i'm baaaackkk

due to my theatre camps starting up soon, i probably won't be updating as much, but i am here!

(just saying this so i don't get your hopes up) the waitress is an oc, not a cameo from something, sorry :(

***

"y-you still w-won't tell me w-where we're going," evan mumbled.

connor smiled brightly and looked over at him. "it's a surprise, i already told you."

it was the weekend, and they were sitting in the back of a taxi. evan's first week at school had gone really well, and connor insisted on doing this to celebrate. of course, he had been planning this all week.

"surprises g-give m-me anxiety."

"darling, no offense, but what doesn't?"

evan smiled a little and nuzzled into connor's shoulder. "y-you don't."

connor smiled brightly and kissed evan on the top of his head. evan blushed and grabbed connor's hand, playing with his fingers.

"why d-do you always p-paint your nails b-black?" evan wondered aloud.

"i don't know. it's just a habit of mine. black's dark, like my soul," connor smirked.

evan shook his head. "y-your soul is m-more like a w-watercolor. e-everyone's i-is..."

the statement registered deeply with connor, and he looked at the smaller boy leaning against him with surprise.

"i-i'm sorry, t-that w-was stupid..."

"no, that was gorgeous and poetic and absolutely true," connor interrupted. he looked back down at his nails. "actually, the real reason is because i started painting them black before i saw you. black was the only color i trusted myself with because it was the only thing i could really see... you know, everything else was grayscale. it was hard for me to even determine white from yellow."

"oh, okay. b-but you should p-paint them b-blue sometime," evan advised.

connor raised an eyebrow. "and why is that?"

"i d-don't know. i j-just l-like blue, sorry, it w-was a stupid idea."

"no, no, of course i will. anything for you. i'll just raid zoe's nail polish the next time i'm over there."

the taxi stopped in front of a fancy italian restaurant, and evan gasped.

"h-how did you know i l-love italian?" he asked connor, as connor paid the driver.

connor helped evan out of the car. "i didn't know. i just guessed."

connor offered his arm to evan, and evan rested his hand on connor's elbow. they walked into the restaurant like they were royalty strutting into a fancy gala.

as they waited to be seated, connor whispered in evan's ear, "did i mention how absolutely stunning you look tonight?"

it was true. when connor had opened the door for evan that evening, he had to stable himself on the wall. evan was in a tuxedo and had a blue bowtie on, something connor had never seen before, and it was like looking at the sky at sunset.

evan's face flushed pink. "thanks, but i-i think you l-look better."

"nonsense."

a waitress appeared. she was tall and her dirty blonde hair was pinned back in a bun. "mr. and mr. murphy-hansen?" she asked, smiling a little bit. her voice had a hint of a southern accent.

evan blushed at the last names, and connor just pulled him closer. "yes, ma'am?" connor asked.

she was smiling widely now. "follow me to your table."

they followed her down a bit of a hallway and up some stairs until she stepped out onto a private balcony. candles were lit everywhere and their view was astounding. they could look over the streets below and watch the sunset behind the buildings of the city.

"w-wow..." evan whispered, breathless. "how m-much money did y-you spend on this?"

"that's none of your concern. and i'm paying for dinner, too," connor replied.

connor pulled out evan's chair for him, and evan sat, still astounded by the balcony. connor sat across from him, gazing at his wide blue eyes.

"y'all are so cute," the waitress gushed, setting down menus and grabbing her pad. connor and evan both snapped to attention, and she giggled a bit. "sorry for interrupting the moment. my name is skye, and i'll be taking care of y'all today. shall we start out with something to drink?"

"water, please," both boys said at the same time, and skye giggled again.

"so here's how this is going to work. connor, there's a little button on your chair. just press it when you need something and i'll be right out. for now, i'll be back with those drinks," the waitress informed him, and she skipped a little out the door.

connor's eyes stayed on the door long after she'd gone. "she's too bubbly for new york city," he observed.

"i agree," evan replied.

connor turned back to evan, who was fiddling with his hands and looking at connor, a shy smile on his face. "your stuttering has gone down," connor noticed, smiling.

"y-yeah. the more comfortable i g-get with people, the less it h-happens," evan explained.

connor reached across the table for evan's hand, and evan complied. "i'm so glad, darling."

***

dinner didn't last long. when the waitress came by with their food only fifteen minutes after they'd ordered it, she'd explained to the boys that they were her only table tonight.

"huh. that's weird," connor said.

"well, i'm kinda clumsy and i'm known for not really... focusing, i guess? so my manager always just assigns me this balcony. not a lot of people come by for it, so i don't always end up serving people. i work in the back, too, doing cleanup and dishes and all that, but..." skye's voice trailed off and she shrugged.

"b-but you're s-so n-nice," evan protested. "you're m-making us w-want to come b-back here just by being f-friendly and s-sweet."

the waitress smiled shyly. "thank you, but it's not a big deal. i'm not really cut out for this work, anyway. it just pays the bills."

"in that case, what do you want to do?" connor asked curiously.

"theatre. broadway is my dream," the waitress gushed, picking up their glasses and pouring them refills.

connor smiled. "well, i wish you luck."

he made sure to leave a generous tip for her before they left.

***

"where are you taking me now?" evan asked, giggling while connor tied a blindfold over his eyes.

"you'll see," connor replied. and then they started to walk, connor steering evan down the streets of new york city.

they got some looks, sure, but a few of them were smiles. connor smiled back at those and gave death looks at the others.

they got to times square, and connor ripped off the blindfold. "this isn't the surprise, but i wanted you to see this. evan, on the day i saw you, my taxi drove past here, and ever since then i've associated it with you. whenever i truly felt like i was never going to find you, i came here."

evan gazed up at the giant screens. "it's p-pretty. in a weird w-way."

connor, who was already behind evan, rested his hands on evan's waist and nuzzled his cheek. he suddenly felt a surge of affection. "i love you so much, evan hansen."

evan's face was getting warmer. "connor, i l-love you too, but w-we're in public."

connor chuckled and pulled back. "c'mon, cutie. we're gonna be late. try not to look up, okay?"

evan grabbed connor's hand and looked down at the sidewalk. connor looked around and then found west 46th street, branching off of the square.

he walked across the square and down the street until his eyes landed on where he was taking evan.

"damn, i thought we were early, but the line's still insanely long," connor mumbled.

"is everything o-okay?" evan asked.

"yes, baby, everything's fine," connor replied. he already had the tickets, so they were getting in.

he walked to the end of the line and told evan to look up.

evan's eyes widened and he squealed, pouncing on connor. "how did you know?!!" he asked, as a smile took over his entire face.

"you think i don't hear you humming songs under your breath? i recognized the soundtrack instantly. and hey, what's a date in new york city without a broadway musical?" connor smiled, hugging evan back.

evan pulled back to look again, still smiling.

in front of them was the richard rodgers theatre, with the huge miranda poster lit up in yellow lights.

***

it was a pain to get inside, almost worse than it was for connor to get the last-minute tickets. but the expression evan had on his face was completely worth it. his smile hadn't died out since he saw the huge sign outside. and now they were sitting in these orchestra seats that connor had used his parent's connections to get, and evan was gazing at the stage like he had just seen an angel.

act one consisted of evan whispering to connor "that's what h-happened to me when i s-saw you" during helpless (making connor blush), and crying a little during satisfied. he smiled all the way through yorktown, and tapped his foot through non-stop.

"i'm h-having an amazing time. how did you a-afford all of this?" evan asked connor during intermission.

connor wrapped his arms around evan and grinned. "don't worry about that, evan. just keep enjoying the show."

at first, when act two started, everything was great. and while evan and connor were both expecting the downhill climb in the story, they weren't expecting what happened during the world was wide enough.

when the fake gunshot went off and leslie odom jr.'s actor screamed "wait!" everyone in the audience snapped to attention.

because the gunshot that they had heard seemed much closer, and much, much more real.

the entire orchestra stopped, and everyone on the stage came to a halt.

"that's some g-good sound q-quality," evan mumbled, a slight note of panic in his voice.

"evan... i don't think that was -"

another shot was fired, and connor grabbed evan's hand.

he turned towards evan, panic and adrenaline filling his veins. evan was staring at connor, wide-eyed, tears falling down his face. the audience started to scramble towards the exits.

connor looked around and found the nearest one.

he told evan, "run. and don't let go of my hand."