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“Come on Al, please? Just come opening night, that's it!”
Alastor glanced at his boyfriend sitting next to him as the blonde’s pleading whisper became almost too loud. He sighed at feeling his willpower slip and finding wide puppy dog heterochromic eyes looking back at him from behind his boyfriend’s propped open laptop, which was none to subtally hiding his pink and charm encased phone.
“You won’t even be in the show mon ange, you’re an understudy.”
Those puppy dog eyes lessened and his beau’s pink glossed lips twisted into a sneer.
“Stupid fuckin’ cunt.”
Alastor chuckled at the blonde’s muttered words as those eyes turned to leer into the back of a brunette head three rows ahead of them, a head belonging to Courtney Lovett one of the more popular girls in their college who his beau was fully convinced had paid off the director of the theater classes to get the lead in their spring play. The blonde shook his head before looking back to Alastor.
“I will to, I’m in the openin’ bit an’ the endin’”
Alastor looked back to the notebook and textbook in front of him boredly.
“As an extra darling, you’ll be in the background.”
Anthony groaned, flopping his head down onto his folded arms over the laptop keyboard, barely peeking out at the brunette beside him.
“Please Al, it’d mean a lot of ya came.”
Alastor sighed again but finally felt a smile tug his lips, he supposed it couldn’t hurt to support his love and the play being put on had promise.
“Alright my love, if it means that much to you I will come.”
Anthony straightened up quickly before throwing his arms around his boyfriend and kissing his cheek.
“Yer the best Al!”
The brunette went stiff at the sudden affection and by just how much attention it drew from the class around them. The professor stopped his lecture to look at them with a stern glare.
“Mister Ragni I permit you to sit in on this class under the condition that you not be a distraction which is exactly the opposite of what you and Mister Laveau are being at the moment, so either settle down or please see yourself out.”
Alastor closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as the blonde looked at the teacher with a dazzling grin but didn’t release him.
“Yeah yeah whatever ya say teach!”
Alastor fought the groan in his chest as the professor set his jaw and glared a moment longer before begrudgingly continuing the lecture, well there went Alastor’s hope for a perfect score on the daily quiz.
⭐️Opening Night⭐️
For the performance being merely a collage theater student production it seemed the whole state of New York had turned up to watch, it made Alastor internally grateful he had a reserved seat near the stage courtesy of Anthony being in the cast. He turned his eyes from observing the gathering crowd to the stage hearing giggles and whispers from behind the heavy red curtains, a smile formed on his lips as he caught sight of two pale freckled faces peeking out before sharing excited smiles and vanishing, his beau certainly seemed excited even with his minor roles.
Finally after about ten more minutes the theater professor passed through the curtain and began his speech of thanks, pride, and excitement for the night before he quickly exited to the resounding applause and the starting music of the play roaring to life from the hidden speakers. Alastor settled into his seat listening to the opening music as the curtain rose, theater hands dressed head to toe in black barely making it off stage from setting up props and scenery in time for the spot light to appear illuminating a male student dressed in a colorful costume that toed the line of a jester and a gypsy.
”Morining in Paris, the city awakes
To the bells of Notre Dame
The fisherman fishes, the bakerman bakes
To the bells of Notre Dame
To the big bells as loud as the thunder
To the little bells soft as a psalm
And some say the soul of the city's
The toll of the bells
The bells of Notre Dame!”
Alastor had to admit he was impressed by the young man’s voice but his attention was pulled away as he watched the background, scanning each moving background extra hoping to catch sight of his beloved but while he easily found Molly pretending to buy bread from a stall, Charlie and Vaggie were pretending to be street performers, there was no sign of Anthony as the scene changed to tell the history of Claude Frollo making Alastor’s brow furrow in slight worry. The brunette tried to push his slight worry aside as he watched the play continue on until the music picked up and the extras playing the town folks began gathering again pulling colorful props and scenes in with them depicting a festival. Once again Alastor quickly found his boyfriend’s twin but there was no sign of his love among the dozen extras dancing and singing.
He was just beginning to contemplate sneaking backstage when the gypsy fool cartwheeled to center stage again holding a small colorful pouch in his upraised hand.
”Come one! Come all!
Hurry, hurry here's your chance! See the mystery and romance.
Come one! Come all!
See the finest girl in France make an entrance to entrance!
Dance, La Esmeralda, dance!”
With the last held out note he threw down the pouch and a puff of pale purple smoke erupted from the stage. It was quickly dissipated by the twirl of a royal purple silk skirt as with a bright grin Anthony appeared. Alastor was frozen in first surprise then pure unmasked admiration for how amazing his love looked shining on the stage.
”Hey, soldier boy, I see how you stare.
Hey, butcher man, I see you admire.
Come gather 'round,
Hey, Jaques and Pierre!
Come see me dance to the rhythm of the tambourine.”
Alastor felt his heart beat rapidly against his ribs as his angel’s voice rang out loud and clear through the theater, entrancing every member of the crowd like a spell as he began spinning, tumbling, and swaying across the stage. Alastor was so spellbound by his blonde lover he failed to notice that rather than a cartwheel in the direction of the man playing Frollo Anthony had instead vaulted himself off the stage, with all the grace of a seasoned acrobat, until the blonde draped himself across his lap when he should have been doing so to Frollo. Still enchanted by the blonde Alastor felt the magnetic pull drawing him to kiss the blonde blushing at him but when barely a breath separated them Anthony smirked mischievously, placed the swiftest kiss to the tip of his nose before jumping out of his arms and back onto stage carrying on as if he hadn’t just broken the fourth wall of the play, not that anyone in the audience seemed to notice or care. The brunette was unable to take his eyes off the enchanting blonde until after he’d vanished in another swirl of his purple silk skirt, leaving Alastor a little dazed but far more interested in the play than before.
Finally after what felt like hours curtain call arrived and as Anthony cartwheeled to center stage the whole auditorium was cheering and clapping, someone had even found a rose and tossed it to the blonde who grinned brightly and picked it up with a wink before flipping his skirt and taking his place in the line up as the cast joined hands and bowed to the roaring applause as the curtain slowly descended. As soon as he was able Alastor exited the auditorium and, while simultaneously cursing himself for his lack of foresight, bought a large bouquet of red roses from the gardening club and made his way to where the cast would be gathered for pictures, autographs and just general people interactions.
Anthony wasn’t the first to find him, Molly was as she quickly swept over with an excited smile.
“There ya are Al! I saw ya leave right after curtain call an’ thought ya ran out on us!”
The brunette gave her a small charming smile, taking one of the blooms from the bouquet and handing it to her along with a small kiss to the cheek.
“I wouldn’t dream of doing such a thing my dear, you were wonderful on stage.”
Molly blushed a little and playfully batted a hand at him as she took the rose and laughed, making Alastor chuckle before his eyes began scanning the crowd for Anthony. It took a moment but finally he found his lover surrounded by a group of students from the dance department and a few from the collage paper club talking excitedly. Smiling Alastor made his way over, leading to Molly’s knowing smirk, standing just behind the pair from the paper who were eagerly berating the blonde with questions about how he’d pulled off so many tricks with ease and how exactly he went from understudy to star in one night. But the blonde’s attention was already focused on Alastor as his smile grew love drunk as he excused himself from the group before launching himself at the brunette, his boyfriend caught him with ease chuckling when with a little effort the blonde stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek enthusiastically. Normally public affection wasn’t something Alastor engaged in even with his beau beyond holding hands and the occasional kiss but tonight, seeing his love glowing with pride and joy and accomplishment he decided to make an exception. Momentarily forgetting about the roses now squished between them he wrapped his arms securely around his love and held him close, kissed his cheeks until he laughed, and spun them in a tight circle before slowing to a stop as his lips found his favorite strawberry lip gloss coated ones.
Anthony all but swooned into the kiss as he melted against his boyfriend before they parted and his smile returned, perhaps a bit softer now, as he noticed the roses tickling his collarbone.
“Ya got me flowers.”
Alastor chose to ignore the faint blush that colored his cheeks as he nodded.
“Of course darling, though they pale in comparison to how beautifully you performed tonight, you had the whole room in the palm of your hand.”
Anthony blushed and buried his nose in the blooms to hide his goofy smile before he gathered himself and reached up to cup the brunette’s cheek.
“There’s only one person I want in the palm of my hand an’ that’s you il mio cuore.”
Alastor’s smile softened as he turned his head to gently kiss the blonde’s palm, all thoughts of anyone else around them forgotten as his eyes went half lidded in contentment.
”tu m'auras toujours mon bel ange.”