The Next Step Oneshots

If the world was ending...

The prequel to my previous oneshot. I've fallen in love with this duo as I wrote them. If you made a request, it's hopefully coming soon-ish.

《 If the world was ending, you'd come over, right? You'd come over, right? 》

He bites his lip and she straighten her dress. He watches as she leaves a sixth pleading voicemail to Nick, knowing that it'll be no use. He'd let his whole team down, and worse: he's let her down.
"Emily," His voice is barely a whisper. She doesn't even turn to him, so he speaks louder, "Emily."
"What?" She replies, clearly agitated.
"There's nothing we can do. We have to wait it out. I'm sorry that I'm doing this to A- troupe, and you, but there is no solution." He says openly.
"I always find a solution." He shakes his head. "We can't give up!" Her voice is of a higher pitch, "This cannot be it for you, I mean, what are they going to do?" She frowns and her eyes glisten. Was she…crying?
"I, I don't know. But they are a team. Hopefully they'll notice that we're not there yet?"  He tries his best to sound reassuring but it doesn't come out right. She puts her head in her hands. Then it hits him.
"Could we call Dancemania?"
"Huh?" She sounds lost.
"The Dancemania reps could send a private jet or something? It's a long shot but…?"
"I'm on it!" She's already dialling.
"Hey, it's Shawn. Your call is important to me, but I'm a Dancemania rep so I may be busy. You can try being on hold." An automated voice speaks next, " You are the fifty-first caller."
"Fifty-first?" They exclaim at the same time. The automated voice answers their next question before they can pose it.
"Wait time: two hours maximum."
"Two hours?" Emily clutches the sides of her dress desperately. He notices she's starting to spiral. He's seen it in Piper.
"Emily, look at me." She obliges. "This is our only option. We will wait. But there is nothing else you can do. Nothing. So, breathe." She takes in a hasty breath. "Slower."
She follows his lead and she seems calmer after a while.
"I'm sorry, I don't, no one knows that I-"
"Have anxiety?" He guesses.
"Yeah." She hangs her head in embarrassment.
"Emily, you don't need to be ashamed. This is not your fault, it's not a flaw."
"Thank you."
"Hey, talk to me about something else. We should pass the time?" He offers, shrugging his shoulders slightly. She nods in agreement, but spends some time thinking about a topic.

"Michelle," She starts finally, and watches as the curiosity peaks in him. "She gave me an offer. To start a world dance tour with her."
"Wow." He was not expecting that. "You have to accept! You have, right?"
"Am I that bad a Studio Head?" She jokes.
"No! I'll miss you a lot, and so will the team. I don't even know what the Studio is without you. It's just, that's the dream." She appreciates his honesty. And his words mean a lot.
"Thanks. And yeah, it is. But I love the Studio, and Nick asked me to buy a share." His eyes grow wide as he digests all this new information.
"So, you're telling me you can A) have your own world tour, or B) have your own internationals winning studio?"
"When you put it that way, it makes it seem great."
"It is!"
"But I have to choose." Oh. He hadn't really considered that major part.
"You must have a preference. Like, what have you always wanted to do?"
"Run a business, a dance business. And that comes with either one."
"Who do you prefer working with? Objectively, I mean." Pipes had taught him that word. He was pretty proud of himself for using it. She hesitates.
"You paused! That means you heart is with one person. Who?"
"It's with Mich." She admits, "But The Next Step is my home. It's my family, I don't want to go, I love it here." She can't believe she's having this conversation with Finn. Finn! But he's actually making some good points and his blunt attitude is useful in this case.
"Do you love her?" He hadn't intended to ask such a loaded question but it just came naturally to him.
"She's my best friend."
"Do you love her?" He repeats.
"Yes." Because she does. As much as the Studio is her home, so is Michelle. Michelle is the reason her life is exciting. Michelle is the person who turned her world. The nostalgia attack hits her hard. She gulps.
"Well, she's a person. And your love for a person is often more permanent that your love for a place. So, I'd go with her." He remarks, as if it isn't one of the most profound things she'd ever heard in this world.
"I'll think about it more. But I appreciate this." He smiles.
"Your turn." She grins provokingly.
"I don't know what to talk about."
"Okay, I'll ask a question. If the world was ending and you could only see one person before it did, who'd you choose?" What? He'd asked if she loved Mich.
"That's easy." He beams, "I'd pick Piper. But that might be selfish. Because she'd want to spend her time with James. Or Amy." Emily can't believe how thoughtful he is. Especially considering what she's heard.
"Didn't you cheat on Amy?" She covers her hand with her mouth as soon as the words escape.
"Yes." He looks down. "I've really messed up this year. I dated Amy, when I still had strong feelings for Piper and then I kissed her when I was still dating Amy. And then, I was an idiot about the whole situation."
"An idiot how?" He wonders how she's confident enough to ask that. But, says him.
"I didn't, my mind was all, I want Piper, when it should have been I'm sorry to Amy. I know, I'm not the greatest person."
"I disagree." He raises his eyebrows. "A bad person wouldn't recognise that in themselves. You know you haven't be you. That shows that you haven't."
"Come again?"
"You get that you behaved out of character. Which shows that it was out of character. That you isn't the real you."
"I want to believe that."  He sighs, "But I'm letting the team down again as we speak."
"No, you stepped up for the team." She'd never really seen this side to him. The non-goofy side. The self-doubting side.
"Piper doesn't see it that way."
"Are you in love with her?" She finds herself particularly interested in his answer. And not just because she cares about Piper.
"Yeah. She's my favourite human." Emily laughs because no one talks like that. He joins in.
"No, I mean it." He says as they start to get looks from other people in the airport.
"Then, tell her, you oldie! Tell her that you're sorry and that she's your favourite human." She can't help but giggle again.
"I'm going to do it." He seems…apprehensive.
"I'm glad. I miss being your age. There were so many things I should have said to so many people."
"Like what?"

"I never, I never told Hunter, my boyfriend, that be made me feel like, I was flying. All the time. I never told my best friend Stephanie that I really did appreciate her blind loyalty to me. I mean, she shouldn't have followed me all the time, but it meant a lot. I should have told my almost boyfriend, West, that for the first time, he made me feel as though, I was a person of value. And that I would be, no matter what happened. I never thanked James for being the person that my baby sister could turn to when I left her in the dark."
"They all sound like amazing people."
"They are." She glows as she talks about them. She makes a mental note to text all said people.
"I do the same. It's not just Piper I haven't told. I haven't told Ozzy that his confidence and belief in himself in the face of being told he's different is inspiring. I haven't told Kenzie that she's been a really good friend to me and that when I screwed up, and she was at my house with DVDs and cookies, that saved me. I haven't told you that you are the most dedicated, but kind Studio Head I've ever encountered."

Her eyes glisten at that last statement, and it's not because she's crying.

In case you didn't know, that quote at the beginning that the chapter is inspired by is a lyric. Check out the song by JP Saxe, think about your OTPs and likely cry. Anyway, all creds to him and his featuring artist, Julia Michaels.

Somehow, we've hit 11k now. I've actually ran out of ways to thank you. So, thank you. It makes me happy beyond belief to see this.

💓