A/N. Also...I'm so sorry this is late! I ended up seeing SEVEN Broadway shows (Carousel, Anastasia, School Of Rock, Phantom of the Opera, SpongeBob, which my sister wanted to see badly, Kinky Boots, where I MET MARK BALLAS, ONE OF MY IDOLS!, and Aladdin) in the last ten months, so it took forever! Anyways, it took forever, but here it finally is. And then after this, one more chapter. I hope you all love this chapter, and once you're done, leave a review, favorite, follow, and as always… Enjoy! King Of The Stage, Act 2.
Oh gosh...this is Donnie's moment of truth.
"Well," I started, standing and facing my friends. "What do you have to say for yourselves?"
If they were going to say anything, the least I expected was for Raph to silently say "Why?"
"What was that, Raph?"
"It's just...why? Why this, of all things?" he said, confused. "It's what he wants to do." I answered. "You remember he said you guys wouldn't understand. Well, this is exactly why."
"He's...actually really good." said Miwa. "And I do get it. He thought you guys would make fun of him and act stereotypical." Slowly, it was dawning on them. It made perfect sense. Donnie was just living the way he wanted to. And they had almost ruined it for him. Leo still looked stubbornly unmoved from where he was sitting. With the same glare he had plastered on his face for the last week.
"Leonardo, I understand your motives of keeping the family safe, and I am proud." said Splinter. "However...you may have taken this a little bit too far, my son." Leo grumbled under his breath. "What was that?" asked Splinter.
"How long have you known?" he said sharply. "No more than a month. I caught him during Tiger Claw's attack. I had followed to make sure he and April weren't throwing themselves headfirst into danger. Poor Donatello must have been convinced I hated him… and not for the ambush, for his talent. He may even think you think that of him now."
I sat back down. Donnie looked as if he was having the time of his life out there tonight, sharing his gift with the world. But deep down, he was terrified of rejection. He always has been. And he always will be. It's just in his nature.
Good thing he knows exactly how to do himself justice. He's been doing it in secret for longer than it deserved to be secret…
(Donnie's POV).
After the celebration period ended, we got down to business.
Business is nothing out of the ordinary. Another layer of makeup, mic checks, finally getting a drink of water, etc. Jared and I finally got to sit and talk about how we were doing tonight. During Act One, we would occasionally run by each other, and greet the other one with a high five or thumbs up. But now we were alone.
"I can't believe how many people I saw smiling out there." said Jared. I nodded. "I know! Who knew we would almost have a full house tonight? And did you see Becky's face when you made that entrance?" We both laughed at the memory of little Becky, in the middle of the orchestra, mouth wide open and eyes lighting up like little christmas lights as Jared entered in a cloud of smoke. If I wasn't so busy with the choreography, I could have sworn she mouthed Jared's name.
"Um...don't mind me asking...do you have the...you know…" Jared said, but I immediately knew he was talking about the little 'gift' I had for April. "Oh, I've got that right here." I said, pulling the small parcel that held the tiny object in question from under my bag. "I've been keeping it out of sight so no one could accidentally move it or something. Nothing can ruin the surprise I have for her tonight." With that, I slipped the object back away from Jared's eyes. I truly believe it. She was gonna love it.
My family on the other hand…
"What's the matter?" asked Jared. "You had this faraway look in your eyes for a second."
I jumped. Man, I'm like an open book. It's too easy for people to read my emotions. "I was just thinking about them." I answered honestly. "Your family?" he asked again. I nodded, eyes wandering down to the table. "It's gonna be pretty complicated explaining everything to them. April and I want to do it at her apartment, but… still, Leo's gonna be mad. I don't know what's getting into him. Normally, he would never have an overreaction like the one he did. He's probably gonna have a conniption fit by the time this is over!"
We both found ourselves laughing at the idea suddenly. I just couldn't help myself. "Look, if you and April need help, we'll stop by and help with the explanation. Just to make it a little easier for you." he said. My eyes widened. "You...you would do that for me?" I asked quietly. When he nodded, I brought my hand up to my mouth. "Oh my gosh… Jared, thank you! Thank you so much!" I said. He leaned over and wrapped his arms around me.
"Anything for my friends. You guys are like brothers and sisters to me. I would never say no to one of you." he said.
"Five minutes everyone! The call for Act Two is five minutes!" said the stage manager through the small intercom mounted to the wall. I smiled. "Shall we continue?" I asked, chuckling. In response, he opened the door and gestured for me to step out. "Gladly. Let's get this show on the road!"
(Roughly one hour later…)."You ought to ask….. Magical….. Mr. Mistoffelees!…..My number couldn't have come faster. It seems so sudden that I was up in the ceiling again, at the very top. There was darkness everywhere, except the single, tiny spotlight below me.
And I was terrified.
This was it. Really, really, it. My number. And my family was watching for the first time. I could only imagine their faces when they saw this. If Leo thought the Jellicle Ball was bad, this would be a thousand times worse in his view! He would be furious! And he's manipulative sometimes, so his attitude might rub off on the others… well, at least I had three of them on my side. Plus, everyone from the show that I was close to.
I suddenly felt myself choking up at the thought. They weren't just my friends, I truly loved them. To think of how far we've come since that first day in the studio was incredibly emotional. We've had each other's backs every step of the way. I was proud of them. They were proud of me. They were my second family.
Suddenly, I felt myself being lowered to the ground, and I blocked out any negative emotions. I stood, descending, holding on tight, feeling graceful.
Breathe in…Tonight, it was different. Different than any other time I've done the number. I couldn't hear anything. I decided not to. I watched the crowd's excited faces, cheering and screaming, but I couldn't hear them. This would be different. Like when I was back in my own, tiny world, all those years ago, teaching myself how to dance.
Breathe out…I sang at the right times. When the music cued a certain move, I would strike it fiercely, reminded of my ninjutsu training as well. The crowd acted as if they had fallen under a spell. But I chose to hear nothing. Everything moved at a slow, easy pace for me. I could feel it all around me, in my own time, at my own pace.
And all was calm.
Breathe in…Jared, Ethel, Anita, Charity, Sean, even Joss, seemed to end up by my side every second. They and the rest of the ensemble looked ready to leap into the air and fly.
Breathe out…When I looked at my family's faces, I saw only three of them. Sensei, Mikey, and April. The others, I had blocked away.
The ones I did see, were smiling.
Breathe in… Breathe out…
I tuned back in just as the audience leapt to their feet. It was a second standing ovation. Distantly, in another world, I felt myself smiling.
The rest of the show passed. Lydia, Jared, all of them, had been successful. The audience loved them during the curtain call, I looked at Jared, and asked him in a dazed sounding voice, "What just happened?"
"I think we've been amazing all night. They certainly know it," he said, gesturing to the audience, "And we know it, too." He smiled. "You were fantastic."
"I didn't think." I said. "I just did. It's something my father keeps telling me to do. I don't need to think about possible outcomes. I needed to be in the moment."
Jared went on to take a bow, and the others followed. I watched, one by one, as they came, fooling around, entertaining the audience, striking a few more dance moves. I was on after Sean. When he came out doing cartwheels, he bowed, then stepped back slightly, holding out his arm in a gesture to me.
The spotlight was mine. The crowd was thundering. This was it. Feeling like my heart was about to burst from my chest, I leapt forward, ready to see the (few) proud faces of my family and friends…
And this time, it could never compare to a dream.
The loudest applause I had ever heard seems to come straight from the audience. I was laughing with delight, even as I ran to join the others in their little group. We waited as the last person finished up, and then up on stage, came Andrew Lloyd Webber, who looked to be in wonderful spirits. I listened through some of it, but my mind began to wander. It was almost time for a little surprise I had planned, and out of the corner of my eye, Jared slipped away to retrieve something from our dressing room. I silently hoped he would get back in time, just as I heard this from Andrew.
"... in particular, someone very special is among our cast tonight." he said. My heart skipped a beat.
"I've heard from multiple people about how much they've loved working with him. And hiring him has to be one of the best choices I've ever made. So… will everyone please welcome Donatello Hamato back to the front of the stage?"
More applause. I found myself walking to the front, almost in a trance. Taking the microphone, I smiled. "Um… hi." I said. Laughter.
"Well… oh gosh, where do I begin? There's so many people I have to thank, because without them, I wouldn't be here. I would be back in my own home, still keeping this all a secret desire of mine. A guilty pleasure."
Breathe…"I first saw the show CATS on video at my own home when I was only five years old…"
And just like that, I was off on a slightly altered version of my story. Luckily, they bought it. They gasped when I revealed things like how I was self-taught, and how long I've kept it a secret, and even when I revealed that a few of them were less-than supportive. The rest of the time, dead silence. They listened to how hard I trained (and strained) myself to perfect everything. A few times, I glanced up to the balcony to see my family's faces. No frowns. No smiles. Their faces were expressionless as they listened to me.
The audience smiled as I told them how supportive a few members of my family were, and the rest of the cast, all whom I listed that were on my side beaming as I went through the story.
"But there is one person out of all of them that I want to thank the most." I said. "She was the one who found out about my secret. She was the one who persuaded me to do this. When it felt as if my world at home had come crashing down, she let me stay with her until I was ready. Honestly, at any time that I felt as if I just didn't belong, she took me into her arms and made me feel special again. We'd bend over backwards for each other, and she holds a very special place in my heart. And… I have a gift for her. The best one I could ever give."
When I turned, Jared was there, holding the small object from before.
A tiny box.
Several audience members realized what I was doing, and a few of them shrieked. "April O'Neil, can you please come on stage?" I asked.
My heart was pounding when she reached the stairs leading to the stage. She was sobbing, realizing as well what I had in mind, and Anita had to help her up to the center. When she reached me, we ended up in a long, passionate kiss. I finally had to break it as I bent down on one knee, and opened the tiny box Jared had handed me, to reveal a ring.
"April…" I could barely even get the words out in my head, so all I said quietly was, "Please?..."
When she nodded, I felt as if all of my dreams came true.
(The next morning…)
As April and I looked silently at the ring on her finger, our minds wandered.
Despite what I said last night about feeling like all my dreams came true, last night still felt like a dream itself. After the show, me and the rest of the cast and crew decked ourselves in tuxes and fancy dresses, walked down the small red carpet outside, clambered onto a bus that took us down a couple dozen streets, and we arrived at the opening night party that had been set up. April was there too, and many people offered up their congratulations. It was incredible. They went all out, and April and I danced together for about two hours, drinking in every moment. Afterwards, we got tired and went back to her apartment, falling asleep shortly after.
This morning, April excitedly called her dad, who had gone off on a business trip about a week ago, and told him everything. He didn't exactly sound pleased, but I could worry about that later. Right now, we were just determined to spend every blissful moment of peace together before I had to face my family again. I didn't even see them after everything last night. So I don't know what's going to happen.
Knock knock!Speaking of which…
It's time. I'm nervous. I glance to my right at April. "You've got this." she whispered. "I'm right here with you. Remember that." She placed a small kiss on my cheek and smiled, even as I got up from the sofa and began to walk towards the door. Suddenly, I got an idea. I looked down at the watch, deciding on something for a split second, before quickly taking it off and placing it on the coffee table. My form flickered out a few times before vanishing completely, leaving me entirely as a turtle.
"There." I whispered absent-mindedly to myself. "Now I feel like myself again."
Then I walked to the door, and opened it.
"I know… we need to talk…"
A/N. The next chapter will be the last one. This will be the first story I've finished! I am so happy about that, because it's been getting such good feedback and I love it so much. Over 90 pages of writing have been dedicated to it, and I'm so proud of myself. Anyways, that's it for this time! Once you're done, leave a review, favorite, follow, and as always… Stay tuned! ;)
OMG… I know, you guys have waited way too long, and I sincerely apologize for it. But things happen, and life got in the way, and I've just been so busy.