Broadway Beginnings

"Of course Polls, that's common sense."

"Well he got dicky about it. I was getting shitty vibes, so I made out I was going to the bathroom and made a run for it."

Ty had just discovered a rip in Polly's top, "Shit, I'll kill him, what did he do?"

Polly turned and looked at her sleeve, "Oh, damn, this top's new. I'm not hurt, but he had someone with him, and they tried to grab me when I went for the cab, so I ran. Your place was closest."

She scrubbed her hands over her face, "Sorry, I'm just shaken up. They scared me but I'm not hurt. Were you watching porn?"

Ty blinked in shock, "What? Why would you ask that?"

"Well you're hard, and it's not for me is it?" Polly grinned up at him, even though she was still shaking and breathless, "Unless you've changed your mind and maybe you're not totally gay."

"Jesus!" Tony smiled as he watched Ty cup Polly's face and lean his forehead against hers. Partly lovely to see him being so sweet with a friend, and partly delighted to have confirmation that she was just a friend.

"Still totally gay, you persistent little brat," Ty muttered in an exasperated tone.

He turned her into the apartment and Polly's eyes went wide when she saw Tony sat up in the bed.

"Oh my God! Oh shit, I'm so sorry, you've got, wow he's beautiful. Ty I'm so sorry, Jesus, you're beautiful," all came out in a rush as Polly gazed at Tony.

Ty just rolled his eyes and moved past the bed, grabbing some sweats, and throwing them onto the bed, as Tony gave Polly a wave, "Hi, um, I'm Tony."

"And I'm sorry, I'm leaving," Polly said and turned to fumble at the door.

Ty had already walked back across the room and Tony marveled at the casual display of strength as he simply wrapped one arm around her waist and lifted her away from the door.

Two steps to the couch he swung her into his arms and sat with her.

"You're staying safe here," he told her and pulled her in when she started to cry again.

Tony slid off the bed and as discreetly as possible pulled the sweats on.

He moved the small distance to where Ty was comforting Polly, "Should I go?" he asked quietly.

"No," Ty said, "It's gone 2am, we should probably all just call it quits and settle down."

Polly tried to apologize again but started to hiccup instead. Ty rubbed her back and smiled at Tony, "She's not as tough as she likes to make out."

Tony crouched down, speaking softly, "Hey, Polly right? You want I should get you some water?"

"Hi," she managed and reached for his hands, gripping him with surprising strength, "Are you gay?" she asked, and Ty snorted.

"Er, yea."

"Like completely 100%?" Polly asked hopefully, her eyes wide and innocent, her cheeks still wet.

"Um, yep, 100%," Tony confirmed, adding a, "Sorry!" when Polly looked sad. Ty snorted again.

"Never mind," Polly smiled bravely and squeezed his hands before releasing him, "Maybe can I have some chamomile tea?"

"Why the fuck would I have chamomile tea, Polls?" Ty asked.

"I hid some tea at the back of the top right kitchen cupboard," Polly said, snuggling against Ty and giving Tony a cheeky grin he couldn't help but return, "It's in a yellow packet."

"No problem," Tony said and moved approximately half a step into the kitchen.

Tony couldn't help but listen to the whispered conversation as he made the tea and Ty settled Polly. It was clear they were tight.

Ty stood when he brought the tea over, "Polly keeps some hotel give away toothbrushes in the bathroom," he told Tony, "feel free to make use."

"Oh, awesome, thanks," Tony said with relief and shoehorned himself into the tiny bathroom. How the hell did Ty fit in here?

He came back out to find Ty placing an old worn screen alongside the bed, giving an illusion of privacy, and cutting the small room in half.

Polly sat on the couch, sipping her tea, and blinking owlishly at them. A blanket and pillow sat beside her on the couch.

Then.

"This couch is lumpy."

"Forget it."

"I've got class tomorrow."

"Tough."

"I can take the couch," Tony offered, and Polly cracked up at Ty's curt, "No."

"I'm teasing Tony, this couch is only 4ft long, you couldn't snuggle on here."

Tony chatted with Polly for a few minutes as Ty somehow maneuvered himself into the bathroom, before taking himself around the screen and into bed. Ty left the light on when he came out.

"Turn the light off when you've finished your tea, okay," he said to Polly.

"Thanks, Ty."

Ty turned the main lights off and stopped by the couch, "You okay?"

"I'm good, thanks."

Tony smiled when Ty appeared around the screen. Lit from the bathroom light and from the street.

Only about two thirds of the bed was screened, but it felt more private.

Ty lifted the sheets and peered under, huffing when he saw that Tony had pulled his boxers back on.

With a smirk he pulled off his jeans and pulled on his underwear.

Then he crawled into the bed and nudged Tony over so he could spoon hm from behind.

"Sorry," he whispered.

"It's fine," Tony said, feeling sleepy and warm.

Tony shivered a little when Ty squeezed him closer and pressed a soft kiss just behind his ear.

"There's something I need to tell you," he whispered.

"What?" Tony whispered back.

"Some advice," Ty gently nibbled on Tony's ear.

"Okay?" Tony tensed slightly.

Ty's kissed the nibbled lobe better, "The next time some Dude, tells you to role to your hands and knees and they're not holding a bottle of lube in one hand and a condom in the other. You run like fuck in the opposite direction."

Tony's bark of surprised laughter was so loud they heard Polly give a little shriek of surprise as she exited the bathroom.

"What?" she called out, "What's going on?"

Ty was giggling into the back of Tony's neck.

"Just Ty sharing his wisdom," Tony half laughed back at Polly, "Sorry."

"As long as that's all he's sharing," Polly threw back, and made Ty snigger even harder.

"Ssshhhhh," Tony told him and settled back down, grinning into the dark. Enjoying the unusual sensation of a hard warm body pressed against him as he sank into sleep.

-X

Tony woke a little disoriented the next morning until he remembered where he was.

A quick glance around revealed no Ty, but he could hear Polly singing quietly in the kitchen.

Tony dragged on his jeans and a clean tee that had clearly been left for him. It was a little loose. Walking around the screen and into the kitchen just in time to see Polly balancing on a rocky stool and reaching for the cupboard.

"Careful," he said loudly, causing Polly to startle and tumble into his arms.

"Well caught. You made me jump," she said, apparently unconcerned.

He swung her feet onto the floor, "You need to be more careful, that stool's broken. What do you need?" He stood on the lower rung.

"A teabag. There should be English Breakfast."

Tony found the right packet and handed it to Polly who had already filled two mugs with hot water.

"Oh, don't worry about me," Tony started, glancing around.

"Ty's out of coffee."

"Oh."

"It's okay, we can share. I don't like it too strong."

Tony blinked sleepily as Polly dipped the tea bag three times into her mug and then plonked it into his. "There's 2% in the fridge," she said, "you will probably prefer it with milk."

Tony added milk and dunked the bag, trying to encourage some color.

"Ty's gone for a run," Polly offered, watching him sniff at the mug, "He runs every morning. For miles and miles. Like superhero fast."

"Uh huh," Tony sniffed the mug again and wrinkled his nose.

"It's beautiful. He runs like the wind," Polly continued, watching Tony closely. "You would think he could stop a mugger, rescue a puppy from a fire and hunt down a buffalo without breaking stride. He just goes for it."

Tony gave a soft puzzled laugh, "Buffalos and puppies?" he wondered vaguely before taking a tiny sip of the tea.

"Did you not wonder where the dark features and dusky skin came from?"

Tony absently shook his head and bravely took another sip.

"Ty's Native American."

"Okay," Tony gave up on the tea.

"Okay. That's all you have to say?" Finally Polly's abrasive manner got through and Tony turned to look at her.

"Polly, this is tea, not coffee. My brain's asleep. Do we have a problem here?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out," Polly insisted, "Ty's taken a lot of crap in the past about his background. I want to know what you think."

Tony moved forward and taking Polly's mug, placed it aside. Then he braced his hands either side of her, impressed when she merely straightened her spine and stared him down.

The lady may be little, he thought, but she wasn't easily intimidated.

"Polly," he said gently, "I saw Ty last night and my brain went 'Whoa. Hot. Want,' and it hasn't reset yet."

Polly let out a huffed laugh and they grinned at each other.

"I'm not a racist if that's what you are worried about."

"To be fair though, that's a very easy thing for people like you and me to say isn't it?" Polly pointed out.

Tony nodded thoughtfully; she had a point.

"And I've never known him bring anyone back before," Polly added.

"Really? He must hook up sometimes."

Polly shrugged, "Not that often, and he never brings people to his home," her eyes were concerned.

"I don't know what to say," Tony admitted, blushing, and rubbing the back of his neck, "Except I really like him, Polly."

Polly, clearly happy with whatever she saw in his eyes, smiled and jumped off her stool, rushing over a shelf and coming back with a picture frame."

"This is Ty with his parents," she said.

Tony grinned at the toddler holding hands with a handsome couple. His dad had Ty's coloring, but his Mom was a surprise, much taller, with long white blonde hair.

"He looks like his dad, but he's got his Mom's height and the same cheekbones," Tony observed.

Polly leaned over, "Yea, you're right. He does have her cheekbones; his dad's face is rounder. I never noticed that before." She grinned at the mini-Ty, "She was from Sweden."

"Yea? And his dad?"

"Um. Lakota. Ty doesn't know much about it."

"Wait. His mom WAS from Sweden?" Tony looked concerned.

Polly took the photo back and gently replaced it on the shelf, "They died not long after this photo was taken. Ty was raised by his dad's parents."

"Oh."

"He's okay," Polly reassured him, "He'll tell you more if he wants you to know, but I didn't want you to ask in a bad way."

"I appreciate that, thanks. That's sad."

"Yea, it's sad," Polly agreed, turning as the door opened.

"Is she forcing crappy tea on you?" Ty asked, waving a takeout cup at Tony.

"Yes, please God, save me," Tony said with desperation that made Ty laugh.

"I guessed latte, extra shot, 2%," Ty said.

"Perfect! Thanks."

The three of them shared muffins (bad), and fruit (good), for breakfast before heading into town and dropping Polly off at her class.

Ty had called Polly's room mate who was waiting with a change of clothes and a hug.

"Are you okay, Polls?"

"I'm good, I was just shaken up."

"Thank God you were close to Ty's place," the young lady, Laura, who was a sound technician and had accrued more show time than Ty and Polly put together, gave Ty a quick hug, "Thanks for calling me."

"No problem," he pulled Polly into a hug and then grinned when she also hugged Tony goodbye.

As the girls walked away they heard Laura advising, "We're gonna stick close for a few days, just until we are sure that creep isn't gonna try anything else."

"She seems nice," Tony said, meaning Polly. "Her friends are as protective of her as she is of them."

"Polly's amazing," Ty agreed, laughing slightly, "Was she giving you a hard time this morning?"

Tony wiggled his shoulders, "Mostly just checking me out, I think. Making sure I wasn't an asshole."

"Are you?"

"I hope not."

-X

The class was challenging, and with Tony at the back Ty only caught glimpses of him, but he seemed to be holding his own.

Everyone was sweat soaked and breathless by the time Madam released them.

She motioned for Tony and Ty to approach her.

"Show me this routine," she demanded of Tony, "The one that Ty watched you in."

"Okay. It's meant to be with four people though."

"Just dance your part," she snapped impatiently, and Ty winced, "I can imagine the others."

Tony nodded and moved back into the room. At Madam's nod he started to dance. Imaging the music, miming his lifts, and bending into holds even without the support that he should have had.

Ty knew that Madam would be impressed. Even more than talent, she admired guts. Ty had not been sure that Tony would be confident enough, but it seemed he had plenty of confidence when he was dancing.

After less than five minutes, Madam clapped her hands and stopped him.

"Class is 10am every Sunday. Ty will show you the stretches and practice that you need to perform every day. I will know if you do not work. I do not accept dancers who do not work. You will find another mid-week class to attend."

Tony's face lit up, "Really? Thank you, Madam, I,"

She interrupted him, "You have a one-month audition. You pass the audition then you will pay. I do not charge when on audition."

She gifted him with a small smile and then walked to Ty. Effortlessly rising en pointe to kiss his cheeks, "You are a scoundrel," she accused.

"Who me?" he queried. His hands automatically circling her tiny waist to balance her.

"A scoundrel," she insisted, accepting his kiss in return before lowering back to the floor.

"Does anyone know how old she is?" Tony wondered, about an hour later as they walked the High Line.

"Ha! Who would dare ask?"

They found a space and stood looking over the water. Ty asked Tony about an audition he had mentioned from the week before.

"Getting an audition within a few weeks of graduating, it's something to be proud of," Ty told him.

"I had no idea how weird it would be," Tony said, looking freaked out at the memory, "I don't know what's normal."

Ty just sipped his coffee and waited for Tony to elaborate.

"Okay, so I walk into this room and there's six people. Four auditioning me, a guy with a keyboard and this girl who seems to be an assistant."

Ty nodded.

"The way they were all looking at me. I felt so vulnerable, like a slave being auctioned or something."

"It's a meat market all right," Ty chuckled.

"But," Tony's eyes were wide at the memory, "Their eyes were EVERYWHERE. No subtlety at all."

"What is this for?"

"Chicago."

Ty laughed, "Well. There ya go."

"Jesus!"

"Tony, what you have to realize is that you walk into that room. That first ten seconds. They've already made up their minds."

"What?"

"You don't look the part, it's over. They'll let you audition. Mainly in case you have a talent they want to know about, over and above the norm. But that role, they've already decided."

Ty felt bad at the look of puzzlement and upset in those beautiful hazel eyes.

"Maybe you've got it," he continued, "and unless you sing like a frog with a sore throat or move like a zombie you're already in."

"That's horrible."

"Meat market," Ty reminded him, "So what happened?"

"I managed two minutes of my number before they stopped me. Is that bad?" he added anxiously.

"No. Not necessarily. What did you use?"

"'Close Every Door.' My tutor told me not to restrict myself by always starting at the beginning. So I go in halfway. Starts quiet but then quickly gets really loud!"

"That's good advice," Ty mused, running through the song in his head, "And a good choice. Range, control, emotion, and then you get to belt it out."

"But then they stopped me," Tony said, starting to get agitated, "and it's like 'Okay, thanks. Can you show us your dance now?' It's so fast. Then the casting director goes, 'Oh, Tony. Do you mind taking your shirt off to do your dance?'"

"Obviously. They wanna see what they're getting."

"Yuck!"

"Oh, Baby. There's nothing yuck about your abs," Ty joked, giving Tony's firm stomach a pat.

Tony laughed, surprised and pleased at the 'Baby', "Well, thanks. I work pretty hard on them."

"It shows. Awww. Are you blushing?"

"Shut up!"

"So? You danced?"

"Yea. For like all of three minutes," Tony said, sounding disgruntled.

"Then you were out of there?"

Tony nodded, "Yea. They took my number for a call back. Asked if I was available next week, which is why I'm going to see Mom and Dad tomorrow for a few days, but I don't know what to think."

"Why the call back next week?"

"She said she wants me to dance with one of her girls who had an injury."

"Ahh," Ty muttered, as it became clearer in his head.

"And they asked me not to shave. They said I looked too innocent clean shaven with my dimples," Tony frowned, "I fucking hate my dimples."

"No, they're adorable," Ty insisted, running a hand over Tony's scruff, and ignoring his disgusted sound.

"I only shaved for the goddamn audition," Tony admitted, then added rather desperately, "Ty. Are they yanking my chain?"

Ty gripped Tony's shoulders and pinned him with serious eyes, "No, I don't think so," he said, before telling Tony that he knew who the injured dancer they wanted to see him dance with was and watching Tony's mouth fall open when he named the Broadway name who was currently wowing the crowds as Velma Kelly.

"She had a badly sprained ankle. I bet they want to check your chemistry together. Tony, this is really good."

He rubbed Tony's shoulders as he started to tremble a little under his hands.

"Yea?"

"Most likely."

"Okay." Tony blew out a breath, "Okay."

"My worst audition," Ty paused to check if Tony was interested. Tony sipped his coffee and motioned for Ty to continue.

"I was asked if I would be available for a call back if needed, so yea of course. Then they told me that it would be in costume, as in a thong, and I would need to make sure my arse crack was hair free."

Tony laughed, "Euughhh!"

"So I deadpanned that I could borrow my Grandad's cordless grass strimmer."

Tony choked on his coffee.

"They didn't find it funny," Ty admitted.

"No call back?"

"No call back."

"Well, thanks for the lesson," Tony grinned, saluting Ty with his coffee and taking another sip.

"Which reminds me, I've gotta get some more replacement wire for Grandad," Ty mused, making Tony choke again.

"Stop it," he spluttered.

Ty grinned. It felt good being able to encourage Tony and make him laugh. Watch the breeze mussing his hair. Enjoy those dimples flashing when he smiled, even a little. The way the sunlight highlighted the fine hairs on his wrist. 'Okay, stop now,' he told himself.

"I did Chicago at college," Ty said, mainly to distract himself.

"Yea?"

"Hmmm. We made some changes. It was more colorful for a start. Less minimalistic. They took some influence from the movie and brought the boys into the 'Cell Block Tango,' which was cool."

"Yea, you danced that?"

"Yea. Like one long, dirty, aggressive Argentine Tango."

"The best kind," Tony pointed out, "Who were you?"

"Ezekiel Young from Salt Lake City," Ty announced.

"Ohhhhhhhh! Coz one girl wasn't enough for you?" Tony teased.

"Hell no!"

They found a garbage can for their cups and started to walk slowly.

"Listen, Tony. About last night," Ty started.

Tony frowned, but didn't say anything.

"I know we just met, and maybe I don't have the right, but you put yourself at risk last night."

Tony lifted his chin. Ty was interested to see that he didn't look shy now. His eyes were calm and confident.

"I know I messed up last night, Ty. I was careless. You are absolutely right about that. But I think it was you."

"My fault you mean?"

"Maybe," Tony looked amused, "No, not really. More that I just saw you and my brain stopped working. All I could think about was touching you. It's like my common sense took a hike. You dazzled me."