Statehouse

•Acting•

New York x California
New York's POV
I sat backstage at a play I was crew for, we were practicing moving set pieces without the cast. I usually try to hide the fact I like acting from the others, but we found out the play wouldn't be able to happen without more auditions, so I got a few states to audition. Cal somehow got a main role.
"Okay" the director yelled "I think we can wrap for today"
I stood up and organized the prop table, grabbed my backpack and left. I stared at my phone as I waited for Cal to pick me up. I can drive, I just don't and Cal likes to drive more than me. I heard a honk and looked up. I looked up and saw Cal's car. I hopped in the car and he handed me a lemonade sparkling water.
"Thanks" I said, taking it from him "are you in your pjs?"
I asked, looking at his clothes.
"Yeah, there wasn't a meeting today so I stayed in my room and ran lines" he took a drink from his sparkling water.
"Did you eat today, or did you just drink sparkling water?" I asked, concerned looking through my bag.
"No, but why do you care?" He looked at me and then back to the road I pulled a granola bar out of my bag and threw it at him.
"Eat you fucking idiot!" I yelled, closing my backpack.
"Would if no," he said, pulling into the driveway.
"I will shove that fucking thing in your mouth" I threatened.
"Finnnne." he rolled his eyes and unwrapped the bar I got out of the car and grabbed my bag.
"You want me to help me run lines?" I asked, grabbing my crew script. He nodded and headed inside. We stood in the living room and read lines together and tried to keep a straight face, but we couldn't. As most of the lines were romance lines.
Cali mocked the script laughed and fell over on the couch.
"Do you wanna take a break from this and try to practice the dances?" I asked, putting my script on the table. He nodded and I went upstairs.
California's Pov
I watched and made sure New York left the room. I feel incredibly awkward dancing in front of people, especially him. I struggled to do the dance and New York came back downstairs.
"Do you need help?" He asked, I made a fake offended face.
"Were you watching me, how dare you." I laughed.
"One you're gonna be watched by hundreds of people on stage" he started "two I was watching you struggle so I'm here to help"
He retaught me how to do the dance steps, and how to make the dance more fluid. In an hour or so I had figured it out so we chose to take a break.
"It's my turn on dinner duty and Gov's gonna be home in like thirty minutes so I should get started on that" New York commented I nodded and he went into the kitchen and I continued to study my lines.
The next morning me and New headed out to the theater for a clean twelve hours of rehearsal. Me and New York sat in the house and waited for people to show up. I sat on my phone while New York discussed a scene with the director. After a while people started showing up. The choreographer asked me and the person playing opposite me to come up on stage and work on something.
New York
I pulled my spike tape out of my bag, and hooked it to my belt. The other crew members and I went on stage and started to spike some of the stuff we missed yesterday. After a lot of that the director told us we were gonna run everything we've practiced with lights and sound.
"New, you have the other stage headset" the crew manager told me. I nodded and started to put it on. We only have two headsets on stage and one in the sound booth. I looked over and saw Cali struggling with his mic belt.
"Do you need help?" I asked him.
"No I got it" he replied, continuing to struggle. I grabbed the belt from him and latched it. Our sound guy handed me his mic pack and he took his jacket off so he could hide his mic behind it. I set the mic over his ear and grabbed my mic tape from my bag and taped the mic on his face.
"This is painful so be careful when taking it off." I explained he nodded and his forehead grazed mine. I realized how close we were. I took a step back, the heat rising to my face for some reason.
"Is everyone miced?" I asked the group and got a mix of yeses and nods.
"Okay we can start mic check" I spoke into the headset.
California's POV
Watching New York do mic checks was nice. I don't understand why but I like watching him do work.
"Does it make him more attractive? He's just my friend so that wouldn't make sense." I wondered if I snapped out of it when New called mic four. I started reciting my lines. He told me to stop and I was set back to my thoughts. I was taken away from them again when Ellis, the person I'm playing opposite, approached me to discuss a scene. I agreed to practice it with them when we're not working with the director or choreographer. After the run through, the director asked for the main man and woman so me and Ellis stood in the house and went over the scene they wanted to work on. We weren't the main couple but we're the second to main couple. Once we were done working on the scene we went through our lines a few times, and then just had a conversation.
New York's Pov
I saw Cali and Ellis talking and I went and sat next to Cali. He was telling a story of flirting with a grocery store worker when he was a lot younger. I Imagined what it would be like to flirt with Cali. I realized my thoughts were wandering into an unusual area when the crew manager called for me.
California's Pov
New York sat down next to me and didn't say a word zoned out for like five minutes then left. It was odd, but understandable he's busy and tired. We continued working until late into the night and finally got to wrap for the night. I grabbed my energy drink from my bag so I didn't pass out while driving home. I got into the car and drove me and New home. I parked in the driveway and looked over and saw a sleeping New York. I grabbed his and my bags and carried him inside and up to his room. I took his beanie off and put it on his bedside table and then went to bed. I woke up the next day and went downstairs. I ate breakfast and studied my script. Gov came down the hall and got himself some breakfast. He pulled out his phone and pulled up a spreadsheet.
"What's on the agenda today?" He asked me, he likes to keep tabs on what everyone in the house is doing everyday. I explained that me and New York agreed to run through my blocking and then we had rehearsal after that. He nodded and started typing in me and New York's slots and went over to his desk. New York came downstairs after awhile he ate breakfast while I worked on a journal entry.
"You wanna go rehearse?" He inquired putting cleaning his dish. I nodded and we went up to my bedroom and began to work on my scenes. In one scene where my character and Ellis's character have their first kiss I assumed we'd stand a normal distance away from each other but we ended up right up next to each other. As I was looking at him the supposedly fake passion slowly started to feel more real, and when it came time for the kiss I just did it. I assumed he would push me away, and yell at me, but he didn't. He wrapped his arms around me and I cupped his face in my hands. We broke away and stood like that with our foreheads connected.
"What just happened?" He wondered aloud.
"I don't know but can it happen again?" I asked and he pulled me in for another kiss. We broke away and held each other for what felt like forever, but was probably more like 2 minutes.
"Well we should probably go back to rehearsing," I stuttered, stepping back. He nodded and we tried our best to rehearse but couldn't focus. At around twelve me and New York grabbed lunch, and went to rehearsal. In the car on the way I grabbed his hand.
"Okay can we discuss what happened earlier?" I asked as he nodded.
"We kissed," He paused, "what are we?"
"I don't know what, do you want to be?" I said pulling into the parking lot of the theater.
"I mean I'm fine with being boyfriends, not much will change" he replied I nodded.
"That's it then." I got out of the car after grabbing my bag. The next few months of rehearsal were pretty much the same except for more flirting. Until the night of the first show. I came out of the dressing room in costume and Elise and I linked arms and skipped on stage. The sound guy helped us with our mics.
"Once this is over I'm gonna go home and get drunk" Elise yawned.
"Reasonable," I nodded. I looked over and saw New York running across the stage freaking out. He was holding a clipboard.
"Cali, Elise are ready" he mumbled and then ran off stage. Me and Elise gave each other a concerned look. New York started back across the stage, I stepped in front of him. I put my hands on his shoulders.
"New breathe the other actors will find their way here it'll be fine." I told him he hugged me.
Eventually all the miced actors made it to the stage and we began mic check. When mic four got called instead of saying my lines I just sang scales. Once we were done we had a quick regroup all together.
"Okay everyone 5 minutes to curtain" The director told us we all acknowledged it and took our places.
New York's Pov
I headed over to the curtain rope Cali looked over from the stage and blew a kiss to me.
"Okay pull the curtain" the crew manager whispered through her headset. I opened the curtain and the show started. It was mostly all a blur from there all I remember is Cali almost tripping on stage and I was onstage for a full scene because I was bringing a prop onto the middle of the stage during a blackout and the lights came on while I was still in the middle of the stage. I crouched behind the prop until the next blackout. Elise looked over at me and shook her head when I got back in the wings I just shrugged. After final curtain Cali took his mic off and came over and hugged me. Cali got back into regular clothes and went out and got in the car I reached in my bag and handed him a lemonade sparkling water.
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This is the fic I was talking about in the last chapter and it's pretty much 2000 words so go me! I need to fix my sleeping schedule. Fun fact a significant part of this was written backstage of my musical.