Disclaimer: Obviously, Step Up 2 and all of its associated characters, places, settings, etc. do not belong to me.
Touch
"Aaarggh!"
Andie slammed her hand against the mirrored walls running the length of the dance studio and exhaled angrily. She'd been attempting a double pirouette for about an hour now, and no matter what she did, she was just not getting it. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes briefly, and then tried again, only to slip at the last moment, her feet tangling clumsily, as she toppled unceremoniously to the floor. On her back, staring up at the ceiling of the dance studio, Andie decided to quit before she seriously injured herself-the Streets was still coming up and she had to be fit enough to keep up with her crew. Besides, why should she kill herself just to fit in with the stupid technique they taught here? She was never going to be a prima ballerina, and Andie was just fine with that.
Lost in her reverie, she didn't notice the guy standing beside the door of the studio until the sound of clapping pulled her back to earth. Propping herself up on her elbows, she glanced over at the mystery guy, registered who it was and groaned theatrically, sliding back down to the floor in a defeated slump. "God, don't you have anyone else you can go and annoy?"
Chase Collins leaned back against the door, arms folded, the corners of his lips turned up in his trademark smirk. He placed a finger to his chin and pretended to think for a minute, answering her with a sly grin. "No, not really, and besides, no one else is …how can I phrase this… as entertaining as you are."
Andie threw up her hands. "Glad to know I'm a source of amusement. Now if you don't mind, some of us are actually trying to do work here." She shooed him away, hands on her hips, meeting his eyes with a defiant stare.
He relented, coming towards her with his own hands held out in the universal gesture of surrender. "Wait, no, seriously, I didn't come here to laugh at you." At her incredulous look in response to this, he amended his statement. "Okay, so maybe I did…but that's not all I came here for! Look, I knew you might have some trouble coping with the stuff in class, so I thought you might want my help. You know, so you don't get shamed out in front of the entire class next time he asks you to improvise to something."
She gives him a level stare, pausing for a beat, before retorting "You can stay if you want to, but no way and under no circumstances are you to open your mouth…and I was not humiliated." She glares at him, but both of them know that she's beaten, and Andie turns away before she can see him stifle his laughter, eyes twinkling. "Yes, m'am."
Back at the barre, she takes a moment to compose herself. God, if she screws up now, she'll never hear the end of it, she just knows it. In her head, she sends up a quick prayer (something along the lines of, "dear God, please let me not fall on my butt before the cutest guy in school"), arranges herself into first position, spins around and…
Falls, flat on her butt, right in front of him.
Before he can say anything, she gets up and points her finger at him. "Shut up, do not say a word." He shrugs, holding back his laughter. "Wasn't going to say anything, I swear. Except, am I allowed to offer advice?"
"As long as it doesn't involve any insults directed towards myself, then go ahead, shoot." She crosses her arms and waits for a barrage of taunts, or for him to whip out a secret camera and tell her the footage of her being a klutz is going to be all over the internet in an hour. At this point, it's the least she's expecting.
What she doesn't expect is for him to move closer to her, place his hands on her hips and lean down to whisper in her ear, "Your posture is all wrong, for one. You can't do the move if you don't start properly." His hands are warm and surprisingly gentle on her skin as they skim across her bare midriff, correcting key spots and lengthening the reach of her arms. When he's done with her posture he rests his hands back on her hips, his lips inches away from the side of her neck. "That's better", he breathes softly, barely making a sound. She's almost too afraid to look, afraid of what she will see, but somehow she lifts her head up and meets his eyes in the mirror, their intertwined reflections gazing back at them. Her lips are parted, just slightly, although she's fairly sure that she may have stopped breathing oh, about a lifetime ago. Her cheeks are warm, and inside her chest there's a small, insistent fluttering. Andie holds his gaze for a long, unbroken moment, and slowly, her eyes travel down to where his hands rest on her hips.
"You could let go, you know." In the silence of the dance studio her own voice sounds almost foreign to her, timid and unsteady, the same way she feels. He turns his head towards her, almost imperceptibly, the tip of his nose nuzzling the space just below her ear.
"I know," he exhales into her neck. The corners of his mouth are turned up again, except this time it's not a smug grin on his features, but a small, self-contented smile. She doesn't have to look in the mirror to know that there is a matching smile on her own features. They are both silent, for a short and impossibly beautiful moment.
He leaves his hands where they are, and for once in her life, Andie decides to keep her mouth shut.
FIN
A/N:
So. This is the first fanfic I've written for Step Up 2, I saw the movie a couple of days ago and was completely inspired. Also the first fic I've written in a couple of years, so forgive the amateur-ness and short length. Concrit is welcome and also much needed. You know what to do :).
At this point, it's going to remain a one-shot, unless I:
1. get enough comments
2. get inspired for further chapters
Yep, that's pretty much it. Thanks for stopping by and let me know how you liked it!