There was two weeks between the audition and the first official reading.

That was two weeks Ten spent glued to his script, learning every single line, the soundtrack on repeat. He was determined to prove himself, he wanted to shine. He had almost the entire script memorised by the time the gathering day came.

The auditorium seemed more ominous the second time he stood in front of it. These were the people he had to work with for the next three months. These were the people he had to spend ninety days with, singing, acting and dancing whilst being watched, judged and directed. It was rather thrilling to him.

No one shot him a glance as he entered. There was about a dozen people already gathered, mingling with one another on the stage. They were all dressed in simple clothing, jogging pants, yoga pants, hoodies, baggy t shirts, all either bare foot or in jazz shoes. Ten felt a little better about arriving in basic black and white sweats. He made his way to stage, dumping his bag amongst the other before proceeding to stand awkwardly on the edge of the collecting groups, pretending to type on his phone.

"Ten, right?" His head snapped up, meeting eyes with a petite blonde with twinkling eyes and an even brighter smile. He nodded. "You looked a little lost, I thought I'd break the ice. I'm Kayla. I haven't seen you round before, is this your first time with the company?" Another nod. "Ask me if you need anything okay? I'm no expert but I'll try and help you out! Come, meet the others. We're all pretty friendly."

She didn't seem to take no for an answer. Linking her arm through his, Kayla lead him to one of the gatherings, joining the circle. He felt like an outsider as they spoke rapidly amongst themselves, Ten's eyes darting back and forth as he attempted to keep the focus off himself. It managed to work, with no one paying him the slightest bit of attention. He remained invisible for what felt like an eternity until the voice of the director filled the auditorium, disrupting them.

"Alright, quick head count. If I call your name, raise your hand and then we can start." The list of names was read off with haste as the gathered people formed one giant circle, awaiting further orders. Ten predicted nothing but vocal warm ups and ice breakers and he wasn't disappointed. He barely spoke a word, remaining silent, willing his awkwardness away. 

Then it came for the read through. 

It went fairly smoothly, nothing unexpected from a first time rehearsal. Ten was only dreading the Vineyard scene. He still hadn't met his character's love interest but he could only hope it wasn't an uncomfortable first encounter.

But of course, it had to be.

"Sometimes, when it's quiet, in the evening like this, I imagine myself as a country pastor." Ten kept his focus on his script, even though he knew it off by heart, not wanting to seem like too much of a try-hard. The other male had other ideas. Johnny's eyes were fixed on Ten, watching him read with a soft voice, head tilted over so slightly, intrigued by the newbie. "With my red-cheeked wife, my library, my degrees. Boys and girls who live nearby give me their hands when I go walking.."

There was a brief pause, Ten glancing up at to find the tall boy gazing at him, blinking once. "You can't be serious." He spoke slowly, disbelief in his voice. It was just a read through yet the tone in his voice sent a ripple throughout the auditorium. He was definitely no amateur. "Really, Ernst. You're such a sentimentalist."

Ten's gaze flickered back down to the script, choosing not to look at the boy who refused to look at anything other than him. They went back and forth, reading the lines, and not once did Johnny glance at the papers in his hand. He didn't need to. Like Ten, he'd learnt the lines. Some called it showing off, he liked to call it preparation. However, unlike Johnny, Ten just wanted to get through the reading as quickly as possible, and get the other's eyes off him. It kept him on edge, having the other constantly watching him. What did he want, a photograph?

"Hey, Ten!" He'd managed to grab his bag, ready to leave the stage and head home after the reading but was stopped by the same girl who'd approached him at the beginning. "A few of us are heading out to get food, you wanna come along?"

"Uh.." Ten was hesitant. His first instinct was to say yes. He wanted to make friends, he wanted to meet everyone properly and form relationships. On the other hand, he was slightly nervous that Johnny would be one of those also attending.

"You don't have to stay long. We want to get to know the mysterious Ten! I'll even pay for you." Kayla was being far too sweet for Ten to refuse so he nodded, forcing a half smile on his lips.

Surprisingly, Ten didn't regret his decision. There was five of them; himself, Kayla, two girls, Nikki and Libby, a boy named Freddie and of course, Johnny. Ten said nothing about his discomfort towards the stranger, he didn't want to cause a fuss. He was the new kid here, he didn't want to invade and start a war. Maybe Johnny wasn't actually a bad person. Maybe he was sweet, patient, thoughtful..

Maybe not. 

"I still think that I should've gotten the lead. Mark is great and all but come on.. I'm perfect for the role." Johnny stuffed a few fries into his mouth, a look of defeat on his face as he chewed.

Kayla reached across, fingers in his hair, ruffling the strands softly. "Maybe you're simply too gay for the role." That earned a look of disgust and a disgruntled noise from Johnny.

"He is rather handsome." Libby cooed the words, cradling her chin in her hand as she cast a dreamy gaze.

"So wonderful!" Kayla joined in, clutching her chest. The entire table, bar Johnny, began smirking, catching on.

"But not as wonderful as that sad, soulful, sleepy head.." Libby began, a smile now on her lips, joined in by everyone, bar Johnny again, "Mark Champion!" A round of giggles filled the atmosphere, much to the dismay of Johnny.

"Ha, very funny." He huffed, leaning back in defeat. His gaze flickered up to meet Ten's, who'd been watching him throughout the whole ordeal. They held eye contact for a split second before Ten glanced away, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Johnny took note, finding this slight glimpse of vulnerability and pounced. "So, Ten.. This is your first performance, right? I mean, I could tell you're an amateur. But we'll all help you out, give you tips and such, won't we?"

"Oh, Johnny, leave the boy alone." Kayla tossed her unwanted slide of pickle towards the boy, nose crinkling in annoyance. "He's doing great! You're doing great, Ten."

Ten smiled weakly, appreciating the comfort she offered him but he was still unsettled. He didn't steal Johnny's role. He wasn't in Johnny's way. He hadn't even spoken to Johnny. Why was he the target of his victimising? Kayla attempted to convince him that Johnny wasn't a bad guy when the groups dispersed, spouting nonsense about him just being a little put out about the role and that was normally a nice guy. Ten wanted to believe her. He liked seeing the best in people.

Johnny was just... eccentric.

~

a/n: i apologise for the long build up and little interaction but be patient! Tenny will interact more very soon!