#cmiff

She sort of had a feeling she might go a little crazy if he won. That was one of the biggest reasons she’d asked Trevor to come along, to keep her in check and make sure she didn’t do anything stupid. Her parents would have tried, of course, but she needed one of her best friends in case she physically had to be restrained. Because as much as she wanted to be right there next to Tony and Keo and Sharna and the rest rushing out to shower him with affection, she knew it wouldn’t be the best idea for anyone involved.

She was right, of course, since her first instinct after hearing his name called out was to sprint across the floor. But her support held her back, reminded her of the consequences. So she stayed in her place and watched as the new champions were lifted in to the air and crowned victors.

It didn’t last long, what happened next, only a split second really. But from atop Tony and Keo’s shoulders, his eyes found hers across the room and gleamed.

There was so much she wanted to say, so much that she needed to tell him. But time was not on their side. She knew how this worked. He’d be on a plane within the hour and the next time she saw him the magic of the evening would have worn off and the moment would be gone. So instead she settles for Plan B.

She meets him a few minutes later in the middle of the dance floor, gives him a tight hug and murmurs her love and support and pride, soaking up every bit of him she can within the few sparing moments they have before he’s whisked away.

“I have something for you,” She says, extracting a single white envelope bearing only his first initial from her bag and passing it over. “Don’t open it until you’re on the plane though, okay? Promise.”

Val nods. “I promise.” He leans in for a final hug, pressing a firm kiss to her forehead. “I love you.”

“Love you too.” She murmurs. “Talk soon?”

“You know it.” And after another quick peck to her hairline, he’s disappeared back into the sea of people and all she can do is wait.

--

It isn’t until they’re nearly halfway to New York that he finally has time to sit down and relax. The first few hours were spent celebrating, toasting, and gorging themselves on a dinner long overdue. By now, however, everyone is trying to catch at least a few hours of sleep before the final day of nonstop press that truly brings an end to this crazy journey.

In the seat beside him Rumer is snuggled up under a blanket, head against the window as she dozes, while Keo’s snores can be heard all the way from the other end of the plane. It’s then that Val remembers the envelope, which he’d quickly stuffed in the front of his duffle before boarding.

It isn’t anything fancy. Just notebook paper covered in her typical chicken scratch, which makes him smile. He spares a quick glance just to double check Rumer is still out, and then begins to read.

Val,

First of all, I just want to say that I knew you could do it. I’ve always known that. You and Rue did amazing things together this season, and your choreo was beyond anything I’ve ever seen. Just when I think I’ve seen your best, you come out the next week with something even better and I’m blown away all over again. Don’t ever doubt your talent, not just as a dancer but as an artist. Because I know more than anyone just how much effort you give, and it’s obvious. What you have isn’t just talent, it’s a gift. And we are all so, so lucky to see you use it.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately- about you and Rue and back to our own journey two years ago, and something finally hit me: maybe it was supposed to be this way all along. Maybe you weren’t meant to win with me. Maybe, like Maks and Meryl, your first victory was always supposed to be with Rumer.

I’m not saying we didn’t deserve it- we totally did. That’s obvious, haha. But I feel like maybe our loss was a good thing. Think about it- if we’d won it would’ve been crazy and all over the place and we’d have been swept up in the glory that came from a trophy we cared way too much about making sure nobody else could get their hands on. Losing stripped everything away from us, and at the end of the day the only thing we had left was each other. I know lots of people have come in second over the years (duh) but ours was different. Because nobody else had OUR journey, nobody else was there for EVERY SINGLE MINUTE and felt it like we did. If we’d been crowned champions that day maybe I wouldn’t be able to tell you all this now. That you’re one of the best friends I’ve ever had and you mean the world to me. That those three months started one of the best adventures of my life. That I love you, not as a bro but as Val, the guy who taught me more about myself in 3 months then I had learned in 16 years. That you changed me and I’ll never be able to thank you enough for doing it.

I’m so beyond proud of you it’s INSANE and I love you more than every scoop of ice cream on planet Earth. So don’t think just because you and Rue have MBTs that I’m going anywhere. I hope you’re okay with that. As long as you’re in, I’m in.

See you soon, grumpy pants. Enjoy the party. You deserve it.

-Z

PS- Plus, let’s face it. Maks is older. We both know he’d be pissed if he didn’t win first. ;)

--

It’s exactly 3:13AM when she receives the text. It’s simple: two words, four letters, but it makes her beam brighter than the sun.

From: Grouchy Pants I’m in.