:October 5th, XX46; Saturday.

:MAJOR EVENT.

•~~~~•

It was Saturday, and frankly, Joe didn't know what to do with his life that day.

Usually he'd at least be downstairs at this time, watching TV while his parents were off doing whatever they did, but he couldn't go downstairs as often recently because his dad was still sick. So he was mostly stuck in his room watching TikTok and debating opening Wattpad since he hadn't opened it since... well, it had been a few months. He closed out of TikTok and hovered his finger over the icon, but then sighed and instead held it down and deleted it. He could get his fanfiction from AO3- he doubted he had any new followers anyway, not like he actually wrote anything on there.

So, he re-opened TikTok. It was a very, very boring day.

Just then, he got a notification of Sage texting his group chat with him and Oliver. Joe quickly clicked on the message.

💃Homosapiens🕺
11:35 AM

Sageroonie
<DID Y'ALL SEE THE EMAIL
WE GOT LAST NIGHT OMG

you rlly think I check that
more than once a week fam>

Oliver🥰
<No I only usually look
at it at school, what was it?

Sageroonie
<THEY ANNOUNCED THE FALL PLAY
<IT'S INTO THE WOODS
<IM LITERALLY SO EXCITED AAAAAAA

YESSS SAGE!!!>
When are auditions? I gotta
sign up for tech again>

Oliver🥰
<Omg wait that's awesome!!!
I love that musical
<I think I'm gonna try out maybe

Sageroonie
<They're tonight at 6:30 and
tomorrow night at the same time
<If either of you can't make it
I think they're open for having
some after school Monday
but if no one signs up then that's
gonna be when they post the
cast list, at lunch

Oliver🥰
<Omg okay lemme go ask my
mom if I can come tonight I'll brb
<I really hope I can get like
the baker or Jack or smth but
I'm not used to acting so I'm
fine with ensemble lol

I'll ask my dads but they'll
probably be fine with it>
Just gonna do tech again as usual>

Sageroonie
<Guessing Oliver is away
from his phone now but if
he gets one of the roles he
listed I better get the other
one because those two are who
I'm going for as well lmao

And now we wait for his return,,>

Sageroonie
<https://youtu.be/rJUuz9D5jos

You know I don't trust the
links you send what is that>

Sageroonie
<Bruh it's just Jeapordy
music smh come on man

not clicking that lmao>

Sageroonie
<😡🤬

Oliver🥰
<back

Oh no I'm not getting good
vibes here what did she say>

Oliver🥰
<she said I'm a girl so I
can't audition for a guy🤪
<Or anyone actually yeah
now she's pissed it's chill
<Which like boys can play
girls in theatre absolutely but
she just hates me😁

Sageroonie
<BRUHHHH

are you fawking kidding me😃>

Sageroonie
<Wait what if you did tech
<Would she let you do that???
It's not technically in the play

Oliver🥰
<Hold on I'll go ask super quick

Oh she better>

Oliver🥰
<Okay I'm back she said I can!!

Sageroonie
<LETS GOOOOO
<TURNING YOU INTO A
THEATRE KID ONE STEP
AT A TIME RN

YESS TECH IS SO FUN OLIVER
YOU'RE GONNA LOVE IT OMG>

Sageroonie
<ooo wait it'll just be you
and him back there probably, Joe
<you can show him the ropes and shit
<;)

Oliver🥰
<Oh yay that's right
I won't be alone back there!!

sage istg>

Sageroonie
<haha
<Okay but are we all gonna
be there tonight then?

Oliver🥰
<Yep my dad is driving me
I'll be there around 6:20

I'll start walking to your house
maybe around 6:05 Sage and
then we can just walk the rest
of the way together>

Sageroonie
<That works
<Aight I'll see y'all tonight

Oliver🥰
<Yup!!!

Yeppp>

Joe closed out of the group chat with a smile then, quickly checking his school email to make sure he got all the details about the audition. He then put his phone down and plugged it in, exiting his room and walking to the stairs. He went down them until he got to the first step and stood there, waiting for his parents- who were watching TV on the couch- to notice him.

"Hmm-? Oh, hello, Joe. Do you need something?" Joe's father reached over to the remote and paused the TV.

"No, but just wanted to say that, uh, they're doing Into The Woods at school now and I was gonna go audition for tech tonight, is that okay? I'll probably leave around six."

"That's fine, sweetie," Joe's dad smiled. "Is Sage gonna be there?"

"Yeah, and Oliver is gonna do tech, too."

"That's quite nice. Well, you have fun there, don't spread any of your dad's sickness to your friends."

"Sure hope I don't."

•~~~~•

"Alright everyone, take a form, fill it out, and then bring it back up to me when you're done."

The drama teacher stood up on the stage in Joe's school's auditorium as everyone went up to where he had a table with audition forms set up. Joe, Sage, and Oliver all grabbed one before making their way into the audience, finding chairs and sitting down.

"So what do I do for this?" Oliver asked, looking down at the form, hovering the tip of his pencil over the paper.

"Well, for most of it you can just put N/A, up at the top you put your name and grade and you can check the box that says backstage hand," Joe pointed to things on the paper as he spoke. "In the notes section at the bottom you can put what kind of tech you wanna do, too."

"I don't know what kind I wanna do," Oliver chuckled awkwardly. "I don't know anything about this."

"Damn, Joe, you got a lot to teach him," Sage mumbled, chuckling.

"Just put anything except costume and makeup help. He's nice, and I know I'm one of his favorite techs so if you also add you wanna do something with me and I do the same he'll put us together."

"Oh, sweet."

"Joe!"

Joe snapped his head up, immediately getting a weird look from Sage, who was probably questioning why he had flinched. Joe looked around the room and spotted none other than Remy and Emile walking through the doors of the auditorium, which explained why.

"You okay, dude?" Sage whispered.

"Yeah, uh... Remy's looking for me," Joe lowered his voice as low as he could, Sage also nodding, now understanding.. He looked over at Oliver. "Hey, I'm gonna go to the bathroom real quick."

"Okay!"

Joe stood up and made eye contact with Remy, motioning for him and Emile to follow him. Remy rolled his eyes and got closer to where he was before they went to the backstage and into a very empty men's restroom.

"Where the fuck you been all night, kid?" Remy asked as soon as they cleared the bathroom of any other people.

"Well, we got an email last night that the fall play auditions were tonight and tomorrow night, so... here I am."

"Oh, that's nice," Emile smiled. "What play?"

"You're a fucking theatre kid-?"

"It's Into The Woods, but I'm not an actor. I'm doing tech."

"Mmh, that makes more sense. You gotta tell me where you're gonna be if you're not at home at night, Joe. Dead-ass thought your parents might've buried you alive in their backyard or something."

"Why would- uh, well I kind of can't tell you because... how would I be able to?"

"By texting me?"

"You're literally dead? I don't think we can communicate like that."

Remy laughed. "Oh, kid, you really think you're the first living person that's been able to see a ghost?"

"Huh?"

"We get all our technology from the people who made the shit in the first place. People who created mobile phones in the first place? When they died they just re-made them for us. First time a human and ghost did end up talking? They partnered up and made un-living phone numbers compatible with your shit."

"Oh, wow, that's actually kinda neat."

"Yeah. But whatever, we can get that set up later. You know what, I could bring you by the therapy office tomorrow, I suppose."

Joe blinked. "Wait, really?"

"I have two or three patients but you could sit with Remy behind his desk while I'm working," Emile nodded.

"Just a heads up, he yells a lot in there."

Emile giggled. "I don't yell, I'm just an energetic person."

"Well, I'd love to come by tomorrow, uh- I'll probably wake up around ten or eleven so if you come over around then I'll just follow you there."

"Works for me. Now let's get you back out there."

"Oh, also, who was the other kid you were sitting with besides Sage?" Emile asked before they could leave the bathroom.

"That was Oliver."

"Your crush? Damn, gurl, you're really living a good life, having a living romantic interest at the age of seventeen. Couldn't be me."

The three of them went back out to the auditorium and Joe sat down, Remy and Emile taking seats right behind them. Joe quickly finished filling out his form and helped Oliver finish his, and then they put their papers back up on the table the got them from. Once everyone had turned them in, the director began looking through them.

"I'm assuming all of you auditioning have brought an audition song, so I'm gonna start calling out names to come up and sing. Starting with... Sage Williams!"

Sage beamed at his two friends, and Joe saw Emile wave his hand a little at his back to show support as well. Sage stood and began walking to the stage, the director coming over to where his seat was and sitting down there. He looked over at Joe.

"Joe, you and Oliver wanted to do something together, right?"

"Yep."

"Alright, how about you go show him how to work some of the stuff back there, you don't have to sit out here."

"Oh, awesome. Thank you."

Joe and Oliver stood up after that, and Oliver smiled at him, looking around the auditorium and likely debating where they were supposed to go.

"You totally have an excuse to hold his hand to lead him to wherever you're going," Remy said. Joe blushed, and stared at Oliver for a moment, deciding to just do it because why the hell not. He grabbed Oliver's hand and began leading him to behind where all the audience was, and Oliver trailed behind him, holding onto his hand tight.

"He's blushing~," Remy wiggled his eyebrows. Joe suppressed a nervous chuckle as they got to where they were going. He let go of his hand.

"So, this is where we can work the lights and mics," Joe began to whisper so his voice didn't carry to where Sage was still singing on stage. "Or- we're at where the lights are, the mics and some other stuff are on the other side, over there," Joe pointed across the room. "We'll probably be put on lights but I'll show you everything just in case."

"Oh, cool, okay."

"We can mess around a bit with them too as long as we don't turn all of them off, the director won't care. And we'll have a bit more light back here anyways so we can see the labels and what we're doing when the show comes. But this first button right here is gonna turn all the lights on and off, we're not gonna press that one right now though, as I said. The one next to it is kind of li- ah, uhm..."

Joe trailed off as Oliver grabbed his hand again. They made eye contact, and Joe couldn't help but smile, Oliver then looking back to where the buttons were out of embarrassment but still smiling as well.

"Oooh, he's a keeper," Remy mused. "Adorable. I approve."

"Looks like you've got a good chance with him too, honey," Emile smiled at Joe.

Joe blinked himself out of his mild disbelief. Yeah, Oliver and him were probably gonna be too awkward to bring up this had happened by Monday... but that was okay. Because right now, Oliver had voluntarily grabbed Joe's hand, and if that wasn't the best feeling in the world, Joe didn't know what was.

But regardless, he quickly returned back to his teaching, hoping he wouldn't stumble on his words too much as he went on.

•~~~~•
👀-

see ya in the next chapter!⭐️
~Maxx(SanderShipper)