Miles separating us, you're still with me
Might be only in my dreams
What on earth have I done to you, baby, baby?
You looked at Calixte with your eyes wide and your mouth hanging open. It's lunchtime and you and all of your friends were sitting around one another. Calixte had gotten a text, and grinning wide, he read it to you out loud. Luka was smiling at you, pleased with the news.
"W-We're going to be on t.v." Grace glanced at you, matching your expression. "The dance contest is going to be on live television?!"
"And all because this one is a superhero!" Lucien shook you by your shoulders. "Congrats you two!"
"They were also sorry that you couldn't perform as the closing act for XY yesterday" Calixte explained. "So my friend said that they're also going to let you perform a song, only if you still want to."
"You were going to perform a song?" Luka asked, his eyebrows raised a bit in surprise. This is the first time he heard of this. Clearly, everyone else knew. How come you kept it a secret?
"Uh. Yeah," You blinked, shaking your head. You still couldn't wrap your head around the news. The dance contest is going to be on television. All because you're Phoenix. That's a good thing, right? Sure, there's going to be more pressure but that's nothing. You'll be fine. It's no big deal.
Who are you kidding?
It's a huge deal. You're going to be dancing and performing on live television. Everyone in town is going to see you. Everyone is going...
"I think I'm going to need some air" You let out a deep breath. Your friends looked at you as you left the table and walked out with a blank expression. Ruben and Manu were walking up to you, smiling, but you just grabbed hold of Ruben's arm and began to drag him away.
"Hey - hey!" Ruben glanced at you, then at Manu, who was just as confused as he was. He noticed the look you had. "What's wrong?"
"We're going to practice until we drop dead, got it?" You looked up at him. He shivered in fear as he looked into your crazy-looking eyes. Your grip on his arm tightening. "I said, do you got it?"
"Yes ma'am" He squeaked.
----
Kwan peaked out of your bag, looking at you and Ruben practice restlessly in the studio. The moment news broke out to the dance studio it was like everyone was possessed. Each team was practicing like there is no tomorrow. They want to make sure their routine is as perfect as it can be for the surprise judges.
"Perfect!" You grinned. The music stopped and Ruben fell to the ground, letting out a deep sigh. You laughed and went over to grab your water bottle.
"You going to do great!" Kwan whispered. You smiled at her.
"Thanks" You chugged your water bottle down, throwing it back into your bag, and wiping the sweat off of your brow. "I think we're just about ready for tomorrow."
"Great! So can I go home and actually get sleep?" Ruben shouted from where he laid.
"Yes," You smiled at him. He got up from the ground and went toward his own water bottle, grabbing his things.
"Then I better get out of here before you change your mind" Ruben smirked at you. He was walking out before abruptly stopping to turn to you. "Oh yeah. So are you still planning to sing that song you arranged tomorrow?"
You looked at him, surprised that he even remembered the song you were going to sing for Luka. It was a song that depicted your feelings for the boy. You were ready to pour your heart into singing it. But it's all pointless now. He likes Marinette. You were constantly reminding yourself of that fact. You were constantly putting yourself down and hurting.
Ruben could tell that you were still thinking about it. He knows that you do want to sing while you have the chance. He just doesn't know if you are willing to put yourself out there in front of Luka like that. Sighing, he turned to leave once more. "Whatever you choose, just know that there are tons of other songs you can sing. Either way, you'll do great"
Ruben left you to think it through. He's right. You don't have to sing the song you already arranged. There are a bunch of other songs that you can sing. Songs that you already know and have played countless times.
"What are thinking?" Kwan squinted her eyes at you. "You have that thinking face"
"I think I know what I'm going to sing" You smiled at her, grabbing your things. She let out a small squeak at the sudden movement. You chuckled at her reaction as you ran back home to practice the song.
----
Music blasted as you and the entire dance studio got ready to perform their routines. Since it is a large group of people, the television studio set up space on the roof for the event. There are two large speakers with a DJ set in between and a stage in front of it all. You recognized the DJ to be Juleka's friend, Nino. The studio allowed you to invite anyone you wanted, so you invited your friends, Luka, and the rest of Kitty Section. Of course, you didn't know that Nino was also allowed to invite people, so you were shocked to see Marinette and Alya in the crowd with the stage crew.
"I'm so pleased to be in the presence of one of Paris' new superheroes, Phoenix!" Alec grinned into the camera. You're standing next to him with Ms. Adeen, the owner of the dance studio, while the rest of the dancers were behind you. "She is accompanied by Paris' own talented dance studio, Ms. Adeen's School of Dance! Tell me, Ms. Adeen, how does it feel like having Phoenix as a member of your very own studio?"
"Phoenix or not, (y/n) has always been a talented star pupil of mine" The woman smiled at you. "Even after finding out that she is the new hero, I made sure she knew that there is no such thing as favoritism in my studio."
"Yeah, by making me do more hours" You joked. The three of you laughed.
"May I ask, what got you so interested in dance, (y/n)?" Alec smiled at you.
"I've been dancing all my life" You nervously smiled at him. "My best friend is musically talented and I just wanted to be part of that world with him. Ms. Adeen has also been a big role in my dancing career. I've been to her studio since I was young. She really taught me everything I know"
"I can't wait to see the routine you and your partner came up with" Alec turned back to the camera. "Speaking of the contest, let's meet the surprise judges!"
You looked over to see where Alec was pointing at. Your heartbeat sped up when you saw Jagged Stone walk toward you. The rock star was accompanied by Adrien Agreste and Clara Nightingale. Two famous music artists and a model. Okay, (y/n), no pressure. You thought to yourself. No pressure at all.
Alec began conversing with the judges while you glanced at your friends. Manu, Calixte, and Lucien were holding up signs that had your's, Ruben's, and Grace's names all over them. They were waving the signs around and cheering for you. You giggled at them. Glancing at Luka, you felt your nerves calm down. He was smiling at you with his arms crossed. He wasn't doing anything extravagant like the other three; he was just standing there, looking at you. That's all he has to do to calm you down.
You noticed Alya chatting with Marinette. The pig-tail hair girl was blushing while chatting with her friend. She's really not like Ladybug at all. Maybe that's why you never thought of her as the famous hero before. But looking back now, you could definitely see that the two are the same person. How could you be so blind?
"Alright then, when we come back, we're going to see just which routine will woo the hearts of these three judges!" You turned back to look at Alec.
"And cut!"
You let out a deep sigh. Feeling a tap on your shoulder, you glanced at Ruben. He was giving you a reassuring smile. "Let's win this thing"
You grinned at him, determination spreading across your face. "Let's"
----
You smiled widely as you looked at the dancers. The contest has begun and you couldn't help but dance along with each song that was playing. Ruben and Grace stood beside you, feeling the beat as well. You cheered along with everyone else with each performance. Everyone was having fun. The judges and Alec were smiling. Your friends in the audience were amazed by all of the performances.
When it was Grace's turn of performing, you were mouthing out the words to the song. She was dancing to '7 Rings' by Ariana Grande. She and three other girls from the studio were in sync with each other. Grace was smiling wide while dancing. She was in her natural element. If you were to lose to anyone in the contest, you're sure that you would lose to Grace. The entire event didn't feel like you were being filmed on live television. It felt like you were at a party. A party that only Grace can shine on.
"Now what we were all waiting for, (y/n) and Ruben!" Ms. Adeen announced. Everyone cheered while the music changed. You and Ruben stepped out into the center. Immediately, the two of you began to get into the mood of the lyrics. Your movements were in sync with the beats of the song. The two of you were grinning at each other as you danced. Your nerves from the previous days all gone. You didn't focus on the fact that you were being filmed or being judged. You just focused on the song. Your friends cheered whenever you and Ruben were being a tad bit intimate, your close friends whistling. Manu was cheering the loudest out of the group, which made you laugh.
When your routine ended, you let out a huge laugh. Ruben grinned while high-fiving you. The music changed and everyone began to dance collectively as a group. Grace and Ruben pulled your friends to dance while you dragged Marinette and Alya. Your mind wasn't focused on the fact that Marinette was your love rival. You only thought about the amount of fun you are having.
The moment the music calmed down and everyone refocused on the fact that this was a contest, everyone went to stand around Alec. The judges had just given him the envelope that held the winner's names. You held Grace's and Ruben's hands tightly.
"Before I announce who won, I would just like to say that all of these teams showed great talent" Alec clapped his hands together while looking at all of you. "Now to the big reveal. The winner of the dance battle! And the winner is..."
"7 Rings Choreo by Grace Allard!"
Grace let go of your hand as she let out a loud squeak. Everyone tackled her and her group into a group hug before they went and grabbed the prize from Ms. Adeen. You could hear Ruben sigh beside you. He tilted his head up, looking defeated. "There goes the prize"
"Shut up" You elbowed his side, causing him to jump. "You didn't really care about the prize did you?"
"No, I guess not" Ruben laughed.
"TICKETS TO JAGGED STONE WITH BACKSTAGE PASSES"
"I'm going to kill you" Ruben spoke as he stared at Grace and her group freaking out over the prize.
"Not if I kill you first" You stated.
"I thought heroes don't kill" Ruben mocked with a smile.
"Who said I was that sort of hero" You smirked.
Manu awkwardly laughed as he noticed the threatening aura surrounding both of you. If he hadn't walked up to you and taken Ruben away, you were sure going to punch the living daylights out of the tall boy. Your sudden emotions went away when you turned to look at Grace. She was trying so hard to hide her inner fangirl as she was taking pictures with the judges. A small smile formed on your lips as you watched the sight.
"You were amazing" You turned your attention to Luka. He was standing in front of you, a small smile matching your own.
"Thanks" You averted your eyes from him. Just as Luka opened his mouth to speak again, a crew member called your name. Without batting an eye, you rushed over to the television employee. Luka eyed you leaving the room.
It's been almost a whole week since you've been akumatized and your relationship with Luka has changed. You've been distancing yourself from him and he has no idea why. He doesn't remember doing anything wrong. The two of you have been distant, but being distant never ruined your friendship.
"Is everything okay?" Kwan perked her head up from your pocket. "You've been avoiding Luka recently"
"Everything's fine" You entered your dressing room.
"Liar"
You ignored the small flaming bird as you changed out of your outfit. Right now isn't the time to be thinking about boys or love. You should be thinking about your performance. After going through all of the songs in your playlist, you decided to choose a song that will help you release the emotions you kept inside since your childhood. Sighing, you looked at yourself in the mirror.
You wore denim ripped jeans, a black graphic t-shirt, a leather jacket, and black combat boots. You wore bracelets that you had collected over the past two years during your travels with your friends. Your choker glistened under the light of the room. Kwan flew to your shoulder, smiling at your reflection.
"You're ready?" Kwan perked.
"As I'll ever be"