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Amata found an empty seat next to James and Jonas just as they promised and promptly tossed herself into it. James barely paused his conversation with the other man to give her a quick sympathetic smile, eyebrow raised only slightly at the half wiped stage make-up she still wore.
Once her set with Janice was over Amata had practically tripped over herself to leave the stage. Seeing as her father was the Vault’s Overseer and she was following in his footsteps to take over herself, Amata was used to being in front of large crowds and it wasn’t like they had been performing in front of strangers. They’d grown up knowing everyone in Vault 101 and their practice runs had gone off without a hitch.
So Janice, completely freezing once on stage, had thrown Amata for a loop and completely derailed their weeks worth of practices. They’d muddled through with Janice barely muttering her lines and Amata doing her darndest to make it up. Once it was over she didn’t bother checking in on the other girl (bad friend, Amata! Bad!) and had simply hot footed to the nearest restroom to change out of her costume, take a few calming breaths and let out a few humiliated tears.
A few other residents turned in their seat to glance unashamedly back at her and she felt another embarrassed blush creep across her cheeks. The heads turned right back around at James’ icy glare but the damage had been done. She only hoped her best friend had better luck.
She hadn’t been able to see the other girl practice her own duet with Butch DeLoria of all people. She didn’t even know what song they were performing since their schedules had been so chaotic and exhausting the past two weeks.
Amata didn’t have to wait long before the curtains across the makeshift stage were pulled open and the lights were dimmed with a spotlight shining brightly against a beautiful piano and a carbon microphone. She gave James a nudge and pointed eyebrow wiggle. It wasn’t exactly a secret that his daughter played the piano but it would be the first time she would do so without it being only James, Jonas or Amata as an audience.
On cue, the eighteen year old strode across the stage with barely a falter in her kitten heeled step. She was a vision with her hair expertly curled and pinned with a glittery barret which was obviously Butch’s handiwork. The dress she wore stopped to her mid thigh and was made with a mix of maroon colored satin and tulle, clearly one of the more elaborate costumes the Vault had on offer and damn did she make it look good; sensual without being overtly sexy.
More than one wolf whistle rang through the Atrium much to James’ irritation and it almost seemed like he was going to stand up to find the perpetrators himself until Jonas put a firm hand on his leg. Amata filed that away to tease him with later and watched as the teenager on stage settled onto the piano bench, a swatch of red against her cheeks the only tell she was even slightly fazed by the audience's reaction to her outfit.
Once the crowd settled and a breath of silence passed, she started to play. A few keystrokes at first that grew into something a little more complex that repeated once more a little softer as another figure stepped on stage. Amata’s breath hitched at her first sight of the Tunnel Snake’s leading man who was dressed more dapper than she had ever seen anyone look.
The dress shoes he wore were polished to a high shine that led up to a pair of almost indecently tight dress pants that had Amata squirming in her seat. A white dress shirt encompassed his broad chest and the sleeves were rolled up to reveal drool worthy forearms. A maroon colored, three button vest was cinched at his waist and the matching tie had been pulled carelessly away from his neck with a lone button of the white shirt undone to reveal the Adam's apple at his throat. His usual coiff was slicked back and there were more than a few high pitched giggles and sighs that had Butch giving the crowd a dashing wink and grin.
They were beautiful, a picture perfect pair looking like they walked straight out of a film and when Butch took to the microphone and opened his mouth it finally clicked as to which song they would be performing.
“Time and again I’ve longed for adventure,” he crooned, voice husky and body turning to face his partner.
“Something to make my heart beat the faster,
What did I long for? I never really knew.”
He turned then to the enraptured audience sitting before him, uncharacteristically soft eyes roving over every face slowly as if searching for something he knew he wouldn’t find before once more settling at the girl seated at the piano.
“Find our love I’ve found my adventure
Touching your hand, my heart beats the faster
All that I want in all of this world is you.”
He swayed in place before taking slow steps toward his partner to run his fingers gently from one of her still moving hands and up her arm to drag across her shoulders.
“You are the promised kiss of springtime
That makes the lonely winter seem long.
You are the breathless hush of evening
That trembles on the brink of a lovely song.”
Amata found herself holding her breath as Butch stepped lightly behind the other girl who turned without breaking stride in notes to meet his eyes. Even from the fourth row Amata could see her best friend's glossy red lips turn up into a gentle smile and her heart positively melted.
“You are the angel glow that lights a star,
The dearest things I know are what you are.”
Butch’s microphone switched hands as he backtracked around the piano player, again running one of his hands across the girl’s skin to settle at the back of her neck as he finished the final lyrics .
“Someday I’ll know that moment divine,” he leaned in closely with only the barest bit of distance between them.
“When all the things you are, are mine!”
Just as the last keynote rang through the Atrium the pair met lips, the younger girl reaching up to drag her fingers through Butch’s hair and Butch himself dropping the microphone to bring her up into a close embrace.
The lights dimmed until they were only moving shadows that stumbled off stage to a roaring applause.
Amata clambered to her feet, hooting and clapping like everyone else save for James who was still staring dumbstruck at the now empty stage.
“How the hell are we supposed to follow that? ” Someone wailed and Amata only clapped harder.