Behind Red Curtains
If there was one thing Benny knew Luan absolutely hated, it was waiting backstage while all the spotlights shone on someone else.
He recalled the day, several weeks after auditions, when the cast list for Macbeth had been posted on the wall next to the auditorium door. Together, they'd eagerly scanned the paper in search of their names. Just like they always did.
He had spotted his name almost instantly. A wave of pride had rushed through his body when he realized he'd been cast in the lead role.
"I knew you'd get it," Luan had commented. "I mean, you totally crushed that audition. Seriously blew everyone else right out of the water!"
Just then, a completely different sensation had swept across Benny's face. A tsunami of blushing red.
Well, Luan did tend to have that sort of effect on him.
Trying rather unsuccessfully to hide his broad smile, he'd let his eyes skim the paper once more.
"Looks like you're the understudy for Lady Macbeth," he'd said.
"Understudy?" Luan had echoed. Then she'd snapped her fingers. "Dang it. Well, guess I can't win 'em all. Besides, it's nice to let someone else have the spotlight sometimes."
She'd been quite a good sport about it, then. But as he watched her slouch into one of the backstage folding chairs, garbed not in a fancy costume but in stage-crew black as dark as the sky outside the window, he knew she'd much rather be the center of attention.
Best he could do was give her a little of his.
"Think you'll be alright back here?" he asked.
She gave a quick laugh, which in his opinion dissipated much too soon. "Benny, that's the thirty-seventh time you've asked me that! I'll be fine."
The look on her face was nonchalant, revealing none of her inner jealousy, as she leaned backwards in the folding chair, blowing a bubble with her spearmint gum.
Technically, that had been his spearmint gum, but she'd swiped a piece from the package while he wasn't looking.
Having such a seasoned prankster as a girlfriend had its ups and downs.
He gave her a skeptical look, which she returned with her eyebrows raised.
"Seriously. I mean it," she said. "See? Look." She rummaged through her backpack, pulling something out. "I've got my phone. I can never be bored with the internet around! And I've got ten siblings I can send memes to. That alone should last me most of the night."
She continued: "And your phone's on silent, right?" At his nod, she gave him a wink. "Good. I've got a few memes made especially for you, Mr. Spotlight-Of-My-Life."
He had a feeling those memes were an entirely different variety than the kind she sent to her family members. He prayed to Dionysus, the Greek god of theatre, that she wouldn't get her contacts mixed up.
"Besides, stage crew is totally an interesting job that definitely does not make me want to slip a laxative into Ruby's frappuccino so I can take her place onstage."
Ruby was the girl who'd snagged the leading lady role. He was aware Luan had just a few bitter thoughts about her as a result of that, but he had made it crystal-clear to her that there would be no foul play tonight. (Ha! Luan wasn't the only one who could make a pun!)
"I swear I'd never actually do it!" Luan protested upon seeing his expression. "I do have standards, Benny. It's basically common knowledge in the theatre world that actresses don't sabotage each other." Her wistful eyes reflected the distant glowing spotlights. "You've got to admit it'd be a little funny though."
He had to admit that the image of Ruby frantically running to the bathroom as though her hair was on fire was just a smidgen hilarious.
"And I have to stay back here," she reasoned. "I'm the only one Mrs. Bernardo trusts to move the backdrops. If I go onstage instead, I'm just setting us up for failure! Get it?"
Benny chuckled at her wisecrack, earning a delighted smile from Luan.
"And you know I love listening to your voice," Luan said. "Like, seriously, you could recite Shakespeare at me all the livelong day and I still wouldn't get bored. You've got a gift there, you know. Take it from me; I live in a household where no one ever shuts up!"
There came that dense, heavy cloud of blush again, fogging up his thoughts.
He went still as the lights went out, shrouding the room in pitch-black darkness.
"It's about to start," Benny whispered to Luan, even though he was certain she already knew that. This was far from her first rodeo, after all.
Luan reached for his hand, gave it a quick squeeze, and then released it. "You go and get ready. I'll just be back here chillin' with all the fake blood, guts, and severed limbs."
She gave a shudder. "The art department really went all-out on making the war scenes look realistic. No kidding. Guess I should've expected that when they let my sister Lucy take the reins."
The lights started back up again as Mrs. Bernardo began to introduce the play, revealing that Luan was already pulling out her phone to start searching for memes and funny puns. The glow from her screen in the dim light illuminated her face, revealing just a twinge of sadness and utter boredom in her amber eyes.
He thought hard, trying to come up with a way to see her smile again in the brief moments he still had backstage with her.
"Don't I get a kiss for good luck?"
That caused Luan to glance up from her phone, her eyes bright and luminous. She tilted her head curiously.
"Isn't that a tradition in the theatre world?" he asked. "I thought you were all about traditions."
"I'm pretty sure that's not a tradition," Luan countered with a brisk shake of her head.
He was just about to give up hope and tell her to forget it when she smiled.
"But if you insist, get over here."
Luan stood up, popped the wad of gum out of her mouth and stuck it to the seat of one of the other folding chairs (no doubt hoping to ensnare someone in a sticky little trap). He scooted closer, waiting for the soft, gentle brush of her lips against his.
He was surprised (and thoroughly disappointed) when Luan gave him a quick, barely-there peck on the cheek instead.
She smirked, probably at the clueless expression that was undoubtedly gracing his face.
"Luan!" he objected. "That's not what I meant."
"I know," she replied. Her eyes held a mischievous glimmer.
He crossed his arms and pouted, using practiced, exaggerated movements to convey to Luan just how ripped-off he felt.
Luan merely rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll tell you what. We'll make a deal." She made a steeple shape with her hands, just like a businesswoman giving a formal presentation. "If you manage to get a standing ovation, I'll give you a little encore."
"I'll take it," he agreed, reaching out to shake her hand and seal the deal.
The audience applauded as Mrs. Bernardo finished speaking. She trotted backstage, giving Benny and his girlfriend a knowing glance as she passed by them.
"Well. Break a leg," Luan chirped.
He hesitated, wondering if maybe it was possible to spend just one more minute backstage with her.
She noticed he was stalling and gave him a nudge and a stern look. "Really. Get your adorable butt on that stage, Benjamin."
"Luan, before I go out there, I just hope you know how much I really lo-"
"Thank you, love you, bye!" Luan interrupted, pushing him onto the stage right before he totally missed his cue.
He really owed her one.
Benny stepped into the spotlight, determined to put on the best performance he'd ever given. If not for the legacy of all the great actors and playwrights that had come before him, then for that kiss.
…
After the final scene had come to a close, Benny soaked up the thunderous applause, feeling a sense of immense pride and accomplishment.
He didn't think there was a single person in the audience rows that wasn't clapping and cheering, rising up out of their chairs and onto their feet.
Benny didn't want to admit it, except maybe only to himself, but Luan's little wager might've been the thing that had put his performance straight over the top.
She was always doing that–finding ways to pull him right out of his comfort zone and into things he'd never even thought about trying. He might've never signed up for half of the awesome shows and gigs he'd done if she hadn't been constantly pestering him about them.
For his part, he tended to keep her in check, helping her to recognize when a prank had gone just a little too far. In many ways, they balanced each other out.
They made a pretty good duo.
Benny took his final bows, looking into the stunning yellow lights just one more time before the crimson curtains closed.
When he sauntered backstage, he spotted Luan, no longer slumped into a folding chair, but leaning against the wall and giggling at something she was reading on her phone. Most likely a hilarious meme she'd just sent him, or was just about to send him.
He felt his phone vibrate from his pocket and smiled.
Luan looked up from her screen and met his eyes.
"Standing ovation?" she asked.
Benny nodded. "Standing ovation."
"A deal's a deal."
Before he could even register it, Luan had taken his hands in hers and pulled him into a kiss. A real kiss; the kind he had been waiting on all night.
In that moment, he became little more than her blushing, bright red yo-yo on a string. Wrapped and tangled neatly around her index finger as she showed off all her tricks, from the loop-de-loop to the gravity pull, and then back for an around-the-world.
Somehow, he had a feeling he could handle every trick she threw at him, even though she had a certain way of always keeping him guessing and second-guessing.
It was all worth it when it came to her.
Benny welcomed the sensation of her lips pressed tight against his, welcomed the lingering taste of spearmint gum, and welcomed the little moment they shared behind the tall red curtains.
...
A/N: I like other ships besides just this one, I swear.
Just a little something I wrote in two sittings (It could've been one if the first one hadn't ended at an ungodly-late hour of the night, though). This little idea wouldn't stop biting me in the back of my brain until I wrote it. Such is the life of a writer.
Ah, well, this ship needs more fluff anyway. You know what they say. "Be the change you wish to see in the world."
Reviews are always appreciated, so leave one if you'd like! :)
Or don't. I wont tell you what to do, pal. I'm not your mom.