Summary - The Gravity 5 gang head to the circus for their favourite holiday; Halloween! Between spooky masks, a Haunted House and a surprise visit from the Perfs, its a night they will never forget. But what will happen between Zander and Stevie when they're left all alone and the lights go out? Zevie!
Disclaimer - Maybe if I owned How To Rock is would've aired for more than one season. Too soon? *curls up into a ball and cries*
A / N - Why hello there my beautiful tropical fish! Finally, another fic, I hear you all yell! *a dust bowl rolls by* I've actually been writing and attempting to edit this piece for over a month now, (as you can probably tell by the setting!) and I'm SO HAPPY it's finally complete! And yes, I am dealing with my iGoodbye / iCarly finale feelings but drowning myself in Zevie feels instead. Is that a problem?!
Hope you like this unjustly late Halloween-y festive piece, my precious pumpkins. Enjoy!
"Step up, step up, for one night and one night only, we welcome you weary travellers to the Gemini Circus! That'll be five dollars each." The ticket girl's deadpan voice rang the group as each member of Gravity Five dug in their pockets, or patented designer purse in Kacey's case, for the fee. After receiving the tickets, they each went through the turnstiles and gasped as they stepped into a whole new mystical world; the world of the travelling circus.
Stevie had heard about the Gemini Circus through her biology partner, and as it was only going to be in their town for one night, the decision was unanimous; the band was taking a trip to the circus. With Halloween just around the corner they had been hoping for a slightly spooky theme, and they hadn't been disappointed. Paid performers dressed up as ghouls and other mythical beings were wandering around, staring eerily at the circus goers and making them scream in fear, or squeal in delight. Carved pumpkins were placed outside each tent, the name of the event going on inside carved into the orange flesh so that it glowed brightly, and colourful lanterns hung all around them, fluttering lightly in the breeze.
"How great is this place!" Kacey exclaimed excitedly, waving at a zombie who looked in her general direction, mumbling something about brains, and walked past. "This will definitely get us in the Halloween-y mood before our trick or treating next week!"
"Yeah, definitely," Nelson replied nervously, his eyes darting around uneasily. At the sight of a person dressed up as an exact replica of the Joker from Batman, he shuddered at looked away.
"What's up with Nelson?" Kacey asked, turning to look at the rest of her friends.
Kevin sidled up to Kacey, and began whispering "Well he's not been great with clowns ever since-"
"YOU DO NOT NEED TO RETELL THAT STORY, KEVIN." Nelson yelled, turning around to give his best friend and evil glare.
"How did you even hear me?" Kevin asked confused, while Kacey looked around, smiling in a confused manner.
"Come on, tell me!" Kacey cried, looking towards Stevie who smiled mischievously, then to Zander who just shrugged before poking Nelson, who screeched loudly and swatted away any further attacks.
"Well, when we were in the third grade," Kevin began again quickly; hoping he could fit in the rest of the story before Nelson physically attacked him.
"Kevin," Nelson warned, walking slowly towards him as if to apprehend him.
"Hey, Nelson, isn't that Grace over there by the cotton candy stand?" Stevie asked in an almost too innocent voice.
"Grace? Where?" Nelson looks over at the cotton candy stand, completely distracted, and begins walking towards it with a goofy smile on his face.
"OK," Kevin began the story for a third time, his eyes shining impishly, "When we were in the third grade Stevie pulled a hilariously over the top prank on Nelson, and he's never really gotten over it."
"What did you do?" Kacey asked Stevie, who shrugged and pretended to zip her lips shut before throwing away the key, a grin on her face. Kacey groaned and turned back to Kevin eagerly.
"She hid in his closest with a clown mask on, waited for his parents to go out for dinner, then ran around the house turning off all the lights and making spooky noises."
"Poor Nelson!" Kacey laughed, looking over at the boy in question, who was looking around in a puzzled manner at the cotton candy stand.
"And then, when he was least expecting it, she jumped out from behind the door and scared the living daylights out of him! He didn't sleep for a week!" Kevin laughed, clapping his hands gleefully.
"I felt so bad afterwards," Stevie admitted, unzipping her lips now the story had been told, "But at the same time strangely proud of myself."
The gang laughed, but quietened down almost instantly when they spotted Nelson approaching.
"It wasn't Grace, just another girl in a blonde wig." He looked around at his near silent friends, none of whom could look him in the eyes, "What?"
Kacey pretended to study her phone as if she'd received a text, Kevin drummed his hands on his thighs nervously while Stevie just looked sheepish. Zander, however, let the whole team down when the laugh he was trying to hold back escaped and he guffawed loudly. Nelson put the pieces together in his head and turned to face Kevin.
"YOU TOLD HER?!" Nelson yelled in an accusing tone.
"Sorry, bro. You know I can never say no to Kacey." Kevin apologised, looking down at the ground.
"Not cool, dude." Nelson flicked his fringe back and proceeded to sulk, while his friends gathered around him, trying their best to apologise for the laughter.
"You know how sorry I am about that Nelly," Stevie said as she hugged Nelson's shoulders, and he smiled down at her.
"I know, but those clown masks still give me the wiggins. After this sentence, no further mentions of those circus freaks tonight, OK? Promise?"
"We promise." Nelson's friends promised him, Kacey crossed her heart with her fingers, while Zander and Stevie simultaneously performed the Falcon Scout gesture with solemn expressions on their faces.
Nelson smiled, "Cool. Now let's go hold it down, Halloween style!" He whooped and rushed off ahead with Kevin in quick pursuit.
"Not so fast guys; I'm wearing heels!" Kacey called, as she followed as fast as she could.
Stevie and Zander laughed at their friends, and quickly began following them, trying to take in as much of the circus as they could; from the many events surrounding them to the tantalising smell of candied apples and caramelised popcorn.
Zander turned to look at Stevie and nudged her, grinning, "I just have to say, I've got some serious respect for what you did to Nelson all those years ago. Even though it was cruel and quite obviously life scarring. "
"Shut up!" Stevie protested, shoving Zander to the side, before looking worriedly at Nelson retreating figure, "You really think it was life scarring?"
"Nothing a few years of therapy can sort out," Zander replied, which earned him another shove, "Joking! Everyone has a fear, Stevie, I'm pretty sure Nelson would be afraid of clowns even without your prank."
Stevie sighed, and nodded, "I guess. But I'll have you know I was practically an angel all year round when I was a kid, it was just something about Halloween. This holiday changes a person, I tell you. And anyway, I just love a good prank, you know? I blame my mother's influence, personally."
"No, it's not just you. Pranking was, well still is, one of my favourite past times." Zander admitted.
"The exhilaration, the elaborate planning," Stevie said dreamily.
"The look on the person's face when you execute the plan!" Zander finished her sentence, a look of excitement in his eyes.
"Exactly!" Stevie laughed and bumped Zander's shoulder with her own good naturedly.
Their conversation flowed seamlessly, with jokes about their the favourite pranks they'd even pulled transforming into their favourite Halloween traditions.
"The costumes all the way." Zander explained, "Mainly because I look swish in anything I wear." He strutted away from Stevie and turned to look back at her, pouting, which ensured a laugh from his best friend.
"No way, it has to be the sweets." Stevie reiterated, once Zander had rejoined her side.
"I'm sorry; I thought you told me you were seventeen, not seven," Zander joked.
"Sweets can be enjoyed by those of all ages. Just because you got a zit that one time you think all sugar is the spawn of the devil." Stevie poked Zander's cheek, and he swatted her away, before pointing at her in an exasperated manner.
"NEVER AGAIN. That zit gave me nightmares for weeks." He shuddered and Stevie laughed, linking her arm through his before leaning in close and whispering, "So Nelson is afraid of clowns and your greatest weakness is sugar? And it's a wonder the two of you can't seem to hold down a girlfriend."
Zander gasped and looked at Stevie in shock, before unlinking arms and storming off ahead. Stevie rolled her eyes and ran to catch up, yelling her apology in between her bursts of laughter. Zander slowed down, and eventually stopped all together to wait for Stevie to catch up, and the pair headed down the path together once again, laughing and teasing each other as they walked along.
While walking along, Stevie tried her best to look at Zander without catching his eye, worried that he would question her sudden interest in his face. The pair had become pretty close over the years; some might even say inseparable, often confusing the rest of Gravity 5 with their private jokes and complicated reasoning behind their latest song lyrics. It wasn't just friendship, though, somewhere along the way they had transcended into a realm of closeness neither had thought imaginable. Zander was always there for her, even if he was in the middle of wooing his latest crush or playing some crazy game with Nelson or Kevin, he always came through. Zander had arrived with Ben and Jerry's, Stevie's favourite movies and his Xbox ready when Stevie called him up, distraught, after her boyfriend of five months broke her heart. Zander had listened and comforted Stevie for hours that night, in between zombie killing and junk food eating, reassuring her that it would get better. The next day, however, he treated her as normal, not as a victim as she had feared. They just understood each other so effortlessly, never feeling like they had to hide the truth. For months Stevie had been wondering if this unexplainable connection was just that of best friendship or something much more; something she couldn't even describe herself. And was she even willing to make a move, if it was?
Shaking her head, as if to rid her head of such thoughts, Stevie smiled up and Zander and turned to face ahead of her, her stomach stirring worriedly. Zander smiled back, slightly confused at Stevie's sudden silence, but thought nothing of it, having spent many an afternoon in perfect comfortable silence with her. He didn't know when or how it had happened, but Zander knew he couldn't get through the day without talking or seeing Stevie. His best friend, partner in crime, the girl who seemed to know what he was thinking before he even said it himself. She just got him, knowing that his crush of the week wouldn't last, but would still be there to hug him and tell him to get back out there, as long as he avoided the crazy fangirls. Stevie was fiercely protective over her friends, but always made sure she didn't overstep any boundaries. Except with him, as it seemed they no longer had any boundaries, but this had never been a bad thing. In fact, Stevie had willingly bought Zander's lunch for him every day for three months when his father was made redundant and money had gotten tight, hiding it all from the band under Zander's request, all without hesitation. She didn't make him feel like he owed her anything, despite his many offers to pay her back, all of which she refused with a scoff. We're friends, Stevie explained, and this is what friends do.
Friends, Zander reminded himself, smiling to himself slightly. Nothing more. Not that he wanted anything more. Nope. Not at all. Zander sighed to himself; he had tried the whole denial thing with his feelings for Stevie, but after a few weeks of staring wistfully at her he accepted that he appeared to have developed a crush, or something more, on his best friend. His heart jumped into his throat whenever she smiled at him, his palms grew sweaty whenever she drew near and he found himself day dreaming about her on what was now a daily basis. Not that he was going to act on these feelings, of course, knowing that Stevie had never and would never feel the same way. Just as long as Stevie never knew about his feelings; this… thing would pass with time, Zander knew that with certainty. Or rather hoped. Until then, he was content with being only her best friend. And anyway, with Stevie, that was a pretty damn good place to be.
Zander looked up ahead of him, distracting his mind with the many attractions around them. Halloween was the least romantic holiday of all, right? If he couldn't make it through this how the hell was he going to make it through Christmas, or even Valentines Day? Looking around, Zander spotted a large mansion in the distance, and called out to the rest of the gang, suggesting they go and see what it was. Upon closer inspection, they found that it was a Haunted House, complete with a fog machine and cackling witch noises coming from within.
"I love haunted houses!" Kacey exclaimed, only to have everyone turn and look at her in surprise and shock. "What? My dad and brother used to take me all the time when I was little," she explained, shrugging her shoulders.
"Well then we should have a look around; I mean it looks pretty cool." Kevin said.
"I'm down with that." Zander replied, looking back for Stevie's answer.
"Sure, let's do this." Stevie agreed.
The gang headed towards the haunted house, talking excitedly about what horrifying things it could contain, before halting as they noticed they were missing one member of the group. Kevin turned back to Nelson, who had remained frozen in the same spot and asked, "Uh, you coming Nelson?"
"Just give me a second," Nelson replied, "I need to prepare for any masked hoodlums that may come and attack me once we get in there."
"Come on Nelson, we'll all be in there together, it'll be fun, I promise." Kacey ran up to him and held onto his arm in a comforting way.
"Yeah, come on Nelly." Stevie shouted, while Zander and Kevin shouted various phrases of encouragement.
"Well, well," a horrifyingly familiar voice came from behind the members of Gravity 5, interrupting their cheers, "If it isn't Gravity 5! Did you finally take my advice and join the circus? I mean you all fit right in."
"Hey Molly," Kacey greeted the smirking brunette girl, her tell tale glare already in place, "Grace."
"Hey guys," Grace exclaimed happily, seemingly unaware of the glaring match going on between Kacey and Molly, or merely ignoring it, "What a coincidence, us bumping into you here!"
"A beautiful, heaven sent coincidence," Nelson replied quietly, and Stevie had to nudge him in the side to stop him from staring at Grace with a dreamy look on his face.
"So are you guys heading in?" Grace asked, pointing at the Haunted House, "I heard it was really good last year; super spooky!"
"Yes. Yes siree, we are heading in," Nelson nodded his head enthusiastically, while his band mates tried to hide their smiles at their friend's attempt to impress Grace.
"Great! Us too, right Molly?" Grace turned to look at her best friend, who rolled her eyes and shrugged.
"Sure. I can't wait to see which one of you guys passes out from fear first. My bet's on you, Kevin." Molly arched one eyebrow and smiled.
"Hey!" Kevin yelled, "Why me?"
"Well if I recall correctly you once knocked on my door while trick or treating in the fourth grade and-"
"NO-ONE NEEDS TO HEAR THAT STORY!" Kevin yelled over Molly's story, and she laughed.
"Oh, I think they do," Molly replied in a sing-song voice, before turning on her heels and walking into the Haunted House, "But who should I tell first?"
Kevin ran in after Molly shouting in an attempt to defend his good name, even though most of his argument was just a long string of incomprehensible sounds and loud huffing.
"Would you like to escort me in, kind sir?" Grace smiled at Nelson, offering him the crook of her arm, "I might need someone to hold onto in case it gets too scary in there…"
"Yeah, su-uure thing, Grace," Nelson stuttered, "I'm right behind you!" Grace smiled before walking towards the entrance, and the second she was out of ear shot Nelson spun around, grabbed Kacey and whispered, "Help me look good in front of Grace and I'll do your homework for a week," before running after Grace.
"Sold!" Kacey agreed gleefully, following Nelson into the house, "I love Halloween!"
And just like that the only members of the group left were Stevie and Zander. Wasn't that always the way, they both wondered simultaneously, a small smile hovering on their lips. Zander quickly cleared his throat and held out his hand to Stevie, before turning to smirk in her direction.
"Think you might need a hand in there too, baby. You know, in case it gets too scary for you," he put on a condescending voice to irritate Stevie even more, his eyes shining brightly.
Stevie gave Zander a look and snorted at him, swatting his hand away, "I think my little lady heart can take a few scares, Robbins. And baby? Really?"
Zander laughed, "That's just how I talk, Baskara. And most girls find it incredibly sexy and endearing." He stretched his arms behind him in a not-so-subtle attempt to show of his ever growing biceps before winking at Stevie.
"Well I think those girls need their heads examining." Stevie replied, before grabbing his arm and pulling him through the door. "Now come on! Ten dollars says Nelson comes out of this place with a date with Grace!"
"Ten dollars says Nelson comes out of this being carried by Grace after he faints from all the clown masks," Zander reiterated, completely seriously.
"Deal." They both said simultaneously, and shook on it before running into the Haunted House behind their friends.
Zander and Stevie soon caught up the others, who were still in the first room, which was styled to look like some sort of abandoned warehouse filled with zombies. Molly and Kevin were still arguing, though Kevin's comebacks to Molly's remarks weren't exactly golden, and Kacey appeared to be running ahead and then running back to Nelson to warn him of any upcoming clown or general mask related scary things.
The seven of them walked through the house together, pointing out their favourite costumes, through creepy hospital rooms to forest themed rooms with crazed axe murderes all over the place. They soon found themselves in a much more serene room, compared to the others; the Hall of Mirrors, with neon lights bright enough to cast a yellow hue around the room.
"My calves do not look that fat in real life, do they?" Molly asked nervously, spinning around so the back of her leg was facing a particularly wide mirror.
"Relax, Molly, they're all joke mirrors, they're supposed to make you look crazily disproportionate." Kacey reassured her, walking up to look at herself in the same mirror.
"Oh. Well good." Molly stated, before taking one last nervous look and turning back around to face the group. "I'm done here. The lighting in here is terrible." She sauntered towards the door into the next room and soon disappeared.
The second Molly was out of sight, Kacey turned back to the mirror and sighed, pulling at her cheeks anxiously "Ugh. My face isn't really that round, is it?"
"Kacey, you literally just explained to Molly that-"
"I know what I said, Kevin!" Kacey interrupted Kevin's voice of reason, "But what if they randomly hide normal mirrors in here as well, you know, just to mess with your head?"
"They don't do that." Kevin replied, in a deadpan voice that rivalled even Stevie's.
"Can we just move on, please? I came here to be scared by ghosts, not my own reflection!" Kacey said, looking worriedly in the mirror one more time before waltzing through the door, closely followed by Kevin.
"You look like a duck in this one, Nelson!" Grace giggled, as the pair walked past a mirror that accented Nelson's nose.
"And you look like an angel, Grace…" he replied dreamily, looking at Grace, before shaking his head suddenly, as if realising he had just spoken aloud, "because of the mirror. The mirror gives you the appearance of looking like an angel."
"You're crazy! Come on, let's go!" Grace laughed and pulled Nelson along through a door to the right of them. Nelson gulped and smiled back, following her without an ounce of hesitation.
Zander laughed at the pair leaving the room, and was just about to ask Stevie whether they should head onwards as well when he heard her voice from behind him, "How do I look?"
Zander turned to see Stevie pulling a completely ridiculous pose in front of a mirror, with one hand on her hip, her leg extended and her face jutted upwards. The image was made even funnier because of the way the mirror distorted her body; her stomach looked three times as large as the rest of her body, while her head and feet appear to be three times as small.
"Never looked better, Steves." Zander managed to say in between bouts of uncontrollable laughter. One he'd composed himself, he walked up behind Stevie and pulled an equally ridiculous pose, pouting in the mirror. Stevie laughed, breaking her pose and fell backwards into him to nudge him out of the way, before running to a different mirror. Zander followed her, and they continued running around, pulling stupid faces and posing in front of various mirrors for a few more minutes.
Suddenly, a loud buzzing began vibrating around the room, causing Stevie and Zander to stop they're crazed posing and look at each other in confusion.
"Do you hear that?" Stevie asked, looking around to try and find the source.
Zander nodded in reply, and turned away from Stevie to walk a few steps in the direction of the buzzing.
"I can't be sure but it sound like it's coming from the lights-"
Before Zander could finish this thought, however, the volume of buzzing increased dramatically and there was a loud bang, before the pair was plunged into darkness; all the lights in the room shutting down at once.
"Zander," Stevie called out nervously, looking around at the darkness surrounding her, "what just happened?"
"I have no idea," Zander replied, before heading cautiously back in the direction of Stevie's voice.
"If this is part of the whole Haunted House experience I can tell you, I am not loving it so much," Stevie added, as she walked slowly in what she believed was Zander's direction.
"Same here," Zander agreed, "Listen, stay still, OK, I'm coming towards you."
"No, wait, I'm almost there, just stay where you-"
Stevie's reply was cut off when the two bumped into each other, unaware of how close they had been. They both gasped in shock, but quickly pulled the other into a tight hug; the sudden darkness and eerie silence apart from their own voices scaring them both.
"Are you OK?" Zander murmured to Stevie, unsure as to why he was being basically whispering when they were the only two in the room.
"Yeah, fine," Stevie replied, hugging Zander back tightly, "a bit freaked out to be honest, but otherwise not too bad."
"I don't suppose you want that hand to hold onto, now?" Zander asked jokingly. Stevie leant away from the hug to swat his chest, but quickly retreated back into his warm embrace.
"Well considering the fact that I'm currently glued to your chest, I think I'll be all right, thanks," she replied sarcastically.
"I always knew you couldn't resist my charms, Stevie Knicks. It was only a matter of time," Zander said smugly.
"Yeah, that and a freakish power cut in the middle of a Haunted House tour. At night time no less!" Stevie exclaimed.
"Fair point." Zander admitted, before they both pulled away from the hug, with only their hands holding onto each others arms for some sort of support.
"It's weird talking to you and not being able to see your face." Stevie said quietly, trying to judge the distance between her face and Zander's in the darkness. Were they usually this close?
"I know; this chiselled masterpiece really deserves to be well lit at all times." Zander grinned back, his smug tone detectable even in the darkness.
"I know you can't see me right now, you arrogant douchebag, but I have unleashed the famous Baskara glare on you," Stevie said, a slight teasing tone to her voice.
Zander snorted, laughing ever so slightly, "Like I need to be able to see your face to know what your glare looks like."
"Oh?" Stevie replied, seemingly surprised. Why would remember her glare so well?
Zander nodded, before realising Stevie couldn't see him, "Yeah. I mean with the amount of times I have that face directed at me I have it memorised, nay, lasered into my brain."
And not just that glare, Zander thought to himself, but her face in general, closing his eyes briefly as he pictured Stevie smiling at him in his mind. He shook his head suddenly, and tried to banish the image from his mind. Now was not the time for that.
"Well, colour me intrigued," Stevie began again, chuckling slightly, "What does my 'glaring' face look like."
"Well we have to start with the hair," Zander replied, hoping to cover up his brief relapse with some usual Zander humour.
"The hair?!" Stevie asked, confused.
"Yup. It somehow gets even crazier and scarier when you're mad at me." Zander then proceeded to ruffle Stevie's lion mane of hair, causing Stevie to laugh and swat him away, before lowering her hands to rest tentatively around his neck.
"Then there are the famous eyes that stare directly into your soul," Zander joked, his voice lowering slightly for effect.
"Ah, yes, my mother taught me well when it came to the death stare," Stevie replied, chuckling to herself.
"Then the flaring nostrils…"
"My nostrils do not flare!" Stevie protested, cutting Zander off mid point and making him laugh at her adamant denial.
"OK, I made that one up," Zander quickly admitted, "But your mouth does do that scary 'thin line of doom' thing that only mother's can summon up when they're really mad."
"Come on. Am I really that bad?" Stevie asked, her voice carrying a worried undertone. Is that the way he thought of her; as the angry mother figure of the group?
Zander sensed Stevie's troubled tone, and quickly reiterated his statement, "No, you're not. And, well, you do have other… faces."
"Better faces?!" she asked him, sounding intrigued.
"Less scary faces?" he offered her, earning a slap to the chest, albeit a half hearted one.
"Like…" Stevie asked, her voice trailing off as she waited for Zander to finish his train of thought.
"Like your hungry face. People step aside when they see that face," Zander continued, trying his best not to laugh, "Or when you're studying really hard and it looks like your head is actually about to explode."
"I worry I may actually spontaneously combust one day because of a math question," Stevie sighed, before jokingly adding, "What else?!"
"When you're hiding the truth," Zander replied, causing Stevie's eyebrows to shoot upwards in surprise, though Zander couldn't see this.
"You know when I lie?" Stevie asked incredulously.
"Almost always," Zander admitted, completely serious.
"Well there goes my poker game." Stevie joked suddenly, before her infectious laughter filled the room, catching onto Zander almost instantly.
Once the pair had calmed down slightly, Zander began speaking again, though much quieter, as if unsure of what he was saying, "And then there's my favourite Stevie face. One expression to rule them all."
"Do tell," Stevie replied, not immediately noticing his sombre tone.
Zander took a deep breath, not believing what he was about to reveal; dare he tell her the truth?
"You'll think I'm crazy," he eventually burst out, regretting his decision by the second.
"I already know you're crazy, Z," Stevie joked, though with a reassuring undertone as she had now picked up on Zander's sudden apprehension, Now, out with it."
Zander squeezed his eyes shut, and was thanking the heavens that Stevie couldn't see his face right now, or she'd immediately notice his nervous lip biting and sweaty brow. Before he could stop to over think it, Zander blurted out what he had been thinking about ever since they began their discussion on Stevie's many faces, "You know when it's just you and me in the band room, and we're writing a song together or rehearsing a new piece?" Zander's pace slowed, taking in slow breaths as he tried to make himself more comprehensible "Sometimes, when you look up it me, it just feels like we're on exactly the same page and in exactly the same place. You know?"
Stevie was stunned, unsure of how to reply to such a statement, "And what does this expression look like," she whispered, noting to herself how quickly they were crossing over into dangerous territory.
Realising there was no turning back, and no hope for any form of recovery, Zander continued, licking his now bone dry lips before beginning, "Your eyes are the first thing I notice. They glow when you sing, do you know that?" Zander tentatively reached out and brushed his hand down Stevie's forehead, causing her eyelids flutter shut; not that it affected her sight in any way. She felt Zander's cool hand brush over her closed eyelids, his fingers brushing over her skin impossibly gently. "They shine that amazing hazel colour that I've only ever seen in one place - on you. Like they made it just for you, Steves."
Stevie gulped nervously, hoping Zander couldn't hear her heart beating out of her chest.
"Sometimes, when I'm really lucky, I make you laugh," Zander continued, "Then you scrunch up your face and your nose does that adorable crinkle thing that it does," he tweaked her nose gently and she laughed, relieving the tension slightly.
"And when you look up at me from your bass, you have that… smile. A special smile. And I guess it feels like it's just for me." Zander's hand moved down and hovered over her closed lips, his fingers skimming over them lightly, "One side of your mouth quirks up slightly higher than the rest, and you have the smallest dimple by your right cheek, and you look beautiful Stevie." He paused, before whispering, "You always look beautiful."
"You don't know that. You can't possibly know that." Stevie finally managed to find her words, saying the first thing that she could think of.
"I do," Zander said, utterly sincerely.
"What about right now?" she asks, half-teasingly, unsure of where they were going and panicking about its outcome. Perhaps if she brought the conversation back to the shallow end things wouldn't get so… complicated. "I mean its pitch black. Can you tell right now?"
Zander laughed, shaking his head to himself, "I don't need to be able to see you in the light to know how beautiful you are, Stevie. It's just one of those things; an unchanging fact of life."
Stevie gasped to herself, as if only just realising the sincerity of the conversation. Zander's hand, which had previously been hovering by Stevie's neck, unsure of where to place it, was now rested gently on her shoulder, bringing their bodies closer to each other. They stood in silence, taking in what had just occurred between them, neither confident enough to begin the conversation once more.
The darkness around them had been unsettling at first, but Zander was surprised at how quickly he had gotten used to it. With one of his senses restricted, he felt as though the others had become heightened, though he was unsure if this was actually scientifically accurate or not. Without his sight, Zander had been opened up to a whole new world of senses he was not accustomed to. He could hear Stevie's breathing, heavier than usual, but in quick bursts, as though she was nervous; which was oddly comforting considering how nervous he was. She smelled of autumn, if that was even possible; fallen leaves and dew in the misty morning air and cinnamon sprinkled on pumpkin pie. He could feel her hands, which had slowly moved up his arms and were now slung gently around his neck, pressed against him in a pleasingly comfortable way, as though they could stay that way forever. There was really only one sense left to experience. And he wasn't about to pass that up because of fear alone.
"Stevie?" he asked, his voice seeming deafeningly loud in the silence.
"Yeah, Zander," Stevie replied quietly.
"Please don't hurt me for what I'm about to do," he whispered.
Stevie's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, before asking "What are you-"
Before Stevie could finish her sentence, however, Zander brought his hand up to cup her cheek and closed the gap between them. He captured her lips in his own, softly and effortlessly, and moved his other arm to rest gently around her waist.
Stevie was surprised at first, her eyes widening at the sudden pressure against her lips, but they quickly fluttered shut as she tightened her hold on Zander's neck ever so slightly and leaned into the kiss. She breathed him in, noting the musky scent of his cologne (he said it made him seem dignified) and immediately committing it to memory. Her sense of touch seemed heightened, as the feel of Zander's fingertips on her waist and lips on her own made her stomach drop and head spin.
Stevie wished the kiss would never end, but after only a few seconds Zander pulled away from her, as if suddenly realising what he had just done.
"I'm sorry," Zander began quickly, as a number of apologies and excuses rushed through his mind in an attempt to explain what he had just done. How would Stevie, his best friend, react to this; an attack from his lips to her own with no forewarning? Zander began to pull his arms away from Stevie's waist, when Stevie reached back and prevented them from being pulled away.
"Don't be." Stevie replied breathlessly, and without even thinking pulled him in for another kiss, their lips meeting as though they'd never been parted.
Zander's arms reacted quickly, reaching back around Stevie's waist and pulling their hips closer together, strengthening the embrace. Stevie's arms, now returned to their rightful place around Zander's neck, played gently with the hair and the base of his neck as she smiled and deepened the kiss. Zander arms moved up Stevie's back and very briefly into her hair, revelling in her feel and taste; delectably sweet due to her strawberry chapstick. If music had an aroma, a scent, a flavour, he knew it would smell and taste like Stevie.
They were utterly caught up in one another; time seemed to stop and space was no longer an object to be considered. The pair only pulled away when a loud buzzing shot through the room and the lights began to turn back on, although very dimly at first. A static voice over began playing across the room, the animated female voice completely opposing the tone of the room, "We at the Gemini Circus are terribly sorry for the short power cut you may have just experienced, and ensure you all that the matter has been attended to and rectified. We hope you enjoy the rest of your visit, and we are sorry again for any inconvenience this may have caused. Stay spooky!"
As the lights slowly began to power up, Stevie dared to look in Zander's direction in only brief intervals, for fear of catching his eye. In these varying shades of light, she noted many different sides of Zander that had previously gone unnoticed; the shadow his nose casted across his face in one, then the reflective surface of his eyes against the harsh light. The sharp quirk of his lips as he smiled, not smirked, at her for the first time since they locked lips.
Zander too shared in this experience, noticing first Stevie's glowing eyes, which were darting around the room, her hair even more mane like than usual after their tryst in the dark and finally her blush red cheeks, a change from the usual tan and a sure fire sign that change was upon them both.
They looked around at their newly lit surroundings, avoiding each others eyes, as the darkness had hidden what they were now fearing having to face; the aftermath of not one, but two kisses. But all they saw was each other, over and over again, pressed up against each other in various mirrors around the room. In different shapes and sizes; proportionally odd and dimensionally strange; upside down and back to front. But it was still them. Stevie and Zander. Together as one.
Finally they turn back to each other and manage to catch each other's eyes and laughing nervously.
"We should go find the others," Zander began nervously and awkwardly, unsure of what to say, "Make sure they're OK, and that Molly and Kacey didn't kill each other."
"Good plan." Stevie responded quickly, releasing her arm from around Zander and walking towards the door without a second glance, her nerves building by the second. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, the cogs in her mind spinning furiously. "Wait," she began, turning back around to face Zander, "Running away won't help this. We should really-"
"Talk about it?" Zander finished her sentence, stepping towards her slightly before sighing resignedly. "I know." He had hoped he could continue to live with the fantasy that he and Stevie could become something… more, for a little while longer. But now it was time to face the music, so to speak.
Stevie took a deep breath and walked closer to Zander, with each footstep giving her a sense of strength that she would need to admit her true feelings, despite the consequences. What if he didn't feel the same way? "I don't regret it, if that's what you're thinking." Stevie said cautiously, before waiting in fear for his reaction.
Zander looked up at her, hope visible in his eyes, "You don't?"
Stevie smiled, looking down at the ground and biting her lip, before looking back up again into Zander's eyes, "Zander, I've been waiting for you to kiss me since the first day we met."
Zander grinned, as if a huge weight has been lifted from him, before giving Stevie a jokingly accusing look and stepping closer to her, "But on the first day we met, if I recall correctly, I put the Zander Robbins moves on you and you were all but immune to their powers."
"That's because I thought you were an arrogant dipthong." Stevie replied in a completely deadpan voice, which made them both laugh. "Then, you started talking about music, and wanting to start up a band, and I saw beyond that flirtatious front," Stevie began again, looking up at Zander without faltering, "I saw the passion in your eyes and the excitement in your smile and I knew I was goner."
"But you never said anything," Zander said, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear now that he was close enough to her.
"Neither did you!" Stevie exclaimed, shivering slightly at the feel of his hand by her neck; she was never going to get used to that.
"I didn't want to lose you as a friend, or chase you away because of my 'unrequited' feelings for you," Zander explained, shrugging his shoulders slightly.
"Not so unrequited, huh?" Stevie smiled back, her tone gentle but joy clearly visible.
"So," Zander swung Stevie into his arms and she laughed, burying her head in his chest, "I guess the real question now is-"
"What do we do next?" Stevie interrupted.
"I was actually going to ask how long we can make out in here before the others come looking for us, but yours works too," Zander sighed.
Stevie rolled her eyes and hit Zander on the arm, smiling, "Come on, you bag of hormones, let's go find the others. They're probably wondering where we are." She stepped away from Zander reluctantly and started walking towards the door, expecting him to follow. Zander watched Stevie's retreating form and smiled, choosing to instead remain standing in the middle of the room and call out to her.
"And what does happen next, Miss Baskara?" he asked innocently, his eyes glowing mischievously.
By this point Stevie had made it to the door, and she paused briefly to spin around and lean against it, her eyes fixed on Zander's. "Well, I guess you'll just have to wait and find out." She smiled at him with a look on her face Zander had never seen on her before; it could only be described as seductive. Stevie pushed off the door and slipped through the exit almost silently, and this time Zander was quick to follow, wondering why on earth it had taken him so long to pluck up the courage and kiss the girl of his dreams.
Stevie and Zander soon make it to the end of the Haunted House, stopping only briefly halfway through the journey when Zander got caught in hanging spider webs and had to be set free. When they made it to the exit, they quickly spotted the rest of the gang, who were waiting by a corndog stall close by. Molly and Kevin didn't seem to notice their arrival, as they appeared to now be talking, even joking, with each other, as opposed to their previous argumentative state, whereas Kacey came running over the second she spotted them.
"Oh, thank God, what happened to you guys?" Kacey asked, once she had rushed over to see them.
"Well we were a little bit behind you guys when the power went out, so we just hung out in the Hall of Mirrors and waited for the lights to come back on." Stevie explained, not meeting Zander's eyes for fear of a sudden bout of laughter to erupt between the pair of them.
"Yup. Just stood there, waiting. Patiently." Stevie nudged Zander in the stomach with her elbow, knowing that Kacey would never buy such an obvious lie.
Kacey looked at the two of them, a slightly confused expression on her face, before shaking her head and continuing, "Yeah, lucky we had our phones on us, otherwise that would have been a hell of a lot more scary, huh?!"
Stevie and Zander turned to look at each other, their eyes wide with realisation. "Yeah," Stevie laughed nervously, turning back to face Kacey, "Our shiny cell phones which light up and everything." Kacey grinned at her, not picking up on the pair's sudden insight, before hearing a laugh behind her and turning to look over at the culprits, Molly and Kevin, suspiciously.
"I need to go check this out; I mean they're actually getting along. I'll speak to you guys later." Kacey waved at Zander and Stevie quickly before running back over to Kevin and Molly and attempting to rejoin their conversation
The second Kacey was out of earshot, Stevie turned to Zander and exclaimed, "How did we not think of using our cell phones?" a perplexed expression on her face.
"I guess we were just a little preoccupied at the time," Zander replied, smirking at Stevie before pulling her closer to him by wrapping an arm around her waist. Stevie rolled her eyes but smiled back up at him, reaching up to put her hands on his shoulders before remembering they were no longer in the seclusion of their mirrored fortress and dropping them back to her side, keeping some distance between them.
Zander noticed this failed gesture, and looked over at their friends, who were well within their line of sight, before turning back to Stevie, his eyes filled with yearning. "I wish I could kiss you right now," Zander murmured to Stevie, squeezing the hand that was wrapped around her waist before reluctantly letting her go.
"You know we can't. We have to break the news to the others first," Stevie explained, before smiling and whispering back, "But the feeling is mutual."
Zander sighed; Stevie's comment didn't exactly help him contain himself, not that he had that much control over his actions when it came to her. Breaking the news that the pair were now together, however, would be a whole other problem, as the band had a strict 'no dating' policy; something about it being the number one reason why bands end up breaking up. But maybe if they explained that what he and Stevie had was special; that it wasn't just another relationship that would burn out like a candle in the wind, perhaps they would understand. And anyway, they had to wait for everyone to be there to break the news. Speaking of which…
"Where are Grace and Nelson?" Stevie asked, looking around puzzled as she noticed the absence of the love birds. Zander shrugged his shoulders, before calling over to Kevin and asking the same question.
"We thought they were with you?" Molly replied, walking over to Zander and Stevie with Kevin following quickly behind.
"No, they followed you into the next room," Zander explained.
"Are you sure they used to same door?" Kacey asked as she walked up behind Kevin and joined the conversation
"Wait, what do you mean?" Stevie asked, not following Kacey's train of thought.
"There were like three or four doors different rooms from the Hall of Mirrors into loads of different rooms; Grace and Nelson could still be lost inside there!" Kacey said worriedly, looking back over to the exit of the Haunted House.
Upon hearing this, Kevin ripped off his jacket and threw it to Molly, before yelling, "DON'T WORRY NELSON; I'M COMING FOR YOU BUDDY!"
Just as Kevin was about to run into the Haunted House, however, the gang saw a petite blonde figure walking out of exit carrying a brunette boy. Grace smiled at the gang as she approached, with a seemingly faint Nelson in her arms, all members of the Gravity Five too shocked to offer her any help until she had placed him gently on the floor. Stevie shook her head in disbelief, before sighing and silently handing over ten dollars to a grinning Zander.
"Grace, what happened?" Molly asked, after her hugging her best friend tightly.
"Well me and Nelson got stranded in this really creepy side room when the lights went out, but it was OK because we used our phones to make a funny horror movie!"
"Even Grace thought of the cell phone thing," Stevie muttered to herself in awe, as Zander chuckled beside her.
"Then, when the lights came back on a guy in a Joker mask came over to make sure we were OK, and that's when Nelson fainted," Grace finished her story, and then leant down to fan Nelson's face as he slowly came back to his senses.
"He asked me why I was so serious, but I wasn't serious. I was terrified." Nelson mumbled to no-one in particular, seeming very confused.
"Hey, you're all right now buddy," Zander patted him on the shoulder reassuringly and Kevin knelt down for a quick hug before retreating back to the edge of the group; so as to not 'cramp Nelson's style' in front of Grace, he later explained.
Once Nelson had completely recovered from his ordeal, he looked up at Grace, who was still kneeling beside him, and smiled at her. "Thanks Grace, for making sure I was OK; I'm sorry you had to carry me out of there."
"That's OK Nelson," Grace replied brightly, "everyone is scared of something. Like how I think that china dolls are terrifying. I mean, why are their eyes so big, but their hands so tiny?!"
"Well thanks. You really saved me in there." Nelson repeated, before pausing for a moment as if thinking something through, "Let me make it up to you. Would you-"
He stopped again, looking around at his friends who all smiled at him in encouragement.
Nelson gulped and finally managed to finish the question he had wanted to ask Grace for such a long time, "Would you like to go out to dinner with me next Friday. Or to a movie. Or to the ice rink, Or-"
"I'd love to, Nelson" Grace interrupted Nelson's rambling, smiling at him.
"Really?!" Nelson seemed shocked at this response.
"Really," Grace assured him, placing one hand on his shoulder and squeezing it gently.
Silently, Zander poked Stevie in the side and handed her back the same ten dollar note she had given him, causing Stevie to smirk up at him and snatch it away gleefully.
"Now what does a girl need to do to get some cotton candy around here? Fix a broken limb?" Grace joked, as she helped Nelson back up to his feet. He brushed off his trousers, before offering his arm to Grace.
"My Lady," Nelson put on a fake British accent that matched his gesture, and Grace giggled, looping her arm through his.
"Good sir," she replied, and the pair walked off towards the cotton candy stall.
"You know I could do with some cotton candy." Molly said suddenly, before glancing over in Kevin's direction, "What do you say."
"Yes m'am," Kevin replied immediately, and began walking next to Molly as they followed Nelson and Grace's suit.
Kacey looked over at Molly and Kevin's retreating forms, then at Stevie and Zander, before looking back across, a confused expression planted on her face.
"What happened in that Haunted House? Am I missing something here?" she exclaimed, before running in hot pursuit after Molly and Kevin.
"Why is Kacey so invested in Molly and Kevin?" Zander asked Stevie, who was laughing at the sight of her best friend attempting to run in her 5 inch heels.
"The better question to ask might be how Kevin managed to get two girls interested in him," Stevie replied, still giggling.
"You don't mean…" Zander quickly made the connection in his head, before shaking it, "Man, Kevin. Nice. OW! What?!"
Stevie had shoved Zander in the side for his last comment, and he protested with a quick exclamation before laughing it off, a faux hurt expression on his face.
"So I guess we were both right about Nelson, huh?" Stevie teased Zander, knowing how much it hurt to lose the best after thinking he had it in the bag.
"Cherish this moment, because it is not going to happen that often," Zander replied in a similar tone.
"Very true," Stevie agreed, laughing.
She spun around to follow the others down the path, but turned back after feeling a small tap on her shoulder.
"You know you never took me up on that offer," Zander said, once Stevie had turned back to face him.
"What offer?" Stevie asked, confused.
Zander sighed, and held out his hand to her, wiggling his fingers as the grin on his face grew even wider.
"This one," he replied, as though any other answer would be ridiculous.
Stevie crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows in Zander's direction. "You know you've asked me to hold your hand three times now, Zander. Would you care to explain why?"
"Just thought you might get scared out here. What with all the changes." Zander explained, though he was now staring down at the ground awkwardly; his joking tone vanished.
Stevie looked down to try and catch Zander's eye, and when he finally did glance up at her a look passed between the two of them that said everything Zander didn't know how to explain; that what he was trying to say was no longer about Halloween and spooky masks, but about what the future held for the two of them as a couple.
"Well I'm not," Stevie replied quietly, her tone calm and reassuring, "Scared, that is. Not scared at all. Are you?"
"I've never been more sure of anything in my life," Zander admitted a little breathlessly.
"Good," Stevie said abruptly, smiling back at Zander when he looked back down at her.
"But even so," Zander began again, his usual joking tone resurfacing, "I'd be honoured if you chose to hold my hand all the same. To make me feel safer if nothing else."
Stevie bit her lip and looked around to the path her friends had taken, "But the others-"
"Will find out eventually," Zander reached around and touched Stevie's chin with his fingertips, just strongly enough to bring her attention back to him, "And it's not like we haven't done anything worse," he smiled, his eyes glowing.
Stevie nodded her head at this comment, and quickly slipped her hand into Zander's before her mind talked her heart out of it, and began walking down the path, pulling Zander along with her. Zander grinned and squeezed her hand, feeling his stomach drop ever so slightly when she squeezed back just as tightly.
Suddenly, however, Zander sighed mournfully, "How the mighty have fallen," he said, looking over at a confused Stevie with his eyes shining mischievously, "Here you are holding a guy's hand when I thought you were the toughest girl I know."
"You only think I'm the toughest girl you know?" Stevie asked, before grinning at him, "Well, do you want me to prove it to you?" She held up her free fist in front of Zander's face, as if preparing to punch him.
"NOT THE FACE!" Zander yelped, shielding his face with his free hand, while Stevie laughed at his fear. Instead of punching him, however, she kissed him on the cheek, before leaning back, her cheeks blushing red. Zander stopped shielding his face and grinned at her, before lifting up their joint hands and kissing her knuckles softly in return.
As the pair walked down the path, joking each other and stealing kisses whenever they could, they contemplated how truly life changing their night at the travelling circus had been. Though they didn't know what the future held for them; what path they would end up taking, they knew that what had begun in the Hall of Mirrors would be the start to a wonderful new chapter in their lives. They had managed to find in the darkness what they had so blatantly missed in the light, or refused to admit to each other when they feared the possible repercussions; each other. Wholly and unrestricted, the darkness had brought out the best in them; it was a place where their fears had taken a back seat to their hopes and dreams. It had, in some strange way, brought out the light. And in each other they had found something unbreakable; a light shining through every pore of their being and into their hearts. A light that would never go out.
A / N - So... what do you think? Let me know your favourite parts or lines by reviewing, I'd really appreciate it! I've got to tell you guys, listening to Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran while writing this was not a good idea. All of the what-could-have-been Zevie tears.
So seriously, let's talk about iCarly's depature for a second (if you don't care about it, don't read this!) iCarly was the first show I ever wrote fanfiction for, so it really does hold a special place in my heart, and probably always will. I actually thought the last episode was great; funny and heart warming and poignant, plus the flashbacks actually made me cry, but the lack of closure for Seddie did break my heart a little bit. But I guess that's what fanfiction is for, right guys?!
What with iCarly ending and How to Rock soon to air its last episode (WHY NICK? WHY?) I don't know how much I'll be writing in the future - I'll try my best, but for now, I guess this is goodbye. Oh God. Accidental iCarly reference. I'M SORRY. And now I'm crying.
Love you guys, hope you enjoyed this fluffy little Zevie one-shot, and I'll hopefully see you soon!
~ Mim