~I believe
That God lives on a planet called Kolob
I believe
That Jesus has his own planet as well
And I believe
That the Garden of Eden was in Jackson County, Missouri~
The crowd went wild as Troy, as Elder Price, clasped the hand of the African warlord, General Butt Fucking Naked, and launched into a full-blown dance on stage.
Scarlett looked around the hall and saw people losing their shit all around her, clapping, cheering, and wiping tears of laughter from their eyes as they watched Troy perform. Seeing him command the stage so effortlessly, she knew one thing for sure. If Troy didn't win the acting award tonight, the voters were going to regret that decision badly.
"He's so wonderful," her mother, Melanie, said, her voice warm with admiration. "Seeing him perform, I can't help but smile." She then turned to the woman sitting beside her. "You must be very proud of him, Kathy."
"Of course, I am," Kathy said with a fond smile. "I just worry about him sometimes. He didn't tell me or his father anything about the content of the show because he knew I'd tell him not to do it. He thinks differently from us. I see this as a way to anger and alienate a lot of his religious fans, but he sees it as art."
"It's natural," Melanie said thoughtfully. "I used to be Scarlett's manager until a few years ago. But she fired me. My own daughter. Just because we didn't agree on what kind of roles she should do."
Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Don't be dramatic, Ma. We parted mutually, and it's not like I've stopped talking to you. Or you wouldn't be here tonight."
Melanie smiled but didn't contradict her.
Their attention returned to the stage, where another award was announced and handed out. As soon as the applause faded, the broadcast cut to an ad break, and the house lights brightened slightly.
Troy returned to his seat not long after, with Kathy standing to let him pass. He sat down beside Scarlett and leaned in to kiss her.
"Hey," he said softly. "How are you holding up?"
"Barely," Scarlett shot back. "I was this close to getting up on stage and asking that naked warlord to let go of my fiancé's hand."
He laughed. "Now that would've been hilarious. My biggest regret about doing this musical is that I've watched it unfold so many times I don't find its jokes funny anymore."
Scarlett tilted her head. "That's the first requirement of being a Broadway actor. You can't laugh at your own jokes, or you'll break the fourth wall."
Troy nodded. "True."
"See what I have to deal with, Melanie?" Kathy said suddenly. "He didn't even ask me about his performance, which is all he would've done when he was younger."
There was a teasing glint in Kathy's eyes that made it clear she was joking.
"I've been doing the same performance eight times a week for months," Troy deadpanned. "I don't need to ask anyone how I did."
"Yeah, but it wasn't on live TV where millions of people saw you," Kathy shot back.
Troy chuckled. "Fair enough. So, how was my performance, Mum?"
"The best I've ever seen from you," Kathy said, her smile bright and unmistakably proud.
Scarlett watched the exchange quietly. She knew how much Troy loved his parents, and at first, she'd been hesitant when he'd asked them to move into his Los Angeles home. But after getting to know Kathy and Steve as well as she had now, she understood why Troy was so close to them. The best part was that they never interfered in Troy or Scarlett's lives.
She rested a hand over her belly, her thoughts drifting to her own future children. While it was impractical to expect her kids to stay with her and Troy forever, seeing Troy defy expectations so effortlessly gave her hope.
She looked back at her mother, who had returned her attention to the stage, while Troy and Kathy spoke softly between themselves. As much as Scarlett loved her, she knew Melanie wasn't a family-oriented woman. She'd never expressed any desire to stay with her or her siblings after they'd left home, always preferring her independence. Scarlett knew Troy wouldn't have objected if she ever asked him to let Melanie stay with them, not even for a moment.
She shook her head to push the thought away and focused back on the stage, only to realize that it was her category.
"The nominees for Best Featured Actress in a Play are," Katie Holmes announced from the stage, standing beside Hugh Jackman as she read from the card. "Scarlett Johansson, [A View from the Bridge]."
The camera immediately focused on her as applause filled the hall. Troy reached for her hand and kissed her knuckles; the simple gesture grounded her. She beamed at him just in time for the camera to move on to the next nominee.
Troy's grip on her hand tightened slightly. "Calm down. It doesn't matter what happens next. You were the absolute best in my opinion, and that's all that matters. Take a deep breath before the camera comes back to you."
So she did exactly that, drawing in a slow, steady breath. It helped more than she expected.
People often said dating a fellow actor could be difficult, but Troy was anything but. She'd dated other actors in the past, but none of them had ever treated her career as equal to their own. Even when she'd taken a break to move with him to London, Troy had constantly encouraged her to do better and aim higher. And while he'd never say it out loud, Scarlett knew he'd done [The Book of Mormon] largely so they could stay together in New York.
"And the Tony goes to," Hugh Jackman said as he opened the envelope, pausing just long enough to stretch the tension, "Scarlett Johansson for [A View from the Bridge]."
"Yes!" Troy exclaimed, far more excited than even she was in that moment.
Scarlett broke into a wide smile as he leaned forward to kiss her.
She stood up to hug Liev Schreiber, her co-star who sat nearby, and Troy made sure she could do so comfortably. Even as she began moving toward the stage, he stayed close, his hand lightly guiding her. She could feel the weight of countless gazes on her as she climbed the steps, and the pregnancy had already left her feeling slightly queasy. Troy's steady presence beside her was more comforting than he probably realized.
Once she reached the stage, Troy released her arm and returned to his seat, conveniently placed in the first row, close enough that she could still spot him if she needed to.
Scarlett hugged Hugh and Katie before accepting the award. When she finally stood in front of the microphone, the golden trophy warm in her hands, her mind went blank for a moment.
"I don't know what to say," she began, her voice sincere. "I honestly didn't expect to win this award, especially alongside so many incredibly talented women. Being welcomed into this community has been an absolute dream come true for me. Thank you so much to the Tony voters and the Broadway community for opening your arms and welcoming me."
She continued, thanking everyone who had helped bring the production to life. The producers, the directors, her castmates, her agents, her parents. One by one, until there was only a single name left.
"Last but not least, I want to thank the man without whom this wouldn't have been possible at all. Troy Armitage, the love of my life, and soon-to-be my baby daddy."
The audience burst into laughter at her tongue-in-cheek reference to her pregnancy.
"I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have him as my partner. He's the most supportive, helpful, and loving person I know. Thank you for being who you are, Troy, and for giving me the best award anyone ever could."
She finished with a gentle laugh. With her protruding belly on stage, she didn't need to explain which award she meant.
The crowd erupted into deafening applause as she ended her speech, but Scarlett's eyes stayed fixed on Troy. He looked visibly emotional, seated between both their mothers, his hands clasped tightly in his lap. She liked the fact that, unlike other award shows where winners were rushed backstage for interviews, she was allowed to return to her seat with the trophy still in her hands.
The moment she reached him, Troy wrapped her in a tight hug and kissed her deeply, uncaring of the cameras or the crowd in the vicinity.
No words were needed as they sat back down together, Scarlett cradling the award, the two of them waiting quietly for the next category of the night.
(Break)
"Wow," Patty muttered in awe as she watched Scarlett walk across the stage to accept her trophy. "She looks stunning in that black dress. And the way Troy holds her. It's unreal. I'm getting chills just sitting here."
Scarlett's speech was somehow even more beautiful than her presence on stage.
Patty wiped away a tear as the camera zoomed in on Troy's face, capturing just how deeply moved he was by Scarlett's words.
Brett shot her a deadpan look. "Why are we even watching the Tonys? I get that you have a thing for Troy, but why the whole thing? We could've just tuned in near the end when Troy's category comes up. We didn't even get tickets to see [The Book of Mormon], or Scarlett's play for that matter."
"We did," Jasper said proudly, his arm draped around Claire's shoulders. "And it was amazing. All the awards the show's getting are completely deserved. Honestly, even after Troy leaves, you all should still see it live. It's ridiculously funny."
"But it won't be the same," Claire argued. "Troy was easily the best part of the show. I'm sure they'll find a capable replacement, but there's no one else like him."
Patty nodded. "True. I guess I'll have to make do with the unofficial original cast recording."
Claire mock-gasped. "You can't. You absolutely have to see it live first. Then you can watch the original recording shot on that grainy camera."
"Yeah, we got tickets now that Troy's left the show," Brett said. "We're going next week."
Patty pouted. "Alright. I'll see it on stage first."
Suddenly, an idea struck her. Patty pulled out her phone. "Come on, let's take a photo to remember today. I want to post it on my new photo blog on Instagram."
"It's not a photo blog," Claire said as they leaned together for the picture. "It's a social media platform, like Facebook, or Twitter, just geared towards photos."
Patty waved her off. "I'll treat it like my photo blog. We rarely print actual photos in albums nowadays. At least this way we'll have this memory forever."
She quickly typed out a caption before posting it.
Watching the Tonys with ♥️♥️♥️
"She's just hoping that if she posts on Instagram regularly, Troy will notice her," Brett said with a grin. "Since it's his company. I don't know why you're still waiting for him. He's practically married already, with a baby on the way."
Patty's cheeks flushed as she shoved him playfully. "That's not why I use Instagram."
It was. But she was never going to admit it.
They continued watching the broadcast, the conversation drifting into playful ribbing at Patty's expense while the awards kept rolling. By now, [The Book of Mormon] was completely dominating the night. If Patty's mental count was right, the show had already picked up ten awards, including two major acting wins. One for Nikki M. James, and one for Andrew Rannells.
"If Andrew got an award and Troy doesn't, I'm starting a protest," Claire declared. "Andrew was great, no doubt about it, but Troy was the soul of the show."
Almost on cue, Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth walked onto the stage to present the award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical.
"It's here," Patty squealed, gripping the edge of the couch.
"Here are the nominees," Neuwirth announced.
"Kelsey Grammer in [La Cage aux Folles],
Douglas Hodge in [La Cage aux Folles],
Sean Hayes in [Promises, Promises],
Josh Gad in [The Book of Mormon], and
Troy Armitage in [The Book of Mormon]."
At the final name, the camera cut to Troy, who was holding Scarlett's hand, his expression calm but focused.
Nathan Lane opened the envelope, glanced at the audience, and smiled. "And the Tony Award goes to… Troy Armitage, [The Book of Mormon]."
All four of them shot to their feet, shouting and cheering as their favorite actor won the award they'd been waiting for.
On screen, Troy kissed Scarlett first, then leaned over to kiss his mother before walking down the lane and pulling Josh Gad into a hug, even though Gad had just lost the award. The entire hall rose to its feet, applause thundering through the theater as the 21-year-old made his way to the stage.
"He's the first actor to complete the Triple Crown twice," Patty said proudly, as if she'd had a hand in it herself. "It's iconic."
Brett frowned. "Shouldn't a two-time EGOT winner be a bigger achievement?"
Claire answered before Patty could. "Technically, he already completed his double EGOT back in 2008 when he won his second Emmy for [The Night Of]. When Troy did [Billy Elliot: The Musical], he was also a producer, so he won two Tonys for that. And he won multiple Oscars and Grammys for [Echoes of You]. The Triple Crown is considered more prestigious in acting circles because it only counts acting-category wins."
Patty nodded enthusiastically. "And if we're talking EGOTs, he just completed his third tonight. He's the only person in the world to do that when no one else has even done it twice."
On screen, Troy finally reached the microphone. The crowd had finally settled, the applause fading enough for him to speak.
"Thank you to everyone who came to see our show," he began, his voice humble but steady. "Without the audience, the show wouldn't have been what it has become. Next, thank you to all the Tony voters who loved our show enough to give us so much support. Matt, Trey, Robert, I don't know what you guys were smoking when you chose me for this role, but thank you for giving me this incredible opportunity."
He paused briefly, eyes scanning the hall before continuing.
"My co-stars. Josh, Andrew, Nikki, Michael, Brian, and so many others I won't be able to name right now, thank you. My parents, who've supported me ever since the first time I told them about my dream of becoming an actor. My brother, Evan, my first and most honest critic. And the amazing trio of Benji, Tobias, and Bobby, who manage my career better than anyone could."
He took a deep breath, then turned his gaze toward one particular section of the audience.
"Scarlett, thank you for standing by me every step of the way. You've made me the happiest man in the world more times than I can count over the last few years, and I'm looking forward to continuing our partnership for the next eighty or so years."
With that, he stepped away from the microphone and exited the stage to a fresh wave of applause.
"Wow," Claire murmured. "That was a beautiful speech. Especially the last part. Eighty years. It really shows how serious he is about her."
Suddenly, something clicked in Patty's mind. "This year's wins were stacked. I mean, Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Eddie Redmayne, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Scarlett, and now Troy. Honestly, the only unfamiliar names winning tonight were the two supporting actors from [The Book of Mormon]."
"True," Claire agreed. "Now let's wait for the Best Musical. We all know it's going to be [The Book of Mormon], and with that, Troy'll win his fourth Tony as well."
As expected, he did.
____________________
AN: Check out my second story, 'Swimmer to Superstar (A Hollywood SI)'.
Link: www(dot)fablefic(dot)com