I do not own the movie Sing. I only own my OC, Jason.
I was gonna split Ash and Jason's performances into two chapters but honestly, I just want to finish this story ASAP so I can get started on something else, preferably a more gay remake of this story where Ash gets a girlfriend instead whose motivation doesn't jump around across the plot and a story that's told from both their perspectives rather than just the OC's. Why? Because The Loud House, Craig of the Creek and The Owl House have made me discover how much LGBTA folks deserve rep and happiness, and dammit, I want gay adorableness in my works!
Just one more chapter to go after this one so buckle up.
Hope you enjoy and don't forget to leave a review! :)
It took many hours of construction but the end result was more than worth it.
The Moon Theatre's ruins had been cleared away and transformed into a ramshackle but charming outdoor theatre, the walls and restored pillars adorned with glowing fairy lights. A long red carpet ran down the middle of the makeshift auditorium, comprised of chairs and benches neatly lined up before the new stage.
Apart from Mike taking his leave, which Jason honestly didn't see as too much of a loss, every contestant had taken ample time to rehearse their songs for the evening in-between periods of rebuilding. Rosita and Gunter prepared props and the choreography for their act whilst Johnny and Ash practiced their respective instruments. Meena and Jason, meanwhile, had opted to save their voices until their performances.
But during rehearsal, Jason took the time to observe every contestant as they practiced. In all his time focusing on his own songs or spending time with Ash, only now did he truly pay attention to everyone else's acts. Between Rosita's newfound flair in her dancing and Johnny's mastery of the piano, he'd begun to appreciate just how committed they all were to this show. How bold and gifted they were. Watching every ounce of passion they put into every step, note or movement, he could only smile.
Taking a peek through the curtains, he saw that in spite of Miss Crawly's insistent advertising, only a few animals were in the audience, including his, Meena and Rosita's families. That slight twinge of disappointment faded when he saw how excited his family looked, especially Stephanie who was practically bouncing in her seat. And for all his parents' smothering and his brothers' teasing, he knew deep down how much they truly believed in him.
"Don't worry, mate, the night's still young." Johnny said as they both made their way backstage to where the others were chatting. "For all we know, more animals might show up."
"Yeah, you're probably right." Jason nodded with a small smile. "Do you know if your family's coming?" The way the young gorilla's smile faltered at the question told Jason he'd plucked a nerve.
"Umm... n-no. I... I don't think they can make it."
"Oh. I'm really sorry about that, Johnny." the porcupine replied with sympathy.
"Nah, it-it's fine. I'll get through it tonight." Johnny said hastily, trying to play it cool. Before Jason could respond, Buster Moon's voice spoke over them all.
"Okay, guys, listen up." The koala said from atop a sandbag, clutching a microphone. The cast all turned to face him.
"Look, I gotta tell ya, um... there's not much of an audience out there tonight. But you know what? It doesn't matter. It really doesn't. 'Cause tonight is our night." Everyone's faces lit up at those words.
"And whatever happens… I just want you all to know how proud I am to be a part of this with you."
"Good luck, Mr. Moon!" said Rosita, giving him two thumbs up.
"Good luck, everyoOOOOO!" Buster's words were cut short from the sandbag shooting him up into the rafters. Everyone looked at Eddie who had just pulled a lever behind him.
"Oops. Eh-Sorry, just dropped the cue there. Don't worry. I-I'm gonna get the hang of this."
Giving the sheep an amused thumbs-up, Jason turned his attention to Gunter and Rosita, as did the others.
"Well, best of luck to you guys." Ash said, smiling in full support. Jason and everyone else followed suite with wishes of good luck.
"Thanks, guys!" Rosita replied, bouncing on her toes eagerly.
"Ja, let's get zis party started!" Gunter began making his way to the stage entrance with a little shimmy in his step, alongside his partner. The other contestants made themselves scarce just as Eddie began to dim the lights, except for Jason and Ash.
"So how are you feeling?" Ash asked, prompting Jason to anxiously scratch behind his ear.
"Kinda nervous, not gonna lie. You?"
"Same." Ash couldn't help looking down at the floorboards as she voiced her concerns. "I mean, I know Moon liked my song but I don't know how the crowd out there is gonna react." All of the porcupine's worries subsided the instant she felt Jason's paws on her shoulders. Looking up, her eyes locked with his.
"Hey, don't sell yourself short, Ash." He said, smiling encouragingly. "Your song was amazing. Those animals are gonna love you, I'm sure of it." Seeing nothing but the truth in his eyes, Ash smiled in return.
"Thanks, Jason. And you're gonna be great out there too." She replied. "You remember the tips we went over on the high notes?"
Jason nodded as he warmly remembered their rehearsal session together. "I'll never forget them. Good advice is good advice."
"So which song are you going with?"
Truth be told, Jason had decided on a final song for his performance. But it wasn't one that had been on Moon's list for him. During the taxi ride to the Moon Theatre, he'd thought about Grandpa and a classic song he'd introduced Jason to as a kid. One he'd only sung under his breath when he was alone.
Until now.
"A, uh... pretty special song to me." Jason responded. "It's one of my Grandpa's favourites. I've always known the words to it but never actually sung it aloud to anyone. And given recent events... I think it fits pretty well." Silently realising it was a song that wasn't on his list, Ash raised an eyebrow with interest.
"Well, I can't wait to hear you sing it."
'Neither can I.' Jason thought to himself.
All of a sudden, the backing track of Shake It Off began blaring from the speakers followed quickly by Rosita's vocals. The show had officially begun.
"Well... we'd better go get ready." With that, the two porcupines quickly made their way backstage to the changing areas, a line of wooden cubicles with red curtains in front of each. Pulling back their respective curtains, they both gave one last smile at each other.
"Good luck out there, Jason."
"You too, Ash."
Jason then pulled his curtain across behind him as the sound of Gunter and Rosita's dubstep-infused chorus filled his ears. A chuckle escaped his throat as he imagined the gobsmacked looks of the audience.
As their song continued, he began to get changed into his outfit for the evening. Having never been one for formality, Jason decided to go with the smart-casual look. He switched his standard hoodie out for a shimmering suit jacket over his white T-shirt, its crimson fabric gleaming in the changing room light. Keeping his dark jeans on, he removed his trainers next, opting to slip his feet into a sleek pair of chocolate brown shoes instead.
As he finished tying up the laces, he heard Gunter and Rosita's song finish to the sound of joyous applause. Jason grinned as he guessed that most of it came from Rosita's family. His excitement only grew as the sound of more animals beginning to arrive filled his ears.
Having a sip of hot water from his plastic bottle, the porcupine took one final look at himself in his changing room mirror before nodding in satisfaction. Stepping out of his changing room, he placed his paws in his jacket pockets and waited patiently for Ash to finish getting ready.
At that moment, his ears pricked up in recognition as the upbeat piano intro to I'm Still Standing began blaring from the stage. Then Johnny's soulful voice joined in. Jason couldn't help tapping his foot to the rhythm, mesmerised as the gorilla carried the classic song beautifully. As far as the porcupine was concerned, Johnny could be a worthy successor to the Rocket Man himself.
"Well? How do I look?"
Breaking out of his fixation on the music still playing, Jason turned his head to the source of Ash's voice. The moment he saw her, his heart stopped.
Ash's glam rock outfit was positively radiant. She shone from quill to toe in a red leather jacket atop the princess dress, the bottom of which was cut off to knee-length height, giving Jason a good look at her striped red leggings and laced-up boots. Her blue eyeshadow glistened beneath the heart-shaped sunglasses perched on her head, which he recognised as originally belonging to that Becky girl she'd told him about. An awestruck smile stretching across his mouth, Jason replied with the only fitting words.
"Like a rock star."
Ash beamed. These past few days, Jason's sincerity and undying support had made her feel more worthy than anything her ex had ever said to her. And those four words were the cherry on top.
A black guitar clutched tight in her grip, she nodded in gratitude before making her way to the stage. Still smiling, Jason turned on his heel and walked to the opposite side of the curtains where the others were. Johnny had just finished his song and was leaving the stage to a row of cheers. But he didn't look very cheerful.
"What's with the face?" Rosita asked, clad in her black sequined leotard. "You were great! They loved you." Johnny half-heartedly took a towel from Miss Crawly and took a seat on a nearby crate, mopping his brow.
"Yeah. Thanks, Rosita." He replied with a weak smile.
"Did..." Jason hesitated for a moment. "Did your family not arrive?" Looking down with a sigh, the gorilla simply shook his head.
"Vell, hey, for all you know, zey could be vatching ze show on ze television right now!" Gunter said with a supportive smile, patting Johnny's shoulder for emphasis. The corner of his mouth curled up a fraction before falling again.
Jason's brow furrowed sympathetically before he peeked out into the audience, now even bigger than when the show had begun.
"All right, welcome to all you newcomers." Buster stepped onto the stage, microphone in paw as Eddie hastily ran on to grab Johnny's stool and mike stand. "You are just in time to meet a teenager who was recently dumped by her boyfriend." Every animal in the crowd aww'ed while Jason raised an eyebrow at the koala.
'Not sure I would've put it that bluntly but yeah.'
"I know, right? But she's gonna chase those blues away with a song of her very own." Buster continued proudly. "Allow me to introduce the singing sensation: Ash!"
As the curtains behind him pulled back to reveal a large red backdrop, Ash strode onto the stage in all her glory. Buster looked just as enraptured at her appearance as Jason had. Flipping the heart sunglasses down over her eyes, Ash gave the guitar a thunderous strum. The audience reeled back from the force of the chord which even shook some dust down from the rafters. An excited chill raced up Jason's spine.
Suddenly it disappeared to the sound of Ash's note being cut off by a feedback squeal. Everyone turned their attention to a llama in red glasses and a sharp business outfit holding the lead for Ash's guitar in her hand.
"Judith?" Buster asked in surprise. Judith stepped out onstage, not looking happy in the slightest.
"You are all trespassing on private property and you will leave right now." She stated, casting her scowl down at the koala.
"What? No, no, no, no, Judith..." Buster tried to protest but she was unmoved.
"All of you."
The contestants all cast worried glances at one another as the crowd began murmuring with disappointment.
"Boooo! Not cool, lady!" Stephanie shouted from the front row, prompting her parents to shush her.
Jason was especially upset. Even if what this llama was speaking the truth, he didn't want Ash to lose this chance to show everyone what she could do. She'd worked too hard and come too far to be stopped right before her moment.
Just then, the rhythmic stomping of Ash's boot caught everyone's attention. The calm, defiant look in her eyes made it clear; this was her song and she was going to perform it now.
Bit by bit, every animal in the crowd began clapping along to the beat, as did Jason and everyone else offstage. Ash then began to sing the first verse while Judith could only gawp at the sight. The drums on the backing track kicking in, the porcupine grabbed Becky's sunglasses off her head and tossed them away with a grin. Jason couldn't help snickering as he noticed Judith say something to Buster before turning on her heel and storming away.
Feeling a tug on her guitar lead, Ash turned her attention to Buster who now held it in his paw. He gave a little bow before plugging the lead back into Eddie's sound equipment.
From that point onward, Ash's performance roared into life.
Turning the dial on her guitar, she belted out every word of the chorus to a sea of cheering animals, all jumping in unison to the music. The porcupine's vocals were clear as crystal as her fingers flew over the strings masterfully, the stage lights flashing all around her. Rosita, Gunter, Miss Crawly and Meena watched from the wings in amazement, with Gunter of course moving his hips to the song.
But none were more awed than Jason. Every second of Ash's brilliant performance left him entranced. She radiated with fearlessness and passion in all her actions. And when it came time for her guitar solo in the middle, he was so awestruck, it didn't even register with him to duck out of the way from Ash's quills flying from her furious headbanging.
It wasn't until she'd finished her number with a knee-sliding shred of her guitar that she opened her eyes, noticing every animal in the audience crouched behind their quill-covered seats. Snapping out of his trance, Jason's eyes also widened as he finally taking notice of the three quills stuck in his cheeks.
So that's what that feels like. He thought as he tugged each one out with a wince.
"Uhh... you guys okay?" Ash awkwardly asked into the microphone.
The silence was immediately shattered by the crowd leaping up into a thunderous applause. Without hesitation, Jason joined in the cheering, as did Rosita, Gunter and the others. Ash, taken aback at first, slowly smiled at the overwhelming acclaim. Even the red panda troupe from the auditions ran up to the very front to chant her name.
"What about that?!" Buster ran onstage with an excited laugh, a few quills embedded in his own face, "We just witnessed the birth of a genuine rock star!"
"Moon, you've got some stuck here." Ash murmured sheepishly, plucking a quill out of his cheek. The koala removed the rest whilst the cheering continued, complete with Jason's family in the front all throwing up the horns. Ash gave a modest bow to the crowd before making her way offstage.
She found herself instantly surrounded by the contestants all showering her with compliments. Unable to hold back his delight any longer, Jason lifted Ash up by the waist and spun her around.
"Ash, that was incredible!" He cried in pure elation. "You were incredible! You totally smashed it out there!"
After a few moments of gazing at each other, the two porcupines both blushed as they finally noticed Rosita, Gunter, Miss Crawly and Meena looking at them with knowing smiles. Even Johnny had snapped out of his funk to smile at them playfully. Clearing his throat, Jason set her down gently before looking into her eyes once more.
"You really are a rock star."
Ash gave a coy smile at his words, drumming her fingers on the guitar neck.
"Well... I didn't make it this far on my own." she replied softly. At that moment, the wild cheering finally died down as Buster's amplified voice filled the air once more.
"Now I promise, folks, there will be no more flying quills from our next singer of the evening. And now, please give a big hand to... Jason!"
As soon as the koala spoke his name, the contestants all gave him pats on the shoulder and wishes of good luck. Releasing a slow exhale, Jason stepped out onto the stage. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the spotlight as the crowd applauded along with his family.
"You've got this, Jason! Go for it!" Stephanie cheered wildly, standing up on her seat.
Jason gave a small smile towards them as the cheers died down. Taking a deep breath, the porcupine looked across and nodded at Eddie who hit a button on the soundboard.
From the speakers came the opening notes of Can't Fight This Feeling.
This was it. There was no turning back. Now was the time to let it all out.
Jason started out soft on the vocals, setting the tone for the song but gradually picking up the volume as he went.
As he made his way through the first verse, his gaze turned to Ash in the wings. The porcupine looked surprised as she listened to the words, quickly putting together who the song was directed at.
Jason's warm smile started to waver as he drew nearer to the lyric right before the chorus. The one with the dreaded high note. His eyes began darting around the audience in worry. Suddenly his vision fixed on his family in the front row, all giving him encouraging smiles. Then he looked across at Buster and the cast, each giving him a thumbs-up or a raised fist of support.
Finally he saw Ash. The one who always brightened up his day since he entered the singing competition. The one who had never given up on him. Who had helped him with the steps in his journey that he'd been too afraid to take. A touched smile spread across her lips as she listened to each word flowing from Jason's mouth.
His nerves vanishing completely, Jason clenched his eyes shut and went for it.
And hit the note.
Euphoria now surging through his veins, the porcupine stomped his foot to the two guitar riffs before the chorus. Then, yanking the microphone from its stand, Jason belted out the chorus with every ounce of soul in his body. The crowd was completely enraptured as the spotlights shone on him in all directions, his confidence now rock solid. From the wings, the contestants started clapping in time with the beat, the audience quickly following suite.
All through the remainder of Jason's performance, from the second verse to the final "anymore", neither his vocals nor Ash's smile faltered.
Meanwhile, from his bed in the hospital, Grandpa watched his grandson's act on the television with nothing but pride.
Jason's chest rose and fell as the final note of the song faded out to an eruption of applause. He felt alive.
"Now how about that?" Buster asked the standing crowd, running onstage with a huge smile. "Give it up for Jason, everybody!"
Jason smiled, giving a humble bow while the cheering continued.
"Whoooo!" Stephanie screamed from the front row, "That's my big brother!"
Before the porcupine could turn to walk offstage, he found himself nearly knocked off balance as Ash ran and embraced him in a great hug. When she pulled away, Jason saw her eyes filled to the brim with joyful tears. Her smile said more than words ever could. But what she did next surprised him even further.
She kissed him on the lips.
Jason's eyes widened as the ovation from the crowd only grew wilder. Gradually his shock dissipated, he listened to the voice in his head urging him to not just stand there like a lemon and melted into the kiss too.
Meanwhile, at his new girlfriend's place across town, the TV remote slipped from a slack-jawed Lance's grip, clattering to the floor.
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And there you have it, folks! Jason's final song for the show is revealed at last: Can't Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon, probably one of my favourite power ballads. Looking at the lyrics and Jason's story, it just seemed right. If you haven't listened to it before, I highly recommend it on YouTube: watch?v=svqyFkGPlck
Fun fact, I thought about having Ash plug in her guitar and play the guitar solo in the middle of the song offstage but decided that since this is meant to be Jason's moment to shine, that might be a bit much.
*I do not own the rights to the movie Sing. All rights go to Illumination Entertainment