Stop it…" Leo tried to put an end to that nonsense, but it came out sounding like nothing more than a whisper. He took a deep breath.
"I said enough!"
The second order cut through the noise like a whip, silencing everyone at once. Even the music halted. There was a moment of shocked stillness, as the people only dared to exchange looks of surprise. Leo shouted rarely, if ever. That was usually Max's and Roger's speciality and more often than not, it meant nothing serious. That was just their way of getting people's attention, fairly necessary to get a point through in such a busy environment. But hearing it from Leo just felt unsettlingly out of place.
"Okay… so, anyway," Carmen began awkwardly to cut the uncomfortable incident short, "I think we should-"
"Lunch break," Leo cut in sharply as if he didn't even hear him. His gaze was fixated on the floor and his hands were obviously shivering at his sides.
Seeing this, Carmen bit his lip and cast a confused look at Roger. The director just nodded shortly, obviously understanding what Carmen wanted from him without having to speak the words.
"Lunch break?" Roger repeated calmly but incomprehensively. He raised a hand to put it on Leo's shoulder, but then thought better of it and let it his arm fall again.
"All of you," Leo continued, still not looking at any of them. "Lunch break, now."
Roger just clasped his hands in front of him, fidgeting with his fingers nervously as he turned to his team for help. They all shrugged in seemingly rehearsed unison.
"Now?" Shirley was the next one who dared to speak up. "But, dear, there's so much work to be done today, and it isn't even lunchtime yet, maybe we-"
"Yes, now." Leo looked up abruptly, causing several people to flinch at the unexpected movement. "We cannot work like this. Please, I just need… I mean, we need a little break… Don't you think?"
Suddenly he didn't sound angry or threatening at all, as his usual timid demeanor returned. It almost seemed as though that very moment, everyone felt guilty for ever having argued, seeing how they managed to push the always peaceful producer to his limit. So, not wishing to oppose him any further, the crowd started to disperse, hesitantly agreeing to take the much needed break.
As the last actors shuffled away, Leo was left on the stage with only the Debris production team behind him. They didn't say anything, though, presumably waiting for him to go have lunch with them. Finally Leo dared to exhale, letting his still aching head fall. This was humiliating. He'd promised himself to stay calm and professional and yet, as soon as someone went directly against him, he lost his composure and sent everyone away just so he wouldn't have to deal with them. Way to go. Max would be oh so proud of him.
He shook his head once to get rid of these thoughts and turned to the troop with a forced but convincing smile.
"I'm sorry. I know you all meant well, disagreements like that are normal. I should have handled it better, but well…," he chuckled, but it came out sounding a little desperate. "What is done is done. So, if you'll excuse me now…"
The team merely exchanged confused looks as they watched the young man stride away without inviting them to follow him. Usually he'd go somewhere with Max for the pause, but without him there, they'd somehow automatically expected him to stick to them. And besides, they didn't really want to leave him alone.
"Honey, where are you going?" Kevin called after Leo, jogging to catch up with him. "Won't you come along with us?
Leo turned in surprise when the fussy costume designer stopped at his side.
"Oh… Well, actually, I thought I will-"
"Kevin," Scott motioned to his friend to come back. "I think he wants to be alone, let the poor boy breathe. Am I right?" He winked at Leo then to assure him that it was alright.
"Thank you," Leo smiled gratefully. "I just need a little while to figure this out… Sorry, Kevin, maybe some other time?" He addressed the short man again, hoping he'll understand.
"Why, of course," Kevin's face seemed to fall for a split second, but then his jovial tone returned as he patted Leo's cheek affectionately. "Take care, then!" Thus he turned on his heel in an almost comical way and hurried back to his roommates.
"And make sure to actually eat!" Shirley added when Leo was almost out the door.
"Yes, mom," he called over his shoulder, having to laugh at how they all fussed over him. It almost seemed like they made it their responsibility to babysit him while Max wasn't watching over him like a hawk every minute of every day. That could have offended him, but it was quite flattering really. He knew how much they actually cared and that was just their way of showing it.
Collecting his leather suitcase full of paperwork and throwing a brown coat over his shoulders carelessly, Leo headed out, leaving the Debris team behind.
"Poor kid," Brian piped up right after the door fell shut behind Leo. "Looks a little stressed, doesn't he?"
"Seriously?" Shirley looked at him as though he'd grown a second head. "Thank you for stating the obvious, genius."
Brian just grimaced at her mockingly, while Carmen rolled his eyes at them. These two, always bickering.
"But you know, maybe they're right…" Roger interjected.
"About what?" Carmen raised an eyebrow questioningly. The rest of the team did the same.
"Maybe we should postpone the show..."
Soon enough, Leo could spot a tiny café huddled despondent among the huge city buildings; his destination. Hundreds of people rushed by it, outside on the crowded street, but it went unnoticed by most. Glancing up at the overcast sky, Leo pulled his coat closer around himself, fighting against the drizzle. Sparing one quick look at the daily specials written on a chalk board at entrance, he pushed himself against the small glass door.
The half a dozen customers glanced up as the door swung open, heralded by a blast of cold wind. Unlike the outside, the interior of the café was warm and cheery, with bright lights and colourful walls. The customers returned to their conversations as the door fell closed behind the new entrant and the cold breeze was forgotten.
The welcome scent of coffee wafted through the air, almost calling to him to come and rest. Looking around, Leo spotted one vacant metallic table in the far corner of the room and made his way towards it swiftly. It was covered by a simple plastic tablecloth with little red and white checks on it, a small vase of yellow carnation flowers standing in the middle. Taking a seat, he looked around for a waitress; the need for caffeine now consuming his mind.
A tiny woman teetered over in a simple pink dress and a black apron tied around her waist. Her face was fixed into a false smile. She had too much make up on and somehow Leo doubted she could even remember the natural colour of her hair. Not that it bothered him, though. He just wanted his coffee and a moment of peace to look over all the contracts again. Approaching his table, the waitress pulled a pencil from behind her ear and went through the routine questions she probably asked every customer that visited the café. She chewed her gum noisily between each word. Leo placed his order and sighed deeply.
Right now, he wished for nothing more than to devour a coffee with a cherry pie and head directly home, where he'd collapse onto the couch and tell Max everything. Well, maybe not everything. Nonetheless, that had to wait til later. Taking out his reading glasses, he grudgingly opened a payroll journal. He needed to record a new entry, and although he'd filled out these debits and credits tables a thousand times before, it was just tiring. But at least his coffee finally arrived. Taking a careful sip of the steaming beverage, he suddenly realized the royalty payments needed to be reconciled, too. And preferably soon. This was going to be a long day indeed.
Not wasting another moment, he took advantage of the relative privacy he finally had and started filling out the columns at a fast pace. The time seemed to pass quickly and before he knew it, it was nearing the end of this improvised pause. Maybe he could still fill out one more entry, finish his drink and head back to the theatre with a little more energy to deal with the fuss.
Once satisfied with his work, Leo set his cup down, thanked and paid for his order and got up from the table. Putting on his coat and the prized producer's hat, he collected his paperwork and braced himself to step back into the chilly afternoon. Not looking where he was going, though, he collided with an incoming costumer in the doorway.
"Oh! Excuse me, I'm sorry…" Leo apologized profusely, not looking the stranger in the eyes as he tried to catch his suitcase and prevent the papers from sprawling all over the floor.
"It's fine," a male voice laughed.
At last Leo straightened up, dusted off his coat and looked up at the man, opening his mouth to apologize again. As soon as their eyes met, though, Leo stopped in his tracks, forgetting to speak altogether.
The stranger didn't look any less surprised.
"Bloom..?"