The night of the show's reopening was packed.
PACKED.
The gang were getting ready behind the scenes, fixing up their makeup and pressing down the fabric of their costumes.
Rosita walked along, stretching out her fabric space suit a little from the holiday weight she had gained during Christmas.
"You know what they say," Gunter said to her as he too had packed on a few pounds, "One minute on the lips is a lifetime on the hips."
"You don't need to remind me of that, Gunter," Rosita replied with a small sad laugh, "What I wouldn't give to have my kids' metabolism."
"Me too," Gunter agreed, and the two looked at each other knowingly of this fact.
"Shh! Shh!" Johnny quickly whispered to them and the group as Ash entered the building and by her side was Calloway, "They're here!"
Everyone didn't want to stare, but the sight was now iconic in the group of actors and singers... and upper management like the koala producer, Buster Moon.
But everyone's eyes quickly darted down to see that the two star-crossed lovers were holding each other's hands.
It looked so beautiful, but also... delicate, like a piece of wind could blow past and separate them easily.
"Well, well, well..." Buster Moon said, walking in a confident stride over to the two and winking in a friendly, accepting way towards them, "I would say don't mix work with pleasure-"
Ash's eyes went wide when he said that, but Calloway only chuckled deeply at this koala's words, replying as his hand left Ash's and he petted Buster on the back with ease.
"But those two things go wonderfully together."
The whole crowd of actors and workers just laughed at this old lion's words and Buster giggled too a little bit, patting Clay's hand off him, and he just nudged his head to a private location, to have a proper word with the lion.
"Be back soon," Clay told Ash, and she bit her bottom lip, worried that Buster would try be a father authority figure and embarrass her greatly.
Calloway went into his private changing room, following Buster, before the koala sat on a chair that lifted him higher off the floor than when he would stand naturally.
The scene was almost comical in appearance. This big mighty lion being lectured by a small tiny koala (in comparison only, really).
"So," Buster went on, making sure the door was closed before he persisted, "You and Ash, huh?"
"Yeah?"
"Well..." The koala went on nervously, before making a small gulp, but looked back up at the lion with encouraging happy eyes, "Just... be good to her."
"I will be."
"Good! Good! That is gooood!"
"Good." Clay replied and the koala laughed again nervously.
"Okay, then... that's all I guess I have to say on the matter."
"Good," Calloway said again, giving a small smirk, a small half smile up his face. As the big lion began to leave, opening the door just a crack, Buster Moon quickly raised his finger up and added.
"Just... make her happy. I know she makes you happy... but remember, she's still so young."
"And I'm still so old," Clay remarked back to him, but lowered his shoulders in a sigh, exhaling heavily before looking back over to Buster Moon and saying, a sad smile now on the lion's lips, "I want to make her happy... and being with her, does that... not just for me. But... for her too."
"It can be hard out there, though," The koala said, jumping down from his high chair and closing the door gently now, as he added, "And not just because of the age difference. I don't know if you have noticed... but she's a porcupine... and you are a lion."
"Really?" Calloway replied back sarcastically, and cracked the door open again, preparing to leave, "I hadn't noticed that."
Moon just pulled a coy smile at all the smart-alec ways the lion was answering him.
He decided to just let this be. This conversation was over as far as Calloway was sure.
The two stepped out of the room and Buster stayed behind at his pace, watching as Clay approached Ash again, and the giddy joy and spark that was in her eyes at his very presence.
The koala knew that Clay would never hurt her. He just knew everything would be fine. Would be okay.
Sometimes you just know things about other animals without having to form it in words.
They were adults, and they made each other happy.
And if no one was getting hurt in the process... well, then, good. That's all one could ever hope.
But a sad lump was in his throat as he thought about the future of the two... and what that future would be like with such a big age gap.
In other words, Clay was nearing seventy while Ash was only at the start of her grown-up life.
Would the pain of death and early separation, be enough in the end? Or why even worry about the end when things were only just beginning?
He would swallow his pride, and shake the worries off.
Everyone including him could just sense the compatibility between the two and the love they had for one another filled the whole backstage with an atmosphere of romance.
For they had that more than anything else.
And that would be enough to lead the way.
He hoped.
He hoped...
~x~
As the two got ready to go on stage, they stood beside each other, guitars in their grips and their stance calm and cool.
"Here we go again," Ash said to her boyfriend, (More like MANFRIEND, if you ask me) and Clay looked down to her, nodding his head and smiling warmly back.
"Yeah, here we go again."
"I wish I could change the lyrics," Ash went on shyly, a small blush skimming her cheeks as she continued, "For them to say, I HAVE found what I'm looking for."
"Then, do."
The young porcupine glanced up at him, shocked to hear this, and would've thought her boyfriend was making a joke or something, but she saw that Clay's expression was straight.
"You... you really mean that?"
"I do." He said back again, nodding his head and smiling at her so warmly you could toast marshmallows on his heat, "And I will too."
"-But!" Ash said on quickly, her hands loosening the slightest from their hold on her guitar, "We'll get in trouble!" She was almost giggling to herself at this fact.
"Who cares?" Calloway responded with a wink and a grin as he straightened up a bit, their act about to come on, "I wrote the damn song, to begin with."
Ash nodded giddily and he added on fast.
"And I HAVE found what I'm looking for. Who I was looking for."
The two were given their cue in the distance and Ash gave a scared smile, before nodding her head in agreement.
"Then let's do it."
The two went on to the stage, getting their picks and strumming their electric guitars for the whole audience to see.
"I have climbed the highest mountains, I have run through the fields."
The two were lost in each other's eyes as they sang to one another's very beings.
"Only to be with you." Clay winked at Ash and she smiled a contagious beam, "Only to be with you."
"I have scaled these city walls. THESE city walls. Only to be with you."
The two grinned widely at each other then as they said with hearts aflame with love, passion for the song's words.
"And I have found what I'm looking for."
The crowds were applauding the whole time, not noticing the one missing word.
"I HAVE found what I'm looking for."
"I've found you," Calloway whispered under his breath, that only Ash could hear his words. Happy tears were rising in her eyes and she nodded her head, mouthing back the words.
"I found you too."
When the song was over, everything felt like a deep silence as the two only peered into one another's eyes... seeing for the first time, their very core selves. Their souls
And it was beautiful, it was wonderful.
As they were lifted up high off the stage by the glass stand, they took no notice when Rosita said the words.
"Mission accomplished. We're going home."
Their breaths were heavy, as they listened to the crowds' cheer. No one being the wiser. No one had to be, either.
"I love you," Ash said to Calloway... probably the hundredth time she had said it since they had become a couple.
"I know," Calloway replied and took her hand gently in his, "And I'll always try to be the one you need, because... I love you too."
"All I need is you," Ash said with a small grin and a giddy wink of her eye.
"Ditto." The lion responded and they kissed gently as they disappeared from sight.
Ash smirked when their lips parted and asked with a smile, "Ditto? Really?"
The old lion shrugged his shoulder and only nudged her playfully on the shoulder, adding, "My voice is my money... I have to use it sparingly."
"Kay," Ash replied, grinning, "Then just say what you know I want to hear."
Clay remained silent for a second, responding with charm.
"You are so lovable to me."
And that was all that she wanted to hear. To know... to believe.
The two listened as the cheering and clapping settled down... silence sweeping over the whole theatre... but the silence was beautiful...
As she looked into his eyes.
And he in hers.
And it was magic... it was love.
It was truth.
They belonged together.
And I guess that's the end of this story...
FIN