Hey guys! So sorry for the wait! I am a college student and the spring semester just started so it's been a little crazy.
A few people asked for post Step Up: All In so here it is! This is 4,000 words long so I hope you guys enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Step up. I do not own Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran. I do not own Still Into You by Paramore.
This one takes place a year after Step Up: All In
"And next time, I'm cooking dinner." – Camille, Step Up: All In
"I do not hate that idea at all." – Andie, Step Up: All In
"Let them wonder how we got this far, cause I don't really need to wonder at all. Yeah, after all this time… I'm still into you." – Still Into You by Paramore
Moose was in the middle of his daily work out when he heard his cell phone ring. He took out his earbuds and, looking at the caller I.D., got a big smile on his face. Quickly sliding his thumb across the screen, he put the phone to his ear to hear an enthusiastic greeting on the other end.
"Hey, Moose! Long time, no talk!"
"Hey! Sean, yeah, yeah it's been awhile. Is Vegas still treating you good?" Moose walked over to his workout bag, took out a towel and started wiping the sweat off his brow.
"Yeah, the show is still pretty popular. It's only been a year but they're talking about extending our contracts." Moose could hear the smile and pride in his voice.
"Congrats! I'm really happy for you guys. That's amazing." He searched in his bag for his water bottle.
"Thanks, man. Yeah, I can't believe how crazy this past year has been. How's the wife doing?"
Moose spit out the water he was drinking and started coughing. He pounded on his chest, sputtering, "W-what? We're not even engaged!"
Sean let out a big, booming laugh, "Yet. I don't know what you're waiting for, Moose. You guys already live together, you've been together for four years and you've known each other for eight. It's gonna happen eventually."
Quickly changing the subject, Moose asked, "Is there a reason you called?"
"Well, me and Andie were thinking of driving over to L.A. to see you and Camille. Andie's been really persistent about visiting lately and we finally have enough time to take a break from the show. What do you think? Are you guys busy later?"
"Yeah, come by for dinner tonight. You guys are always welcome!"
"Awesome! Well, we have rehearsal till around three but we should be hitting the road around four."
"Perfect, then you guys should be here around eight. Alright, I'll let Camille know. Tell Andie I said hello."
"I will do that! Say hi to your wifey for us." Sean joked, "And don't think I didn't notice you change the subject earlier. We're gonna talk about that later. Anyways, I gotta get back to rehearsal so I'll talk to you later, Mooski."
"Alright man, see you later."
Moose ended the call and gathered up his towel and gym bag. It was only two thirty but he wanted to clean up the apartment and he needed to tell Camille so they can go grocery shopping to get food for dinner.
To say that Moose was excited would be an understatement. After LMNTRIX won The Vortex, he had decided that the dancing part of his life was over for the most part. He really did love his life with Camille in their cute, tiny, one bedroom/one and a half bath L.A. apartment and he enjoyed his job working for McGowan. It paid well and Moose is just happy that he has a stable job and that he's able to provide for Camille. Also, he couldn't ask Camille to quit her job or leave her friends here in L.A. to move out to Las Vegas with him. He knew that she didn't like the city much and he loved her too much to ever leave her side.
However, Moose still helps out the crew by occasionally designing some of the lighting effects in their show. Jason is mostly in charge of creating new effects, but he periodically calls him up to work out any kinks or for him to design something. Usually when Moose gets involved in a project he goes out to Vegas for the weekend to set everything up and to sometimes (usually) guest star in the show. What can he say; performing is just a part of who he is.
Camille is surprisingly (to him anyways) pretty supportive when it comes to leaving for the weekend and being in the shows. He doesn't want a repeat of the "Casino Incident" so he's always hesitant about going.
Honestly, he doesn't know what he'd ever do without her in his life, which is why he gets so nervous about the whole 'marriage' subject. He knows his fears are stupid but he still can't help thinking about them. What if Camille gets tired of him? What if they do get married and it ends horribly? Moose doesn't want to mess up what they have right now. It's everything he's ever dreamed of and he's scared that he'll wake up one day to find that Camille doesn't love him anymore. It's completely irrational, and he knows it, but it's still a fear that he has. He's almost lost her a few times over the years when they hit a few bumps in their relationship and he doesn't know if he has the strength to survive if, God forbid, they were to actually break up.
But he's in love with Camille. God, is he head-over-heels in love with her. So, for obvious reasons, he does want to marry her one day. He just has to work through all of his fears first or, at the very best, be able to put them aside. He's already been scoping out a few rings lately (but nobody knows about that yet) and he's been working a few extra shifts at McGowan Industries to be able to eventually pay for it.
Moose walked up the stairs to their apartment on the fourth floor. Fishing out his keys from his pocket, he unlocks the door to find the apartment empty. It was a Saturday so he figured Camille was out running errands. Shrugging, he dropped his gym bag by the door and went to go take a shower.
After his shower, Moose opened the bathroom door half expecting to see Camille in their bedroom. Mildly disappointed, he got dressed in gym shorts and a shirt. He walked out into the open living room and kitchen to find that it, too, was empty. Huh, well looks like he's gonna have to clean the place by himself then. But it's not really messy so he's not really complaining either. Camille likes for the apartment to be cleaned every Sunday, so for the most part it never usually gets out of hand, unless they both become busy and neglect to clean. Thankfully, that wasn't the case this week. He just had to dust, vacuum and clean the counter and table tops.
He just got done vacuuming the apartment when he heard a key jiggle in the doorknob. Camille opened the door and stepped inside. She was out of breath and dressed in a pair of leggings and a long sleeved workout shirt. It was winter and there was a cold front moving in making the temperatures drop into the sixties and low fifties. She must've just come back from jogging; judging by her running shoes, lack of breath, earbuds, and phone strapped to her bicep. She was carrying some mail in her left hand, which she just placed on the counter.
"How was your run?" Moose asked as he was wrapping up the vacuum cord.
Camille turned in his direction, a smile on her face when her eyes landed on him. She took out her earbuds and, a little breathless, said, "It was good. You're cleaning?!"
Moose chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, Sean called earlier and said that he and Andie are gonna be here for dinner. Apparently Andie has been dying to see us."
"What! That's amazing!" Camille squealed and jumped excitedly then suddenly stopped, eyes wide, "We have finish cleaning! I need to shower, we need to go grocery shopping, I need to start dinner. When did you say they were coming?"
"Whoa, slow down, relax." Moose put up his hands in surrender, "I already cleaned the tables, and vacuumed and it's only four o'clock. They're supposed to leave around this time so they should be here a little bit before eight. We have plenty of time to finish cleaning and to buy food and for you to shower." He walked to where she was standing and placed his hands on her shoulders, "Just breathe."
He smiled at her, admiring how she looked with her cheeks flushed, brown eyes bright and a few stray strands of hair, which came loose form her ponytail, framing her face. It was times like this when he couldn't resist kissing her. Rather than fighting the urge, he leaned down and placed a chaste peck on her lips. Camille, obviously wanting more than a peck, wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. They lingered a bit before pulling away.
"You smell like sweat." Moose wrinkled his nose.
Camille pushed him away, laughing, "Way to ruin a moment."
"What? I thought you liked that I'm honest?" He wagged his eyebrows at her playfully.
Camille walked to their bedroom, scoffing lightheartedly, "Whatever. I'm taking a shower." She disappeared behind the door before poking her head out, "You gonna join me or what?" She winked before shutting the door.
He didn't move from his spot till he heard the shower turn on. He heart palpitated in his chest. Damn, was he lucky. He's pretty sure he just fell a little more in love with her. Without a second thought, he walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.
After his second shower of the day, Moose resumed cleaning the counter tops as Camille was thinking of a list of groceries to buy for dinner. He was watching her nibble on the end of the pen in her hand when she suddenly put it down.
"Oh! Almost forgot to tell you. Diana and Robert called me while I was out on my run."
"What did my grandparents want?" He asked, mindlessly scrubbing the counter with a wipe that smelled like lemon scented disinfectant.
Camille went back to jotting down a few items on her list, "We're having dinner with them sometime this week. Diana insists that I don't feed you enough and Robert Sr. wants to ask you something in person, I guess. Honestly, I should just show Diana our grocery bill so she can see how much of a pig you are. Maybe that way she can stop acting like I'm starving you. And maybe one day she'll see that it's perfectly fine to have a few good vegan meals every now and then."
Moose couldn't help but laugh. He loves how close Camille has gotten to his grandparents and to his family in general. Even though she sometimes complains, he knows that she loves the attention they give her since she never had a family like that, being a foster kid and all. The only person she really had was her brother Tyler.
"What? I'm being serious." Camille used her pen to poke him in the side.
"Ow, stop that. I know you're serious, you're just never gonna win against my grandmother. She's just very traditional." Moose threw away the dirty wipe.
"One of these days I am gonna get her to try my veggie loaf." She said determinedly.
Moose walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, "That'll be the day! Pigs will probably fly before that happens." He rested his chin on her shoulder, reading over her list, "What are we having for dinner?"
Camille absentmindedly reached up to play with the curls on the side of his head as she did a mental checklist, making sure she wrote down all the ingredients she would need for dinner and all the groceries they'd need for the next week. "I was thinking we could have Hungarian goulash over pasta with green beans and crescent rolls. What do you think?"
"I think it sounds delicious, Chameleon."
"Good. Then let's head to the store."
It took a little over an hour to get all the ingredients and to drive back home and by that time it was six o'clock. Sean had called while they were out saying that they should arrive a little after seven thirty so Camille started prepping for dinner as Moose was putting away all the groceries in the fridge and pantry. As she was cutting up the peppers, onions and garlic cloves, Moose turned on the radio that they had sitting on the counter.
Since he wasn't a great cook he was responsible for making the pasta, but that didn't have to be made for a while. So instead, he was mindlessly dancing around the house as he straightened up the living room and finished dusting the apartment. Then he started to set the table as Camille put the strips of beef on the stove with the onions, peppers, and chopped up garlic. Once that seemed cooked through she lowered the heat and started sprinkling in flour to the mix to turn the liquid into a thick gravy mixture. Moose checked the clock in the kitchen to see that they had twenty minutes before Sean and Andie were expected to arrive. He put a pot of water on the stove to boil as Camille took out another pot to cook the green beans in. Once the water started to boil he put the pasta in.
As they were waiting for the food to cook, Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran came on over the radio. Moose took Camille's hand and kissed it, "May I have this dance, Milady?"
She smiled sweetly, "You may."
They started swaying to the slow beat in the kitchen. Moose slowly spun her around. Suddenly, he started singing softly to the lyrics, "I've fallen for your eyes, but they don't know me yet. And with a feeling I'll forget, I'm in love now."
He kissed her knuckles again before spinning her around. He brought her close, one hand at her waist the other caressing her cheek, lightly stroking it with his thumb. Again he started singing along, "Kiss me like you wanna be loved. This feels like falling in love." He brushed away some of her bangs so he could clearly see her beautiful chocolate brown eyes. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and took her hand so they were dancing in a typical slow dance pose. She rested her head on his shoulder. "Settle down with me and I'll be your safety. You'll be my lady."
In his head, Moose meant those words. He did want to settle down with her and in moments like this, he believed they could take on the world. So what was stopping him?
The song started to end and Camille lifted her head off of his shoulder. They locked eyes, gazes fierce and expressing more than words ever could. They both leaned in close, breathing in the other before sharing a sweet kiss. Dinner was soon forgotten though as the innocent kiss was deepened. Moose groaned, caught up in his emotions, as he backed her up against the counter. Camille nipped his bottom lip as she dug her fingers into his hair and gripped his shirt tightly. Moose could feel her cold hands roam around underneath his shirt. He peppered kisses from her mouth to her jaw then down her neck. He could feel her pulse quicken and goosebumps form as his trailed his hand slowly down her back.
Just when he was thinking they could take this farther, there was a knock at the door. The two were startled, as they stared wide eyed at each other, both a little breathless.
"I think Sean and Andie are here." Camille said breathily. She smoothed down her shirt and checked on the food. "You should go answer the door."
"This isn't over," he said huskily and she winked, "You also might want to fix your lipstick, it's a little smudged. Your hair too could probably use a little touch up." He sounded a little too smug about that.
"Moose!" She frantically flattened down her hair while pushing him to the door. He just laughed. He saw no point in fixing their appearance, Sean and Andie would probably know exactly what they were up to anyways.
Moose answered the door with a huge grin on his face. Sean and Andie were on the other side, both with suspicious expressions.
"Hey guys! You made it!"
They exchanged hugs and Moose ushered them inside.
"What took you so long to answer the door?" Andie asked, impishly.
"Well we are making dinner, you know." Moose replied.
Camille came out of the kitchen and exchanged greetings before going back in to put the rolls into the oven and stirring the food.
"You guys were totally making out, weren't you?" Sean bluntly questioned.
"What would make you think that?" Said Moose, he didn't want to embarrass Camille.
Andie smirked, "Both of your hair is messed up and you've got a little," She pointed to the edge of her mouth, "something right there, unless that's your new thing wearing lipstick. I mean, we won't judge. So long as Camille still loves you and accepts you for who you are."
"Alright, alright. Stop." Moose laughed, "Fine, yes, we were making out."
"As long as you weren't making out on the table where the food was prepared then I'm good to go." Sean teased. Moose playfully pushed his shoulder, a blush creeping up into his cheeks.
"Dinner's ready!" Camille called from the kitchen. Moose escaped from the teasing to help bring out all the dishes to the table. He was carrying the large bowl of Hungarian goulash and a bowl of pasta while Camille was carrying a bowl of green beans and a basket of crescent rolls. It smelled really delicious, making his mouth water and his stomach growl.
Sean and Andie were already seated on one side of the table as they put the food down. Moose started dishing out the pasta on each plate as Camille was serving the goulash on top of the pasta, she even made sure to give extra peppers to Andie since those were her favorites. Then he put green beans on each person's plate before finally sitting down.
"Just take however many rolls as you want. I have more in the fridge." Camille said as she reached for a roll.
Andie took a deep breathe, a huge smile on her face, "Wow, Camille! This looks and smells amazing!" A light blush dusted Camille's cheeks. She was always so modest when it came to her cooking.
Moose put a huge forkful of food in his mouth, "She's—amazing!"
"Don't talk with your mouth full!" Camille playfully punched his shoulder.
Moose grabbed it, "Oh! What is this? Pick on Moose day?"
"Isn't that every day?" Camille teased and stuck out her tongue.
Moose ripped a piece of his roll and threw at her, hitting her in the nose. She sat there shocked and went to throw a piece at him when Andie spoke up, laughing, "Guys! What are you? Five?"
"Sorry." They chorused, even though they were anything but.
They were halfway through eating when Sean got him staring at Camille. He was just sitting there admiring how animated she was getting while regaling a story to Andie. He tuned out a while ago so he didn't know what they were talking about but he found it cute that she was emphasizing parts of her story with her fork and making adorable faces, scrunching up her nose. He didn't even realize that he was staring like an idiot till he felt a piece of bread hit his face, effectively knocking him out of his reverie.
"Dude, you're staring." Sean smirked at him.
Moose dropped his head, suddenly really interested in the rest of his goulash and pasta. He could feel his face and the tips of his ears getting hot. "How's your new show going?"
Sean sighed and put his fork down, "It's really frustrating. Jason is having trouble figuring out how to do some kind of new lighting technique and I think everyone is getting a little restless. I was thinking of requesting a week off for everyone soon. If not, I think our show is going to really suffer despite the growing popularity."
"Wow, sounds like you really need that vacation. Why can't Jason figure it out? He's usually really good at solving any issues."
"Actually, he was going to call you to ask if you could visit for a few days. Then he found out that me and Andie were visiting and wanted me to talk to you. Moose, we need your help. Maybe if the crew saw you it would get them motivated enough to keep working hard till I can get them a vacation. And Jason really needs your help." Sean looked really hopefully.
Moose put his fork down and rubbed the back of his neck, "I don't know, Sean." He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder that moved up to cup the back of his neck. Without looking, he automatically knew it was Camille. He could feel her twisting a piece of his hair around her finger.
"You should go."
Moose turned to face her, "You sure?"
"Yes. I tell you this every time you ask. Go, help out and have fun." She smiled wide.
"Really?"
"You're the dancing Moose! Help them out, take a break from work. I'll be fine here for a couple of days." She tugged on a curl.
Moose smiled wide. He had the best girlfriend. "Alright, Sean. Looks like I'll be heading back with you then."
Sean beamed, "Everyone is gonna be so excited!"
The rest of dinner passed by uneventfully. They each exchanged stories of embarrassing moments in the past and talked about taking a vacation together to the Caribbean or possibly Europe. The girls, of course, got excited about visiting all the castles and shopping in the markets. Eventually they cleared their plates and moved to the living room. They munched on cookies that Camille had made. Everyone started getting tired around eleven and Moose and Camille insisted that they stay the night at their apartment. Moose blew up an air mattress as Camille brought out blankets and extra pillows.
At around eleven thirty, they bid Sean and Andie goodnight and retired to the bedroom. The last thought Moose had before he fell asleep was that he was going to propose soon. He had found his dance partner and he felt that they were strong enough to get through any hurdles. Unconsciously, he pulled her closer to him and snuggled his face into her neck. With a smile, he drifted off to sleep.
Not sure how I feel about the dinner. I might rewrite that at a later date. I don't know if I got Andie and Sean in character or not. I was stuck a lot this chapter but I hope you all enjoyed it!
Send me prompts if you want! Please review! Criticism is welcomed!
Thanks for reading :)