Ben's POV

Today is the day! Sky's sister, (Y/N), is coming to take costume measurements! I've met the girl before, but only a few months ago, and that was just once. Sky and I are the only ones who need costumes still. As the girl who was in charge of the costumes walked into the door, I resisted the urge to gasp. She was beautiful! "This is my little sister, (Y/N)." Said Sky. "She has pretty bad anxiety, and she is pretty shy. Luckily, sis, it's just me and Ben. You've met him before, remember? The guy who plays Racetrack?"

"Yeah. Hi, Ben. Sky, how about you first? And maybe stay in the room after, when I'm taking Ben's measurements? My anxiety has been acting up lately, and well... I just don't wanna panic while I'm doing his." She whispered something that I couldn't hear.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I've got mild anxiety too, but I've got it under control. If you panic, I won't judge you. Oh, and I've got Ryan and Giuseppe's old costumes, the original and takeover Broadway Race if you'd like it. For, ya know, reference or whatever." I replied.

"Yeah, I'll take the costume. Thanks for understanding my anxiety." (Y/N) replied.

"Are we just gonna chit chat, or do you want our measurements?" Asked Sky, mocking us.

"One sec, let me grab my tape measure" the beautiful girl finished.

Your POV

 Sky's measurements flew by until it was Ben's turn. And, here goes my anxiety! I started to have an attack. "Whoa, (Y/N), is your anxiety acting up? Do you need some water or something?" Ben asked

"Sky? Can you get-" I started

"In your purse, right?" my wonderful brother asked.

"No, it's in my sewing bag." He pulled out my attack kit. Water, my meds, and.... CRAP! I HAVE THE BEN PICTURE IN HERE! I hid it in my sleeve and found my inhaler. I took a puff, and I calmed down. A bottle of water later, I was fine. "Sorry, Ben. I've been super stressed out recently, you know, because of the show and, umm, all that jazz!" I quoted.

"Did you just quote Chicago? That's one of my favorite musicals! Besides Spring Awakening and-" I cut him off.

"Let me guess. Ragtime, since that was your debut? Sky told me if you're wondering. Mine is Tuck Everlasting. And yes, I know that you were in that. You singing Top of the World makes my life." I said, still kind of anxious.

"How do you know me so well?" Ben whispered. "Now, take my measurements already!"

Ben's POV

 (Y/N )must of had a really bad anxiety attack, As if rehearsed, her brother grabbed a small bag out of (Y/N')s sewing kit. Was that a picture of me in costume for Ragtime I saw? No, it couldn't be. I must have imagined it.

Of course, when we finally got to my measurements, she and I talked musicals. Her favorite was Tuck Everlasting, the last show I was in. She guessed that Ragtime was my favorite musical since it was my Broadway debut. My other favorite is Spring Awakening. I remember when I first saw that show. Wait, I'm off topic. As she took my measurements, I forgot that Sky was in the room for a moment, and it was only us. I almost went in for a kiss, and then saw a flash of bright orange out of the corner of my eye. I love Sky sometimes, but sometimes....that boy's hair can get on my nerves. It's so bright! Anyway, we finished the measurements and Sky and I left the room so she could work. "Dang, Sky!" I started. "Your sister's hot!"

"What the heck?" Sky quoted the rest of the line from Dear Evan Hansen.

"I'm not kidding. I've got a total crush on her." I turned around to see the door to her office wide open.

Your POV:

What. The. Heck?!?!?! To quote Kathrine Plummer "EEEEEEEEEE!!!!!" I've loved Ben since I saw him in Billy Elliot. Ahh!! But how do I tell him? I can't yet. I can NOT tell him today. No. No way. I barely know him!

Forget it. I love him. But he left the theatre already. I heard a knock at my door, scaring me out of my pants. "Hey, sis, can I come in?" Sky asked, practically begging to be punched.

"You made me poke myself with my needle, you little son of a- nope, not gonna finish that sentence. Come on in." I yelled whilst grabbing a Band-Aid.

"So, did you-" Sky started.

"Hear what Ben said? Yes. I did. And I feel the same way. You can't tell him, though! If you do, I will screw up your costume on purpose." I threatened.

"Oi! I'm just your brother! What did I ever- nope, not gonna ask that question. But, anyway, I guessed that you had a crush on him due to the Ragtime picture in the kit." He joked.

"You saw that? Of course, you did, you're my brother. Now, get the heck out of here before this thread ends up your nose!" I finished, shooing him out of the room. And yes, I still made his armhole too small.

Ben's POV:

"Oh my God. Josh!!! HELP ME!!" I texted frantically on the bus back to the flat that I share with Dan DeLuca and him.

"What is it? I'm in the middle of a new episode of The Office and im really cozy so you better have a good reason for interrupting!!"

"I told Sky that I like his sister, and her room's door was fricking. Open!!!!!"

"Tell me about it when you get home"

"K Cya"

The moment I got home, I told Josh and Dan what happened. "Oh, God." Said Dan. "This crap just got REAL!!"

"In the words of my character Racetrack, SHADDUP!!" I yelled. "But for real though, what should I do?"

"Something?" Josh added meekly.

"You two are not helpful. I'm going to bed." I finished, storming to my room.

I texted Sky after I finished punching my pillow. Hey S

Hey, bro wassup??

Did ur sis hear what I said?????? Im freaking out about it

That, my friend, is classified information.
What? I mean, that means that she heard it CRAP

Good night!!
And the conversation ended there. I tried to FaceTime him, but he refused to pick up. God, these boys are my brothers, but sometimes I hate them! I closed my eyes and conked out fast.

The next morning, I woke up to a screaming Josh alarm clock. "GET YOUR BUTT OUT HERE UNLESS YOU DON'T WANT DONUTS!!!" I ran the heck out there in my boxers and snagged a long john and a boston creme. Cuz duh. "I'm sorry I'm in underwear, I just woke up, all thanks to JOSHUA! Where's Dan?" I mumbled, doughnut in my mouth.

"He went to Starbucks. I asked him to get you an Iced Chai Tea Latte." Josh replied mindlessly.

"I darning love you," I said, kissing his cheek jokingly.

"Which you should!" Josh exclaimed, finishing our breakfast exchanged as Dan walked in the door.

Realizing how much of a zombie I looked and felt like, I said "DAN!!! GIVE ME MY COFFEE!!!!!!" whilst snatching the latte out of his hands. I slurped it down out of pure thirst. Then, I texted Emma like I do each morning. Mornin Em wassup?
Hey bro im good hbu?

I told S that I have a crush on his sis and her door was open YOU'RE A GIRL WHAT DOES 'That, my friend, is classified information' mean?

Oh SHOOT that translates to 'She heard it but if i tell you she did she'll murder me ded'

Nonononononononononono CRAP!! Also i think i saw a Ragtime picture in her anxiety kit

She likes you back for sure

Good. Wanna go to lunch? El Salto sound good?

Yea see you there

And thus, our conversation ended. I got dressed and went on my morning jog down the streets of Manhattan, since we were still in New York City rehearsals, down by the August Wilson Theatre. Down there, sitting in a cafe, was (Y/N). I wandered inside and sat next to her.

Your POV:

Sitting in Starbucks, I saw a wild Benjamin Tyler Cook jogging the streets. He and I locked eyes as I sipped my Caramel Macchiato. He walked in and sat next to me after ordering what he said was his second latte this morning. I decided to tell him then and there that I loved him. "Ben, I heard what you said yesterday. I told Sky not to tell you, because it would be weird to have my brother and your best friend tell you that I feel the exact same way."

"You...Do? (Y/N), you like me too? Oh my..." he leaned in and kissed me. We left the building and went to the rehearsal space, where I had his costume ready. We kissed again and again, and all was well. As Sky wandered in with Josh and DeMarius on his heels, Ben and I began to laugh. Emma wandered in behind them. "What's so funny?" she asked.

"You were right, Em. She does like me back. And Sky, I hate you." Ben teased, still a bit in shock.

"So, did you ask Emma what my texts meant?" Sky asked.

"Yeah. He did, since I can decode texts like that." Emma chimed in. She was pretty good at dancing as well, so I had heard. She did one video with Ben...why do I know this?

"Thanks Emma. You spoiled it!" I joked.

"Oh, so you're (Y/N)! Nice to meet you! I guess you already know who I am." Emma said, shaking my hand. She seemed like a really kind person. Of course she is, who am I kidding! It's Ben's sister!

"Yeah, I do. Ben, like, never ever shuts up about you." I chuckled. "Also, I'm hungry, and it's noon. Anyone up for lunch?" I asked politely.

"Em and I were planning on El Salto, wanna join?" Josh, Dan, Sky and I all glanced back and forth at each other. We all nodded in unison. "El Salto it is." finished Ben as we all ran out the door.

Ben's POV:

Could you call this a date? I guess you could, but it was a group lunch... Either way, we sat right next to each other, and we both ordered the same thing: (insert favorite Mexican dish here). Who knew we had so much in common! As I stared at her (y/e/c) eyes and ran my fingers through her (y/h/c) hair, I leaned in. She was the one to kiss me. Dang. She and I are so alike, it's not even funny. We were the same person in two different bodies. The only thing that was different is that she was perfect. I'm everything but perfect. I'm as far as it gets from perfect. I can dance and sing, but that's it. I'm not that good at dancing or singing either. All I can do is love her, and that's enough.

I checked my watch after we all finished eating. "CRAP! Call's in five! Let's go!" I cried as we sprinted the two blocks to the rehearsal room. We bounded in and thanked dear God that it wasn't full costume. If it was, we'd be screwed. (Y/N) went to finish up a repair on Iain's costume (he ripped his pants AGAIN!! Really, Iain?) as we started to stretch. Sky and I showed off a bit, but Andy Richardson, who was freaking Crutchie on Broadway, showed up for a few to see how we were. He kicked all of our butts, casually doing a backbend with his wrists touching his heels. He's eighteen. HOW? He told me how he had done this at Paper Mill in the backstage vlogs Andrew Keenan-Bolger did, much to the delight of the Fansies. He taught himself how to do it. I swear to God he'll break his neck.

After we warmed up, we worked on King of New York, our second hardest dance break. The hardest was Seize the Day, which we were running afterward. In King, I've got a huge part. Race sings the main part of the song, plus I have a lot of tap dancing. Oh, and Spoon Fight. You can't forget Spoon Fight. The nickname Spoon Fight spawned from the part boys yell "Spoon Fight!" as I have a spoon playing fight while tap dancing with Julian DeGuzman. We have so much fun! Whenever we run it, we make weird, discreet hand gestures that mean random things in American Sign Language. Andy Richardson(ya know, backbends?) is fluent and saw what we said. He was dying laughing. He signed What the h-e-c-k are you doing?? , fingerspelling heck. There's no sign for heck. There should be. But afterward, I forced Andy to teach me a little more. There was only one thing that I wanted to learn, and I hoped (Y/N) would understand. As I left, I signed her the one fluent thing I know.

I love you, (Y/N) I signed, fingerspelling her name. After that, I ran out the door in the pouring rain.

Your POV:

When Ben left, he signed "I love you, (Y/N)" to me. I asked Andy if he taught Ben to say that. "God, he wouldn't stop bugging me until I did!" he chuckled. Then he left since he had to get back to the Nederlander before Fight Call. I mean, he was a huge part of the fight scene, and everyone's in Seize the Day. Oh God, Corey, and Jeremy in that scene... and the new guy for the tour, Dan? Oh, Lordy, that scene is hard! Well, at least, Seize the Day looks hard. I'm not really in the show. I have a cameo they've given to me: "Girl Buying Newspaper", right after Carrying the Banner Reprise 2. I buy a paper from Les after he does a little cough. I made my own costume and everything! I'm pretty darning proud of it. That night, Sky and I drove to Five Guys after we left the rehearsal room. There, we each got some chow and drove home, exhausted. I drove so Sky didn't pass out while behind the wheel. That would have been disastrous. We got home with him asleep in the backseat. Just my luck. I screamed in his ear to awaken him, and that got me a punch in the nose. I deserved it, honestly.

In the house, I crawled into bed and FaceTimed Benjamin. Once he picked up, I told Ben in ASL hello, to crank up the volume on the phone, and connect to the speakers. We were going to prank his roommates. I screamed into the phone. "GO AND LOOK IT UP THE POOR GUY'S HEAD IS SPINNING!!" I saw Josh jump a mile into the air. I started to crack up.

"My GOD (Y/N)!! I swear to God tomorrow at rehearsal..." Josh began.

"Anyway, now that we've pranked them, I should go to bed. Love ya, Ben!" I whispered.

"Love you too, (Y/N)," he replied. "Oh, and by the way, I made Andy teach me how to say I love you in ASL so I could tell you all the time. I love you, (Y/N)" he whispered, signing the last part, and then hung up. I closed my eyes and went to sleep.

Ben's POV:

I love her so much. It's not even funny how much I love her. (Y/N) is the most amazing girl ever. After the Great Bluetooth Speaker FaceTime call, Josh and Dan just about murdered me. It was kind of hilarious and completely worth it. Josh actually punched me. No kidding. Ouch, Joshua! Anywho, the next day at rehearsal, my roomies were giving (Y/N) and I the stink eye. When Zachary (Sayle, the boy who plays Crutchie) asked what happened, I said "(Y/N) FaceTimed me and told me, in ASL nonetheless, to crank up my phone's volume and connect to Bluetooth. She yelled the poor guy line to me and Josh jumped just about a kilometer in the air." I laughed.

Laughing his butt off, Zach replied "Let me find her and hug her. That is amazing!!" He ran off, handing me his crutch.

Your POV:

 Zachary Sayle of all people came running up to me this afternoon. "What ripped?" I asked, inspecting his costume.

"Nothing, but my gut might be busted. Ben told me about the FaceTime call. My GOD that's hilarious!!" he hugged me hard.

"Great, now don't you have a scene?" I said, referring to the new song, Letter From the Refuge.

"Oh, crud, you're right!! Gotta run!" He sprinted back and grabbed his crutch from Benjamin. Both of us began laughing. I was off for the rest of the show, and Ben wasn't on until the whole "HEY PEOPLE WE'RE RALLYING!!" scene. So, obviously, he wandered his way over to me.

"Hey, beautiful! I love your 'Girl Buying Newspaper' costume!" Ben whispered as not to disturb the singing crip. He kissed me softly. I kissed him back. He had to go so he wouldn't miss his cue. I love you, (Y/N) he signed, as per usual. Before he left, I signed what I had been working on.

I love you, too, Benjamin Tyler Cook.

Of course, just walking, of all things, Anthony Zas, our Spot Conlon, split his pants somehow. Not the seam on his shirt when he jerks his arm, no, but he got caught on something and ripped his pants wide open. A+, gold star. "Congratulations, Anthony! You have your first costume repair! How does it feel?" I asked like I was a news reporter on channel 5.

"Uncomfortable, now where are my jeans?" He replied. I handed him them, took his Spot pants to my office, and began to sew.

Ben's POV:

 OMG DEMARIUS YOU WERE IN THE BATHROOM BUT GUESS WHAT?? I frantically texted De.

What??

ANTHONY SPLIT HIS PANTS. HIS SPOT CONLON PANTS!! I'm DYING laughing!!

Oh my god xD

Now, get your arse down here! Brooklyn's in five minutes!!

Okay. Cya

And then, his poofball of an afro came into view over everyone's heads. He maneuvered his way next to me, just because we stand next to each other in the scene. We climbed onto the towers and got ready to belt. I was top harmony, he had the melody seeing as he's a lower-voiced tenor. Everyone in the cast is a tenor(except for our lonely baritone, Dan), so the higher harmony is, like, alto stuff. Especially the high C# at the end of Once and For All... that's not easy on the throat. We have a running joke that the tops are going to get nodes. This is why the tops swing out once a month, one at a time. I give all of us two months until at least one of us is on vocal rest, honestly.

We finished the rally, and then Steph and Dan did their lovey-dovey kiss scene, when our big act two number, Once and For All, came to bite. All the tops mouthed "See ya in the afterlife" since the dreaded note was soon to occur.

Your POV:

Have I mentioned that Ben's a top? That means he has the highest harmony. You see, Ben has a really high voice. So, obviously, he has to sing the high C#5 at the end of Once And For All. It's pretty comfy in my range, but for him and the rest of the top hats? Not so much. I snuck into the room after I finished fixing the seam on Anthony's pants and heard Ben's voice crystal clear. When he belts, he belts. It could make you deaf if you're too close.

All deafness aside, he sung that top note like nobody's business. Afterwards, he's not really off for the rest of the show, so he's out of breath by the end of curtain call. And boy, was he out of breath! I ran him his water bottle, and a kiss, and all seemed to be well. We stopped by his place afterwards. The flat was a mess. It was almost amusing how unorganized those boys were. I couldn't tell who's things were who's. I'm sure they could.

"This place is a dump! I'm coming over tomorrow while you three are at vocal lessons and cleaning," I said.

"No! You don't have to do that for us! You're still doing it regardless, aren't you?"

"Yeah. I am. No matter what."

And so, the next day, I cleaned their flat. The boys came home to a fresh home that I hoped they liked. I got a friendly text that evening, so I guess they did.

That night, I stayed at Ben's place. Curled up on his chest, he asked me "If you could go anywhere, where would you go?"

"I'm not sure, why?"

"Well..." Ben began to sing. "Run away with me. Let me be your ride out of town. Let me be the place that you hide. We can make our lives on the go. Run away with me. Texas in the summer is cool. We'll be on the road like Jack Kerouac, looking back, if you're ready let's go. Anywhere. Get the car packed and throw me the key. Run away with me. And, I know it's fast, but I'm in love with you. Call me crazy but I'm much crazier for you. I have these plans. I have all these plans for a house that we'll build on a bay when we run away" 

Ben's POV:

I continued singing, finishing the song. "So? Once the tour ends. We can live together, (Y/N). Please?"

"Okay," she whispered, falling asleep in my arms. I couldn't fall asleep for a little while, and when I did, it was restless. For whatever reason, I just could not get a good night's sleep to save my life, and it had been that way since, god, Billy Elliot on Broadway? When I was in Ragtime, I slept like the dead on my nights performing. Once I became the Michael Understudy, though, I stopped getting more than maybe 6 hours a night if I was lucky. Whenever anybody asked how I slept, I always said that I slept great. I did. I was used to running on no sleep. That's the beauty of caffeine(I love a good Starbucks Venti Iced Chai Tea Latte with skim milk) in the morning.

When I woke up at six, as per usual, I was surprised by (Y/N)'s weight on my chest. It was oddly comforting, and I felt her breathing, slow and steady. About twenty minutes later, she woke up. "Good morning, baby." I whispered.

"Morning, Benny," she muttered back. "How long have you been awake?"

"Only about a half hour. It's six thirty. Do you want some coffee? I'm about to go on my morning Starbucks run, anyway." I asked.

"I'll take a Hazelnut Mocha Coconut Milk Macchiato. Venti, of course. Are Josh and Dan awake yet?"

"No clue. They always get the same thing, though, so I'm going to get them that," I said. "Love you, sweetheart."

"Love you."

And with that, I put on a shirt and hopped in the car. The engine wouldn't start, though, so I took Josh's old Chevy instead. It clunked its way through the drive-thru, and it jumped my car when I got home. As I wandered my way into the living room, everyone else had awakened. The boys flocked to me like vultures to roadkill, snatching their drinks from the cardboard holder. (Y/N) was the only civilized one, waiting for the boys, and then getting up, thanking me, and attempting to give me money. "No, no, honey, this is my treat." I explained. "A kiss will be adequate payment."

Then she kissed me, since that's what I said to do. We all sat in silence, slurping calories and watching the news. I don't know how hypocritical it makes us, to be watching the news while being in a show where we portray dancing newsboys, but that's got to get us some Hypocrite Points. I'm sure of it.

This week is Tech Week for the show, which means Sunday is the dreaded Tech Sunday. You run through the entire show four times at least. They provide lunch, and usually there's a cast dinner party afterward. You have to show up at seven in the morning, and you go until 7 P.M. Nobody likes Tech Sunday, including the director. DMC is excited, but he'll learn.

Today was the first day, a Monday. We open the show in 8 days. We finally have full costumes ready, so we're running full costume, no makeup. We run Friday-Saturday-Sunday with full everything, including makeup and mics. Monday is a family show, where we can bring our parents and such, for those who either can't afford to come, or can't find a show that they're available for. I'm bringing my mom, Em, dad, and Nick, my brother. I'm really pumped for them to see me high-kick and tap-dance through the show. Emma will be so impressed, since she's a dancer. We started on the same day. 

Anyway, (Y/N) showed up to rehearsal, just in case somebody ripped a seam. Nobody did, but she did give me a big kiss after curtain call, even though I was super sweaty. She didn't care. All she cared about was us. And guess what? I felt the same.

Epilogue: 6 years later

(Y/N)'s POV

When Ben asked me out to dinner, I didn't think much of it. I thought it was a perfect time for me to propose to him. We were at an Italian place outside of New York City. He knew it was your favorite. It was storming pretty hard, and we were drenched once we got inside. A few minutes after we got our food, the power went out for about thirty seconds. When the lights flickered back on, Ben was on one knee.

"(Y/N Y/M/N) Flaherty," he began. "We've known each other for a while, and we've been dating for more than six years now. I was wondering if you wanted to keep going, and marry me?"

I was dumbfounded. "Of course, you little jerk! I was going to ask you later tonight!"

"Well? Let's get married!" he stage-whispered, taking me into his arms and kissing me harder than he ever had. The thumping of our hearts beat out the rumbling of the thunder outside. It was only us.

Fin.