Sunset over the Park
A one-shot about Ash and Johnny finding love in each other after a meeting in the park. Takes place in the movie before the destruction of the theatre and the big rehearsal.
This is my first ever story and my first shot at this sort of thing, so any reviews are greatly appreciated, criticism is what I need most now.
Should state I don't own squat. (Maybe the plot from this story?) ;)
A cold wind sweeps though the dusty, dark night side streets of the suburbs, carrying along with it dust, a few leaves and a few wrappers and other litter. Clouds blanketed the night sky, covering up stars that once shone upon the city. A resounding tinkling could be heard coming from inside an old mechanic garage, adorned with an old neon light, showing cracks over the title "Evans". The tinkling belonged to the instrument, an old classic piano, dust-coated top and back, and white paint peeling off the once shiny, now dull oak wood keys. The tinkling also belonged to a young teen gorilla, as he sat on the stool, playing a slow, romantic love song. The performance was amazing, if only there were an audience in the dull, dusty worn car garage.
Johnny, the aforementioned gorilla, cut the song halfway, and stood up from the stool. Taking a glance at his fancy-looking cheap watch, he let out a quiet sigh, reading "10:35" from the two glinting hands. Taking a seat in the worn-out sofa, he watched around the garage, feeling empty. Something was just missing from the set. Maybe it was the lack of cars around, a sign of the struggling business the garage had landed upon. Maybe it was the deadly silence, hanging over the air, no loud chuckles from "Big Daddy" or his gang as they discussed a new plot for a quick steal, or the big heist they were planning. Whatever it was, it wasn't doing Johnny any good. He settled into the sofa and grumbled, pushing his hands into his face. The last few weeks were too much for him to handle. A failed getaway, due to his stubborn selfish acts, landed the only "family" he had left in jail. It really was all his fault. He dosed off into his thoughts falling into a slumber on the sofa.
Flipping to another other side of the city, cars whizzed past the busy street road, people strolled on the pavement, and clubs were basking in the growing numbers of night-goers at the night drew on. An old apartment block stood at the side, lit by the lights glowing from inside. In an apartment on the second floor, a young teen porcupine gathered together a bowl of noodles, the TV remote and a blanket as she snuggled into the couch.
Ash, the porcupine was named, flicked on the TV, and flipped some channels, skipping over cooking shows, news channels, radio channels and the rest. She finally settled on a free movie channel, one of the few she got on the free Digital service. A movie was already halfway through, and within ten minutes, Ash found herself deep into the ongoing plot. The movie was of a beautiful young lady in her 20's, as she was found by a handsome Hollywood actor in a cheap stage show she performed at. Drawn by her acting talent, the Hollywood actor fell in love with her. The movie turned into a cheesy romance film, filled with cutesy dates and locations and whatnot, as the Handsome actor pulled the young lady though the Hollywood film ranks. But the Hollywood actor soon lost interest in the young lady, and ditched her without remorse for another hotter Hollywood actress. Heartbroken, found stuck in a car-crash of a breakup, and struggling to survive in the Hollywood world, the young lady falls into depression. At the sight of this, Ash slowly started to sob, finding the story too close to the events of only 1 month ago. Her own breakup with her ex was too hard to get with, put her into a state of depression for nearly 2 weeks, until the theatre crew came to try and cheer her up. But she wasn't over the half of it, as the depression got to her every few nights, as would cry herself to sleep in remorse over the broken memories of her past, mainly mixed with the memories of her bastard cheating ex, unable to move on. Tonight, was one of those nights.
A loud rumbling sound was heard, coming from where? As the noise rang on, Ash groaned and rose from the messy pile on her couch. She picked up her phone from the table and silenced, gasping at the time. "11:30! What the f…" she droned off, jumping off the couch and running into her apartment, getting ready for the rehearsal she was already done overtime for.
As she jostled from the metro toward the theatre, mug of coffee in one hand and her guitar case in the other, she realised, by the full car park, she was the last to arrive. Pushing the door open with her weight, she ambled into the backstage area, where the work was already in full swing. A certain busy koala noticed her late entrance. "Ash! Great to finally see you, I have some great news! Also, I wanted to talk to everyone about the previous rehearsal, Nana will need some convincing, and you too, I wanted to talk to you about your…" he kept himself busy rambling on whilst checking papers and noting things down, until he realised he was alone again. "Ash?" he called loudly.
Ash stepped up, in through the door of her raised platform, sound damping glass recording room. Settling down on the wooden floor, she flipped open her guitar case. With it came a torrent of paper, some scrunched up, some creased and some filing out. She sighed, pulling up her guitar out of the mess, and plugged it into the amp. Whilst trying to turn it on without looking, she searched the flood of papers for the one she needed, her new song. Her own song. Her first, very own creation. When she found it, she took a gander, inspecting her latest changes and additions. It was only half done, but to her it meant everything. The first ever song she tried writing, despite what her ex said.
"Your own song?" Lance blurted out, startled by her idea. "Well, Yeah." she replied back, puzzled. "Look, if you want to win that money, just do what the koala saiz'" Lance slurred the last part of his sentence, with a hint of belittlement towards the young wannabe rocker. "Why, you think I can't write my own song?!" Ash cried out, taking offence from her emotionally abusive boyfriend. It was the first time she tried something for herself, and her she was, taking a verbal attack. "Whoa, whoa. I'm just saying, not everyone can write songs, okay? I know I make it look easy, babe, but it's not." He boasted, walking out of the room. It left her alone, and hurt. Maybe she should listen to her boyfriend, maybe she really can't write her own song…
Remembering his hurtful words, and his carefree voice, she trembled. Looking down at the song, she realised it was about her breakup, and all this brought a rush of memories to her head. 3 years of being next to him, all the "dates" they went on to local cheap diners. All the times they were both on stage, but in all honestly it was just him on stage, and her as the "hot backup singer" as he coined her. All the times they spent at home, while he wrote new songs and she cleaned up after him. But then, the last time, she saw him with that slut, as they singing together, almost so close they were kissing. Tear ducts now emptying, she realised the fur under her eyes were wet and matted. It was from all the crying she had only just noticed now.
As the calm teen gorilla descended from the stairs, he glanced around him, warmed by the different musical sounds hitting his eardrums. But how could he miss it, only one room was quiet. As he headed toward it, he saw a small porcupine, sitting down in a ball, crying into her hands. He approached the glass room, and knocked on the door. "Ash?" she heard, coming from outside. "Are you quite alright?" How could she miss it? The soothing British accent so out of place from everyone else she knew. "Go AWAY" she yelled, not even acknowledging the being outside the room. "Ash, please, don't cry" Johnny cooed, letting himself in without her permission. "I DON'T CARE, WHY DO I EVEN EXIST!" Ash yelled, sobbing as Johnny closed the door gently behind him and sat down on the floor next to her.
Johnny edged closer to her and slightly hugged, slightly cradled her as she carried on sobbing. "Shh, please don't say that Ash, no one deserves to suffer like that" he spoke to her gently. Ash didn't notice, but she felt herself warming to his hug already, his proportionately large arms warming her from the outside, and his soothing British voice from within her. "Why do I have to struggle? Why me?" Ash cried into Johnny's chest as she turned towards him, her strong punk attitude that once shielded all emotions now missing completely. "Everyone has to sometimes" Johnny replied lovingly. Why did he have to be so kind, how he was always shining, was a mystery to her. Maybe his life was nurtured in a "bubble wrap" environment, he clearly had never seen such stress and pain, just like she had. "Ash, meet me at the park on Dinsdale street, at 5:00 p.m. today" Johnny requested, as stroked her quills one last time and stood up to leave. Surprised at his offer, she looked up to him. "Please?" he finished, glancing back at her, before he walked out the door. She stared all the while though her tears as she left.
Johnny sat on the park bench, watching around calmly. He came here every once and then, at the same time whenever he would. It was perfect for the dark winter sunsets too, and as he glanced down at his watch, he saw the shiny minute hand tick over 6, the glinting hour hand in between 5 and 6. Maybe she wasn't going to come. He sighed, and stared at the sky anyway. The sunset show had just begun, but he was pulled out of his immersion as he noticed a short being approached him. "Johnny..." the porcupine started as she sat down next to him on the park bench. The height difference wasn't apparent as she sat down, with a straight back, until the gorilla came out of his hunch and sat up, dwarfing the little porcupine. "Ash…" he stopped, overlooking the modern park grounds, seeing very few people walking the paths around in the distance. This was best for his confession. "Didn't think you'd come" he finished, looking down at hear with a weak smile. Ash looked back, then stared back at the ground. She began again: "I'm sorry for being late, and I came mainly to just tell you sorry for being so depressing, and thank you for comforting me when I just needed it..." she trailed off, looking back up at him to notice he wasn't paying attention to her, his head in his hands, back in his hunched position. "Fine! If you're just gunna be like that!" she growled as she stood up and started walking away. "Ash, please, don't leave me" she heard a desperate but soothing voice behind her. She swivelled around, and was surprised to see him looking at her, still hunched, with a sombre face, and noticed there were tears rolling down his cheeks. If her punk attitude was back at that point, it instantly crumbled again. What was she, to leave the same person who had comforted her in her worst times recently, to leave him when he needed someone the most now? This struck a chord in her heart, and she turned around and returned to him, sitting next to him once again.
"I'm sorry" Ash apologised, looking at the hunched gorilla. She stood up on the bench to reach his level, and hugged him the best she could with her short arms. "It's okay, thanks for coming back to me" Johnny returned, looking at her as she left her embrace. "What's up?" She asked, with her cool tone of hers she'd developed with her lifestyle. Johnny peered into her cool blue eyes with his own, chocolate brown ones. "You said you were the only one who felt pain, I wanted to…" he was cut off. "I didn't mean it, everyone feels depressed at least…" Ash was now the one cut off. "I know you didn't mean it, I know how bad it must have hurt you to go through that breakup, and I wanted to tell you my story" Johnny now confessing his story to the small cute porcupine only a few inches next to him. He wasn't going to lie, he straight up had a crush on this beautiful little porcupine. He was always infatuated with smaller animals, cute red pandas, beautiful vixen, and sharp porcupines, like the strong, cool beauty in front of him. But who was he kidding, it would look so awkward, and why would she feel the way he did? Whatever he was, She was strong willed, cute yet had an attitude as sharp as her quills, and she was hot. Yes, he had to admit, she was downright fire. He thought this as he became a quite a bit flustered. "Your story?" Ash questioned, cutting Johnny's daydream short. His nose tingled with the heat of her breath on his nose, her minty smell entered his nostrils.
"Yeah, I haven't told anyone yet, but you have to promise to not tell anyone else, please" Johnny verbally held out his offer, as Ash took it. "I promise not to tell another soul" she said in a jokingly serious voice, crossing her chest with her hands. Johnny chuckled, as he began, "I don't have anyone else to tell this to, so here it is. Life was always a struggle for me and my dad, we were always short on everything. Mainly money, having to live in the garage we worked at since we moved here from home in the UK 10 years ago. The work in the garage just didn't cut the bills anymore, so my dad turned his back on the system that got to us. He turned to crime. He started small, robbing corner shops and pawn shops and the like. But soon it got worse…" Johnny was carrying on in his strong British voice. Ash started to drift away from the meaning of his words and towards the sound of his voice.
It was so full of emotion, usually full of compassion and care. She started to move away from his voice, and towards other aspects of him. She thought about his beautiful personality, so full of thoughtfulness and TLC. He would never let anyone past him without seeing a smile on their face. He was such a gentleman, 'perfect boyfriend material' she thought, as her mind was in a haze. Just being with him made her realise she forgot about Lance. Lance. Lance, Lance was nothing compared to this big cuddly teddy bear next to her. He was the complete opposite. Loving and caring, checking on Ash every time he saw her, whereas Lance never gave her a second look. There for her all the time, when she was depressed, and the bad state of her break up, and he would come and comfort her in a way that made her feel all gooey inside, but Lance would instead insult and belittle her at every opportunity he found. Oh, and physically. There was no doubt, Johnny was a hot teenage dream, a perfect body: a cute face, strong muscular yet soft and furry arms, a solid pack of abs, and… She suddenly blushed, going any further down was causing her more erotic thoughts. She found the boy of her dreams, but was she ever going to be in those dreams herself?
She drifted back into the real world, once again listening to Johnny. "He was a gang leader! My dad, the leader of a gang! How could it have happened?" He admitted aloud. Ash slightly jumped at the sudden raise in volume. "And somehow, I was roped in, a part of it all." He told, turning back to meet her gaze. "'And that is gonna be you this time, Johnny' my dad told me. Somehow I was the driver of the biggest heist I ever knew." "What happened?" Ash questioned, now back in the story and tense to hear the rest. "I was the getaway driver, and all I did was getaway from the scene!" Johnny started tearing up again "I went to the rehearsal instead, and left me dad out to fend for himself. Now he's in jail. Because of my own self greed!" Johnny continued though his sobs.
Ash felt her heartstrings tugging too. Here she was, complaining to everyone about her breakup and making a big fuss about it, when Johnny was always there for her, everyone in fact, jolly as always. And here was the truth too. What she lost over 3 years in 1 minute, he'd lost over 10 years in one day. "And I'll never be able to talk to my father anymore. He's disowned me, 'How did I end up with a son like you, eh?' were the last things he ever said to me, now I don't have anyone to talk to, to confide with, I'm all alone" Johnny finished in the middle of a breakdown. Ash realised once again that she was in fact crying too, and suddenly pulled Johnny into a strong embrace. "I'm so sorry, I never knew…" Ash remarked through tears. He was in fact just as lonely as she was, albeit in a harsher way. Johnny replied back "It's okay…" weakly, only to be quickly told back "No it's not, I was such a bitch to yell at you today, and all those other times, I'm so sorry" Ash hugged Johnny tighter, as he squeezed her back, both with their eyes shut tight with tears rolling down their cheeks.
Ash opened her eyes to see an ice cream van in the distance, and let go of Johnny. Johnny let go too, and stared into her icy blues with his calm brown ones once again. Oh, how she could just get lost in those two beautiful eyes of his. "I'll be right back" she said, as she hopped off the bench, heading toward the ice cream van. Johnny sat there, still stuck in time, staring at the spot Ash was in. She returned a minute later, to see him still staring into the abyss. She giggled, jumping back on to the bench where Johnny was still looking. Startled by her return, Johnny jumped back, and thrown off balance, fell of the edge of the bench. He returned to his spot quickly, with a blush on his face, blurting out "I didn't see you there!". She giggled again, blush returning to her cheeks. "Here" she stated, holding out a hand with a simple whipped vanilla cone ice cream in her hand. "Oh, you didn't have to, thanks Ash love" he said taking the ice cream. Then, In his mind, he stepped back a little realising what he accidentally uttered at the end of his sentence. Instantly, he put a hand over his mouth, trying to cover up what had already been said, now cheeks aflame.
Ash replied "You're welcome, Johnny baby" pulling her hand back, only realising what she had just said too. She then pulled her own hand to her mouth, in the same fashion, and they both turned away from each other. Ash then realised, 'Did he just say 'love' to me?', questioning herself. Johnny also realised, 'Did she just call me 'baby'?', questioning himself.
They both then turned around to face each other, both with cheeks still warm from their stumble. Ash then noticed Johnny had a bit of ice cream on his nose. "Ah, Johnny, you got some there…" she started. But out of nowhere, without her own realisation, Ash jumped towards Johnny and put her mouth on his own. She then suddenly pulled back, regretting her impulse immediately. How did that happen? "Johnny, I'm so sorry, what have I…, I didn't mean to..." she trailed off, realising what she'd done. She was then suddenly swooped up by a force she didn't notice, and felt some lips against hers again. She then realised Johnny was standing up, cradling her in his arms, kissing her with his eyes closed. Ash closed her eyes too, and leaned into the kiss a bit more, moaning into it as she let her mouth open, letting Johnny's tongue slip in. They went at it for a full minute, finally releasing for some air. They both let go, panting and smiling. "Now you've got some ice cream on yours!" he exclaimed, grinning. She grinned back, retorting. "I'll get you back for that!"
They sat on the park bench, Johnny's arm wrapped around Ash's small body, as she held on to his chest with her own. Ash was able to finally get over her ex, now a non-existent memory for someone who was beyond compare. For Johnny, an empty hole in his life had been filled with a dream come true. They overlooked the falling sunset, an immense orange orb falling into the horizon, the sky a mix of a red and blue hue, thin clouds whisking over the skies. It was as beautiful the couple that fit inside it. It was the perfect Sunset over the Park.
A/N Man, I never realised how hard it is to write a fanfic, just reading them myself, gobbling them up as they were nothing. I hope you guys like it, it's literally my only OTP at this point, and I would love get some feedback on this, anything. What did you like, what did you hate, how would you want it, how could I improve my writing skills, do I need to 'get good' at English, that kinda thing ;). I wish to try something bigger in the future, but this was just a test really if anything, to see I could do it. Anyway, thanks for reading!