Chapter Text
"Number 1! We're ready for your audition!"
Vincent stared at his paper: number 150. He sighed, dreading the long, dreary wait for the other 149 auditionees. Sinking into his seat, he stared blankly at the ceiling. Like the other 200 contestants, all were vying for a role in an upcoming "show."
As studios often do, they kept the show's content a secret, not even revealing a hint of what it would entail.
That didn't deter him. Vincent wasn't a quitter; he would always shoot his shot before losing to these bozos.
He had a background in theater and great projection with his voice. He could sing, tap dance, hell, even improv acting if needed. Broadway just... hadn't taken him in like the star he was meant to be.
After a few years of working behind the curtains and landing small fly roles with no end in sight, Vincent turned his sights to television. Broadway was a dying medium anyway; it had a small pool of oversaturated, pompous jerks with no room for innovation or new blood.
He would say his odds were better than most people waiting alongside him; the thought of that alone made him smirk and relax in his seat.
"Number 2! We're ready for you!"
There was a collective groan across the room, as all the men waiting reached the same sentiment, as they all realized: this was going to take forever.
Around the 30th contestant, Vincent was losing his mind; boredom hung heavy over his head. He looked around the room at his fellow competitors. Some were talking amongst themselves, and others were already dozing off. He tapped his foot and hummed Over the Rainbow under his breath, leaning back in his chair for the hundredth time and closing his eyes for a quick break.
Until he felt something tugging at his pant leg.
Vincent opened his eyes and blinked down at... a raven-haired little girl.
A toddler? She couldn't be older than 6.
Big, round, dark eyes stared up into his mismatched ones.
The little girl gave him a toothy grin.
He looked around the room again. Where were her parents? The other contestants looked at him and the girl curiously, but made no move to approach him.
「ねえねえ、お兄ちゃん～この本を読んでくれない ?」
Okay, what the fuck?
He pushed up his glasses and stared at the girl.
The hell did she say?
She then held up a picture book; the thing was too big for her to hold with one hand.
Oh, so she wanted him to read the book?
He ignored the other men around him, snickering at his predicament.
He picked up the book and flipped through the pages.
It was in English, and the illustrations were drawn with warm and bright colors.
He looked up again, still no sight of her parents. Only curious looks from the other men.
He looked back down at the waiting girl.
What should he do? Logically, his first step was to find her parents. This little girl was obviously wandering around the studio on her own. Her parents were probably frantically looking for her.
She tugged at his pant leg again, still grinning with a bright, eager look.
「ねえ～ねえ～お兄ちゃん～」
Vincent huffed and let out an amused smile.
Ah, what the hell, he was bored, and the wait was long; he could entertain her in the meantime.
Vincent read the picture book quietly, just loud enough for the girl to hear. She's perched on his lap, dangling her legs in the air (she was so tiny) as he read the story to her.
To entertain his little new friend, he did funny voices for every forest animal in the book.
Even with the language barrier, the girl seemed to understand the story and giggled at his dramatic reading.
Oh boy, and was it doing things to his heart.
The little sweetheart laughed at his over-the-top silly voices and smiled up at him like he was the funniest thing in the world.
Gosh, was he already having baby fever at the ripe age of 26?
He read the first sentence: "And so the fawn-"
She pointed at the deer on the page: 「赤ちゃん鹿?」
"Yes, a baby. A baby deer. Say, are you a deer?" He smiled and pointed at her, "Deer?"
He placed his hands on top of his head, his fingers mimicking antlers.
For good measure, he made a soft huffing noise, acting like the animal from the book.
Her eyes widened, and she burst into a fit of laughter. His grin widened at her reaction.
God. Maybe he should settle down one day. He wanted a little angel of his own now.
He continued to read, "So the fawn went out all alone, in search of a friend to call his own. He was scared."
Vincent paused and made a frightened expression to convey the emotion. She mimicked his expression, her eyes widening in fake fear.
"What kind of animal would want to be his friend? A bear?"
He let out a low growl and grunted softly. The girl laughed again and roared quietly back at him.
"An owl?" He made hooting noises, and she flapped her arms like wings.
The two shook with silent laughter, trying to be quiet around the other men in the room.
"He went around the forest looking for a friend, but none of the animals would come near him. The fawn was so sad, he went to a lake and peered into the water."
He pointed at the picture on the page, the sad-looking fawn looking down at a body of water. Big fat tears rolled down its face.
"Niffty?! Niffty!"
A gruff voice made Vincent look up. A rugged-looking man with dark features and salt-and-pepper hair briskly walked over to them and scooped up the little girl.
The little girl squeaked and laughed in delight as she was held up in his arms, 「ハスク兄ちゃん!」
"Yeah, you're in a lot of trouble missy." The man grunted at the little girl, ruffling her hair. His shoulders visibly relaxed now that the girl was safe and sound.
Vincent stood up with a polite smile, handing the man the girl's picture book.
"Ah- she was wandering around the audition room looking for someone to read to her. She's been an angel and didn't cause any trouble."
The man took the book from him, looking up at Vincent with sharp and weary eyes.
"Thanks, Mr...?"
"Whittman. Vincent Whittman, sir." He answered pleasantly.
"But you can just call me Vincent."
"Thanks for catching the little rascal, Vincent. I'm Husk. This here is Niffty."
Husk said, the girl heard her name and beamed, pointing at herself. "Niffty!"
"Hi Niffty. I'm Vincent," he laughed and pointed at himself. "Vincent."
「ヴィンセント兄ちゃん!」 She tried out his name on her tongue.
The two men chuckled at her attempt.
"Close enough?" Vincent smiled and looked back down at the shorter man and asked, "Are you her father?"
Vincent immediately noticed Husk’s complicated expression.
"No, more like babysitter for the day."
Vincent's smile didn't waver, but it was odd to see a weathered man like Husk being a babysitter of all things.
He didn't comment; after all, it wasn't his place to speculate.
At least now Niffty was back with a trusted adult.
"I'd better get this one back. Thank you again for entertaining her, Vincent. And good luck with your audition." Husk said, finally, he held Niffty closer to his chest. "And you won't slip away this time."
Niffty stared at Vincent. She reached out her tiny hand in his direction.
Vincent smiled, unable to resist. He gently held her hand and shook it playfully.
"Be good, okay, little fawn?"
Niffty's expression lit up; she copied his gesture from earlier, placing her hands on top of her head, her fingers mimicking antlers, and said in a heavy accent:
"Deer!"
Vincent stood there in shock, his eyes widened as he realized he had taught her a word in English.
"Yes! Deer! You're learning English!" He laughed in astonishment and genuine joy.
Even Husk was surprised.
"Interesting, she never bothered to learn anything we taught her."
Husk once again looked at Vincent, now curious rather than rigid.
Vincent felt an emotion, bubbly and warm in his chest. An unfamiliar sense of pride swelled in his heart.
“Alright, say bye now, Niffty,” Husk said as he moved towards the door.
「バイバイ！」
He waved goodbye at the two as they walked out of the audition room.
"Number 150! We're ready for you now!"
Vincent straightened his tie and felt like he was ready for anything.