Of Musicals, Makeup and Makeouts [DavexReader]

Your eyes met the announcement paper and after reading the musical's title, you began to squeal and jump up and down.

Your school was putting on Les Miserables, your favorite musical in the whole world.

You signed up right away, your hand shaking with anticipation.

"Can we go back and eat now?" Andrew grumbled, signing his name as well.

You linked arms with him and hummed "Do You Hear the People Sing?" happily as you two walked back to the cafeteria.

You couldn't wait.


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A few days later, you found yourself sitting in the auditorium with Andrew. A large group of people sat around you.

You were all waiting anxiously for the auditions to start.

You had been preparing vigorously for the past few days, singing every opportunity you got. Last night you had felt confident, but now you were beyond scared.

What if you forgot the words? What if you spaced out and didn't act well? What if you fell offstage or burped or something?

You felt like throwing up.

The director walked to the front of the stage and addressed everybody. "Hi everyone! Thanks for coming to the Les Miserables auditions. So before we start, I wanted to go over----"

The director was cut off by the sound of the auditorium doors opening.

Everyone turned around to stare at the late comer.

The director crossed her arms and sighed. "So nice of you to join us, Mr. Strider."

Dave Strider swept his bangs to the side and said, "Gotta make a dramatic entrance, you know?"

"I don't. Please, have a seat," the director said curtly, gesturing to you guys.

Dave smirked and walked casually down the aisle, plopping down into an empty seat and resting his feet on the seat in front of him.

You were confused. You knew Dave rapped, but singing? Dave seemed too "cool" for singing.

You shot Andrew a questioning look, but were met by a smirk and a wiggle of eyebrows. You playfully punched his arm and looked away from him, a small blush accumulating on your face.

It was no secret you were smitten for Strider. You couldn't help it; he was just too damn attractive. His silky blonde hair, his tall and lean frame, his stoic and cool image, everything about him drove you wild.

And if he was here.....that meant you might be in the show together. It would be 2 months of quality time. You and him. Hanging out in the same proximity. A few days a week. For 2 months.

You shot another look at him. He caught your glance and gave you a small nod.

You almost squealed.

The director gave a brief speech of the audition process, then shoved everyone into the lobby.

One by one, people were called into the room. You stared at the wall, butterflies eating a hole out of your stomach.

Finally, your name was called. As you stood up and walked to the door, you heard Dave say, "Break a leg, ___(last name)___."

You gave him a thumbs up and walked in.

Show time.


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"I got it! I got it! Oh my god, I got it!" you screamed, jumping up and down. Your friends hugged you and congratulated you.

"What's going on?" Andrew asked, walking up to you.

You grinned at him and announced, "You are looking at our production's Eponine."

He gave a whoop and hugged you. "I'm Thenardier," he said, doing a little bow.

As you two congratulated each other, Dave Strider passed by you. He stopped, backtracked, and approached you.

"Sup, __(Name)__? What part did you get?" he asked.

You looked at him, surprised, and stammered, "E-E-Eponine...."

He smiled and said, "Cool. I'm Marius. See you at practice." He gave a small wave and walked away.

Your heart beat rapidly. You were going to be on stage with Strider.

You floated down the hallway, ecstatic.


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Your mood quickly plummeted later that day at practice when you found out that Cosette, Dave's love interest, was being played by Jade.

You looked over at Jade and Dave talking. His arm was wrapped around her and they were laughing.

Why couldn't you be that confident around him?

You pushed your jealous and hurt feelings deep down, and opened up your libretto as the cast began practicing.


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A few weeks have passed. Today would be the day you, Dave and Jade practice "A Heart Full of Love".

You had been dreading this day for a while. You couldn't even bear to hear and watch Dave profess his love to Jade. You knew they would be acting, but it still hurt. You also had been noticing that they'd been hanging around each other more. They talked to each other between scenes, sat by each other, hugged each other; she even sat in his lap one day!

You had been silly to think you and Dave would grow close. You sighed and walked up on stage with him and Jade.

After your director walked you through the scene, you and Dave walked offstage together. You crossed your arms, sad, and stared at Jade while she was singing.

Dave leaned toward you and whispered, "Hey, ___(Name)___, you okay?"

Touched, you shrugged your shoulders and replied, "Yeah. Just tired."

He nodded his head and straightened up. At your cue, you two ran onstage.

Dave began to sing and your heart melted. Dave's voice was so beautiful. When you first heard him sing in the ABC Café scene, your jaw dropped. His voice was deep and silky, like he was an angel descended from heaven.

Eponine, you are the friend who has brought me here

The lines snapped you out of your thoughts and he squeezed your hand before walking in Jade's direction.

As you sang your next lines, you put all of your emotion and feelings into them.

Every word that he says is a dagger in me
In my life, there is no one like him
Anywhere, anywhere
Where he is, if he'd ask, I'd be his

If only he liked you instead of Jade.

It killed you watching Dave and Jade sing together, holding hands.

It was funny: Eponine was in love with Marius, but he fancied Cosette. And you liked Dave, but he was head over heels for Jade.

These are words he'll never say
Not for me

Those lines were so true. He'd never hold you and say sweet things to you. You became more and more depressed as the song went on.

When the song finished, Dave and Jade kissed.

Heartbroken, all you could do was watch.

Everybody clapped and the director looked at you and complimented, "__(Name)__, that was incredible! I could really feel your emotion. You really looked heartbroken. Fantastic!

She couldn't know that you really were.


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A week passed from that incident. Today you would be practicing "A Little Fall of Rain". You were excited for this scene, because Dave would be holding you in his arms.

You two got on stage and chuckled nervously at each other. Before you both sat down, the director ordered, "Dave. Shades off today. I've let you wear them for a few weeks, but now you really need to take them off."

Dave sighed and slowly removed his shades. His bright ruby red eyes pierced you and your heart skipped a beat.

Stupid, sexy Strider.

The song began, and you collapsed on the ground. Dave dropped down beside you and you leaned against him. He wrapped his arms around you and held you gently. Soon, his hand clasped yours and he traced small circles on it.

As you sang, you couldn't help but get choked up. The song was very emotional and you were putting all of your feeling into it. You felt so safe and secure in Dave's warm embrace, and for a moment, it was like he really loved you. He slowly rocked you back and forth, he gently stroked your head, he clasped you close.

As the song came to a close, tears welled up in your eyes. You leaned your head into his chest, and he put his head on top of yours. You sang your last notes, closed your eyes, and went limp.

You heard Dave frantically whisper, "No," and "Eponine, please," and "dear God, no, please, no!". He clutched you to his chest and you could feel and hear him sob. Soon, you felt wet drops hit your head.

Oh god he was actually crying.

When the scene ended, you opened up your eyes and sat up. Dave looked at you, sniffling, large streams of tears cascading down from his beautiful red eyes.

You were about to hug and comfort him and ask him if he was okay, but he quickly broke out into a smirk and wiped away the tears from his eyes.

"Pretty good, huh?" he asked, putting his shades back on.

You laughed and playfully hit him. "You scared me for a minute! I thought you were really sad!"

He stood up and helped you up. "Who said I wasn't?" he implied cryptically, winking at you as he walked away.

You stood there, blushing and confused. You would never be able to figure out Strider.


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The next month flew by quickly and pleasantly. After the "A Little Fall of Rain" practice, you and Dave began talking more. He would seek you out during school and chat with you. He sat by you more during practice and even gave you rides home after school.

All too soon, opening night came. You were all jittery, your nerves making you anxious and sick. You paced back and forth in the dressing room, singing your lines over and over again, afraid you would suddenly forget them.

"Hey, __(Name)__, don't worry. You're gonna be awesome," you heard Dave say from behind you.

You turned around and smiled at him. He smiled back at you and adjusted the red sash around his waist. You blushed as you admired him. He looked hot in his costume. He looked taller and trim, his white shirt and blue vest defining his tone and lean torso.

"Thanks, Dave. I needed that," you explained, crossing your arms.

He walked up to you and hugged you tightly. You quickly got over your shock and leaned into him, breathing in his clean scent.

"You'll be great," he whispered, giving you a small squeeze.

"You will too," you told him, looking up at him.

Your director called everyone together, and you two broke apart, walking towards everyone else.

Tonight would be your night to shine.


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The lights dimmed and the curtains closed. The stage lights turned on and your whole cast looked at each other, happy. The first act had gone smoothly and everyone had done such a good job.

You quickly went to the small changing room and changed into your boy costume for Act 2. When you walked out, you were greeted by Dave.

"Hey, ___(Name)___, I want to ask you something," he said, grabbing your wrist.

He led you to the costume room. Everybody else was in the green room chatting, eating, and prepping themselves for Act 2. He shut the door behind him and walked into the middle of the room. You followed him. You two were hidden between two costume racks.

It was just you and him. Alone.

"What're going to ask?" you questioned, your heart starting to beat rapidly.

Dave sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "There's this girl I really like, and I wanted to tell her I like her...."

Your heart sunk. Oh. He was talking about Jade. Of course.

"It's Jade, isn't it?" you guessed, lowering your head.

You felt Dave shift towards you. He cupped your chin and lifted your head up so that you were looking at him.

"No, it's not. It's you," he said.

Then he leaned down and kissed you.

Your mind and heart were racing. You were exploding with happiness and you couldn't think straight. All you could think about was Dave Strider kissing you.

You kissed him back and grabbed his vest, pulling him close. He wrapped his arms around you, holding you close.

You two broke apart for air. Panting, you looked at each other, grinning.

"You know Marius and Eponine don't end up together," you commented, blushing madly.

"Screw the plot," Dave whispered. He dived in and kissed you fiercely, dipping you a little bit.

Damn, he was a good kisser.

After a few minutes of making out, you two left the costume room to get ready for Act 2.

Everybody was in the wings, waiting to go on stage.

You mentally prepared yourself. Act 2 was your time to shine.

You sang your two big songs, each one met with enormous applause. When you were finally backstage, the tech crew gave you thumb ups and congratulations.

Soon, the finale began. You walked onstage, singing. Eventually, you were joined by the entire cast. You all joined hands and triumphantly sang the last few verses of Les Miserables. Your heart swelled with the music.

You had done it. You not only stole the show, but landed the man of your dreams. You stole a quick look at Dave. He glanced at you briefly and smiled.

You all sang the last notes proudly as the crowd stood up and applauded.

Your heart was singing, and you couldn't be happier.