Happy holidays, everybody!
All these longer work shifts have really been kicking my ass these past weeks. Nine times out of ten, customers are extremely understanding when it comes to low stock but the occasional Grinchs I come across really put me off. I love Christmas itself but the rush, not so much. But hey, there's nothing like writing a little Ash x Steff to perk me up!
Hope you all like this chapter where the truth finally comes out!
It was a very solemn morning in the Pearce household.
After Steff had arrived home yesterday, she and her parents had relived the terrible story of the Moon Theatre's destruction on the evening news. Thus Cassie and Andrea had agreed to let their daughter have the next day off. While they were both downstairs silently preparing to open the café, Steff was finishing getting dressed after quite a long shower. She had just left her room tying her ponytail up when her mom's voice came from the stairwell.
"Sweetheart?" She called gently. "Ash is calling on the café phone."
The young skunk's ears pricked up at the mention of her friend's name. Remembering her own phone was in the kitchen still drying out from the water incident, she descended the stairs until she reached the doorway leading to the café. Taking the phone from her mom with a grateful nod, Steff curiously held it to her ear while Cassie returned to her duties.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Steff." Hearing the porcupine's sweet voice from the receiver perked her up for the first time that morning. "How are you holding up?"
"I've been better. How's your guitar?"
"Still intact." Came the reply. "Thank God for solid waterproofing. I can't thank you enough for saving it yesterday." Steff smiled a tiny bit.
"You're welcome."
"So... Miss Crawly called Rosita who then explained everything to me." Ash continued. "She made a typo on the flyers and Moon hoped he could impress Nana with yesterday's rehearsal so that she'd sponsor the show." The skunk thought back to yesterday and how utterly destroyed the koala looked among the ruins of his beloved theatre.
"How's Mr. Moon doing?" She asked.
"That's actually why I'm calling." said the porcupine. "Miss Crawly says he's staying with his friend now that the theatre's gone. We're all gonna visit him this morning, see if he's alright. If we're lucky, maybe we can convince him to put the show on somewhere else."
"You really think so?" the skunk asked.
"I think it's worth a shot." Ash responded confidently.
Steff thought to herself; true, there wouldn't be a cash prize for any of them. But as long as they would still get the chance to sing, to do the thing they loved, that was more than enough for her. With any luck, it could even become a fundraiser to restore the theatre.
"Well... he did help us a lot this past week." She said at last, a smile gradually returning to her face. "I guess it's only fair we return the favour."
After Ash had sent her the address, Steff found herself beside the pool behind a suburban mansion, joined by Miss Crawly and the others. Meena had even brought a freshly-prepared cake inside a tin. The elderly lizard was the first to knock on the glass door of the pool house, the blinds drawn across. After a few seconds of silence, she tried again. And again.
"Mr. Moon?" Still she got no reply.
"Come on, Moon, you can't just hide out in your buddy's pool house." Ash called out.
"Yeah, we just wanna make sure you're alright, that's all." Rosita chimed in. The door finally slid open a fraction and everyone's heart sank.
Steff hardly recognised the koala who stood before them. He no longer bore his signature suit and bowtie, instead donning an oversized Calatonia University shirt. His ears were now drooped in shame. And his optimistic grin and the determined look in his eyes were replaced with a listless stare. The sight was downright depressing.
"Hey, Mr. Moon." Rosita spoke up in that kindly tone of hers.
"You okay?" Johnny asked.
"Guys, look, I-I'm sorry about what happened." Buster's voice was uncharacteristically quiet, his gaze barely meeting theirs. "And the prize money and..."
"Oh, it's okay."
"No, none of this is okay." He interrupted Rosita with a shake of his head.
"At least we're all in one piece." Ash replied, giving him an encouraging smile.
"Yeah, and you know what? I bet we can find some other place to put the show on." Rosita turned to the others hopefully. "Right?"
"Yeah!" Steff and the contestants all nodded in agreement.
"The show?" Buster muttered, shaking his head again. "Guys... I'm done."
Those words, coupled with the hopeless tone they were spoken in, punched Steff right in the gut. This definitely wasn't the Buster Moon they'd all come to know.
"Are you serious?" asked Johnny incredulously.
"What do ya mean 'done'? Come on!" Ash exclaimed as Buster bent down to pick up the crumpled morning newspaper at his feet.
"Didn't you see this? Huh? Look, it says I'm a 'danger to society'."
Steff scoffed with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Oh, please!"
"'A deluded, washed-up charlatan who never had a hit in his career'." He concluded the quotation dejectedly.
"Come on, Mr. Moon, surely you don't believe those things?" The skunk asked, trying everything in her power to perk Buster up even a little.
"Yeah. I do." He responded bluntly, turning to slide the door shut again. Johnny quickly reached out to hold it open.
"Listen, you're not the only one who lost something here. We all did." He said firmly, prompting some nods of agreement. "I mean, I lost any chance of ever speaking to my dad again over this show." Sadly his words did nothing to sway the gloomy koala.
"Sorry." He whispered before tugging and successfully closing the door.
"Oh, Mr. Moon, don't..." Rosita's motherly words died in her mouth.
Johnny sighed, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets and trudging away. "Forget about it."
"Vat is this? I don't understand." Gunter remarked in total confusion, following a disappointed Rosita away from the pool house.
"Maybe he just... needs some time." Steff muttered to herself, her optimistic tone faltering. With a sigh, Ash slowly turned away.
"Come on, let's get outta here." Downhearted once again, Steff followed her, leaving Meena still standing by the glass door. Ash threw up her hands as they both made their way out of the backyard. "So that's it then. All that hard work for nothing."
The skunk still tried her best to maintain an air of hopefulness. "Well with any luck, you might get a chance to perform your song for a crowd someday."
"Maybe." The porcupine glanced down at the ground. "But I was really looking forward to hearing yours."
Once out on the sidewalk, the two teens didn't speak for a full minute, either kicking at a loose stone or looking around aimlessly. Steff finally broke the silence.
"So... what now?"
Breathing a heavy sigh, Ash finally looked across at her friend. "You wanna come over to my apartment for some tea? Try and take our minds off this?" Her eyes widening, Steff met Ash's gaze. After a moment of consideration, the corner of her mouth finally curled up slightly.
"Sure. I'd like that."
After a fairly quiet train journey, Ash and Steff were in the Paradise Apartments building and standing outside her door. She jiggled her key into the lock before pushing it open. Walking inside, Steff gazed around at the purple striped paper adorning the walls as her friend tossed her keys onto the nearby shelf.
"Whoa, nice home."
"Thanks." the porcupine replied, leading her into the living room. "You make yourself comfy, I'll go make the tea."
"You sure I can't help?" asked the skunk.
Ash shook her head with a polite smile. "It's fine, you're my guest. Honey?"
Steff returned the smile. "Yes, please."
While the porcupine turned to make her way toward the kitchen, Steff planted herself comfortably on the white couch. Hands on her knees, she took the time to get a good look at her surroundings. It was a quaint little abode; barring the tall speakers either side of the couch and the few guitar cables swept to the edges of the room, it wasn't as unkempt as one would expect from a teenage rocker. Steff took note of the number of rock band posters hanging on different parts of the walls, smiling in particular at the Skunk Dolls one above the couch behind her. She recalled the shirt of the same group that she had complimented Ash on when they'd first met. She couldn't help wondering if the porcupine still owned it.
Her reminiscing stopped as Ash finally walked back into the living room, a steaming cup in each hand. She handed Steff hers with a smile before sitting down next to her.
"Thanks." The skunk nodded gratefully. Gently blowing on her cup, she took a sip and sighed in bliss at the hot beverage running down her throat. It had been a while since she'd enjoyed a nice cup of tea. The two sat there quietly for a couple of moments before Steff looked around the living room again.
"This place really is nice." She commented. "Did you do it all yourself?"
Taking a sip from her own cup, Ash gave a nod. "Pretty much. And it's a lot tidier now that he's gone." The two of them grimaced at the implicit mention of Ash's unpleasant ex.
"Can I ask you something? You don't have to answer if it's too much of a sore subject but..." Steff paused hesitantly. "What did you ever see in him?"
Ash sighed bitterly, glancing down at the tea swirling around in her cup. The skunk waited patiently for her answer.
"Frankly I'm still asking myself that. I guess I just liked the idea of having a rocker boyfriend. I thought he was a lyrical genius, that only he could lead us to success, that any time I didn't stick to the backing vocals like he wanted made him look bad..." The porcupine pinched the bridge of her nose with a groan.
"God, hearing myself say all this out loud..." Her tone became more frustrated as she continued, her cup threatening to crack in her grip. "My relationship with my mom is in shambles, I dropped out of high school. And for what? A selfish jerk who wouldn't lift a finger for me? Why did I have to get cheated on just to see that?"
"Hey, listen to me." Ash felt a gentle hand upon her tense shoulder. Looking up again, she relaxed greatly at her friend's calming gaze. "You're not stupid. You were a sixteen-year-old girl with a big passion for rock and even bigger dreams, and Lance took advantage of you for the sake of boosting his dumb ego. It's what creeps like him do."
Forcing the image of Lance's smug bucktoothed face out of her mind, Steff's smile grew as she remembered her friend's song from yesterday. "And look where you are since you kicked him to the curb. You've got new friends who love and care about you. You're more sure of yourself than I've ever seen you. You even wrote your own song without him to drag you down and it sounds awesome. That's one heck of an upgrade, Ash."
Her grip loosening on her teacup, Ash recalled the way that everyone, despite competing against each other, had come rushing to support her after her breakdown. How absolutely free she'd felt once the pain of Lance's betrayal gave way to determination to pick herself up again. The wave of satisfaction when she'd completed her very first written song all on her own. And especially Buster and Steff's praises that told her, yes, she was good enough.
"Yeah. It really is." Grinning widely, Ash took a long sip of her tea which prompted Steff to do the same with her own. As she fondly thought back to the way Steff had stuck by her since day one, offering her nothing but positive affirmation, a particular set of words echoed in her brain:
New friends who love and care about you.
Love.
That one word sparked a memory from a few nights ago: Steff's clumsy attempt to save face after her mom's innocent question during their café hangout. Putting her cup down on the table in front, she leant back on her hands and glanced across at Steff, smiling playfully.
"So, you had a crush on me, huh?"
The skunk froze, her cup inches from her lips.
"Oh! Well, uh..." Her fingers drumming against the china, Steff gradually relaxed. Now that the competition wasn't happening at all, the moment she had planned to confess to Ash was right here. What point was there in holding it in any longer? Steeling herself, Steff took a deep breath, looked her in the eyes and smiled warmly.
"Yes. I did. I... I still do."
The second she spoke those words, Steff felt invigorated. As though a gigantic weight on her shoulders had crumbled away into dust. Her biggest secret she'd held for over two years was finally out to the girl she loved.
"So you're into girls then?" Ash asked, arching an eyebrow with interest.
"Um, I'm into… anyone, actually." The skunk replied, scratching behind her ear.
"Huh. Neat." Came the nonchalant reply. Steff couldn't help smiling in amusement; from the awkward way she had acted around her mom during their non-date, it was really no wonder Ash guessed her secret before today.
"Was I really that obvious?"
"Remember when I said you're many things except a failure?" The porcupine asked with a playful smirk. "Well you're also not a very convincing liar."
Steff finally let out a chuckle, adjusting her glasses. "No, I guess not."
"So when did this happen?"
"Junior year, after the talent show." Said the skunk. "It was around that time I started to figure out I was demiromantic as well, which is why it took me so long to catch feelings for you."
Ash cocked her head at that term. "Demi-what?"
"Oh, it's when a person only develops romantic feelings for someone after forming a strong emotional bond with them." Steff explained. "So none of that 'love at first sight' stuff. It can take months or, in my case, years."
"Ah." The porcupine gave an understanding nod. After a few moments of Steff swinging her legs back and forth, Ash broke the silence again. "So... what is it you like about me?"
"I'd read you a list but we'll be here all day otherwise." Steff joked, prompting a laugh out of her. What came out of her mouth next was pure unfiltered gushing.
"Well… you're cool, you're smart, you're funny, you're insanely talented on the guitar and behind the mic, you're a joy to hang out with and talk to, I'll never forget the time you stood up to Bridget for me, and I don't know if you've ever noticed this about yourself, Ash, but... you're beautiful. I mean, your aura whenever you're performing just blows me away, especially when I watched you in the talent show. And-and your eyes and your smile are just... breathtaking."
Ash could feel her face burning bright red underneath her fur. Steff's words carried more sincerity than anything Lance had ever said to her.
"Wow." She managed to muster up.
"Yeah, I've had that bottled up for quite a while." The skunk rubbed the back of her neck, grinning awkwardly. The two teens sat there in silence for a good minute until Ash spoke up.
"Well since we're doing confessions, Steff, I can't believe I only recently noticed this but..." She paused, fiddling with the quills hanging near her left ear. "…You're kinda cute yourself."
Steff's glasses nearly flew off as she whipped her head to look at the porcupine, her eyes wide. "Wait, really?"
"Yeah. I mean, you're kind and supportive and full of life. And you've always been so encouraging toward me since we first met. So... yeah." Ash smiled, slowly meeting Steff's gaze. "I think I might kinda... like you too."
The skunk was practically catatonic; she silently prayed to herself that this wasn't just a dream. Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly before she finally found her voice. "So you're..."
"Bi. Yep."
"Huh." Steff said quietly. The girl she liked actually returned her feelings. "And here I was unsure if you were even into girls."
Ash's brow furrowed in sympathy. "You really kept it secret all this time?"
"Yeah." Steff felt her heart twinge as she recalled the painful day Ash had introduced her to Lance. "I was worried it'd make things weird between us if I told you when you already had a boyfriend. And after you left high school, I thought if I ignored the feelings, maybe they'd go away and I'd move on. And, well… now you know how that turned out."
This time, Ash placed her own hand on the skunk's shoulder. "Well to be honest, Steff, even if I didn't feel the same way, I'd still be pretty flattered that you cherished our bond enough for it to turn into a crush."
Steff gave a small giggle. "It's funny, Rosita said the same thing when I told her and Gunter."
The two of them paused once again, Steff wringing her hands together; now that her feelings were officially out, the next big question pulsated in her brain.
"So… is there a chance that we... I mean, maybe not right now, y'know, with the theatre being gone and all, but, like... in future?"
The porcupine bit her lip, thinking hard. "I'm... not sure I'm ready for dating again just yet. He's still fresh on my mind, and plus, like you said, there's a lot going on with the show having been cancelled and everything. Maybe at some point, just not... right now."
Steff nodded in understanding; there was be no harm in waiting until Ash felt ready. "Fair enough."
"Although if I ever manage to land myself a gig in future, and that's a big if, would you maybe be interested in... performing with me?" The skunk's eyes widened at her offer.
"Me?"
"Yeah." Ash smiled. "It'd be nice to sing with someone who encourages my talents and doesn't force me into the background. If you're up for it." Steff didn't even hesitate.
"Yeah, that sounds really good. If our café was big enough, I'd gladly offer you a space to perform." She smiled once again. "Heh, come to think of it, that's one way I would've spruced up the café with the prize money."
An amused chuckle escaped Ash's throat. "You are too nice."
"Why, thank you." Steff gave an exaggerated bow of her head, prompting the two of them to laugh. Bringing her cup to her lips, the skunk realised her tea was completely finished. Sighing happily, she got to her feet. "Well I think I'm gonna head home. Thanks for the tea."
With a smile, Ash got up and walked her to the hallway. "No problem. I'll see you around, Steff."
"You too, Ash."
The two never broke eye contact until Ash's door was totally closed. Once outside the building, Steff basked in the sunlight and breathed a long sigh of delight; even if the show was sadly off, at least she'd be able to rest somewhat easier knowing that her feelings were finally spoken to Ash, and even reciprocated.
As the skunk walked down the sidewalk toward the nearest parked taxi, Ash watched from her apartment window, an affectionate smile gracing her lips.
She really does look cute. She thought to herself.
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a review explaining why. Free content thrives on interaction and feedback.
The movie Sing belongs to Illumination Entertainment. I only own my OC, Steff Pearce.