#charliedalgleish

2117 words

You fiddle with the lights behind you, watching the levels change on your monitor. Since starting to have guests from bigger channels visit you, you've been feeling the pressure to make sure your content looks as high quality as possible. It's been nice in a way, being pushed to level up your production, but it is nerve wracking.

Message from @/slmccl: Hi i'm just pulling up to your building now i think? you're number 16 right? :)

You pick your phone up and answer your incoming guest.

Message from @Y/N: Hey! Yeah I am, it's on the second floor, let me know if you get lost though and I'll come down and show you

Charlie's seemed sweet so far since you've invited him on, polite and funny, even generously offering to pick up ingredients on his way here. Mostly though, he seems actually interested in the content you make. Lately, it's been all too common to have guests on who like your content in theory, but don't actually take it seriously, which just results in stress for you to try and make sure the end product still comes out looking the way it should. You're making macarons today which are challenging enough as it is, so you're glad you have someone who is willing to give it a proper go.

The sound of your doorbell calls out, and you walk down your hallway to go and let Charlie in. He has a kind smile, which makes his eyes crinkle up ever so slightly, bright blue and sparkling. You welcome him in, hanging up his coat for him, and show him the kitchen.

"I still find it crazy that you film in your own place! I always thought it was like a set or something, I feel like a know a big secret" Charlie chuckles.

You have to admit, you're surprised Charlie has watched your stuff. Whilst a lot of the things you bake has a fairly nerdy theme to it, the actual baking process itself, you doubt, is his kind of thing.

"I'd love to have a proper studio to film in, I've just never managed to find one I like as much as my real kitchen. Plus I'm so forgetful, I feel like I'd end up forgetting to take things with me or bring them home. I can't do that if I film here, it's like I've trapped myself into being organised" you laugh.

Charlie laughs with you, nodding in shared sentiment. You get him to check he's happy with the angles and lighting as you pre measure your ingredients into little glass bowls, then give him a brief walkthrough of how the video is going to work. His excitement for the video is infectious.

You guide Charlie through the recipe, having him add the pre weighed ingredients to the bowls. Aside from a little bit of shell in the egg whites he does a great job. He laps up your praise eagerly, like a puppy performing tricks, endearingly smiling at you with big gentle eyes every time. You give him a helping hand with the macaronage, mostly out of concern he'll mess it up and be disappointed. If his sad face is on the same endearing lines as his current eager one you're not sure you can handle it.

You quickly fill two piping bags and grab a tray each for you to pipe the batter onto. You give Charlie an demonstration which he watches intently before trying to replicate it himself. The first couple he does go well, so you continue to pipe your own. As you do your fifth circle, you're interrupted by a loud pop sound! You turn to find Charlie covered in macaron batter, eyes wide like saucers, staring at his hands.

He locks eyes with you and you both burst into laughter. You grab him some paper towels to clean up with, helping him to get the mixture off his arms. Somehow between spilling it and you coming over with the towels he's managed to get it on his forehead, cheek and neck as well as all over the counter top.

This, along with the fact that you both crack up every time you look at each other has absolutely decimated your kitchen. The batter is insanely sticky, and has very slightly dyed his hands and your countertops a light shade of blue. You both stop to clean up properly, Charlie apologising the entire time before continuing with the piping.

You double bag Charlie's mixture this time just in case he pops it again, but he's much gentler the second time around. He holds the bag steady using both hands and his brow furrows as he squeezes, staring at the tray intensely. He's laser focused on getting them perfect. You find yourself staring at him maybe a little more than you should be, so much so that you end up having to rush to finish all of your tray at the end.

The macarons need to sit for a little while before you can bake them so you move onto the filling.

"The filling in the Wobbledogs macarons looks like a simple buttercream to me so that's what we're going for today. It's a really sharp white so I have a couple of tricks to help us get the colour just right." You say to the camera. "Charlie, could you pop this butter in the bowl for me please? Then we're going to beat it on its own for a few minutes to get it fluffy before we add our icing sugar" you continue.

"Yes chef!" Charlie exclaims saluting you with a goofy grin and following your instructions.

You take the bowl back from him and place it under your mixer. You let it whip the butter for a moment or two and then take it back out, placing the bowl on the counter.

"So you're going to pop the icing sugar in for me now Charlie, we want to- oh!" You jump, batting away clouds of icing sugar from your face. You laugh a little, smiling sympathetically at Charlie.

"Sorry! Sorry! I should've waited for you to finish, what was I meant to do?" Charlie says sheepishly.

"It's okay don't worry!" You smile reassuringly. "For you guys at home though, you want to add the icing sugar a bit at a time, unless you fancy joining Charlie and I in looking like powdery ghosts." You chuckle.

You beat in the icing sugar and then pull out some purple food colouring.

"I thought you said the buttercream was white?" Charlie asks with a puzzled look on his face.

You chuckle gently.

"It is! But weirdly this is going to help us in achieving that. We're going to add the tiniest drop of purple food colouring, which will counteract the yellow tones in the butter, a bit like using purple shampoo!" You smile to the camera.

Charlie watches you closely as you add the purple, "That's so clever".

You finish making your buttercream, and then pop your macarons in the oven. You walk round to turn off your camera and then return to Charlie, who's leaning back against the counter. His sleeves are rolled up, and you can see the muscles in his forearms flexing as his hands press into the marble surface holding up his weight.

"You did such a good job, I think they're going to come out great" you chirp enthusiastically.

"Ah I'm but a humble student, I'm just lucky to have such an excellent teacher".

Charlie eyes you as he says this, then leans forward towards you, brushing his fingers over the small amounts of your hair that frame your face.

"We missed some sugar" he smiles, wiping small clumps of the powder out of your hair.

You smile back gently, letting him continue.

"There! Much better" he breathes.

He moves his hand away from you, but his thumb brushes your cheek as he does. You'd assume it was unintentional, but the contact seemed to last slightly too long for that to be true.

"Thank you so much for inviting me on by the way, the stuff you make is always so cool! I've been hoping you'd have me here at some point" Charlie says brightly.

"My pleasure! I didn't know you watched my stuff?" You smile.

Charlie's cheeks blush a deep shade of scarlet as he evades your gaze.

"Yeah I-I saw the dinner in Faerûn series you did...I've got a heavy amount of hours in BG3" he answers sheepishly.

You smile at him reassuringly "You and me both, bloody love that game!"

"Oh really? Do you play any DnD? I do a podcast but I'm a DM most of the-"

Charlie's voice is cut off by the beeping of your oven timer.

"Okay, show time" you chime.

You open the oven doors and slide out two metal trays. The macarons are a bright shade of blue, with a perfect rounded top. You place them gently on the counter and set your camera back up to record whilst they cool.

"Woah those look amazing! I can't believe we actually made them...I mean, I can believe you did, I'm just surprised I didn't fuck them up" Charlie laughs.

"Told you, you did a good job!" You grin.

You guide Charlie how to peel each shell off the mats without breaking them, and leave him to continue whilst you fill two piping bags with buttercream. You hit record once again and shuffle back behind the counter.

"The next step is to turn your macaron shells into the final products. We're going to pipe buttercream onto half of them and then sandwich a plain shell on top. When you're piping you want to cover the shell almost right to the edges. Then when you press the two sides together it should push right out to the sides"

You do a couple of shells alone first as an example, then instruct Charlie to have a go himself. He's incredibly careful, concentrating so hard that his tongue starts to poke out slightly. He sandwiches two sides together successfully, so you leave him to continue with a handful whilst you quickly do the rest. A few moments later though, you're interrupted by another loud popping sound. You turn to find Charlie with buttercream plastering his hands and coating his right arm.

"Shit! Sorry! I think I squeezed too hard again, fuck!”Charlie panics.

You howl with laughter, so much your sides hurt. His worried expression fades, as he begins to laugh too. After about a minute of straight laughter, you compose yourself and grab some kitchen towel, wiping the thick mixture off Charlie's arms and hands.

"God you must think I'm completely incompetent" Charlie laughs self deprecatingly.

You shake your head, chuckling "you're good! It's cute in a like...hopelessly endearing sort of way".

"Yeah? You think I'm cute?"

Your heart skips a bit, thrown off by his sudden forward comment.

"Maybe" you smirk, trying to feign confidence.

Charlie grabs your wrist, moving it away from his remaining buttercream covered arm and down to your side. His clean hand slides round behind you and rests in the small of your back, using it to pull you closer to him.

You close your eyes as he lowers his head, feeling him press his lips gently against yours.

He tastes like minty toothpaste and cherries, presumably from the can of pop you gave him earlier. His hand feels warm against your back, spreading widely across your ribs. You stay like this for a little while, lips brushing against each other, gradually increasing to an intensity that makes your brain go foggy. You only snap out of it when your camera beeps, crying out about its low battery.

You pull yourselves apart, and you scuttle round to check on your equipment.

"Shit! I'm gonna have to let this charge a little before we can finish filming" you mumble, chewing your lip.

Somehow, despite his clumsy nature, Charlie has silently shifted around the counter to stand behind you, catching you off guard as he wraps his arms around your waist, dropping his head on your shoulder.

"That's okay, I can think of something else we could do in the meantime" he smiles cheekily.

You turn to face him, eyes filled with lust. His hands scoop under your thighs and you jump, allowing him to lift you up and place you on the kitchen counter. His lips reattach to yours, with more force than before. Your hands tangle in his hair as his lips drift down towards your neck.

Part 2 - 3222 words (cw - disordered eating/body image issues)

Part 1 here

Charlie enters into the studio mostly unaided, although he has a very slight limp. His friends immediately cheer and laugh, mimicking his limp and fall. He laughs with them, taking it in good humour, although there is definitely a tinge of embarrassment there too. You walk over to Avery as Anthony hushes the men. He begins leading some stretches, suggesting he'll be sending them for a break shortly. As you watch the men stretch, Avery leans over to you.

"You missed an amazing show Y/N!" Avery whispers

"I think Anthony must have heard what that guy said to Will after all" she continues "I actually think he was close to crying by the time Anthony let him stop jumping"

You smile, only half listening. Your attention settled on Charlie instead, watching him stretch.

"What's he like that one?" Avery asks "he doesn't seem as ego-ey as some of the others"

You nod

"He's not, really. He's different out here to what he is on his own. Much quieter" you remark in a hushed tone.

Anthony finishes the stretches and then sends the men for lunch. Will walks over to you and Avery, looking pleased to be finished for a while.

"What's the plan guys, are we getting food?" he asks

You don't respond, but Avery replies.

"Yes! Definitely! I'm starving, and we've worked even harder than usual this morning, let's go!"

That attitude was one of the many things you liked about Avery and Will. Ballet has such a harmful dieting culture, one that you yourself got wrapped up in not too long ago. But Avery and Will were both so level headed about it all, and you felt more comfortable eating around them than you had in years.

Will in particular was very pragmatic when it came to body image and food. The boy had been through so much as a young dancer both in school and in his ballet training, perhaps more than you'd ever understand, but he was always sensible with food and encouraged others to do the same.

You walk out the studio together, followed by a few of the men, including the one with the blonde curly hair. They're talking loudly, although you don't understand half of what they're saying. You assume it's something work related and tune it out. They end up following you all the way out of the building and into the coffee shop next door.

You, Avery and Will order and go and sit in the back corner. You hadn't been here in quite some time, but this used to be your go to spot when you first started at the studio. You watched the men order and sit at a round table. Slowly, a few more of the men trickled in, including Sean, Charlie and the dark haired one.

You look around the rest of the shop, feeling yourself plunged into your old memories, hitting you like waves of ice cold water. You think of your old classmates you'd been here with. Oscar, with his obscene amount of sugar in his coffee, whom you later found out didn't eat anything else all day. Mauve, who left the studio a year ago after fracturing her ankle, never to dance again. Olivia, who one day walked out the studio after an argument with Anthony, and just never came back.

A member of staff brought your food over, dragging you out of your daydream. You get started immediately. You never seem to realise how hungry you are until food is placed in front of you, then it hits you full force all of a sudden. Consequently you always wolf down your food, usually giving yourself hiccups.

Today was no different and your friends laughed as you sat there hiccuping, unable to stop. They were high pitched and squeaky, but fortunately not too loud. You sit there quietly, trying to get them to stop when you feel a pair of hands on your shoulders.

"Hi!" Says a voice behind you.

The voice combined with the hands on you make you jump. You snap your head round to see Charlie standing behind you.

"Sorry did I make you jump?" He laughed.

You sit there silently staring at him, your brain still catching up on the situation.

"Er-" you stutter out

"So we were talking, and all of us are pretty much exhausted, like, my legs are basically jello at this point. So, Sean has gone to see if we can finish for the day. I mean, we're back again tomorrow so we'll get lots more footage then so. Anyway, we wondered if you guys wanted to join us to go and get a drink? We were going to go anyway after today, plus we figured maybe as a thank you too, for being such patient teachers"

His eyes linger on you for a second with that last sentence. Avery and Will smile keenly and agree.

"Amazing! Well we're going to head off as soon as Sean is back, should be any minute...oh hey, I cured your hiccups!" he beams at you.

"My hiccups?" you reply, confused

"Yeah, that was you making the little squeaky sounds right?" he smiles

"Oh, you could hear those?" you say, mortified

"Yeah, don't worry, it's funny! You're like a mouse or something" he laughs, putting his hand on the back on your neck.

You feel goosebumps rise up across your body. You pull your jacket around you, suspecting the cold room as the culprit, causing Charlie to move his hand.

At that moment, Sean walks in. Everyone stands up and walks out, forming a small cluster just outside the door.

"So I can't lie he seemed kind of peeved, we're definitely going to pay for this tomorrow, especially you George" Sean says, looking at the dark haired man.

George rolled his eyes, pulling out his phone. You assumed he was just being rude but a moment later he shows his phone to everyone with a map of pubs on it. The men debate where to start, eventually settling on a pub called "The Old Fox".

You walk in and immediately feel at home. The pub is small and cozy, with soft sofas and even a fireplace. You and the others walk up to the bar, and you spend a while looking at the bottles on the back wall whilst everyone else orders. Eventually, it's just you and a man with very short hair left.

"Can I get a Madri please mate?"

He turns to you

"What are you having?" he asks

"Oh er...I don't know, I don't drink much really, what's good?" you reply

"I mean, you don't have to have alcohol if you don't want, but I think they do cocktails if that's your thing?"

He smiles at you encouragingly

You look at the cocktail menu to your left, and settle on an amaretto sour. You've not had one before but the man on the bar said they're quite sweet, which is ideal. The short haired man pays and introduces himself as Jack. From your brief conversation with him, you've gathered that the man with the blonde curls is called Tommy, and that they're really good friends. He also points out the three other men as Ted, Toby and James.

You walk over to the others, sitting down on the sofa. It's a tight squeeze, and you find yourself squished between Sean and Jack. Will is sat opposite you, talking to James. Their conversation is quiet, and they both look fairly serious. You make a mental note to check in with him later. Avery is on the arm of the sofa opposite, with Toby next to her. She is chatting away, barely stopping for breath. So much so it appears Toby has given up on trying to get a word in at all and is now just nodding energetically.

Sean and Jack start having a conversation about something work related. You have no idea what any of it means, and so you just sit quietly and awkwardly between them. You sit silently for quite some time, waiting for the conversation to change to something you can actually participate in. Thankfully it does eventually change, mostly because as Avery drinks more her non stop chatter gets louder and louder, forcing everyone to be dragged into her conversation.

"How old were you when you starting dancing then?" George asks her

"Oh like two! If you don't come out of the womb dancing then you're basically already behind" she laughs

"Will, you were three right?" she asks

Will nods

"I had a break when I was twelve for about two months, but I missed it too much and went back and trained even harder. Even that small of a break lost me a lot of strength and flexibility though" he states.

"How about you Y/N?" asks James

"I was three too, although I did tap and contemporary too when I first started, I actually used to hate ballet! But one day when I was nine something in my brain just clicked and all of a sudden I was obsessed and I don't think I've had a day off since"

"Damn, that's commitment there!" laughs James

"What would you do if you didn't dance?" asks Jack

You fall silent. No one had ever asked you that before. You think for a moment, but nothing springs to mind. In that moment it really hits you, your entire world revolves around dance.

You'd never really considered it before, but your friends, your job, the food you eat, the places you go, the clothes you wear, everything is about ballet. You go to answer him, but every time you do, you realise you don't have anything to say. Will seems to pick up on your discomfort and answers for you.

"After today, definitely not teaching that's for sure!" he laughs.

Everyone laughs with him, except you. You can't believe you've gone this long without realising that you have nothing beyond dance. All of a sudden you are hit with a memory of your mother speaking to you after a particularly poor performance.

"Most ballerinas are retired by thirty Y/N, these are the best years of your life you're ever going to have and you're wasting them by not even trying up there. What are you going to do when you can't dance anymore hm?" she whispers in your head.

She said things like this so often her words stopped carrying any weight. You had always just pegged her as jealous, that she was just angry you still had your youth. But maybe she was right all along. These were the best years of your life but they'd be over in a flash and you'd be left with nothing. Your heart starts beating faster as her words swirl in her head. The room suddenly feels far too small, no longer cozy but now claustrophobic.

You stand up and stumble away from the table, going out to the smoking area. You prop yourself up against a wall and try to take some deep breaths. The ringing in your ears slowly subsides and you no longer feel like you're going to faint, but you still don't feel good. You sit yourself on a chair in the corner of the garden and pop in your headphones. You put your liked songs on shuffle and skip through until you settle on something. You close your eyes and lean your head back, letting the music wash over your thoughts.

Through your music, you hear the sound of the door opening. You get ready to spring up and go back inside, but when you turn your head you realise it's Charlie who has walked outside.

He comes and sits next to you, your drink and his in his hands. He doesn't say anything, instead just looking at you with worry in his eyes. You pull out your headphones to not be rude, and weakly smile at him.

"Are you okay? You disappeared pretty fast" he says.

His voice was filled with concern. He speaks very softly, as though approaching a wounded animal.

"I'm okay, I just needed a minute. We can go back inside if you want?" you reply, silently hoping he declines the offer.

Charlie looks at you for a moment, analysing the situation.

"It was getting kinda warm in there honestly, so I might stay out here a little while longer if that's fine with you?"

You nod at him, smiling weakly again. Without the anxiety coursing through you, you begin to realise how cold it is. You begin to shiver, wishing you'd have picked up your jacket on your way out here.

"Are you cold?" Charlie asks, looking at you sympathetically

"A little, I'm fine though really" you mumble

He removes his jacket and wraps it around your shoulders. You go to object but he cuts you off.

"I was warm anyway, it's why I came out, I don't really know why I brought it with me to be honest" he chuckles.

You thank him, pulling it closer around you. You both sit in silence for a moment, taking in the crisp autumn air.

"What are you guys actually doing at the studio?" you ask

Charlie looks taken aback by your question, and it takes him a moment to formulate a response.

"It's a challenge video essentially. We all of different content creation stuff, YouTube, Twitch, that kind of thing. I'm not usually with them, but someone dropped out and I fancied coming over here to see my UK friends anyway so"

"Ah that explains the accent" you respond, smiling

"Yeah, it kind of sticks out when I'm with these guys, but who doesn't love a bit of attention right?"

"I'd have thought you'd have enough attention with all the falling over you do honestly" you chuckle

Charlie smiles at you. He isn't laughing with you and still seems a touch embarrassed about it all, but his smile is genuine, and he seems pleased he is the cause of your laughter.

At this point you notice that Charlie himself is covered in goosebumps, and his ears and cheeks have gone pink. You offer to go inside so you can both warm up properly, but he is adamant he isn't cold. You look at him questioningly, but remain outside together. You chat a little more about Charlie's job and his life back home. A couple of times, he attempts to enquire more about your job, but you shut it down almost immediately. After that he didn't bring it up again, although he did pester you for more information about your life outside of ballet.

"I can't believe you've never played Minecraft! I get it's not everyone's thing but you literally just said you loved video games?" he laughs, looking at you like you're an alien

"I said I loved Breath of the Wild, because it's a damn masterpiece and it's on my switch so I can play it travelling to and from dance class. I don't have time to play other stuff!" you laugh back

"Well you should!" he says firmly, although the corners of his mouth lift into a small smile anyway

"Is it really that good?" you ask earnestly

"Oh no it's awful!" he laughs

"Then why on earth would I play it?" you laugh at him, confused.

" A. Because it's the most classic video game in the world-"

"I'd argue that's pong actually" you cut in

" -And B." he says loudly " you'd get to play with me and I would make it fun!"

"Ah I see, you wanna teach the teacher" you smile

"Yeah, but there's no risk of injury for this activity...well almost none" he grins

"I have to assume you'd still find a way" you laugh back

You continue like this for quite some time, and it's dark outside before you know it. Even with Charlie's jacket you're feeling the cold, so at this point he must be freezing. You suggest going inside again, which he accepts reluctantly.

You walk in together to rejoin the others. Sean and Jack have shuffled up next to each other so you sit on the end of the sofa. Charlie doesn't return to his seat, instead coming and squishing in between you and Sean. The sofa is really only big enough for three people, and even then it's a bit tight. With the addition of a fourth, you're now pressed up to Charlie, barely able to move. He lifts up his arm and puts it on the back of the sofa, giving you a tiny bit more room. Even so, you can feel his body heat against you and can smell his aftershave.

Avery sits across at you, still sat where she was, although Toby has now been replaced with Tommy who seems to be enjoying himself. She locks eyes with you for a moment and raises her eyebrows, glancing at Charlie and back to you. You shake your head and she shrugs her shoulders. Thankfully, Charlie doesn't notice this small interaction.

He turns to face you and continues your conversation where you left off. You remain seated there for a while, only really talking to each other. Gradually some people begin to leave, until eventually there is just you, Charlie, Avery, Sean and Jack.

"We should probably head home guys, it's getting late and they're closing soon." Jack states

Avery opens her phone to book an uber and you do the same. It takes a while but eventually you both manage to get one. The hotel the men are staying in is only a few minutes walk away, so they offer to wait for your taxis to arrive before they head off themselves.

Avery's taxi shows up, and she heads home but it takes a while for yours. You all stand around in the cold, staring at your phone as your uber driver crawls along at a snails pace. Charlie once again wraps his jacket around your shoulders, despite you already wearing your own.

Eventually your taxi does show up, and you hop in, thanking the men for waiting with you. They smile and wave you off before heading home. The drive seems faster than usual, and you find yourself outside your door after about 10 minutes.  You head in, flicking on your lights and hang your jacket up on the hook by your door. It's only when you do this that you realise you're taking off two jackets, yours and Charlie's. You feel a pang of guilt, thinking of him walking home in the cold. You wish you had his number to text him and apologise, but you realise you didn't ask him for it.

Part 4 - 1851 words

Masterlist

Charlie stares at you, barely blinking, his eyes sparkling as you walk over to him.

"You know I normally charge for performances" you say flatly, although you're smirking at him.

You expect an equally cheeky response, but he doesn't say anything. He just continues to look at you, changing from barely blinking to now blinking rapidly.

"Charlie...you o-" you start to ask when he cuts you off.

"You're like a different person when you do that" he says softly.

You smile at him warmly. You're so used to spending time with dancers, you don't really get compliments unless you're doing something particularly technically challenging. It was nice to be appreciated for something so simple and natural.

At this moment, people start to enter the studio, returning from lunch. You thank Charlie and then walk away to join Avery and share with her your conversation with Will. When you look back several moments later, Charlie has barely moved.

"I'm glad Will is okay, I really do hope he's back tomorrow" Avery says.

"Me too, I was so worried. I still am a little in all honestly" you reply.

Anthony calls you all over. You were expecting him to continue from this morning but it appears his plan has changed. Instead, he explains he wants to start teaching the men some choreography. The idea is that the men do a "final performance" tomorrow to round off their video, and that he's of the opinion they should start learning the piece sooner rather than later.

You get started straight away, guiding the men through the choreography, making small adjustments here and there, but they're handling it very well. It's amazing to see how much progress they've made in such a small space of time. Anthony calls it a day at 4:30, and the studio unsurprisingly clears out pretty quickly, the men do look exhausted. You notice though that Charlie is lingering, and doesn't walk out with the others.

Eventually only him, you and Avery remain in the studio. Avery finishes packing her bag and goes to walk out

"Are you coming Y/N or staying to work on stuff?" she asks brightly. She doesn't even seem to have noticed Charlie is still here

"I'm gonna stay I think, for a little anyway" you reply

She walks out, and as the door closer behind her you turn to Charlie.

"You're not expecting another performance are you? Because I really will charge you this time" you say, laughing.

"No, but it would definitely be worth the money! I was actually wondering if you could teach me the things you did with the others today? I know it's extra work for you, but I'd like to learn" he answers you sweetly.

"Of course I can!" you reply enthusiastically.

You guide Charlie to the centre of the room and explain to him how male dancers support turns, where he needs to place his hands, when to let go and when to hold you. He listens intently, and when you try for the first time it goes really well, considerably better than the others first attempts. You do a few different turns with him, and his confidence grows. His hands are warm against your waist,  feeling strong and secure. After a few more, you decide to try and teach him some lifts.

You remember yesterday morning being surprised by his physique, it just doesn't seem to match his personality, but it does make him a fantastic partner. You're hopeful that he'll be able to execute some of the simpler lifts quite well because of this as he seems strong enough. To start, you just get him to lift you straight up whilst you're in fifth. He has his arms wrapped fully around your waist and lifts you with ease. You ask him to try it again, but this time to only have his hands on your waist. This takes him a couple of tries to get right, but he manages it. You continue like this for a while, getting him to lift you higher each time until your hips are about head height on him. He places you down gently, awaiting your next instructions.

"You know, I think we can try something a bit harder, you're doing so well" you smile gently

Charlie smiles back, seeming elated by your praise. You suggest a shoulder sit lift. You pull out your phone and type it in to show him, so he can see what you're aiming for.

"The way you lifted me last time was perfect, so do the same thing again but slightly faster, and when I reach your shoulder pull back slightly so I can sit there" you explain.

"What if I drop you?" Charlie says, nervously.

"Have you dropped me yet?" you reply.

Charlie shakes his head

"Exactly! I trust you Charlie, you won't drop me" you reassure him.

You try the lift a couple of times, but you can feel Charlie holding back. He repeatedly brings you to the height you need but he's doing it too slowly, leaving you without the momentum you both need to get into position.

"Okay, let's take a little break. Your arms must be getting tired, we can try again in a minute" you state.

You walk over to your bag to grab your drink, and Charlie walks with you.

"When you were dancing earlier, how did you do that? Was it something Anthony had taught you or-" Charlie asks, the end of his sentence trailing off.

"No, I just kind of...made it up as I went really. I'd had a bit of a rough morning, and it's quite cathartic to just let yourself move. It's not always the prettiest or the most technical, but it is natural" you reply.

"What happened this morning" Charlie asks earnestly, concern in his eyes

"Will wasn't here, and wasn't answering his phone. I know it probably sounds like nothing, but that's not like him at all. After how he was spoken to yesterday, and I saw him having a really serious conversation with your friend James I guess I just panicked. Will has been through a lot, and he handles it well, but I still worry about him" you answer him, feeling yourself choke up.

"Oh, that's why you picked-" Charlie mumbles, too quietly for you to catch the rest of his comment.

"Is Will okay now? I mean, did you manage to get in touch with him?" he continues, louder.

"Yeah, he finally answered his phone at the start of our lunch break, there must be something going on because he didn't sound good, but at least he's safe" you reply, a stray tear rolling down your cheek.

"Oh...oh hey don't cry...it's okay" Charlie says gently.

He wraps his arms around you, pulling you into him. Your face is in his chest, and you can hear his heart pounding. His one hand is on the back of your head, the other wrapped around your back, and his thumb rubs up and down soothingly against it. You stay like this for a minute or so, before breaking apart. You wipe away a few more escaped tears, and then smile at him, sniffling.

"Shall we try that lift again?" you suggest, smiling weakly.

"Sure" Charlie says warmly, nodding reassuringly at you.

You move back to the middle of the room and try a shoulder sit again. He seems slightly more relaxed this time, still gentle with you, but trusting of his own strength.

On attempt three he does it! You sit on his shoulder proudly, grinning from ear to ear. He slowly brings you down and you are giddy with excitement.

"Charlie that was amazing! Perfect! Really, you did so well!" you exclaim, practically shouting, half tackling him into a hug.

When you pull away, Charlie smiles sheepishly. You can tell he's proud of himself, but your praise must have made him embarrassed because his cheeks have turned pink. You repeat the lift, and he does it perfectly again. He lowers you and you're elated.

"Maybe you should be a teacher after all" he grins.

"Alas, unless all of my students are you I don't think I'll get very far! You're the only person that's managed it" you laugh gently.

You glance up at the wall next to you and notice the time, it's 7pm.

"Oh my goodness is that the time? Come on you, we should probably head out, you've got a big performance tomorrow after all" you tease.

Charlie looks a touch disappointed, but grabs his bag and follows you out of the studio. You chat to each other as you leave, before parting to head home.

The crisp autumn air hits you harder once Charlie has walked off. You walk to your bus stop and stand there shivering, when you hear your phone ping.

Message from @ slmccl: Note to self - Buy a new jacket :D

You chuckle and reply

Message from @ Y/N: Note to self - Release Charlie's jacket from it's imprisonment in your home tomorrow morning

You slip your phone back in your pocket as your bus pulls up. You get on, and sit next to the window. It's dark now, but the bus is surprisingly warm. Whilst on the bus, Charlie messages you again. You reply, and this continues back and forth for your entire journey.

Stepping into your home, you notice Charlie's jacket still hung up. You fold it up and put it next to your bag for tomorrow, to make sure you don't forget it.

You start to wind down for the evening and stroll into your kitchen to make yourself dinner. For the sake of time, you choose pasta, and continue to message Charlie whilst you cook. Eventually you sit down on your sofa to eat. You put on Netflix but don't even end up picking a show, it just sits on the home screen whilst you stare at your phone. You don't notice how much time has passed until you hear your neighbours car pull onto the driveway. She works nights, which is a good sign you needed to go to bed several hours ago.

You check the time and realise you need to get ready to go to work. You trudge upstairs, dropping your dirty bowl into the kitchen sink as you pass, before hopping in the shower.

The water wakes you up somewhat, feeling a little more refreshed as you step out of the shower. You get ready to go and walk out the door to your bus stop. The tiredness has made you groggy, so you don't realise until you're already on the bus that you've left your bag at home, along with Charlie's jacket.

Message from @ Y/N: Note to self - Actually sleep on an evening so you remember to bring Charlie's jacket with you 😬

Almost instantly you receive a reply

Message from @ slmccl: Operation jacket retrieval is go, commencing Y/N hunting protocol >:o

Part 3 - 1922 words

Masterlist

You awaken to your alarm blaring. You pick up your phone groggily, feeling as if you haven't slept at all. You switch off your alarm and notice you have an Instagram notification:

Message from @ slmccl: Hello, jacket thief :)

You sit up in bed, your tiredness melting away as you smile and write a response

Message from @ Y/N: I'm so sorry! I hope you weren't too cold :/

You swipe off and get up to go and shower. When you come back, you see Charlie has replied already:

Message from @ slmccl: Charlie froze to death, this is his ghost, and I'm afraid to say you owe coat based child support :o

You laugh and message him back:

Message from @ Y/N: Surely if I'm caring for said coat, you owe the child support no?

You immediately see three dots appear in the corner of the chat

Message from @ slmccl: ...I would like to retract my previous statement

Message from @ Y/N: I'm afraid it's too late. Your court summons will come in the post soon 👀

Message from @ slmccl: :(

You laugh, clicking off your phone and continuing to get ready. You head to work in good spirits, actually looking forward to teaching today.

You wander into the building, immediately feeling at home. It was always a hard feeling to describe, but it felt sort of like a blanket. A feeling of warmth cloaking you, safety, contentedness. You pull out your phone to check the time and decide to try and track down Will before class begins. You traipse through corridors, glancing into studios and bathrooms but he is nowhere to be found. If it were Avery you were looking for this would come as no surprise, the girl was permanently ten minutes behind at all times. Will however, not so much, in fact he was usually here early working in a studio. You head to the last place you haven't checked, the costume department.

To call it a department is generous, as it's 90% boxes, tucked away down a corridor that seems to stretch on endlessly. When you finally arrive there, you're disappointed to find it almost entirely empty, save for one woman hunched over a sewing machine. She is so focused she doesn't even notice you enter. You contemplate asking her if she's seen your friend but it's highly unlikely even if he had been here that she'd have noticed. You leave the way you came, heading towards Anthony's studio space.

You walk in, hoping to see Will's face looking at you, but no such luck. Avery is here however, and comes bounding over to you like a Labrador.

"Okay I'm actually really excited for today, aren't you? After spending time with them yesterday I mean, I actually quite like them" Avery babbled, grinning at you.

"Sure Avery, yeah...have you seen Will today?" you reply, distractedly looking behind her.

Avery shakes her head, and her smile fades as she notices the concern on your face. You pull out your phone and try calling Will...no answer. You bring your hand to your face, nibbling at the skin around your fingers.

At this moment, the studio fills with noise. The men from yesterday pour in, Anthony following looking surprisingly composed. Avery leads you off to go and stretch with her whilst the men set up cameras and mics.

You stretch on the floor with Avery, but your mind is still fixed on Will. You've never known him miss a class without telling anyone, and after watching his conversation with James yesterday, you have a feeling that something just isn't right. You sit up, nibbling on your fingers for another moment and then put on your shoes. Anthony calls out to you and Avery to warm up separately and then put on your pointes.

You do just that, quietly preparing with Avery. She attempts a few times to start conversation but you're barely listening. Eventually she gives up, and works next to you in silence. Your mind is swimming, so much so you don't notice when Anthony calls you over. Avery nudges you, pulling you with her towards the centre of the room.

You stand biting your lip, as Anthony explains what he wants you all to do today. You're barely listening, but hear him mention something about group work. He continues to talk until suddenly he calls your name

"Who do you want first then Y/N?"

Your head snaps up, and you stare at him blankly.

"To work with Y/N, we're taking them off one by one" Avery whispers to you

"Oh...um...I don't know...Sean?" you ask

"Avery has just said she'll take Sean Y/N" Anthony sighs.

He's not yelling yet, but you can tell his patience is wearing thin. Then it dawns on you that you have an opportunity to help find Will.

"Oh sorry I er...I meant James...sorry" you stutter out

Anthony nods, sending Sean and James over to you and Avery before taking the rest of the boys to the other end of the room. You see James whisper something to Charlie and pat his shoulder, but you don't know what he says. He walks over to you smiling. You regret not talking to him more last night, as he seems nice, but you're on a mission today.

"Hey Y/N, excited to get started, thanks for getting me out of those leaps they look terrifying."

You glance over to the other boys. Anthony is showing them a variety of different leaps, developing on their work yesterday. James is right, it looks pretty brutal. You bring James over to the bar, and begin to explain the basics of partner work. He's a good listener, and manages to implement some of it fairly quickly. With a few adjustments, you feel he's ready to try some turns.

You walk him through it slowly. Whilst he's concentrating you take the opportunity to question him about Will.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what's up" he replies, his voice strained from holding himself in position

"What were you talking to Will about last night?" you ask gently

James goes silent, continuing to move as instructed. For a moment you think he's just going to ignore your question, but then he takes a deep breath.

"It was quite a personal conversation, from his side I mean. I know you know him better than I do, but I'd still feel a bit wrong telling people without asking him" he replies

He must sense your anxiety, as he relaxes out of position and faces you, looking at you with sincerity.

"Nothing he told me would explain why he isn't here though, I'm assuming that's what you're worried about"

You nod silently. James places his hand on your shoulder and smiles gently.

"Maybe he's just hungover, or he's sick and hasn't had chance to tell anyone. Try not to worry, I'm sure he'll get in touch with you soon" he says reassuringly.

You nod again, trying not to well up. Something still feels really wrong, but maybe James is right. You take a deep breath and continue to teach him. He's gentler than before, listening carefully and speaking softly. You're glad that Will chose to talk to him, even if that means you're left in the dark. You manage to attempt a couple of lifts with varying levels of success, but for turns he's actually a very good partner. When Anthony sends over two new partners for you and Avery, you're almost a bit disappointed to see him leave.

You're joined by Tommy, and you realise as he walks over that you haven't really spoken to him before either. Your mini lesson is quick, mostly because he has no spacial awareness. You make little progress, as he seems terrified to touch you at all during turns but also can't seem to stop bashing his arms into you at the wrong time. You don't attempt trying any lifts, partially because you worry he isn't strong enough, but mostly because you expect he'd drop you. He takes it in his stride though, and doesn't seem too downtrodden by his lack of technical skill.

You work with Toby next. He seems sweet although a little awkward. He's eager to please but lacks the balance or confidence needed to actually accomplish most of the movements you're teaching him. You decide to reframe things, and instead go over some turns for him to do solo. He actually picks these up fairly well, and seems more confident leaving you than he did on arrival.

You wrap up here for lunch, with Anthony stating that we would all be returning to the studio straight after it today. He tries to look stern, but you get the feeling he wasn't too disappointed about the early finish yesterday. You immediately go to your bag to see if Will has messaged you, but your lock screen remains empty. You call him again, stood anxiously next to your bag. As it rings out, you notice Charlie start to head over to you. You give him a faint smile when suddenly you hear the groggy sound of Will's voice.

"Y/N?" he croaks out

You dash out of the room, trying to find somewhere quiet to talk to him. You eventually find yourself in a dark, slightly damp stairwell, stood beneath the stairs themselves.

"Will! Are you okay? Where are you?" you ask. You try and cover the desperation in your voice, but it seeps through anyway.

"I'm okay Y/N, I just needed a bit of space today"

He pauses for a moment "well, space from the studio, to think about stuff...I'm fine though really"

"Do you promise?" you ask, feeling tears well up in your eyes again

"I promise...I think I'll be back tomorrow if I'm doing better, I'm glad I have you though! Love you" he says

"Love you too" you reply, your voice cracking

Will hangs up the phone, leaving you frozen in the stairwell, tears starting to trickle down your cheeks. You feel ridiculous for crying, you know he's safe now but the emotions just seem to overwhelm you, and the relief isn't soothing them like you'd hope. After a few moments, you wipe your face with your hands and do a few deep breaths before you head back to the studio. You assume Avery and the men have gone to get lunch by now, but you don't really feel hungry anyway.

Your suspicions were correct, and the studio is empty upon your return. You decide to take advantage of it. You run through a couple of small variations, but then you walk over and connect your phone to Anthony's speaker. You pick a song at random, and then do something you haven't done in a very long time.

You dance, freely.

No choreography, no partner, no motifs. Just you, moving the way that feels right, connecting to the music. Your emotions spill from you, guiding each limb, controlling you like puppet strings. You are completely lost in it, throwing your entire self into your movements.

Part 6 - 1600 words

Masterlist

You trudge downstairs, the memories of last night hitting you full force as you do. The evening swirls around in your head, making you feel sick as reality sets in. You enter the kitchen. You're expecting a huge mess, but you find it's absolutely spotless. All the pans from last night, the spilled flour, everything is gone and tidied away. It was like it had never even happened.

The only sign any of it was real were the gentle snores coming from your living room. Charlie is splayed out on your sofa, arm dangling over the edge comically with a little line of drool connecting his mouth to the cushion. You watch him for a moment, smirking, before turning around and walking back into the kitchen to turn on the kettle.

You check your phone, nothing from Will. You call the hospital to try and get an update. They don't tell you much other than that you can visit between two and four. You glance up at the clock to check the time, 8:45...that's an awful long time to wait. The kettle boils, and you fill a mug for you and Charlie. As you absentmindedly swirl the teaspoon, you start to daydream, but this time not about Will.

Last night was so chaotic you almost completely forgot how it started. Kissing Charlie, touching him, being held by him. Your heart rate spikes at the thought, but a wave of guilt crashes over you straight after. You're stood in your kitchen fantasising about a boy whilst your friend is in the hospital. Your friend who called you over and over again for help. Your friend who you ignored because you were too busy kissing Charlie.

You lean back against the counter top, feeling overwhelmed. All you want is to see Will, to know he's okay, to find out what happened and promise him you won't ever let him down again.

You peek your head round the kitchen doorway, looking through to the sleeping boy in your living room. You don't know what to do for the best. Should you wake him? Leave him to sleep and try to sneak in to see Will early? Take him with you?

Once again, Charlie seems to read your thoughts, although this time somehow whilst sleeping. He stirs and rolls onto his back, eyes scrunching up as he rubs them. His hair is dishevelled, his cheeks flushed pink. You don't blame yesterdays you for kissing him, he looks perfect.

He sits up on the sofa, smiling when he notices you in the doorway.

"Hey" he says softly, voice still croaky with sleep.

"Hey" you smile back, although it's hard to muster.

You grab both of the mugs and carry them into the living room, placing them on the coffee table. You perch on the edge of the sofa, sitting by Charlie's feet. He shuffles up almost immediately to let you get comfortable, but you remain frozen where you are.

The room is still as he watches you for a moment, his eyes flickering between your lips and eyes, and you feel his gaze burrowing into the side of your head as you sip your drink. You turn to look at him.

"I'm going to go and see Will today, they said visiting hours are between two and four..." you say, trailing off at the end of your sentence.

"Would you like me to come with you?" Charlie replies, without missing a beat.

You take in his expression. It's almost deer in the highlights-esque, like you're a hunter holding a shotgun. You don't answer, instead you just look down at the floor, trying to think of what to say. How do you tell a person you barely know that you desperately need their support, and how terrified you are, without looking like an absolute lunatic? You quietly resign yourself to going alone, as you can't find the words you need to secure any other outcome.

Silence fills the room.

"Okay...shall I head out?" Charlie asks.

He says it calmly, as though he has no strong inclination either way, but you can hear a tinge of dejection in his tone.

You look up and lock eyes with him. There must be something in your face that he sees better than you, because you feel his hand on top of yours before you have chance to blink.

"Okay" he says.

His tone is so gentle it makes you want to weep. There is pure understanding filling his eyes, as though he's known you his whole life. You chew at the inside of your cheeks, feeling utterly underserving of his compassion. You stay like this for a moment, silent, with only the sound of your breathing accompanying you. His hand holds steady on top of yours, warming you from the outside in.

You eventually get up from the sofa, heading upstairs to shower. When you come down Charlie has washed up your cups and is stood in your kitchen window watering your plants. You hear his stomach rumble.

"Are you hungry?"

"A little" Charlie laughs "we didn't really eat last night in the end and then...well yeah"

"How about we get breakfast?" You ask, mustering a fairly decent attempt at a smile.

Charlie smiles back and agrees. He has his shoes on in moments, suggesting he might have been hungrier than he let on. You walk with him down the road to a little cafe on the corner. The smell of fresh pastries hits you when you walk in, dragging you towards the counter. You order, Charlie kindly paying for you both, before sitting down at a table in front of the main window.

The sun hits Charlie's hair, making you see the lighter golden colours within it. You chat briefly, Charlie doing most of the work to keep the conversation going. He doesn't seem phased though, and is putting all his effort into trying to make you laugh, which he does successfully a few times.

Plates of food arrive at your table pretty swiftly, and he tucks in straight away. Charlie is comical to watch. He wolfs his food down like a rabid animal, but every now and again he seems to remember he has company and slows down, awkwardly picking at his food before loosing his restraint and returning to attacking it. You smile watching him, taking a meagre bite from your pastry and returning it to your plate. You try again a couple of times to eat, but your heart isn't in it. You hold your cup instead, sipping the warm liquid and watching Charlie eat, listening to him ramble on about his latest D and D campaign.

For a moment things feel normal. He's not famous, you're not an ergomaniac with a mommy issues and, most importantly, your friend isn't sat in the hospital. You're just a girl sat talking to a cute guy, smiling attentively whilst silently wondering what he looks like fresh out the shower.

You smirk a little at that last thought, which catches Charlie's attention.

"What's got you smiling?" he asks, grinning at you.

"Oh...nothing" you smile back innocently, toying with him.

He eyes you for a moment but then shrugs and returns to the previous conversation. You gaze at him, daydreaming as he talks.

The time flies past, and before you know it you need to head off to the hospital. You watch as Charlie piles up the plates for your waitress, a giant green flag forming above his head. You chuckle at yourself for getting carried away, and walk out of the cafe together.

Your bus journey is short. Much too short.

When you arrive at the hospital you're filled with a sense of dread. You stand at the doors, unable to step through them. An invisible barrier blocks your way but also stops you from turning back, forcing you to stand there in eternal limbo. Charlie slips his hand into yours, lacing your fingers together and squeezing gently. Even with this though, you still find yourself locked in place, bolted to the unknown.

"Y/N, what are you afraid of?" Charlie whispers to you.

"I...I don't know..."

Silence

"I guess, what if Will is worse than I'm imagining? What if we get in there and he's in a coma or brain damaged or...oh god Charlie what if he's dead?" You babble, spiralling.

"Okay okay...it's okay. Let's break it down." he responds

"First of all, he's not dead, because if he was dead they'd have told you when you called this morning." he continues.

"He might be unwell, true, but whether you go in or stand here, that isn't going to change. You can do this Y/N. He needs you, and I know you won't let him down"

Charlie locks eyes with you. There is a seriousness to his expression that you haven't seen before. You take a breath, squeezing his hand, and step through the main doors. From there it's easy. You make your way down corridors, up stairs, down stairs, around corners, until you're at the front desk for Will's ward.

Part 5 - 2897 words (cw: injury)

Masterlist

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.