It was a fairly relaxed day at the New Moon Theatre. Most of the stage crew weren't onsite since they didn't have a show to put on, and the members of the Moon Troupe were mostly just hanging out in the various facilities.
On their way from the apartment, Porsha still wasn't entirely sure how the conversation had led to Ash convincing her to help watch Rosita's piglets for the day. But now that they were here, Ash had taken off to another room with a few of the piglets in tow, leaving Johnny and Porsha to deal with the rest in the rehearsal hall.
Not that she was complaining, of course. Johnny was never anything less than welcoming and friendly with her, and over the past few months she'd come to really enjoy spending time with him. At face value, their upbringings and interests couldn't have been more different, though if anything it felt like these diffferences actually drew them closer together. And Porsha couldn't help but feel that, of all the unlikely friends she'd made as a member of the Moon Troupe, Johnny was definitely one of the most unlikely.
"RARGH!" Johnny had some of the little ones hanging off both his outstretched arms, while he stomped around the room like a monster. "They're cute, aren't they?"
"Yep... cute, but very clingy! Ouch!" Porsha yelped as Caspar latched onto her ear and nearly pulled her down with him, right before the rest of the piglets all piled onto her and sent her tumbling to the floor. "Ugh... I dunno how Rosita does it..."
"Mother's intuition, I think... right, come on, you, up you get..." Johnny extended a hand to help Porsha get back on her feet, taking a moment to gently dust down her shirt while the piglets were still latching onto him.
"Yeah yeah, it's fine. I got it..." Porsha cleared her throat, then took a seat while Johnny crouched to let the piglets jump down from his arms. They both tried their best to keep count of the little ones, who were only making it more difficult with their constant shuffling.
"Uh, alright, let's see..." Johnny said. "Ash took eight, that means we're supposed to have... uh... hang on, sixteen?! No, that, um... I think we're missing one, who are we... oh! Hey, you!"
He chuckled as he noticed Zoey hanging off his shoulders from behind. The little piglet squealed with laughter as Johnny gently took a hold of her, and put her back down on the floor with her brothers and sisters. "You guys really gotta try that! It's like hanging off a big, hairy mountain!"
"That little piggy's got a point, I want some of that action!" Porsha leapt up and latched onto Johnny's back, the added weight taking him by surprise as he stood up. "Underlay, underlay, underlay!"
"Wait, just... ow!" Johnny stumbled around, trying his best not to step on the piglets, or to drop the wolf that was still hanging off him. "Porsha, just stop moving, you're... hang on, are you saying underlay...?!"
"Yeah, it's Spanish! Hey guys, look, no hands!" Porsha had her legs wrapped around Johnny's waist with her arms outstretched in a T-shape, prompting laughter and cheering from the piglets as Johnny tried to keep his balance. "Woo-hoo! Who needs bareback riding when you got silverback, am I right?!"
"Whoa!" Johnny tripped on one of the mats and staggered back. He just managed to catch himself, but Porsha lost her grip and fell from his back as they both screamed. "AAAAAAAH!"
What happened next was too quick for either to process, but they both snapped back to reality when they turned to see Buster standing in the doorway, staring right at them. It was only then that Johnny realised he was posed in the centre of the mat, looking scared out of his wits, and holding an equally perplexed Porsha in what looked like a classic ballroom dip, her head inches from the floor.
Buster's neutral expression made it difficult to decipher what he was thinking, so the two quickly separated as they stood back up. No one said anything for the better part of a minute, before Johnny finally cleared his throat to break the silence. "Mr. Moon, we were just, um... okay, so basically Rosita's piglets were -"
"No no, it's fine. Yeah, no need to explain, Johnny..." a small smirk formed on Buster's face as he scribbled something down on his checklist. "I'll let the two of you get back to, uh... whatever you were doing..."
Buster then left the room without another word, leaving Porsha and Johnny even more dumbfounded while the piglets all ran off to play somewhere else. Porsha itched her arm as she looked back to Johnny. "What was up with Mr. Moon then?"
"I dunno, he does stuff like that a lot." Johnny shrugged, before taking on a more concerned tone. "Oh mate, I completely... are you alright...?"
"Oh yeah, totally... yeah, I'm good." Porsha cleared her throat. "Nice catch, by the way."
"Yeah, thanks..." Johnny chuckled. "I'm just glad you didn't hit your head or anything."
"Ugh... that woulda sucked..." Porsha laughed nervously, before her eyes widened again as she looked around. "Wait... where'd the piglets go...?"
Later that day, Buster gathered the whole troupe and some of the crew members on the stage, surrounding a glittery purple scrapbook displayed on a fold-out table.
"Alright, everybody... OH!" Buster tensed back as the microphone feedback pierced everyone's ears like a knife, taking a few steps away from the nearby speaker as he cleared his throat. "Sorry about that... now, if I could have a little quiet, please!"
Everyone stopped talking, most of them sitting down in the fold-out seats that had been placed around the table. Buster climbed up on the table so he could reach the scrapbook, and retuned the microphone so he could properly speak into it.
"So, I really hope we've all had a pleasant break after wrapping up the Out Of This World tour, but I just thought I'd bring you all in today, so I could officially announce our next big project! Drumroll, please..." Buster waited as Gunter excitedly hammered on the table, building up suspense until he finally opened the scrapbook. "Ta-da!"
Everyone let out a mutual gasp of awe that echoed from the stage. "Yes, Romeo and Juliet! The greatest love story ever told... told in a brand new way courtesy of the New Moon Theatre!"
"Oh, I used to love Shakespeare when I was in school..." Rosita held a hand over her heart.
"Eh, I never really got into it." Porsha shrugged. "Everyone always talks weird in his stuff. But this oughta be fun, though!"
"Now, it's obviously pretty early in development, but I do have the two most important roles cast!" Buster flipped the page as a castle shape popped out of the book, with a small, wolf-shaped figure standing atop it. "Our female lead, the lovely Juliet of House Capulet, will be played by none other than our very own Porsha Crystal!"
"Oh my gosh, the lead...?! Really?!" Porsha was nearly hyperventilating with excitement as the others applauded, prompting Ash to take her hand in an attempt to calm her down. "Wait... Daddy didn't put you up to this again, did he, Mr. Moon...?"
"No, Porsha, you've earned this one!" Buster then flipped further through the scrapbook. "Now, despite being the rich, pampered heiress of the noble House Capulet, Juliet considers herself something of a free spirit, and she finds forbidden love with the heir of her family's sworn enemy, the Montagues!"
"I bet you're gonna be with that Darius bloke..." Nooshy whispered as she playfully nudged Porsha's shoulder, before Buster turned the next page, where a rock-shaped structure popped out with a gorilla-shaped figure posing on top of it.
"And I'm very happy to announce that the role of the brash, very dashing Romeo, will be played by you, Johnny!"
"Wait, what...?!" Johnny and Porsha blurted out in-sync.
The others cheered and applauded for the newly-cast stars, forcing them both to put on happy faces as they accepted the adulation. Porsha was particularly surprised when Buster took her hand and had her stand up with him in front of the scrapbook, and put Johnny right next to her.
"So we're probably gonna start auditioning the other parts next week, but I thought in the meantime, we'd make a head start on planning out the actual show. And what's the best way to make a great show...?"
"To dream big dreams!" Everyone's voices echoed through the auditorium as they all repeated the iconic Moon Mantra, including Porsha and Johnny, though the pair couldn't help but exchange a look of subtle dread when the others weren't looking.
The next week or so went relatively well. Most of the major parts were cast, the designers had made quite a bit of progress on the sets and costumes, and everyone seemed really happy with how the show was already starting to come together.
As much as Porsha had enjoyed playing the alien for Out Of This World, she did have to admit that the costume wasn't the most comfortable to wear, and she was glad to get more of a say in her outfit this time around. It probably helped that spending hours getting fitted for the costume meant she didn't be have to spend as much time rehearsing romantic scenes with her equally reluctant co-star, but they both knew Porsha's excuses could only hold it off for so long.
Neither was particularly thrilled when they found themselves stood on the stage, rehearsing the story's signature scene. Porsha stood on a slightly-elevated platform, placing her a few feet higher than Johnny, while Buster sat with Gunter and Ms. Crawly on the front row.
"Alright, and cue Johnny!"
Johnny cleared his throat and looked up, trying his best to project his words. "Right, um... speak again, bright angel! For thou art as glorious to this night as a winged messenger of heaven!"
"Romeo. Oh, Romeo..." Porsha called out in a flat tone, tilting her head slightly to look at the cue cards Gunter was holding up. "Where, uh... oh, wherefore... yeah, wherefore art... though...?"
She briefly spotted Buster and the others cringing a bit, clearly not impressed with her mispronunciation, but she pretended not to notice as she looked back to Johnny. "Deny, um... thigh... father, and... and refuse thigh name, or if -"
"Wait wait wait, can we just hold a second here...?" Buster came up onstage, and Gunter followed behind him with the cue cards. "Hey Porsha, you wanna come on down from there...?"
Porsha nodded, then started climbing down from the platform, letting Johnny take her hand and guide her back to the stage floor. "Oh... uh, thanks."
Johnny gave a small grin, which notably shrank when they both looked back down at Buster. "Porsha, your lines, I'm just... I'm not getting anything from you here."
"It's not her fault, Mr. Moon." Johnny said. "Shakespeare's hard for everyone."
"Yeah, and this conversation doesn't even make any sense..." Porsha flicked through Gunter's cue cards. "Why the heck am I asking wherefore he is, when he's standing right in front of me?!"
"Alright alright alright..." Buster thought for a moment. "I'll tell you what, Johnny. Why don't you go practice your piano solo, huh? I'll talk Porsha through some of the dialogue."
"Uh... yeah, will do..." Johnny briefly placed a comforting hand on Porsha's shoulder, then left the room. Porsha exhaled as she sat down with Buster on the edge of the stage, while the koala took out a copy of the script and silently skimmed through it.
Buster had a knowing look on his face as he turned back to her. "Porsha, I know the writing is, um... well, it's an acquired taste, sure... but, I really can't help getting the feeling this is about something else."
"Mr. Moon, are you sure I'm even right for this?" Porsha rubbed her arm nervously. "Like why me? Y'know, what about Ash, or Meena, or Nooshy? Heck, even Rosita! She clearly knows this Shakespeare stuff way better than me! And... and I can barely even say the normal stuff without sounding like a -?!"
"Hey hey hey, don't beat yourself up, kiddo..." Buster's voice was gentle and comforting, as always, but even that wasn't doing much to reassure Porsha's concerns. "You and Johnny are a perfect pairing for this, Porsha, trust me. You just gotta put a little more passion into it. Y'know, just do what you did in the rehearsal hall the other day."
"Yeah, but that... no, it wasn't... I don't...?! Ugh!" Porsha suddenly stood up and left the room, leaving Buster alone on the stage as he watched her walking away.
"Hey, Johnny...?" Porsha hesitated as she entered the rehearsal hall. "Where, um... oh, I mean, wherefore are you...?"
The faint but familiar sound of a piano caught her attention, and it grew louder as she went further into the room. "Uh... Johnny?"
If you ever find yourself stuck
In the middle of the sea
I'll sail the world
To find you
If you ever find yourself lost
In the dark and you can't see
I'll be the light
To guide you
Johnny stopped practicing when he realised he was being watched, and he sat up as he spun his chair around. "Porsha? I thought Mr. Moon was helping you practice your lines?"
"Yeah, I kinda, like... stormed out...?" Porsha stifled an embarrassed giggle as she approached. She sat beside Johnny at the piano, letting out a sigh. "So, yeah... I really suck at this, huh?"
"Nah, come on... you're just getting used to it. You'll be great." Johnny's tone was encouraging, but he seemed a bit unsure as he turned back to his sheet music. Porsha sat back with an impressed smirk as Johnny resumed playing, looking down curiously at the keys on the piano.
"So, uh... are you like trained at this, or something? Cause you play real good."
"Not exactly." Johnny chuckled as he continued the tune. "My Mum used to teach it me when I was a kid. Ms. Crawly filled in the blanks, though."
He continued playing, without singing, for another minute or so, and carried on as he sat up a bit. "Hey, Porsha?"
"Uh-huh...?"
"The rehearsals, y'know, everything going wrong, it... it's not, um..." Johnny stopped playing, still hesitating. "It's not because of me, is it...?"
"What?! No!" Porsha nearly shot up off the bench. "No, of course it's not cause of you, Johnny... why... why'd you think that?!"
"Well I dunno, it just... I saw you were really happy until I got cast..." his voice betrayed an insecure, slightly sad tone. "I get it feels weird, y'know, doing a romance with someone you don't even like, and to be honest, I'm not that fussed about -"
"But I do like you!" Porsha's words suddenly sucked all the air out of the room as she and Johnny both went wide-eyed. Neither was sure how long they were silent for, but it felt like an eternity had passed before Porsha realised what she'd just said.
She pinched the bridge of her nose as she groaned. "Well, y'know, I... I don't... like you, like you, but... but I like hanging out with you! Cause, like, you're funny, and you're sweet, you look out for me, you're... you're my pal, Johnny!"
Porsha paused as she looked to Johnny. He didn't say anything, but his warm expression indicated that he was somewhat touched by her words. "And I feel like this whole thing's just gonna make things awkward for us, y'know...? Like, if we do that big kiss at the end, we're probably never gonna wanna be in the same room ever again, or... oh, gosh, and if we actually do get those kinda feelings, it's gonna be even weirder!"
Johnny stifled a chuckle, but he remained quiet as Porsha took another deep breath. "I guess what I'm trying to say is... I like us being pals, Johnny, and I really don't wanna ruin that."
"Yeah. Me either..." Johnny said softly, before he looked back to his piano. Porsha bopped her head along when Johnny started playing again, and after some hesitation, joined him as he started singing again.
You can count on me
Like one, two, three
I'll be there
And I know when I need it
I can count on you like four, three, two
And you'll be there
Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, ah yeah
They both had wide grins as they harmonised together, and tried not to laugh as Porsha went overboard with her vocal riffing. They were both so immersed that they didn't even notice the door as it opened behind them.
You can count on me, cause I can count on you
"Oh, that was great!" Buster's voice caught them both off-guard as he ran into the room. "Now that's the kind of energy I wanted from you guys!"
"What? Oh, no..." Porsha stood up, fumbling her hands. "No, I... Mr. Moon, I'm real sorry. Okay, I know you want us to have chemistry, or whatever you call it, but me and Johnny just don't like each other that way..."
"And who said you had to, Porsha?"
"Look, that day when you saw us, Mr. Moon, you didn't see whatcha think you -" Porsha cut herself off, her eyes slightly widening. "Hold on... what'd you just say?"
"Guys, there's plenty of chemistry with the two of you! Doesn't have to be romantic." Buster was practically gushing with praise. "I mean, you remember the other day in here, with the kids, and the little dance, and that piggybacking thing you did...? Seriously, you guys are a riot together!"
"Wait, you mean you saw the whole thing?"
"Of course I did, Porsha! What, you thought I cast you two just cause I saw you do a dip?"
Porsha and Johnny looked to each other, before answering near in-sync. "Well... yeah?"
"Oh come on, guys!" Buster nearly laughed. "You don't have to be a couple to play a couple, y'know. You're acting, just have fun with it!"
Buster continued chuckling to himself as he left the room, while Porsha sat back on the bench next to Johnny. "Okay, so that, uh... hmm... yeah... y'know, I think I can work with that."
"Yeah." Johnny nodded. "Me too."
"Well, I guess I gotta read up on that Shakespeare stuff after all, huh...?" Porsha thought some more, then cringed a bit. "Ugh... still not sure about that whole kissing thing, though..."
"Oh yeah, we'll definitely not rush into that..." Johnny regained his reassuring tone as he patted Porsha on the back. "Worse comes to worst, we can do what Meena did. Y'know, just imagine we're kissing someone we actually want to kiss."
"Huh... not a bad idea, actually." Porsha suddenly pursed her lips, more curious. "Wait... do you actually have someone you like, Johnny...?"
Johnny blushed a bit, clearly taken off-guard by the question. "I, um... well yeah, I suppose there is... someone."
Porsha gasped like an excited schoolgirl, then leaned closer to him with a mischievous grin. "Well, now I'm interested! So who's the lucky girl...?!"
"Lucky girl?! Wait, hang on a -"
"Oh, is it a boy...?!" Porsha's excitement only grew as she gripped Johnny's hand. "Ooh, tell me, tell me, tell me!"
"Why do I have to tell?!" Johnny sat straight, his tone striking a mix between amused and defensive. "And what about you...?"
"Me...?!" Porsha's eyes widened a bit, before she winced in embarrassment. "Yeah, no, I... I dunno, I'm just, like, really not into getting a boyfriend, y'know..."
Johnny nodded, then smiled as Porsha rested her head on his shoulder, and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Hmm... I've always wanted a brother, though."
Buster poked his head back in the room, smiling warmly at their embrace. "Aw, now isn't that cute...?"
"Yep..." Johnny suddenly put his arm around Porsha, pulling her closer in as they both laughed. "Cute... but very clingy!"
Song(s) Used: Count On Me by Bruno Mars
