Richozzy Endgame (Oneshots)

Campfire Desire

A/N: Someone commented asking me to rewrite the Henry/Amy/Finn camping storyline from season 7 to be as Ozzy/Richelle/Shad from season 8. So here it is! It's set during season 8a as like an alternate timeline. Enjoy!

Richelle's POV:
I looked around the performance space for Step Inside and sighed. I was really looking forward to the show, and was really proud of the whole team. But I couldn't bring myself to enjoy it today.

"Hey, Richelle." I looked up towards the voice in surprise, not expecting to be disturbed.
"Hey, Shad," I said, staying sat in my spot in the corner. He furrowed his eyebrows as he looked down at me.
"Is something wrong?" He asked, taking a seat beside me.
"I just got some bad news," I said. "My family has this camping trip every year, and it's been cancelled. I'm just feeling a little down about it, that's all."

"Well, at least you won't have to sleep in a sleeping bag now," he replied, smiling. "And no mosquito bites!" I smiled half-heartedly. I could tell he was trying to cheer me up, but his attempts fell flat. I wanted him to see how important this was for me.

"Yeah, I know," I said. "I've just never gone a year without this trip, and now my relatives from across the country won't be in town for another year."
"I'm sorry, Richelle," Shad replied. "But, hey, now you'll have even more time to work on the show."

I felt a little disappointed. Since our movie night, and when he nearly kissed me, I thought we were getting closer. But it was times like this when it felt as if there was still so much he didn't understand about me.

"Look," I sighed, getting up. "I better go. I have a lot of work to do and should really make a start on it. I'll see you later." I could feel Shad's eyes on me as I walked away, but I couldn't help it. I just really needed to talk to my best friend.

Ozzy's POV:
I sat in Middle C by myself, contemplating everything that had happened. Shad had turned up at the studio and swept Richelle right off of her feet. I was glad the show was going so well and that he was making her so happy, but watching them together was hard. As much as I tried to pretend my crush on Richelle was over, I knew deep down that I was more in love with her than ever.

Richelle used to be completely unattainable, someone I put up on a pedestal. But now we had become best friends, and the more I got to know her, I saw her for all she was, flaws and all. And she was incredible.

"Hey, Oz," Richelle said, sitting down opposite me. I looked up to see she looked a little deflated, not her usual happy self.
"Hey," I replied. "Are you okay? You look upset."

She sighed and rested her head on one of her hands.
"I don't know. I'm just a little disappointed, I guess," she said. "This weekend was supposed to be my family's annual camping trip, and it got cancelled. I dunno, it's stupid, but it's the only real time I get to spend with them."
"It's not stupid," I said, reaching out to touch her arm in comfort. Remembering Shad, I quickly removed my hand, hoping she wouldn't notice. "I know it's a really important day to you, and how much you love your Auntie Jen's butter tart s'mores."

Richelle's head snapped up.
"You remember that?" She mumbled, shocked.
"Well, yeah," I replied. "You always talked about how your Dad sang all those campfire songs and your Grandma would do the embarrassing dances. And of course, the s'mores." She looked at me in amazement, a small smile on her face.
"Thanks, Oz," she said, standing up and squeezing me on the shoulder. "It's nice to know someone's listening."

She left the café, still looking out of sorts. I sighed, wishing I could do something to cheer her up.

*

I was practicing choreo in Studio 1, still thinking about how to help Richelle, when Shad came in.
"Hey, Ozzy, I need your help," Shad said. I stopped dancing and looked at him quizzically.
"Hey, sure man, what's up?"
"Richelle is pretty upset, and I don't really know how to help her."
"Over the camping trip, right?" I asked.
"Yeah," he responded, seeming a little surprised that I already knew. "I tried to say these things to take her mind off of it and cheer her up, but it all seemed to make it worse. You guys have been friends for so long, so tell me, man, what do I do? I really like her."