The Next Step Oneshots

Night before

Warning: out of context spoilers for season 7, episodes 20-21. Includes spoilery rant at the end :)

He's restless. It's typical of him, before a competition; Izzy was always so mad at him for wondering their upstairs landing and waking her up. His eyes flit over to Henry. He notices the rise and fall of his chest, and concludes that he's asleep. He sits up, and refrains from screaming in shock as he is now eye level with the clown picture. Who thought that that picture was good hotel decor? He delicately removes the duvet and slides into his slippers, complementary, of course. He takes a watch too. He doesn't want to be walking for hours and not realise it. He takes one quick look at the room before he disappears behind the door.

He breathes a long sigh of relief of not waking Henry. The corridor is lit with small skylights, clearly on the dim setting. The carpet is red and feels good under his feet. His head snaps up as he hears more breathing. And it's not his own.

☆

She can't sleep. It's not like anyone in her position would be able to. The second she closes her eyes she watches as Kenzie, her supposed best friend, slams the door in her face. She sees Summer's look, judging her. Henry's smile fade as she passes. There were so many ways she could've gone about it. And she had to choose the most difficult one. She misses Jacquie. She would understand. Noah wouldn't.
"You're a traitor." She needs to get out that room. It's suffocating.
She gently unlocks the door and sits in the middle of the scarlet carpet outside her room. She inhales the new air and feels one percent better.

"Oh."  She looks up.

☆

At first, he's petrified. Every movie him and Kingston had watched had taught the valuable lesson: don't go wondering in your hotel at night. He recalls Finn telling him about what happened to the concierge in his favourite series. There's a hitch in his breath. He pushes his thumbs and second fingers together. The pressure makes him stop and think. Iz taught him that. He was okay. It was probably just a janitor or something.

He walks down the corridor, apprehension building in him. That's when he sees her. Blonde hair, silk pyjamas and all.

"Oh." He has nothing to say to her. "I should go."
"I'm sorry." He looks into her eyes and she genuinely seems to mean it. But it's too late. He turns away.
"Ozzy," Her voice breaks. Every single molecule in him wants to turn around. But would that be the right thing to do?

☆

He was the one person she always thought would be on her side. He would follow her blindly. But she guesses she thought wrong.

☆

"You should go." She repeats. He can hear her voice thicken with tears. She was a person. She was a person and she was hurting. He turns to face her. He doesn't speak, just sits down, opposite to her. This causes her to break down. Loud, unattractive tears. The part of him that still really cares about her rages. He puts an arm around her slowly. She collapses into him.
"Shhh." He whispers into her hair. After a few minutes, her crying recedes.
"I needed to do it." She starts. He doesn't interrupt her. "I know I did it wrong and I messed up and you all are mad but I needed to do it. I'm sorry."
"We know." He says gently, "but you did do it wrong. You left us hanging. The day before." He regains some of his confidence, "The day before, Richelle. We know, or I do, that you saw an opportunity and you were fed up of how the Studio was treating you so you took it. But you should have told us. You should have talked to Summer. You should -"
"Yeah, I realise. It's not an excuse but I was angry. And upset. And I wanted more and no one seemed to get it."
"You don't know that! You never tried to explain it to us." He crosses his arms. This gesture seems to startle her, so he undoes it.
"I should have."
"Yes."
"I'm sorry. I really am."
"Okay. I accept your apology." He strokes her hair in support.
"The rest of the team…do you think that they're ever going to?"
"Honestly?"
"Honestly."
"I don't know." Her face falls, which kills him a little inside, "But you need to try."
"Why are you so good to me?" She asks earnestly. It's not because she deserves him, she reasons.
"Because I love you."

Why couldn't this happen in canon? Low-key proud of this. Richelle deserves a redemption arc!

Ok, here's my s7 e21 rant:
OKAY, I LOVED THIS EPISODE. With my entire being. I mean, A-troupe in the hotel - that's the definition of wholesome. It gave me escape room vibes and I love it for that. Somehow, Finn and Emily are the duo I never knew I needed. I think it's because when she was his age on the team, she also knew what it felt like to mess up and feel like you're letting everyone down. Just, their powerful mentor/chaotic mentee relationship really echoed season 1. I've decided that the sole purpose of the Pinn fight is so that their reunion is adorable and emotional. (Katie and Sage promised cute Pinn moments). Kingstily were in it together for like 3 seconds but highkey stole my heart. Amy being salty about Finn was HILARIOUS, although I do feel he is trying to redeem himself and is becoming overhated. And CLUDE OMG, r e p r e s e n t. They were just so pure, and I mean, just woah their chemistry. So happy to see the show be more inclusive.

Thank you SO MUCH for reading ♥️