You don't know about Us - A MewGulf AU

Chapter 3: I love you

Sitting on the carpeted ground of the audition room, everything seemed far away for a while. Somehow while acting this particular scene, Gulf had brought up emotions and memories he'd long sealed away. It was conflicting when they suddenly all resurfaced like that. He was focusing on his breathing, slowly in and out, trying to calm down.

Footsteps approached him again, reminding him of his surroundings. He knew he couldn't just stay in his own bubble no matter how much he wanted to. Slowly he retracted his arms from his knees, looking up to the person who had walked up to him. Mew was holding out a hand, as if waiting for Gulf to grab it. However, the nong just stared at him.

If I grab his hand, will it finally be mine again? And if it isn't, will I be able to let go again?

Ignoring the hand, he stood up on his own, gathering strength to face the crowd. Still weighed down from the earlier emotions, his moves were slow and heavy, but he succeeded in the end. As he looked around him, he saw quite a few people stare at him. He wasn't sure what their gazes were, whether the eyes were judging or prospective, but the casual chatter that was present as well seemed to lift the atmosphere a little. Gulf waited in silence as he watched the director and Mame speak amongst themselves.

Mew let his hand fall back to his side.

The two men stood next to each other, waiting for any further instructions. Although there was only a meter between them, Gulf felt further from the phi than ever. He was nervous and scared; doubt filled his mind whether his performance had been sufficient or not. The realization that everything depended on the decision of the people in front of him weighed him down.

As a final look was passed between the people sitting at the table, the director turned towards Gulf again. "Which scene would you like to do?"

Relief flooded through him as he heard these words. They had granted him another chance to prove himself. This meant he had at least passed the first test! He only had to do one other scene with Mew to prove how good their compatibility was!

As quickly as the relief came it also went, instead replaced by more worry. Gulf hadn't thought about which scene to do at all! Sure, as he read the scripts yesterday, he had preferred one over the other. But somehow, after what just happened, none of them seemed to be good enough. Rather, he was instead reminded of a scene from season 1. Opening his mouth, he halted for a second. Mame had said any, right? That means a scene from season 1 was also allowed, right? His eyes glanced at Mew for a second, who was patiently waiting next to him.

The scene in his mind was long, filled with emotions and dialogue, but it felt perfect for the current mood. There was no real kiss in it, but rather there was something more important. A clear display of love. Would they be able to do it? Would they even remember the lines? However much doubt Gulf was feeling, he knew he had no other choice. This was the last chance to prove that he wasn't just a pretty face, that he wasn't just a back-up replacement. A chance to prove he was the Type that was meant to be, just as Mew was the Tharn meant to be his.

"I want to do a scene from last season," Gulf spoke up, voice sounding more confident than he actually was. "In episode 12 at the end."

Mame raised her brows but only smiled in reply. Then she nodded. "Do you two know the script?" she asked, a little amused but also prospective. Gulf nodded before he turned towards Mew, waiting for his answer. Gulf had watched the scene plenty of times in the other universe. He'd been rather obsessed with it for a while. On the other side, Mew had acted it before, so surely, he would know at least part of the lines. At least, that's what the nong hoped.

"I can do it," Mew eventually answered. Gulf felt his heart jump in his chest.

(Calm down nong, focus on the scene first before you celebrate.)