Work Text
OPERA SINGER MC
In his work for charities, Baxter oversees a raffle for opera tickets, and a meet-and-greet with the cast after the show.
The meet and greet doesn't happen until after the show, so he gets to enjoy the first couple of acts. While he would rather see a ballet, he does miss getting to go to performances often, he he's happy to enjoy the performance.
The lights dim, and the lead man starts singing. Then halfway through the song, the female lead joins him in a duet. And Baxter's heart skips a beat.
It sounds like her, but tells himself it's just his ears playing tricks on him, and that he's been thinking of MC too often.
But then she gets on aria that she sings by herself, and he can hear her voice clearly, and knows it's her voice.
He knows its her hair, her skin, her body shape.
But he's sitting up in the grand tier, so he's too far way to see her face clearly.
When the first intermission comes and the lights turn back on, he rips open the playbill and sees her portrait smiling up at him from the cast bio page.
As he watches the show, he lets himself imagine that he is the lead standing next to her, getting to hold her, and kiss her, and get their happy ending together.
He's startled when the manager of the charity taps him on the shoulder and asks him when he's going to go backstage and start setting up the meet-and-greet.
His heart drops. He got so caught up in his daydream that he had forgotten he still had work to do.
He's backstage for the last act. Setting up chairs, and a buffet table, but everyone can tell he's distracted.
Baxter thinks he'll be able to avoid her well enough, as the finale is coming up, so she should be on stage until the end of the show. Then he can simply play keep away when she's busy meeting with the raffle ticket winners.
But his plans are foiled as he is watching her from the wings, and she seems him.
She stops when she seems him, and Baxter thinks he's ruined everything by letting himself be seen. But, she smiles and continues the show.
Then in the grand final love song, as she sings of holding onto love forever, she isn't singing towards the male lead.
She's singing towards Baxter.
ROMANCE AUTHOR MC
In his regular work as a wedding planner, Baxter has a nerdy couple say they want their wedding themed after a new romance novel that's become super popular.
They tell Baxter that the story ends in tragedy, but they want to reframe their wedding as a happy ending to the tale.
To better understand what his clients want, he picks up the book from the store and sits down to read it.
As he reads it, the characters hit too close to home. He can see himself and MC as the main characters.
The events as also all too familiar.
He knows that the tale ends in tragedy, but as he's reading, he's praying that they get a happy ending. But they don't.
He reads it in one sitting overnight.
He has to sit for a while after finishing it. As it brought to the forefront how much he regrets leaving MC, and how he wishes he could take it back and make it a happy ending.
He looks at the back flap of the cover to read about the author. And her portrait and name are engraved there.
The author bio describes how the tale was inspired by her own life, and how she wished she could have written a happy ending for the characters.
MAMMA MIA AU
Pamela and Lani are getting married after being together and raising their daughters. They own a resort on an island is Greece.
They hire Baxter to plan their wedding, not knowing that he was the tourist their daughter had had a summer fling and heartbreak with.
Pam, Lani, and Cliff find MC's secret diary and sing 'Honey Honey'.
MC, Cove, Terry, and Mirranda help run the resort and sing 'Money, Money, Money'.
MC and Baxter run into and recognize each other before slamming the door in the other's face. They sing 'Mamma Mia' from opposite sides of a door.
MC's friends realize that she is upset and sing 'Chiquitita'.
At this point the parents realize when is happening, and question Baxter about when he remembers of his and MC's summer. He sings 'Our Last Summer'.
Somewhere in here, Pam and Lani sing 'Lay All Your Love on Me'.
During the pre-wedding party, MC chases after Baxter while 'Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!' plays.
She then questions him and sings 'The Name of the Game'.
She then storms off. Baxter chases after her, but can't catch up to her while 'Voulez-Vous' plays.
MC sings 'Under Attack'. Then on opposite ends of the resort, she and Baxter sing 'S.O.S.'
Terry and Miranda teasingly sing 'Does Your Mother Know' to each other.
Baxter finds Mc and again and sings 'Knowing Me, Knowing You', but she counters with 'Winner Takes It All'.
Before the ending, the parents all sing 'Slipping Through My Fingers' to their children.
The wedding happens, and Pam and Lani sing 'I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do'.
Baxter has finally decided to stay with MC, and sings 'Thank You For the Music', but she interprets it incorrectly, thinking he's rejecting her again.
But he makes sure she understands by singing 'Take A Chance On Me'.
Soulmates AU
In this AU, only one half of the couple can tell when they've met their soulmate.
When they meet at the Summer Soiree, Baxter gets the signal that MC is their soulmate. But he's been brought up sheltered, and doesn't understand what it means.
When they meet again as young adults, Baxter is ecstatic.
At first, he plans to tell her that he is her soulmate, but he sees that she's gotten along just fine without him. So, he plans to just have her for the summer, but still leave.
When the time comes to leave, MC accuses Baxter that he knows that the two of the are soulmates.
Over the five-year gap in their relationship, Baxter regrets leaving even more.
But when they happen to meet at Scott and Adam's wedding, he more willing to let her back into his life.