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Ryan was quite literally bouncing as the cast flooded offstage after the last encore, far more energy vibrating through him than he could hope to contain.  He impulsively pulled Johnny into a hug, and reeled faintly when the gorilla returned it.
  “Best show yet!” the tiger whooped. “You nailed every beat!”
  “Couldn't have done it without you!” Johnny responded.  A punch on the shoulder from a passing Nooshy with one brow mischievously high saw him add, “Or you, Noosh!  Or the backers!  Team effort!”
  Slaps, fist bumps, paw shakes, shoulder nudges and short hugs were exchanged with everyone, then Johnny caught Ryan's paw.
  “Gotta ring Dad,” he told the tiger. “Wanna join Noosh and me at the diner after the show?”
  “Love to!” Ryan assured the gorilla.  Another impulse saw him brush a kiss just above their ear before jogging away. “See you then!”
  The backstage area was so massive and so busy the tiger immediately lost sight of Johnny.  Most of the cast had a modest personal space on its perimeter, only Meena, Darius, Nooshy and Calloway having private ones elsewhere.  Hoping the heat in his ears wasn't showing, Ryan ran to his, pulled off his costume and underclothes, gave them to a handy dresser, grabbed a towel and headed for the showers.
  He stepped into a vacant one, turned the water on hard and hot, and rested his forehead and paws on the tiles as the driving flow streamed through his fur.  His tail tip twitched, doubts creeping in, but he shook them off, and started vigorously scrubbing himself.
  A moment later, in the corner of his eyes, he spotted Porsha entering the showers, a towel draped over one of her shoulders.  Her ears went back, and her eyes narrowed, and her tail lashed on seeing none were available, or likely to be any time soon.  Words visibly gathered at her lips, but she swallowed them, closed her eyes, took some slow, steady breaths, then her ears popped back up, she flashed a small smile, and turned to leave, tail lightly waving.
  “Porsh!” Ryan called, leaning out of his shower. “You can share mine, if you want.  Should be enough room.”
  The wolf's head cocked, and her ears canted, then her smile widened and she skipped over, slipping in beside the tiger. “Thanks!  Ooh, that's nice and hot.” She studied him thoughtfully as she ran fingers through her thick, puffy chest ruff. “Something up, Ry?”
  He sighed with a rueful smile. “I may just have done something really stupid.  Couldn't help myself.”
  “What, with Johnny?”
  “Yeah.  I kissed him.  Just a peck on the scalp, but...”
  The wolf stifled a squeal. “There is something between you!  I mean, the way you two dance together there had to be!”
  “There's certainly something,” Ryan admitted, “and I think he feels it, too, but I don't know what is is or what it could be.  I'd like to find out, though.  I just worry...”
  “He won't,” Porsha finished for him, sympathetically.  She pressed the tiger's shoulder. “Well, if he doesn't, he'll be nice about it.  I mean, it's Johnny.” She giggled. “I'm surprised he doesn't call you Mister Ryan.”
  The cat laughed. “He actually did, once; it was adorable.” He gave the wolf a quick, warm hug. “Thanks.”
  Porsha beamed, squeezing him back. “You're welcome!  And I'm sure Johnny doesn't want...I mean doesn't not want doesn't...I mean...” She blinked, ears cocking to odd angles.
  Ryan chuckled. “I know what you mean.” He left the shower, grabbing his towel. “And I really hope you're right.”
  Porsha followed him.  Since her space was right by his, they ended up towelling off side-by-side.
  “Kinda tempted to follow your lead,” the wolf admitted.
  Ryan smiled knowingly. “You like Ash that much?”
  Porsha nodded, blushing faintly. “I think so.  Maybe?  I-I just feel good around her.  It's like...she knows how to handle my bad bits, and gives me confidence in my good bits.  She really helps me, and...”
  Ryan put his towel aside and picked up a brush. “Well, she's heading our way, so maybe...?”
  The wolf squeaked, paws clasping to her chest, and stared mutely as the porcupine, clad in black leggings and an open black shirt, came up to them, expression thoughtful.
  “Hey, Porsh,” Ash greeted, warmly, patting the bottom of the lupine's thigh, then her eyes widened a little. “Wait...” She caught their paw in both of hers, and drew them down; Porsha concertinaed up until they were almost eye to eye, and the porcupine ran a paw over the end of the wolf's tapered muzzle, and grinned. “You're growing them back!”
  “Yeah,” Porsha confirmed. “The whiskerless look is so last week.”
  “And was probably your father's idea anyway, right?” Ash suggested, gently, squeezing the much larger paw she still held.
  “Yeah.” The wolf's ears dipped slightly. “S-said I looked better without them.  More...appealing.”
  Ash leaned in until their noses almost touched. “Willing to bet he was wrong.” She brushed the lupine's cheek, then turned to Ryan. “Can we talk a moment?  Got a problem you might be able to help me with.”
  The tiger nodded, taking a seat. “Go on.”
  A slightly dazed Porsha sat in one of her own, ran a comb through her chest ruff, and looked on with interest.
  “I've got a gig in a couple of days,” Ash explained, “and I wanna mix it up a little, do something different, not just stand and rock tunes.”
  “You're thinking of dancing,” Ryan surmised. “Got any moves?”
  Ash smirked. “One or two.”
  “Want to show me?”
  “Give me a tune.  Something with kick.”
  Ryan picked up his phone, connected a portable speaker, and hit play on the first song that looked suitable.

Gimme, gimme, gimme some time to think
I'm in the bathroom, looking at me

  Ash nodded. “That'll work.” She settled herself, flexed her arms, and swayed her hips, then when the low, intense intro broke into a punchy chorus she snapped into steps, and twists and flexes of her torso, that were strong and sharp enough to make Ryan sit up straighter.

I-ee-yi-ee-yi, got this feeling, yeah, you know
Where I'm losing all control
'Cause there's magic in my bones

  Porsha cheered and clapped, then when the second chorus got going bounced up to dance with the porcupine.  A second later Gunter leapt out of nowhere to join in, and he was quickly followed by Nooshy and the white rabbit backing dancer, many others around the room giving enthusiastic encouragement.  In the final chorus, a laughing Ryan rose to dance along, too.

I-ee-yi-ee-yi, got this feeling in my soul
Go ahead and throw your stones
'Cause there's magic in my bones

  As the song ended, and loud applause rang out, Ryan suddenly found a beaming Johnny by his side.
  “Never gonna tire of watching you dance,” the gorilla told him, with a warmth that made his ears tint anew.
  “Ash is the star, here,” he demurred.  Dropping back into his chair, he focused on the porcupine. “That was great!  I can definitely work with that, but why ask me?  Why not Nooshy, or even Klaus now he's finally gotten over himself?”
  “She did ask me,” the lynx put in, “and I said ask you 'cause you were in a rock opera, and did your own choreo for it, and it.  Was.  Lit.”
  “And I don't wanna do a girl-band dance break,” Ash clarified. “It's got to be me.”
  “And you rock.” Ryan nodded. “All right.  Maybe you and Porsha could join Johnny, Noosh and I at the diner, and we'll workshop a bit?”
  “I'm down for that!” the lynx affirmed.
  “Fine by me,” Johnny chimed in.
  “Love to!” Porsha, seated again and brushing her flank, cheered, then faltered slightly. “U-unless you don't want me to, Ash.”
  The porcupine rolled her eyes fondly. “Course I want you to.  When?”
  “Soon as we're done here,” Johnny supplied.
  “Better get done here, then.” Ash reached up to catch Porsha's snout, drew it down, dabbed a kiss on the side of it, then left.
  Ryan laughed at the big, goofy smile that spread over the wolf's face, then stiffened on feeling lips brush his cheek.  He looked round to see Johnny walking away.
  “Something my Dad taught me,” the gorilla called back. “Turnabout is fair play.  We'll leave in five minutes, okay?”
  “Okay,” the tiger answered, faintly, then shook his head with another laugh. “Since when did he get so confident?”
  “He didn't.” Nooshy was grinning hugely. “Took him ten minutes an' a lot of prodding from yours truly for him to work up the courage to do that.” She tapped the bigger cat's nose. “Don't mess this up, 'kay?”
  “Wouldn't dream of it,” Ryan assured her, tugging on his clothes.
  “Great!” Nooshy sauntered off, grin even wider.
  The tiger shouldered his bag. “Gonna take your chance, Porsh?”
  The wolf finished wriggling into her clothes, snatched her duffel, and nodded, anxiously happy. “Dream big dreams, right?”
  Ryan smiled back. “The only way left to go...”
  “Is to the diner!” Porsha zoomed off, paw in the air.
  The tiger chuckled, following her. “Eh, close enough.”