(SING!) The Best Valentine's Day (one-shot) – follows Story Not Told

Story Not Told Masterpost

Hey, if you haven't read Story Not Told, you'll be a little lost in this. The link's up there for you to read it :D If you've already read it, just click below to read The Best Valentine's Day:

Rated: T for implied sexual activity

Dating for a while now, it was normal for Ash to eventually sneak into Buster's office to cuddle or kiss, even though she preferred to do it when everybody had left. That way, they'd have more time, and not being interrupted was almost certain.

But today was Valentine's Day, and she wasn't gonna wait until night to be with him. Quite frankly, she never cared about the event. Mostly because she and Lance never did anything special to celebrate it. He was too cheap to take her out, and the one time she had taken him out he found a group of RPG players and played his way into the night.

That is, until they got kicked out by the owner, and then Ash was stuck with five drunk guys playing in her apartment. But something told her Buster wasn't gonna do that.

They'd go out and have a good time together.

That is... they would have a good time together, if they could go out together. She knew Buster, and he wouldn't risk their relationship to take her out. Why risk? Because they were 25 years apart, and as close as she might be, she's not 18 yet.

So they'll just spend the night at her house. Watch a movie, play songs, whatever. They'll be together. And that is good enough for her.

"Hey, Ms Crawly!" She greeted, going past her boyfriend's doddering assistant.

"Hello, dear!" The lizard replied. "Do you want some coffee?"

Miss Crawly always had the best intentions, but she also had a missing glass eye that could be anywhere, including that mug. "Thanks, I pass." She directed herself to Buster's office. All blinds were open, which was odd.

"He's not here now, he had to go somewhere."

"Do you know where? He's usually here at this time."

"He's out for lunch. Somewhere down the street." Opening the door, Ms Crawly quickly grabbed a box. "Shouldn't you be home with your loved one, dear?"

Well, he hadn't told her. And she wouldn't be the one to do it. "I don't have a loved one." She lied. "I'm by myself today. I came here to see everyone and just chill. I'm gonna go after Bust- Mr Moon."

"Oh, just call him by his first name, dear. He considers you family anyway." Ash nodded, smiling, and left. She had heard that before, the lizard had that to the entire cast. No one called him by his first name, and she wasn't gonna be the one to do it. It'd be too suspicious.

Ash walked down the street, looking into restaurant after restaurant for Buster. He was very characteristic, it wouldn't be hard to find him. She froze. In one of the diners, Buster was talking nonchalantly to a female koala. She mentally slapped herself. Come on, the guy had the right to be friends with girls. On the other hand, she had dated a cheater previously.

She took a seat outside the place, almost instantly recognizing the girl as Laura. She watched their interaction. They were laughing, tossing words back and forth. They could be mistaken for a couple, but until then there was nothing suspicious. They seemed to be good friends. Ash wasn't 100% sure of how she felt about this, until it happened. Both stood up, and hugged, staying like that for quite a while.

They kissed each other's cheek, and tossed a few more words in air, giggling. Ash's heart sank.

"Are you working tonight? Or will I have to look for someone there?"

"I'm working, so is Munro. I told him to take you guys there just in case we don't see each other. No way you miss him. Taller than you, buff, and few friends face."

"If he scares me, you will have ruined my date, because I'm running off!" He laughed, soon being followed by his ex. "Tell me about the room. It isn't... too much, is it? Ash is simplistic, I don't wanna make her uncomfortable."

"Buster, if it wasn't a fancy restaurant, the room'd cost $200 for the night. But it is a fancy restaurant, so it's tad bit beyond that. I promise, the room's the definition of simple, of course it has decoration, but nothing too great. It's gonna be a nice candlelight dinner for the two of you. A dinner that can't last a second over 8:30, because that's when the cleaning personnel's stepping in to clean the room to the couple that actually paid for it."

"And dinner?"

"Nothing you can't afford. But stay away from the wine chart, the cheapest thing you're gonna find there is $2,000 bucks and tastes like grape juice. Sneak wine in on your own."

"I'll hide it on my top hat, don't worry." Laura cracked up laughing.

"If you're gonna use one, you'll see me first thing there. I can't lose that." This was Buster's turn to laugh. He quickly brought the woman into an embrace once again.

"Thanks. I owe you." She nodded, and smiled.

"Go and have fun."

But of course Ash heard none of that conversation.

When Buster went to pick her up that afternoon, he was his usual formal, hadn't he added a beautiful bouquet for his loved one. Knocking on her door, he didn't get an answer. He figured she must be taking a shower or whatever, so he grabbed the spare key she kept under her 'welcome' mat, and unlocked the door.

Ash was sitting on the couch, watching TV, and cursed herself for leaving that key there. "There you are! Didn't you hear me?" He said, cheery. "Listen, I know it's a last minute thing, but I need you to get dressed. I have a surprise for you. Now I'd really it if you wore a dress, but anything's fine." She didn't say a word as he handed her the bouquet. "I got these for you." She kept her eyes glued to the screen, but didn't miss his ears lowering. "Hey, you alright?"

"Listen, Buster… why don't you go give those to Laura, or whatever her name is?"

He looked puzzled. "Why'd I do that?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because the two of you were hugging and kissing out there like you didn't have a girlfriend!"

"What?! What are you-" She glared at him, and he froze. "Oh. Ash, it's not what you're thinking."

"Save it. Was it a one day thing?" She mocked Lance's voice. "I heard that one!"

"Laura's a friend! I was just getting something ready for you."

"With your ex-girlfriend?"

"Yeah, I needed a favor from her."

"For Pete's sakes, Buster! That's the lamest excuse for cheating I've ever heard!"

"I didn't cheat on you! Ash... I once dated her, these hugs and kisses are a thing we do for old times' sake."

"Not an excuse!"

"Ash, Laura's engaged! Her fiancée is an ex-cop, I want none of that in my life!"

"Bull!"

"What's cheating for you?! Looking for an old friend's help to make your girlfriend a surprise, is that it?!"

"The way you hugged her!"

He crossed his arms. "Have you ever seen the way I hug you? If I was with her, I'd hug her like that."

"Ha! In front of everybody?!"

"Well, yeah! It wouldn't be illegal! What, you think I like having to hide us?! If you were ten years older I'd hug and kiss you in public. But you aren't! And I'm not growing younger! Forget ten years, another one'd work just fine!" He threw his head back, surprised at his own energy. He hated heated arguments. Taking a seat by Ash's side, he took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. We had lunch together, talked about the good old days, and when we left I hugged her and kissed her cheek. And the only reason I did this was to get a room at La Bastille for the two of us. I wanted to make you a surprise."

Ash's expression softened a bit. "La Bastille? That's one of the most expensive places in town."

"That's what I needed Laura for. She works there, and she's getting me this room for free."

"You're joking, right?"

"If we get there in time, you'll see for yourself."

"You really have nothing with her? She's an old flame who went out of her way to help you?"

"I told you she's a friend. I'd never go back to a cheater, they cheat again. And I'd never cheat on someone, I know how much it hurts."

'Terrible' was an understatement to how Ash felt right now. She felt awful, and there was something about his speech that made her throat tighten. She moved over and hugged him, not surprised he didn't return it.

"Babe, I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry."

"Listen, Ash... this has to stop."

"I know, I-"

"We can't be together if we don't trust each other!"

No. That wasn't an option for her. This had to work. "I know we can't, but when I saw you there, I thought you might- how would you feel if you saw me and Lance hugging out there like it was nothing?"

He shrugged. "If it really was nothing, I wouldn't care. Just because you're hugging someone, doesn't mean you're seeing seeing them."

"I know. And you know I have previous experiences with cheating-"

"So have I. And guess with who." She nodded firmly. "But I've put that behind me. She changed, I've grown to forgive her and enjoy her company. We are gonna do things to remember ourselves of how good our relationship was, that doesn't mean I'm seeing her. Just that we bring back old mannerisms we had when we were dating. It was a happy time. I was happy."

"Yeah, I know."

"Just because someone's your ex, and no matter the amount of crap they pulled in the past-" Ash couldn't help but think of Lance. Buster was now friends with his cheating ex-girlfriend, would the same happen to the two of them? She figured time would tell. "Everyone can change, and turn into a nice person. And it's not a problem to hang out with an ex. After all, our hearts care about the ones we are or once were attracted to, right?"

Ash knew he meant it as something poetic and wise, but couldn't help herself. She burst out laughing, and earned a weird look from her boyfriend. "You think I still care about Lance?"

"I didn't care about Laura for the first few years after we broke up." He confessed. "I think this happens over time."

She brought him closer, and gently kissed him, smiling when he returned it. "Alright, I'll take your word in that. I'm sorry, Buster."

"It's fine, you didn't know."

"I could've asked, not outright accused you. I didn't see a romantic kiss there anyways..."

"Love, it's fine. But we gotta get ready, we're running short of time."

"Alright, just let me take a shower." She stood up, and walked ahead, a smirk on her face. "Wanna join me?" He blushed, and she just laughed.

"We'd need more than 20 minutes." Ash turned to look at him, surprised. "Wouldn't we?" His mouth was twisted in a grin.

"I guess we would." She laughed lightly, shutting the door behind her. She hadn't expected him to retort.

Ash hated dresses. She hated them with all of her might. But Buster had asked her to wear one, and that's what she was gonna do. Problem is, apart from her performance's dress (which was creased now) she only has one. It was a flat plain black dress, it was dull and... boring? In lack of a better word. Dressing up, she slid a pair of red leggings underneath, for her own sake. She put on her combat boots, and looked at herself in the mirror. I guess this'll do. She looked decent enough for a date.

Going back into the living room, Ash was surprised. Buster was playing a tune to himself on her guitar, and humming along with the melody. His tie - for once not a bow tie - lying flat on the ground, she took a good look at him. Wine red suit, light pink shirt, and black shoes.

"Elegant."

Buster cut the song short, and looked up at her, checking her out. "So are you! You look great, rockstar." He smiled at her, and leaned over to grab his tie. "Sorry, I got a little carried away."

"I don't mind. You're a good singer. Must've been a sensation when you were young- when you played." She knew he had problems with their huge age gap, and didn't need to hear any mentions of that now.

Buster seemed not to care, as he let out a heartfelt laughter. "Ha! One can only dream. I only performed in my friends' parties, Ash. I never got a proper..." He adjusted his tie around his neck, and shut his eyes in thought. "Gig! I never got to perform live." He offered Ash his arm and, altho laughing, she took it.

"I rarely got a gig. Apart from the theatre, I mean." Both walked out the door, and locked it behind them. "As you know, Lance was lead, and not many animals cared for that."

"Figures."

Ash laughed. "Yeah, okay. We hardly ever got a gig together."

"Pity. You got a beautiful voice." Ash blushed, and thanked the dim lights of the street for hiding it. Whenever he told her that, her heart melted. "And I got us a ride." He pointed to an old-fashioned car. "It's Eddie's, he let me have it for the night. Can't get in trouble if I crash, right?"

Ash froze in place. "Wait, what?"

"Nothing. Nevermind." He opened the door for her, and stepped in. There were adapted pedals in the car, as it had been made for animals thrice their size.

"Do you know how to drive?"

"A little. It's been a while. Seatbelt on for your safety, please."

"Hey, I can drive if you want. License's still valid for another year."

"Nah, I'm good. Erm, just remind me... which one is the brake again?"

Ash rolled her eyes, and let go of the seatbelt. "Alright, move over."

"I can drive! I'm asking for a quick reminder."

"The middle one. The left one is the clutch, and the right one's the accelerator. Indicator is the left lever behind the wheel. Push it down if you wanna go right, and up if you wanna go left." Buster was looking at her with eyes wide open. "What? That's basic."

"You're the boss! Alright... so we go!" He turned the key in the ignition, and the car sprang back to life. It took Buster a moment to grab the gear, accidentally set it to reverse, and send the car crashing into a garbage can behind the vehicle until Ash pulled the parking brake, sending the car into an immediate halt. She shot him a smirk, cocking an eyebrow. "Yeah, I can't drive."

"I noticed." She laughed. "So you were saying..?"

He sighed. "Can you drive?"

Not long after, Ash pulled into a fancy looking restaurant. It was Victorian-styled, but had been repainted over the years. Whenever there was a holiday, the prices of rooms dramatically increased to numbers bearing a few zeros. How does she know this? Well, her parents used to throw parties at this place.

"Good evening, ma'am." A smiling monkey greeted her. He opened the door, and offered his hand. She shook her head politely, and climbed off.

"Thanks."

"Thank you monsieur!" Buster faked a French accent. "And park nearby, s'il vous plait?" The monkey nodded, already pulling ahead. "Merci!"

"Buster, nobody speaks French here." Ash laughed.

"I'm just having some fun." He motioned for her to round the building. "We gotta use the back entrance. Nobody besides me, Laura and her fiancée know we're using the room." He quickly came to a halt. "And uh... I forgot to tell you, we just might bump into her, she works here."

She nodded. "Alright."

"Does that bother you, by any chance?" She shook her head. "Sure?"

"No, I mean... you're entitled to your past, right? And you two are friends, I don't mind you having friends. Just introduce us if you see her." Buster was listening intently, looking slightly concerned. She sighed. "I'm not as jealous as I made you think."

"I know, but you don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"I want to. After that day in the theatre..." Ash laughed. "She actually sounds cool."

"She is." Buster smiled, leading her to a door. "Thanks." She nodded. Buster then turned to a tall alligator who was keeping the door. "Hello! I'm looking for Laura or uh... Munro. Know where I can find them?"

The guard opened the door just enough to let the couple in. "Know what a sommelier is?" Buster nodded. "See that sommelier over there? Past him, straight to the bar. Munro is a koala I think a couple hands taller than you, he has a tattoo on his left arm, and is always wearing sunglasses. No way you miss him."

"Thanks." Both went in the direction the alligator had pointed, and not long after they were at the bar lounge area. On the other side of the room, a koala held a frown on his face, wore black aviator shades and had a dragon tattoo on his arm. Despite his size, he looked just ready to kick someone's ass. Ash laughed lightly. "What?"

"I have a question for Laura. I wanna know how she went from you to him." Buster gave her a bored stare, only making her laugh harder.

Altho shaking a little, Buster approached the guy, being followed closely by his girlfriend. "Uh... hey. Are you Munro?"

The guy took a good look at the couple, and shrugged. "Depends. Are you Buster?" The other koala nodded. "Laura talked to me about you."

"Good things?" Buster said, voice slightly shaken up.

"She said you are the biggest dork she ever met." His expression hardened, and softened up when he let out a heartfelt laughter. "But with a good heart. Finally get to meet you!" Munro moved closer to shake his hand.

"Nice to meet you. You scared me!"

"That's my job."

Buster let out a nervous laugh, and took a few steps back, wrapping an arm around Ash. "And this is my girlfriend, Ash."

"Nice meeting you." Ash took a step ahead.

"Nice to meet you!" The pair shook hands. "Man... you got a firm grip! Have you ever been in jail?" His tone was serious, and Ash was about to retort when he laughed. "I'm just kidding, Ash. It's nice meeting you. Anyways... tag along, the two of you." He held the door open for the couple. "So. I know Laura talked to you about this but I'm gonna say it again because I want to."

"Can we go on a double date with Laura and him?" Ash whispered.

"If he promises he's not gonna kill me, maybe." Buster replied. Both laughed quietly.

"The cleaning personnel is stepping in 8:30, and not a second over that, do you get me? If you make me lose my job, I'm gonna kick your ass." Buster gulped audibly. "But not much, I don't like hitting girls!" Ash cracked up laughing, pointing at her boyfriend. "Loosen up, Buster!" He smacked the other guy's shoulder. "Just leave in time."

"We got you a good room, hence why your date is so early." A voice spoke behind them, making the trio turn to look. "Clear view of the sky."

"Thanks." Laura nodded, and Buster turned to his current girlfriend. "Well... I want to introduce you to someone." He walked her over to the other female. "Ash, this here's Laura. Laura, this is my girlfriend Ash. You two were never introduced."

"Nice to meet you. I heard a lot about you."

"So have I about you. I got you the tape, by the way, and let me tell you... didn't think I'd ever see Buster here hitting someone."

"Oh come on, it was a one time thing!" Buster interrupted.

"And it suited Lance just fine. He's an idiot." Ash stated, matter-of-factly.

"That too."

Silence hovered over the quartet for a while, until Laura spoke up.

"Well, we'll let you to your date. Enjoy your evening, don't make much noise. Oh, and leave before-"

"8:30, alright. I have an alarm set up."

"Better yet. Nice seeing you again, Buster. And Ash, nice meeting you." The porcupine nodded, smiling. "Let's go, Mun!"

"Be right with you, dear!" Laura went ahead. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Ash." The two exchanged a quick hug, and the man went to the stairs. "And Buster. Treat her right. She's a keeper."

"I know." He turned to his girlfriend, a broad smile on his face.

"I see you guys. Be downstairs if you need me!" Munro called out, hopping down the stairs.

"So, if a thief climbs up the vines we know who to call." Ash laughed, and Buster swopped her in for a sweet kiss, walking ahead and pressing the girl against a wall. They kissed for just enough time to be panting upon parting. "Shall we?" She nodded, and both went into the room.

The room was nice and cozy. You could tell why it was the favorite of couples all over town: it was bathed by moonlight, had a big balcony, and some neat background music. The balcony faced a big lake, and there wasn't a light into the night in except for the stars'. Sure, some of the star light was obfuscated by city light, but it was still a great view.

In the balcony, Buster and Ash gazed up at the stars, a dim candle keeping them from absolute darkness. Both decided words were too much for that moment, and remained silent for most of the time, yet eventually sharing a kiss. Ash climbed onto his lap, sitting sideways for obvious reasons, and rested against him, closing her eyes.

"Sleepy?" He muttered. She shook her head.

"Just resting my eyes. Moon, you, this… this is awesome." She smiled sweetly at him. "This is the best Valentine's day ever. Thank you."

"Thanks for being here with me. You made this special." She blushed slightly, and frowned.

"And I'm sorry about-"

"No, don't start that. It's alright, love." Nodding, she leaned in to kiss him. Had him been Lance, and she had slightly doubted his fidelity, he would've dumped her; and then her fears came true. But Buster wasn't gonna do that. He had nothing to hide. He explained himself, and forgave her for doubting him.

Parting her lips, she was greeted by his, and gently nudged him asking for permission. He broke the kiss for a moment. "Let me just… catch my breath." Both were taking short breaths. Buster rested back on the couch, pulling her over him, and earning a surprised gasp from the teen.

"Do we have time?"

"Let me worry about that." She undid his tie and tossed it to the ground, smirking down at him.

"You are usually the upper half."

"Night's young." He said, bringing her closer. "We'll have a chance. But for now, we can continue." With that, he French kissed her. She returning it eagerly.

Not long after, both laid flat on the couch, breathless. Ash resting on Buster's chest. The two animals smiling at what the night had brought. They just remained silent, enjoying each other's mere presence.

A while later, the clock rang, indicating they should get going. Standing up, both quickly started dressing up.

"Not bad for our first Valentine's day together, was it?" Buster smiled, redoing his tie. "I just forgot about one thing."

"And what's that?"

Buster reached out for the windowsill, and grabbed a bottle of wine. "I taped this to the building for us." Ash cracked up laughing. "Hey, I can't afford the wine they serve here!" He sounded embarrassed, and she immediately stopped laughing.

"Moon, look at me." He turned to face her. "That's not something to be embarrassed of. This was just really unexpected, that's all. It's even kinda… cute." She hated the word, but used it for his sake. "And this, everything you did today, it's awesome. I kinda expected we wouldn't be having wine here, because it's super expensive and tastes horrible. I didn't count on you sneaking wine in, though."

"Yeah, alright." He let out a nervous laugh.

"Sorry for laughing at you."

"No, it's okay. I guess anyone would've laughed if their date grabbed some wine from the side of a building." They shared a laugh and a brief kiss.

"I guess they would."

Perfect timing. As the couple went down the stairs, the cleaning personnel stepped in to clean the room to the scheduled - and paying - couple. Bidding Laura and Munro goodbye, and thanking them for the night, the two went to get the car, and in no time were back at Ash's apartment.

There, they changed into some more comfortable clothes and watched whichever movie was on TV, snuggling close to each other.

"Moon?"

"Yeah?"

Ash reached over, and grabbed a flat box. "This is for you. After all this, I'm kinda embarrassed of how simplistic it is, but…"

"As long as it's from your heart." Buster smiled, undoing the ribbon. Opening the box, he found the picture of the theatre's first inauguration. But now, its frame was fixed, and didn't seem to have ever been broken in the first place. Holding it in one hand, he looked at her, his jaw dropped.

"I know it's not even a gift, but I didn't know what to give you. And I saw how upset you were that'd you'd have to change the frame, since it had been a gift from your dad and the all. It just clicked in my head. It was hard to get it from your office without you noticing, and sad to see you going around looking for it but… here it is."

"I searched all over town for someone who'd fix this. Everybody said it wasn't worth it, I was better off buying a new one."

"I have a friend who had a friend who is a restorer. She usually does that kinda things for museums and such, I asked her to do it. Good as new, her words. It will stay strong for a good twenty years."

Buster had his mouth agape, and pulled her into a tight hug. "Thanks, Ash! I really didn't expect this one! Especially because I thought some collector had stolen this." He laughed lightly, waving the portrait in air.

"Welcome. And I'm sorry it's not something… better. I was just really out of ideas."

"This is the best thing you could've gotten me. It's a great gift, love, seriously."

"Glad you like it." She replied, a smile on her face.

"So. Shall we open that bottle?"

"Can't. Underage." Buster froze for a moment, and then shot her a humorous smirk.

"Like it ever stopped you before." He teased, and Ash burst out laughing. She went into the kitchen, and returned with a pair of glasses. He quickly served the two of them, and raised his glass.

"To the best Valentine's Day we've ever had, and the luck of finding each other in such a big city."

They toasted. "Cheers."

(SING!) Story Not Told Masterpost!

Cover:

Drawn by the baffling Asestrada157 from deviantART.

Original: Story Not Told cover

Summary: My take at what happened between Buster and Ash during the movie, starting at when she broke up with Lance. Eventual BusterxAsh, Bustash, Ashter, whatever floats your boat. No hate please. MAJOR SPOILERS! CHAPTER 9 IS MATURE!

Rating: T (minus chapter 9, which is M)

Fun fact: Every chapter is named after a song, which relates in some way to the events in that chapter. So, if you want to listen to them while you read, be my guest! (Also, if you click on the song name below, it'll direct you to a YouTube page where you can listen to it ;)) (Oh, and if you're wondering my personal favorite, I got two. Freedom is a Voice and Then She Appeared.) (Yeah, I love Johnny Cash and the Bee Gees.)

Chapters:

Chapter 1 – Heartbreaker

Chapter 2 – How Can You Mend a Broken Heart

Chapter 3 – Hot'n'Cold

Chapter 4 – You've Got a Friend in Me

Chapter 5 – I Walk the Line

Chapter 6 – Freedom is a Voice

Chapter 7 – Set it All Free while I do it My Way

Chapter 8 – Jailhouse Rock & Kiss From a Rose

Chapter 9 (MATURE) – Californication

Chapter 10 – Guess Things Happen That Way

Chapter 11 – Then She Appeared

Chapter 12 – Tears in Heaven

Chapter 13 – Let's Face the Music and Dance

Chapter 14 – I'm Still Standing

Chapter 15 – Road to Acceptance

Chapter 16 – I Don't Wanna

Chapter 17 (FINAL CHAPTER) – Love Interruption

(SING!) Story Not Told, Chapter 17 – Love Interruption (FINAL CHAPTER)

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9 (MATURE)

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

This is the final chapter of 'Story Not Told'. To read it, click here:

"Bad boy really isn't your style." "I just wanted to tease him, love." Ash laughed. "I didn't know you had to turn the doorknob thrice for it to open." "I never thought I'd see you trying to be badass." "You should've seen when I paid him a visit at the Cove. I literally gathered all my badass to teach him a lesson." Buster popped a can open, and handed it to Ash. "Thanks. You're not a bad roommate." He shot her a bored look, and leaned against her. "Thanks. And well… he opened the game enough for us to watch this." "Suits him just fine." She chuckled. "He's a jerk." Just outside the window, two floors below, Becky and Lance argued over what the girl had just witnessed. Little they knew they were being watched, and were now the reason of a bet. Buster bet that they'd get back together, while Ash bet they wouldn't, and Lance was going to get hurt. The loser would have to clean the apartment for a month. Neither of them considered that alone to be something bad, since Ash was used to doing all the hard work by herself, and Buster wouldn't mind doing it for her. So they added something else to it. If Ash lost, she'd have to wear a dress at the theatre's opening. If Buster lost, he'd have to dress up like a punk. And play a song in front of all competitors. And risking a dress seemed fair, if she was to see that if she won. Shaking hands, the bet was up. Ash didn't know much about Becky, but figured she wouldn't like seeing her boyfriend asking his ex to get back with him. Let alone praising her. For her, the bet was as well as won. Said and done. Not long after, Becky declared she was through with Lance, and when he tried to prevent her from leaving, she smacked him in the face. On the window, Ash cracked up, while Buster buried his face in his hands. The other guy looked up at the couple. "Screw the two of you!" "Hey, we're not the ones having a bad day!" "This is not funny Ash, where am I gonna stay now?!" "Oh, I'm sure you'll find a place. Or another dumb girl who'll let you crash!" "SHUT UP!" The window above opened, and a bucket appeared. Buster quickly rushed Ash inside, and the bucket fell on Lance. "YOU PUNKS!" "Is he usually like that?" "Yeah, he is. He hates noise. He always tried to do this when we played, so the house is soundproof. It's not professional because we did the soundproofing ourselves, but at least no one complained anymore." "Good, that's useful." She shot him a dirty grin. He blushed deeply. "Not that kind of useful!" The girl laughed, pulling him into a kiss. "One of the uses, it is." He nodded, giving her a shy smile. She went back to the window and looked down at the other porcupine, who was now soaked wet. "Look on the bright side… if you need a shower, just come here and yell!" "You piece of sh-" Ash didn't let him finish, as she knew the length of Lance's vocabulary when it came to cursing someone. He was the guy who stood awake for hours on end perfecting a Japanese text only to curse on a panda in her native language. She closed the window and looked down at the koala who now sat on her living room's floor. She grinned, before sitting on his lap. "Remember our bet?" "It was a moment of fragility…" She burst out laughing, and kissed him. "You." She kissed him again. "Are going to dress up." Another kiss. "Like a punk." One more. "And play a song to everyone." She kissed him for a longer while, pulling away when he tried to kiss back. "Now you are just teasing me." "Can you blame me? It's fun." She leaned in, and he reached out to kiss her. Both sat in that position for a while, none wanting to break the kiss. Eventually parting, they embraced each other. "No pictures, please?" "Why is that? You even had that long hair when you were younger, pictures don't lie." Ash laughed. "I was the age to do things like that." He looked down. She turned to face him. "This is what it's all about?" He nodded firmly. "Your age shouldn't stop you." He looked at her in disbelief. "It's a number. Down here, it's all the same." She dug into his jacket, and put her hand over his heart. He smiled. "Everyone's gonna laugh, Ash." "More like they'll be too shocked to say anything." She winked at him. "It's something to remind the two of us of the moment, please?" He sighed, and finally nodded. "You won't look as bad as you think, don't worry." "I hope so." He slid his hands down to her waist, and pulled her closer to him. "Have I told you you look amazing in this dress?" "You could say it again." She smirked. "Well… you do look amazing in this dress. It suits you."

"Come on Moon, you can't hide in there forever!" "Watch me. Seriously Ash, I look terrible!" "You can't look that bad!" Ash was holding back her laughter, imagining what Buster'd look like. "Just come out already!" He sighed, and finally stepped out of the box. Ash's jaw dropped. He was dressed fully in black. He wore combat boots, tight jeans and a Seal Pistols shirt, topped with a leather vest. The perfect punk. And he even had a grumpy expression on. "So?" "You look awesome!" Ash couldn't help but giggle a little, it was funny to see him like this. "I could swear you came out of a band." He smiled at her. Sure, he'd avoid as many mirrors as he could. But she liked it, and he'd do it for her. "Thanks."

A few months later, the theatre was finally rebuilt and ready to work. The whole gang - minus Mike - stood on the stairs, along with some journalists and other animals, just waiting for the great reinauguration. "All creatures great and small! Welcome to the new Moon Theatre!" Buster proclaimed, cutting the ribbon. All animals present cheered. Night fell upon them, and both the press and peasants left. The cast finally had time to go inside the place and chill. Buster showed them the new dressing rooms, the safe squid-powered stage and the new offices. He had no idea how, but Nana had retrieved most of his office's belongings. A quick inspection through the book's pages showed most of his pictures remained intact. He quickly put them back on the shelf, and went towards the door. Ash was resting against Mrs Crawly's desk, and smirked at him. "So, you ready?" "You really gonna make me do this?" He almost singsonged. She just laughed, and raised a brow. "It was our bet." She handed him the clothing articles. "And hurry, it's getting late." He shot her a bored stare as he slipped the clothes on. "I'll never bet again." "Never say never. And combat boots are worn outside of the pants' hemline, not inside. You look like a farmer." She laughed. Buster quickly put the hemline inside the boots. "I knew that." Ash raised a brow and smirked. He sighed. "Will you at least join me onstage?" "You want me to?" "Well… since I can't sing, it'd be good." He laughed lightly.

Downstairs, the cast talked as they shared a few snacks and went through the last months' events. Johnny and Meena had gotten a contract with a very famous label and Gunter found a job as a dancer in a club, whilst Rosita just went back to her normal day to day life. No one heard anything about Mike since after the performance and he hadn't shown up to the great inauguration, the cast couldn't help but wonder what had been made of the mouse. Buster chased Ash down the stairs, being as quiet as possible. "Ash, don't!" "It's gonna be fun, don't worry!" "I'm not gonna do this, I swear!" "Come on, you need a proper introduction! Your first live performance!" Ash poked him, making him step away. "Ash, when you're a good singer and someone introduces you is a thing, when you're an obviously terrible singer and someone introduces you is a totally different thing!" She lifted a brow, and shot him a smirk. "Since you're gonna do it anyway, why not have the good, non-embarrassing part?" "Everything about this is embarrassing!" He looked about to have a mental breakdown. Ash looked into his eyes. "It's not anything you haven't done before. You even played this song before!" "To my friends! They wouldn't laugh right at my face." "Ha! Tell me one animal who's out there today that'd laugh at you." He opened his mouth to reply. "Mike isn't here." He immediately went silent. "No one that's out there would laugh at you no matter how terrible the presentation is. And you don't sing that bad, I heard a couple of your practices. So chill out and remember to breathe, alright? Or else you'll be huffing in the mic." Ash laughed. Buster shot her an unamused look, and managed to put on a small smile. "Alright. Go ahead. I wait here?" "No point in showing the presenter before the presentation, am I right?" She shot him a grin. All lights in the theatre dimmed, earning weird look from the animals who chatted away in the first rows of seats. A single light focused on the center of the stage as Ash entered the place, getting everyone's attention as she stepped in front of the mic. "As a thank you for your amazing performances at our open air theatre a while back, we decided to put up a special presentation just for you guys! All of us know the guy who's presenting on this stage tonight. This is the first time he does this in a long while, so let's give him our warmest salute. I introduce to you all, Buster Moon!" The cast took a moment to react and start clapping shyly. Then Buster entered the stage, and the claps ceased, being replaced by surprised looks. Eddie's jaw dropped, and he looked up at his friend in amazement. The koala merely shrugged. "Her idea." The sheep's eyes fell upon Ash. "Thank you so much, Ash! This is priceless!" He laughed a little. Buster shot him, and then her, an annoyed look as he positioned himself in front of the microphone. "Again, this was entirely her idea." He pointed to Ash, and she merely shot him a smirk. "Well… if the clothes didn't give it out, we're gonna sing a punk song-" He was interrupted by Eddie's laughter, and chuckled. "And knock yourself out, Eddie." With that, he struck the first chords to Dream On, by Aerosquid, and was followed closely by his girlfriend. They intercalated the solos, and their voices made a beautiful harmony. Soon, the cast cheered to the beat or sang along to it. Even the squids, who got that day off, started flashing along to the beat. Once the song was done, Buster and Ash received a standing ovation, and bowed. Not long after, the cast started to scatter, everyone going back to their houses and families, until no one but a koala and a porcupine stood in the empty theatre, getting ready to go home. Together. "Yeah, I gotta admit. It was fun." "It's the best feeling, especially the clapping afterwards." Ash said, shooting him a smirk. "You said so yourself." Buster rolled his eyes, a smile of his own forming. "Yeah, I guess I did." They leaned in, and briefly kissed. "Thank you." "For what?" "Giving me this. I forgot how fun it was. It doesn't matter if you don't have a great voice as long as you're having fun." Ash shrugged. "Meena said she liked it." "Like she'd say anything but that." Both shared a quick laugh, as they went to leave the stage. The porcupine stopped in her tracks, and looked at the stage. The same stage it had all started. The stage she had been selected at, the stage that caused turmoil in her previous relationship. She froze for a moment, remembering the day she walked into her apartment and saw her boyfriend with someone else. The song they sang. She got an idea, and tugged on Buster's jacket. He turned. "What is it?" "Let's play something else?" He gave her a confused look. "Just for the sake of it. We're alone here." "Well… alright." He smiled. "Got a song in mind?" "Yeah, I do." She walked to the mic. "We'll keep it off. Let's just sing for ourselves." "Whatever you say, rockstar." He winked. "Do I know the song?" Ash didn't reply; she just started singing, and soon Buster joined her in the choir. "And I want love to-" "Change my friends to enemies." "Change my friends to enemies-" "And show me how it's all my fault." And with that, they locked lips.

(SING!) Story Not Told, chapter 16 – I Don't Wanna

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9 (MATURE)

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Click here to read chapter 16:

Buster leaned against the curtains, facing Laura. Damn. Neither of them had changed much, they figured. Buster was still the theatre-crazed sweet fella and Laura was still the seemingly gentle gal that could actually kick your ass. Buster laughed a little to himself. The opposite of Ash... "What?" He shook his head. "Nothing. Just funny seeing you after all these years. We could be complete strangers." Laura shot him a playful smirk. "If we hadn't kissed in the back of your dad's car wash, maybe. Also, I'm sorry about him... You doing okay?" "Getting there. I miss him. But what do you want to tell me?" "First off, I'm sorry for... What happened. I was young and dumb, and I'm sorry I broke your heart." "And secondly..?" He was shifting awkwardly. "Secondly, I wanted to know if maybe we could... try again." She moved slightly closer to him. He moved away. "It amazes me how you haven't found anyone in so many years. But uh... I'm kinda seeing someone." "Oh yeah? Who's the lucky girl?" She smirked, rising an eyebrow. "Ah, you don't know her." He waved his hands a bit. "It doesn't matter." "Hm. Funny you say that. You and that girl who played an original shared a more than friendly look." Buster froze. "You're so obvious." She giggled. "It's the same look you gave me that one time I invited you to dance with me then got a little hyped during a R.A.M song." "She's just an acquaintance." "Who was playing your old guitar. You think I don't remember?" "Okay, I lent her my guitar. This proves nothing." "You never lent it to anyone. That's something." She giggled. "What are you afraid of? You think I'm gonna judge you for being different species? Also I don't want you back, I'm actually engaged. Just wanted to embarrass you." "No, it's not that, it's-" He gave her a light stare, and blushed. "Laura!" "Naive you, like always!" She laughed. "I wouldn't drop that bomb on you." Buster pulled out a couple chairs, and took a seat, being followed by Laura. "But seriously, it's her, isn't it?" "Okay, I'm seeing her!" He threw his hands up in surrender. "That what you wanted to hear?" "How long?" "Few days, we're still trying to work out this whole age gap and different species thing. People are more accepting these days, but I don't want to expose myself or her." "How many years are we talking about?" "Twenty five." "And how old are you?" "Forty t-" Looking over, he saw Laura smirking, and shut his mouth. She cracked up laughing. "Forty two minus twenty five, that makes her... 17?" He nodded. "A bit young for you, don't you think?" "She's gonna be 18 in a few months. When we first kissed, this gap bugged me a lot, but she never seemed to care." "Teens." Laura scoffed. "I know, right? But at this point, I just followed her lead. It doesn't bother me anymore." "But it bothers police, and laws. Keep it hidden from public eye until she's legal, okay?" "Funny you say that." He chuckled. "Everybody was here, and the two of us were smooching backstage." "Good god, Buster." "She makes me feel young again." He confessed. "You remember the crazy stunts we pulled when we were young?" He said it almost in a whisper, and the gal burst out laughing. "If I do!" "We made out in your dad's old pickup truck, for Pete's sakes! And when he arrived the next day, we pretended nothing had happened? This is something we don't do anymore, the age we are. But when I'm with her I can... I can do that stuff. She makes me feel good about myself." "You mean hiding to kiss or sleep with someone?" He nodded eagerly. "Yeah, I miss that too. I'm just gonna ask you one thing." "What?" "Don't hold her back." "I won't. And she wouldn't let me if I tried." Both laughed lightly at this. "Your nick in school was Mr Uptight, I never told you this." He shot her a bored look. "If you're in for that forbidden love story thing, she must really be worth it." "She is. I can't highlight something about her that I like mostly, just everything she does is special in some way. If only you knew, you could feel this… you'd be amazed. I think I never loved a girl like I love her. No offense." She shook her head. "None." "I know it's wrong. I shouldn't be doing this, and it's wrong, I feel like a pervert at times. But on the other hand, I feel so good when I'm with her. I don't feel alone anymore." Laura smiled and nodded. The same Buster who'd just open up randomly. "You know, since my father left, I have no one besides Eddie. She kinda filled up a void I had in me." He shrugged. "Not like anyone can substitute my dad. But it's good to feel loved." "Well… I'm not the one to judge you. When I was 28, I went out with a kid who was 18." "That's 10 years of a difference, and the kid was legal." "Still, there was an age gap. And you said so yourself, she'll be legal in a few months. She's not a kid anymore, she can choose to be with you. Forget about everything else for a moment. Forget her age, laws, how society feels about it. Does Ash make you happy?" "Yeah." He beamed confidently. "More than I've been in the longest while." "Do you make her happy?" "I… yeah, I guess I do. I haven't asked her to go to Humbur's with me." The sides of his mouth curled into a smirk. The girl stopped for a moment. "For one, if you wanna keep her, never take her to that place." The male laughed. "Yeah, alright. The key to a relationship is happiness. If the two of you are happy, you are the perfect match. I know you can work this out. You made me happy." He smiled. "Thanks, I'm glad to know." "Just not that one time, we ended in the hospital because you tried-" Buster hung his head. "Don't ever remind me of that again. They called me 'arsonist' for a month!" "Alright, alright!" The girl giggled, then extending her hand. "Friends?" Buster smiled, and shook her hand. "Friends."

One word leading to another, Buster conducted Laura out of the theatre, hugging her on her way out for old times' sake. Ash did the same with her parents, who were too tired to go over to her house and chill. Not long after, both animals had the theatre to themselves. "What did your parents want?" "Tell me they accepted me, invite me over for dinner sometime, and tell me to stay off of drugs. What did your ex want?" "Tell me she was sorry about cheating on me, asking if we could be friends, and tell me not to hold you back." "What?" She stopped to face him. He brought her closer, and led her hands all the way up his shoulders. "She knows me too well." Leaning in, he kissed her. "I never got the chance to say congrats." "Thanks, Full Moon. It was cool to do it." "It's the best feeling, especially the clapping afterwards. I played when I was younger. Eventually, but I did." He beamed proudly. "I bet." She laughed. "Wanna go over to my place? You can stay there if you don't have a place to go." "You're asking me to move in with you?" He raised an eyebrow. "Well... You said you lived at the theatre, right? So you don't have a place to go." "I have Eddie's house. It's tempting, Ash, but I... you know. It's not gonna end up well." "We might as well be roommates." She shrugged. "I'm the competitor who offered shelter to the manager when he lost his house." He raised his eyebrow. "I wake up super early." "Fine by me. And it's just until you find a place." She shrugged. "Then we see what we do." Buster shot her a gentle smile, and bowed to kiss her hands. "Thanks, love." It was a good 10 minute subway ride to Ash's apartment. Buster made a mental note to ask Eddie for some money to go clothes shopping, as every clothe he had was literally on his body. He carried Ash's guitar case, while she held his old guitar, striking the chords away and humming to herself. "You know… I respect you a lot more now." "Why's that?" "Because you carry this everywhere with you, and this half hour is killing me." The girl laughed. "Need help?" He shook his head, and winked. "Hey, I'm being a gentleman here." She laughed. "Alright. Say… who was that sheep you were talking to? Not Eddie, the other one? She seems familiar." "She's an actress, Nana Noodleman. I used to go to her shows when I was a kid." He said, enthusiastic. "She must be really old, then." Ash teased. "Few months over ninety." And the girl's eyes went wide, making him giggle. "And the good part is, she's rebuilding the theatre!" "Seriously?" "Yeah, and we're having a squid-powered stage! Just like the one who took us here." He chuckled lightly, tilting his head to kiss her, but quickly remembering they were in public. And that practically the entire city had seen the show, so them both were recognizable. His ears dropped slightly, and he sat straight. The gesture, however, wasn't unnoticed by Ash, who squeezed his hand. He smiled at her, and within minutes both were walking down the street to Ash's apartment. Getting closer to the building, they couldn't miss a porcupine sitting just outside of it, a single rose in hand. "Oh for god's- he has gotta be kidding me!" Buster shrugged. "Guess someone saw the show." She gave him an annoyed look. "What, did you think he'd never realize who he lost? You're amazing. And by what you told me, he craves for spotlight." Ash nodded. "He does." "Well, are you giving it to him? You know you're city-wide famous now." "After coming this far? Never." He smiled. "He never bothered believing I could do it. Listen…" She gave him her keys. "Second floor, as you know. I'll be there in a beat." Buster nodded. "Alright. If things get out of hand, just yell. Kicked him once… can kick him twice." Both laughed, as the other porcupine finally acknowledge their presence. He waved. "Hey, Ash." He eyed the koala, and Ash could swear he flinched just the slightest bit. "Moon." Buster walked up the steps, putting the key in the keyhole, before fixing the tuft of hair on top of his head. "It's Mr Moon for you, kid." He then turned it, but the doorknob wouldn't go. He twiddled with it a bit, Ash hardly suppressing a laugh at the scene in front of her. Fidgeting with the knob a bit, and finally getting it to turn, the koala looked back at her. "Got it!" And with that, he quickly went inside. She thanked heavens it was over, because she was about to burst out laughing anytime. She bit down on her lip to prevent her from doing so, and turned to her ex. "What do you want?" "Hello to you too." "What are you doing here, Lance?" "I brought you this." He extended the rose. Ash lifted a brow, and took it. "Thanks." "Can we talk?" "I'm not taking you back." "Oh come on babe! I told you it was a one day thing!" She lifted a finger in air. "If you're gonna start calling me 'babe', I'm just gonna leave." "Okay, sorry! But come on… can't you forgive me?" "I can forgive you, but I don't want you back! I didn't want you back when you dropped by the other day, I don't want you back now!" "But you do know it was a one day thing." "I have my doubts." "You were never around, I was just lonely." "I was never around? I was out late for two days working for us! We had a plan, Lance! If we won that money, we'd create a label, and the world'd hear your songs!" He tried speaking up, but Ash didn't let him. "Pipe down, I'm not done yet! Hardly a place in town wanted us; I always told myself that it was because no one understood you. I let you into my apartment after your parents kicked you out, I worked at a place I hated just so I could keep the two of us! Because you so generously just didn't last in a job!" "I don't always wake up with an alarm, you know that! Come on, Ash… I know I screwed up, but can't we start fresh?" "And after what I've done for you, you take your other one to our house? Seriously? And I didn't get to the good part yet. Above all… you never believed me. I always told you I wanted to write, and sing. You never helped, or even cared. All you did was say I wasn't good enough. But you know what? I am good enough. That I did today, I did on my own. Those claps were given to my work." "I know, and it was like… totally cool, Ash! We could make a duo again, you know? I sing some leads, you sing some other…" He risked. "Thanks, but no." Lance took a few steps forward, prompting her to move away. "Letting out the fact I'm never gonna find someone better than you!" She smiled. "Yeah you will, just like I did. And he's kinda waiting anyway, so… I see you around. Plus, I think you have your own problem to deal with." She pointed in a direction, and Lance turned to look, freezing in place. "This is where you came grocery shopping?!"

It's true, they left hate here.

(Anon won't be turned off on this blog because I know how much ya'll love dropping me anon requests XD)

Hello, Sing fandom

Temporarily logged back into tumblr for a PSA because I’ve been notified this has been happening in a bit of frequency.

To those writing fanfics, you may want to turn anon asks off for the foreseeable future. Recently, one anonymous individual has been leaving hateful, homophobic asks on a few fans’ blogs. Except he wasn’t so anonymous before.

I have reason to believe this guy goes by the name of “jacksonking” on furaffinity; he specifically created an account to harass one user with the same homophobic slurs. After confronting him for an extended amount of time, he pretty much went inactive because he quickly got scared of getting called out. I know fully well he moved on to anon hate on tumblr so he could escape consequences.

Since I believe he’s clearly trying to use anon asks to get away with harassment, I definitely recommend writers to turn it off for a while. This inactive fandom doesn’t need this coward.

(SING!) Story Not Told, Chapter 15 – Road to Acceptance

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9 (MATURE)

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Click here to read chapter 15:

"Ugh. She's not even that good." Becky stated, turning the TV off and tossing the remote onto the couch. Lance, who was watching her with mouth agape, shook his head. "Yeah, totally." He laughed. The girl left the room. Going over, he quickly grabbed the remote and turned the TV back on. Hell, Ash was rocking the crowd out! If only he was still with her, he'd be famous now. Soon his expression turned somber. If he had just hidden Becky for a few more days... "What have I done? A chance wasted!" He smacked the couch. "Babe? Who you're talking to?" "Uh... No one babes! Listen, I'm gonna grab us some food, be right back!" With that, he took off the hall, directed to his former girlfriend's place.

On the good side of town, two porcupines watched the live show, and couldn't believe their eyes. Besides them, a smaller porcupine cheered to the beat. "Sissy really rocks it!" "It ain't that bad, hearing it again." Michael looked over at his wife, who merely shrug. "It isn't. It doesn't talk about heavy themes, or even hint on them. Melody is kinda pleasing, maybe taking those horrifying drums away would do the magic." The patriarch stayed silent, watching the concert. "There's some things we can't change, right?" "The best we can do is support, Mike. Even if we brought her back, in one year she could leave to do whatever and we wouldn't be able to stop her." He sighed, and she hugged him. "I'm not happy with this. What, don't you think I rather have a lawyer for a daughter? I thought she'd be another one living in the streets and holding a 'will play for food' cardboard, but she can make a living out of this." He looked over at Marina. "And she's good at it!" Adam piped up, motioning as if he was playing the guitar. Matthew laughed softly at that. "The way to win her back is letting her be herself, right?" "Right." His wife nodded, smiling. "And you want to go there right now and talk to her, right?" "Smart boy! Car's ready?"

Back at the concert, Ash was done with her song, and slid on the floor during her last solo. Opening her eyes, she saw the crowd had taken shelter behind the chairs, and an amount of quills were poking out of seats, some others scattered on the ground. Sheepishly, she made her way back to the mic. "Uh... You guys okay?" She was surprised to see the crowd springing back to life, and cheering on her and her song. Not long after, Buster joined her onstage. "Look at that! We've just witnessed the birth of a genuine rockstar!" There were quills stuck on his face, and Ash pulled one of them out. "Moon, you got some stuck here..." "Ow!"

After the show, the contestants bid their farewell and went home to their families. All, in except for a certain koala and porcupine. While the koala spoke to two sheep, the porcupine was being praised by a friend. "Dude... That was like, totally awesome!" Tara was holding tight onto Ash, not seeming to mind her sharp quills. "And that last solo?! Daaaaaaamn! You were born to this, I can swear!" Ash looked over, and saw Buster talking to an elder sheep and Eddie. "I'm not some sort of rockstar, Tara." She laughed. "I did one public performance." "Then you're on your way there!" The girl let go of her friend. "Also... Your boyfriend there seemed to like it." She winked. "He was hyped by everyone's performance, it proves nothing. And... Want me to introduce you? He seems to be done with... Whatever was it that he was doing." Both sheep were leaving the theatre, and Buster jumped happily. "Lead the way, bud." Tara motioned ahead, and Ash walked her friend over to Buster. "Hey there, rockstar!" He quickly hugged her. "Who's your friend?" He said, looking at the slightly taller otter. "This is Tara. She's my friend who said you write like Orson Whales." "High praise. Thanks." He bowed and kissed the otter's hand. "And... She knows." He froze. "Oh. Uh..." He shifted a bit awkwardly. "Hey, I'm fine with it as long as you don't hurt her." She shrugged, laughing. "But if you do, I'll hurt you." "Wouldn't dream of it." Ash got closer to him, and he smiled and held her hand. "Good. Listen bud, I know I said I'd be here and everything but I kinda... Well, night shift at the studio. We're gonna try and record tonight, weather's just fine for the scene we're filming." "I knew you were leaving after the show." The porcupine laughed. "Good luck. Hug everyone there for me, and thanks for being here." "Wouldn't miss it for the world." Both girls hugged close, and the otter left the two lovers behind. "I'd invite you over to my house, but I don't have one. We could go out and eat something." Ash was about to reply, but looked ahead and saw another koala approaching them, being followed closely by three porcupines. "What is it?" He turned to see. "Laura?" "Mom and dad?" She whispered. Both exchanged a glance, and turned to their visitors. "Nice show you have here, Buster. Real smooth." "Laura, what the hell are you doing here?" "I just wanted to talk to you, but... In private." "I got nothing to say to you." "But I do." The other koala remained impassive. She sighed. "When you went to the Cove that night beat sense into Lance, I was the one who kept the guards away from you, you owe me this." "You kicked Lance's ass?" Ash turned to him, bewildered. He sheepishly shrugged. "Man, I wanted to see it! Anyone has it taped?" She looked at the other koala. Laura laughed. "Maybe the security cameras, dear. I can get you access in no time, allow me." Buster gave her a light stare, and she shot him a smirk. "Just trying to bond with your... Friend here." "You haven't changed the least bit." He sighed. "Okay. Backstage?" "Whatever floats your boat, Buster." "Alright. Be with you in a sec." The girl went ahead. Buster turned to his current girlfriend. "She's cool!" She smiled. "She's an ex-girlfriend of mine." Ash's smile faded. "She's also a cheater, like Lance there. That day I was just mad because of how he provoked you and everything, I tried to keep it cool but he started messing with my nerves, and... I'm sorry, I'm not usually violent. Just the way he spoke about you, it made me angry." "I don't mind you doing that, really, I've heard him talk dirt about me to some of his friends and never said a word. So thanks. But, your ex... Don't you think she will..?" She shrugged, clearly uncomfortable. "No! Hell no! Well, it wouldn't be mutual anyway. I'd stop her." She looked at his eyes trying to find any sign that he was lying. She wasn't sure about this, if Lance had so easily cheated on her when he had the chance, why wouldn't Buster? He had already kissed this girl anyway! What'd stop him from getting a taste? And then she realized. Buster wasn't Lance. He was the guy who told her not to get back to him because she'd end up heartbroken. He knew the pain of being cheated on, and wouldn't hurt her in that way, would he? "Ash?" "Don't cheat on me. Whatever you do, just don't..." Ignoring the porcupines right behind him, he gently hugged her. In a friendly manner, afraid that her parents would break them up right here. He gave her a tender smile. "I love you. And I wouldn't do that to you." He gently pecked her cheek. Ash smiled, melting into the hug. He wasn't Lance. They way they hugged was different. He felt different. Hell, even the hug felt different. It was warm, and cozy. He truly loved her, thing Lance had never done. "I love you too." Smiling to herself, she shot a glance at the three porcupines a bit ahead of them. Coming back to her senses, she quickly broke the hug. He looked at her confusedly. "My parents are here." She stated. "Go check what she wants while I handle this." "You're the best. Be right back." With that, he ran backstage. The porcupines approached, Adam quickly running up to his sister and pulling her into a tight hug. "You were great, sissy!" "Heh. Thanks, buddy." Ash couldn't stop looking at her parents, trying to decipher what they were thinking. Well, it was good while it lasted. They'd take her back in, to a life she hated, so she'd be the heir of a great fortune, and probably go to college to become a doctor. "Hey there..." "Hey, dear." Her mother said, approaching the girl. Her husband kept a distance. "We saw your... Show." Ash rolled her eyes. "And you're here to say it was terrible, and I'm not the girl you raised, and to take me back with you." Marina shook her head. "Doesn't sound that bad. I think this is your talent either I like it or not. The whole town seems to like it, soon you will make a living out of this." She shrugged. Ash was listening, dumbfounded. Who was this person and what had they done to her mother? "I accepted this was you a long time ago, Ash. I don't have to like it, or agree with it, this is how you're gonna be, period. And I wouldn't speak the truth if I didn't say we missed you." "A few days ago, we were just ready to take you back, don't fool yourself. Living in that joint." "You think I haven't noticed? You kept guard outside my apartment." The teenager rolled her eyes. "We do that because we worry about you, dear." "Well I don't need you to worry about me! I've been handling myself just fine since I left home!" Her mother lifted a hand in air. "After that... Night, two years ago, I thought you'd come running back. I thought you wouldn't make it, and would need our help. But you made this, and now you're city-wide famous, you'll soon get... Contracts? Is that what they're called?" The girl merely nodded. "And... Well, this is your life now. Plus, taking you back in would be of no use... Another year and you would leave and we'd just sit and watch." Michael came closer. "So what we're meaning to say is... We accept you. And congratulations, of course. I haven't seen anything like this since Crabdence came to town." "And it'd be nice if you just... Dropped by, eventually." "And stood away from drugs." Ash laughed. Of course. This was her parents she was talking about. "Hey I know they sound fun and the all but they're not, missy!" "I don't do drugs, dad. Never did, and don't plan on." "Good." Both elders said almost in unison, letting out a breath. "Don't be like those punks who die early because of a heroine overdose." Ash rolled her eyes. "I won't." Coming closer, Marina quickly pulled her into a hug. "I missed you, dear." "I missed you too." She looked up at her dad. Clearing his throat, he took a step forward. "Can you forgive me?" Ash perked a brow. "For?" "For... Doing that, the same night you left. I always thought that was what triggered you leave." "It was part of it." The patriarch looked down. "That, and you broke my guitar. And kicked my boyfriend out of the house. And made a scene at a party." "Hey, I'm not perfect!" The girl grinned, victoriously. "I just... Can't we put that behind us and start fresh?" "We can." She smiled. "It'd be nice if you dropped by one day, to have dinner." Marina spoke up. "Tara drops by eventually, between one shooting and another, it'd be a chance for you to hang. She's always tired, barely says a word, a friend of hers would do her some good." Ash chuckled lightly. "It's a ton of work, mom. There's a lot of people involved in the production." "I gave up trying to understand what was hard about you artists' life's a long while ago. I can't imagine that. To me, hard work is a pile of paperwork that has to be done." "Artists." She laughed, and turning to face her mom. "It's the first time you don't call them elements." The older woman cocked a brow. "Call you elements." The elder woman smirked. "You're one of them now, and no way in hell my daughter's an element." Ash looked back at her father. He was smiling. She rarely saw him smile. Smiling back, she motioned to both girls. He quickly embraced both his daughter and wife, staying like that for a long while. That was it. Finally. They didn't think of her as a failure anymore. Ash had her family back.

(SING!) Story Not Told, Chapter 14 – I Won't Back Down

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9 (MATURE)

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Click here to read chapter 14:

Buster stopped to admire the progress they had made. The main arch was up in all its glory, the theatre's signature moon had been put back together and was now waiting to be positioned in its spot. Meena and Eddie were adjusting the theatre's light system while some competitors trained. Running short of time, there was always someone practicing while the rest helped in the construction. He stopped in his tracks. Huh. There was something missing. Going backstage, he grabbed the portrait of the theatre's inauguration, and hanged it on the wall. "Perfect." The frame was broken, but he couldn't care less. One problem at a time. Not long after, he heard the sound of guitar strumming, and smacked his forehead. He quickly grabbed a nearby box, and dragged it to the back. "Ash, can you come here for a moment?" Ash quickly nodded and followed him backstage. Before she could say anything, he pulled her into a dark corner and kissed her. It took her a moment to react and kiss him back, but before that he had her pressed against a wall and his hands on her body. She shivered, and couldn't help but let out a low moan, and hope no one heard it. "Buster, literally everybody's out there." "No one's coming behind the scenario, silly." He chuckled. "We just gotta be quiet." "Where's this coming from?" "I thought you liked the surprise element." She laughed lightly at his remark, and leaned into his arms. "I do alright." Her lips found the nape of his neck, and nibbled on it gently. He huffed, and lifted her skirt slightly, smirking to himself. He had no idea where this was coming from, and it wasn't like him to be this straight-forward, but he liked it. Ash was surprised by this. Who would've thought Mr No-One-Can-Find-Out-About-Us would want that practically in public. She wrapped her arms around him, and quickly got his jacket off, then tugging on his bow tie, and pulling it loose. "I didn't know you had it in you." "You bring out this side of me." Careful not to lose his own balance or hers, Buster quickly scooped Ash into his arms, pressing her further against the wall. Heat was building up between the couple. "Buster!" A voice called from the other side of the wall. Both quickly broke the embrace and everything adjacent as Eddie looked at them from a small distance. He didn't seem to notice the porcupine, or at least he ignored her for the sake of his friend's privacy. "The hell you doing there man?!" "Uh... Checking if all lights are working! What are you doing?" "We're done with the stage lights, see if it's good! Most wires were destroyed, so we had to work with the ones we had. It's working, but... Come give it a final check, I don't know how it's supposed to look like!" "Be right there!" The sheep left, leaving the two animals. They exchanged a glance. "Next time, we're going somewhere more private." "Whatever works." Ash straightened her skirt up. "But don't lose that idea." She flashed him a smirk as she started redoing his bow tie. "I won't. But I'm kinda curious on how you know how to tie one of these." She was absorbed into her task. "I usually get it right on the third try." "Years of seeing my dad knotting this around his neck. Too tight?" He shook his head. She pulled on it. "Then we're all... Done." "Thanks." He gently brushed one of her loose quills. "Which reminds me why I asked you to come here in the first place." "I thought this was why." "Part of it." He winked, picking up a guitar case that was sitting there and resting it besides them. Ash looked at him, and cocked an eyebrow. He simply nodded and motioned to the box. "Found it on Eddie's house, I had no idea he was still keeping it." She proceeded to open it, and inside found a slightly worn-out black guitar. "It ain't a Stoatcaster, but it plays C's and G's." About that red speck there... That's on Marlon, you don't know him. We were trying to figure out a name for our band, and he grabbed the mold of a stain and spray-painted the guitar, the bass and the drums, and called us 'The Spots'." She cracked up laughing. "Yeah, okay." She looked back at him. "You're giving me your old guitar?" He merely smiled, and shrugged. "I don't play all that much anymore, figured it was time to give it to someone who'd make good use." She smiled and hugged him close, and he returned the gesture. "You like it?" "Like it? I love it! This is one of coolest things someone made for me." She gently pecked his lips. "Thanks. And you ain't the only one with something planned." "Please tell me it's a million dollar check." Both laughed at Buster's colocation. "Wouldn't if I had it, Full Moon." "Worth a shot." He shrugged, smiling. "Then what is it?" "You'll have to wait until the presentation." Horns broke the moment. "I gotta make a final check before we start." "You go first. I gotta tune this, and get your surprise ready." "Good luck out there, rockstar." He gave her a thumbs up. "Break your leg." He turned to look at her. "Not a theatrical play, but rule's the same." Picking it off the ground, Ash tossed his jacket to him. He quickly put it on, smiling at her, and ran to the aisles. God, he had really fallen head over heels for the porcupine.

"All creatures great and small!" Laughter could be heard from the public's area, and Buster turned to face them. "Oh, there you are!" Besides Rosita and Meena's families, there weren't many animals on the improvised seats they had put up. He failed to notice another koala seating on the other side of the theatre, just watching him. Of course, Laura would much rather sit closer to the stage, even to see the show better. But judging by the way Buster had reacted the other time they saw each other, she figured it'd be better to wait until more animals arrived. She'd blend in. She thought he'd be a mess after the downfall of his theatre, but he seemed happy. Joyful, even, as he introduced his amateur performers. Clock ticking away, more animals sat on the front row, and she joined them. She was surprised by the talents she saw there, as well as the hell of a host Buster seemed to be. Breaking up so many years prior, she never got to watch one of his shows, and she had to admit: This was a great way to start. Back to reality, one particular introduction caught her eye... "Alright, welcome to you all newcomers! You have arrived just in time to see a girl who was just recently dumped by her boyfriend!" The crowd went 'aww', while Laura merely laughed. That was so Buster. He hadn't changed much. "Yeah, I know right? But she is going to chase those blues away with a song of her own! Allow me to introduce the new singing sensation, Ash!" Said 'singing sensation' got on stage, wearing combat boots, a bulky sparkly dress and heart sunglasses. Buster couldn't believe his eyes, and the smirk Ash shot him said it all. This was his surprise, and good lord, he loved it. He was dumbfounded by her as she went over to the mic, but soon opened a wide smile at the girl. Laura raised an eyebrow at that, noticing the really familiar guitar she held. Buster went to the aisle, and waited for her presentation. She looked amazing. It wasn't long until a shadow lurked over him, and he turned to see it. "Judith?!" The llama was holding Ash's guitar's wire in one hand, and addressed the huge crowd that was now watching the show. "You all are trespassing private property, and have to leave now." "What?! Wait, Judith-" Buster tried smooth-talking the bank employee like in the good old days, but to no avail. She, instead, pointed the cord at him. "All of you!" The crowd started protesting, with words for the llama to leave. Ash saw all the commotion around her. No. I haven't come this far for nothing.Ignoring the llama, she started stomping her foot on the ground. The public soon clapped along to the sound, and that was it. She had a beat. "I followed my heart into the fire, got burned and got broken, down by desire, I tried, I tried, but the smoke in my eyes, left me blurry... Blurry and blind!" She tossed her glasses to the animals in front of her, who started cheering. The glasses Becky wore on that night a few days ago. She smiled halfway into her song. That was it; the last thing she had that reminded her of Lance was gone. Buster watched as she led the crowd into clapping along with her song, and then it struck him. That was what he loved about her. Her determination. It would take way more than a cranky llama to stop her from playing. Determination much like his own, he figured. Astounded, he watched her performance. "I am calling the police!" Judith stated, leaving the aisle. Buster looked at Eddie, and shrugged. Ash felt a tug on her guitar, and looked at the two friends. Saluting, as if congratulating her, he plugged the cord back, and soon the porcupine started rocking the crowd out.

(SING!) Story Not Told, Chapter 13 – Let's Face the Music and Dance

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9 (MATURE)

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Click here to read chapter 13:

"Pick up!" Ash was starting to get worried. According to Miss Crawly, Buster was not doing okay after the whole theatre collapse, and the fact all papers in town were talking about him didn't help. And now, he wasn't answering her calls. In front of her, Tara laid out fresh orange juice and pancakes. "Dude, chill. If he's like that old lady said, he's still sleeping now, and that's good." "Buster doesn't sleep in, Tara. I've never seen someone so energetic." "Maybe he's busy, then." Ash tossed her phone to the coffee table. "At what time she told you to be there?" "An hour from now." She rested back, rubbing her forehead. "There we go, see? Just another hour until you see how good he's doing." The other girl looked at her with a disbelieving look. "Or not! The guy might as well be a wreck. I'm just saying you shouldn't stress out that much, it isn't healthy. Just chill, eat your pancakes while they're still warm- I got an extra set of keys here." She flipped a small keychain to her friend. "Take them with you, as I know you won't crash in boyfriend's friend's house. I'll probably be out late today." She rested back on the couch, folding her arms behind her head and closing her eyes. Ash smiled as she examined the small key holder. An old-fashioned camera, with the word 'Cinema' crafted on the back. A graduation present, she figured. "You love, live, and breath movies, don't you?" "Well, well, well, seems we got a Sherlock Hamster around here." Both girls shared a laugh. Ash quickly got back to thinking. "How would you feel if you saw your studio crashing right in front of you?" The other girl popped an eye open. "Along with everything you worked so hard to build, all your equipment… How would you feel?" "Maybe how Moon feels right now. Unmotivated and plain… I don't know, depressed? That'd be a good word for it." Ash took another bite of her pancakes, listening intently to her friend. "But I'd end up putting myself together. We all do. Take you, for example. You put yourself together after that piece of scum you dated before Buster. It was hard? Yes, but you did it. And so will he." She sighed. He had picked himself up from his problems in the past. "Yeah… I guess you're right." "I know I am. So relax. And lock the door when you leave." She rested a towel upon her head. "I'm gonna try and sleep another hour." "Wanna turn the TV off?" "Don't bother. I like the sound." She yawned. "Sleep tight." Ash went back to eating. It was a good 15 minutes subway ride to the theatre. Walking towards the sink, she started doing the dishes. "Hey, don't you wanna move in? I got a spare room and hate doing the dishes." Both laughed. "I thought you were asleep." "Getting there." She turned over on the couch. Ash shook her head, and resumed the task. Not long after, she patiently waited for the subway to arrive. She was running late, the dishes had taken a bit longer than she expected. She braced herself to what she might see. The possibility of putting together another show so remote, she didn't bother taking her guitar along. A few minutes passed, the subway arrived and Ash hopped in, humming to songs along the way. As she expected, Buster's hideout was the same house from the day before, but now it looked more like a bomb shelter. All blinds were closed, and there was a weird feeling in the air. "Ash, over here." Miss Crawly whispered, and motioned for her to come over. All faces from the competition, in expect for one annoying mouse's, were near the house. They all waved at her. "You all know why we're here, I was just expecting this last one." "How exactly are we gonna do this?" Meena said. "I mean… Happy go lucky Mr Moon, if he's down enough not to put the competition up…" "I've known Mr Moon since he was this tall." She held her hand out not farther from the koala's current height. "Not a big difference, I know." The cast laughed. "He just needs a little push. You want this competition to sing with your hearts, and not for money or fame. The one who did it for those reasons didn't bother coming here." "So let's get going! It's going to be spicy, no?" Gunter, the most cheery of the competitors, said. The five laughed at the pig. He had a way to lighten people's moods. "Yeah, we gotta do this, I left the garage with no one there." "It won't take long, Johnny. Don't worry. Let's go." The group followed the seemingly ancient lizard. Ash was growing anxious by the minute. Miss Crawly knocked on the door. "Mr Moon?" No answer. Ash took a step forward. "Come on Moon! You can't just hide in your buddy's pool house!" "Yeah, we just wanted to make sure you're alright, that's all." Rosita added. Buster went to the door, and slowly pulled it open, not once facing his cast. He looked devastated. Ash looked at him worriedly, and wanted to hug him, but stopped herself. Taking a peek inside, she saw the same sheep from the other night snoring away in the couch, and briefly wondered how the conversation between him and Buster had went the past night. "Hey, Mr Moon." The pig mom said, worriedly. "You okay?" Johnny asked, taking a quick peek inside. Not once looking up, the koala started to stutter, embarrassed by what he'd pulled. "Guys, I'm sorry about what happened, and the prize money and-" "Oh, it's okay." Rosita assured. "No. None of this is okay." He quickly interrupted. Ash spoke up. "At least we're all in one piece." "Yeah, and you know what, I bet we can find some other place to put the show on. Right?" Rosita reassured. The cast agreed. Buster smiled sadly. "The show? Guys… I'm done." "Are you serious?" "What do you mean you're done? Come on!" Lifting a hand up, he quickly scooted a newspaper from the ground, reading it out loud. "Didn't you see this? Huh? It says I'm a danger to society-" Gunter interrupted him, and he lift his hand higher. "A deluded, washed-up charlatan who never had a hit in his career." He bowed his head. Ash's heart broke for him. He believed every and each of those words. Much like herself had believed Lance's. She, however, proved him wrong, and was going to make sure Buster proved them wrong. "You don't believe all this!" Rosita said, bewildered. "Yes, I do." He went to close the door, when Johnny stopped him. "Listen. You're not the only one who lost something 'ere. We all did. I mean, I lost any chance of ever speaking to my dad again over this show-" "I'm sorry." He tugged on the door, finally shutting it. The cast exchanged glances. Whilst Gunter was plain confused, all other cast members were upset. Even Miss Crawly held a sad frown on her face. But it was mostly Ash, hands up. "Come on, let's get outta here." She wasn't going to give up without a fight, but just going inside the pool house would raise suspicion. Bidding goodbye, the cast started to scatter. Meena, however, stood her ground and Ash could make out her trying to persuade Moon to put the show together. At this point, she was just outside hoping the elephant'd leave soon, and when she did, the rocker went ahead and opened the door. Buster was laying down on his inflatable mattress and had his eyes shut tightly. She merely rested against the door, hoping he'd address her. When he didn't, she spoke up. "Yesterday, you were just ready to talk, and now you don't even pick up my calls." He looked at her. "I don't even know where my phone is." "Did you drink?" He shook his head. "Then it's probably in your jacket." She took a seat in front of him. "Ash, I'm not gonna put the show together." "Yes you will. This is just the moment speaking." "I'm not! Ash, I'm tired! I'm-!" She jerked back at his outburst, and he calmed himself down seeing his friend move in the couch. "Tired of all this! I've been trying to save the place for six years! I'm not putting the show back together! I don't-" He took a deep breath. "I don't want to. I thought I could handle it, I thought I could make the theatre a place of wonder and magic, but I don't have what it takes." Of course you do, you big idiot. Regaining her composure, she moved closer to him. "Does you friend know? About… Us?" Buster looked at her confusedly. "Yeah, he does. I told him." "Good. Then it's fine if he catches us doing this." Thrusting her lips onto his', she pushed him back on the bed. He returned the kiss just as intensely. It was an urgent kiss. Both were holding tight onto whichever they could grab hold of, that being either fur or clothing pieces. Ash straddled him, slipping his arms to her waist, while bringing her hands up his neck and the back of his head. They parted lips with a wet sound, both breathless and smiling. "Wow… The last time I was kissed like this, I was a teenager myself." Both laughed lightly at the colocation. "The good part of dating one, you get kisses like this." "I'm still not doing it." "Fine by me. It just seemed like you needed one of these." "I really did. Thank you." She kissed all the way down his jaw to the base of his neck. He shuddered, letting out a small gasp, and bringing her yet closer to him. She cradled him in her arms, smiling seeing him lean into the hug. "Ash, if you knew how much I love you…" "I love you just as much. And that's why I don't want you to sit down in an airbed all day listening to people call you a failure." She turned to face him, his eyes were half shut. "Come on, get up. Do anything! Just don't… Sit around." "May as well get a job." He chuckled lightly. "Or do that. Do you want help finding a job?" "No… I know exactly what I'll do." "Want help doing that?" She traced up one of his arms. He shook his head. "I don't want to destroy the image you have of me. Don't say anything." She held her hands up in surrender. "Thanks. I just gotta… Get some stuff before I start. It won't take long." She nodded, and got off his lap. "You're gonna be okay on your own?" "Yeah I will. Don't worry about me." He sat up, and slid his pants on. "Maybe… We can hang out tonight. Just you and me. We can grab a couple sandwiches and just sit outside, maybe go swimming a little." Tugging on his pants' pocket, he pulled out his phone. "Promise to answer if you call." She laughed lightly. "If I'm feeling better… I'll call you later, when I'm done." Ash nodded, and went to the door. "Are you sure you don't need help?" "Yeah, I should be fine." Walking up to her, Buster planted a sweet kiss on her lips. "I see you tonight." "I see you." And with that, she started walking ahead. She knew he wasn't gonna call. And also didn't miss the moment he grabbed hold of his father's old car-washing bucket. She could only imagine: A slightly-older-than-in-the-pictures Buster polishing cars and throwing water bucket after water bucket in windshields. She laughed lightly at the picture, until realizing what it meant. She turned back, and faced him before he could close the door. He quickly dropped the bucket, like he didn't know why he had grabbed it in the first place. She looked into his eyes. "Remember a few days ago, when I thought I couldn't write a good song and the one original I had got sucked?" He looked up reflectively, and nodded. "You kept saying how good I was and how I could do it. And I ended up putting a song together, that original doesn't sound as bad. I don't care how many times you say you can't put the show together, I will always tell you you can. And when you do it… You'll be surprised at your own result." He laughed sadly. "You have what it takes. I don't." "Funny you say that." Taking a step ahead of him, she picked up the bucket. "Because I used to tell myself the same thing. Until you came along. Funny, right? Good luck in your car wash." She handed him the metal piece, and left. Buster pondered over her words for a little while, until he realized. She had him dumbfounded with her words. That, whoever, wasn't enough to make the koala reconsider. Calling up his doddering assistant, he resumed his plans of re-opening his father's old open air car wash. Arriving at Tara's place, Ash looked around. The crazy otter wasn't back yet, and that meant she had the house to herself for a few hours. She took that time to clean up, (She could swear her friend hadn't cleaned the place up in months) listen to songs, watch some TV and even going to the market. Knowing her parents, she figured she'd have to stay for a while at Tara's house, and of course she was going to help with the shopping. Mainly because the house didn't have anything edible. She looked up at the clock. Nine into the night. She plopped herself onto the couch, and proceeded to watch whichever crap was on TV, carefully avoiding any news program. She started getting drowsy, and fell into peaceful sleep. The following morning, her phone started ringing. She woke up in a jolt, and saw she had covers upon herself, probably laid there by her friend. Ash moved over to grab the phone, smiling as she saw the number. "Hey there, Full Moon. What's up?" She yawned, still half-awake. A situation that'd change the second he said those words. She excitedly kicked the covers off. "You are what?!"

(SING!) Story Not Told, chapter 12 – Tears in Heaven

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9 (MATURE)

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Click here to read chapter 12:

"No! I mean... Yes, he's in there and not coming out. I've tried that! That also. You're what? No, not today. At least let the guy get a good night of sleep before that. Knowing him, he'll be up first thing in the morning. Okay. Go ahead, I'll just... Keep trying. Thanks." Eddie was whispering into the speaker, then turning his attention to the door in front of him. "Buster, you can't hide in there forever!" He knocked for the, he figured, billionth time. "Open up!" He could make out soft cries and sobs on the other side. The knob turned to reveal the theatre owner. Buster was a mess, and felt like such. Sniffing, he looked up at the much taller sheep. "Yes?" "I ordered pizza." "I'm not hungry, Eddie." He forced himself to smile at his friend. It was not his fault he had destroyed the theatre and was now headline news, right? "But thanks." "Okay, forget the pizza. Wanna play something?" "Nah, I'm good… I think I'm gonna call it a day." He rested down on an inflatable bed, and looked up at the TV. Citizens are shocked, and it's a miracle anyone survived this great disaster. Whilst Moon has not been found to give interview, sources say- Eddie quickly grabbed the remote, and turned the TV off. "You don't have to listen to this, you're beating yourself up as it is." He sat near his friend. "I deserve it." He chuckled sadly. "Let alone destroying the theatre, Eddie, I could've killed everyone. I deserve everything they're saying." "You could've gotten yourself killed back there, that occurred to you?" He froze for a second, thinking about his girlfriend. He could be the biggest loser he knew, but someone saw something in him. Ash wanted to be near him, a fraud or not. And she would've been sad if he had died, or so he figured. "Now it did." "So don't beat yourself up too hard over this." He flopped onto the couch. "Anyways… That girl that was here today?" Buster's ears perked up. "What about her?" "I've never seen you so comfortable around a girl before." The sheep laughed. "Well…" He pulled the sheets over himself. "Can't be all awkward around the cast, right?" "Except for she's not cast anymore. She was here with no competition up." Good god. The koala definitely didn't like where this was heading. "Yes?" "Dude… You like her or something?" He shrugged. "Maybe." Eddie looked at him intently. "Okay, we're together." "That's awesome news, man! Congrats!" "Thanks." He smiled. "How long?" "A couple days." "While the competition was still up?" He raised a brow. "Hey, if it was for that she wouldn't come here." Buster sighed. The same assumption Lance had made, and it was enough to make his stomach turn. He knew her, Ash wouldn't go that low. "True." He yawned. "Good night, Buster." "Night, Eddie."

Ash walked towards her apartment. That had been a busy day. The whole theatre coming crashing down aside, she had been walking for a good hour before finally catching sight of the NYC suburb-styled building she lived at. However, that wasn't the only thing she got a glimpse of. "Oh no…" She hid in a bush just on the other street, and peaked her head out. "Come on, why are you doing this to me?" Just outside the door, sat her mother and father. "You never cared before, you never- Goddamn it…" No way in hell she was going to face her parents. Turning around, she silently prayed they hadn't spotted her as she walked in another direction. Tara was laying down at the couch, re-watching Two and a Half Moose, and laughing to herself at the stupidest things said by the characters. After a tiring day directing many crew members around a set, she gave herself a marathon of her favorite series as a reward. She loved directing, but couldn't deny it was a ton of work. Holding onto a bucket of popcorn, she slowly drifted into sleep. Between an episode and another, the doorbell rang, and she woke up in a jolt, dripping popcorn all over the place, and falling over it. The doorbell rang again, and she stumbled her way over to the door. "Who is it?!" She asked, distressed. "It's Ash! I kinda… Need a place to stay. My parents are keeping guard at my house." Tara quickly opened the door. "I'm sorry, okay? They put me against the wall, your brother said we had seen you, and-" "Whoa there!" Ash laughed. "I'm not complaining, Tara. Actually I kinda expected that to happen, I knew he wasn't going to keep secret. I just need to crash somewhere and well… You're the one friend I've got that won't smoke weed through the night." "Oh. Uh… Get in." She stepped aside. "Thanks." Getting inside, the rocker rested her guitar case by the door, quickly noticing the mess in front of the TV. She burst out laughing. "What happened here?" "You happened here." Tara smirked. "I was watching TV, eating some popcorn, and fell asleep." "I told you many times you gotta learn how to sleep in a bed." She said, plopping herself onto the couch. "I will soon, mom." The otter shot back. "Wanna watch something?" "Whatever you are watching." "Fox is having a Two and a Half Moose marathon." "Two and a Half Moose it is." "Great." Tara flopped herself onto the couch. "If you're hungry, there's popcorn all around." "Pass." In-between episodes, breaking news showed the destroyed theatre. Tara looked at her. "Well, this happened." "Damn! Moon put a massive tank in there?!" "Moon built a massive tank in there. Using practically anything he could find that was made of glass." Tara's jaw dropped. "Are you okay? I mean… Your chance to perform your original and all." "Yeah, I'm good. I talked to Buster, about putting the show together again, he told me to call him tomorrow." Tara laughed. "He gave you his number?" "No, we are going use telepathy." Tara laughed. "You moron." "He just wanted you to call him." She winked. "You think he has a crush on me, don't you?" "First praising your talent, then the song, and now he asks you to call him? Pretty sure he does." "A bit old for me, don't you think?" "As long as he makes you happy." Ash raised an eyebrow at her friend, smirking. "Wait, no way!" "Yes, we are." "Tell me how it happened!" "We were at the theatre, and kissed. No big deal." The otter was listening expectantly. "The tank who caused all this? He got squids to perform there. Yesterday, he took me there and showed what he had planned, and we kissed." "Was it good?" Tara was holding onto a cushion. "It was great. We kissed and, well… You know. Everything happened fast, but it was nice." The other girl held a hand up. "He took you to bed with him?" "More like I took him to bed with me." Ash laughed. "Straight-forward. Was it good?" The teenager nodded. "Great." Both girls turned to the TV in time to see the adjectives that were being thrown at Buster, and Ash could only hope he wasn't watching the news. She was almost asleep when her phone rang, startling both girls. Groggily, she picked up the phone. "Hello?" She yawned and rubbed her eyes, suddenly jolting awake. "Oh hey, Miss Crawly."

On the other side of town, Lance finished another gig with his current girlfriend Becky. House wasn't full, but they had gotten a decent amount of claps. Offstage, they shared a drink. Performing mostly in bars, it was more than usual for them to get one or two shots on the house. It was also around this time that the only folks you could find around were drunk animals singing karaoke, band members chilling out, or stoners from around town. "Well done, babes." "Thanks. You feeling better?" "Getting there." He rubbed ice along his bruised arm. "I swear, I was this close to kicking his ass." Before Becky could reply, a female voice laughed right behind them. "Sure you were." "Don't you have a better place to be, Laura?" Lance replied, annoyed. "My shift's over, I'm just another employee enjoying a drink." "Go defend your boyfriend someplace else." "He hates me just as much as he hates you, Lance. Know why? We're both cheaters. And you know you deserved it, talking about that girl like that." "Did you eavesdrop on us?" "More like heard it on accident." Becky stared at her. Laura merely smirked as she took another sip of her margarita. "You teenagers shift emotions towards someone so fast… And when you look back you see you made a mistake." "If you start talking like a wise old lady I'm gonna throw up." The other girl snickered. The three of them laughed. "I'm not that old, and I don't have to be the wise lady. Time will teach you, Lance. Breaking other's hearts isn't cool." "Why don't you go bother another cheater?" "I don't know another cheater." Laura laughed, as she rested a couple $5 bills on the counter. "Gonna get in line for karaoke." "Don't blow our ears up!" Becky mocked, and both porcupines laughed. "I'm not worse than the two of you, don't worry." She walked away. The two lovers, in lack of a better program, proceeded to listen to Laura's singing. They would never tell her, but she had just a fine voice, and pulled Ewe Clapton's Tears in Heaven just fine. Not too long after, one of the TV's in the bar started showing news from the incident at the Moon Theatre. Becky quickly turned to the bartender. "Hey, put that up please? Lance, look!" Both of them turned just in time to see the site the theatre used to occupy destroyed, chairs and bricks everywhere. Lance's jaw dropped, and he soon replaced it with a smirk. "Suits the koala just fine." He laughed. "A handmade fish tank? Seriously? He thought that was gonna work? And to think Ash traded me for that idiot." "I know, right?" Giggling, Becky got off of her chair and motioned for Laura to look at the TV. The koala got distracted for a second and, upon finishing her song, ran to the counter. "Good lord…" She couldn't help but remember all times Buster had told her about the theatre, how much he loved directing and how close him and his dad were of buying it. The times he worked at the car wash after school, sometimes even missing their dates, to clean a couple more cars. All for that place. And there it was: his beloved theatre reduced to ashes. "Hey, you know what? Now that the guy's probably curled on himself crying, might just be the best time to win him back." Laura stared up at the porcupine. "Come on, don't be mad, I just want to reunite the lovebirds." Lance moved closer, and started messing with her ears. They twitched. Without another word, she kicked his chair, and the much younger male fell face first on the ground. "Might as well tell Buster he doesn't have to fix your buck teeth anymore."

(SING!) Story Not Told, chapter 11 – Then She Appeared

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9 (MATURE)

Chapter 10

Click here to read chapter 11:

Ash went over the broken ceramic and plaster pieces trying to find her guitar case. There was no way in hell she was going to use that dress for another second, the competition being called off so suddenly. Finally grabbing the case, she inspected it. Minor scratches around the thick oak wood around it, but at least her clothes were not ripped and somewhat dry. She looked back. Buster was still where his beloved theatre used to be. She directed herself to one of the stores nearby to get changed. Upon her return, the koala's doddering assistant had left, and he was looking for something in the middle of the debris. "Want help?" His ears perked up, but he didn't turn to face her. Kneeling down, she started going over many broken items with him. "What are we looking for?" "Ash…" "What are we looking for?" "A portrait. The one you saw, hanging on the wall." His voice was low and teary. Of course. What was the one thing he loved more than theatre? "Got it." She dug deeper into the mess. "Ash, about the prize money, I didn't-" "Let's find your thing, and talk afterwards." Buster knew better than to argue with her. Silently, both went over the mess, until finally finding said portrait. "There we go." "Thanks." He dusted his hands off, and helped her up. She nodded. "Don't mention it." She closed the distance between them. "Look at me." He faced her. She promptly threw her arms around him, hugging him tight. "I'm sorry…" His voice was faltering, and he held her back. "I'm so sorry… I didn't mean for this to- It was a mistake, a big mistake." He fell to his knees, bringing the porcupine along. Soon he was sobbing, and blabbering things she couldn't quite make out. "I'm not mad at you, I just wanna know what happened." His breathing went a tad bit steadier. She breathed on his neck, making the koala shiver. "Tell me what happened." "The flier should say $1,000, not $100,000. Miss Crawly added a couple more zeros by accident." "Why didn't you tell us?" He scoffed. "Would you have stayed in the competition to win that symbolic value?" She went silent. "That's what I thought. I played along with it, and tried getting the money with Nana, but this-" The words got clogged in his throat. "This happened." "Where are you staying?" "I'll find a place." "You can stay with me." "Listen, Ash, why don't you just…" He sighed. She froze, and hoped he wasn't about to say what she thought he was. "Go back to your house, to the life you had before all this, and-?" "No!" "Ash you deserve better than this! I have nothing to offer!" He came closer to her, and gently held her shoulders. "This is my fault, okay? We shouldn't have, I shouldn't have, this was all a mistake. I'm sorry, I can't do this…" "You're giving up on us because of what happened here?!" "We weren't meant to happen!" Her heart was shattered inside her chest. He started walking ahead. "Let's just… Move on." Her sadness boiled into anger. Grabbing her guitar case, she exited the site, shooting him a last glance. Had all that been for nothing? Those kisses, those cuddles, that show? She had been walking for a good five minutes when a familiar sound caught her ears. Hell, she knew that voice like the back of her hand. Lance. Turning at a corner, she spotted him. Better, she spotted them. Lance and Becky. Performing a gig. Staring lovingly into one another's eyes. She turned around, devastated. She walked a few more steps before coming to a halt. No. He didn't mean anything he had said. He was upset because of what happen to his theatre, right? He did love her. He had said so himself! He did all he could to keep their relationship a secret, just so they wouldn't be separated. He was just broken. He didn't mean anything he had said. Right? Without a second thought, Ash turned and ran back to the place that used to be a theatre. If he was broken, she was going to put his freaking pieces back together, whether he liked it or not.

Buster sat on a broken chair. He knew that by now both the bank and the police were on their way there. He breathed out heavily, and couldn't help but think of Ash. Poor girl had been dumped twice in a row. He loved her with all he had got. He knew he had broken her heart, and felt terrible about it. But it was for the best, right? She was going to find some other guy, closer to her age, and be happy with him. Some guy who wasn't middle aged, had a crippling debt with the bank and wasn't sitting in a pile of rubbish thinking over his decisions. And who hadn't almost drowned his theatre's cast, in the first place. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he missed the llama going right past him, and only woke from his trance when he heard hammering. Looking to his left, he saw the bank employee putting up a sign in the debris. Property of SFJ Bank. That was it. Besides his father's loyal bucket and the portrait of the theatre's grand opening, he had nothing. Grabbing both items, he proceeded to exit the place, shooting the llama a last glance. She held a frown that could melt iron. He crossed the street, directed to his childhood friend Eddie's house. He failed to notice a porcupine following him, trying her best not to be seen. He walked a good four blocks before stopping outside a house, and circulating it. Ash not once losing his track, despite carrying a heavy guitar case along the way. She figured it'd be better to keep a distance now, and hid behind a tree. Buster went into, she figured, a pool house and rested his belongings by the door. It was strange seeing him like this, him usually being so cheery and happy. Not too long after, he came out of the place and rested upon a sun lounger. Ash silently approached him, cautious of his hearing capacity. Buster had his eyes shut tightly, and seemed to be a mess. His suit was creased and his tie was unaligned. Taking a seat by his side, she realigned his tie. The sudden touch scared him. "A-Ash? What are you doing here?" He tried to sit up, but was held back. "Take off your shirt, you're gonna get sick." She undid the tie, and tossed it to the ground. "What are you- Hey!" She pulled him into a sitting position, and started undoing the buttons of his shirt. Done, she took it off. "Just watching out for you." She grinned. "Besides, that's a nice look." "Ash, what… What did we talk about?" "We didn't talk about anything, all I did was listen to you." "I explained everything to you, to why I am doing-" She tried kissing him, but he moved away. "I love you, and that's why I care about you. You're gonna find someone, someone you don't have to be secretly dating, a younger guy. This, us, it's not going to work out." "We'll make it work out." She held his face, and gently pecked his lips. He shut his eyes. "We'll work this out together." "Ash…" She wrapped her arms around him, and rested her face on his chest. "I'm soaked wet." "I don't mind." She started running her fingertips along his exposed area. "There is one other thing I want to talk to you about." "What's that?" "About the show." "What show?" He chuckled sadly. "The show we would've put up if it hadn't been for those bears." "Ash, it's over. We don't have a stage anymore." "We can find one." "It's over. No one is going to participate without the prize." "You don't know that." He shot her a disbelief look. "Come on, where is the glass-half-full Buster I know and love?" He laughed a little. "Back there at those debris." "Come on…" "Ash I'm not going to put any show together, none of them ever worked out." "My movie director friend likes your shows. She says you write like Orson Whales." He gave a heartfelt laugh. "Tell your friend she's too kind." "Come on, Buster, you don't even wanna try?" He shot her a sad grin. "What will it take for you to try?" "I've been trying for 6 years, Ash. I destroyed a historical theatre." He turned away. "Literally." She hugged him from behind, and he held her arms around him. "Thanks." Ash kissed the nape of his neck, and he curled up. She laughed. He had to be the cutest thing she'd ever seen. "What?" "You. You're funny." She held him closer against her. He smiled. He liked the sound of her laughter. "I get the shivers when someone pokes back there." He chuckled. "It's a weird reflex I got." "It's funny." He smiled a little. Ash racked her brain for a plan. He didn't seem to be willing to put the contest together no more, and her strategies to get to him were failing. The sun was setting. Buster turned to see it, and brought her closer to him. She flashed him a smile, and hugged him. Silently, both watched the sun's descent. "You know… When I was younger, me and my dad used to go to the hills and play counting stars. We'd close the car wash early, take the car, throw a couple sandwiches in it for us to eat when it got dark, and leave. It was an hour-long ride, far from all city light, but it was worth it." He talked dreamily about the moment. "We'd lay down and talk, and watch the sunset… Then count stars. It was great." "What did you talk about?" "Nothing important." He sighed. "Let's see… Shows that were coming to town, movies, recent discovers in astronomy… How good we were doing at the car wash…" He laughed. "Miss Crawly. Good god, my dad could talk for hours about the things she pulled. She worked at the car wash, and was pretty energetic back then." He smiled to himself. "And she loved pulling pranks on my dad, time to time. I'd help her, of course. And it was funny. She was kind of a second mother to me." "What happened to your mom?" "Died giving birth. All along it was just my dad and me, and he tried to pretend everything was okay, but he missed her a lot. I know he did. Maybe as much as I miss him now." He seemed lost in his thoughts. "You know, this one time? He told me my last name was Moon because mom had went to live with the moon when she was having me. That always got to me. I liked believing that. To my… What? 7, 8 year old self? It was special. Like our names were related to our story." He looked down at his hands. "What about you? I know the start, but I don't know how it ended." "Believe me, you don't wanna hear about my family." He shot her a small smirk. "Can I take a wild guess?" "Go ahead." "Your parents are strict. The kind that wants their kids to get great grades and sing at the church choir." She started laughing. "A rebel like you, you ran away, that's what you told me, how close am I to truth?" "Close enough." "Come on, tell me." He nudged her gently. "There's not much to it… It's the typical story, strict parents who don't support their kid, the kid runs away, yadda yadda yadda." "Did you run off with someone?" She lifted an eyebrow, and he put his hands up. "Hey, just curious." "Not at the time. I mean… I had someone, but my parents made sure to ruin that as well." "They chased him off or something?" "They kicked him out of the house. We were performing, me and him. They found the show house god knows how. They went in and dragged both of us back home. My dad, he threatened Michael and, well… Kicked my ass. I ran off that same night, just off impulse I think. I had thought about it before, but that was the cherry in the cake. I grabbed a bunch of junk and climbed down the window." "I would've helped you down. I can't imagine how suffocating strict parents must be." "Well… Suffocating enough for us to be here today." She smiled at him. "So I guess it wasn't a bad thing after all." He took her hands, and swooped her in for a sweet kiss. Ash sat on top of him, and held him close. Parting lips, she got off of him. "I think I got a nickname for you." "And what's that?" "Full Moon. Fitting, uh?" He laughed. "Buster?" Both turned to find a tall sheep right behind them. "Hey, Eddie." Buster quickly got off the chair, and cleared his throat. "Uh, Ash, this is Eddie, my friend. Eddie, this is Ash. She is-" He stopped himself, and took a deep breath. "She was one of the competitors back at the theatre." He approached the couple, lifting his hand to meet Ash's. "Nice to meet you." "Same." The sheep looked anxious about something, so she proceeded. "I was just kinda… Leaving, now. Just came here to check on him." "Yeah." Buster added. "I'm just gonna walk her out and we talk, buddy." Picking up her guitar case, he gave Eddie a thumbs up before following Ash out of the place. "Chances are he didn't see anything, but if he did I'll deny it vehemently. Okay?" "Okay, but Buster… About the show-" "We will have to talk later about this, just call me tomorrow. You have my number, just call me okay?" He pecked her lips and ran back to the pool house. "Eddie. What's up?" The sheep turned the TV on. "You tell me."

(SING!) Story Not Told, chapter 10 – Guess Things Happen That Way

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9 (MATURE)

Click here to read chapter 10:

Sunlight filled the main Moon Theatre office. It was a beautiful day, the town hardly awake, morning breeze blowing. Buster, who rose with the sun, turned off his alarm clock and laid down in bed with his now-girlfriend Ash. He looked up at the time. They still had some time before everyone arrived. He hugged her close, and in her sleep, she returned the gesture. He smiled and gently nuzzled her cheek. "Good morning, sunshine…" She tried turning to the other side, but he held her. "Time to get up…" He singsonged. "Let me sleep…" He gently pecked down her neck. She shivered. "S-Stop…" "After you kiss me." Ash lazily pecked his lips. "Much better. Not a morning person?" He laughed softly. "Not a before-dawn person." "Not even to cuddle with someone?" He came closer. She shook her head. "You know I'm just going to irritate you awake, right?" He gently grabbed her shoulders. "You're gonna get stung." "Worth it." He kissed down her shoulder blade. She groaned. "Are you like this with all your girlfriends?" "Why, too cheesy for you?" He teased. "More like not used to it." She yawned. He laughed. "Morning, sweetheart." "Morning, Buster." She gently caressed his cheek, and smiled seeing him lean into her hand. "Why are you up this early?" "Got a theatre to keep running. Wanna head out and grab some breakfast?" "At six in the morning?" He shrugged. "First batch of bread is always the best batch." "Point." Gently pushing him off, she stood up and stretched out. "Long ride?" "Two blocks." He said, buttoning his shirt. "Fine enough." "Oh yeah? You take the challenge?" She could practically hear him smirking, and was about to retort when realization struck her. "My clothes are downstairs, can you-?" "Guitar case?" "Yes." "Be right back." He took off the stairs. Wrapping herself up in a blanket, she stood up and started going over his various personal paraphernalia - A variety of scripts, trophies (none of which had his name, she couldn't help noticing) and books. Many books. She pulled one from the shelf. On Stage, by Orson Whales. She chuckled to herself. "The irony…" This copy was nothing like the one Tara had lent her a couple days prior. It was worn out, and the pages were yellowish. Opening it, she saw a handwritten message. You've grown into a fine young man, and I trust your talent. This is a little gift to help you understand the next step of your journey. Make the best out of it. -Dad Going deeper into the book, she found several group pictures. Smiling animals, not rarely in costumes, bowing on stage. Pictures of a much younger Buster and, she guessed, his dad. She couldn't help but laugh at some of the photographs. Who'd say once upon a time Buster had long hair. She flipped some more pages. Both of them cleaning up a car. Buster's graduation ceremony. She was so immersed in the pictures she didn't even noticed the small figure right behind her. "Having fun?" She dropped the book, scattering many pictures along the floor. "Uh… Sorry." "I don't mind." He smiled as he kneeled down and started to gather the photos once again. "How much did you see?" "You look nice with long hair." She joined him on the ground, re-adjusting the thin white fabric around her. "I told you I was in a band." "Heavy metal?" She was holding laughter. "Soft rock." She burst out laughing. "Hey, in thirty years you are gonna look back at your pictures and feel the same way!" "I still can't get over you once being in a band, rock or not." He stared at her. She laughed, and slid a photograph to him. "Is this your dad?" Buster had a nostalgic smile on his face. "Yes. This is from the first play I ever directed, I was in middle school." He was absentmindedly running his fingers on the portrait. "He was so proud of me, he smiled like there was no tomorrow." His expression turned sad, and she quickly moved over to him, gently rubbing his back. He put the photograph back on it's spot. "I miss him… But having him in my life for some time was a privilege." Done gathering the pictures, he slid the book back to its place. "Are you okay?" It broke her heart to see him like this. "Yes, I just… I miss him, I wish he could be here with me." Ash gently held his face, and locked lips with him. Kissing back, he wrapped his arms around her. "Thanks. Let's get dressed, the bakery's about to open." "Are you okay?" He nodded firmly. "Okay." Quickly, she slid her clothes on. His mood improved in a matter of seconds. Soon, he was talking about shows he had held and how much he had liked playing in a band. Not too long after, both of them walked down the streets, directed to the bakery.

"Thanks for the meal." Buster merely nodded, checked to see if there was anyone around, and gently kissed her lips. "Let's go in two, you know… Not to raise suspicion." Ash laughed. "Ladies first." He paused, and shot her a humorous smirk. Walking ahead, he peaked his head into the theatre. Great. The show to be set around two in the afternoon, of course everyone made sure to arrive early. He carefully closed the door. "Everyone's in there." "Expected." Ash laughed. "You have the weirdest screening times." "But you know we won't-" "Kiss, or hold hands, or anything that doesn't suit you being a contest holder, and me being a competitor, yeah, you told me." "And you're fine with that?" "I told you I was. Why keep asking?" "Just making sure, you could've changed your mind or-" "I'll let you know if I do." She started walking ahead. "Ash. I don't wanna get arrested, I always gotta make sure. You understand that don't you?" "How about you show some trust." "I know, I'm sorry. I will." He came closer to her, and pulled her into his embrace. "I love you. I don't want to lose this, that we have." I love you. Leaning into his arms, she rested on his shoulder. "Me neither. You don't want to go to jail, and I don't want you to go to jail, we're on the same page." She said, pulling away from him. "And I also don't want your presentation to be late. I gotta rehearse anyway." She shrugged. "We're good?" His ears were low. Smiling, she quickly lifted them and went inside. He sighed. Boy, he loved her.

Everyone was in a hurry. Running low of time and with a special guest that was sure to arrive anytime now, it was more than understandable. Buster went around the stage to make sure everything was perfect. "Okay…" He said, done with the final arrangements. "Meena. Is Johnny here yet?" "He's practicing, Mr Moon." "Go get him, please!" He motioned for the elephant to go upstairs. "Everyone, please-" He was about to tell them the performance's order when a song caught his ears. It was catchy, and full of rhythm. Chasing after the sound, he found Ash, carefully striking the strings of her guitar. He paused. The melody was amazing, but when her voice came along he froze in place, mouth slightly agape. For a second, he thought about going over, and holding her close to him and kissing her, but soon decided otherwise. It would not end well. Being as silent as possible, he took stand by the door. "When you set it all free, all free, all free, you set it all free!" Ash was absorbed in her song, trying to both master it and fix any chord put erroneously, any string she might've pulled by accident. It was written in half a day, she barely had time to practice, but at least it was her song. Opening her eyes, she started going over the sound in her head. "Wow. You wrote that?" "Uhh… Yeah. You like it?" He seemed bewildered. Until she saw that smile form. "Are you kidding? It's fantastic! You gotta sing that today!" His mood and persona lifted almost immediately as he ran off. She did it. I knew she could, he thought, smiling to himself as he started giving directions. "Mike! You're on first!"

Buster took a deep breath as he was being lowered down to the stage. I got one shot. "All creatures great and small! Welcome to the Moon Theatre. I am your host, Buster Moon, and-" His speech was suddenly interrupted by the seemingly free fall onto the ground. The rope came to a halt, and Buster balanced once again onto the moon, symbol of the theatre. "Okay. Behold! The very first stage lit entirely by squid power!" He finished, squids all around him flashing in coordination with a beat. Ash had seen it all not too long ago, but seeing Buster perform along with it added something special to the spectacle. Everyone on stage was clapping at the show, almost mesmerized by the colors. 'Wows' could be heard along the cast. That is, until three massive bears broke into the place. "Hey, hey, hey! You can't just barge in here!" "You know this guy?" "Mike?" "Yes, he says you got his money, and it's in that box!" One word lead to another, and the irritated bears smashed the chest open, dust rising. "See that! Big guy with a bat! Who needs keys, right?" Mike said, as he jumped into the now broken chest. "Okay, let's get this thing square." He messed and messed around, finding nothing but few dollar bills and a lot of broken junk. "That's all there is?!" He jumped out. "He lied!" The cast gasped. "Moon lied to us all!" "Wait a second, I can explain…" He backed off a bit. Ash couldn't believe what she was hearing. "This is just a prop!" "Where's the hundred thousand dollars?" Buster was backing more and more off. Unbeknownst to them all, the glass just under their feet was starting to give in. "It's a box of junk? You wasted everyone's-" They heard continuous cracking, and everything came crashing down. Water flooded the theatre, and animals held onto whatever they could reach.

"Is everyone okay?!" Buster was walking around, distressed. "Nana!" The cast sat on the road just outside the theatre. People all along the streets stopped on their tracks to see what the fuzz was about. Not too long afterwards, all of them witnessed the theatre's literal downfall: The building crashed down, a cloud of dust forming. The cast carefully approached the debris. Ash was the most petrified of them, not because of the near-death situation, or seeing the building fall around her, but because she knew what it meant to Buster. The theatre he loved with all his heart, that he had so many memories with, that was a gift from his father… And the same theatre that held all of those pictures. "No…" She could see him going further into the theatre, until he collapsed to the ground. Miss Crawly was with him in a minute. Digging into the debris, he went across a familiar object. "Dad… I'm so sorry." No longer capable of holding it in, and feeling more lost than ever, he broke into tears, hugging the bucket close. The cast watching him from a distance, before parting ways. Ash, however, remained on the heartbreaking scene.

(SING!) Story Not Told, chapter 9 – Californication (MATURE CHAPTER, PROCEED WITH CAUTION)

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

This chapter is MATURE. If you are okay with that kind of work, click here to keep reading:

A/N: A/N: There is not much to this besides, putting it simple, sex. If you feel uncomfortable with it, please just skip this chapter. If you choose to skip, another one should be up by tomorrow depending on how fast I figure out the next events. This movie's got a pace that has my head spinning at times! This here's basically fluff, kisses and gentle sex, no important events. This is the one and only 'M' chapter this story will have, so I'm keeping it rated T. If you choose to proceed, I hope you enjoy your ride, and have in mind this is my first attempt ever at something 'dirty'.

Ash had to admit, she wasn't really expecting to engage into another relationship like this. A guy that'd take her to see a spectacle such as this one, would kiss her so gently, and make her feel unique. She had previous experiences with dating, but none of them compared to this. Matthew had been good, he bought a couple tickets to her favorite band, and they had kissed there. Lance had driven her home, and they had kissed like it was nothing. This was entirely different. There was something about Buster's touch that she had never felt before. It sent mean shivers down her spine and made her quills stay on end. It felt exciting. She pulled him closer. He gently pulled away. "Wow." "Same about you. You're a great kisser." "Thanks. It's been a while." "Pity." She pulled him in. "One moment, please." He stood up, and addressed the squids. "Great job you guys! I expect to see this tomorrow, uh? Sorry for waking you up!" The squids scattered. "You woke them up just for this?" "No, silly, they were shining through the night just because they could." He teased. She gently pushed him. "You didn't have to do this." "I know I didn't, but I wanted to." He took a bow and kissed her hand. "Where were we?" "Here." She grabbed him by his shirt, and kissed him deeply. Altho surprised, Buster returned the gesture. It was a passionate kiss, like the ones you see in movies. Like… The one they had seen in Casablanca, just a couple days ago. If only she knew they were gonna repeat it… And then there was the feeling again. Her heart started beating faster, and she wanted more. Walking ahead, she pressed him against the stage right behind them. He allowed her to do whatever. He couldn't lie, this was the definition of perfection. He wasn't a ladies' man, but he had kissed. None of his previous kisses could compare to this. Not in the slightest. He liked having Ash at his arms. It felt right. He felt loved, and hoped he was making her feel the same. He ran his fingers up her neck, towards her cheeks, gently massaging them. She shivered, and pressed herself against him. None knew for how long they kissed, but upon parting both were breathless. Adventurous Ash went ahead and explored the nape of his neck and hair, while Buster caressed her back. Going a tad bit lower, she tugged on his button up pajamas shirt, and looked at his face. He rolled his eyes, and chuckled. "If you promise you're not going to laugh…" He kept his shirt tucked under his pants. She promptly pulled it loose, and pressed the body underneath. "Doesn't feel that bad." He blushed. She started unbuttoning his shirt. "Alright, Buster Moon, let's see what you're hiding here." "I work out but it's not enough to define anything." She pulled his shirt off. He stood straight, hands behind his back. "What do you think?" She rubbed up and down his chest. "Stiff. Whatever you are doing at the gym seems to be working." He laughed. "Thanks. Let's go back upstairs? Feels weird to be… Half naked down here." "Whatever you say, Mr Stiff." "I swear to god, if you call me that in front of anybody…" He pecked her cheek, and led her upstairs. "We would have to answer too many questions." Both chuckled lightly at Ash's remark. He stopped her on top of the staircase, and looked at her in the eye. "Ash." Well, he might as well get that out of his system. "You know this is a dang- delicate relationship, right? At least for a few years, you can't introduce me as your boyfriend, you can't tell-" "I know that." "We are 25 years apart. I'm two times your age, plus a few years. It's-" She shushed him with a kiss. "You gotta…" "I know. I went that over in my head during that show downstairs." She tried kissing him again. "And you're fine with it?" "If I say yes, will you shut up and let me kiss you?" She was holding both his hands and moving back and forth. "Ash." "Would I be kissing you if I wasn't?" He took a moment to reply. "No." "Good boy." She settled on kissing him again, pressing him against Mrs Crawly's desk. That moment, she knew Buster wasn't like anyone she had kissed or slept with. Matthew was 5 years apart from her, Lance was 7, none couldn't compare with 25, but both were considerable years apart from her. None had stopped in the middle of a making out session to remind her of that kinda stuff, and make her feel sure of what she wanted. She never slept with Matthew, Lance outright took her to bed when they kissed, she wasn't even sure Buster would think about doing that, and figured she'd have to take lead. She pulled away, and took him to his office, shutting the door. "What are you doing?" "Let's get to bed." "Great." He yawned. "I'm tired." How naive of him… She could never tell if he was faking, or if he was just plain clueless. Either way, once he was done settling in bed, she climbed on top of him, and thrust her lips onto his' again. He tasted amazing. Carefully holding her at his arms, he rested her down by his side, never breaking the kiss. Pulling away, both pecked each others' lips several times, eyes closed all along. Ash sat up, and started taking her shirt off. "Wait, what-?" "You can't be that innocent, Buster." "Right now?" "Yeah, problem?" "No, I'm just…" He sighed. "Have you at least done this before?" He knew she had, but he wanted to hear her say it. "What do you think?" She laughed. "Why? Have you never?" "No, I have. I just didn't think you would-" "But I do." Before he could protest, she tossed her shirt at him. He was mesmerized for a second. She had a great form, carefully hidden under her alternative t-shirts. "Man, you're really something." "Please, are you gonna say you're not excited?" He blushed. "Thought so. Drop the uptightness and feel it." She started massaging his shoulders. He relaxed under her touch. Leaning down, she started kissing his neck. He sighed, and gave a mischievous smile. Grabbing hold of her waist, and careful of her sharp quills, he flipped her over. She was shocked, but smirked. "Now we're getting somewhere." Leaning down, he gently pecked her neck, and traced his way down her chest. She quivered under his touch. It almost felt electrical, sending all sorts of shivers through her body. She pulled him closer, nuzzled and sucked on his neck. He let out a low groan, to which she smiled at. There was something about causing that kind of sensations in someone else that excited her. She had vague memories of late at night Owlgle searches about the right way to please someone, but found out it wasn't rocket science; it varied from guy to guy. Lance could get turned on from kissing alone; Buster seemed to be a more touchy feely kind. She traced down his spine line and tugged at his pants. Straightening up, Buster removed them, keeping only his boxers on. He figured they'd get off sooner or later. "That's a nice look for you." "Thanks." He couldn't lie, he was very aware under Ash's unrestrained gaze. Of his age more than anything. He looked good for a 42 year old, or at least he liked thinking so, but when compared to teenagers or young adults he would lose the matter. He shrugged it off, and carefully sucked on her breast. She moaned, and pulled him closer to her. He traced up her body, feeling her curves, and wrapped his arms around her. He had to admit, she was smoking hot. Not only in figurative, but also in literal sense. She felt warm. He planted kisses around her neck and across her shoulder blade, eyes closed all along. Ash was almost paralyzed at Buster's advances. Wonder what else those hands can do, she thought, wryly. She led one of his hands down her body, and rested it on her underpants. "Take it off…" She said, almost breathless. He shot her an uncertain look. "Save your remarks for later." He smirked. "For one, I wasn't going to make any remark. And for two, if you insist…" Crawling down, he slowly slid her panties off. "Let's see what you've got." He winked. She blushed, and thanked heavens the room was dark. She had heard dirty talk, but she didn't expect Buster to even know what that was. He stopped for a moment to check her full form underneath him. Ash was really hot. His heart was pounding hard in his chest, and he had no doubt. He wanted to have her. He wanted to have her, and he wanted to please her. He could feel his boner crushed against his boxers -and felt slightly ashamed of this, by the way- but for a night he decided not to care. He would put all shame aside. Sitting straight, he took his own underpants off and tossed them to the side of the room. His member was pulsing. How long had it been since his last time? Way too long, he could tell. "Nice." Her voice broke the silence. "Finally get to see you in your basic form." He was blushing like mad, his face seemed to be on fire. Chuckling, Ash pulled him closer to her once again. "Stop thinking." She started running her fingertips on his back. He shivered, and leaned in. She kissed him passionately, and wrapped her legs around his'. Laying down, he slowly pushed inside of her. She gasped in his mouth. He held her close. "Better…" She panted, as he started thrusting inside her. He merely shot her a dirty smirk. "Glad you like it." Ash was clinging onto him as if her life depended on it. Man, that felt amazing. She didn't know if it was the lust from the moment speaking, or Buster's touch, but could swear this was the best sex session she ever had. Or at least in the longest while. Lance wasn't exactly the affectionatetype, only when he felt like it, or when he wanted something. It was also way too quick. He wasn't the type who'd kiss her and get her aroused before sex, if anything, he did the opposite. One moment they'd be normally talking, and the other Lance would climb on top of her and outright slip into her, not really caring if she was enjoying herself. Buster wasn't like that. He touched her and got her excited before thinking about his own satisfaction. He was good at it, and it surprised her. Who would say the kind, soft-spoken and diminutive theatre owner had it in him. She shut her eyes tightly, and let low whines escape her mouth. He pushed deeper, prompting her to cry out in pleasure. He huffed, and stopped for a second to acknowledge the girl under him. She was flushed, he could tell. They stared into each others' eyes for a moment. That was it. Looks of pure love and adoration, and the simple act of having sex became making love. Locking lips again, Buster went back to his ministrations. Holding tight onto him, Ash was leaving several red trails on his back, but he couldn't care less. That felt good. "Buster…" She huffed. "Go deeper…" He did as told. She gave a heavy pant as she traced down his jaw, and smiled seeing him shudder. He had to admit, this wasn't like nothing he'd ever done before. His previous girlfriends had been very shy when it came to sex, so doing it with someone who was more open about it was amazing. He helped himself and grabbed both of her hips, squeezing them. He could feel her inner walls clenching around him, and it was driving him crazy. She must be getting close. Taking advantage of that, he lifted her legs slightly, and went deeper. She screamed in pleasure. "Damn! Buster!" He started thrusting faster, at the pace of her rapidly louder moans. He could feel his orgasm on the horizon, and jerked back to pull out. Ash groaned, and coiled her legs tighter around his waist. "D-Don't you dare…" He was going to protest when realization struck him. Oh, what the hell. It's not like he could get her pregnant anyway. Nodding, her gave one last powerful push into her before finally emptying himself inside of her. Ash let one last cry in delight before reaching her own peak. Sliding out, Buster collapsed on top of her, panting. Both were covered in sweat from their little adventure. He gently pecked her forehead before getting off of her. "Ash?" "Yes?" "I love you." "I love you too." He cradled her in his arms. Tiredness taking over, they slept in the warmness of each other's body.

thats worse than gay shit

Ah, you're a homophobic troll. Get lost, loser.

stop wiriting pedo shit u pedo

Piss off, troll.

(SING!) Story Not Told, chapter 8 – Jailhouse Rock & Kiss From a Rose

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Click to read chapter 8:

He could scarcely believe what he had just done. What was he thinking?! Yes, Lance was a jerk, and deserved every single kick that was directed towards him. But if the porcupine went to the cops, what was he gonna do? Assault was a serious charge, even when you do it for the right reason. He had done it for Ash. Then why did he feel kinda jealous of Lance? Ash wasn’t his girlfriend! His mind fled to a couple days prior. That kiss. Those lips upon his’. Those arms around him. His arms around her. Why did he want to feel that again? It was wrong! They were different species, let alone their 25 year difference! His heart started to pound faster in his ribcage, and he knew it wasn’t good. He had to be nuts, right? He was just letting the porcupine’s words get to his head… He wasn’t in love with Ash, right? He entered the theatre, and was surprised with music. Going up the stairs, he found Johnny and Miss Crawly practicing the piano. He went past them as silently as he could. “Oh, hey Mr Moon.” “Hey there, Johnny. I thought you had left.” “No, I just wanted to practice some more. Is that okay?” Buster nodded, and smiled. “You go right ahead.” “Mr Moon? What’s that on your shoes?” Miss Crawly’s voice came. “Uh… Dirt. I took a different route back here, and accidentally threw the bike on this big pile of dirt and leaves. Silly me.” He laughed as normally as he could. “Did you call Meena?” “Back here, Mr Moon!” The koala jumped. Both his assistant and his gorilla competitor laughed. Buster smirked. “I’ve started collecting the glass!” “Good, good! Keep up the good work! Be with you in a minute!” He ran into his office, and closed the door and blinds. Blood. The idiot had joyfully went past town with someone else’s blood on his shoes and pants. He took off both items, and substituted them for clean ones. He just hoped that whoever saw him either mistook the stains for water or didn’t notice them at all. Throwing his suit to the couch, he rolled up his sleeves. He had a long night of work ahead of him. Several hours later, the tank was finished, and the squids had been recruited and knew exactly what to do. All there was left for him was wait. Oh, and trying to get Ash out his mind. He took off his gear, and slipped into bed, going through the day’s events. When had those thoughts even started? Lance’s words alone wouldn’t make this to him. He had went to Nana’s house, surprising Eddie at some point there, ok. He came back and told everyone the news, good. He held a full-dress rehearsal. Mike was singing to Fox Sinatra, great, he loved it. He called her on. When she got on stage, was here anything about her that froze his mind? He found that unlikely. She ran off, and he eavesdropped the cast’s conversation. He sent everybody home. Was it for her? Or was he wanting to be alone with her back there? Probably both, he figured. What is it about her that he liked? Her skills, her voice? Was it because of the danger? Society didn’t like it, he could get arrested if someone found out… Of course not. He disliked danger with all his heart. Was it merely physical? No, no way! Although he wouldn’t complain if physical contact happened. He wanted it to happen. He mentally slapped himself. As if crushing on her wasn’t already wrong enough… He drifted off into peaceful sleep, the porcupine never leaving his mind.

 Meanwhile, at the good part of town, Tara knocked on the door to a fancy house. Boy, that had been a tiring day. “Tara!” Marina said, opening the door. “I thought you’d have traveled by now!” “Nah, the cast can wait.” She laughed lightly. “Just wanted to make sure your little one got here in safety. There’s monsters out here.” The boy gripped her hand tightly. She carefully ruffled his quills, smiling. “Very considerate of you! Would you like to come in? We’re having beef and baked potatoes, Maria made pudding as well! It’s what you younger folks like, right? Pudding?” Tara laughed. “I do like it, but I’m a tad bit late. This afternoon ride took longer than I expected. But thank you ma’am.” “Oh, at least take something with you! Come in! I’ll get something packed!” She sighed. “Okay, if you insist.” Not too long after, she sat at a big and fancy dining hall, having a delicious meal. Despite her protests, Marina always had a way to convince her to do things she didn’t want to. She felt out of place, despite her warm hosts. That place didn’t feel like home whatsoever. Her studio was in the bad side of town, but she loved it will all her heart. She felt truly welcomed there. Unlucky for her, things were just about to get worse. “Elbows off the table.” The small porcupine quickly did as instructed. “Sorry, ma’am.” She sighed again. If there was something in the world that she hated, it had to be rich families. Always so polite and formal, even with their kids. Adam could easily pass for a servant. His expensive and neat clothing, which didn’t really fit the weather, let alone a kid. Kids liked running and getting their clothes dirty. Despite being a girl, she enjoyed doing that. Some of the best memories she had were from the football field just across the block. Four hour, sometimes more, football matches. Dodgeball. Hide-and-seek. Even the one time Drake brought along a pellet gun and she was accidentally shot in her back. It hurt like hell, but it was a great day. They cheered her up, invented a million games they could play, and after half an hour she felt no pain anymore. The boy never had any of that. He wasn’t allowed to play, or run, or do anything that didn’t match being the heir of a great fortune and many of the richest companies around. She felt bad for Ash, having to grow up there. It must’ve been suffocating. “Is there something on your mind, dear?” She started considering if Ash’s escape wasn’t her fault, even if a tiny little bit. It was her who took Ash to her house, introduced her to all the kids in the neighborhood, and even lent her some clothes so she could play with them without being scolded by her parents when she got home. Did it start back there? Or Ash always had it in her? Time passed, and she was unrecognizable. Especially after the one party she went, just because her parents weren’t there not to allow her. How happily she talked about the boy she had met. The songs he had taught her to play in the guitar. How was she hoping to join a band. In no time, practically all elements, as Ash’s family liked calling whoever didn’t have millions in their pockets and weren’t annoyingly polite, in town knew her. She started leaving at nights to go play in concerts, all very hidden from public eye. She did that because it was fun. One day, her parents noticed she had left, and went after her. Someone had sold her out. When their parents arrived at the concert, the house went down. They threatened to call the police, had a couple bodyguards kick their way in, and dragged their daughter out of the place. “Tara?” Michael asked, a worried look on his face. She looked up. “Yes, sire?” “Is everything alright?” “Fine and dandy, Mister.” She couldn’t understand why Marina and Michael liked her. She wasn’t different from Ash at all. Both were alternative, had a passion for music, and lived a less than ideal lifestyle, despite their ridiculously rich parents. She figured it was because she wasn’t their daughter. “Ta-Ta, why you sad? We saw big sis!” Tara's eyes opened wide, her mouth hung in shock. Morbid silence. “What did you say?” “We saw big sis today! She was messing with string-thing!” The kid said, cheerfully. “Guitar.” Tara sighed. “You saw Ash?” Michael said, a bit altered. “Yes, Mr T. She was-” “I didn’t knew you still saw each other!” Marina interrupted. “We don’t! We just happened to bump into each other at the park.” “Where does she live?” “I don’t know.” She lied. “If you were meeting her out there like the best friends, of course you do!” “I have her phone!” She said, lifting her phone. “I can ask, wait a sec.”

Ash was sitting at her bed, happy at the lyrics she had just finished, but even more at the day’s events. She had seen a long time friend, got to spend some time with her little brother, and had written a melody that was sure to blow Nana away. Literally. Maybe the guitar solos were too much, but Buster had said he wanted loudness. She lifted her phone, and saw a message. It took her a while to understand what the letters meant. PRENTS GOIN OVR. LAEVE D HOUS ASAP!!!!!!!! She couldn’t believe it. Why would Tara tell her parents where she lived?! She grabbed a couple shirts that were sitting there, stuck them into her guitar case, and ran off to the theatre, carefully checking her surroundings so her parents wouldn’t see her. “Buster!!” She wasn’t going to destroy another of his windows' frames. Taking small pebbles, she threw them at the window, to try and wake the koala. “Buster!!” The frame went up. “Ash? What are you doing, you alright?” “Please open the door!” He nodded, and closed the window, quickly rushing downstairs. She had got to be kidding him. On the night he wasn’t fit to see her, because he had to find out how he felt about her, she needs a place to stay. And of course they were staying at the same bed. At the second he opened the door, she ran inside, almost breathless. “What happened?” “My parents found out…” She inhaled deeply. “Where I live. Can I stay here? Sorry, I should’ve called you.” “No no, don’t mention it. Uh…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Make yourself at home.” “Ah. Thanks.” Going to the wings, she settled her guitar case down, and changed into an oversized shirt she had brought along. “Sorry about coming here this late at night, I didn’t knew this was gonna happen.” “It’s fine, Ash.” He assured her, giving her a sweet smile. “You’re always welcome. But listen, uh… I only have one bed, here.” “Single or double?” “Double.” He lied. “No problem, then.” “Okay… Let me get things ready.” Running upstairs, he quickly grabbed some pillows and comforters and his own mattress, turning it into a double bed. Of course they weren’t going to sleep inside of his table’s drawer. There was no space, right? And quite frankly, he wanted to be near her. “Here we go.” “Thanks, Buster.” She laid down at the bed. He nodded, and helped himself to her side, both facing the ceiling. Silence hovered over them for a while. “You don’t turn while you sleep, right?” She laughed and smacked his leg. “You don’t turn while you sleep, right? It would be a nuisance to have those ears smack against me.” He put up a fake pout, and chuckled. “Touché.” There it was. That quickened heartbeat. He was laying in bed with the girl he was crushing on, and couldn’t have been more lost. More silence. “Are you feeling better?” “Yep.” “Any calls?” She shook her head. “Not that I noticed.” Good, Buster thought. “What happened to… All glass windows, and panels from downstairs?” He chuckled. “Wanna see it? It will blow you away.” Not too long afterwards, both sat at the front row of the theatre, watching a spectacular show of lights. “Wow.” “What did I say, uh?” Ash was mesmerized by the vision. Buster brought her closer to him, and tilted his face, gently brushing one of her loose quills. The teenager sighed. “So we did… Kiss, that day?” “We did, and it was the smoochiest smooch you can think of.” He chuckled. “Sorry about that.” “I don’t mind it.” He took a deep breath. “And, if anything, I’d like to maybe… Do it again.” She looked back at him. “I know it’s weird, and uncalled for, but… Since that day I can’t get you out of my mind.” “Same.” He turned to her. “I kinda wondered if that kiss had been a dream… But dream or not, it was amazing.” “Uh. Well…” He wasn’t used to being complimented in such a way. “Thanks, I… It felt pretty good on this side too.” “What are you waiting for?” She giggled softly, covering her mouth. “What? Oh! Uh… Okay.” He swoop her in for a quick experimental kiss. Then a longer one, and an even longer one after that. Jail rushed through his mind for a moment, but he couldn’t care less. It was just him, and her, and if that meant jail then he’d take it without a complaint. Ahead of them, squids flashed red and formed a heart on the tank.

(SING!) Story Not Told, chapter 7 – Set It All Free while I do it My Way

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Click to read chapter 7:

Okay, she had promised him she’d write a punk song for the following day. Okay, he was a tad bit too enthusiastic about her voice. Okay, it felt good to be appreciated. But Ash was regretting her promise as she laid down at the couch in her house. What was she thinking? A song, written in one day? Lance took months to write his’! They weren’t masterpieces? Correct. But they weren’t trash. She was tired, and had thought of at least 10 different melodies, but all of them sounded wrong. Guitar on hand, she tried playing a punk version of Freedom is a voice, only to find out the cheesy lyrics sounded like a war cry when turned punk. “Half tone lower?” No avail. She wrapped her jacket around her waist, and grabbed her guitar case and a notepad. “Maybe changing the environment a little.” She locked the door, and took a bus to the other side of town. She walked through parks and stores at the sidewalk, to find a nice place for writing under a tree. She played a few melodies she had in mind. Those who went past her either smiled or frowned, but she couldn’t care less. “You put me through a rollercoast-“ “Ash!” She nearly jumped at the sound. She knew that voice. She missed that voice. “Adam?!” A smaller, and younger looking porcupine jumped at her. “Adam! What are you doing out here?” “Candy!” He said, as he shoved some goodies into his mouth. “Want some?” Ash shook her head. “I missed you, where have you been?” Ash was distressed, looking from left to right nonstop. “Are mom and dad with you?” “No, but I am.” Ash jumped at the voice, who chuckled. “You’re welcome. Your folks asked me to take him home.” “Tara!” Ash said, hugging the otter close. “It’s been forever!” “Tell me about it! Just because you ran away from home, doesn’t mean you had to run away from your friends too.” “Ah, shush.” The other girl laughed. Ash kneeled down to her brother’s height, and hugged him close. “My, you’ve grown!” He giggled, and held two fingers high. “Two inches.” “And he’s been telling everyone about it, too.” Tara finished. “I’m a big boy, people should know!” Both teens laughed, as Tara took a seat near Ash. “You got the time?” “Relax, wouldn’t have brought him over if we couldn’t spend some time.” Ash sighed out in relief, falling backwards in the grass. “Good.” “A composer now, hm?” She said, chuckling lightly. “Trying. I got into a singing competition, the judge wants me to write a song.” She laid her guitar down as her brother cuddled close to her. “Is it the competition I saw on the news, that’ll pay-?” “$100 grand? That’s the one.” “Starting a career with an original? Now that’s something!” She laughed. “I don’t know if I’m going to win, Tara.” Tara merely shrugged. “I think you will.” “Why? I never wrote a punk song before.” “Well… The judge asked you to do it.” She winked. Ash raised her brow. “He did that to make me feel better.” “Why’d he do that?” “Because he’s a sweetheart.” “Ohh, you using your magic on him uh?” She nudged her friend. “I'm not!” Ash sighed. “I broke up with Lance.” “Who?” Tara said, scratching her head. “Long story. We’ve been dating for almost two years, the other day I caught him cheating, we broke up, that’s it. I went to Mr- Buster, because I had no one else to turn to, he said Lance was a jerk, was holding me back, and I was better off without him, said he had been cheated upon and knew what it was like, some of the contestants also said he wasn’t worth my time.” She swallowed hard. “So I decided to listen to their advice, and didn’t take Lance back when he offered. He called me while I was with Buster, and I got upset over the things he said, so he said he wanted me to write a song.” “You’ve been using your ma-gic!” Tara singsonged. “Anyways, he gave you a chance to show your originals right? That’s great!” “It would be if I had an original that was upbeat.” “Sing the one you have!” “He said he wanted something new! With beat, and loudness, ‘perfect soundtrack for a heartbreak’, his words!” “Listen sister… You remember I consider you my sister, right?” Ash nodded. Tara then turned to grab the guitar, and played some chords. “Good. Now... It might seem crazy what I’m about to sa-ay…” “Oh my god Tara, don’t go there!” She cracked up laughing, soon being joined by her friend. “You didn’t even let me finish!” She said, pretending annoyance. “But listen. Okay, he was trying to make you feel better. But you think he’d risk the reputation of his theatre to put you up? That place hasn’t had a show worth watching in years! My mom used to take me there when I was a kid, and oh my god, the plays were terrible! The one event held there that I liked was one from Moon himself, it was called ‘Improv Comedy’, something like that. It was a monologue about family, the theatre was already discredited by everyone. It was a great show, and it was presented to ten people! Ten people Ash! That’s how low the place went… But I started going regularly to the shows, and I’m saying, he is a great screenwriter. I would know. He wouldn’t risk one of his competitors putting up a bad song just to make you feel appreciated. You know what I think? I think he may be seeing something there that you haven’t seen yet.” Ash opened a soda can. “You think he wants me to write a script for a play?” “No, I think he considers you a good songwriter.” “Tara, the one original I have sucks!” “Not to him, he wants you to write more!” She turned to her friend. “Listen… You played your original to him, right? He likes it. AND he writes like Orson Whales! He’s a good writer! If a good writer asks you to write something, I think he likes your writing skills.” Ash froze in thought. “Same thing, I’m a movie director, right? And this one time, no previous warning, Steven Seagull dropped by to watch the recording. And after we wrapped up, he looked at me and said he couldn’t wait to see my movies.” She grabbed her friend’s shoulders. “Steven Seagull! He’s like the top of top directors of all times, and he liked my directing skills! That’s like… Uh… That’s like… Quick, rocker name!” “What?” “Tell me the name of a rocker!” “Uh… Steven Tiger!” “Steven Tiger! That was Steven Tiger walking up to you and says ‘Ash, I like your songs, and I want you to compose more.’” She crashed both her hands down her friend’s shoulders. “BOOM! THAT JUST HAPPENED!” “Ow! Stop it, people are staring!” “Let them stare! Eyes were made to see!” She said, gradually speaking louder. She turned to the park’s goers. “Hey! Take a picture, it last longer!” “Stop it!” Ash practically jumped on the otter. “You’re putting up a scene!” “Ash! A good screenwriter asked you to write a song! He saw something there!” “He’s not a songwriter!” “Writer nonetheless! Maybe he never wrote a song, but he knows good writing when he sees it! Since when do you think so low of your own skills?! The Ash I knew believed she could do anything at all because she always had what it took! You can't write a song? A mere song? What happened to you?! Someone believes in you. I believe in you. While you look at your work and say it is terrible because it isn't perfect, you're not gonna go anywhere! Perfection doesn't exist, Ash. The one thing between you and your song is your head. It is holding you back! Set it free from its cuffs, and write the goddamn song!” Ash was frozen in place. Tara handed her the guitar, smiling. “So, let’s?” She took it.

Buster had no idea where the show house was, and his phone’s GPS system was even more lost than him. He could swear he had heard the mechanical voice sigh once or twice, but he carried on. He was going to find Lance, and he was going to have a word with him. Coming to a halt, he sighed in relief as he saw a Hawaiian-styled joint at the alley. The place looked shady, but calm. Was he going in there? Yes, yes he was. Going right past the entrance, he found the backstage door, where he was greeted by a familiar female koala. “Entrance is over there, sire.” “Laura?” “That's me, do we know each other? What’s your name?” “Buster. Buster Moon.” She froze in place. “May I come in? My godson is presenting tonight and I want to wish him good luck.” “Buster, I’m…” “I don’t care. May I come in?” She opened the door. “See you around, Laura.” If Buster wasn’t already too mad for his liking, now he was pissed off. His cheating girlfriend just had to work here. He couldn’t get Ash out of his mind. He was mad at Lance for cheating on her, and he was mad at himself for believing Laura’d change. He went to the wings, and talked to a dorky beaver. “Hey there! You happen to know where I can find Lance? He’s a porcupine, guitarist…” The beaver pointed to a separate room. “Thanks. You rock!” Buster ran to said room, halting at its entrance. He heard muffled singing from inside. Damn, his voice makes me want to kick his ass. He took a deep breath, and opened the door. “Hey what do ya want, we’re rehea- Buster Moon, my champ!” He gave him a yellow smile. “Man, I knew you’d come here for advice, but I didn’t expect it’d be this soon.” “Can you please pretend you’re civilized for a second, Lance? Thank you. I want you to stop harassing Ash.” “Harassing?” He shrugged. “What are you talking about there, Moon?” “The call you made her earlier today is what.” “Aww, can’t a fuzzy wuzzy teddy bear put up with another guy calling his girlfriend ‘babes’?” He laughed. “I can’t believe Ash asked you to come here!” Buster’s blood was boiling inside his veins. “For one, if you make fun of me I am going to fix your buck teeth with my hands. For two, Ash doesn’t like you calling her ‘babes’, or even calling her, for all matters. For three, she didn’t ask a thing, I’m here on my own. And for the billionth time, she is not my girlfriend.” The female porcupine laughed at his face. Lance merely chuckled, as he took her hand and kissed it. “Yeah right, I believe you. You confront her boyfriend over the things he says, you threaten him, by the way, you being in no condition to back up your threat…” That’s what you think, smart ass. “You came all the way over here, to tell me to stop calling her?” He laughed in disbelief, as he fixed Buster’s suit slightly. “Partner, you are the definition of a jealous boyfriend.” Buster grabbed both his hands, and pushed him into a couch. The female stopped laughing. Buster went right past her, standing tall over Lance. “One, you are her ex. Two, this is your last warning. If you go near Ash again for anything that’s not apologizing, I’m going to make you regret coming out of the uterus. You got that?” “Whoa!” He sat straight, facing the koala. “Didn’t knew you liked playing tough, Moon.” “I don’t like it, I found it necessary. One last time. Do you understand it?” Lance nodded. Buster started walking to the door. “She has the hots for older guys, you know.” Buster froze in his tracks. Lance stood up, and started walking to him. “Me?” He chuckled. “I’m 24, Buster. 22 when we started dating. Wow, twenty-two when I first saw that form…” Suck it up, Buster commanded himself. “Sleeping cuddling close to her, after a good night of sex… She was fresh off the oven those days, too. So pure and innocent… An escapee looking for someone who loved her, and made her feel older. Lucky me. You know how virgin girls are…” Lance put both his hands at Buster’s shoulders, gently patting them. This is his game, Buster thought. “If she hasn’t hit on you by now, don’t worry, because she will soon.” He hugged the koala, and patted his back. “You might as well enjoy, like she does.” He finished, walking back. Father, forgive. Turning around, he sent his fist crashing down the porcupine’s face, earning a startled scream from the female. Not satisfied with sending the younger male tumbling to the ground, Buster proceeded to kick him. “You piece of a-! Look at me, look at my face!” He picked the rocker off of the ground, and threw him at a chair. There was blood on his shirt. “You are a poor excuse to an animal! You mark my words, Lance, next time I hear you talk about a girl like that, or if I find out you are out there playing girls, I am going to come back. You don’t want me to come back!” That’s it. He had vented out. Shoving Lance to the ground once again, he went for the door as the female porcupine went to her boyfriend’s aid. “Oh. And have a nice debut, Lance. Ma’am.” Bowing his head, he shut the door behind him.

(SING!) Story Not Told, chapter 6 – Freedom is a Voice

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Click to read chapter 6:

A/N: Feels train coming through!

"First things first, I'm sorry my presence caused… That." Ash was sitting down at Buster's office, resting her head upon his desk. Beside her, the koala sat, gently rubbing her back. "Now that I know the whole story, I think it makes it easier for us to talk about it." She looked up at him, but remained silent. He merely rested his head on the table, facing her. "Do you not want to talk about it? That's fine too… I also got something to say." "I can't believe he did that." "Huh. Tell me about it. If I knew, I'd have brought you back here." He chuckled. She sadly smiled up at him. "Okay, bad time for a joke. Got it. Carry on." "How much did you hear down there?" "Look at my ears. How much do you think I heard down there?" She giggled. "Everything?" "Ding ding ding! We got a winner to the prize of a hundred thousand do-" She playfully pushed him. "Stop that." "I'm sorry." He fixed his hair. "I don't like seeing you like that." "I'll get over it." "I know you will, you're the toughest girl I ever met." She blushed, and finally looked at him in the eyes. "But you know… Even the tougher can use help sometimes…" He was gently brushing against her arm. "So why don't you tell me exactly what happened? From the beginning." "There's not much I can say… I went looking for a band to join, got this audition and presented with these guys from here, to see public reception. Peter, Bobby, Mark and Melissa, I think. Lance was a composer, he was watching the show, and saw us perform. When it was over, me, Lance, and the band sat there after the house closed for the day, just… Chit chatting, small talking, everybody was drunk and talking funny." "Anyone using drugs?" She shook her head. "Normal cigarettes, and beer. Loads of beer. We left the place, Lance was the most sober guy there, so he was driving. He dropped the guys at their houses, and when it came my turn, he spent the night at my house." She sniffed. He came closer to her, smoothly caressing her hand. "Anyway… We talked, sang to Aerosquid songs, he showed me some of his own… I liked him, and I ended up turning the band down to team up with him." She shut her eyes tight. He quickly hugged her. "Mr Moon?" Buster turned to find his senile assistant. "Yes, Miss Crawly?" "Everyone has been called, sir." "Good… Erm, shut the lights down there for today. It's not like we're going back to rehearsal." "Yes, Mr Moon." She said, turning to leave. "And you can go home for the day, too." The lizard gave a grin that almost made Buster crack up. "You're welcome, Miss Crawly. And please shut the door when you leave." He turned back to Ash. "Sorry. You were saying?" "Quick question before I go on?" He chuckled. "Shoot." "How old is she, and why does she still work?" "For one, I wish I knew, and for two, she is family." He laughed lightly. "She saw this theatre being built." "She's funny." "That too. Not a day goes by without laughter if Miss Crawly's around!" He made a dramatic pose. She laughed. He smiled. "Move over to the couch. It hurts my neck to rest down on the table." "Okay, grandpa." She teased, as she sat on the couch. "Ha! You insult me." He took a seat by her side. "Now carry on." Her expression turned somber once again. "Where was I?" "You turned down the band-" "To join in a duo with him. For a little while it was great, I was on cloud nine. Shows were kinda slow though." "I can tell." Buster interrupted. "No offense, but the guy sings like he's gotta sore throat." She laughed hearing that. "So you noticed." "My job to notice. But you? Why didn't you break up-" He froze. Oops. Wrong words, Buster. "Break the duo with him? I mean… Ash, you got one of the prettiest singing voices I've ever heard! Once you noticed he wasn't good, why didn't you leave, join the band you spoke of..?" "He kept saying I would never do it. That all I was good for was backing vocal if that alone wasn't too much for me." She leaned against his side. "And you believed him?" The koala said, shocked. She stared up at him weirdly. "He wouldn't see talent if it fell right on his lap!" She smiled faintly up at him. "I'm not that good, Buster." "You have a beautiful voice, and are so talented Ash…" "You didn't even care for the song I sang." "Well… I'm not the biggest fan of punk, you know?" He scratched his head. "But last night, that original you played? Wow! Too slow for a concert, maybe… But it was amazing!" He was enthusiastic. She smiled a little up at him as he pulled her closer. "If I had your voice, I'd be a global by now!" "I'm glad you like my voice, but… I wanted it so bad to work out, I ended…" She sniffed. "I… Ended…" "Shutting yourself out." He finished. "No matter what you did, or how good you performed, it was never enough for him." That was it. The mask was off. Sobbing, she threw her arms around his neck. He held her back tightly. "It's okay, Ash… It's okay…" "It's not, you had to hear… You had to hear the things he said… He went inside inquiring if I had cheated… Offered us to get back together… Said that if I hadn't went home earlier the other day, none of this would've happened…" She rested her face on his shoulder. Buster's hands were curled into fists. Was that dinkleschplatt trying to make her feel guilty over his cheating? "And you had to hear… You just had to… Him saying I was sleeping with you to win the contest…" "Well, Lance's an idiot!" He interrupted. "Trying to blame you for his mistakes, guilt-tripping you, to win you back, I presume, he may be an idiot but he's not dumb, he knows what he lost!" He thought about his next words very carefully. "And assuming you'd go that low to get privileges? Not only he's a total imbecile, but he also doesn't know you!" He was angrily walking around the room. The rocker was looking at him in astonishment. "The piece of- damn! You're too good for him, Ash. You did this, all this!" He continued, motioning to the room around him. "For him, and he treats you like that? I can't believe you're upset over these things he said…" "But he's right." She shrugged. "Maybe if I hadn't arrived early, we'd still be together." He took a seat near her once again, resting a hand upon her shoulder. "You rather not know he was cheating?" "Not when you put it like that." She wiped her eyes. "He said it was a one night thing, he was lonely, I wasn't around, maybe if that one day I wasn't there, I would've never caught them and we'd still be dating like nothing ever happened. Ruin an almost two year relationship because of that, I mean..." Teenage love. So beautiful, and so dangerous to your judgment skills. Buster remembered that correctly. He wasn't a ladies' man, but he had been cheated upon, and he had fallen for the same dumb excuses.

"Come on Buster, be considerate!" "Not over cheating, Laura, we're through." His heart was shattered inside of his chest. "This was an accident!" He hit the cloth on the car he was polishing, immediately regretting it as it scratched the painting. "YOU WERE KISSING JOHNNY, LAURA, YOU CALL THAT AN ACCIDENT?! AN ACCIDENT IS HITTING YOUR CAR, KISSING SOMEONE IS NOT AN ACCIDENT!" "We were drunk, babe!" "I've gotten drunk and didn't kiss anyone!" "But I did, and it was a mistake, and an accident, and I love you, babe…" She had tears on her eyes as she hugged him. "It won't happen again, I promise…" Laura looked up at him in the sweet way she knew melted his heart. "I promise…" After giving her words some thought, he sighed and held her back. On the windowsill above, Mr Moon watched the interaction. This is not going to work out, he figured. But that would have to wait. A honking sound broke the silence. Grabbing his always loyal car washing bucket, he was ready to get to work. "One moment, please, sir!"

He had seen it all, the lame excuses, the guilt-tripping, the good girl attitude. He had accepted his girlfriend's apology, and ended up heartbroken. And now he was seeing Ash about to make the same mistake. "What guarantees you that?" She looked up at him. "Guarantees what?" "What guarantees you that this was a 'one night' thing? Lance?" Buster spat out his name like he was cursing someone. "Look, I know you this is your life, and again, I may be going into something that's none of my business. Cheaters don't change, Ash. Okay, see it this way. He cheated this first time, gave you the puppy dog eyes, just waiting you'd fall right back at his arms. If you do that, what image will you give this bloody wanker? That you're easy to win back… He's just gonna cheat again…" His ears dropped, his eyes glassy. "And you will end up even more heartbroken than now." She was at loss for words. "Believe me. Please believe me. I've felt it on my skin. I've been there. And I made the same mistake you are about to make. There's better guys around." "Where is the better gal you've found?" "I'm not ready to settle down." He confessed. "Ash, we got more in common than you think. I'm not-" He was interrupted by annoying phone ringtone. Ash pulled her bag over, and grabbed hold of it. Lance. She looked back at Buster. "Do what you feel is right." He said, simply resting back on the couch, motioning for her to put it on loudspeaker. "Hello." "Hey babes." She covered the speaker, and took a deep breath. "Don't call me 'babes', Lance." Buster smiled and nodded. "Come on, don't talk that dryly to me…" "How may I help you?" "Okay, I am going to make the sheep impersonation. Baaa-bes…" "What do you want, Lance?!" She said, altered. Buster motioned for her to calm down, mouthing the words 'That's what he wants.' "Wow, we are jumpy today! All that because I asked you to forget I cheated?" "I don't know. All that because you realized you traded a jewel for trash?" "Jewel?" He chuckled. "One day in the theatre and you're already thinking too much of yourself, babes. I just wanted to invite you over for mine and Becky's great debut." "Debut?" "Presentation. Sorry. Forgot some words are too fancy for you, babes." She inhaled deeply. "You have a girlfriend, why the hell are you calling me babes?" "Oh, Becky doesn't mind. She ain't a crazy jealous crybaby like some of us are." Buster had had it. He pulled her over, and whispered. "Ask him where is the show." Her voice was almost broken. "What? Why?" "Do it, trust me." "Ah, your new boyfriend is around! Hey there, Mr Moon! Can he hear me? How you doing today sire? Never thought you had the hots for younger gals!" She picked the phone back up, and replied the best she could. "No, he can't hear you, and he's not my boyfriend." "Okay. Invite me to the wedding, will ya?" "Where is your little debut with Becky?" "Ah, I knew I'd get you curious! The Tiki Cove, babes." "Don't call me babes!" Her voice cracked, and it came a bit too loud for her liking. Holding the phone against her ear, she collapsed to the couch, crying. "Hang up, hang up." Buster quickly motioned for her, scooping her up in his arms. "I'm so proud of you, Ash. You won't regret this, trust me." She soaked his suit with tears. Both sat holding each other for the longest while. "He's an idiot, and you know that. He doesn't deserve your tears. I'll make it up to you…" She rested her head atop his shoulder. "How?" "I want you to write a song." He began. "Like, really write a song. Spill your feeling into the gosh darn melody! I want an original as good as that one you showed me, name name…" He snapped his fingers. "Freedom is a voice!" Wiping her eyes, she looked at him weirdly. "I don't write pop songs, Buster." "Oh no no no! That's the best part about it… I want you to write a punk song!" She seemed shocked. "Yeah!" He was motioning like he played the guitar, even head banging a little. "That melody, the guitar solos, the loudness! It's the perfect soundtrack for a heartbreak! There's just a little something, I kinda need it for tomorrow." "Tomorrow?!" "I know I'm asking too much." He took her hands. "But I believe in you." "I never wrote punk before." She confessed. "It's not gonna be a masterpiece." "It won't if you tell yourself it won't." She was rubbing her temples. "Buster…" He got on his knees. "Please, please promise you'll try!" Ash laughed at the scene in front of her. "Okay, I'll do it. Ah!" The koala jumped on her, hugging her tight, and kissing her cheek. "Thank you! I know you'll make something amazing!" He said, going to the door. "I'll give ya a ride. Meanwhile, you get that dumbass out of your head, shake the dust away from those quills and let your feelings flow!" He finished, shutting the door behind them.