[closing night]

[notfaking_it]

At the end of it all, as Lily had expected, Nina pulled it off. Without any incidents, her mind tried to tell her, but as she always did when she thought of that film she'd seen on the island, she turned elsewhere. Darrow wasn't New York, it could never compare to what they'd had, but it was turning out to be a pretty great place to be stuck, after all. They could both work and Nina was away from her mother, which Lily knew could only be good for her.

Still in costume, a soft pink tutu and bodice embroidered with gold, Lily hurried backstage, looking for Nina. She had to feel good after that, especially with the way the audience was still going nuts out there, cheering and applauding.

"Hey," she called, spotting Nina down the hall. She turned, slipping between two other dancers, then hurried toward her, fingers already working to take down her hair. "Tell me how good you feel."

Comments

[itwas_perfect]

With every performance, her nervousness faded, until it was only a low buzz in the back of her mind as she stepped on stage that night. By the final curtain call, she was awash with adrenaline, a kind of brittle euphoria that only seemed to catch hold of her on stage.

Heart still lodged in the back of her throat, she was practically glowing, petite and exhausted in her more masculine leotard. Her hair was pinned into a severe bun at the nape of her neck, her makeup designed to sharpen her jaw and roughen her feminine features, but the smile she gave to Lily, bright and completely unguarded, was all Nina.

"Amazing. I feel amazing."

[notfaking_it]

"I know," Lily answered with a laugh, smiling back. It was impossible for anyone to feel anything but amazing after such an incredible performance. It wasn't New York, but the Darrow audiences certainly loved their ballet and it was a big step up from performing alone on the island. "You were incredible, just like I knew you would be."

[itwas_perfect]

"So were you," Nina said, and after a moment of hesitation, she flung her arms around Lily's shoulders, pulling her into a hug.

"I couldn't have done it without you. I swear, I only got through it because of you."

[notfaking_it]

Lily didn't think that was strictly true, she thought there was probably a lot Nina could do, even if she didn't think she could, but instead of saying that, she only hugged her in return. Whatever they did next, she was already sure Nina would have the lead, especially after her performance tonight.

"Come on," she said, pulling back a little. "Let's get changed and then go celebrate."

[itwas_perfect]

"Okay," Nina said, without a hint of hesitation, her hand curling around Lily's wrist so they could both make their way back toward the dressing rooms.

"Where should we go? Has anyone said anything?"

After parties were a thing Nina often missed the planning of. She'd never been close with the girls in her company back in New York, and honestly, Darrow was no different.

[notfaking_it]

"There's a pub not far from here, I think most people are going there," Lily answered, though she couldn't remember the name of the place at the moment. She'd been there once or twice after rehearsals, but hadn't gone often. "Drinks, food, and hearing how amazing we are all night?" She grinned. "I think I could deal with that."

[itwas_perfect]

"Okay, yeah. Me too," Nina decided, slipping into their shared dressing room and closing the door behind them. Taking a seat, she unlaced her shoes, slipping them off carefully and taking a moment to rub a kink out of the arch of her foot.

Through it all, she couldn't stop smiling.

[notfaking_it]

Reaching around, Lily unzipped the bodice of her costume and began to undress. "Now we'll get a day or two of downtime before everyone wants to know what we're doing next," she said, unlacing her shoes. "Who's going to be in which roles, when it opens." She was looking forward to those two days.

[itwas_perfect]

"Two days?" Nina said with a soft little groan of disappointment, though she knew Lily was right. One show ended and the buzz of the next was always hot on its tail.

"I just want to sleep," she admitted, working open the hooks holding closed the military-style jacket she wore, shrugging out of it and standing front of the mirror in her leotard to unpin her hair.

[notfaking_it]

"Well, you've got two days to do it," Lily answered with a grin, slipping out of her bodice and then leotard. She ran her fingers through her hair, untangling some of the knots before she reached for her bag. "After tonight, of course. Tonight there isn't going to be any sleeping. No one in that place is going to let you leave early."