The Austrian chorus teacher stared at his wife with worried eyes. The young women with long brown hair whipped past him with papers practically spilling out of her hands. She finally got all the papers she wanted and dropped a wide stack in front of the chorus teacher that gulped.
"Elizabeta." He said worriedly as he slowly moved a piece of paper to look over the notes.
"Yes Roderich? That's the music you're playing for the musical." She confirmed with a shit-eating smile. She twirled around her classroom, her dress lifted in the air. Roderich always worried about his wife's sanity when the musicals came around. She practically already had parts.
This year it is Singing In The Rain, a wonderful musical from the 1920s that played a beautiful romance between an on-stage actor and a film actor.
"Mrs. H?" Came a deep voice as the door was open. Lovino shuffled into the room with a binder pressed to his chest. Roderich liked Lovino, he was a good singer and dancer, yet his passion was directing, it fitted his personality like a circle to a circular hole. Elizabeta picked him to be the student director which he gladly accepted with wide thanks.
"Lovino! Just in time!" She yelled as she ran over to her board. Elizabeta grabbed the hooked end of the white screen and flung it upwards where names were located. "What do you think about Feliciano as Kathy. I was planning to put him down as Lina, but... God, I could never see him like that." She pointed to Feliciano's name that was under Kathy.
Lovino chuckled like she said a joke and sat on a desk letting his legs dangle as he opened up his binder where writing was scribbled everywhere. He clicked the black ink pen that was attracted to side and started writing down names on the page. "Trust me, Feliciano is an actor, give him a part and he'll take it to far, but I agree for him part being Kathy." Lovino gingerly cradled his chin with his hand as he gazed at the board longingly. "He has that appealing strive to be an actor, even if he is being casted for a girl."
"Exactly!" Elizabeta screamed and pointed to Roderich. "Give me an E." She mimicked Feliciano's higher voice, she went to walk away, but her face showed horror as she ran to the top of the piano. "Flat!" She cried and clasped her hands together going to the middle of the classroom.
Lovino laughed, hiding his smile behind his hand as she mimicked Feliciano. If Feliciano got a musical about himself, Elizabeta should be casted as him, because she played him better than his own twin.
After they fooled around for a while, Roderich started playing the piano looking over the notes. Elizabeta was humming the words to the songs he was playing as she wrote down names.
"HELL NO!" Lovino screamed as he practically threw his pen at his English teacher.
"What!?" She cried as Lovino looked ready cry as he pointed to the name under Don Lockwood, lead role.
"Ludwig Beilschmidt?!" He asked her with his pleading high voice. "Ludwig Beilschmidt?! That man couldn't act his way out of a preschool room!" He roared slamming his fist down on the table.
"But! He's really good! We can teach him how to act. He and Feliciano have this kind of... how do I put this... On stage affection that I thirst for." She yelled back and Roderich sighed, if Ludwig would be singing he would have to leap down an octave.
Lovino looked torn from agreeing with her and going with his undying hatred for the blonde hair and blue eyed Kraut. "Fine." He gave in and looked away as Elizabeta squeal. "I'll see if he fits the part at try outs." Lovino mumbled and went back to writing. He wrote on a piece of paper, but also in the script he was given. Most of it were suggestions for props, stage lighting, and dance moves, he left Feliks to the costumes. He will soon give these notes to Matthew and Gilbert, Gilbert being the captain of the stage crew and Matthew the soundboard and lighting king.
"Can't wait till tomorrow Lovino, we'll be soaring, don't worry." She assured, "plus we have 2 extra weeks to practice since were starting early." Elizabeta mumbled the last part slyly and Lovino glared.
(...)
Ludwig felt that he was over his head when he stood awkwardly in the auditorium. A boy just walked past him wearing heels! A girl grabbed her friend's hand and they twirled together doing a tango. He thought he just heard someone cry that they forgot their song.
"Feliciano?" The stage director came out. Ludwig wished that it wasn't Lovino. Lovino hated him since... well forever! He barely even knew why that man just hated him, but he told his brother he was doing this so his report card showed that he was well rounded and the most prestigious school would let him in. Plus he always loved musical theater and this was just his big break.
"Ludwig?" He then called and Ludwig felt his ears turn red as they watched the jock slash geek go and stand by the cutest guy in the grade, also side note, this was the guy wearing heels.
They went out into the cold auditorium and Ludwig felt himself slowly cringing at the mess he got himself into.
"Good afternoon Feliciano!" Mrs. H chimed waving the auburn hair cutie who giggled and waved his fingers. "I see you brought out the character shoes, huh." Ludwig looked down, so the heels had a name and Feliciano wasn't wearing them for just the sake of it.
"Of course, I will never get used to them if I never wear them." He jumped and the heel smacked off the wooden floor scaring the living daylight out of Ludwig.
"So before we make poor Ludwig pee himself, how about you sing." Elizabeta laughed and Feliciano just looked back at Ludwig giving him a sympathetic look.
"Like they say in theater." He took Ludwig's hands with loving eyes. "Break a leg." Feliciano whispered making Ludwig feel a shiver go up his spine.
Feliciano soon let go of his hands and went to Mr. Edelstein on piano handing him the sheet music to the song, but he didn't get out a cheat-cheat to help him if he forgot the words.
Mr. Edelstein started playing cords on the piano and Feliciano put his hands on the top of the piano humming quietly. "Oh listen sister." His voice was like sweet honey in the high octave. "I love my mister man." His hand skimmed the sky and Ludwig could practically see the sparkles in his eyes. "And I can't tell you why." He held out the note as he let his hands off the piano and started walking forward. Ludwig found a seat for him to sit on as he waited his turn at the guillotine.
"Why I should love that man." He pressed his hands to his chest as he twirled around, the character shoes let out a satisfying click as he stood with his arms wide with a large smile on his face, "It must be something that the angels have planned!" He pointed the sky with a loving eyes, Ludwig noticed he never made eye contact with the directors, but his eyes were trained to the back wall of the auditorium.
"Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly," Feliciano made a swimming motion and then jumped in the air flapping his arms getting a chuckle from Ludwig and Elizabeta, but Lovino stayed emotionless, "but I got to keep loving that man till I die." He pressed the back of his hand to his forehead and slump his head back.
Ludwig watched with amazement as Feliciano took the stage with his acting. He looked so right up there that it made Ludwig jealous, jealous of not having that ability. Yet, he swallowed his pride when Mr. Eldstein stopped playing and Feliciano finished singing.
"Thank you Feli, you can wait till Ludwig's done than you can go back." Elizabeta ordered and Ludwig's hands tighten around the sheet music. He shuffled over to Mr. Edelstein giving him the music and he raised an eyebrow at him, like, 'why are you doing this song?'.
Ludwig stood on the stage crumpling his paper in frustration. He threw it to the ground and glanced at Lovino who was completely shock by the song. He wondered why they didn't like Fifty Million Frenchman, yet they liked Show Boat.
"Since you blew in like a boisterous wind." He started rather angrily as he crossed the stage. "I often wonder, dear. Why gentlemen all fall to their knees?" He gave the wall a questioning look as he perched himself on the chair as Feliciano stared him like he grown three heads. "The moment you appear!" He sang loudly, "Your fetching physique is hardly unique." He shook his head leaning in close to Feliciano. "Your mentally not that hot." He acted like he admitted the truth and Feliciano gasped.
He grabbed the auburn haired boy's shoulder and slowly put his arm around him sitting down in the chair. "But I'll tell you what you got." He quickly stood up and proudly put his hands on his hips. "You got that thing, you got that thing. That thing that makes birds forget to sing!" He heard his voice echo off the walls as he got loud, usually this wasn't a thing that he would do, but he felt so alive! Like the pounding in his heart just wouldn't stop for a break as he ran to the front of the stage.
"Yes you got that thing!" He turned around and pointed at Feliciano who had his hand pressed to his chest in real shock. "You got that charm, the subtle charm." He backed up till he got to the piano to lean across it swaying his finger back and forth. "That make young farmers desert their farm." He sang in an upbeat tune never glancing at the completely shocked directors, well shocked for Lovino, Elizabeta was screaming internally. "'Cause, you got that thing, that certain thing." He sang slowly closing the song, even if it wasn't over he just did a small bit of it.
"Thank you Ludwig." Elizabeta found her voice as she turned to the door. "Please exit, the next group will come in." She instructed. Ludwig turned away getting his papers back and walked behind Feliciano who was smiling like an idiot.
When Lovino was sure the doors were closed he turned to Elizabeta. "He's amazing!" He cried and she clasped her hands with his.
"And you didn't believe me." She smirked and Lovino pressed his hand to his chest trying to get the image of Ludwig taking the stage out of his head.
"LOVI!" Good thing he was here. Lovino glanced up at his boyfriend, Antonio, who graced the stage with his best friend Bella.
"Good to see you too." Lovino straighten himself out. "Did you hear our new star?" He asked, Ludwig could project his voice very well.
"Like we couldn't!?" Bella gasped. "He's amazing, everyone was speechless outside." She laughed watching Antonio hand his music to Roderich who looked over the song.
Antonio ran to the front of the stage and his face fell to sadness. "Father." He started shaking his head. "We've got something to tell you, a story of our time." He shook his head, a very stressed western accent filling his voice as he fell to his knees, his hands clasped together. "A tragic, but inspirational tale of manhood at it's prime!" He cried to his sky, his hands rose in an symbol to praise the sky.
"You know you have a dozen sons." He hand skimmed the front row of seats like their were people there. "Well now that's true." Antonio tried to surpass giggles as he faked a tear down his cheek. "But don't feel sorrow, do not grieve." He sang in a slow pace. "He wouldn't want you to." He whispered nodding his head standing up as he swayed back an forth with his hands at his buckle.
"There's one more angel in heaven." He pointed to the sky. "There's one more star in the sky." His hand went down with jazz fingers. "Joseph we'll never forget you." He pleaded.
"It's tough, but were going to get by." Antonio danced backwards as he started exaggerating his sadness. "There's one less place at our table. There's one more tear in my eye, but Joseph the things that you stood for, like truth and light will never die!" He sang happily grabbing onto Bella and cradled her head to his chest sniffling widely.
"When I think of his last battle, a lump comes to my throat." He stopped singing, pretending he can't speak, but regained speech with more fake sadness. "It takes a man to wrestle..." He pretended to think. "A goat!" He finished with laughter.
"Typical you!" Lovino cried as he was writing something down in his notebook. "Joseph and the Techno Colored Dream Coat is not a good musical anyways!" He teased and Antonio gasped dramatically back and forth from Lovino to Bella as he fell to his chair dramatically.
"Never mind you Lovi, I have my song." Bella shook the paper and handed it to Mr. Eldstein politely. She femininely ran over to her seat and put it in the middle of the stage and turned around. As Roderich played the notes Bella turned around with anger fuming on her face. "I hate men." She sang in an eerily voice stomping her foot on the ground as she walking towards the chair.
"Can't abide 'em, even now and then." She huffed turning around in front of the chair. "Then ever marry one, I'd rest a virgin rather." Bella sat in the seat looking glum, yet fire poured into her eyes. "For husbands are a boring lot and only give you bother." She fluttered her hand to side rolling her eyes. She crossed her leg and then sang apologetically, "of course I'm awfully glad that mother had married father."
Singing rather loudly she stood up "but I still hate men!" She held it out long as she fruitlessly swayed her dress back and forth angrily pointing out into the audience. "From all the type I met within our democracy." She walked around the chair and then decided to stomp her character shoes on top of the seat with her hands at her waist looking proud. "I hate the most the athlete with his bold and brassy." She growled slapping her crotch making Elizabeta jolt, but she laughed it off.
"He may have hair upon his chest." Her hands glided over her open skin from her V-neck shirt. "But sister, so did Lassie!" She sang to sky with a bold look at Lovino. "Oh I hate men!" She sang it out before screaming angrily and kicking the chair away. Antonio was practically dying with laughter as Bella ended her fiasco.
"Thank you guys, send in the next group!" Elizabeta chimed watching them go.
"This going to be one hell of a ride." Lovino huffed as he finished writing down stuff on his paper.
"Did she just grab her crotch?" Elizabeta asked with laughter filling her voice making Lovino sigh with anger. It would be a long two and a half months for him.
(...)
TBC
Songs Sung:
Show Boat: Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man
Fifty Million Frenchmen: You Got That Thing
Joseph And The Techno Colored Dream Coat: One More Angel In Heaven
Kiss Me Kate: I Hate Men
Musical: Singing in the Rain.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, all songs go to their rightful owner and all characters used are property of the creators of Hetalia.