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Chapter Text

CHAPTER ONE

Daniel

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His whole life Daniel felt like a puppet. He didn’t exactly mind this some of the time. It was the way he worked. His motivations always came from something else. That’s what he found joy in, what he found purpose in. When he did things for himself, they simply didn’t get done. The second he did it for someone else, however, it would be flawless. He was a puppet, working to make others happy. But this puppet found joy in the happiness of others.

Some of the time he didn’t mind it, other times he did. He did when he was a kid and his dad’s approval is what he strived for. If he didn’t play soccer, didn’t get dirty, and play rough, he was a disappointment. If he didn’t play with the trucks and make fun of the barbies he was a disappointment. If he didn’t have a crush on a girl in his class he was a disappointment. And if he did have a crush on his best friend Xavier, well then he was just a disgrace.

But sometimes, he didn’t mind it. Luckily, after his dad drunkenly hit both him and his mother, she left him. She took the money, took full custody of Daniel, and moved far away. She raised Daniel as a single mother, working her way up in a company until she eventually became CEO. Yet, she still made time to drive Daniel to dance whenever possible and made it to every single competition and recital. She was his number-one supporter and best friend. She was there for him through everything. Through him getting bullied at school, through him joining dance, through him coming out as gay, through his first break up. He would do anything for her. He danced for his mom, to make her proud and show her everything she went through for them was worth it. When his mom was the controlling factor, he didn’t mind being a puppet. It all depended on who his puppet master was.

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Daniel took a deep breath as he walked into the studio. Today was auditions for A troupe. He had been preparing for this for years. He was determined to make it this year, he had to. He wanted a future in dance. A troupe gets you noticed. He needed this. As he entered studio A, his nerves only grew. Looking around at the competition, he wasn’t so sure he was going to make the cut. He noticed past A troupers, like Emily, James, Eldon, and Stephanie. He also noticed some of his fellow B troupe members, like Beth, Chloe, and Riley. When he saw Giselle, he quickly ran over to her.

“Hey!” He smiled, hugging her.

“Daniel! Hey, how are you?”

“Nervous,” he laughed.

“Don’t be! You’ll make it, you’re such an amazing dancer,” Giselle complimented.

“Thanks, that means a lot coming from you. I really hope we’re on A troupe together,” he smiled. Giselle had really helped him improve over the past year and was his best friend, he wanted nothing more than to dance alongside her. He went to say more but was interrupted by someone loudly arriving.

“Hey man! What’s good everyone? Hey,” the voice said, traveling around the room from person to person. Daniel didn’t have to turn around to recognize West’s voice, despite it growing deeper since he last heard it before the short summer break.

West was a hip-hop dancer that had joined B troupe last year. Ignoring the fact Daniel thought he was a little cute, he was annoying as hell. He joked around, goofed off during the few classes they shared, and had no ballet etiquette whatsoever. Daniel was honestly shocked he was even auditioning for A troupe, he didn’t think he’d want to make a commitment that serious. Then again, James was already on A troup, and from what he heard from Riley, he wasn’t very serious either.

Daniel turned around to glare at West, but his mind went blank the second he saw him. His voice wasn’t the only thing that had changed over the summer. He had grown up. West was cute before, but now he was just plain hot. As West approached him, Daniel prayed he remembered how to talk.

“Daniel, what’s good? How was your summer?” West asked. Daniel tried to ignore the way his voice made him want to melt.

“It was pretty good. How was yours?” Daniel asked, hoping he sounded casual.

“Great, I had an excellent summer.”

“I’m glad to hear,” Daniel smiled, but wanted to slap himself for saying that.

“Yeah. I hope we both make A troupe this year,” West said, sending butterflies through Daniel.

“Yeah, me too. I wish you luck.”

“You as well,” West replied in mock formality. Daniel chuckled before turning back to Giselle. She was smirking at him.

“What?” he asked.

“You tell me,” she answered, motioning toward West.

“What are you on about?”

“Nothing. Just the fact you were making googly eyes at West.”

“I was not!” Daniel argued.

“You so were. Look at you, you’re blushing!”

Daniel quickly felt his cheek, only to find it was in fact hot, “Well your one to talk. You practically make a fool of yourself every time Chloe speaks to you.”

“SHHHH,” Giselle hissed, “She’s right there!”

“My point exactly.”

“Okay, but I admit I have a crush on her. Do YOU have a crush on West?”

“What? No! He was like, super annoying in B troupe. However, he definitely got hotter over the summer. Like, way hotter. That’s all, I promise. It just… caught me off, guard. You’re the only one with a hopeless crush on a straight person,” Daniel explained.

“You’re right because West isn’t straight.”

“What?” Daniel said a little too quickly.

“Didn’t you see it on Instagram?”

“I took a social media detox this summer. My therapist said it would be good for me.”

“Makes sense, I should try that. But anyway, yeah during pride month West made this artsy emotional post about how he’s bisexual. It was iconic, honestly.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes! He’s bisexual. I’ll show you the post after auditions,” Giselle said as Kate and Chis walked in. Daniel tried to focus on them and not the fact he knew that there was a chance West could like him. He didn’t know why he cared.

“In group one we have Daniel, West, Emily, and Stephanie,” Kate announced. First, Daniel was first. He was surprisingly grateful for this. He could get it over with, plus first up sets the scene. Judges remember the first audition. He did, however, wish he wasn’t in the same group as Emily and Stephanie. They were both on A troupe already, Emily dance captain. Competing against them wouldn’t be easy. Daniel was glad to be in West’s group, for some reason. He told himself it was the familiarity of dancing with West from B troupe.

Daniel began his solo. He was going to pull out all his best tricks, he was gonna make them notice him. He was going to make A troupe. He danced like his life depended on it. He danced for his mom. He danced for Giselle. He danced for Kate and Chris. After turning around and catching West’s eye, who was standing a bit ahead of everyone and smiling particularly hard, Daniel found himself dancing for West. He struck his final pose before running back off, ignoring the thought that had popped into his head seconds before. West shot him a smile as Stephanie took the floor.

Stephanie danced beautifully, Daniel thought. She was a shoe-in to make A troupe, even ignoring the fact she was on it last year. She was incredible. Emily, who was last to go, was equally as incredible. However, Daniel found it hard to focus on Emily because of West, who had gone before.

West’s dancing had improved tenfold since Daniel last saw him. The way he moved was memorizing. It was fluid and smooth and fun and crazy impressive. Daniel, who was usually good at standing stationary and politely smiling at auditions like taught in ballet, found himself unable to not clap along and cheer. West was having some sort of effect on him, and Daniel didn’t like it. When he finished, he looked over at Daniel, who smiled in return.

The next group consisted of Beth, Riley, Charlie, and Chloe. Beth started off, but she messed up in the middle of the audition. Daniel selfishly thought it a good thing for himself, one less person to compete against. Riley was next. Daniel hoped she made it, they had trained together the past year and he really wanted them both on A troupe. However, he was having a hard time focusing on her audition. After their group had finished, both Daniel and West coincidentally walked over to the same bench. West had taken a seat while Daniel remained standing, being too nervous to sit down. He cheered on Riley, painfully aware of every move West made. Daniel wished he could ignore whatever it was West was doing to him.

Daniel also missed Chloe and Charlie’s auditions because of his focus on West, but he was sure they did amazing. He knew he should just sit down and relax. But he also saw the fact west had his arm stretched across the entire back of the bench. The thought of West having his arm around him made Daniel shudder. Luckily, Daniel didn’t have to suffer much longer because Charlie ended up sitting next to West. Daniel ignored the disappointment in his heart and tried not to focus on the fact West moved his arm as soon as Chalrie sat down. He probably would have for Daniel too. Right?

Group three was made up of a tap dancer who was in B troupe, but had no classes with Daniel, Tiffany, a hip-hop dancer who was already on A troupe and an obvious shoe-in for this year, an Irish dancer also in different B troupe dances then Daniel, and another girl who was in a couple of classes with Daniel, but was more recreational. They did good, but Tiffany was the only standout.

Just as the last group of James, Giselle, and Eldon were about to go, a girl walked in asking if the auditions were in there. It was weird, to say the least. After some discourse, Daniel assuring Giselle she would be fine the whole time, Kate and Chris announced her name was Michelle, she just moved in from Madison, and she was going to be auditioning as well. Daniel was shocked, but he didn’t mind. If she was good, she deserved a shot at A troupe. He just prayed that didn’t cost him or his friends a spot.

James was first, and it was no surprise that he was good. James, who was reauditioning for A troupe, did a full-on flip off the wall that left the room in shambles. He was all about the show, he was good at looking cool. Riley once told Daniel that James was just an attention whore. But, he was good at what he did. Next up was Eldon, who was also a definit for the troupe. He was one of the best dancers at the studio, and everyone knew it. There was no question.
Giselle followed, and Daniel held his breath. She was doing incredible, in his opinion. She was so talented and danced gorgeously.

“Wow, she’s beautiful. Her dancing, I mean,” Daniel heard Chloe say to Beth. Daniel was for sure gonna tell Giselle this, she was going to pass out from excitement. She struck her final pose and Daniel cheered loudly. He prayed they both did enough to make it on together.

Lastly, the new girl took the stage. Daniel had to admit she was incredible. He had no idea how Kate and Chris were going to choose. He also began to get super anxious. After seeing everybody, he wasn’t as confident that he was going to make the team.

After what felt like forever, Kate and Chris came out of the office holding a piece of paper. Instantly, everyone knew what that paper said. It had the list of A troupers on it. That paper meant everything. They taped it up, saying some bullshit about how it was a hard decision. They then stepped to the side and everyone went running forward. When Daniel got to the front, he began scanning the list.

Emily
Eldon
Stephanie
James

Everything as expected so far. He kept reading.

Tiffany
Riley
West

If you thought Daniel smiled when he read Riley made it, that was nothing compared to when he read West made it. He shouldn’t have been as happy as he was, but he was thrilled. Now, he just had to find his name. He was growing nervous, there were only three people left. He needed his name to be one of the three.

Chloe
Daniel
Michelle

Daniel’s mouth fell open in shock. He made it. He was on A troupe. There his name was. He couldn’t believe in. He walked away from the sheet, tyring not to jump for fucking joy. That was until he saw Giselle. She had a frown on her face, tears in her eyes. One fell. That’s when Daniel realised. Emily, Eldon, Stephanie, James, Tiffany, Riley, West, Chloe, Daniel, and Michelle.

Giselle didn’t make A troupe.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER TWO

West

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From the moment West first laid eyes on Daniel, he knew he was going to make that boy his. He remembers first walking into the studio. He was so nervous, he had come off the streets looking for a place to dance. He had won a hip-hop competition and made a shit ton of money, and he was determined to get formal training. So he came to The Next Step secretly, still dancing with his other group Seeds. Kate had let him audition for B troupe and, after an impressive hip-hop solo, Kate and Chris agreed they saw potential in him. The very next day he started dancing there.

Walking into the first B troupe rehearsal he was anxious, but also really excited. He wanted to properly dance, this was his shot. Then, he saw him. Standing in his tighter black shorts and a simple red t-shirt. West knew right away what he was feeling.

West came from a huge family. Where he grew up, you kind of just wandered around and ate at whatever friend's house you ended up with. He slept at his friend's houses as much as his own. One of these friends was Marcel. Marcel and he were best friends. They learned to dance together. When Marcel started Seeds West was his first member. Eventually, one night after a particularly taxing practice, they kissed. From that moment on, it was more than a friendship. Always a secret, never a label, but definitely more than friendship. West knew what he was feeling when he saw this boy because it was the same thing he felt with Marcel but a million times stronger. He didn’t know how, he didn’t know when, but he knew he was going to do whatever it took to win him over. That started with marching right on over to him to say hello.

“Hey, what’s going on man, I’m West,” He said, grabbing his hand and pulling him into a quick hug, like a handshake. The other boy stared at him in shock. West cursed at himself for coming on so strong.

“Hi, I’m Daniel. Are you new to B troupe?” He asked, and West thought his cute high pitched voice and slightly condescending tone were the cutest things in the world.

“Yeah, I auditioned yesterday for Kate and Chris and got in! I’m a hip-hop dancer,” West explained.

“Yeah, I figured. I’m a ballet dancer,” Daniel answered. Of course, he was a ballet dancer, West thought, he was built exactly like one. He also made a few quick assumptions in a matter of seconds. The first was that Daniel probably thought ballet was the most important area of dance. West was going to use this. The second was that Daniel was snappy, and he would snap at West. The third was that he probably respected classically trained dancers more, which already put West behind at that moment. He carefully chose his next move.

“That’s cool. I’ve never done ballet before.”

“You haven’t? Ballet is the foundation of all dance,” Daniel said, exactly as West had expected.

“Yeah well, I never really needed it before.”

“Well, if you ever want to be on A troupe, you’re gonna need it.”

“Maybe I should learn then,” West tried, hoping Daniel would fall into his trap. He didn’t have much hope.

“Yeah. There’s a ballet class for B troupe every Tuesday and Thursday and another recreational ballet class you can also take Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I’m in both,” Daniel explained. West sighed, it didn’t work. He was hoping Daniel would offer to teach him, but all in good time.

“I don’t think it’s exactly gonna be my thing. Plus, I can just teach myself, it’s how I learned the rest of my tricks,” West said. Obviously, he knew he couldn’t actually teach himself ballet. But, in the past few minutes of talking to Daniel, he was pretty sure he figured him out. Because West wasn’t a technical dancer, Daniel was never going to give him the time of day. He wasn’t even close to the best, and he wasn’t going to overnight. He had to find another way to get his attention.

“You can’t just teach yourself ballet, there’s a lot that goes into it that you have to be taught,” Daniel snapped.

“Well, I won't know until I try,” West replied. Daniel rolled his eyes. West had him right where he wanted him. Because he figured out how to get Daniel's attention. Sure, Daniel wouldn’t pay attention to him for being the best. But, Daniel also couldn’t hold his tongue when he disagreed. So, he was going to annoy Daniel to get his attention. At least for now, at least until he was able to impress Daniel.

For the entire next year, he put on an act around Daniel. Behind his back, West was such a hard worker. He did everything in his power to improve, and he did. A lot. However, in front of Daniel, he acted like an idiot. He fucked around, never paid attention, and just generally joked around during all classes they shared. And Daniel played right into his trap, constantly telling West to shut up and pay attention and giving him corrections every second. West, however, played everything exactly right. Sometimes, he would fight back.

“West, your arms go straight up not out, get it right.”

“No, they go out to go up I’m pretty sure. I think you need to fix yours.”

“No, West, they go straight up. It’s how literally everyone else is doing it.”

Other times, he would play extra dumb.

“West you go over your right shoulder.”

“Like this?”

“No, you did the same thing,” Daniel replied, “the other way,” when West went the same way again, Daniel grabbed him and dragged him the other way. West didn’t stop smiling all night.

On rare occasions, however, he would throw something else in. Something timed so perfectly that it could always be passed off as a joke, but give West just enough insight to plan his next move.

“West, that back leg is supposed to be straight.”

“You’re right, I’ll fix that for you darling,” laid on with just enough sass to be only maybe passed off as a complete joke. However, he knew it would leave Daniel wondering where it came from. It also almost always brought a slight blush to Daniel’s annoyed face. The blush told West that there was something else there, Daniel liked something about West.

Over the next year, at Seeds, West would briefly mention “the guy from my school club” that he had a crush on. Marcel, who he had confided in the most, one day snapped and told him he didn’t want to hear of his crush anymore. West told him that their feelings were never completely romantic - that West could never truly see himself with Marcel. Marcel agreed although West thought he maybe didn’t. He did however say until West figured himself out, this other guy would never go for him. West knew he was right about that. However, he also knew he had to play this right too. So, he made his plan. The dance year came to an end and with the little summer break B troupe got before A troupe auditions rolled around, West knew it was time. He also conveniently hit puberty. He got taller and stronger, his voice deeper, and he just generally looked older. He also got his license and a car. Then, his moment came. After coming out as bisexual to his family and closest friends, with some good and some bad stories, he came out officially on social media. He didn’t anticipate Daniel being on some weird social media boycott, however. He could only pray Giselle or Riley would see it and tell him. This threw him off a bit, but when he walked into the auditions he knew it didn’t matter.

As soon as he walked in his eyes found Daniel. He looked even better than last year. He had grown up a bit himself, and West could only describe him as pretty. He loudly started saying hello to everyone, knowing this would grab Daniel’s attention. When West saw Daniel looking, he had to do everything to not scream. Daniel was looking at him with complete shock, giving West an ego boost he definitely didn’t need. He marched straight up to Daniel.

“Daniel, what’s good? How was your summer?” He patted Daniel on the arm, not being able to help himself from touching him.

“It was pretty good. How was yours?” Daniel asked. West analyzed the way his breath shook slightly.

“Great, I had an excellent summer.”

“I’m glad to hear,” Daniel replied a little too enthusiastically. West wanted to do a fucking backflip, Daniel was flustered and it was showing.

“Yeah. I hope we both make A troupe this year,” West said, laying on the charm thick.

“Yeah, me too. I wish you luck.”

“You as well,” West replied, trying to make Daniel laugh. It worked, him letting out a light chuckle as West walked away. Phase two of his plan was officially in place. Daniel officially had some sort of thing for him, one that he couldn’t hide. Now, West had to keep him there. He couldn’t mess it up now. So he carefully timed every glace over at Daniel. He purposefully stood ahead of everyone and cheered louder than normal when Daniel was going. He definitely looked at Daniel for reassurance after his solo on purpose too. When Daniel walked to the side bench after, West followed. He sat down before on purpose, wanting to see what Daniel would do. He also put his arm on the back of the chair on purpose. He knew Daniel wouldn’t sit down. In fact, he didn’t want him to. If he did, well that meant West had been reading him wrong.

West wasn’t. He didn’t sit down. Once Charlie did, West moved his arm. He moved it instantly when he knew Daniel was looking. He wanted Daniel to notice, to think ‘if I was there would he have moved his arm?’

Then, the universe helped him out. Because he and Daniel both made A troupe. He couldn’t believe it, everything was working. It was all falling into place. West was upset Giselle didn’t make it, though. Daniel was upset about it, and West didn’t like when Daniel was upset. But, he knew he could make him happy.
West also knew he couldn’t rush it. He couldn’t come on too strong at first, he had to wait for the right moment. Daniel was most likely still figuring out what it was he was feeling towards West. Sure, Daniel was openly gay, but West still thought he probably refused to believe he had a thing for West. He needed to give him a few days, subtly messing with him, to let him figure it out. He’d know when he did.

Until then, he did small things. He said hey to Daniel every time he saw him. He shot him glances across the room. He purposefully stood by Daniel. After the group dance, he hugged Daniel first in excitement. Just small things that helped Daniel figure it out.

West was not happy when he wasn’t out on Daniel’s team for the dance captain tryouts. He did not want to be in Emily’s, Michelle seemed way cooler, but it gave him less time around Daniel. After a few hours of rehearsal, West saw Daniel and Chloe sitting at the juice shop. He took it as his opportunity.

“So, how’s rehearsal guys,” he asks casually as he sits across from Chloe.

“So tiring,” Daniel groans. West takes note of the way he twirls his straw in his drink. And the way he glances down at West’s lips.

“What time did she let you guys leave?”

“She kept us way past twelve last night,” Daniel complained.

“Yeah it was horrible,” Chloe added. James walked in at that same moment, and Weat decided to kill two birds with one stone. He wanted to make Daniel smile and he was trying to befriend James. So, he went up to James and started dancing. James looked at him like he was crazy, but Daniel had a wide and genuine smile plastered across his face. He did this all the time in B troupe, Daniel used to say it was like he was from a different planet. When he finished dancing, James left. West was disappointed, but that quickly vanished when he caught Daniel looking him up and down. He knows he didn’t see it wrong, Daniel checked him out. West suddenly didn’t care about James.

“So anyway, my rehearsal was fun,” West went on, strutting back up to them. Daniel laughed in response, throwing his head back beautifully. Making him happy was all West wanted.

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After watching Daniel perform in Emily’s routine, West had to pull his focus back to the group dance he was in. He got lost in Daniel’s dance, but he wanted Michelle to be the dance captain. He also wanted to impress the other boy. However, Stephanie ruined this for him. He hated that she betrayed them, hated that Michelle didn’t get a fair shot. But now Emily was dance captain, and everything was a mess.

Chris somehow knew what to do with the ping pong balls, and West somehow knew what to do too. He started dancing towards James. Eventually, others joined in. When James joined in, West felt like he won him over. They all danced and had fun, and West didn’t miss the pure joy on Daniel’s face. He made sure to dance by him most of the time.

The next day, he made sure to say hi to Daniel as soon as he entered. During the line placement tryouts, he cheered extra hard again for Daniel. He was thrilled to be out not only in the second-row center but also next to Daniel. Despite the confusion with Michelle being in the back and Riley in the front, West was happy. Later, when Daniel’s J troupers performed the dance he made up, West made sure to tell him how good it was in private. He pulled him aside and told him it was amazing, and he adored the pinkness of Daniel’s cheeks.

The next day they had off, and he, Daniel, James, Eldon, Riley, and Michelle were going to spend it at the beach. Once Daniel got in West’s car, West knew it was over for him. Daniel was in a tight white tank top and red swim trunks. It took everything in West to not just stare at the boy in the passenger seat. At the beach, he did nothing but try and make Daniel laugh. He also tried to win over James more, which seemed to be working.

He didn’t leave Daniel’s side the whole beach trip. Daniel didn’t leave him either. They sat in the sand together, West saying every fact about sand he knew to impress Daniel. Again, it seemed to be working.

When Riley’s necklace went missing, West felt really bad. They all dropped everything and began searching. This didn’t stop West, however. He ran up to Daniel and snatched his hat off, pretending to look inside for the necklace. Daniel ripped it away from him.

“It’s not in there,” he said, smiling and rolling his eyes at West.

“Oh, yeah, just checking,” West grinned. Daniel blushed and walked away. West smirked.

After doing a dance and raising enough money to rent a metal detector and find the necklace, they finally headed back to the studio. West felt closer to all of them and overall had a great day. They were sitting in Studio A, joking about everything that had happened. Daniel knocked his foot against West. West did the same in return. Daniel blushed. West knew.

Right then and there, he knew. Daniel had accepted his crush, Daniel was ready to flirt back. West knew it was time to make his next move. Daniel played his card, now West was up. And he knew exactly what to do.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER THREE

Daniel

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Daniel was officially freaking out. He was in A troupe. Giselle wasn’t there to do it with him. Riley was out of E-girls. Michelle and Emily had some feud going on. And, maybe worse of all, Daniel had a crush on West. He had finally come to terms with it the day before the beach and had tried subtly flirting with West all day. He didn’t know if it was working, but West didn’t leave his side all day.

Daniel wanted to believe he had a shot with West but knew the chances were slim. He had been nothing but mean to West. But then West would say or do certain things that gave Daniel hope. He was freaking out.

He was so relieved to see Giselle finishing up her rehearsal time when he entered for his. He had booked the studio to practice but really needed to talk to Giselle about his…. problem.

“Hey Giselle,” Daniel smiled as he walked up. She quickly hugged him.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“I’m rehearsing in here next, I booked the studio.”

“Oh nice, I was about to leave,” Giselle said, knowing Daniel well enough to know he took his rehearsal time seriously.

“Wait, first I need to talk to you Daniel said.

“About?” She asked, but Daniel just gave her a look, “West?”

“Yes, him.”

“Go on, spit it out,” Giselle pressured.

“Fine. I may have a small tiny little crush on him,” Daniel confessed.

“Small?”

“Small, huge, what’s the difference?” Daniel said before throwing his head into his hands.

“Daniel,” Giselle sighed.

“It’s infuriating, honestly. It’s like, one second I can’t stand him, the next I want him to rip my clothes off of me. I don’t understand how this happened!”

“It doesn’t matter how it happened, all that matters is that it’s happening,” Giselle explained.

“What am I supposed to do?”

“I don’t know, win him over?”

“How exactly do I do that?”

“It won’t be very hard considering he flirts with you too.”

“He does not!”

“Yes he does,” Giselle said plainly, “now I gotta go. Good luck with practice,” she said, hugging him before running out. Daniel groaned and began stretching.
After a few minutes of peace, the door opened. The voice Daniel heard made his heart speed up.

“You. Why are you here?” West asked as he came walking in.

“I’m here to rehearse,” he answered, hoping West would leave. He would never be able to focus with him in the room.

“Daniel, Daniel, Daniel, Daniel, Daniel,” West repeated. The way West said his name made him weak in the knees, but he ignored it.

“Well you should’ve booked the studio, I did,” Daniel sasses, crossing his arms.

West made a noise to mock Daniel, “I thought I'd be alone because everyone else is at Elite,” West explained.

“Here’s what I’m gonna do for you,” Daniel began, knowing what he was saying was a bad idea for him, “we can split the studio.”

“I call this half!” West quickly said, running to his half. Daniel laughed.
“Okay, it doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, it does. How are you gonna get to the bathroom through my territory? It’s gonna cost ya,” West said, smirking. Daniel hoped his face wasn’t too red. Daniel just laughed, but West remained serious. Daniel looked at him wearily.

“Okay fine, maybe not the washroom. But if you want a beverage, the water cooler is mine,” West clarified.

“Okay fine,” Daniel rolled his eyes, turning to do his own thing. He was determined to focus and get something done. He put on his headphones, playing some classical music as he began his ballet exercises. West, however, decided to put his music on full blast over the speakers. He also Flipped right into Daniel’s area, not even noticing and continuing to dance in his space. Daniel glared at him. He grew increasingly angry as West took up his entire space. He quickly marched over and paused West’s music, but he continued dancing.

“West!” Daniel shouted, stomping over to him, “West, what are you doing?”

“Wait who turned off the music?”

“I did.”

“Why?”

“Because your music is too loud and I can't hear my own,” Daniel hissed.

“Come on man, I'm just feeling my rhythm. I’m just feeling my groove,” West said. Daniel rolled his eyes unamused.

“Dance isn’t about that. It’s about practice and precision. And besides, you’re not even on your own half.”

West looked around, “You can have free water just for that,” he joked.

“That’s not funny.”

“If you don’t like dancing to my music so much, why don’t you go to studio B?” West challenged.

“Why don’t YOU go to studio B,” Daniel snapped back.

“No, YOU rehearse in studio B,” West said again.

“Okay!” Daniel yelled, “It looks like we’re at an impasse.”

“Can you spell impasse?”

“I M P A S S E.”

“Good, 'cause I did not know that,” West grinned, making Daniel break a smile he tried so desperately hard to hide. Before he could see, Daniel stormed off back to his side of the studio. West, who clearly wasn’t done, ran up to him.

“How about we play a game.”

“I don’t wanna do that,” Daniel answered, arms crossed.

“How are you gonna say no, you don’t know what the game is. What if the game was I’m going to give you a million dollars?” West asked.

“Well, are you gonna give me a million dollars?”

“I would if I could,” West winked, Daniel hid his blush with an eye roll, “But no. Better, you are going to choreograph a ballet routine for me and I am going to choreograph a hip hop routine for you.” Daniel was dying on the inside. He wanted West, he knew it. He was pretty sure it was written all over his face. And here West was, feeding Daniel’s crush on him.

“You’re about to learn a lesson,” Daniel fired, shoving past West to get to work. He was trying his best to play it cool. He needed to impress West.

“Well you know, I love to learn. I just learned how to spell impasse,” West joked, turning to begin his own choreography.

Once they were both ready, Daniel had West help him get the bar out. He wanted to start with some warm-ups. He began to explain the first steps, and West was already struggling to even stand properly. Daniel thought it was cute. When West finally got the first moves, he gave Daniel a genuine smile and he ate it up. Moving on to actual choreography, Daniel thought West was doing really well.

“One two…. three four…. five six, pas de chat,” Daniel danced.

“Pas de chat, what is that? Is that a new breed of cat or something?”

“It means jump of the cat in french,” Daniel explained.

“See, I kinda got it! “

“Yeah, so what you’re gonna do for that,” Daniel began explaining the steps, but west kept saying ‘hit me’ with his fist out. Daniel tried to ignore him.
“Come on, don’t leave me hanging,” he whined. Daniel rolled his eyes and fist-bumped him, “alright, let’s go,” West said immediately after. Daniel smiled and shook his head as he continued explaining. When West tried to do a passe, Daniel cringed.

“No, this ain’t the dinner table, get that biscuit foot out of here.”

“Is that like a ballet joke?” West asked.

“It just means you have ugly little ballet feet,” Daniel said, his voice a lot more flirty than he would like it to be. He kept teaching West, loving every second of it. But soon, it was time for hip-hop.

Daniel was nervous, but more than willing to blindly follow West.

“Now we’re in my world,” West began, “We like to start off with a little handshake,” West explained, leading Daniel through a fun and cute handshake. Daniel thought his heart might explode.

“Yeah, you got it. In hip hop, that would be our warm-up,” West explained, moving on to the choreography. As he started teaching, he noticed Daniel doing everything too stiffly.

“What was this?” West asked, copying Daniel’s grace.

“Well, that’s what you did. You développé your way into one leg and your other was on fondu.”

"Développé and fondu, what? In hip-hop, we speak English. We don’t use any of those French terms or anything so let’s just stick to English,” West explained, Daniel nodding in understanding.

No matter how hard he tried, Daniel kept reverting back to ballet etiquette. At one point he had turned to see himself in the mirror, only to have West grab his hips and turn him back away, sending butterflies shorting through Daniel’s whole body. He explained that in hip-hop you feel the music, and Daniel listened to his every word like gospel.

After finishing West's choreography, Daniel wanted to think of something to not be done. That’s when he came up with a brilliant idea.

“What if we made up a duet?” Daniel asked.

“You wanna do a duet with me?”

“Yes, I actually do. We could combine our styles into one,” Daniel explained.

“Yes, a hip-hop ballet fusion. I love it. Do you have an idea for a storyline?” West asked, and Daniel thought. The answer seemed to come to him quickly. On the day of the auditions, he began dancing for West. The last few days, he hadn't stopped. He realized he wasn’t going to. Everything he did today was because of West. He knew the dance he had in mind.

“We could do a puppet master and puppet type thing. I have a song that might fit well,” Daniel explained, pulling up the song and playing it before West had time to analyze his suggestion.

“ I think it’s perfect.”

“Great! How should we start?” Daniel wondered, stretching his legs out quickly.

“Well, you start hunched over in front of me and I'll start behind you with my arms above. You know since you're the puppet and I’m your master, obviously,” West smirked, winking at Daniel. Daniel tried not to spiral as he got in position.

As they continued choreographing the dance, West's flirting didn’t lessen. In fact, Daniel had never blushed so much in his life. Not to mention the fact nearly all of West's suggestions involved some kind of physical contact. Daniel was barely holding it together. He felt like a middle schooler meeting their favorite boy band.
They finished up the dance and performed it one last time. Daniel couldn’t help but look at West whenever necessary, West doing the same. Every touch felt electric, as cliche as it sounds. It was the greatest duet Daniel ever did.

“Sweet,” West smiled, breathless from the dance.

“Yeah, it was good,” Daniel said, then out of nowhere, “Do you wanna grab a juice?”

He couldn’t believe he asked that. Luckily, West responded exactly how he dreamed, “Yeah, let’s do it,” he said before. they did their handshake again. West wrapped his arm around Daniel's shoulder, leading him out of the room.

Daniel was aware of every muscle in his body. He couldn’t believe this was happening. He was going on a sorta date with West. Now, he just couldn’t make a fool of himself.

They sat down at a table in Java Junction, one in the corner with comfortable chairs on either side. West quickly walked up to the counter to get them juices, Daniel not saying a word. West come back with cranberry juice for himself and handed Daniel a grape, his favorite. Daniel melted at the fact that West had paid enough attention to him to know his favorite juice.

“So, what do you think about Emily being dance captain?” Daniel asked, not sure where to take the conversation.

“Personally, I think Michelle deserved a shot. But, I don’t blame Kate and Chris. I’d pick whatever group you were in too,” West flirted. So that was how it was going to be. If West was gonna come on strong, Daniel wasn’t going to hold back either.

“You’re one to talk. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of you during the dance. I nearly missed Stephanie fucking it up so bad 'cause you were distracting me!”

“Oh, I’m distracting?” West smirked, raising his eyebrow. Daniel let out a nervous laugh.

“Yeah, you’re distracting,” Daniel confessed. West smirked and sat back in his seat, taking a drink of his juice.

And the rest of the maybe-date went the same way. The flirting on both ends got worse as they both grew more confident. With each reciprocated compliment, they got bolder, until it was practically a confession. It had been nearly an hour and a half and they were still lost in conversation.

“No way you actually learned to dance in the streets!” Daniel gasped, West nodding in response.

“It’s true. Where I grew up, everyone spent most of their time outside on the streets. It’s how I learned to do pretty much everything.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“What? Why not? Where do you think I got my street smarts?” West questioned. Daniel leaned forward slightly, eyes meeting West’s. The look in both of their eyes burned with want.

“You are very smart, but I just can’t believe that someone that hot grew up on the streets!”

“Well, believe it,” West began, Daniel annoyed that his words didn’t appear to affect West, “I wouldn’t trade it for the world. It’s useful as hell. I know how to survive in the world because of it.”

“What, are you saying I wouldn’t make it?” Daniel joked, resting his head on his hand.

“One look at you and your pretty little waste and you’d be toast,” West chuckled. Daniel turned bright red at the compliment.

“Guess I’m lucky I have you,” Daniel managed to say.

“You definitely are,” West replied, making Daniel even more of a flustered mess.

It was honestly painful for anyone watching. The way West overexaggerated his stories. The way Daniel leaned in close, practically batting his eyelashes at West. The way West sat up taller and slightly puffed his chest out. The way Daniel laughed a little too hard at every joke. It was like watching two lovesick puppies restrained on leashes.

Thirty minutes later Daniel got a text from his mom that she was there to pick him up. He told West, officially putting an end to their date that they weren’t saying was a date. However, he had a feeling it wasn’t over. Daniel was almost positive West was gonna kiss him. Maybe it was the way he lead Daniel to his cubby with his hand on his lower back. Or the way he carried Daniel’s bag without a word mentioned. Or the way he stopped them far enough back to be out of sight of Daniel’s mom. Daniel was sure he had done it, he had gotten West. When West turned towards him, he was close. Like, very close. It was intentional, obviously, further driving Daniel crazy.

“I, uh, I had fun today,” West said, scratching the back of his neck. Daniel wondered if, behind his calm eyes, he was nervous.

“Yeah, me too,” Daniel smiled.

“And, uh, I guess I’ll be the one to say it,” West sighed. He leaned in closer, bringing his hand up to gently hold Daniel’s chin. This was it, Daniel thought. West gently turned his head, leaning into his ear.

“Ballet is actually hard,” and then he stepped back, letting go of Daniel. Daniel had to remind himself to close his mouth. What did he read wrong? Just as he was about to run away and overthink everything, he was the look on West’s face. He was smirking. He was fucking smirking. Suddenly, Daniel understood. West knew what he was doing. West wanted Daniel to sweat, wanted him to be the one to fold first. Daniel didn’t exactly know why, maybe because he was secretly nervous, maybe some weird power dynamic he wanted, but he was playing the game. Daniel figured he shouldn’t be as excited to play along as he was.

“I told you so,” Daniel sassed, grinning at West slyly.

“Hey, don’t you have something else to say?” West challenged. And oh god, West couldn’t look at him like that. Daniel was ready to say whatever he wanted to hear. Hell, he was ready to do anything West requested. But, Daniel was also playing the game. So he laughed as he reached out, gripping West’s bicep a little too tight.

“Fineeee. Hip hop is hard too,” Daniel let his touch linger for a second longer before slowly dropping his hand. West let his head drop, chuckling slightly before looking back at Daniel.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow,” Daniel replied as he walked past West. Right before he got in the car, he quickly looked back, smiling at waving at West. He prayed the blush on his face wasn’t too visible.

“Hey honey, how was dance?” his mom asked. Daniel wished he had his license. Not because he didn’t love this time with his mom, but because then he wouldn’t have had to leave West. Curse him and his inability to drive. It wasn’t his fault he couldn’t drive. He was gay, everyone knows the gays can’t drive!

“It was great! My friend and I came up with a pretty good duet!” Daniel said, unable to keep his day with West to himself.

“Giselle?”

“No, actually. Do you remember West from B troupe last year?”

“The hip-hop dancer?” His mom asked, looking skeptically at her son.

“Yeah! We were both practicing and thought it would be cool to fuse the two styles together!” Daniel explained, his voice too enthusiastic.

“That sounds great, honey. I’d love to see it!” His mom smiled, sending a knowing look at her flustered son. Daniel smiled to himself for the rest of the ride home. And for the rest of the night. He couldn’t get West out of his head. He listened to their stupid duet song practically all night. He jumped around his room, played Sparks Fly by Taylor Swift, and kicked his feet. He knew he probably looked like a fucking idiot, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. He was falling in love. Last time he had said that he was terrified. This time was different. He wasn’t scared at all. How could he possibly be scared of falling in love with someone as perfect as West?

Chapter Text

CHAPTER FOUR

West

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Of course, West knew about Daniel’s rehearsal, is that even a question? He had gone into Kate’s office that morning and looked at the sign-out sheet, and in seeing Daniel’s name his plan formed. And it was executed flawlessly. Daniel was a blushing mess by the end. However, West was impressed that he asked West to get juices. West, of course, paid and treated it like a date. He wouldn’t say it was one, he wasn’t to that step yet.

As West’s flirting grew, so did Daniel’s. West loved it, loved how bold Daniel could be with confidence. By the end, when Daniel’s mom had unfortunately arrived, West was about to give in. As he walked Daniel to get his bag, hand placed protectively on his lower back, he was ready to kiss him. As he carried Daniel’s bag he was ready. He stopped far back from the cars, he was about to do it. But then he saw a glint in Daniel’s eyes. A glint of ‘I know you’re gonna kiss me and I win’. West wasn’t going to let that happen. So he leaned in, grabbed his face, and whispered.

“Ballet is actually hard.”

Then, he backed up. Daniel was shocked, West wanted to take a picture. He tried to retaliate, grabbing West’s arm and giving him eyes that screamed ‘I want you’. This only made West laugh, chucking to himself before saying bye to Daniel. The whole drive home he listened to their duet song. He wondered if Daniel was doing the same. Probably.

The next day, they were told to do duets. West shot up at this, eyes scanning the room for Daniel. Eldon got in his way, however. He was more than willing to turn Eldon down, but he was only coming to him for advice about Emily. Before West could tell him to shut up, Stephanie commanded that West be her partner. He shot a quick look over to Daniel only to find he was already paired with Tiffany. He let out a sigh of disappointment. He was disappointed in himself for not pulling this one off.

The rest of the day he barely saw Daniel, much to his disappointment. He was forced to work with Stephanie all day, and he didn’t have a very good time. They were performing their dances the next day, and West couldn’t wait to see Daniel’s.

He managed to have a talk with Stephanie the next day. They agreed to highlight both of their best qualities. The duet actually ended up being pretty good, but West wished he was dancing with Daniel. He and Daniel’s dancing just clicked. West liked to believe it was because of their chemistry.

When it was time to perform, West was actually really excited. He went before Daniel, and he took notice of how the other boy straightened up as West took the floor. As he danced, he just focused on having fun. He didn’t expect to have as much fun as he was with Stephanie. She was an amazing dancer and they surprisingly complimented each other well.

When it was Daniel and Tiffany’s turn to go, West found himself to be the one straightening up. He knew Daniel noticed. They started, and West couldn’t draw his eyes off Daniel. Every time he moved it was like West was put in a trance. He couldn’t help it. He watched, eyes glued, with a smile on his face. When Daniel hit his final pose, he turned to catch West’s eye. West didn’t break eye contact, making Daniel the one to drop his head blushing.

After all the duets were over, West made sure to find Daniel before he left. After talking to James for a minute, West saw his chance. Daniel was alone by the cubbies, packing his stuff up. West strutted over, gaining confidence with every stride.

“Daniel!” West greeted, slinging his arm around his shoulder.

“Oh, h-hey West,” Daniel stuttered glancing quickly at West.

“I just wanted to tell you your duet was great. I couldn’t take my eyes off of you.”

“Thanks,” Daniel blushed, turning his face away from West. West fought the urge to grab his face and make him look West in the eye, “You did great too, I love watching you.”

“Oh, you love watching me?” West teased.

“DANCE! I love watching you DANCE. Don’t be so full of yourself,” Daniel covered, sending a sly smile at West. West laughed.

“See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, see ya,” Daniel replied as West walked away. He could feel Daniel’s gaze on his back.

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The next day, Chris was having them learn a group dance. No one knew exactly what it was for, only that it was to a song by the popular band Brighter Brightest. Pretty soon, the truth was revealed. Brighter Brightest was at The Next Step, and they wanted to shoot a music video. All of A Troupe got to be the background dancers, and two of them even got to be the featured dancers. West was thrilled, he had always dreamed of being in a music video. Riley, however, forgot to speak in the band's presence. It was hilarious, and West knew James was not going to let her live this down.

Riley’s embarrassment didn’t stop there, she couldn’t dance in front of them either. West felt for her, he really did. West thought his own solo went pretty well, hip-hop was usually a good style for music videos so he had hope. Not to mention the look in Daniel’s eyes was making West want to drag him out of the room, so he must have looked good doing his solo too.

When Daniel went, West knew his eyes were saying the same things Daniel had been. Daniel was beautiful. The way he looked, his personality, the way he moved, everything. West wanted him, and he wasn’t ashamed to show it. He wanted Daniel to know.

Shockingly, Riley and James were chosen to be featured. It was because of their chemistry, obviously, and was an excellent choice. James was over the moon, and Riley was freaking out. West thought the whole thing was very entertaining.

They were sent back into rehearsal with Emily for a while while the band figured out how they wanted to video to work. Emily, of course, was in a horrible mood. She had a stick up her ass, and everyone was getting fed up with it. When James moo’d, West knew exactly what he was doing. Quickly after, West joined in. He was all for a good prank, plus Emily needed to loosen up. Eldon followed quickly after, making other animal noises. One look from West to Daniel and Daniel let out a bark. Emily kicked them out, not that any of them minded. All the boys ended up in studio B together.

For the next hour or so, they all joked around and had a good time. West couldn’t think of the last day he had that was this good, other than his almost date with Daniel. He was with his best friends, his almost-boyfriend, and doing what he loved most. Sadly, and unfortunately, Chris walked in right as they were mocking his dolphin tale chant. This put an end to their fun, and James was brought to Kate’s office with Emily. West was just glad he was out of that one. James was taking the fall, he was a true hero.

James and Emily managed to work whatever was going on out and it was finally time to shoot the music video. The studio was filled with cameras, lights, speakers, and people. They all got their makeup and hair done and were given costumes. The shoot itself was a blast. They danced, partied, and just had fun. It was nice, and West loved that he got to experience it with Daniel.

Not much happened the next day. James and Riley were gone to get costumes, Stephanie was getting headshots done, and everyone else was in various classes. He didn’t see much of Daniel until everyone was called back into the studio right before they left.

“Just so everyone knows, Chris and I have decided that tomorrow will be the auditions to have the featured solo at regionals. I know those of you who wish to have the solo have already been practicing, but I do want all of you to try and go for it. So, you will have a couple of hours at the start of rehearsal tomorrow to practice, but please be prepared. Have a great night,” Kate finished, and West could practically see Daniel tense up. West wanted to go comfort him, tell him he was a shoe-in for the solo, but Daniel was already gone by the time West made it over to the cubbies. West would have to talk to him tomorrow.

That’s when he formed his plan. He knew a way to boost Daniel’s confidence. He knew a way to motivate Daniel. And he knew exactly how tomorrow was going to play out.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER FIVE

Giselle

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Giselle was confused. Her whole life has been an open book. She was never nervous to talk to people, and she often found herself making conversation with strangers even as a kid. Any sort of presentation or speech was never a problem for her, and being on stage in front of a crowd was where she felt the best. She was more than willing to walk up to anyone and try to make a new friend, and she loved talking to people. She was the definition of confident, outgoing, and friendly. So why for the love of god could she not talk to Chloe?

The first day she saw Chloe she was drawn to her. They were both on B troupe. Chloe had come from a different studio but had moved and needed to dance closer to her home. She didn’t know what it was at the time, but she also didn’t know why she got so self-aware when a girl sat on her lap or why she used to make her Barbies kiss. She walked right up to Chloe, excited to make a new friend. Daniel was talking to Riley, so she was on her own.

“Hi! I’m Giselle!” she smiled, sticking her hand out. Chloe tentatively took it and shook her hand.

“I’m Chloe,” she said, a shy smile on her mouth. Giselle nearly forgot what she was going to say, for some reason.

“I haven’t seen you around, are you new to the studio or just B troupe?” Giselle hoped she sounded nice.

“Oh, I’m new to the studio. I just moved here.”

“That’s cool!” Giselle nearly yelled. She silently cursed herself for being too much, “So, what is your favorite style of dance?”

“It’s, um, ballet.”

“Nice! Ballet is beautiful. You look like a ballet dancer,” Giselle said, but seeing Chloe’s worry she continued, “NOT in like a weird bad stuck up way. I mean like you have that natural ballet beauty. Like, you seem like you’d be great, ya know?”

Giselle realized she was rambling, and shut up. Chloe didn’t look annoyed, instead, she was smiling, “Thanks, that’s really nice of you. What kind of style is your favorite?”

“Oh! I LOVE acro. It’s my favorite by far. I’d say I’m pretty good at it too, but I don’t like to brag,” Giselle explained.

“She totally likes to brag,” Daniel said as he came walked up to them, Riley following.

“I do not!”

“Do too, you’re always pulling out your tricks every chance you get,” Riley added, “Hi, I’m Riley!”

“Chloe, nice to meet you,” she replied. Giselle couldn’t take her eyes off her. Daniel sent her a strange look but quickly turned to Chloe.

“And I’m Daniel. I overheard you say you’re a ballet dancer, I am too! Well, my favorite is contemporary but I classically train in ballet,” he explained.

“Oh, cool! I’m hoping to take some great technique classes but I also want to expand my horizons, and try new styles.”

“Well, The Next Step is the place for that,” Riley said. Chloe smiled, seeming to like that.

The rest of that day they hung out with Chloe. And the next. Soon, Chloe was hanging out with all the future E-girls. But, as they grew closer, Giselle found herself becoming more of a mess.

Giselle remembers one particular day. She and Daniel were going over the lyrical choreography, but couldn’t seem to come to an agreement on what a certain section of the dance was.

“Daniel, you’re just wrong. We step back, set, turn, turn, turn, wrap it, calypso, TO THE GROUND, back up, reach!”

“No, that’s not it. We step back, turn, turn, leg out for two, turn, wrap it, calypso and we stay standing, then reach!”

“That’s literally not it!”

“Yours was the old choreo, remember we changed it slightly last week?” Daniel pointed out, but Giselle remembered differently.

“No, we were going to, but went back on it last minute!”

“No it’s- wait a second, Chloe,” Daniel began, beckoning her over, “Come here for a second.”

Giselle felt herself tense up as she approached. She didn’t understand why, “What’s going on?”

“Giselle and I can’t figure out whose wrong, even though it’s obviously her.”

“No! You’re wrong!” Giselle argued, crossing her arms in a pout.

“What part?” Chloe asked calmly, making Giselle freeze again.

“Right after the lift with Tiffany,” Daniel clarified. Giselle was ready for him to eat his words.

“Oh, right. So we step forward, turn, turn, double leg out, turn, wrap, calypso standing, reach,” She clarified, doing Daniel’s assumption. Giselle watched in awe.

“I told you so,” Daniel said, but Giselle didn’t respond, “Giselle?”

“What?” She asked, snapping back to reality.

“I said I told you so?”

“Oh, yeah, you did, sure,” she muttered.

“So, can we try it the right way?” Daniel asked, giving her that strange look again.

“Oh, sure,” she answered. Chloe stayed in front to watch. She tried to follow Daniel but got confused about which way to reach after landing the calypso. It was different than going to the floor.

“Giselle, it’s this way,” she started, but walked over to her and turned her the opposite way with her arms on her shoulder.

“Y-yeah, okay, that way, yeah,” Giselle stuttered. Why did she feel nervous?

“Try it one more time,” she encouraged. Giselle just stood there.

“Hello? Are you okay?” Daniel asked, waving a hand in front of her.

“Yeah! I’m good!” She blurted, running back into place. Daniel raised his eyebrow but followed silently. When they did it again, she went the right way.

“Yea, that was it! Great job!” Chloe complimented, giving her a quick hug. Giselle felt her face heat up and her heart started beating faster.

“Oh, yes. I- right. Oh! Thanks, yeah, thanks,” Giselle managed to get out.

“Thanks, Chloe,” Daniel cut in.

“Anytime,” she smiled, walking back to work on her own thing. Daniel turned to her.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

“You were just acting weird, I don’t know, are you sure you feel okay?” Daniel asked, concerned.

“I’m just tired I think, I’m fine really,” she covered, not sure what it was herself.

“If you’re sure,” Daniel trailed off, instead going back to the choreography. Giselle was glad, she wasn’t ready for this conversation. Hell, she wasn’t even ready to process this herself. She blocked it out for the rest of the day.

When she got home, however, that wall came down. What was happening to her? What was Chloe’s deal? Why did Giselle get so nervous around her? Why does she always find herself looking at her in class? Why can’t she talk to her? Why does she make her heart race? Why does she find herself constantly thinking about her? Why did she constantly want to be by her side? Why-

And then she realized. And shit. Everything suddenly made sense, but she didn’t want it to. Locked in her room, alone, Giselle couldn’t breathe. She very much was panicking and she very much never felt like this before and she very much didn’t know what to do. So, she called Daniel.

“Hey, what’s up?” He said. She couldn’t find her voice, only a choked sob came out, “Giselle? Are you okay?”

“No,” was all she managed to say between her tears.

“Okay, I’ll be there in ten minutes, just hang on.”

“Okay,” Giselle said. She listened as she heard Daniel shuffling around his room before walking to his mom, and asking her to drive. Daniel’s mom, being the saint she was, agreed as soon as she saw her son’s distress.

Ten minutes later, Daniel was in her room wrapping his arms around her. He just held her as she sobbed. She wasn’t even sure why she was crying. It’s not like she was homophobic, she didn’t give a fuck. And she didn’t exactly think her parents would mind. Her grandparents and some extended family, yeah, but not her parents. She just wasn’t ready for it, for her life to change. She knew her life wouldn’t be normal, people would look at her differently, and she’d lose people. She was fucking terrified. Daniel was helping, his arms around her, whispering comforting words. Eventually, she was able to calm down.

“Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?” Daniel asked softly, rubbing her back.

Giselle took a breath, deciding to just say it, “I think I’m a lesbian.”

“Okay, that’s completely okay,” he said calmly, calmer than Giselle expected.

“What?”

“There’s nothing wrong with that, you know that, right?”

“Yeah, of course, I know it’s okay, but-”

“But you’re also terrified? You know things are gonna change forever now and there’s nothing you can do about it?” Daniel said, taking the words right out of her mouth.

“Y-yeah, exactly.”

“Well, I’m not gonna tell you things aren’t gonna change. Some people will look at you differently, people will say mean things, and sometimes it’ll be a nightmare. But, once you embrace it, you’ll be happier. It’s not the end of the world, Giselle. I promise.”

“O-okay,” Giselle said, feeling a tear fall again. Somehow Daniel knew exactly what to say. He hugged her again, and she let herself cry a bit more.

“You’re okay, trust me, I’m here for you, I’ll always be here,” Daniel said, comforting her. Giselle didn’t know how he wasn’t showing shock.

“Why,” she started, wondering how to phrase it, “why didn’t you seem surprised?”

“I- well, I kinda have figured for a while now.”

“And you didn’t tell me?” Giselle joked, smiling for the first time all night.

“You had to figure this one out on your own. The second I heard you crying, I thought it might have been that. Especially after what happened earlier.”

“Earlier?”

“With Chloe.”

Giselle groaned, “Is it that obvious?”

“You practically fell apart in front of her. When she touched you, you froze. I’d say it was a little obvious,” Daniel explained, grinning at his best friend.

“Oh God, that’s horrible. I’m screwed!” Giselle exclaimed, throwing her head into Daniel’s shoulder. He laughed at her.

“I’ve never seen you so nervous. I didn’t think you were capable of that.”

“I didn’t think so either!” Giselle yelled. She was actually starting to cheer up. She knew Daniel was the right person for this. He went through it. Giselle was the first person Daniel came out to, way back in sixth grade, so it felt right it was the same for her. She remembers hugging him as he cried, telling him she didn’t see him differently, telling him she’d always be there for him. He said the same, and that proved true.

“You are a terrible flirt!”

“Clearly. This is a disaster.”

“Who knows, maybe she thinks it’s cute!” Daniel suggested. Giselle rolled her eyes.

“She’s straight, Daniel.”

“A few hours ago so were you,” he pointed out.

“That’s not the same thing,” she pouted. Daniel laughed at her. They fell into a comfortable silence, making Giselle’s mind run again.

“What do I do now?” Giselle asked suddenly, voice quiet.

“Well, we figure it out.”

We. Daniel was gonna be there for her. She couldn’t thank him enough.

“Well, what should I do tonight?” She asked.

“Just go to sleep. We’ll figure it out in the morning, I promise,” Daniel said. They both climbed into Giselle’s bed, and she eventually fell asleep. She didn’t feel better by any means, but she was starting to.

Within the next few months, she slowly came out to friends, first the ones from school. Daniel was with her for each and every one. Next, she started coming out to B troupe. Riley, then Tiffany, Stephanie, and everyone but Chloe. She couldn’t speak to her about the weather, let alone this. Imagine telling the girl who made you realize you’re a lesbian that you are a lesbian. However, Daniel eventually forced her, not in a bad way, but in a way she needed.

“Hey Chloe, do you have a minute?” Daniel asked.

“Yeah, sure, what’s up?”

“Actually, I need to tell you something,” Giselle blurted before she chickened out again.

“Oh, okay, what is it?” She asked, a smile on her face.

“Well, it’s just- I’ve been telling everyone at the studio slowly, and so I just wanted you to know that- um, well…” this wasn’t going well, “I-I’m a lesbian.”
“Oh, okay, cool!” Chloe smiled, “Thanks for telling me, I know it was probably hard. I’m proud of you,” and then, she hugged Giselle. Giselle couldn’t move. She was frozen in place, staring at Daniel who was beaming at her.

“I- thanks, yeah, uh, thanks,” was what she managed to spit out.

“Don’t thank me, I didn’t do anything!” Chloe smiled, pulling away to look at her. She knew her face was bright red.

“O-okay,” Giselle stuttered.

“I’ll see you in class!” Chloe smiled, walking out of the room.

Let’s just say Daniel didn’t let her live that one down for a while. She eventually came out to her parents, which went well. She still wasn’t out to most of her extended family, but she was okay with that. She was finally happy with who she was. Then, she made A troupe and joined the E girls, boosting her confidence more. She was both disappointed and relieved Chloe didn’t make it. At least she wouldn’t be a mess around her, but she was going to miss her. She was devastated Daniel didn’t make it and vowed to help him make it the next year.

Her promise was fulfilled, and Daniel made the team. What she didn’t anticipate was her not making it, which is exactly what happened. Heartbroken wasn’t even a strong enough word, she felt lost. She had finally discovered herself, and now she was broken again. Daniel tried comforting her, but it was no use. It wasn’t until one day in the studio, while she was dancing, she realized she was still a good dancer. She knew she just had to work harder, push herself, and she’d make it. She was practicing more than ever, training and training and training.

That’s why she almost didn’t notice her when she got on the bus. Almost. Giselle was going into the studio on a Sunday, the one day they had off, and had to take the bus because her brother asked to use the car to go on a date. Good for him, she wasn’t jealous at all. So, she was on the bus, focused on what she was going to work on once she got there. That’s when she saw Chloe, sitting two seats in front of her, hiding. Giselle looked at her curiously before moving to sit next to her.

“Chloe?”

“O-oh! Hey Giselle,” she greeted. Giselle thought she sounded nervous.

“What are you up to?”

“Not much. What about you?”

“I’m headed to the studio to rehearse a bit, need to be ready for the next auditions!” Giselle explained, then she must have stolen some confidence from James because she blurted, “if you’re not up to anything you could come with me!”

“O-oh. I’d love to but I can’t,” she muttered, making Giselle’s heart drop. Giselle looked at her, trying to figure her out. Chloe was usually happy and calm, but she seemed uptight and anxious. Then, Giselle saw her outfit- or uniform. She looked like a waitress. Giselle, having no sense of when to stop, decided to ask.

“A-are you a waitress?”

Chloe’s face fell, “Um, oh- I… yeah, I am,” she confessed while looking ashamed.

“What’s wrong with that?” Giselle asked.

“Well, if anyone on A troupe were to know, especially Kate and Chris, they’ll think I’m not committed to the troupe. I could be replaced. You can’t tell anyone!” Chloe begged.

“I-I won’t, I promise. But- if you don’t mind me asking - why do you have a job? I’m assuming it’s not for spare cash since you’re so worried about A troupe.”

“Yeah, yeah it’s not that. I- my family doesn’t have a lot of money. And A troupe is expensive. They help as much as they can, but I have a job to pick up the rest of it. As it is I’m barely making enough,” she explained, not looking Giselle in the eye.

“Chloe, I’m so sorry. I wish I could help, that you didn’t have to worry about this.”

“It’s fine, I’m used to it now,” she sighed, “anyway, this is my stop. Thanks for being so cool about this.”

“Anytime,” Giselle said as she let Chloe out of the seat.

The whole time at the studio she could only think about Chloe. She remembers Daniel mentioning how she had been leaving early and showing up late a few times, but she would’ve never guessed this was the reason. She was the hardest worker on A troupe, and they were doubting her. And now Giselle shared her secret. She didn’t know what to do, but she never wished to be on A troupe so much. Even if Chloe is straight, even if her crush will never amount to anything more, she needed to help her. But, she couldn’t. It was eating her up, making her more upset than I maybe should have. She felt helpless.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 6

Daniel

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Ever since Daniel walked out of his first dance class all those years ago, he knew he wanted nothing more than to be dancing on the stage. When he went home that night, he snuck onto his mom's computer and researched ballet for hours. He practiced day in and day out, and his abilities quickly grew. He kept improving, and improving, and improving. Yet, he never seemed to stand out. Then last year came. Suddenly, with dancers like Giselle and Tiffany moving up to A troupe, he became the star of B troupe. He was the lead in nearly every dance that fit his style. Finally, he felt like he was getting recognition for all his training.
Getting into A troupe was a dream come true, it really was. The only downside is that Daniel knew the chances of him being the lead were slim. He was new to A troupe, and he knew how Kate was. If Eldon wasn’t picked, he’d be shocked. The solo wasn’t going to be his, so why was he at the studio so goddamn early?
Daniel played his music, beginning to dance around studio A in preparation for what was about to come. For some reason, he still wanted to give it his all, still thought that maybe (if he was lucky) he’d get it. So, he was set on practicing his solo for the next hour before rehearsal started. Daniel was focused, mind nowhere but on the floor. That was until he heard a voice that could snap Daniel’s attention away from anything.

“Daniel!”

“Hey West, what are you doing here?” Daniel responded, voice higher than expected.

“Same as you, I’m guessing, rehearsing for the solo,” West said nonchalantly.

“Oh, okay cool,” Daniel said, smiling over at West before walking to the bar to do some simple exercises (it was because he needed it and totally not because he was nervous to do his solo in front of West). West took the floor, beginning to do his solo. Daniel’s heart stopped when he heard the same song they did their duet to. Of course, right as Daniel stopped in his track, West took a moment to look over at Daniel while he did one of his moves. Daniel couldn’t help but blush, completely forgetting about whatever he was about to do and instead watching West’s every move.

West hit his final pose, yelling out a “woo” in excitement. Daniel, letting his heart and… other parts take over, walked over to the other.

“Wow, that was good!”

“Yeah, yeah, it was wasn’t it?” West grinned, radiating an arrogance that was a little too captivating for Daniel.

“Yeah,” was all Daniel could manage to say.

“Yeah, well, you know if you want that solo you’re gonna have to work hard,” West said, making Daniel raise his eyebrow.

“Yeah?” Daniel said, confused. Was West actually implying he could beat Daniel? Daniel nearly laughed. Of course he thought West was amazing and deserving of the solo, but Daniel could guarantee he wanted it more. Want can get you a surprisingly long way.

“Remember,” West warned, “I have magic feet.”

“Okay, sure,” Daniel laughed.

“What?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Daniel brushed off, turning away from the other.

“Hey!” West yelled, grabbing Daniel by the waist and turning him back to face him. Daniel’s breath caught, and all the confidence he had built up vanished when meeting West’s eye, “What are you trying to say?”

“I- nothing, just that, um-”

“Spit it out,” West teased.

“Well, I just think that, maybe for the dance, I have a better, um, well… I just think-”

“That you’re gonna get the solo over me?” West finished for him, Daniel nearly sighing in relief. He was humiliated, he couldn’t even get a full sentence out. The look on West’s face wasn’t helping either, just making his face shine a brighter shade of red.

“Maybe?” Daniel mumbled, but West heard, he stepped away, throwing his hands up.

“You think YOU can beat ME?”

“I mean, not for everything, but for this… yeah…”

“Yeah?!” West yelled in hopefully fake offense.

“Well, it’s not like it’s gonna matter. The solo’s gonna go to either Eldon or Emily, it’s obvious.”

“What?” West asked, his tone shifting slightly to be less playful.

“Like, they were both in A troupe last year, not to mention Kate loves them. We basically stand no shot.”

“Don’t say that. Yo- We have just as good as a shot as them!”

“I don’t think so, West. I’m just being realistic, I don’t even know why I came here early to practice,” Daniel laughed awkwardly.

“Daniel, stop this. You’re such an amazing dancer, you know that. You’re gonna kill your solo and give Eldon and everyone else a challenege,” West reassured, but Daniel still didn’t feel confident.

“Thanks, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.”

“I’ll tell you what,” West began, making Daniel glance over at him curiously, “if you get the solo, I’ll take you out to dinner.”

Daniel felt like he was going to explode. Did West just ask him on a date? He couldn’t help the smile that rose to his face.

“Alright, deal,” Daniel said, cheeks red.

“Deal. Now I’m gonna head out and grab some breakfast, you wanna come?”

“No, I gotta practice. Especially now,” Daniel flirted, making West grin and looked down. Daniel took that as a personal win.

“Alright, I’ll catch you later,” West responded, walking out the door. As soon as West was gone, Daniel’s demenar changed. He grew serious, focused, determined. Now there was more riding on this than just the solo. By the end of the day, West could be his.

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Before he knew it, Kate and Chris were calling for audition time. Daniel quickly glanced around at his teammates, his competition. Looking around, Daniel felt like laughing at himself. Who did he think he was thinking he could actually get the solo? He’s a newbie, fresh out of B troupe, there was no way. But then he locked eyes with West, who shot him a grin that made something spark inside of him. He needed to get this, it didn’t matter what it took.

West took the floor first. As always, Daniel couldn’t look away. The way his body moved, the way it looked, Daniel couldn’t get enough of it. That was the body he dreamed of at night, the one that soon could be his. As he finished up, looking way too cocky and way too good, he walked towards Daniel. Daniel felt his breath hitch, praying he could keep it together.

“Good luck trying to beat that,” West smirked. Daniel, somehow working up enough confidence, looked West up and down.

“You and your magic feet watch this,” he challenged, brushing past West who put his arms out. Daniel watched as he smiled again, sitting down on the ground as he stared at Daniel with a look that made Daniel weak. He tore his eyes away, shaking his head to try and compose himself. He needed this, and he was going to get it.

He had never danced as well as he was dancing. Everything was flawless, he was on fire. And just when he thought he couldn’t get better, he heard West cheering. That’s when he realized that West never wanted to win the solo. He wanted Daniel to win, wanted to take him out, wanted to help Daniel achieve his dreams. And fuck, did that do something to Daniel. He somehow got stronger, cleaner, better, with every more. The solo was as good as his.

Then, out of nowhere, he landed wrong and his ankle popped. He stumbled a bit, But thought he managed to cover well. Luckily, it was his last leap before the song wrapped up. He prayed no one noticed, it was just a twisted ankle after all. He couldn’t let something like this cost him the solo. So, he convinced himself no one did. Especially since everyone was cheering. He did his best to hide his limp as he walked off, towards West who was rushing to his feet. West quickly had his hand on Daniel’s shoulder.

“You did great,” he smiled, but Daniel could see the worry behind his eyes. Of course West would notice, it had to be him.

“Thanks,” Daniel returned before walked further away, acting as if he was grabbing water. He saw West shoot him another concerned look before turning to watch James. Daniel decided to just try to act normal, and with every cheer he let out he saw West relax more. It’s not like Daniel was actually hurt, people twisted their ankles all the time. He would just ice it and rest it a bit more the next few days and be fine come next week. No one, not even West, needed to worry.
By the end of auditions Daniel’s ankle felt pretty good. Still sore and achy, but he was fine. Now the only thing wrong was the anxiety stomach ache he had due to Kate and Chris getting ready to announce the reults. After a bit of drama surrounding Chloe for not being there, only Michelle trying to defend her, they finally began.
“The person we have decided will be awarded the solo feature is,” Kate said, scanning the group. Daniel held his breath, “Daniel!”
Daniel didn’t think it was possible to smile as big as he was. This was the best feeling, all his hard work payed off. The team was smiling and congratulating him. Riley hugged him first, Emily next. Everyone followed suit, everyone accept for West who stood further back, smirking. His gaze felt almost predatory, Daniel didn’t know if he wanted to run to him or run away.

James was awarded Daniel’s understudy, which was a great pick in his opinion. James had a great audition and he would make a great soloist, just not as good as Daniel. Then, right as Daniel thought he was finally gonna get to leave with West, Chloe came rushing in. A big fight broke out between Chloe, Emily, Michelle, and Stephanie that Daniel was just annoyed with at this point. He couldn’t even listen to what the girls were saying because of West brushing his arms against his own and shooting him looks. Eventually, they were able to get away from the drama and Daniel began getting ready to go. As he began doing his after dance stretching, he felt his ankle pop again. He quickly got up, tyring to keep as much weight off of it as he grabbed an ice pack and sat with his things on the bench, icing his ankle. Turns out it was worse than he thought, but he couldn’t let anyone know.

Luckily, he was able to throw his ice pack in his bag before West could see it. This was it, West was about to talk to him. He didn’t know what was about to happen, but he couldn’t wait to find out.

“Hey!”

“Hey!”

“Congratulations on the solo!” West smiled, holding his fist out. Daniel rolled his eyes as he bumped it.

“Thanks!”

“No problem. I hope you appreciate how much I motivated you.”

“Motivated me?” Daniel asked playfully.

“Well, yeah. I’m basically the reason you got the solo.”

Daniel, although flustered, felt a tinge of anger rise in him, “You don’t think my years of training and endless dedication did it?”

“Woah, easy there,” West joked, holding his hands up in fake defense, “I’m obviously joking. You got this yourself, you earned it,” West said, so very genuinely. Daniel’s heart was racing, “But I think my deal gave you the final push of confidence.”

“Wow, you’re so humble aren’t you?” Daniel laughed, trying to hide his bashfulness.

“Am I wrong?” West asked, taking a seat next to Daniel on the small bench. Close, real close.

“I guess not,” Daniel replied, unconsciously leaning into the other boy. Their arms pressed together, legs barely brushing too.

“Is your ankle okay?” West suddenly asked catching Daniel off guard. Of course West would ask.

“What?” Daniel said, anxiety growing.

“I noticed you winced during a landing, did you hurt it?”

“Oh, oh that? No, I’m fine. Just twisted it but it already feels normal again,” Daniel covered, knowing his voice sounded defensive.

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

“Alright, but if something’s wrong, come and tell me, okay?” West said, eyes staring deep into Daniel, like he could see his every thought. It made Daniel squirm.

“Yeah, alright…” Daniel assured, feeling guilty for bending the truth. But he was fine, or he would be. He had to be. Before he had a chance to wallow in it, however, West stood up, outstretching his hand to Daniel.

“Great. Now, shall we?”

“Shall we what?” Daniel chuckled.

“I believe I owe you dinner. Unless you don’t want that anymore.”

“No!” Daniel voiced a bit too loudly. H ecleared his throat, “No, no I do what that. I do. I just- we’re going now?”

“Rehearsals over, nights still young, why not?” West asked, “You got other plans? Standing me up?”

Daniel’s face was beet red, “No, I’m free. My mom’s not even on her way yet, I can tell her to pick me up later. I’m free, I’m good.”

“Great. And I can drive you home, I was honestly already planning to,” West added nonchalantly. Daniel felt anything but.

“O-okay. Thanks, that- yeah, that’s great,” he stuttered, “But, um, I don’t have a change of clothes, I’d have to go like this,” Daniel explained, holding his arms out to show his shorts and tanktop.

“That’s fine, you look perfect. Plus, we’re not going anywhere fancy.”

“Where are we going?”

“That,” West began, dramatically emphasising his words, “Is a surprise. But I know you’ll love it.”

“Okay, I guess I’ll trust you,” Daniel agreed, a small smile playing at his lips, “Let me go call my mom real quick then I’ll be good to go.” West gave him a nod, walking to pack his own things up.

Daniel quickly called his mom, starting with the fact he got the solo. His mom was beyond proud, showering her son with compliment after compliment. Daniel told her to stop, but was so beyond thankful for her support. He then explained he was going out to dinner to celebrate, and that he was also getting a ride home after. His mom simply said she’d be waiting up to give him a hug of congratulations and to have fun and be safe, although Daniel had an inkling she may have a clue of her son’s company. After they hang up, Daniel walked over to West, his ankle feeling just fine to walk on, but still hoping wherever they were going would be a seated occasion. West, who had both his and Daniel’s dance bags on his shoulder, led Daniel to the parking lot and over to an older looking Toyota sedan. He threw the dance bags in the backseats before opening Daniel’s door, ushering him inside. Daniel smiled in thanks as he crawled inside, still not believing this was happening. West got in the drivers seat, starting the car and driving off. He threw daniel his phone.

“Play whatever you want,” he instructed, and Daniel did. He played Lady Gaga, One Direction, Taylor Swift, and other more popular artists. What can he say, he loved a catchy pop song. And if West was weird about it, maybe that was a sign. However, West didn’t say a word. Even singing along at certain parts. Daniel felt giddy.
“So, when’s you get the car?” Daniel asked, breaking the silence.

“For my 16th birthday. My parents surprised me real good. Said they wanted to support my dance journey and gave me a way to get to the studio easier.”

“That’s cool!”

“Yeah, it’s nothing special, but I love it. What about you, you planning on getting wheels?” West asked, taking a turn towards an unfamiliar part of town.

“I need to get my licence first,” Daniel laughed, slightly embarrassed.

“You don’t have it?” West asked, sounding surprised but not judgy.

“I’m like… a HORRIBLE driver. It’s sad honestly. I have my permit but am no where close to passing a driving test.”

“I’m sure you’re not too bad.”

“Trust me, I am. My mom started crying out of fear one time,” Daniel explained, West laughing in return. After a brief pause, West spoke.

“I could teach you if you wanted.”

Daniel’s eyes went wide, “Teach me?”

“Yeah, like help you practice. Only if you want to, of course.”

“I’d love that,” Daniel smiled, turning away to hide his pinking cheeks.

West smiled, that big genuine smile of his, “Great!”

Daniel barely even noticed the car coming to a stop, too preoccupied by his growing excitement for knowing him and West will have more one on one time together. It wasn’t until West turned the car off that he realized they were there. Where exactly was still a question. Daniel didn’t see anything around, just a mostly empty parking lot, nothing but trees surrounding.

“Where… are we?” Daniel asked, a little nervous.

“Oh, uh, yeah I guess this seems a little weird,” West laughed, “This is the parking lot, it just down that path over there,” West explained, pointing at a little walking path through the trees.

“Walking down a dark path in the woods with you, seems safe,” Daniel joked, but began getting out fo the car anyway.

“Yeah, I guess this doesn’t look great. But, like I said, I promise you’ll love it,” West replied, sounding more nervous than normal as he followed suit out the car. Daniel walked beside him, deciding to trust he wasn’t leading him into the woods to kill him. After a minute of walking in comfortable silence, nothing but starlight illuminating them, they came to a gateway, fairy lights surrounding it. West grinned, “Welcome to the BEST place to eat on my side of town.”

Daniel stepped through the gateway and was met with an incredible sight. A large clearing was lit by stringed lights stretching across the air. Picnic tables were scattered around, and along the outside of the circle were about a dozen food trucks. Light music played through speakers around, the tunes joined by the sound of people talking and laughing. There was a decent crowd, but nothing too crazy, probably expected for a Tuesday night. Daniel took it all in, scanning through each corner with wonder in his eyes.

“This is so cool!”

“Hell yeah it is. And, it’s the best food around, trust me.”

“How have I never heard of this?” Daniel asked.

“It’s kinda a hidden gem. Keeps the peace a bit, makes it feel like a community. That’s sorta how my whole area is, a family,” West smiled, and Daniel returned it. He loved hearing about West’s life, wanted to know every part of it, wanted to BE a part of it. West showing him this place made him feel like maybe he wanted that too.

“I already love it.”

West smirked, “Told you so. Now, what are you in the mood for?”

“What?”

“There’s about anything you could want here, cuisines from around the world.”

“Woah, really? And they’re all good?”

“They’re all EXCELLENT! You can’t go wrong, honestly,” West explained, talking dramatically with his hands. Daniel was eating up every motion, encapsultated by the other.

“Well, what do you think?”

“What do you mean?” West asked, giving Daniel a suspicious look.

It was Daniel’s time to smirk, an idea popping in his head, “You pick.”

“This feels like a test.”

“Maybe it is,” Daniel answered, giving West a cocky look and he walked past him.

West nodded, his head moving more and more with each nod, “Okay, okay I can do that. You won’t be dissapointed,” he finsihed, grabbing Daniel’s hand and dragging him over to one of the food trucks. Daniel really didn’t care what he would pick, too giddy over the fact he was holding his hand.

Once at the window of the truck, West let go to Daniel’s hand, much to his dissapointment. The smell fo garlic and herbs overwhelmed him, but delighted his senses at the same time. It smelled delicious. Looking at the little menu, he realized it was a medditerianian place. Then, a middle aged woman turned appeard at the window, apron and hairnet on.

“How you doing- Compass! That you, honey?” She asked, her warm voice pointed at West. Daniel looked at him quizzically.

“Yeah, Shaunie, it’s me. How are you?” He smiled.

“Oh baby you know I’m good, how are YOU?! I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages! Where you’ve been?”

“I know, I know. I’ve been super busy, I wanted to stop by, I promise,” West answered, then, seemingly remembering someone was with him, sloghtly pushed Daniel forward, “This is my- uh- Daniel. His name’s Daniel.”

West tried not to blush at his slip up in words, “Hi, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, sweetie. West he’s just cute as a button isn’t he? Where’d you meet him, at that school club of yours?” She asked, confusing Daniel further. School? He stepped in to correct her.

“Actually I da-”

“Yep, from there,” West talked over him, shooting Daniel a warning look. Daniel went silent, just nodding along.

“That’s wonderful! Now, what can I get you two?”

“I don’t think I could’ve brought Daniel here wihtout having him try the special, don’t you agree?”

“Oh, you are right! Two Shauntie Specials coming up,” she smiled. West thanked her, reaching into his pocket to pull out his wallet, “And it’s on me.”

“You sure?”

“Positive. As long as you promise to not be a stranger. We all miss you, I haven’t seen you and Marcel apart for this long ever.”

“Yeah, yeah, well I’m gonna finish showing Daniel around. Thanks again, Shaunie!” West rushed, leading Daniel away quickly. Once at a picnic table a bit away, they sat. Daniel crossed his arms, waiting for answers. West seemed to be looking anywhere but at him. After another minute, Daniel realized he’d have to be the one to break the silence, even is West did look adorably nervous. Daniel needed answers.

“Compass?” he asked.

“...Yeah, that’s my nickname.”

“Nickname? Why?”

“You know, cause my name, West East North,” West said, and Daniel couldn’t help but laugh. When West didn’t break his serious demeanor, Daniel paused.

“Wait, you’re not kidding? You’re name is actually that?”

“Yes. Hence why they call me Compass. Very funny, I know.”

“I was actually gonna say its cute,” Daniel smiled. He was tempted to point out their names went perfectly together, his surname being South, but decided it wasn't time to bring up the adjoining of names. He watched carefully to see if West blushed, but the fairy lights weren’t bright enough for him to be able to tell. Daniel was so focused on that he almost forgot about the rest of the conversation. Almost.

“Okay, wait. Why did you tell her were in a school club together?”

West sighed, tapping his fingers in the table, “It’s not important.”

“Talk.” Was all Daniel said, glaring daggers at West. After a moment of consideration, West spoke.

“I just- I don’t know how they’d react to me being a professional dance studio. I don’t know, they might feel like I betrayed them or something.”

“Betrayed them? They’d all think that?” Daniel asked, slightly angry.

“Not all of them, it’s just hard to tell who, so I’m just… keeping the peace. I don’t want anyone upset.”

“Anyone like, what was his name? Marshall?”

West took a deep breath, “Marcel. And yes, he might be one of the ones upset.”
\
“Who is he?” Daniel pressed, jealous without good reason. Or maybe with good reason. He didn’t know, hence the defense.

“He’s no one, just a friend,” he said, but seeing Daniel’s unsure look, he reached forward and took his hands, sending sparks through Daniel, “I promise. Don’t worry, there’s no competition.”

“Who says I was worried. And what do you mean competition?” Daniel asked.

“You know what I mean.”

Daniel smirked, “No, I don’t. Competition for what.”

“For uh, you know… me?” West said, smiling nervously. Daniel held back his joy.

“Oh, really? I wasn’t aware you wanted to be fought over.”

“I don’t! Of course I don’t. And there’s no fight, competition, whatever. I said that!” West rushed, looking away after.

“So you don’t want me like that?” Daniel asked, loving that he finally had the upper hand on West.

“What? No! I mean yes! I want you- I, you know. I-” He stuttered out, making Daniel’s grin grow and grow. Luckily for West’s sake, Shaunie called out “Compass!” right then, “That’s our food! Be right back!” West said, bolting up and away.

Daniel watched his every move. How he interacted with Shaunie, his slightly flustered features as she looked over to Daniel before talking hushily to West. West grabbed her hand in a sort of hug substitute before bringing the food back over to the table. In that time, he must have gained his composure back.

“Bon appétit! The best Mediterranean you will ever have!” West cheered, unboxing the shwarmas.

“Best?”

“Trust me, food truck Mediterranean is the finest you’ll ever get. High risk, but higher reward. Don’t worry, I’ve had this one enough to know it’s safe,” West assured, handing Daniel a fork as he sat down.

Daniel wasn’t expecting the food to be as good as West hyped it up to be, but it was. And the general atmosphere was amazing. He loved every second of it, and as they sat West told him more and more about the community he grew up in, his favorite childhood memories and such. Daniel listened intently, not even caring that his pupils were probably the size of his entire iris.

Once they were finally done eating, they stood up to walk back to the car. West spoke first, “So, was this a good prize for the solo?”

“Yeah, it was perfect,” Daniel answered, exiting the gates and heading back into the trees. Once again, darkness engulfed them besides the shimmering stars over their heads. That’s when West reached down and locked their hands together.

“Was it a good first date?” he asked, more nervous than Daniel had ever heard him. Daniel blushed, biting his lip.

“Oh, so this WAS a date?”

“Was it not obvious?”

“It was, I just wanted you to say it,” Daniel answered, stepping closer to West. He followed until they were inches apart, so close that Daniel could feel the other's breath, “And it was perfect.”

And then they were leaning in closer. And closer. And closer. Right as their lips were about to meet, rustling was heard the the bushes making Daniel jump and clutch onto West’s bicep. A second later, a bunny came hopping out, making West laugh.

“You’re so cute.”

“Shut up. Can we go back to the car?” Daniel asked, both frightened and dissapointed. West wrapped his arm around his waist as he walked him to the empty parking lot, stopping at the car. Daniel’s back pressed against it, West trapping him there.

“You okay now?”

“Yes. Now stop making fun of me. I don’t like the dark. Or the woods,” Daniel pouted, slightly embarrassed. That didn’t outweigh the feeling of adrenaline pulsing through him. West was so close, his body pressed against him. It was making his mind go wild as he tried to control his body from reacting to the touch.

“Good thing I was there to protect you then,” West smirked. Daniel blushed, cheeks a dark shade of pink as he looked down at West’s lips. He wanted nothing else but the other boy at the moment. West looked down at Daniel’s too, confirming the feeling was mutual.

“Yeah, there for me to hold onto.”

“Yeah, and don’t worry, I won’t let go,” West promised. And then, finally, their lips met. It wasn’t gentle, was anything but. It was a deep, pressing need. Like nothing else mattered, only that they were finally connected. It felt right, better than right. West’s lips were soft, soft yet determined. He knew what he wanted, needed, and he wasn’t afraid to show it. Daniel had never felt more desired than in that moment, and had never felt desire like that. It was everything and more. After what could’ve been a millennium, they pulled apart, breathing hard.

“Fuck,” Daniel breathed, causing West to smile. Daniel followed suit, until both of them were slightly chuckling, bodies still pressed together.

“Yeah,” West replied, before reaching in to kiss him again, this one only slightly gentler. Then, he slightly backed up, but still stood close, “Are you, um, ready to go?”

Daniel paused, considering this, “We could…” he started, tracing his hand down West’s chest. He gently grasped his shirt, pulling him in a little and whispering in his ear, “But I have another idea.”

West’s eyes went wide, eyebrows raising, “Oh, you do?”

Daniel pushed him forward, opening the back seat and crawling in. He reached out and grabbed West, pulling him in. West got the message, closing the door behind him. Then, their lips were together again, even more intense than before. It was a blur, the two boys racing each other, a thick sense of want radiating through the backseat, windows beginning to fog from the heat. Lips departed only for West’s to find Daniel’s neck, tracing along his collarbone and the side of his neck, bititng and sucking and kissing and loving. Daniel was a wreck, not remembering a time he felt that good. His breath was heavy, little sounds leaving his mouth as West continued. Eventually, his lips found their way back to his own as hands continued to explore each others bodies. Then, it was Daniel’s turn to make his way down West body, but he didn’t stop at his neck. He continued lower, pushing West down as he slinked his body onto the small floor of the sedan. He didn’t care if he was moving fast, if there wasn’t even a label to what they were. All he knew was he needed West. And he finally had him.