Pas de deux ~ Slimecicle x reader
Part 5 - 2897 words (cw: injury)
You trudge into the studio, deflated. You'd been having so much fun these last couple days and now it was being snatched from you. It's always sad when people leave the studio, guests or dancers, but this was different. You'd bonded with them so quickly, and it was nice to speak to people who existed outside the studio but now they were leaving you realise that them not being dancers meant they had no reason to ever see you again. You were from separate worlds, and there was no cause for them to ever intertwine.
You flop onto the floor, glancing around the room and notice that Will is absent once again, which knocks any remaining wind out of your sails. The tiredness from not sleeping hits you like a truck now, and you go from half heartedly stretching to just sitting hunched over on the floor looking miserable.
Avery walks over to you, lacking her usual bouncy energy. It seems today's finish line has hit her in the same way. You chatter to each other, but it's slow and weary, lacking any sense of depth. The boys slowly join you in the studio, and although they are as loud as always, a couple of them don't seem as energetic as usual, Charlie included. Anthony follows not too far behind them, and you all get started straight away.
The time races by, and before you know it the boys are off to a performance space next door. You go to follow them backstage but Anthony stops you, gesturing for you to go back and sit in the audience. He is grinning maniacally, but you don't figure out why until you walk in.
The audience space is packed.
From your brief scan of their social media, you recognise some of the faces as friends and family of the boys. You're not one hundred percent certain, but you think the boys are totally unaware of this aspect of their performance. You find a spot tucked in an upper corner and then have a better look at the people around you. It dawns on you that you didn't see any pictures of Charlie's family on his Instagram. You ponder this for a moment, wondering what the backstory is there. Whilst you're not surprised his friends and family didn't fly over from the US just for this, you do question their seeming omission from his life. Realistically, he probably just keeps that part of his life private, but your mind wanders over the topic all the same.
The lights dim and the audience shuffles into their seats. The curtains open as the boys slowly move onto the stage one by one. As they spot the audience their faces vary from shock, embarrassment and laughter. They continue dancing anyway, throwing themselves into it completely. Some are more graceful than others, but they're all confident which is nice to see. Sean continues to take the lead, showing better control over his movements than the others but they're all doing a fantastic job, and more impressively none of them forget any choreography. Anthony does have a knack for teaching choreography memorably, another reason why he was so well respected in the studio.
The performance comes to an end, and the audience cheers for them. They even earn themselves a standing ovation! They bow, curtsy, spin and do a manner of other daft things on stage, laughing. Charlie lifts up Sean and spins him around until they're both dizzy, stumbling backward. You spot that Jack has climbed onto James' back and they're now running around the stage in circles. Slowly though they make their way off stage, most of them climbing straight down into the audience to meet their friends and family. Charlie is one of the last to hop down, and he stands off to the side. He is still smiling and laughing with everyone, but it's crushing seeing him stood alone.
You walk over to him and pull him into a hug. He seems surprised, not having noticed you'd been watching the performance. He hugs you back tightly though, and you feel his body heat warming you through your clothes. You pull apart and you grin at him.
"Charlie! That was amazing! I can't believe you learnt that all so fast!" You exclaim.
"What can I say, I had an excellent teacher. Even if she is a THEIF" he says, feigning anger.
You laugh, but then your smile fades. You're taken back to your feelings on the bus this morning, realising it's over now.
Charlie notices your expression and as though he reads your mind says "Right I think we owe our amazing teachers a drink, don't you?" addressing the room.
There are murmurs of agreement, and you all cloud together leaving the building. As you exit you're joined by Avery, and you spot she's brought Anthony with her too, an unlikely but fun addition to the afternoon. She immediately makes a beeline for you, pacing over with a disturbing intensity.
"I have to tell you something, I overheard something whilst I was in the back before the performance and-" she cuts herself off.
She looks up at Charlie and then shakes her head quickly.
"Actually it doesn't matter, I'll tell ya later" she smiles.
Her tone is light and playful, but you sense deception. Whatever she wants to tell you, it clearly matters more than she's letting on, and you suspect she doesn't want Charlie to hear it.
You shrug it off for the sake of not making things awkward and continue walking in your huddle until you reach the same pub you went to last time.
You walk inside and find its cozy atmosphere is just as strong as before. The group splits up slightly, some heading to the bar but others finding seats and tables. You're joined at the bar by Sean, and you stand together chatting whilst you wait to be served. He's a kind soul, and seems very genuine.
"When will you guys bring out the video of this then?" You ask
"Honestly I'm not totally sure, it won't be me who uploads it, it's actually James's thing so he'll take the lead on everything. Are you gonna watch it when it comes out?" He replies
"Oh absolutely! It'll be nice to look back to the start and see how far you guys came! You improved so fast" you answer.
You sense a presence behind you, and you're met with Charlie's face when you turn around. He smiles at you, a drink in each hand.
"I got you what you had last time, I hope that's okay?" he says softly.
"Aw that's so kind of you! Thank you Charlie, you didn't have to do that" you smile.
You walk with Charlie to the rest of your group and find a seat next to each other. You chatter between the two of you, time racing by. You learn about more about Charlie's work, his time at school, his favourite games, he even shows you pictures of him going to rennfair, which you have to admit he looks gorgeous in. You share your life with him too, and he takes it all in eagerly. His face lit up the room when you told him you used to play D&D, grinning determinedly that he'll get you back into it.
After a couple more drinks, you're feeling more confident so you press Charlie a little further. You ask him about his home and his family. He ponders the questions more than before, and his answer is brief. His parents are divorced, but he gets on with them. He doesn't delve any deeper, and you don't push the topic. He does tell you about his brother though. He's younger than him and you can tell there's a lot of love there.
He asks about your own family, and your response is very similar. You tell him a little about your mom, the pressure she put on you and the way she spoke to you but you don't get too into detail. Charlie looks at you sympathetically all the same, and his hand raises to sit on your upper arm, rubbing it with his thumb. You can feel electricity beneath his fingers, something you haven't felt before. You look at him with longing in your eyes for a few moments before you snap out of it. You decide in that moment that maybe you've had enough to drink, and you try to move things on quickly.
Before you know it, people are standing up getting ready to head home. There are lots of hugs and goodbyes, the boys seeming genuinely disappointed to be leaving. They're very grateful for this week, and thank you, Avery and Anthony profusely. Anthony's attempts at keeping a stony demeanour crumble pretty quick, and you can tell he has genuinely enjoyed this week too, although he'd never admit it.
You go to leave, Charlie walking with you. You order a taxi, which arrives pretty quick. You get in, and before you close the door your own mind gets the better of you.
"Do you want to come with me? To get your jacket I mean? You could come and grab it?" You blurt out.
Your eyes widen and you blush at yourself. Why on earth did you say that? You internally chastise yourself, cringing hard, but in a second Charlie has walked round the car and into the seat next to you.
The driver pulls away and you sit awkwardly in silence for a few moments. Thankfully, Charlie breaks the tension.
"Wow! You thieves really have nerves of steal huh" He grins at you
"That was awful!" You laugh "like truly that may be the worst pun you've told me so far"
"Well don't pun-ish me for my crimes of hilarity please" he smirks at you
"Oh Jesus Christ please stop" you giggle, locking eyes with him.
You look at him for a moment before snapping yourself out of it. Charlie's jokes seem to have melted the awkwardness of the journey, and so you continue chatting until you reach your flat.
"See, I told you it was ready to bring with me!" You exclaim, gesturing at Charlie's coat.
"Looks like circumstancial evidence to me" he winks.
You roll your eyes, laughing.
"Are you hungry? I've just realised we didn't have dinner, I could make you something?" You ask
Charlie agrees, and you head into your kitchen together. You get started, Charlie offering to be your sous chef. He's as goofy as ever, dropping and spilling more things than he does successfully, but it's incredibly endearing. You didn't realise it was possible to have this much fun cooking. You're playfully bickering over him adding too much flour, when he grabs some in his hand and swipes it over your face.
"Ah! Charlie! Oh you are in for it!" You exclaim
You grab your own handful and swish it through his hair. He does the same to you, until you're both covered in the stuff. You grab another handful and go to wipe it over his cheek, but as you get there he grabs your wrist. He forces it back at your face quickly. You struggle against him, trying to move it back towards him but he's so much stronger than you. He stumbles forward to try and swipe it down your face, pushing you backwards against the counter. You're pressed up against each other, when your hand gets pushed down to your side. Charlie leans in, and he kisses you.
He's gentle, his lips soft but you can feel him holding back. His hand still grips onto your wrist but his other one has travelled up to sit on your waist. After a moment, you pull apart. Charlie looks into eyes deeply, and you look back. You catch your breath, feeling goosebumps all over your body. All you want to do is grab him and kiss him again.
It's like he reads your mind. He lets go of your wrist and pushes you back into the counter fully, his arms wrapping around you. Your lips connect again, kissing him deeper this time. You feel his body heat against you, his right hand travelling to tangle up in your hair. His other sits in the small of your back, keeping you pressed right against him. His lips part and you feel his tongue run against yours.
Your kiss intensifies, desperation building as he lifts you to sit you on top of the counter. He stands between your legs, a quiet, gentle moan escaping his lips. You feel something hard against you, and you roll yourself against it on instinct. His fingertips dig into you in response, and your kiss builds.
You're desperately pawing at each other now, trying to close an imaginary gap between you. His head drops, kissing your neck as he unbuttons your jeans. You reach forward to do the same when you're interrupted by a loud beeping.
You both jolt, looking around. Your smoke alarm blares as grey clouds billow up from your stove.
"Oh shit!"
You jump down from the counter top and turn off the stove. Charlie grabs the pots and moves them to the sink as you fan a tea towel below the alarm, trying to make it stop.
Silence falls across the kitchen, before Charlie appears behind you chuckling softly. He puts a hand on each shoulder and bends his head around your neck, kissing your cheek. You pull your phone out to check the time and your whole body freezes up.
*Missed call from Will ⭐️ (7)*
Adrenaline courses through you immediately. You bolt into action, dashing out of the room. You try to call Will back, grabbing a jacket and your keys at the same time, but he doesn't answer you. Charlie follows behind, sensing your urgency.
"Y/N, what's wrong?" he asks, voice filled with concern.
"It's Will, he's called me, now he's not picking up...I'm worried he's hurt" you cry back, fighting tears.
You run out of the door, Wills phone going to voicemail. Charlie pulls out his phone.
"What's his address?"
You tell him, trying over and over again to call Will but he doesn't pick up. An uber shows up, and Charlie bundles you into the back seat. Your heart pounds and you feel like you're going to be sick. Charlie takes your trembling hand, holding your gaze.
"It's okay, it'll be okay, we'll be there soon, just breathe" he whispers.
The uber pulls up and you sprint to the door, banging your fist against it as hard as you can.
You scream Wills name but there's no response.
You scramble round the side of the building, clambering over the garden gate, scuffing your knees. Charlie climbs after you, and you both race around to the back window.
He helps you force the window open, and you stumble through it. He follows you into Wills house and down the corridor into the bedroom. The house is in disarray, so different from how Will usually lives, which makes the uncomfortable feeling growing in your chest worse.
You scour the room but you can't see Will anywhere. At this point you're in a complete panic, desperately searching everywhere to find him. Charlie opens the bathroom door and you immediately know something is wrong. He turns around to face you. He looks grey.
"Call 911 Y/N...now"
He turns back around and enters the bathroom properly. You pull out your phone and call 999 before walking in behind him. You're met with the site of Will on the floor, unconscious with blood trickling out from under his head.
Your legs crumble beneath you, clumsily scrambling over to Will. Charlie takes the phone from your hand and takes over the call. You just sit there on your knees holding Wills head in your lap, gripping him so tightly that your knuckles are turning white.
It doesn't take long before you hear sirens outside, and Charlie leads the paramedics into the bathroom. They get Will up, placing him on a stretcher and taking him out to the ambulance. You walk out behind them, hoping to go with Will but they stop you, so you just stand hopelessly in the doorway, shivering. As they close the back of the ambulance you feel Charlie behind you.
"Hey...it's okay" he whispers so quietly you barely hear him.
"They'll look after him Y/N, he'll be okay...it'll be okay..."
You can't even choke out a response, you just turn around and burrow your head into his chest. His arms wrap around you, but this isn't a hug of affection or desire, it's protection. He sways you both gently, rubbing his thumb up and down your back as you sob.
You stay like this for a while, crying until you have no tears left and your eyes sting. Charlie walks you out the house and into another taxi, holding onto you the whole time. He doesn't let go until you get back to your home. He helps you upstairs, slipping your shoes off and putting you in bed. You lay there and cry, Charlie shushing you and holding your hand. You don't remember falling asleep, but the evenings events must have tired you out because when you woke in the morning, Charlie wasn't there.