How do you do, fellow readers?
I hope you guys liked that Babysitting vignette on my Tumblr, because I'm finally back with the next chapter and big step in Ash and Steff's journey!
Not gonna lie, I wanted to write out the entire production of The Little Mermaid with the Moon Theatre Troupe as the character, songs and everything. But I decided I already had too much on my plate IRL and decided to jump straight to their anniversary. But who knows, I may write up a summary of it on my Tumblr so keep your eyes peeled. For now, let's just say the show was a very musical, very gay smash hit. XD
Well, enjoy!
Ash had never seen so many people gathered in Calatonia Park.
Ever since getting her hands on one of their albums when she was twelve, Ash had been a massive fan of the Skunk Dolls. But she had never gotten the chance to see them perform live. Either they weren't touring anywhere close to Calatonia, or her and Lance couldn't afford tickets if they were. Not to mention her mom refused to loan her money to buy one during her high school days, no matter how much she pleaded. So she settled for binging their music videos and listening to their songs on her phone.
But thanks to the concert tickets Steff had gotten her for Christmas, that lifelong ambition had finally come to pass. Fans were swarming around the food trucks, the merch stands and the giant stage set up in the park's centre. Ash had even dug through her closet and found her old Skunk Dolls shirt from high school to wear for the occasion. It almost seemed unreal that the Skunk Dolls' tour passed through Calatonia on her and Steff's anniversary of all days.
The porcupine leant against one of the portable toilets with a happy sigh; one whole year of her and Steff being together. It was great enough being part of a supportive friend group that she wouldn't trade for any other, but having a wonderful girlfriend who always went out of her way to make her feel loved and important was the cherry on top. The way the skunk listened to anything she had to say. Her angelic singing voice. The tender kisses and hugs she gave. Not to mention those adorable glasses that accentuated her beautiful smile. Everything about Steff made her happy.
Ash snapped back to reality at the sound of the portable toilet's door opening. Out stepped her girlfriend wearing her normal purple leggings, along with a royal blue Skunk Dolls t-shirt she had bought from one of the stands. Her signature purple dress was neatly rolled up in her hand.
"So? How does it look?" Steff asked, spreading out her arms. The porcupine grinned, walking over to give her a peck on the cheek.
"Y'know, Steff, I'd almost forgotten how great you look in blue."
"Aw, thanks." The skunk adjusted her glasses with a blush while Ash placed her dress inside her satchel. "Should we get to the front? The concert should be starting any minute now."
Ash's face lit up as she bounced in her toes. "Yeah, let's do this thing!"
Steff tittered at her girlfriend taking her hand and excitedly guiding her to the massive crowd gathered before the stage. The two of them squeezed past every larger animal in their path, many of them stepping aside so as not to get poked by Ash's quills. After seven years of waiting, the porcupine did not plan on spending her first Skunk Dolls concert staring at somebody's butt for four hours.
At last they made it through to the very front. Even the sight of a few crew members making last-minute adjustments to the stage equipment was enough to increase Ash's excitement.
"Oh, my gosh, this is gonna be so good!" She gushed, pumping her fists. "What do you think they're gonna sing first?"
"I'm hoping they perform The Pinnacle. Or maybe Undivided Attention!" Steff replied, sharing in her girlfriend's enthusiasm. She herself had made sure to brush up on many of the band's songs for tonight, having not listened to their music for quite a while. Their general appearance seemed brutal at first glance but once the skunk had gotten past the cursing and the thrashing guitar solos, she found the lyrics to their songs were surprisingly poignant.
"Well one thing's for sure: this concert won't be complete without Tear Me Away." Ash said, her free hand gripping the metal barrier in anticipation.
"Ooh, maybe they'll save that song for the end!"
Before either of them could gush any more, a projection of the band's logo lit up the large black curtain at the back. The audience immediately began whooping and hollering as plumes of smoke crept across the floor of the stage, pink and red strobe lights wildly flashing in all directions.
"And now, rock 'n roll fans, the show you've all been waiting for!" The announcer's voice roared through the speakers. "Live tonight for their first time passing through Calatonia on their tour, make some noise foooor… THE SKUNK DOLLS!"
Before all four members of the band strode onstage in their gothic getup, everyone in the crowd went insane. Steff fought back a laugh at Ash vigorously shaking her by the arm, the biggest smile on her face. Seeing her girlfriend act this ecstatic for one of her favourite bands was worth the price of admission. The lead singer took their place at the microphone, taking a moment to bask in the thunderous applause. Glancing over their shoulder, the skunk then gave their fellow band members a nod. Returning the gesture, the drummer smirked confidently as she tapped her sticks together four times.
Steff couldn't decide which was louder: the opening riff to Tear Me Away or Ash's fangirling.
The past four hours had been the most blood-pumping of Ash and Steff's entire lives.
The Skunk Dolls were just as awesome live as they were on audio; they had performed practically all of their biggest hits, even a couple of underrated songs that Steff hadn't heard. Ash had made sure to take plenty of photos of themselves and the band, posting many of them on the Moon Theatre group chat. The entire trek back to the porcupine's apartment, neither of them had stopped rambling to each other about the spectacle they had just witnessed. Both their voices were still sore from all the cheering and singing along.
Near the very end of the final song, the lead guitarist had tossed her guitar pick into the crowd and Ash had been tempted to reach out and catch it. But instead she restrained herself and let it fly into the outstretched hand of the teenage girl next to them. The explanation she had murmured into Steff's ear had made her face flush:
"The guitar pick you made me is better."
It was ten minutes to midnight by the time they both made it back. The second Ash closed the door behind them, the two girls released the biggest sighs; the silence of the apartment was beautiful.
"This was an awesome anniversary, angel." Ash tossed her satchel onto the console table before taking her girlfriend's cheeks in her hands. "Seriously, I can't thank you enough for buying me those tickets!"
The skunk giggled at the warmness of Ash's touch before happily planting a kiss on her lips. "Anything for my favourite rock star!"
Taking a moment to wiggle their stiff toes after removing their shoes, Ash and Steff then made their way to the bedroom. Ash handed a folded pair of pyjamas to her girlfriend who then went into the bathroom to change; she always had a spare set for whenever Steff stayed over.
"First chance I get, I'm buying you concert tickets!" The porcupine called as she changed into her own nightwear.
"I'll be sure to pick a good band for us to see, if there's a chance I get to see you fangirling again." While Steff was talking, the porcupine silently reached into her bedside drawer to pull out a small neatly-wrapped present. "I mean, you're beautiful all the time, but tonight? You were just plain adorable on top of that!"
"Excuse me, I am a very serious, very kick-butt rock star, thank you very much!" Ash put on a faux-pouty voice, her heart fluttering when it succeeded in making her girlfriend giggle.
"Those selfies you took suggest otherwise." Ash chuckled at the skunk's reply as she sat herself on the edge of the mattress, her little gift ready in her hand. At last, Steff returned to the bedroom fully dressed in her purple PJs, fighting back a yawn.
"I don't know about you," Placing her folded clothes on a chair, she sat on the other side of the bed, "But a nice eight-hour sleep-slash-cuddle with my girlfriend would really make this anniversary perfect."
"Well there's still got a couple of minutes left before midnight." Ash glanced at the 11:57PM on her phone before holding out the tiny present to her with a grin. "So I've got one last surprise to cap it off." Smiling curiously, the skunk took the box from her girlfriend's hand. After gingerly tearing away the paper, she then opened the lid and peered at the gleaming golden object nestled inside.
"Your apartment key?"
Ash stifled a laugh at her girlfriend's adorable confusion. "Yes, Steff, I wrapped up my key the second we walked in after I unlocked the door. It's yours, you dork."
Steff's eyes snapped wide open. "M… Mine?"
"That's right." The porcupine's voice took on a more tender quality as she gazed into her eyes. "I know we discussed this a couple of months ago. And now that we've been together a year, I can safely say this is the best relationship I've ever been in by a mile. I mean, I can't think of anyone else I'd want to be closer to."
Ash laid her free hand atop her girlfriend's with a warm smile. "So I'm asking upfront: Steff Pearce… do you wanna move in with me?"
"Oh, my gosh…" Steff's voice was barely above a whisper, her glistening eyes darting back and forth between Ash and the key. At last, she threw her arms around the porcupine with a joyous squeal, knocking them both onto the bed. "YES!"
Ash couldn't resist laughing as she found herself being smothered with kiss after kiss. "Glad to hear it!"
"This is gonna be so amazing! My moms are gonna flip when we tell them!" The skunk cried once she finally sat upright again. "Gosh, there's gonna so much to do! I mean, I've gotta start thinking of what stuff to pack, a new work schedule for the café. Maybe I can catch the train with you. And isn't there some paperwork to fill out too…"
Steff's excited babbling was cut short by her girlfriend gently clasping her cheeks.
"And we've got plenty of time to take care of all that." She said with a light chuckle. "Right now, this rock star wants some one-year anniversary snuggles with her angel."
Steff was more than happy to oblige. Placing the key box on the bedside table alongside her glasses, the skunk then nuzzled up closely to her girlfriend beneath the covers, Ash's left arm coiled lovingly around her midsection. Their intertwined hands rested between their heads on the pillow. Steff tried to stay awake a little bit longer just to keep looking into the porcupine's drowsy yet positively luminous blue eyes.
The breath of Ash's happy sigh tickled her cheeks. "It's gonna feel so good living under the same roof with someone who actually loves me."
"I'm counting down the seconds." Steff sleepily whispered back before finally letting out a quiet yawn. "Happy anniversary, Ash."
Ash's smile never faded as her own eyes slipped closed. "Happy anniversary, Steff."
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The movie Sing belongs to Illumination Entertainment. I only own my OC, Steff Pearce.