Chapter Text
Crystal Tower Theater was in an uproar of cheers and praise for the cast as they gave their final bow together to the audience. The play was finally over, and all of the cast looked at each other with smiles on their faces, clearly worn out but still excited. As the curtain fell, the group started to disperse to their hotel rooms, wanting to get their costumes and makeup off.
Johnny felt proud. All of the training and practice that Nooshy put him through was worth it in the end.
Walking off to the adjacent hotel, he was ready to call it a day and go to his room and relax. He entered his room and looked in the mirror, clearly surprised by how disheveled he looked.
“God, I look like a mess right now.” He said to himself, laughing as he grabbed a towel and went to go shower. Undressing himself, he stepped into the hot shower and immediately felt the weight of the day run off his shoulders and into the drain below. After cleaning up, he was about to get dressed when he heard a knock on the door.
“Johnny? Are you there?” A man asked on the other side of the door.
“Uh, yeah! Give me a moment!” he replied, stumbling his way to the door while struggling to get his clothes on.
“Shit!” He banged into the corner of a table. “Ah, fuck!” He winced, feeling the pain of the impact.
“...Maybe I should come back another time?” The voice replied, clearly worried.
“No! Just give me a mo—” He grabbed the door knob and whipped the door open with all of his might.
“Ryan!” Johnny shouted, staring wide-eyed at the man, not expecting it to be his dance partner.
After a long pause, Ryan spoke up and looked at Johnny like he was insane. “Are you alright? I heard a lot of noises in there.”
“I’m fine! Really!” he said. “Just… I didn’t think you would stop by! Come in!”
Ryan took the invitation and walked into Johnny’s room. “Of course I’d stop by, Johnny. What friend would I be if I didn’t congratulate him after his big performance?” Ryan said, smiling and spinning around to face Johnny, who was still at the door. “You were great out there.”
Johnny felt his face flush a little.
“Thanks! That means a lot coming from you.” He blurted out, rubbing the back of his neck shyly.
Ryan nodded and sat down on the couch. “It’s a shame I didn’t get to perform with you. I can’t believe Klaus did that to me! I felt so exposed...” Ryan sighed, folding his arms around himself.
Johnny followed suit and sat down next to Ryan. “I could see you cheering me on, you know,” Johnny chuckled, “with a broom in your hand!”
Ryan blushed. “I wanted to support you! I didn’t have anything else!”
Johnny gave a hearty laugh. “Relax, I’m just teasing you! It was a nice gesture, really.” He smiled.
Johnny felt as if he could talk for hours with Ryan, despite not knowing each other that well compared to the others in his own group. He thought for a second as to why he felt this way, but he brushed it off and continued to talk with Ryan about the concert, their hobbies and interests, and their future goals.
Ryan looked up at the clock on the wall, only now noticing that an hour had flown by. “I suppose I should be leaving now,” he said with a sigh. “I don’t want to bother you.”
“Aw, it’s alright! You didn’t bother me. I enjoyed talking with you.” Johnny reassured him, walking Ryan to the door.
“You’re still up to hanging out on Tuesday, right?” Ryan asked.
“Of course I am, silly.” Johnny replied.
“Sweet! I’ll see you later then, Johnny! Have a good night.” Ryan said, walking off and waving Johnny goodnight.
Johnny exhaled a long sigh, closing the door and resting his forehead against it. He felt a warmth in his body when he was talking with Ryan, but now that he was gone, the warmth he felt was slowly fading. Johnny truly did not know why he felt this way, but he damn well knew that whatever he felt towards Ryan was not just friendliness. Rather than stow upon this thought any longer, Johnny decided it would be best if he saved it for another day.
Johnny turned off the lights and struggled to sleep. So many thoughts raced through his head, and at the center of most of them was Ryan.
Tomorrow would be a rough day.