Chapter Text
Hermie could tell that Normal was anxious about his role in Gay High School Musical (you know, the 2039 remake of High School Musical that’s just a Little Bit gayer).
The cast list had been posted yesterday. Hermie knew Normal would get in, of course; Normal was a decent actor, especially so for having never been onstage before. Although he figured his time as Teeny counted for something.
Still, when Normal got cast as the lead, Troy, and Hermie as his love interest, Gabe, it felt almost too good to be true. Hermie, of course, didn’t understand the cause behind the wave of excitement that passed over him upon seeing the cast list. He chalked it up to the fact that he and Normal already had a good rapport- they were friends, they went to the dance together, so they’d undoubtedly have great chemistry. It would make for a show stopping performance.
He was sitting on his bed with the script, getting a head-start on memorizing his lines, when his phone buzzed. A message from Normal.
NORMAL: hey hermie !! how are you feeling about the show? I still can’t believe the cast list haha
Hermie could feel almost palpable anxiety coming off of that text message.
HERMIE: Doing well. Just starting to memorize my lines. Excited to work with you Wildcat ;-)
NORMAL: wwwwait how are u memorizing lines already?? don’t we get our scripts Wednesday at rehearsal ??
HERMIE: Normal, Normal, Normal
A good actor is always 2 steps ahead. I printed a copy out in the library yesterday.
NORMAL: oh jeez, ur so prepared!
HERMIE: If you would like to get a head start
Your “head in the game” if you will,
You’re welcome to come by my place and do a readthrough with me.
NORMAL: really ?? that sounds great, hermie!! I’ll be over in 20 :))
HERMIE: Fabulous.
Hermie closed his script and hopped out of bed. He had to look somewhat presentable.
Normal paced around his room. Being in a play was going to be fun! He just wanted to get to know Hermie a little bit better and be in, like, a few scenes! Now he was the lead, and had to act a whole romance with Hermie, and sing in front of everyone, and-
He stopped and took a breath. One step at a time, Normal.
What would Hermie do?
Normal thought for a moment. Method acting. Right!
He was Troy- he should look the part when he goes over to Hermie’s. He managed to dig out a basketball tank-top from deep in his closet and threw it on.
After a long-winded (and pointless) internal debate on whether Normal should bring a physical basketball with him too (decided against it), Normal’s uncle pulled the car up in front of Hermie’s house. AKA the member of his family Normal thought would take the least psychic damage if they happened to see Hermie the Unworthy.
“This the boy you went to the dance with?” Lark asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Uhhh! Yeah! But we’re not like, um..” Normal struggled to explain. “We’re just friends, really.”
“And he’s the one playing your love interest in the musical.”
“Yea? I told you, we’re running lines.”
“Uh huh. Ok. Be good, kid.”
Normal sputtered out various protests before giving up and getting out of the car.
His heart rate picked up as he scaled the steps to the door- should he have even agreed to this? He hadn’t even thought about the kind of lovey-dovey shit he would have to say to Hermie in the read-through, and he was already so anxious about all this. But it was too late to turn back. His uncle's car was already down the street.
On the plus side, there wasn’t a kiss scene in the movie- he’d be safe from that, at least.
The thought of kissing Hermie had Normals face red before Hermie even answered the door.
“Well, hello, Normal.” Hermie looked him up and down. “Appears someone is already in character.”
“Well, you told me to be 2 steps ahead, right?”
Hermie smirked approvingly and led him into the house. Normal exhaled.
To Normal’s surprise, Hermie The Unworthy’s house was a stark contrast to his personality. Minimalist, cleanly, and almost lacking any sort of flair or color. When Hermie opened the door to his bedroom, however, Normal was relieved to find something more akin to what he expected.
The walls of Hermie’s room were covered in playbills, posters, different notes and quotes of all kinds filling up almost every inch. It felt so incredibly full and indicative of memories, personality- the real Hermie, not a role. Normal stood in awe.
It was always so hard to tell the difference between the genuine facets of Hermie and his acting, and Normal's confidence in what he thought was Hermie's true character often wavered. But seeing this room gave Normal the sense that maybe Hermie wasn’t such a mystery.
Hermie sat on the bed and motioned for Normal to join him.
“I only have one script, so we’ll have to share.” He flipped to the beginning. Normal gulped.
The read-through was mostly uneventful. Normal’s anxiety about 1) the show and 2) being so close to Hermie compounded on top of each other, but after they got into the rhythm of it and began to add in funny voices for all the extra characters, he got comfortable fast.
By the time they reached "Breaking Free" near the end of the script, Normal were having a good time.
“Now,” Hermie said, flipping over the last page of the song, “We absolutely kill this song, the crowd cheers, etc… And then of course the kiss.”
Normal's heart immediately leapt to his throat. “Sorry?”
“Troy and Gabe kiss onstage, and the crowd cheers, and then the scene goes to the basketball game,” he explained nonchalantly.
“Whaa. Um. I thought they didn’t kiss in the movie?” He asked, voice unusually high-pitched.
“Well, no, not in the movie. However, the play adaptation seems to have added a kiss on the lips rather than the cheek in this particular scene,” Hermie said, pointing to the exact stage direction on the page.
Normal swallowed. “...Okay.”
A beat.
“Have you like… had to kiss people in plays before? That seems, um, difficult.”
“Oh, of course,” Hermie explained, laying the script down on the bed. “But I’ve only ever done them as stage kisses.”
“...What’s that?”
“Here, look,” Hermie started, shifting his spot to be closer to Normal. “You just put your hand out as if to cup another person’s face, and put your thumb out in front of your lips.”
He put his hand as if to hold Normal’s face, but kept it a few inches away from actually touching in order to mimic the movement.
“That way, you simply kiss your thumb as it’s against the other person's mouth, so your lips never need to actually connect.”
Hermie leaned in and raised his eyebrows, a silent question to Normal to ask if this was okay.
Normal nodded, heart racing as Hermie's hand cupped his face- a little too aware of how warm his cheeks already must be. Hermie pressed a thumb to Normal’s lips and leaned in to briefly kiss it before quickly pulling away.
It felt like all the blood had rushed to Normal’s head.
“If we pull it off right, the audience will have no idea it's not real,” Hermie smirked. Normal might have been reading into it, but he thought he saw a little more red than usual in Hermie’s face too.
Normal could only manage a: "Cool."
“Well. Let's finish this, then.” Hermie re-opened the script to it’s final pages.
As soon as Normal got home, he went to his room and pulled out his phone, immediately opening the FELLOW TEENS group chat.
NORMAL: guyssssssssssss
LINK: what’s wrong, normal?
NORMAL: there's a kiss in the musicalllll 😭😭
NORMAL: with hermie
TAYLOR: OMG
SCARY: lmao
NORMAL: i just got back from doing a read through at his house
TAYLOR: 👀 👀
TAYLOR: AND ??? DID U KISS
NORMAL: NO WHAT
LINK: come on taylor, don't tease him. he’s probably just worried about having to do a kiss onstage in front of everybody
TAYLOR: think its more cuz it’s HERMIE he has to kiss
TAYLOR: >:)))))))))))))
NORMAL: GUYSS
LINK: Taylor, just cuz hermie’s not that… likeable doesn’t mean its okay to make fun of him for people not wanting to kiss him :/
SCARY: omg
TAYLOR: DUDE
SCARY: hate to break it to ya linc
TAYLOR: WE ARENT DISSING HERMIE’S KISSABILITY LMAOOOO
SCARY: but normal tooooootally has a super mega gross embarrassing crush on hermie
NORMAL: SCARY
LINK: ?!??!?!??!??
TAYLOR: you can't even deny it lololololol
NORMAL: >:(((((((
TAYLOR: you guys are gonna kiiiiiissssssss
TAYLOR: in front of everyoneeeee
NORMAL: we’re not even gonna kiss i just dont wanna fuck up the stage kiss and make things weird
SCARY: coward
LINK: im
TAYLOR: omg this is just like in yuri on ice
LINK: sorry. normal. you have a crush on HERMIE?? seriously?
TAYLOR: i cant believe you couldn’t tell lincoln normal literally does not take his eyes off him
NORMAL: 😐
SCARY: go read a Wikihow stage kiss article or something if you want to be a fucking nerd about it
Normal threw his phone onto his bed and plopped down face first. He lay there for a minute, and then rolled his eyes before picking up his phone again and reluctantly searching up “Wikihow to stage kiss.” It couldn’t hurt.