flamingoofeathers

[flamingoofeathers]

Came here to say how much I miss TikTok Tokyo Revengers era😭😭

[flamingoofeathers]

-𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙧𝙠

pairings: Moose x Tala (OC)

summary: “i still love her”

genre: angst (only if you squint)

series; wc: 1.8k

main masterlist series masterlist

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗪𝗔𝗦 𝗧𝗢𝗢 𝗟𝗢𝗨𝗗

Even in the early mornings, when the rest of New York should’ve been asleep, trucks still roared past and impatient honks echoed up the sides of buildings like sound ricocheting off steel canyon walls. Tala learned quickly that peace here didn’t mean quiet — 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘦.

She pulled her hoodie tighter around her head as she jogged across 65th Street toward the Juilliard School entrance. It wasn’t cold, but the oversized gray hood gave her a kind of shield, like armor against the eyes of strangers. The summer intensive program had started just a week ago, and she could already feel the weight of it pressing down like scaffolding being built inside her chest.

She hadn’t spoken more than a few words to anyone in the program, not really. There were the necessary exchanges, of course — “𝘕𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦” or “𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 307 𝘪𝘴?” — but nothing beyond that.

Her classmates seemed eager to form little clusters and sit close on breaks, trading stories about past performances and gossiping about the instructors. Tala kept her earbuds in, even when they weren’t playing music. It was enough to discourage conversation without being openly hostile.

She didn’t want friends.

That’s what she told herself, anyway.

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚.

At night, in the slim sliver of time between rehearsals and exhaustion, Tala curled up in her dorm bed and answered texts from home. Andie had sent her a video of their old cat pouncing on a plastic bag.

𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗘: 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘮𝘢𝘰, 𝘩𝘰𝘸’𝘴 𝘕𝘠𝘊?

𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗔: 𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘺. 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦’𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥.

𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗘: 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦…𝘺𝘰𝘶?

Tala smirked but didn’t respond. She knew what Andie meant — Tala was trying hard, in her way. Just not in the way others expected. She wasn’t out here networking or making connections. She wasn’t wearing dramatic thrifted outfits or angling for compliments. She was doing the work. Letting the acting take up all the space that used to be filled by other things.

Like 𝙈𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚.

She hadn’t texted him since the breakup. He hadn’t texted her either. That silence was different than the one she lived in here — it was sharper. There was history behind it, like glass behind a curtain.

She flipped through her messages. Group chats with Chase and Smiles were still alive and chaotic.

𝗦𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗘𝗦: 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘣 𝘤𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴?

𝗖𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘: 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘥

𝗞𝗜𝗗𝗢: 𝘪’𝘥 𝘨𝘰 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗦𝗘: 𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘛, 𝘩𝘰𝘸’𝘴 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭？

𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗔: 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭．

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗦𝗘: 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘰

Tala laughed softly into her pillow, enough to startle the girl in the bed next to hers. The dorm was shared, though Tala never bothered to remember the other girl’s name. She didn’t 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 to.

Hair sent her a playlist — “moody as hell,” he titled it — and Monster posted a meme in their group DM that made Tala snort. Fly texted her random photos of clouds and fire escapes, things she thought Tala might like.

𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙈𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚.

And that was fair. She’d ended it. She’d said she didn’t want to do long distance, that she couldn’t handle the separation. That she was scared things would change too much between them, become toxic.

But she hadn’t realized until now that part of her still wanted him to chase her. Or at least — 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿.

Sometimes, on her way to the black box theater tucked behind Juilliard’s main hall, she would scroll all the way up their old thread. Pictures from the winter — 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦, 𝘴𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳; 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘧𝘦́ 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦. Voice notes, jokes, the dumb stuff they used to say when neither of them could sleep.

The silence between them now felt 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹, not 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹.

Still, she couldn’t let herself reach out. Not after she’d made it so clear. She told him she needed space. And Moose, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘺, had given her exactly that．

In acting class, the instructor was a woman with short silver hair and sharp, actorly cheekbones. She gave notes like daggers. “More breath,” she told Tala during a scene. “Less control. I don’t want to see your thinking — I want to feel it.”

Tala nodded, took the notes, did it again. That was the rhythm of her days: 𝙖𝙘𝙩, 𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙩, 𝙩𝙧𝙮, 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚.

Sometimes, she lingered in the city after rehearsal. Not with people. Alone. She would walk down Columbus Avenue with no destination, just wandering past bookstores and bodegas and jazz bars. New York was beautiful in a raw, dirty way. The way you could be completely invisible in the crowd — unseen, untouched. A kind of relief, after the closeness of home.

The difference between Maryland and New York wasn’t just the buildings or the noise. It was the way Maryland 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙬 her. People there had expectations—of what she would say, how she would laugh, who she loved.

Here, she could be new. Not better, not worse. Just something else.

And maybe that’s what she wanted.

Still, that night, she opened her texts again. The group chats buzzed with nonsense. Someone sent a pic of a broken skateboard. Someone else was planning a movie night.

She found Moose’s name buried beneath notifications.

She stared at the empty chat box for a long time. Then she typed a single word.

—𝙝𝙚𝙮

Then deleted it.

Typed again.

—𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙠𝙖𝙮

Deleted.

Then, finally, she just closed the app.

She wasn’t ready. Not yet. And maybe she never would be. For now, she’d sit with the loneliness, learn how to mold it into something useful. Use it in her scenes. Breathe into it.

The city didn’t care either way. It roared on, indifferent and alive.

And Tala, hoodie pulled tight and heart sealed shut, walked into the noise like she belonged there.

𓆩❀𓆪

The days in Maryland were warmer now. Sticky and loud with cicadas, just like every summer before, but somehow 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗿 this year. Moose sat on the roof of Camille’s garage, his feet dangling over the edge as he sipped lukewarm soda and squinted into the sun.

“She hasn’t texted you either?” Camille asked. She was lying flat on her back, her arms flung out dramatically like she was trying to soak in every ounce of sky.

“Nope,” Moose said. He tried not to sound bitter. “Not once.”

Camille didn’t say anything at first. She just let the fizz from her soda can crackle into the silence.

“She’s in New York,” Moose said finally, like it explained something. “Juilliard. Acting thing.”

“I know,” Camille said. “I follow her 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘱𝘤𝘢𝘦.”

Moose blinked. “You follow her 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦?”

“Everyone does, Moose. She’s not hiding. She just doesn’t post anything with… people. It’s just like, theatres and dance studios. Very theatre kid.”

That sounded about right.

He hadn’t followed Tala’s account since the breakup. Not out of pettiness—he just didn’t think he could handle seeing her move on in real time. Even if it wasn’t a new guy. Even if it was just a picture of her boots next to an empty coffee cup, it would hit like a punch.

They hadn’t said much the last night they talked. She hadn’t cried, and neither had he, but it still felt like mourning. Like something being buried, slow and gentle and permanent.

He told her he’d give her space.

He didn’t expect it to stretch this long.

Camille sat up, brushing her hair off her forehead. Her curls had started to frizz in the humidity.

“You still thinking about NYU?” she asked, almost casually.

“Yeah,” Moose said. “Engineering’s solid. Good program. I like the city.”

“You like 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺,” she repeated, teasing. “𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙮”

Moose gave her a dry look. “That’s not why.”

Camille raised a brow.

“It’s not 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 why,” Moose admitted.

She laughed. “I mean, it wouldn’t be a bad reason. Tala always did make things feel bigger. She made you want to keep up.”

He nodded. That was the thing about Tala — she lived like she was trying to outrun something invisible. And somehow, it made you want to chase her, even if you knew you’d never catch up.

Camille sipped from her can and stared out toward the trees. “I’m still going to NYU too,” she said. “Different program, though. Digital media. I want to do documentary work eventually.”

“I thought you were aiming for film school in California?”

“Changed my mind,” she said, shrugging. “Maybe I got tired of the idea of reinventing myself somewhere that far. Maybe I like the idea of familiar faces.”

He glanced at her. “Is that your way of saying you want me there?”

“Maybe,” she said, grinning. “Or maybe I just want someone to suffer the L train with.”

They sat in silence again, a softer one this time. The kind that didn’t itch at the edges.

Moose let his thoughts wander — past the roof, past the trees, all the way to New York. He imagined Tala walking down some crowded street, earbuds in, face unreadable. Probably not thinking about him. Or maybe she was, just a little.

Enough to feel that same strange ache he felt every time her name popped up in conversation and then disappeared again.

He hadn’t blocked her. He hadn’t deleted anything. But he also hadn’t looked at their messages in weeks. It felt like turning the pages of a book he used to love and realizing he didn’t recognize the words anymore.

“You think she’s lonely?” he asked suddenly.

Camille didn’t answer right away. “Maybe,” she said. “But Tala always liked being lonely a little bit. She turned it into something. Poetry. Acting. Whatever. You remember how she used to talk about characters like they were people she knew?”

“Yeah,” Moose said, smiling faintly. “She said they were 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗲𝗿 than real people.”

“Exactly. Maybe she just needs to figure herself out before she figures anyone else out.”

Moose leaned back on his elbows and stared at the blue sky fading into dusk.

“𝙄 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧,” he said.

“I know,” Camille said, gently.

“𝙞 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧“

“You always will.”

Neither of them said it, but both of them wondered what would happen when fall came and the three of them ended up in the same city again. 𝙒𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙖 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚? 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙏𝙚𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙢𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩?

Maybe not.

But Moose would be there anyway. Not just for her. For himself.

Because whatever happened next — whoever Tala became — 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙞𝙩.

author:

sorry for the small update, as you noticed updates are slower but its finals give me like 2 weeks and i’ll be more active, but i will be posting still in these two weeks, just not as often.

This chapter is an introduction chapter for step up 3D, next update will start the movie storyline.

[flamingoofeathers]

–𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙗𝙤𝙬

pairings: Moose x Tala (OC)

summary: “we were supposed to have a summer”

genre: fluff; angst

series; wc: 4.5k

main masterlist series masterlist

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗚𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦 𝗗𝗜𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗗 to black as the last note of the score played, the final spotlight resting on Tala. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, heart pounding in rhythm with the thunderous applause erupting from the audience. She took one last graceful bow, her eyes scanning the crowd—until she saw 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣.

Her crew.

Smiles, Cable, Hair, Monster, Chase, Kido, Andie, and Fly. Her 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆. Her heart swelled at the sight of them clapping and cheering, some even standing up. Andie had tears in her eyes. Kido was practically bouncing in place. Tala couldn’t help the wide, tearful smile that stretched across her face as the curtain finally dropped.

It was over.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝘪𝘵．

Despite everything — the scandal, the betrayal, the pain of being kicked off the play — she had made it back. She had taken center stage. And she’d owned it.

The cast behind her erupted in a chorus of relieved laughter and cheers. Costumes rustled, makeup smudged with sweat, and hugs were passed around like candy. Everyone was ecstatic.

Well, almost everyone.

Tala kept her smile fixed in place even as James, her co-star — and the guy who’d snitched on her for performing at The Streets — was showered with praise from oblivious classmates. No one knew what he had done. No one cared that she had to grit her teeth and pretend to fall in love with him on stage, her lines feeling like knives in her throat.

She endured it. For the stage. For the 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺.

Now, it was over.

Her eyes drifted upward to the light booth. She knew he’d be there. Her light.

“Tal!” a familiar voice shouted from behind the curtain. Moose.

She turned around just as he came running down the stairs from the lighting panel, a little out of breath, still wearing his tech headset around his neck.

“Moose,” she breathed, relief washing over her as they collided into a tight embrace.

They held onto each other like anchors in a storm, both of them savoring this moment—this victory.

“You did it, baby,” Moose whispered, cupping her cheeks and looking into her eyes like she was the only thing that mattered.

“𝗪𝗲 did it,” Tala replied, fingers curling around his wrists, grounding herself in his warmth.

They leaned in, breath mingling, the moment perfect—

“𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗻𝘇𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘇”

The voice cut through like a record scratch. Tala turned around reluctantly, quickly straightening when she recognized Director Collins — and a small group of sharply dressed adults beside him.

“Sir,” she said politely, glancing between the unfamiliar faces.

“This is the girl I was telling you about,” Collins said proudly. “Tala Gonzalez. Top actress of the school.”

One of the women stepped forward, offering a professional smile. “Ah, so you’re the 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙜𝙮. I’m one of the representatives from Juilliard. Your performance tonight was absolutely outstanding.”

Tala’s heart stopped.

𝗝𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗿𝗱.

She blinked, barely processing the words. Moose nudged her gently, smiling down at her to bring her back to Earth.

“Hi. Yes, I’m Tala,” she said quickly, reaching out to shake the woman’s hand. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise,” the woman replied. “Juilliard would be honored to have you this fall—if you’d have us.”

Tala’s mouth dropped open. “What? Really?” Her hands flew to her face, eyes wide in disbelief.

The group chuckled warmly at her reaction.

“Yes, really,” the representative said.

“Oh my God,” Tala gasped. “I would love to!!”

“Perfect. We’ll be in touch very soon.”

The group began to walk off, Director Collins giving her a proud nod. “Proud of you, Tala,” he said, then followed after them.

Tala stood frozen, stunned.

“TAL, THIS IS GROUNDBREAKING!” Moose yelled, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around in sheer joy.

She laughed, arms tight around his neck as he turned them in circles.

When he finally set her down, she stared up at him, tears welling in her eyes. “I can’t believe this. Moose…𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹.”

He nodded, eyes soft and gleaming. “You made it, Tal.”

She leaned her forehead against his. “We made it.”

From the side of the stage, a familiar voice called out.

“Hey! Superstar! You coming or what?” Andie’s voice echoed, playful and full of love.

Tala turned and saw the rest of the MSA crew waiting by the stage door, clapping and waving her over.

Chase raised a fist in the air, Cable and Smiles were giving each other chest bumps, and Kido looked like she was going to explode from excitement. Fly grinned wide, arms crossed proudly.

Tala looked at Moose. “Let’s go.”

Still hand in hand, they walked to the crew who pulled her into a massive group hug the second she arrived.

“You killed it!” “You were a beast out there!” “That final scene? Tony-worthy!” The praise came from every direction.

Andie stepped back to get a good look at her. “𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗮 𝗚𝗼𝗻𝘇𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘇. 𝗝𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗿𝗱. Damn, that has a nice ring to it.”

“From rebel dancer to stage queen,” Monster grinned.

Tala wiped a tear away and laughed. “You guys, I couldn’t have done this without you.”

Fly shook her head. “Nah, girl. You did this even while pretending to love James. If that’s not award-worthy acting, I don’t know what is.”

They all burst into laughter again.

As the night air cooled outside the theater, they stepped out together, Tala still holding Moose’s hand like it was the lifeline to the dream she had just grabbed.

Moose leaned close and whispered, “Tonight’s yours, Tal. But it’s only the beginning.”

She looked up at him, her heart overflowing.

“Yeah,” she whispered back. “𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴”

𓆩❀𓆪

Later that night, the neon lights of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘚𝘱𝘰𝘵 pulsed like a heartbeat, it wasn’t much from the outside — but inside, it was everything.

Graffiti-tagged walls. Cracked leather booths. Colored spotlights dancing over a hardwood floor that had seen generations of underground dancers. This place wasn’t just a bar. It was history. A sanctuary for movers, artists, dreamers.

The MSA crew took over a booth near the back, crowding around a table already loaded with fries, wings, mocktails, and celebratory milkshakes courtesy of Smiles, who proudly announced, “The bartender still remembers when I brokedance-battled a dude on top of the bar for a free tab.”

“You fell off the bar,” Cable reminded him.

“And still got free drinks,” Smiles countered, tossing a fry at him.

Tala sat nestled between Andie and Moose, still in partial costume, her curls pulled back and her cheeks flushed with a post-show glow. She couldn’t stop smiling—even now, hours later.

Chase raised his glass. “To Tala. Our girl made it to Juilliard. She fought through all of it — James, Collins, the streets — and still owned the damn stage.”

Everyone lifted their glasses in agreement. “To Tala!”

Tala laughed, cheeks pink. “You guys are seriously too much.”

“No, you deserve it,” Andie said, nudging her. “We all watched you get kicked down and come back harder. That takes guts.”

“Also,” Monster added, “let’s never forget that she had to fake romance with the guy who snitched on us.”

Tala groaned. “Why do we keep bringing that up?”

“Because it’s tragic and hilarious,” Fly smirked. “You were serving full Shakespeare with a guy who couldn’t even pass drama class without bribing the teacher.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Moose leaned into Tala’s ear. “You were still magnetic. Even I had to pretend not to get jealous watching you onstage.”

She smiled and squeezed his hand beneath the table. “Good. I was pretending you were in the scene the whole time.”

Moose grinned like a boy with a secret. “Guess that makes me your offstage leading man.”

She bumped his shoulder. “𝘼𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨.”

The music changed, a slow, smooth beat taking over the speakers. Hair, already loosening up, stood and offered Fly his hand. “Shall we?”

Fly smirked and took it. “Only if you’re ready to be shown up.”

They headed to the dance floor, followed quickly by Monster and Smiles, who launched into a goofy freestyle that had the bar patrons clapping and laughing along.

Tala sat back, watching them all move—her people, her world.

Andie leaned across the table. “Feels kinda full-circle, doesn’t it?”

Tala nodded. “Yeah. The first time I came here, I didn’t know where I belonged. Now… it feels like home.”

Andie smiled. “It is home.”

Just then, Moose stood and held out his hand. “Come on, superstar. Let’s dance. 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧”

Tala laughed and took his hand, letting him pull her up and guide her to the floor. The music shifted into a mellow groove, and Moose spun her around with ease, his moves sharp but effortless.

They danced as if the world had faded away—just the two of them, hearts beating in time with the rhythm.

𓆩❀𓆪

The months after the musical blurred into golden memories.

With the weight of the performance behind them, and Tala’s Juilliard acceptance lighting the path ahead, life at MSA took on a strange, beautiful glow. The kind of glow you don’t realize is fading until it’s gone.

And the MSA crew? They were inseparable.

Every spare moment — between classes, during lunch, after rehearsals — was spent together. They were a unit. A family. And nowhere was that bond stronger than between Tala and Moose.

They were in that soft, rare kind of phase where time feels like it’s slowing down just for you.

In the mornings, Moose would wait for Tala at the front steps of MSA, coffee in one hand, her favorite donut in the other. She’d greet him with a sleepy smile and a kiss on the cheek before tucking her arm into his, walking through the doors like they owned the place.

After school, they’d either hang out with the crew in the studio, dancing just for the love of it, or escape to the quiet rooftops of the city, legs dangling over the edge, talking about everything and nothing.

Some nights, she’d fall asleep at his place — curled up on the couch in one of his hoodies, her head on his chest while an old movie played in the background. Other nights, he’d stay at hers, helping her study for finals or running lines for a film elective she’d picked up out of curiosity.

It wasn’t flashy. It wasn’t some whirlwind romance. It was real.

They didn’t just fall in love. They built love.

The MSA crew thrived alongside them. Late-night rehearsals turned into open mic nights at The Beat Spot. Andie and Chase started choreographing their own showcase. Fly and Kido launched a dance blog that was gaining traction. Hair and Cable started DJing on weekends, and Smiles and Monster somehow got cast in a student film after auditioning on a dare.

It wasn’t perfect, but it was alive.

And then…𝙞𝙩 came.

𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

The day was bright, a rare, perfect-blue-sky day in Maryland. The MSA field had been transformed—rows of chairs, a makeshift stage, and the sound of proud families buzzing around like bees.

Tala adjusted her graduation cap for the tenth time, standing beside Moose in her red robe, white cords swinging at her sides. Her heart raced in a way that felt different than performance nerves. This was real. This was it.

“We actually made it,” Moose said, slipping his fingers into hers.

“I know,” she whispered. “It doesn’t feel real yet.”

The entire MSA crew sat in the same row, lined up in cap and gown. When Tala’s name was called—“Tala Gonzalez, 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙣, Juilliard School of Drama”—the entire row stood up and whooped, making everyone else laugh and clap harder. She walked the stage beaming, trying not to cry, clutching her diploma like it was a lifeline.

When Moose’s name was called—“Robert Alexander III, MSA Honors Graduate”—she stood up and screamed loudest of all.

Later, as caps soared into the air, Tala turned and found Moose in the crowd. He reached her first, lifting her into the air and spinning her around like he did the night of the musical.

“You’re officially unstoppable,” he grinned as he set her down.

She looked up at him, eyes glassy with tears, voice soft. “So are you.”

Behind them, the crew shouted and danced, already turning the courtyard into a party of their own. Smiles had brought a portable speaker. Fly had a mini confetti cannon. It was pure chaos.

Tala looked around at them—at her family—and then back at Moose.

“Promise me this isn’t the end,” she said.

Moose leaned in, brushing his lips against her forehead. “It’s not.”

𓆩❀𓆪

It was late, and the rooftop was quiet.

The city stretched out below them, scattered with lights that blinked like distant fireflies. Summer had started to settle in the air, warm and still, wrapping the night in a calm that made the world feel slower—gentler.

Tala sat cross-legged on an old blanket, a bowl of cherries between her and Moose. He was lying on his back beside her, one arm folded behind his head, the other lazily tossing a cherry stem into the air.

They had been quiet for a while. Not because they had nothing to say—but because sometimes silence between them felt just as full as words.

Tala glanced down at him, the moonlight catching the curve of his jaw, the messy curls she always teased him about, the subtle way his fingers tapped a beat even when he didn’t realize it.

“Hey,” she said softly, breaking the quiet.

Moose turned his head toward her. “Yeah?”

She hesitated for a second, then asked, “Have you thought about what you want to do after this? Like… after high school?”

Moose was quiet. He looked up at the stars for a moment, biting the inside of his cheek. “I mean… sometimes. Not really sure yet.”

Tala nodded slowly, trying not to show how that answer made her chest tighten. “Not even a little idea?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Everything’s been moving so fast—I haven’t really stopped to figure it out.”

Tala forced a smile. “Yeah. That makes sense.”

She looked away, pretending to focus on the skyline. But deep down, a quiet ache began to grow.

She wanted to tell him. That she was scared to go to New York without him. That Juilliard was her dream, yes—but he had become part of that dream too. That when she pictured the city lights, she didn’t just see stages and spotlights.

She saw him.

But she didn’t say any of it.

Instead, she plucked a cherry from the bowl and popped it in her mouth, nodding again like she was okay. Like she understood.

Because she did understand.

She just wished it didn’t hurt so much.

“You’ll figure it out,” she said finally, her voice calm. “You always do.”

Moose looked over at her again, his expression softening. He reached out and laced his fingers through hers.

“You okay?”

She smiled, eyes on their joined hands. “Yeah,” she lied gently. “I’m okay.”

And for now, that was enough.

They sat there in the quiet again, the world humming around them, both thinking about a future neither of them could quite see clearly—but silently hoping they’d still be in it together.

𓆩❀𓆪

The Maryland air was thick and warm, the kind of late July heat that stuck to your skin even after sunset. The city lights blinked lazily in the distance as crickets sang below. Tala sat alone on the rooftop, legs pulled to her chest, arms wrapped around her knees.

She clutched the Juilliard letter in her lap, already crumpled at the corners from rereading it over and over again.

Early admission. One month ahead. Report next week.

It should’ve felt like a dream coming true. But all she could think about was how to tell Moose.

She had texted him just twenty minutes earlier:

“𝘔𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘰𝘱? 𝘕𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬”

Now, she heard the familiar creak of the rooftop door, followed by the shuffle of sneakers. She didn’t turn right away.

“Tala?” Moose’s voice was easy, familiar, warm. “You okay?”

She looked up at him, trying to smile. “Hey.”

He crossed the rooftop quickly, crouching in front of her. “What’s going on? You sounded serious.”

Tala hesitated, looking at her hands. Then, without a word, she handed him the letter.

Moose took it, eyes scanning the page, his brow furrowing for a moment—before his face lit up. “Early admission?” he grinned. “Wait, this is amazing! Tala, this is—this is huge! You got in early? That’s like—”

“I have to leave next week.”

The words hit like a quiet bomb.

Moose blinked. “Oh.”

She nodded slowly. “They want me there by the first. I’d be in the summer intensive program before the semester starts.”

He looked down at the letter again, then back at her. “Still, this is incredible. You’ve gotta go, Tal. This is exactly what you’ve worked for.”

“I know,” she whispered.

“But…” He paused. “Why do you look like someone just told you your dog died?”

Tala’s eyes filled before she could stop them. “Because we had all these plans.”

Moose frowned. “Tala…”

“We were supposed to go to that music festival. Hit every diner in the city. Dance on that stupid subway platform like idiots. 𝙒𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧.”

“Tal, we can still have a summer. Just a shorter one. One week is still time—”

“It’s not the same,” she said, voice breaking.

Moose stepped closer, concern etched in his face. “Hey, hey… don’t do this. Don’t let this ruin it.”

But she shook her head. “I’ve been thinking about not going.”

“What?” he said quickly, confused. “Why?”

“Because…” she said, finally looking him in the eyes. “Because I don’t want to leave 𝘆𝗼𝘂.”

His breath caught.

“I know it sounds stupid. I know this is everything I’ve wanted. But the idea of going there, and you not being with me, and everything changing overnight—it 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙨 the hell out of me.”

“Tala…”

“I don’t want to do long distance,” she blurted. “I don’t even know how to. What if we grow apart? What if we 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠?”

Moose stood frozen for a moment, the excitement drained from his face. “So what are you saying?”

She looked down. “I’m saying… if I go, maybe that means…𝘄𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿.”

The silence between them grew heavy, like it might crack the sky.

Moose’s voice dropped. “You think leaving means we just…𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳?”

“I don’t know what else to think,” she said, her voice shaking. “I’m terrified I’ll lose you.”

Moose stepped back, stunned. “So… instead of trusting what we have, you’d just throw it away?”

“That’s not what I’m doing,” she said quickly.

“Then what 𝗮𝗿𝗲 you doing, Tala? Because right now it sounds like you’re walking away before either of us has even tried.”

“I’m 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙, Moose!” she cried. “I’m scared I won’t be able to handle missing you. I don’t want to feel like I’m out there alone while you’re back here, and everything starts to fade.”

Moose didn’t say anything. His jaw clenched, his hands falling to his sides.

Tears welled up in Tala’s eyes, and for a moment, neither of them could look at the other. Then her phone buzzed on the rooftop floor.

She picked it up, glanced at the screen.

𝘋𝘢𝘥.

She wiped her eyes. “I have to go.”

She didn’t wait for a response. Just leaned in and pressed a quick, trembling kiss to Moose’s cheek. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

And then she was gone.

Moose stood still, the letter still in his hands.

The rooftop door clicked shut behind her, leaving him alone in the warm, humming silence.

He sat down slowly, his back against the wall where she had been minutes ago. His eyes burned, but he didn’t wipe the tears away.

He just let them fall.

𓆩❀𓆪

The door slammed gently behind Tala as she entered the apartment, her vision blurry with tears. Her chest ached with the weight of everything unsaid. Her father looked up from the couch, worry already in his eyes.

“Tala?” he asked, standing.

She didn’t answer — just dropped her bag by the door and walked straight into his arms.

He held her tightly without a word. Her shoulders trembled against his chest, tears soaking into his shirt. For a long time, they stood like that, just breathing.

“I don’t know what to do,” she choked out eventually. “i never thought it would come to this.”

Her dad smoothed her hair, resting his chin on her head. “You didn’t know.”

“I don’t want to choose between him and my dream,” she whispered. “But it feels like I just lost both.”

“No,” he said gently, pulling back to look at her. “You’re not losing anything. You’re growing. That kind of change feels like loss… but sometimes it’s just making room for what’s next.”

She didn’t answer, just nodded faintly, exhausted and broken in ways she couldn’t name.

𝗔 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞 𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗥

Tala stood near the gate, her carry-on at her feet and her Juilliard folder clutched to her chest. Her hair was tied back, face bare, heart quiet. She was dressed comfortably but there was a seriousness to her, a calm forged in the fire of the past week.

One by one, her friends from the MSA crew arrived — Smiles with a handmade card, Cable with snacks she definitely wouldn’t eat on the plane, Hair giving her a half-hug, half-shove that made her laugh for the first time in days. Kido had drawn a cartoon version of them all on a scrap of napkin and taped it to her bag.

Andie and Chase arrived last, pulling her into a long, quiet hug that 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵.

She felt the warmth of all of them, the support, the love—and yet, she couldn’t help scanning the crowd.

Looking for 𝙝𝙞𝙢.

𝗪𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴.

𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴.

But the minutes passed. Her boarding group was called.

Still 𝗻𝗼 Moose.

𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙧.

She hugged her friends one last time, holding tighter than she probably should’ve. Her eyes stung, but she didn’t cry. Not this time. She was out of tears.

As she handed over her ticket and walked down the jet bridge, the hum of the plane grew louder, swallowing her old world behind her.

She paused at the end of the walkway, just before stepping onto the aircraft. Her chest tightened—but she kept going.

As she found her seat and placed her bag under the chair in front of her, she stared out the window, watching the tarmac blur in the rising heat.

𝘔𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥．

She rested her head against the cool glass, closed her eyes, and let herself breathe.

This was happening.

New York. Juilliard. A dream unfolding.

Even if her heart wasn’t fully ready, her feet kept moving forward.

Because sometimes…

𝙏𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙥 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙗𝙜 𝙖 𝙛𝙚𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙙.

𓆩❀𓆪

Moose’s heart was pounding as he raced through the Maryland airport, weaving between people with his backpack slung over one shoulder, the laces of his sneakers half-tied. He checked the gate number scribbled on his hand again—𝗕-𝟮𝟳.

He should’ve come earlier. He should’ve answered her calls. He should’ve said something then, when she was standing in front of him with her heart in her hands.

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘯’𝘵.

And now he was running, praying for one last chance.

The terminal opened in front of him—and there it was.

𝗕𝟮𝟳.

𝙀𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙮.

He looked out the massive pane of glass just in time to see the plane taxiing back from the gate, slowly rolling toward the runway.

There she was. Row 16, window seat.

𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙖.

She was staring out, her eyes unfocused, face calm but unreadable. Maybe she felt it. Maybe she didn’t.

He stepped toward the window, breath catching, hand resting on the glass like it could somehow reach her.

But she didn’t look up.

The plane picked up speed. And then—it lifted.

Higher, higher—until it disappeared into the golden-blue sky of late July.

He stood there, frozen.

He had so many things he wanted to say.

Too many.

And now none of them mattered.

Moose stood by the window long after the plane had disappeared into the horizon.

He hadn’t moved. Barely blinked.

The terminal had grown quieter, echoing with the sound of rolling luggage and the distant chatter of airport announcements. But in Moose’s world, everything had gone still.

Until he heard it—sneakers scuffing against tile. A voice.

“Moose!”

He turned, slowly.

The crew was there. Andie, Chase, Fly, Monster, Kido, Hair, Cable, Smiles—all of them, slightly out of breath, clearly having rushed in behind him.

Andie stepped forward first. “We saw your texts. Tried to catch you before you ran out.”

“You just missed her, huh?” Chase asked quietly.

Moose didn’t answer. He just gave the faintest nod.

Fly looked at him with her usual sharp honesty. “You tried, man.”

“I should’ve said something sooner,” he murmured, eyes still on the tarmac. “She was right there. I let her go.”

“No,” Andie said firmly, stepping beside him. “She had to go. You both did what you thought was right. And that’s what makes this hard.”

Moose swallowed hard, his fingers curling into his hoodie pocket. “She thought this meant we were over.”

Kido leaned against the railing beside him. “You know what I think? If she really meant that, she wouldn’t still be looking for you on that plane.”

He turned.

“She was,” Smiles said quietly. “We saw her. She kept looking at the gate until the doors closed.”

Moose closed his eyes for a moment, letting the ache in his chest speak. “Why does this hurt so much?”

“Because you love her,” Chase said simply. “And sometimes love means letting someone go do the thing they’re meant for.”

“And it doesn’t mean it’s the end,” Andie added. “Just… the end of this chapter.”

Silence settled over them again. Not awkward—just honest.

Moose stared at the sky a long time.

Then he spoke, barely above a whisper.

“𝙄 𝙜𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙞 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣.”

authors note:

that's the end of step up 2, also im sorry for the late update, school has been hell, risking to loose this year because of one damn subject.

This chapter had two ways it could go, one happily ever after but the book ends there but since it continues i did what had to be done but worry not its not over...hopefully.

[flamingoofeathers]

–𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙨𝙤𝙣

pairings: Moose x Tala (OC)

summary: “come here, son”

genre: fluff

series; wc: 1.9k

main masterlist series masterlist

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 fundraiser gala sparkled with chandeliers and the shimmer of gowns. Classical music danced through the air, soft and hollow, drowned beneath the clink of crystal glasses and the distant murmur of polite conversation. It was a night meant for celebration — for a new building, a new school, a 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 for Maryland.

But for the MSA crew, it felt like something else entirely.

Monster, Smiles, Cable, and Hair weaved through the room, expertly balancing trays of hors d’oeuvres and champagne. They didn’t speak to each other, not more than a glance. The way they passed one another in silence said it all: they weren’t here together, not like before.

Fly stood at the entrance, her usual energy dialed down to quiet professionalism as she checked off names, nodded to donors, and kept a close eye on who came and went.

Kido was moving through the chaos like a ghost in command. Everything — every food, light drink, decorations — was under her jurisdiction tonight. No one questioned her. They didn’t have time to.

Upstairs, in one of the upper halls, Chase stretched for the dance piece they were gonna perform later in the night. But his eyes kept drifting downward, toward the others. His friends. Or former friends. It was hard to say now.

𓆩❀𓆪

Backstage, in the dressing rooms, Tala stood with a handful of bobby pins clenched between her lips, focused as she finished pinning up a dancer’s bun.

“Hey,” came a hesitant voice.

Tala barely glanced at Sophie. “Mm?” she hummed, noncommittal.

“I’m sorry. About the play.”

Tala didn’t stop what she was doing, but her body tensed — the shift was subtle, but it was there.

“It’s all good,” she said coolly, waving off the dancer she’d finished. The girl thanked her and scurried off, leaving the room thick with tension.

“You deserved that role,” Sophie pressed.

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” Tala answered, biting down the bitterness.

“No. I mean it. I know we’ve been at each other’s throats since freshman year, but Juilliard is your dream, not mine. You should be up there tomorrow.”

Tala gave a tight smile. “Thanks. But it’s too late now.”

“I tried talking to Director Collins,” Sophie said quickly. “He wouldn’t listen.”

“Thanks, really. But it’s fine.” Her laugh was light — fake. “Theatre’s not my whole life.”

“But it is—”

“Leave it, Sophie.” Tala’s voice cracked like a whip, shutting it down.

She moved toward the exit, the walls suddenly too close, the air too tight.

“𝗜𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀.”

Tala froze, hand on the doorknob. “What?”

“James told Collins about the crew,” Sophie said. “I heard them, but… that’s how Collins knew.”

A spark lit in Tala’s chest — anger, betrayal. “Right,” she scoffed. “That dick.”

“Sorry.”

“Thanks, Sophie.” Her smile was sharp this time, all teeth. Then she left.

𓆩❀𓆪

The door to the sound booth flung open, nearly slamming against the wall.

Moose jumped, knocking over a half-filled soda.

“It was James.”

“What?”

“He told Collins about me. About us. Of course it was him.” She ran a frustrated hand through her hair.

“What the hell?” Moose stood up, jaw tight.

Before either could say another word, both their phones buzzed in unison.

𝟴𝗧𝗛 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗠𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗧. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗧𝗦 𝗜𝗦 𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧

They stared at each other.

The choreography, the sweat, the stolen rehearsals late at night — all of it had been for this moment. But everything had fallen apart before they got to see it through.

Moose rubbed his head, overwhelmed.

Then, another notification lit up their screens.

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲: 𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁. 𝗕𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲.

They locked eyes. This time, it wasn’t sadness — it was fire.

“This is crazy,” Tala breathed, watching Moose gather his things.

“Well, that’s the crew.” He grinned.

Before they could move, the door burst open again — Director Collins, storming in with all the fury of a man betrayed.

“Wanna tell me what the hell is going on?”

Tala hesitated, glancing at Moose “They’re at Streets,”

“The Streets.” His tone was dangerously calm.

“I have to stop this.”

“Wait,” Tala stepped forward. “You always tell us that dance is about having something to say, right?”

“Yes, but I never meant—”

“Well. I think a lot of people are 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 speaking up”

“I can’t just allow my students to participate in something illegal.”

“There’s a reason they’re there and not here,” Moose added.

Collins turned to him. “And you are?”

“I’m Robert Alexander III. But you can call me Moose.” He pointed at Tala. “I dance with her crew.”

“You dance?” Collins blinked, baffled.

“Damn right, I dance,” Moose said smugly. “I can take you to where they are.”

Collins turned to the door. “Okay, Goose. Let’s go.”

Tala snorted, barely containing her laugh.

“No, no, no — it’s Moose,” he corrected, half offended.

“Whatever,” Collins muttered, already gone.

Moose stood stunned for a beat.

“C’mon, Goose.” Tala clapped him on the shoulder. “Lead the way.”

“Don’t start.”

𓆩❀𓆪

The car ride was awkward—painfully so. Ten minutes felt like eternity, thick with tension.

When they finally parked, noise from inside the building drew their attention—bass-thumping, shouts, movement.

“This way.” Moose nodded, already moving.

Without thinking, Tala reached for his hand. He took it, squeezing gently as they ran, assuming Director Collins wasn’t far behind.

“Wait—” Director Collins said, as he had just got out of the car.

Inside, bodies packed the space wall-to-wall. They scanned the crowd, frantic.

“THERE!” Tala pointed, spotting Kido waving like crazy, jumping to be seen.

Moose led the charge, cutting through the crowd like it was nothing.

“And it shouldn’t matter what we wear,” Andie’s voice rose above the crowd, commanding. “What school or what neighbourhood we come from, because the best part about ‘The Streets’ is that its not about what you got, it’s what you make of what you got.”

The crowd erupted, the energy palpable, electric.

Tala glanced back—there, at the entrance, stood Director Collins. Watching. Something about his expression had shifted. It wasn’t anger. It was…pride?

Grinning, she elbowed Moose and nodded subtly toward him.

“He’s getting it,” Moose smirked, slipping his arm around her shoulders as they both turned back to Andie.

“So if the 410’s too scared to defend their title against us,” Andie challenged, “then hell—”

She scoffed, eyes blazing.

“We’ll be outside, doing our thing, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 ‘𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙨’ 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙙 ”

The room detonated with cheers, bodies moving as one toward the exit.

Outside, rain poured in sheets, cold and relentless. But no one cared. They came to dance—and they weren’t leaving until they did..

As the crowd gathered, Moose darted up to the light box. Then—blackout.

A beat.

The music dropped.

And chaos bloomed.

The choreography was explosive and raw, filled with — popping, krumping, hiphop, breakdancing and locking — each member carrying their own flavour and style, yet they moved as a unit. it was a sight to see.

They danced with attitude, defiance and passion. Igniting a fire within Director Collin’s.

𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩.

Every stomp, spin, and shout feels like breaking chains. They moved with wild freedom, their bodies spelling out truths they haven’t been allowed to say back at MSA.

As they lock eyes, as their feet pound in sync, the joy becomes something bigger than them: a shared heartbeat, a rebellion pulsing with hope.

It’s the kind of joy that rises from struggle—the joy of saying we’re still here, and you can’t silence us. It’s fierce. Beautiful. Untouchable.

And it was beautiful.

When the final note hit, the crew snapped into one last pose. Moose, arm outstretched, Tala tucked close against his chest—both breathless, grinning.

The crowd lost it.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘵���

“WE DID IT!” Moose shouted, grabbing Tala into a euphoric hug.

“YES, WE DID!” she laughed, voice cracking with joy.

They held each other, hearts racing, thunder clapping above them. Maybe they’d get expelled tomorrow. Maybe not. Right now, only one thing mattered.

They danced.

They lived.

They pulled apart just enough to meet each other’s eyes. Their gazes dropped to each other’s lips, inching closer, smiles curling—

“Hey, Moose.”

They both froze, chuckling under their breath, as Director Collins appeared, smug and amused.

“Yeah, you,” he teased. Andie snorted from beside him.

“I think you might be in the wrong department,” Collins added with a raised brow.

Moose blinked, pointing at himself. “Me?”

“OH MY GOD!” Tala squealed, hugging and shaking him with excitement. “Are you serious?!”

Collins turned to her with that same smirk. “And you, Tala.”

“Oh, he’s having way too much fun interrupting them,” Missy muttered behind them, making the group laugh.

“Yeah, Sir?” Tala asked, still bouncing.

“You’ve got an early show tomorrow,” he said with a knowing smile.

“For real?” she breathed.

“For real.”

Tala shrieked, flinging herself into a hug that caught Collins completely off guard — again.

“THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!” she said, voice muffled in his coat.

“Make me proud,” he said gently, patting her back.

She grinned and ran to her crew, met with cheers and hugs and happy tears.

Collins straightened his coat. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, i have a little explaining to do with the fundraiser”

“Oh yeah,” Andie laughed.

As Collins walked off, Andie turned to Moose, smug.

“See? I told you we could help each other.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Moose replied, trying to hide his grin “Whatever.”

“‘Whatever,’” Andie mocked with a smirk.

They bumped fists.

Then she tilted her head behind him.

“Go get your girl.”

Moose turned. Tala was celebrating with the others, drenched in rain, glowing.

“Go get your man,” he shot back before striding toward her.

He grabbed her gently, spun her around—then 𝙠𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 her. Fully, without hesitation.

The world fell away. All that was left was them.

The crew hooted and whistled before giving them space.

Their kiss deepened, every emotion they’d been too scared to say pouring out in a single, perfect moment.

When they finally broke apart, foreheads resting together, hearts thudding—

“Guess I’ll have to tell your dad I’m dating his daughter now,” Moose whispered, teasing.

Tala giggled, about to reply when—

“Yes. You do.”

They both turned.

Tala’s father stood there, rain streaking down his face, his expression soft with pride.

“Dad!” Tala rushed into his arms.

He hugged her tight, strong and proud. Moose stood back, heart full.

“I’m so proud of you, Tala,” Mr. Gonzalez said, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“Thanks, Dad,” she whispered.

Then, Mr. Gonzalez looked toward Moose.

“Come here, son.”

Moose approached, caught off guard when the man pulled him into a hug.

“I’m proud of you too, Moose.”

“Thank you, Mr. Gonzalez,” Moose said, voice a little shaky.

The man stepped back, locking eyes with Moose.

“I trust you’ll take care of her.”

“With everything I am,” Moose replied, looking over at Tala.

Her dad nodded, satisfied. Then he turned, tossing Moose one final look—quiet, knowing.

As he walked away, Moose pulled Tala close, arms around her waist, nose brushing hers.

“Your dad definitely likes me now.”

“Oh, he adores you,” Tala grinned, pulling him into another kiss.

And this time—no one interrupted.

author:

theres one last chapter after this and then i might continue to step up 3, since i have ideas but idk, so if you could comment whether you want the story to go on or not, bc then the ending of this book will be different based on whether this continues or not

[flamingoofeathers]

–𝙤𝙛𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮

pairings: Moose x Tala (OC)

summary: “Someone told Director Collins I’m competing in ’The Streets.’”

genre: angst, fluff, hurt/comfort

series; wc: 4.3k

main masterlist series masterlist

𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗔'𝗦 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗛𝗔𝗗 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 𝗔 𝗗𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗠.

The kind that made her cheeks warm just remembering it. The night before, she and Moose had shared a moment—a real moment. It wasn't flashy or dramatic. Just quiet, honest, and a little 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤.

Now, as she stepped through the front doors of MSA, that memory still echoed in her chest like a secret song.

But her smile vanished the second she saw the crowd.

Students were huddled outside one of the rehearsal studios, murmuring, phones out, expressions tense. Tala picked up her pace, shouldering her way through until she reached the doorway.

And froze.

The room looked like a 𝙬𝙖𝙧 𝙯𝙤𝙣𝙚.

Glass crunched under her sneakers as she stepped inside. The mirrors lining the wall were smashed, shards scattered across the floor. The overhead lights were shattered—some dangling from the ceiling like they'd been ripped down. Spray paint covered every surface in harsh, slanted letters. Furniture was overturned, broken. A deep red "X" covered the back wall.

And scrawled above it, in thick black strokes:

"𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗬 𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗧𝗦."

Tala's breath caught.

She scanned the room and found him.

Moose stood near the far wall, shoulders hunched, hands in his jacket pockets, his face pale under the flickering light. He looked like he hadn't moved in a while. Like he was still processing it all.

Without thinking, Tala rushed over to him. "Moose, are you okay? Were you here when this happened?"

He turned slowly, his eyes meeting hers. There was a flicker of something in them—shock.

"I'm okay," he said softly patting her head.

Before she could press him, the door slammed open again.

Director Collins strode in, his steps echoing through the ruined studio. He stopped short, eyes widening as he took in the damage.

He moved slowly through the destruction, his jaw clenched.

Then, turning to the crowd outside the door, his voice rose: "Does anybody know who is responsible for this?"

No one answered.

They didn't have to.

The message on the wall said it all.

Collins followed their gazes. When he saw the words, his face darkened.

He turned back toward the students, voice sharp and final. "This school will not be associated with these competitions. Is that clear?"

Tala felt a chill go down her spine.

Collins' voice thundered now. "Any future involvement by our students in The Streets will lead to immediate 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝘂𝗹𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻."

She looked at Moose. He was already looking at her.

The fear between them didn't need to be spoken.

"And anyone with any information," Collins added, sweeping his gaze across them, "is expected to come forward."

Then he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

A tense silence hung in the air until one of the assistant instructors barked, "You heard him. Get this place cleaned up."

Slowly, students started to move—quiet, shaken, stepping over glass and splinters.

"𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘥𝘰?"

𓆩❀𓆪

The lunch bell rang like an afterthought to the tension brewing all morning. The MSA crew had agreed to meet during the break in their usual rehearsal studio — not to dance, but to talk. To figure out what was going to happen to them, to The Streets, to everything they'd been building outside the school's walls.

Moose sat on one of the tables glancing at the door every few seconds. Fly paced. Kido leaned back in a chair with her arms crossed, while Fly and Monster murmured to each other.

But one seat stayed empty.

Tala 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱.

Instead of heading to the studio, Tala slipped through the quieter back corridors of MSA. Her feet moved on instinct, taking her somewhere she used to feel calm — the theatre.

Her chest still felt heavy from what she'd seen earlier. The studio trashed. Moose's face. Director Collins' words. Her mind spiraled with the same question over and over:

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥？

She pushed the theatre door open, expecting the usual silence, the faint scent of sawdust and old velvet. She just wanted to move, start early on her solo, breathe a little.

But she wasn't alone.

Director Collins stood center stage, arms crossed, posture tense.

Tala froze. "Sir—I'm sorry. I didn't think anyone would be in here."

Collins didn't smile. Didn't blink. "No problem, Miss Gonzalez," he said coolly. "You're exactly the person I was looking for."

A chill crept up her spine. "Oh—umm. What can I help you with, sir?"

He walked slowly toward the edge of the stage, voice calm but tight. "A little birdie told me..." he leaned back against the platform, eyes sharp, "you're competing at 'The Streets.'"

Tala's heart stopped. "What?" she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper. Her head shot up. The blood drained from her face.

"Is that true?" Collins asked, straightening up.

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Her lungs squeezed. Her throat closed. "I—I—" She stuttered, hands trembling by her sides. The walls felt like they were caving in. Her vision swam.

Tears welled in her eyes.

Collins let out a short, dry scoff. "You're a good kid, Miss Gonzalez," he said, pacing down the steps toward her. "Believe it or not, you're one of the top students here."

She looked up at him, desperate for mercy.

"That's why I'm not expelling you." He stopped in front of her. "But you're out of the school play."

The words hit like a slap to the chest.

"No," Tala whispered, her voice cracking. She turned after him as he walked away. "Please, you can't—this is all I have—please."

"I don't want to hear it, Miss Gonzalez," Collins snapped, already halfway to the door. "You're out."

He didn't look back.

The door swung shut with a hollow echo.

Tala stood there in the quiet, her chest shaking, the tears falling freely now. Her legs gave out, and she sank to the floor of the stage she once dreamed of owning. Her hands covered her face, sobs breaking loose, drowning out the silence.

The theatre had never felt...𝙨𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙙.

𓆩❀𓆪

Moose was moving 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 now.

He'd checked every hallway between rehearsals, glanced through the glass panels of her classes—empty. No Tala. He tried the courtyard where she sometimes lingered after lunch, sitting with a sketchbook and earbuds in, legs curled beneath her. No one. Not even a trace.

He rushed to the side dance studio—the one with the warped mirror she never liked but always used when she needed to be alone. Nothing. It was like she'd vanished.

But Moose knew her better than that.

There was one last place.

He jogged down the back corridor and reached for the creaky theatre door. It groaned open slowly. The room was still. Empty.

But the stage lights were on.

"Tal?" Moose called, his voice echoing across the seats.

Suddenly, the lights flickered off. Then back on. Then off again.

He squinted upward, confused. His eyes landed on the sound booth tucked at the back of the theater, high above the seats. A figure sat slouched in the chair, a hand lazily playing with the lighting controls.

Moose let out a soft, relieved laugh. "Of course," he murmured.

He took the aisle steps two at a time and pushed open the narrow stairway door. It groaned open with a metallic creak. At the top, he eased into the small booth, grinning.

"Tal', I've been searching all over for you," he said, stepping inside, leaning casually against the edge of the control panel. "You didn't show up at the meeting, and I got worried."

The girl didn't speak.

She didn't even look at him—just kept fiddling with the light switch, her long hair falling over her face, hiding her completely.

"Listen—" Moose tried again, glancing down at the stage as the lights kept flickering off and on. "You're kinda making this look like a haunted house."

Still no answer.

"Tal?" he said, now his voice softer. Concern rising.

He stepped closer and gently reached out, brushing her hair from her face.

What he saw made his breath 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵.

Her eyes were bloodshot. Tears streamed silently down her cheeks. Mascara had streaked dark lines down to her jaw. She stared blankly ahead, not seeing him, not seeing anything.

"Tala," Moose whispered, crouching in front of her, his hands steadying her arms. "What happened?"

She didn't respond.

"Tal, talk to me." He took her hand, gently pulling it away from the controls. "Please."

Her fingers went still.

Then, finally, she looked at him.

The moment their eyes met, she broke.

A sob tore out of her chest, and she collapsed forward. Moose didn't hesitate—he caught her, wrapping his arms around her trembling frame. She gripped his shirt like she was holding on for dear life, her whole body shaking with grief.

He held her tightly, whispering into her hair. "It's okay... I got you. I'm here."

Minutes passed in silence, only the sound of her crying filling the booth. When the sobs softened into quiet sniffles, he gently pulled her back just enough to see her face. He cupped her cheek, wiping away the tears still falling.

"What's going on?" he asked, voice quiet, searching her eyes.

"I'm off the play," Tala whispered, her voice breaking into a shaky, hollow smile.

"What?" Moose said, stunned. "Why? What happened?"

She rested her hand over his where it cradled her face, grounding herself. "Someone told Director Collins I'm competing in 'The Streets.'"

His face changed—confusion, anger, disbelief. "Who would do that?"

"I—" Her voice cracked again. "I don't know."

A long pause.

"Without this play, I'm 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴, Moose," she choked out. "It was everything. It was my ticket... my future. Without it, I go 𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲."

Her tears returned, threatening to overwhelm her again.

"Hey, hey." Moose pulled her back into his arms. "Don't say that."

He held her as she cried again, hands stroking her back gently. "We'll figure something out, okay? I promise. I'm with you no matter what."

She clung to him, barely holding herself together.

"I mean it, Tal. I don't care what Collins says. You're not alone in this."

He pressed a kiss into her hair.

And in that booth above the silent theatre, where dreams had just been broken, Tala let herself believe—for just a second—that maybe not everything was lost.

𓆩❀𓆪

The MSA crew was 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲.

After Director Collins' announcement, fear settled into everyone's bones. No one dared test the threat of expulsion. And so, one by one, they all quietly stepped back.

The crew's usual courtyard spot—wedged near the trashcans, where they'd once laughed so hard it drew stares—was now empty. Like it had never been theirs. Like they'd never existed.

They all still saw each other. In passing. In classes. On the street.

But not Moose. Not Tala.

It was like they vanished.

The truth? They hadn't gone far. Most days, they drifted together through the ghost halls—those quiet back corridors of MSA where they'd first met. Some afternoons, they curled up in the sound booth above the theatre, safe and unseen.

Tala even met Camille—Moose's oldest friend. She didn't come by often, but when she did, she and Tala hit it off instantly, especially when it came to roasting Moose.

"So let me get this straight," Tala said, grinning. "You wore fingerless gloves in middle school. On purpose?"

Camille burst out laughing. "And he called them his '𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴'?"

Moose turned, eyes wide with faux offense. "They gave me grip!"

"No, they gave you audacity," Camille shot back.

Moose groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Why do I tell you people anything?"

"Because you love us," Camille and Tala said in unison, high-fiving immediately after.

"I regret ever introducing you two."

In those moments, Tala felt... okay again. Her world still had cracks. But Moose made it feel whole.

𓆩❀𓆪

The sky was deep blue by the time Moose walked her home.

They took the long way, feet scuffing on cracked sidewalks, hands almost brushing. By the time they reached her front porch, the laughter had faded into a soft, comfortable silence.

Moose stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets. "Well, I guess I should—"

"Want to stay for dinner?" Tala interrupted, hopeful.

Moose blinked. "Oh. Uh—I—really?"

Tala giggled at how flustered he was. "Come on," she grinned, grabbing his arm and tugging him toward the door. "You're not getting out of this."

The moment they stepped inside, she called out, "I'm home!"

A voice responded almost instantly. "Hey, sweetie."

Her dad stepped around the corner, dish towel over his shoulder.

"Hi, Dad." Tala leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. Then she motioned beside her. "Dad, this is Moose. Moose, my dad."

Moose quickly stepped forward, offering his hand. "Nice to meet you, sir."

Her dad shook it firmly. "So this is the Moose I've heard all about."

Tala's eyes went wide. "Daaad," she groaned.

Moose laughed nervously.

"All right, all right. Dinner's almost ready. Go do... whatever teenagers do these days."

With a wave of his hand, he shooed them off.

Tala led Moose up the stairs with a casual "C'mon," glancing back only once to make sure he was following. He was — but his steps were a little slower, his eyes wide, taking in every unfamiliar detail.

"I can't believe I'm here," Moose muttered under his breath.

"What?" Tala asked, unlocking her bedroom door.

"Nothing—just," he looked around, "your house is nice. I wasn't ready to be pulled in like I belong here."

She chuckled, opening the door. "Well... you kinda do."

Moose blinked, trying to play it cool. "Oh. Right. Yeah. Totally."

She stepped into the room first. "Okay, don't judge. I didn't expect company."

Moose entered behind her, his hands in his jacket pockets like he wasn't sure where to put them. "This is way cleaner than my room. Mine looks like a sneaker tornado."

Tala laughed, sitting on the edge of her bed. "I believe that. You seem like the type to own twelve pairs and wear two."

"Hey," he said, smirking. "It's part of the style."

"You got a lot of style," she teased, "for a guy who got flustered over dinner."

Moose held up a hand. "In my defense, I didn't think I'd be meeting your 𝘥𝘢𝘥 today. I thought we were gonna vibe in the theatre, not... you know, 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳."

Tala smiled softly. "You handled it fine. He liked you."

"Yeah? He didn't threaten me or anything."

"He saved that for dessert," she deadpanned, making Moose chuckle.

He looked around her room—his gaze landing on a sketchpad on her desk. "You draw?"

"Sometimes," she said with a shy shrug. "Mostly for costumes. Or just stuff I dream up."

"That's cool. You got hidden talents, huh?"

Tala tilted her head. "I guess. You've got some too."

Moose raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Like... you're a way better dancer than you pretend to be. You hide behind all that goofy charm, but you're sharp. Smart."

He blinked, surprised. "No one's ever said that before."

"Well, I notice stuff," Tala said with a soft smile.

Moose rubbed the back of his neck, eyes dropping to the floor for a second. "You're making me blush, Gonzalez."

"You? A street dancer with a million fans on the sidewalk? Blushing?"

"Don't let the hair fool you. I'm soft," he said, giving her a playful wink.

She giggled. "I know."

There was a pause, but it wasn't awkward. Just comfortable.

Moose glanced back at her. "So what do you do when you're not acting, dancing or sketching?"

Tala leaned back on her hands. "Not much, honestly. I just hang out here. Sometimes I write. Watch old dance movies. Talk to the ceiling."

"The ceiling?" he grinned.

"Yeah. It's a good listener."

Moose nodded. "Well, I'm honored to be upgraded from ceiling to dinner guest."

Before Tala could answer, her dad called from downstairs. "Dinner's hot!"

Tala stood and offered him her hand. "C'mon, Mr. Sneaker Tornado. Let's eat."

Moose took her hand, letting her pull him up. "Lead the way, Miss Sketchbook."

𓆩❀𓆪

The table was already set when Moose and Tala walked in. Tala's dad was setting down a bowl of roasted potatoes, and the smell of garlic and spices filled the air.

"Smells amazing," Moose said, sliding into the chair Tala motioned to.

"Glad you think so," her dad replied with a grin. "I had to bribe the oven with a prayer and a promise."

"So," Tala's dad said, taking a sip of his soda, "how'd you two meet?"

"In the hallway," Tala said, reaching for a spoonful of rice. "He was doing a pirouette and almost took my head off."

"I was not doing a pirouette—" Moose protested.

"You were."

"I was warming up!"

Her dad laughed. "You threatened her life with breakdancing. Impressive."

They all chuckled, and for a moment, the room felt easy—comfortable.

Then her dad nodded Moose's way. "Alright, now tell me. Moose? That your real name or did you lose a bet?"

Moose smiled sheepishly, lowering his fork. "No bet. It's a nickname... from when I was younger."

Her dad leaned in, clearly interested. "Let's hear it."

Moose rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I had this big, poofy hair that just kind of floated everywhere—especially when I ran. A few kids at school started calling me 'baby moose' because apparently, I looked like one trying to learn how to walk. It stuck."

Tala's dad let out a big laugh. "That's fantastic. Moose. I like it. Beats my high school nickname by a mile."

Tala groaned, already bracing herself. "Dad, don't—"

"I won't, I won't," he said, still laughing. "You've suffered enough."

He reached for the breadbasket and gave Moose a nod. "So, you go to MSA too?"

"Yes, sir. I'm in lighting design. Theater tech stuff, mostly."

"Lighting, huh? That's cool. You're the guy setting the mood without being in the spotlight."

"Exactly," Moose said. "I like creating moments, but I'm good staying behind the scenes."

"You good at it?"

"I... I'd like to think so," Moose said, scratching the back of his neck. "I've been doing it for a few years. Got a few shows under my belt."

"Hmm," Tala's dad nodded thoughtfully, then turned to his daughter. "And this is the friend you've been talking about nonstop for the past week?"

Tala dropped her fork with a clatter. "Daaaad—"

Moose's face went a little red, trying—and failing—not to smile.

Her dad grinned at both of them. "What? I'm just making conversation. I like to know who's hanging around my daughter."

"Do you interrogate all of her friends like this?" Moose asked with a laugh, trying to hide how nervous he still kind of was.

"She's never brought anyone home before," her dad said with a shrug. "So yeah. This is a rare opportunity."

Moose blinked, glancing at Tala, who quickly looked away and focused intently on her potatoes.

"I'm honored," Moose said softly.

There was a beat of silence, warm and comfortable.

Then Tala's dad added casually, "So, you dating my daughter or what?"

Tala nearly choked on her water.

Moose froze, eyes wide. "I—uh—I mean—uh—"

"DAD!"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" her dad laughed, raising his hands in surrender. "Look at your faces!"

Moose shook his head with a breathy laugh. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Good. Keeps you on your toes," her dad said, reaching for more bread. "I like you, Moose. You've got a decent head on your shoulders."

They continued to chat and eat, stories flowing around the table like a warm current. When the last bites were taken and forks rested on empty plates, Moose stood to help clean up.

"I can—"

"Nope," Tala's dad cut in. "You two go enjoy the evening. Guest room's clean if you want to stay."

Moose hesitated, looking at Tala, who was already looking at him with hopeful eyes.

"I'll text my parents," he said, pulling out his phone. "Thanks for dinner, Mr. Gonzalez."

"Anytime, Moose."

Tala grabbed Moose's sleeve, tugging him toward the stairs before her dad could say anything else.

As they disappeared down the hallway, her dad just shook his head, smiling.

𓆩❀𓆪

Back in Tala's room, Moose plopped down on her bed with a full stomach and a sleepy smile, rubbing his hands together. "Okay, that was officially the best meal I've had in weeks."

"I'll let my dad know he's been promoted to your personal chef," Tala said, kicking her door shut gently behind her.

Just then, Moose's phone buzzed. He checked it, then turned the screen toward her. "They said yes. I'm good to stay over."

Tala's face lit up like someone flipped a switch. "Yes!" she grinned, bouncing once on her toes. "Okay, wait right here!"

Before Moose could even answer, she had already sprinted out the door.

He blinked, still clutching his phone. "Okay... I guess I'm waiting here."

A minute later, she returned, slightly out of breath, holding a folded T-shirt and an oversized hoodie. "Here—my dad's stuff. Should fit... well, sort of."

He took them with a grateful smile. "Thanks. Hopefully I don't drown in them."

She chuckled and pointed down the hallway. "Bathroom's the same one you passed earlier—left side."

Moose gave her a salute and headed off to change. When he returned, Tala was already back on her bed, legs curled beneath her, scrolling through something on her phone. She looked up and stifled a laugh.

The clothes were definitely roomy. The T-shirt drooped slightly over one shoulder and the hoodie sleeves extended well past his hands. The sweatpants were cinched tight but still sagged a bit at the ankles.

"Oh my god," she said, covering her mouth, "you look like you shrunk in the wash."

"I feel like I did," Moose said, tugging the sleeves up. "I'm about one scarf away from starring in a holiday commercial."

Tala giggled, patting the space beside her. "Well, at least you're cozy."

He plopped down beside her, grinning. "I'm practically wrapped in a family heirloom."

They sat in an easy silence for a moment, the kind that didn't need filling. Outside her window, the quiet hum of the neighborhood at night filtered in—distant cars, a soft breeze.

Moose flopped onto the beanbag on the floor.

"So uh... what do you usually do after school? When you're not sneaking into sound booths."

Tala grinned. "Honestly? Mostly dance. Or just... lie on my bed with music blasting and pretend I'm in a music video."

Moose's eyes lit up. "Okay, that's kinda relatable. Do you ever do the fake interview thing too?"

Tala gasped. "You do that too?!"

He laughed. "Absolutely. Hairbrush mic and everything."

They shared a real smile then—unfiltered and genuine.

𓆩❀𓆪

Later that night, back in her room, Moose sat on the edge of her bed, flipping through one of her old photo albums. He paused on a picture of Tala as a little girl, front teeth missing, proudly holding a small theatre trophy.

"You've been acting forever."

"I had to," she said from her desk chair, spinning slightly. "Acting was the only way to not disappear."

He looked up. "You're the last person who could disappear."

Tala stopped spinning. "You say that like it's easy."

"It's not," he admitted. "𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗶 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝙮𝙤𝙪. You don't have to fight to be noticed with me. I notice you even when you're not saying a word."

She swallowed, moved. "You always know the right thing to say."

"I just say what 𝙞 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡."

They locked eyes. The quiet in the room was suddenly loud with everything they weren't saying.

And then—suddenly—a song started playing from Moose's pocket. A romantic, slow tune with soft piano and a breathy voice singing about forever and first love.

Moose froze. "Oh my god."

Tala blinked. "𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘦"

He fumbled for his phone, cheeks pink. "I swear that wasn't planned. That's — Camille sent me a song. I didn't even press play!"

Tala just raised a brow, her smile teasing. "Sure."

But instead of turning it off, Moose hesitated... then looked at her.

Like he always did in these strange, perfect little moments, he reached out and gently took her hands in his.

"Come on," he said, standing and pulling her with him.

Tala laughed, a little unsure. "Moose—"

"It's 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙬," he said with a grin, holding her hands steady. "Don't ruin the streak."

So there they were, in the middle of her bedroom, slow dancing to a cheesy love song that neither of them had chosen. His hoodie sleeves kept slipping over his fingers. She kept accidentally stepping on his socks. It was awkward, clumsy, a little ridiculous.

But it felt 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩.

Tala shook her head, smiling at him as they moved gently to the beat. "We must look so dumb right now."

What she didn't know—just outside her room, across the hallway—her father stood leaning quietly against the doorframe. The door had been left slightly ajar, and he hadn't meant to intrude. But now he couldn't look away.

There they were—his daughter and the strange boy with kind eyes and oversized clothes—dancing like the world didn't exist outside that room.

And for the first time in years, he saw Tala as someone who was no longer lonely. No longer hiding.

His chest ached in the best way.

He smiled softly to himself, then turned and walked away down the hall, whispering under his breath:

𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘥. 𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵.

author:

this is just a filler chapter (4k words for a filler chapter) until we go back to the ending of the movie.

still not sure whether to continue this until step up: all in or not. Probably will though but eh.

[flamingoofeathers]

–𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧

pairings: Moose x Tala (OC)

summary: "It feels like a dream. wish I could stay in this moment forever."

genre: fluff

series; wc: 2,8k

main masterlist series masterlist

"𝗬𝗢 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗔, 𝗪𝗔𝗜𝗧 𝗨𝗣!" Monster yelled from the stage of the theatre.

Tala turned around, eyebrows raised. She always forgot that Monster was in this play with her — technically, just the stunt double for James — but still.

She paused, letting him gather his things.

Monster caught up, groaning. "Yesterday was humiliating."

"Come on now," Tala nudged him gently, trying to lighten the mood. "It's our first performance, and we weren't even supposed to perform... soo... technically it doesn't count," she added with a smile.

"Yeah, right." Monster laughed too, but it was hollow — no real humor behind it.

"We'll beat them at The Streets. Trust."

"I don't think we'll get there," he muttered.

"Don't say that." Tala pushed open the door to the studio, her voice firm.

Monster didn't respond — just gave her a look that said he didn't believe it.

Inside, Andie turned toward them. "Thank you for coming, guys."

Tala's eyes found Moose across the room. He smiled. Her cheeks flushed, and she quickly looked away.

Moose chuckled to himself.

"Guys, gather around!" Chase called, clapping his hands.

The crew settled into a loose circle, the air suddenly thick with 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Chase sensed it. "Guys, come on. This is one performance."

"Yeah, we didn't work this hard just to give up, you know?" Andie added, trying to rally them.

"We shouldn't have went there in the first place," Smiles shot back. "We looked like idiots."

"Seriously, Chase. You know the choreography wasn't even right for this," Cable added, frustration in his voice.

"Hey now, don't blame Chase for all this," Tala defended, tone sharp.

That was the tipping point — voices rose, everyone speaking over each other. Some defended Chase. Others blamed him. The circle turned chaotic.

Then the door opened.

A hush fell.

One of the girls from last night — from 410 — stepped in.

"Hey."

A few crew members tensed up.

"Oh, it's cool, I know her," Andie said quickly, standing up and walking over.

"𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦?"

"𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘶𝘣 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴?"

"𝘎𝘶𝘺𝘴. 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵"

The whispers ran like wildfire.

"Hey, you guys," Andie called as she returned to the group. "This is my girl, Missy."

Missy waved, tho only Kido and Tala returned the gesture.

"She's here to uh..." Andie paused, then grinned. "Help us out."

Missy, for her part, looked like she wasn't entirely sure what she'd been dragged into.

"Help us out?" Smiles echoed, incredulous. "We bombed last night."

"Yeah, our respect went out the window," Moose added, leaning back.

"It wasn't that bad, guys," Tala said, trying to keep things from boiling again.

"Yes, it was," the crew said in near-perfect unison — then launched back into another round of arguing.

"Hold up— hol' up, hol' up," Missy cut in, her voice slicing through the noise. "What're you talking about '𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘨 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘸'?"

The room quieted.

"Like respect is going?" she scoffed. "Like you can always get it back."

The MSA crew had nothing to say to that. Silence.

Missy let it hang for a moment, then grinned. "So what are y'all thinking for The Prank tho?"

"Wha- what Prank?" Kido blinked.

"Yo D," Missy turned to Andie, "you ain't tell them about The Prank?"

"The Prank is what the crews do to show they're competing for The Streets," Missy explained. "It's a public declaration saying that you're bringing it. The crazier it is, the better."

The crew watched her, totally captivated, as if she just told them the secret to life.

"For proof, you gotta record it and post it online. Then it spreads like wildfire," she added, eyes scanning every one of them.

"And if you guys hit it like I 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 you can," she said, pausing for effect, "y'all get your respect back."

A beat.

"I got an idea."

𓆩❀𓆪

"I look ridiculous," Tala deadpanned as she looked at her reflection in the window of one of the shops. She had fake facial hair on, wore baggy clothes that did 𝗻𝗼𝘁 fit her.

"Heyy, you'd make a very handsome man," Moose said, grinning as his reflection appeared behind her, slightly off to the side.

Tala squinted at the mirror, unsure if it was actually Moose or someone else. Once she confirmed it was him, she slowly turned around to face him, arms crossed.

"Wow," she chuckled. "You look like you'd make delicious cookies as a grandma," she said, giving him an exaggerated once-over. The cardigan, the fake pearls, and the sensible shoes really brought it together.

"Rightt," Moose replied proudly, doing a slow spin like he was modeling couture. The skirt flared a little, which only made them both chuckls.

Their small laughter slowly died out, leaving a pause between them. A beat of silence passed where their eyes met—warm, easy.

"So—"

"Guys! Come on, we need to go!" Chase's voice rang down from across thw street, breaking the moment.

"Right. Let's go," Tala said quickly, brushing past Moose to catch up with the others.

Moose lingered for a second, watching her go with a smirk before following.

"Seriously?" Andie turned to Chase as they walked.

"What?" Chase asked, looking genuinely confused.

Andie stared at him for a second, expression unreadable, before letting out a small scoff and turning away.

"What did I do?"

𓆩❀𓆪

"That was hilarious!" Hair yelled, still hyped from the prank.

They had just uploaded the video to YouTube, and it was already racking up views.

𝘖𝘩, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 410'𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯．

"Not gonna lie, I miss my costume," Moose said, striking a pose. "I was a dashing grandma."

"Tala looked like she had the time of her life," Monster teased, pointing at her.

She was still trying to scrub the fake facial hair off her face.

"𝗛𝗮.𝗛𝗮. Funny," Tala grumbled, flopping down in front of the mirror. "I can't get this stuff 𝙤𝙛𝙛," she groaned, making the crew laugh again.

"Lemme help," Cable offered, walking over.

"Why are you using water - cold at that - to remove this?" he asked, pushing the bowl aside and rummaging through his bag. He pulled out a bottle. "Here. Hair oil."

"Why do you have hair oil in your bag?" Tala asked, turning towards him.

"How do you think my hair stays this soft?" Cable said, dramatically flipping his hair as he gently removed the beard.

Across the room, the laughter started dying down. The crew glanced around at each other, noticing someone's clenched jaw, the tongue pressed against the inside of his cheek, his eyes locked on Tala and Cable.

"Moose," Monster said carefully.

Moose shot him a glare.

"Sorry, guys. What were we talking about?" Moose said, trying to play it cool — though his eyes still flicked toward the pair by the mirror.

"Right," Smiles replied, tone flat.

𓆩❀𓆪

After the prank, the tension within the crew lifted. Practice sessions became lighter, easier, more fun.

The speakers blasted their chosen song for The Streets battle. The crew paired off to rehearse.

(𝘜𝘯)fortunately for Moose and Tala, they ended up partnered.

They did what they needed to do — the steps, the timing, the lifts. But beyond that, they didn't speak. The air between them was awkward, heavy — like they both wanted to say something, but neither had the courage to.

The MSA doors burst open as the crew made their way out after a successful practice session.

They spilled down the stairs, chatting — some noticing the girl waiting up ahead, some not.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Sophie asked, eyeing the group suspiciously.

"Oh, hi Sophie! What's up?" Chase said quickly, stepping in front of her.

"Rehearsing for the fundraiser," she replied, in that tone that made it sound 𝘰𝘣𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴.

"Why are you here on a Saturday?"

"We were gonna do the same thing, but it's locked," Chase lied smoothly.

There was a brief silence.

"We gotta roll, so we'll see you," Missy said, starting to walk off — only for Moose to stop her.

"Where are we going?"

"To my house," Missy said casually. "My family's having a barbecue, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah. Barbecue," Chase chimed in, though the others still looked confused.

"Barbecue?" Kido whispered to Tala.

"Just go with it," she muttered.

"What are you all waiting for? Let's go!"

The crew broke into a chorus of "Okay!" "Alright!" "Let's go!"

𓆩❀𓆪

Missy's house was 𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚—bursting with color, music, and the mouthwatering smell of food. Latin music poured from every speaker, drifting over the chatter and laughter of friends and family. It was a slice of heaven.

People danced in the backyard, spilled out onto the whole house, and sang along to the music. The energy was contagious.

Missy's mom appeared, beaming as she made her way through the crowd and wrapped Andie in a warm hug. Then her eyes scanned the rest of the crew, lighting up with joy.

"Eat! Come, come, you're too skinny!" she said, gesturing dramatically toward the buffet table.

Kido didn't hesitate—she practically launched himself into a hug, making everyone laugh.

The fiesta was in full swing when an abuelo pulled Tala onto the dance floor, spinning her into a salsa. The MSA crew whistled and cheered, hyping her up until one by one, they got swept into the dance too.

"You're good, mija," the abuelo said with a proud grin as they moved to the beat.

"Thank you," Tala laughed, breathless, "you're not so bad for your age."

He gave her a playful glare before chuckling, spinning her again just to show off.

The sky was deepening into twilight when Tala noticed Andie and Missy slipping out the back door, all dressed up.

"Damn, girls!" Tala called after them, laughing as they waved her off.

She stepped off the dance floor to catch her breath, cheeks flushed and heart light. She headed for a table on the edge of the yard, plopping down without realizing someone else was already sitting there, quietly watching the dancers.

And 𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙣, 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖 𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙨.

"You looked like you were having fun out there," a voice said softly behind her.

Tala jumped slightly, whipping her head around. "Oh my God," she gasped, hand to her chest. "You don't sneak up on people like that!"

Moose gave her a crooked smile. "I was here first. You snuck up on me."

She rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched into a smile.

"So?" he said, leaning a little closer.

"So what?"

"I said," he repeated more gently this time, "you looked like you were having fun out there."

He'd been watching her the entire time. Watching the way she lit up under the string lights, the way she laughed so freely, danced like she didn't have the weight of the world on her shoulders. He knew how much she'd been juggling lately—school, dance, theatre . But here, she was nothing but joy and that was more than enough for Moose to feel happy.

Tala glanced back at the dance floor, where their friends were still going strong. "Yeah," she said quietly, almost like a secret. "It feels like a dream. I wish I could stay in this moment forever."

Moose nodded, eyes still on the dancing crowd. "I wanna be like them when I grow up."

"What?"

He smiled, eyes soft. "I want to still dance when I'm old"

She laughed, a warm, surprised sound.

But Moose's gaze had drifted—just for a second—to something else. Something imagined. A little living room, jazz music playing low, he and Tala slow dancing under dim light, older, still laughing, still in love.

He blinked, his face turning pink, realising what he was  thinking.

He watched her as she clapped at the people dancing.

𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘩, 𝘢 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮．

"C'mon," he said suddenly, standing and offering his hand. "Let's dance."

"Now?" she raised a brow, playful. "That's a bit of a mood shift."

"I haven't danced at all," he shrugged, grinning. "And I kinda wanna dance 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪."

Tala looked at him for a beat—at his outstretched hand, at the glimmer in his eyes—then took it, letting him pull her up.

As they stepped onto the dance floor, the world fell away. It didn't matter who was watching. It didn't matter what time it was or what came next. In that moment, it was just Moose and Tala—smiling, spinning, hearts syncing to the beat.

They danced like no one else mattered. Because right then, 𝗻𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱.

𓆩❀𓆪

"Bye, guys!" Moose and Tala called out together, waving as the last of their friends disappeared into the night.

The crew — plus Sophie — had stayed late to help Missy's family clean up.

Now, it was just the two of them, walking side by side beneath the soft glow of streetlights.

They took up the whole sidewalk, bumping shoulders, giggling over inside jokes and memories. To anyone watching, they might've seemed a little tipsy — but really, it was just two kids drunk on each other, falling quietly, deeply, into something neither of them dared name aloud.

Their laughter slowly faded into a comfortable silence. The kind that says everything without needing words.

"I still can't believe we're graduating this year," Moose said suddenly, his voice softer now.

"Yeah..." Tala sighed, nudging a pebble with her foot. "Meeting you guys... meeting you... makes leaving this place really hard."

"You're leaving?" a sudden fear creeped into his chest.

Tala gave him a gentle nod. "That's the plan. What about you?"

"I... don't know yet." Moose looked ahead, but his thoughts were still on her. "Where are you going?"

"Well, the dream is Juilliard," she said with a small, hopeful smile. "If that doesn't work out... Stanford's my backup."

"Wow," Moose let out a breathy chuckle. "The big leagues, huh?"

"Trying to," Tala laughed softly. "I've applied for scholarships at both."

"So that's it?" Moose's voice cracked just slightly, tho it was unnoticeable. "You're really gonna go."

Tala shrugged, like she was trying to play it cool, but her eyes were heavy with uncertainty. "I'd be lucky to make it onto the waitlist."

Moose bumped her shoulder, his smile bittersweet. "You've got the talent for Juilliard

𝘢𝘯𝘥  the brains for Stanford, Tal. If anyone's getting in, it's you."

Her lips curled into a real smile this time. "Some Juilliard reps are coming to see the play, actually."

"No way—seriously?"

"Yeah. That's why I have to be good. This could be the ticket to my dream"

The mood shifted, like a cloud passing over the moon. A quiet weight settled between them, unspoken fears and what-ifs occupying the silence.

Moose suddenly stepped in front of her, holding out his hands with exaggerated flair. "Nope. Can't do this. Too depressing."

"What are you—" Tala began to ask, but he was already twirling around her in goofy, dramatic steps.

She laughed — really laughed — the tension breaking like glass. She joined in without hesitation, and soon they were salsa dancing again, just like earlier.

"This is so weird without music," Tala giggled.

"Who needs music?" Moose scoffed playfully. He spun her, then dipped her low, holding her close.

They froze there, faces just inches apart. The world fell silent around them — just the sound of their breathing, hearts racing. Their eyes met. Her lips parted. His thumb brushed her cheek. Their foreheads touched, their lips about to—

*𝙃𝙊𝙉𝙆*

A car horn ripped through the moment. Moose yanked them out of the street and onto the sidewalk just as headlights swept past.

"GET A ROOM!" the driver yelled.

They looked at each other, startled — then burst into laughter.

"What a dick," Moose muttered.

"I mean... we 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 in the middle of the road," Tala pointed out through her laughter.

They stood there, slowly catching their breath, their smiles lingering.

"I should go," Tala said softly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Yeah," Moose said, trying not to let the weight in his chest show. "Of course."

"Goodnight, Moose."

He watched her walk away, her silhouette shrinking beneath the streetlights.

And then, to the empty night, he whispered:

"𝙄'𝙢 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙚𝙧"

author:

it's been 3 days but ive been busy and honestly, idk if they're in their senior year in his movie but for the sake of the story they are.

[flamingoofeathers]

–𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙪𝙥

pairings: Moose x Tala (OC)

summary: "i'll let you know when i can find someone who can keep up"

genre: bit if angst, fluff

series; wc: 2.4k

main masterlist series masterlist

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗘𝗔𝗧 𝗗𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗗 𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗗 in the studio, echoing through the walls and thudding into the floor.

Near the back of the room, the girls — Tala, Andie, Kido, and Fly — claimed a corner. They stretched lazily, half-focused, half-gossiping between beats of the music.

"I'm telling you, Chase tripped because he was watching you," Kido whispered to Andie, who immediately threw her head back and laughed.

"Please," Andie said. "That boy trips over air."

"Air with a view," Fly teased, glancing toward the boys' side.

"Ignore them," Tala muttered, face already flushed from their last run-through. She sipped from her water bottle, but couldn't hide the smile tugging at her lips.

Laughter echoed from their corner, with Andie dropping low to the new song playing on the speaker, shaking it to the beat. Kido and Fly cheered her on, joining in with a spontaneous twerk session, throwing playful shade and dancing like no one was watching — though they knew the boys definitely were.

On the other side of the studio, Moose, Chase, Monster, Hair, Cable, and Smiles were in their own world. Shirts were off. Abs were out. They were comparing as if it was a world class competition.

The guys argued and continued showing off — hoping for the girls to see it probably.

Hair spun on the floor mid-conversation, breaking into a sudden freeze as he felt the new vibrations of the song. "Let's go!" he yelled, just for the hell of it.

Monster laughed. "We flexin' or we dancin'?"

Moose, standing off to the side, was already messing around with some intricate footwork, watching both the mirrors and the girls as the energy in the room rose. Chase caught his eye and nodded toward the other side.

"𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 girl looks winded."

Moose followed his gaze. Tala was hunched over, hands on her knees, panting. Her curls were damp with sweat, and she was clearly drained.

He walked over without saying a word and offered his hand. Tala looked up, her face still red, breathing hard.

"C'monn," Moose said with a grin. "You can do it."

"I'm dying," she groaned.

"Nah, you're just warming up." He took her hand and stepped into a light salsa rhythm, swinging her gently side to side. "Just follow my lead."

Tala let out a breathless laugh. "This is not the dance you do to a song like this."

"Exactly," he winked.

Their impromptu salsa caught attention fast. Smiles gasped. "Okay! Moose out here with the Latin flavor!"

"That's it," Fly said. "We're making it a partner moment."

One by one, the others joined in. Chase grabbed Andie's hand and spun her around. Monster and Kido stumbled into a wild two-step. Hair paired with Fly, pulling exaggerated ballroom poses while she laughed uncontrollably. Meanwhile, Smiles and Cable dance together with feigned seriousness.

Soon the entire crew was paired off, dancing across the floor with chaotic, joyful energy.

Then Cable shouted, "Freestyle circle! Let's go!"

The music cranked up as a wide circle formed in the middle of the room. Smiles jumped in first, gliding into the center with his signature popping style, drawing hoots and applause. Fly followed, isolating her movements with laser precision. Hair spun on his back, caught a freeze, and held it until Monster ran in and pretended to knock him over.

Andie danced like she had fire in her veins, all power and rhythm. Chase slid in smooth as silk, locking eyes with her as they traded moves mid-circle. Kido brought the attitude with her crumping, and Cable flipped cleanly before hitting a wave that passed through his whole body.

Then Tala stepped in, still tired, but smiling wide. The music shifted to a slower, deeper groove. She moved with calm power—her flow sharp but graceful, her steps grounded, precise. Moose jumped in next to her, matching her energy, complimenting every motion with his own. The room went wild.

When the song finally faded out, the whole crew collapsed to the floor in a sweaty, laughing heap.

"That was insane," Andie panted, flat on her back.

"We need to do that more often," Monster added.

Moose rolled onto his side, facing Tala. "You kept up."

Tala gave him a tired smirk. "Barely."

"But you did," he said, nudging her arm.

Lying in a circle of friends, surrounded by sweat, music, and joy, the MSA crew knew—they were more than dancers. They were a crew. A family.

𓆩❀𓆪

Later that night, the MSA crew filled up 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙩, Tala's go-to bar with beat-up booths, moody lighting, and a sound system always just loud enough to make the walls vibrate.

After the long rehearsal, they weren't ready to call it a night. They needed to move, to laugh, to be loud without anyone yelling "5-6-7-8."

Someone queued up an old-school track with a groovy bassline, and the moment the beat dropped, Fly was already on her feet.

"Dance floor, now!" she shouted.

"Say less," Kido replied, dragging Monster with her.

Chase tossed his jacket aside and pointed at Andie. "You're dancing with me before anyone steals my spotlight."

"Whatever" she said with a small smile, letting him pull her toward the open floor.

Tala stood and rolled her shoulders, stretching lazily like she wasn't interested—but Moose 𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘄 better.

"You gonna dance or just stand there pretending you're too cool?" he asked, arms crossed leaning back into his chair.

She glanced over her shoulder, smirking. "Oh, I'm definitely dancing."

He raised a brow. "With who?"

She gave him a playful shrug. "𝗜'𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘂𝗽"

That made him scoff-laugh. "Wow."

Tala walked away slowly, swaying to the beat as she went — just enough to make sure he was watching. She didn't look back, but her smile gave her away.

Moose took a deep breath like she was testing his patience — though he was definitely amused. He followed her onto the floor, catching up with a casual, confident stride.

"Oh, so now you're interested?" she teased, meeting him halfway.

"I was just making sure you didn't hurt yourself out here dancing without supervision."

Tala snorted. "Please. You'd be lucky to keep up."

He held out a hand. "Prove it."

She rolled her eyes like it was a chore, but she took his hand anyway, spinning herself into a goofy little step. Moose followed, turning it into an exaggerated salsa that made both of them laugh.

Soon, the whole crew was dancing in pairs — if you could call it that — Kido was pretending to waltz with Cable while Monster and Fly did some kind of...dance. Hair and Smiles were doing a full-on mime routine to the beat.

Chase and Andie were definitely the smoothest on the floor — trading tight footwork and little challenges like they had their own language.

But Tala and Moose? They were somewhere in between the goofballs and the showoffs. Their rhythm was playful, loose, constantly teasing. He'd step in too close on purpose, and she'd nudge him back with a smirk. She'd toss in a dramatic body roll and he'd dramatically pretend to faint.

"You realize we're the best-looking pair out here, right?" Moose joked.

"Oh yeah?" Tala said. "You mean because I'm here?"

"Obviously."

Tala shook her head, grinning. "You're impossible."

He shrugged. "But you're still dancing with me."

"Yeah, well... You make a decent partner. When you're not trying to be slick."

He shot her a wink. "'Decent' is how legends start."

She laughed and spun away, but not too far, just far enough to keep him on his toes.

And just like that, the music kept pulsing, the lights stayed warm, and the teasing danced on between them — nothing official, nothing serious. Just two people enjoying the rhythm and the company... maybe a little too much.

𓆩❀𓆪

After that day, things between Moose and Tala changed — not in a bad way. During rehearsals, they became more touchy, and at school, they stuck together more than ever.

"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝙈𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚?" Andie asked as she and Tala strolled down the halls.

Tala glanced at her, then quickly averted her gaze, her cheeks flushing.

"Nothing. What do you mean?" she said, trying to sound casual.

"Right," Andie replied sarcastically. "I see you two during rehearsal," she added, nudging Tala knowingly.

"Well..." For once, Tala didn't know what to say. "How about you and Chase, then?" she retorted, hoping to change the subject and throw Andie off.

But it didn't work.

"Me and Chase? No, thank you," Andie replied nonchalantly. "But you and Moose..." She stepped in front of Tala, stopping her in her tracks.

Andie stared at her, trying to pry out a confession. Tala stared back, but Andie didn't back down.

"Ugh," Tala finally sighed, slumping against a locker. "I don't know, there's nothing, okay? I mean it." She crossed her arms. "I know as much as you do."

"What do you mean?"

"We haven't talked about it, nor have we acknowledged it," Tala admitted, clearly frustrated.

"Well, maybe you need to talk to him," Andie suggested, a little 𝘂𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 — advice wasn't really her strong suit.

"I know, but I'm scared because what if things cha—"

𝘿𝙍𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝘿𝙍𝙄𝙉𝙂

The bell rang, signaling the start of a new period.

Tala and Andie's eyes widened '𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘵! 𝘞𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦! they bolted off — Andie headed to dance, Tala to theatre.

𓆩❀𓆪

That night's dance rehearsal was more intense than usual.

Everyone was out of breath, sweat soaking through their clothes. Chase had been pushing them harder than ever, and no one knew why — until:

"Yo, guys!" he clapped, catching everyone's attention. "Who wants to see the competition?"

It wasn't really a question — more of a 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. But everyone agreed.

𓆩❀𓆪

The club — 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙤𝙣 — was packed, wild, and chaotic. Music pounded off the walls, and people danced everywhere.

Tala felt uneasy. This wasn't her kind of scene. The way guys tried to lure her into dances or stared at her made her uncomfortable.

Moose, knowing how situations like this affected her, held her hand tightly and didn't let go as he guided her through the crowd.

Tala didn't catch much of what was happening — the noise was overwhelming — until she heard Moose say, "Yeah, we're her crew."

She turned and saw a group of intimidating dancers facing down Andie and the rest of the crew.

"We're getting ready to battle at 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙨," Moose said politely — but the girl facing him didn't match his tone.

"What street? Sesame Street?" she snapped. "What you know about the streets?"

Tala could see Moose's expression change — offended, angry. She squeezed his hand, making him glance at her.

She gave him a look that asked, Are you okay?

Moose nodded, "I'm okay," he said softly, patting her head before turning back to the confrontation.

"Hey, why don't you guys just back off?" Chase said, stepping in — still trying to be civil. "We're just here to check a few things out."

"This how you've been wasting your time? With these losers?" a guy — tall, intense — scanned the crew as he addressed Andie.

Chase caught the look on Andie's face and instinctively stepped in front of her, shielding her.

"Why don't you do your thing? We're gonna do ours," Chase said firmly, trying to de-escalate.

"Oh. You got a thing you do?" the guy mocked. "Why don't you show us now, homeboy?"

"Alright, let's go," Chase agreed.

"Yeah, let's go!!" Kido chimed in, spouting some Japanese that none of them understood.

As the dance floor cleared and the music blared, Moose, Chase, Hair, Fly, Cable, and Smiles stepped in first.

"Woo! You can do this!" Tala cheered, even though she felt nervous — scared, even. They weren't ready for this.

The crew scrambled, trying to recall their choreography. But they weren't in sync. Their moves clashed and fell flat.

The crowd booed them off the floor.

"That's how you dance? Your mama taught you that?" the DJ yelled, while the crowd erupted in laughter and insults.

The MSA crew stood stunned — embarrassed and shaken — still they tried to dance once again only to be met with the same fate as before.

"Let's get it! 410, can we get it started?" the DJ shouted as the rival crew stepped in.

They were sharp, slick, their transitions clean, their energy magnetic.

The MSA crew could only stare, frozen in humiliation.

"See how they entertaining? That's how we do it! You can't learn that in school!" the DJ shouted, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

One by one, the crew began to walk out.

"Let's just..." Andie began, watching Kido disappear, "Let's just regroup tomorrow."

Moose took off his beanie, clearly still rattled, but Tala gently tugged on his arm, pulling him toward the exit — not without saying goodbye to Andie first.

They stepped outside into the quiet night, a stark contrast to the chaos inside.

Moose was silent, still in a daze, neither of them noticing that their hands were intertwined.

"You good, Moose?" Tala asked, glancing over at him.

"That was traumatizing," Moose said with a humorless chuckle.

"Well..." she trailed off, unsure of how to comfort him. "I thought you guys were — are — good. We just weren't ready to battle tonight."

She gave his hand a gentle squeeze without even thinking.

"I mean... yeah, I guess you're right." He sighed. She had never seen him so dejected. "Man, I can't wait to beat them at The Streets," he added, the fire returning to his voice.

"That's the spirit!" Tala cheered, throwing her hand in the air. "Woo!"

That's when she noticed — her hand felt heavier. She looked at her hand to see their fingers still laced together — and Moose already staring at their hands, grinning.

Her face went red. She quickly pulled her hand back and crossed her arms, looking anywhere but at him.

She could hear Moose chuckle, and when she glanced, he was still smiling at his hand.

"Umm... my house is this way. Bye," she mumbled, rushing off without waiting for a response.

"Bye, Tala. Good night!" Moose called after her.

She didn't respond — just picked up the pace.

Once she was out of sight, Moose leapt into the air.

"WOO!" he shouted. "YES!!"

The embarrassment was long gone.

Love really does make us stupid.

author:

we're getting to my fave partt, the bbq at missy's house.

[flamingoofeathers]

–𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧

pairings: Moose x Tala (OC)

summary: "Most importantly, you and me finally get to dance 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧."

genre: fluff

series; 1.3k

main masterlist series masterlist

"𝗔𝗟𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧, 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗚𝗨𝗬𝗦, listen up! Check it out!"

Chase's voice rang out loud and clear, grabbing everyone's attention immediately.

He stood confidently in the center of the room, excitement radiating off him. Once he had everyone's eyes on him, he continued, his tone shifting to something more serious.

"Now, I know each and every one of you knows what it's like to be forced to..." — he paused, searching for the right words — " 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢 and become an 𝗠𝗦𝗔 𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗼𝘁" His voice softened with a touch of pity and understanding.

A murmur of agreement spread through the group.

"Yeah, they wanted me to cut my hair," Hair said quietly, a note of sadness in his voice.

"And they wanted me to fix my teeth," Smiles added with a shrug, trying to brush it off casually.

"I like your teeth!" Kiddo suddenly blurted out, startling Smiles.

"Yeah," Tala chimed in, smiling warmly. "They give you a boyish charm."

Smiles' grin grew even wider, genuinely touched. "Thank you," he said, beaming. Then, turning to Kiddo, he added, "I like your accent."

Kiddo frowned in confusion. "What accent?"

"The accent you have," Smiles insisted, chuckling.

"I don't have an accent," Kiddo said firmly, bewildered.

"It's really strong," Smiles teased, causing everyone around them to burst into laughter.

Chase took the opportunity to regain their attention, raising his voice slightly.

"That's exactly my point!" he said, a gleam of determination in his eyes. "I know that each one of you guys has an amazing talent— that this school doesn't know what to do with."

He let his words sink in before flashing a mischievous smile.

"I think it's time we do something with that talent."

"Like what?" Monster asked, curiosity piqued.

Chase's grin widened.

"Like forming a crew and competing at "𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙨"."

For a moment, there was silence — and then:

"No! No way!" the others exclaimed almost in unison, panic in their voices.

"I heard it's dangerous," Fly said, shaking her head.

"And if Director Collins finds out, we could get expelled!" Tala added, her voice rising with worry.

"Hey! Forget about what you heard," Andie cut in, stepping forward confidently. "The Streets is about the best dance crew showing off what they got"

"Still... we don't stand a chance," Smiles said, his earlier energy fading fast.

"What are you talking about?" Chase exclaimed, stunned by the doubt he was hearing.

He turned to Monster, pointing dramatically.

"Freddie! I've seen you do stunts in the school play. There's a reason they call you 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿!"

Monster smirked and, without missing a beat, broke into a series of breakdancing that left the group cheering.

"And 𝗞𝗶𝗱𝗼," Chase continued, "you tore up the dance floor at the showcase after-party last year."

"Oh, that was fun," Kiddo said with a laugh, spinning and breaking into an impromptu freestyle.

"Get it, Kiddo! Get it!" Tala hyped her up, clapping along.

Kiddo kept going, her energy infectious — until Smiles jokingly had to pull her aside.

"She won't stop- She won't- You need to stop." he laughed, and Kiddo finally relented, catching her breath.

Across the room, Moose and Tala locked eyes and shared a laugh, the tension in the group finally breaking.

"So when is it?" Kiddo asked, brushing hair out of her face, still a little breathless.

"That's the thing,"Andie explained, her tone more serious. "Nobody knows when or where

until a text message of the night of. So we have got to be 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆."

"Sounds good..." Moose said, but his voice held a hint of worry. "Director Collins would never let us rehearse here."

"Yeah, this style isn't exactly what he wants MSA to be known for," Tala added, arms crossed, nodding.

"Who said Collins has to know?" Andie said, flashing a sly smile. Chase held up a shiny silver key, his expression smug.

Tala's eyes widened.

"𝘕𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘺."

"He's got the keys!" someone whispered in amazement.

"Borrowed. And copied," Andie said with a grin.

"MSA after hours," Moose laughed. "I like it."

"Alright, let's do this!" Tala shouted, her excitement contagious.

The room erupted into cheers, everyone riding the high of rebellion and possibility.

As the cheers died down, Chase clapped his hands together.

"Alright, people! Rehearsals start tomorrow. Be ready to work — because we're going to bring the heat!"

"Yeahhh!"

"Let's go!"

The group began gathering their things, still buzzing with excitement, as they prepared to head home. Outside, the sky had darkened, the stars just beginning to peek through — a fitting backdrop for the beginning of something new, something electric.

Tomorrow, everything would change.

𓆩❀𓆪

The doors of the studio swung open, releasing a burst of laughter and chatter into the cool night air. Tala and Moose stepped out with the rest of their newly formed crew, the evening humming with a newfound excitement. Their sneakers scuffed against the sidewalk as they jostled each other, lighthearted and loose, caught in the thrill of having finally decided to do something.

The crew scattered slowly, peeling off in pairs and groups toward their own homes, their goodbyes called over shoulders. Before long, only Tala and Moose remained, their pace naturally syncing as they strolled under the streetlights.

The night was gentle, the kind that made the city feel less rushed and more like a giant playground. Above them, the stars poked through the light-polluted sky, small but stubborn.

They walked for a while in easy conversation, laughing, teasing...

Then, after a quiet beat, Moose nudged Tala lightly with his elbow. "So," he said casually, "what do you think? About us forming a crew. About competing at The Streets."

Tala smiled but it was fleeting. She exhaled slowly, her breath puffing faintly in the air. "I like it," she said after a moment. "I really do. It's... amazing, actually. People are finally stepping out of the status quo, you know? Doing something real for once."

She kicked a small stone down the sidewalk, watching it skitter away. "But," she added, her voice dipping, "I'm worried too."

Moose glanced at her, sensing the shift in her tone but saying nothing yet.

"I mean," she continued, "we're using the school's dance studio without permission. If Director Collins finds out..." She winced just thinking about it. "Plus, what if people can't keep up? Balancing the crew, classes, everything else? Someone could get hurt. Someone could fail. It's not just the fun parts we have to think about."

Moose listened carefully, nodding along. Every few moments, he murmured a small sound of agreement, encouraging her to speak without trying to cut her off.

When Tala finally looked up at him, a little uncertain, Moose grinned—easy and bright. "You're not wrong," he said. "Things could get messy. Will get messy, probably." He shrugged, as if the mess was part of the magic. "But maybe that's what makes it worth it."

Tala arched an eyebrow, skeptical but curious.

He continued, his voice softer now. "When are we ever gonna get a chance to do something like this again? We get to actually live for once. Make friends we wouldn't have. Take risks. And..." He gave her a mock-serious look, adding with a teasing smile, "Most importantly, you and me finally get to dance 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧."

He wiggled his eyebrows dramatically, and Tala laughed—bright, genuine, but it couldn't quite mask the blush rising in her cheeks. She ducked her head, hiding her face behind a curtain of hair.

Moose just grinned wider at the sight.

The conversation trickled off after that, but the quiet between them wasn't awkward. It was comfortable, full of unsaid things that didn't need to be spoken just yet. They walked close enough that their hands brushed now and then—an innocent, accidental touch that neither of them dared to turn into something more. Each time, Tala felt her heart skip a beat, and each time, neither of them pulled away.

author:

really short and simple today, im tired got back from school at 8 in the evening cuz i had to take care of a few things and im exhausted.

Will continue this tomorrow, i just wanted to post at least something for today.

[flamingoofeathers]

–𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙬

pairings: Moose x Tala (OC)

summary: "I'll join... if he apologizes”

genre: tiny bit of angst(literally barely a speck); crack

series; wc: 2.2k

main masterlist series masterlist

𝗜𝗧 𝗛𝗔𝗗 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗚𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗪𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗚.

It started when Tala missed her entrance. Or rather, when 𝘑𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴, her scene partner and the male lead, missed his cue — but of course, she was the one who caught the fallout.

The theatre smelled of sweat, the heavy stage lights glaring down like spotlights on her mistakes. Mr. Howard, their director, was absolutely fuming. His voice echoed off the empty seats like a thunderclap.

"𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗔" he barked, throwing his clipboard onto the floor with a loud smack that made several cast members flinch. "You had one job — ONE. The lead carries the scene when things fall apart! You can't just stand there waiting like a damn deer in headlights!"

Tala stood frozen, hands clenched into fists at her sides. She wanted to defend herself, to explain that it was 𝘑𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 who was late, 𝘑𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 who'd forgotten the entrance, 𝘑𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 who stumbled over his lines even once he finally showed up. But one look at Mr. Howards's face told her it would only make things worse.

"You think the audience is going to care that he messed up?" Mr. Howard spat, pacing in tight, furious circles. "They're going to blame 𝘆𝗼𝘂! They'll think the show is a joke, that you're a 𝙟𝙤𝙠𝙚!"

Every word felt like a slap. Tala bit the inside of her cheek, tasting blood, fighting the sting building behind her eyes.

"I don't care whose fault it is. If you can't step up, if you can't lead — then maybe 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡."

The entire cast was silent, shifting uncomfortably. No one dared to meet her eyes. Even James, the one who'd caused all this, kept his head down.

Mr. Warren finally stopped pacing and stabbed a finger toward Tala. "Fix it. Or 𝗜 will."

And just like that, rehearsal was dismissed.

Tala stayed frozen on the stage a moment longer, as everyone else scrambled to pack up and flee the uncomfortable tension. She could hear the whispers already starting as they filed out.

"𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘭.."

"𝘗𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘢..."

"𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘑𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘵？"

Tala didn't wait to hear more. She snatched up her bag and stormed out, her heart hammering against her ribs.

𓆩❀𓆪

She pushed open the heavy door leading out to the side of the building. But instead of finding the solitude she craved, she nearly ran right into a trio standing awkwardly outside.

Chase, Andie, and Moose.

They were mid-conversation — or argument maybe — judging by the uncomfortable way they snapped to silence when they saw her. Tala's heart twisted painfully. Her wide eyes flicked between them, trying to assess if they had heard her humiliation, if they knew.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘢𝘻𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘔𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦'𝘴.

He wasn't smirking or awkward or avoiding her eyes like the others. He was just standing there, a few steps away, his eyes soft and filled with worry. Like he saw her — really saw her, not just the mess she must have looked like.

"Hey... what's wrong?" Moose asked gently, taking a small step toward her.

That cracked something inside her.

The pity in their faces, the unbearable sympathy in Moose's voice — it was too much. She shook her head once, sharply, and without a word, shoved past them, nearly stumbling down the stairs that led away from the building.

"Tala-" Moose called after her, but she didn't look back.

She didn't stop until she was far enough from the theatre that the weight of the walls, the stares, the pressure couldn't smother her anymore. Her legs gave out near the curb of the street, and she sank down heavily, her bag slipping from her shoulder and collapsing against her side.

And there she sat, arms slack, her whole body sagging.

Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably now, fat drops that fell onto her jeans, soaking into the fabric. She pressed her palms to her eyes, her chest heaved with silent sobs.

Everything 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁. The embarrassment, the anger, the injustice of being blamed for something that wasn't her fault. The fear — 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦? 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙧

"Tala?"

The voice was softer this time. Closer.

She jerked her head up slightly and saw Moose, just a few meters away, hesitating like he wasn't sure if she wanted him there.

He looked... worried. Really worried. Not the kind of worry you fake when you're just trying to be polite.

Slowly, carefully, he walked closer, crouching down beside her at the edge of the curb, not crowding her, just being there.

Tala sniffed hard and wiped the back of her hand across her face, but it was useless. She knew she must have looked awful, puffy and red-eyed, but Moose didn't flinch or look away.

"Hey," he said again, his voice barely above a whisper. "It's okay. Whatever it is... it's okay."

Tala shook her head, another sob breaking free.

"It's not okay," she croaked. "I messed up. I ruined everything. Mr. Howard, he-" her voice crumbled to nothing.

Moose shifted closer, resting his arms on his knees casually, giving her space to talk or not, without any pressure.

"I'm sure it wasn't all you," he said quietly. "You're too good for that."

Tala let out a broken laugh that sounded more like a whimper.

"You didn't see it," she said bitterly.

"No," he agreed. "But I know you." He smiled, just a little. "You don't just fall apart for no reason."

The sincerity in his voice made Tala look at him properly for the first time. He 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘁 it. He really meant it.

For a long minute, neither of them spoke. The late afternoon sun dipped lower, casting long shadows over the pavement.

Finally, Moose spoke again, softer than before.

"You don't have to pretend with me, you know."

And with that simple sentence, Tala felt something in her chest unclench. She didn't need to be perfect right now. She didn't need to be strong.

So she leaned her head onto Moose's shoulder, just lightly, and to her relief, he didn't pull away. He just sat there with her, letting her cry, letting her be, until the worst of the storm inside her passed.

For the first time all day, Tala didn't feel 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚.

𓆩❀𓆪

"Morning, sunshine," Chase called out as soon as he spotted Andie walking into the room.

"The good times just keep on coming, don't they?" Andie internally groaned, looking at Chase.

Chase laughed and made his way over to where she slumped into a chair.

"Ouch. What's got into you today?"

"What?" Andie shot back, her voice heavy with sarcasm. "As opposed to my usual sparkling charm?"

Chase chuckled, flashing a grin. "Fair enough. Two points to the new girl." But his smile faded as he got a better look at her — at how exhausted and defeated she looked.

"You want to talk about it?" He said concerned.

Andie hesitated before replying "I got kicked out of my crew"

"What for?"

"For being here," Andie said bitterly, glancing around the room. "I can't believe I messed this up." She leaned heavily against her palm, frustration written all over her face.

"They're the ones that messed up. They lost an amazing dancer." Chase reassured, making Andie let out a small laugh.

After a small beat of silence, Chase prompted "You should just start your own crew."

Andie looked at him weirdly "No, you can't just start your own crew." she pointed out as if it was so obvious.

"Why not?" Chase asked confused.

"Because you can't" Andie insisted.

"Besides, who would be in it? Me and..."

"Me." Chase grinned, "Us."

"Ok. We'll just start our own crew." Andie mocked him before giving him a look that suggested he'd completely lost it.

Chase only chuckled "What else you gonna do?"

"Nobody here is gonna step out of their 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙." Andie argued.

"Not the Sophie Donovans, but there's a lot going on 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗿."

"Really?" Andie said skeptical.

* . *

"𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘶𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝙃𝙖𝙞𝙧.

𝘏𝘦'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘺, 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘳𝘩𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘳𝘦𝘣𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴．

𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮．

𝘊𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴, 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘱 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘴."

* . *

"𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝙆𝙞𝙙𝙤．

𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘭𝘥-𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘱．

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦."

* . *

"𝙁𝙡𝙮'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦，

𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤'𝘴 𝘰𝘯．

𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳?"

* . *

"𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝙈𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦

𝘏𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴, 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴, 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴．

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦．

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵"

* . *

"𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘺, 𝘾𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚

𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳．

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪'𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦."

* . *

"𝘈𝘯𝘥, 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝙎𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙨．

𝘕𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘺 𝘨𝘶𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵．

𝘋𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘳．

𝘜𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘔𝘚𝘈 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦."

* . *

"Don't forget Moose" Andie said once Chase finished introducing her to the — secret talents of MSA.

"Moose?" Chase asked incredulously, he didnt think Moose was the type to dance, he looked more like a tech-y guy.

"Yeah, trust me on this one" Andie grinned as she led Chase out in the courtyard, heading to where Moose sat at a table in the courtyard, eating tofu dogs, headphones in, bobbing his head to the music. Andie marched straight over, and tapped him on the shoulder.

Moose pulled out one earbud and looked up at her.

"Do you wanna be in a crew?" Andie asked without missing a beat.

Moose blinked at her. "What? What? Hell yeah!"

Chase, standing nearby, raised an eyebrow, skeptical. He crossed his arms. "Show me what you got."

Moose grinned, stood up, and casually threw out a few slick moves right there. Chase nodded, cracking a smile.

"You're in," he said, dapping him up.

But before they could celebrate, Moose threw up his hands. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait — you gotta have Tala in the group. She's amazing."

Andie hesitated. "Uh... I don't know, Moose. I don't think our style is really up her alley."

Chase jumped in, half-laughing. "Wait. Tala? As in musical theater? Are you 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴? Showtune-singing Tala?" He chuckled, shaking his head.

But Moose wasn't having it. "No, no, no — you gotta see her dance 𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦. She's a 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧."

Without waiting for an answer, he slung his bag over his shoulder, and gestured for Chase and Andie to follow him.

𓆩❀𓆪

They made their way to the theater, the door creaking as they pushed inside. There, under the soft stage lights, was Tala — completely alone — dancing hard, hitting old-school hip-hop moves with style and grit.

Andie and Chase stood frozen, mouths slightly open. This was not what they were expecting.

"Yo, Tal!" Moose shouted, jogging onto the stage.

Tala barely spared a glance at Chase but waved casually at Andie as she kept moving. "You gotta stop interrupting me, Moose" she said.

"I didn't know you could dance like that," Andie said, wide-eyed.

"I did tell you," Tala chuckled "the dance you saw the other day wasn't exactly my forte."

"Wow," Chase said, crossing his arms, trying to play it cool. "Wasn't expecting that from you, not gonna lie."

Tala's smile dropped as soon as she looked at him. "Why?" she challenged.

Chase, caught off guard, stumbled a little. "Just 'cuz."

Tala rolled her eyes. "Maybe this is a sign you should stop looking down on drama students, hmm?" she said with a sweet – fake – tone.

"I didn't mean it like that," Chase mumbled.

Andie and Moose exchanged a quick look that screamed: 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨.

"Whatever," Tala said, turning her back on Chase.

She faced Andie and Moose with a much brighter energy. "What can I help you guys with?"

"Well..." Andie started, then shot a look at Chase.

"We want you to be part of our crew," Chase said.

"Crew?" Tala echoed, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah."

Tala hesitated. "I don't know... I have rehearsals for the musical," she said, sounding a little sad about it.

"Come on, Tal, you have to be in this," Moose pleaded.

"I don't know if i have the time..." she trailed off.

"Come on," Moose teased, bumping her with his shoulder. "You get to spend more time with me."

"Yeah, no, I spend enough time with you," Tala said, laughing as she pushed him away.

Then she turned her attention to Chase, eyeing him up and down.

"I'll join... if he apologizes."

"I'm sorry—" Chase started immediately.

"𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆." Tala cut him off sharply.

Chase sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry for the way I looked down on the drama department. I get now that I was being unfair, and I respect everything you guys put into the plays."

Andie and Moose were quietly snickering behind him while Tala looked proud — smug, even.

"Alright," she said, grinning. "I'll join."

"YES!" Andie and Moose shouted, high-fiving each other before pulling Tala into a group hug.

author:

ok, so from here on out, it will follow the movie storyline more, although i will keep on adding more scenes with Moose, outside of the story line, to build more depth of their relationship.

and for the beef part between Chase and Tala, ngl i just thought it would be fun.

[flamingoofeathers]

–𝙪𝙜𝙝, 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣

pairings: Moose x Tala (OC)

summary: "ugh, again. what is it?"

genre: crack

series; wc: 2.8k

main masterlist series masterlist

THE HALLS OF MSA were unusually quiet, most students scattered between classes or already at lunch. Moose wandered past the studios, twirling his keys in his hand, when something caught his eye through the glass wall.

Inside the studio, Tala was dancing alone.

The upbeat rhythm of a musical number filled the room, loud enough that it bled faintly into the hallway. Tala's movements were sharp but expressive, her whole body alive with the kind of storytelling that only came from pure instinct. It wasn't the usual contemporary Moose was used to seeing around here. It was Broadway —dramatic, lively, confident.

He stopped, leaning casually against the opposite wall, just watching her for a moment. She was so caught up in it, mouthing the lyrics under her breath as she moved, every step deliberate, every beat owned.

A small smile tugged at the corner of Moose's mouth. He knew she was rehearsing for the charity event the school had coming up. And even if she didn't think of herself as one of the dancers here, there was something magnetic about the way she moved.

Without really thinking, Moose pushed off the wall and headed into the studio. Tala didn't notice, too locked in her performance. He stood by the door for a moment, watching, before reaching over to the speaker and hitting the stop button.

The music cut off abruptly.

Tala stopped mid-turn, snapping her head around with a sharp glare like she'd been yanked out of a different world. She planted her hands on her hips and groaned loudly.

"Ughhh, you again," she complained, voice dripping with exasperation. "What is it now?"

Moose grinned lazily, not even fazed, and leaned back against the wall. "It's lunchtime. You should eat."

Tala rolled her eyes so hard it was a wonder she didn't fall over. "I will later," she huffed. "I just need to get this part perfected before theatre after lunch."

Moose pushed off the wall a little, his expression teasing but concerned. "And what? So you'll pass out later during rehearsal?"

Tala froze for a second, pouting like a kid caught sneaking cookies before dinner. "I won't pass out," she said, crossing her arms stubbornly. "I told you that I'll eat after this. And if you leave sooner, then I could get back to dancing and then eat."

Moose chuckled under his breath, raising his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, I won't disturb you."

He turned and headed for the door, glancing back over his shoulder just as he crossed into the hall. Through the glass, he caught Tala watching him leave, a tiny grin pulling at her mouth despite herself.

Moose threw her a cocky grin from the other side of the glass.

Tala's smile immediately vanished, her face snapping back into a scowl like she regretted letting him see it. Moose just laughed silently to himself, shoving his hands into his pockets as he strolled off down the hallway.

𓆩❀𓆪

Moose strolled into the courtyard with his usual nonchalant swagger, eyes scanning the area. His gaze landed on his usual spot at the table—right by the trashcan. But today, there was a girl sitting there.

"You're in my seat," Moose said, approaching the table.

The girl didn't even look up at him, just gave him a cold stare, not saying a word.

"Kidding. I mean, this is my seat, but I'll give you a pass for today." With a shrug, Moose started to walk toward the other side of the table, acting like it wasn't a big deal.

As he passed a guy who was missing a trashcan, Moose threw him a quick glance and said, "Nice. Nice. Nice shirt, Napoleon Dynamite. Nice."

"You look fantastic today, by the way. Nice hair," he said to the kid, before finally sitting down.

"What's up? I'm Robert Alexander III. But you can call me Moose." He raised his fist toward the new girl sitting across from him, an open invitation for a fist bump.

"What's up. I'm Andie." The new girl, bumped fists with him, her expression a little confused but amused.

Moose wasn't finished though  "Oh no, it's like this." He extended his fist toward her again. "Give me your hand. You've gotta blow it up," he said, giving her a serious look as if it was the most important thing in the world.

Andie stared at him for a moment, completely perplexed. "Blow it up, right. Blow it up." She imitated his movement, clearly just going along with it.

Moose nodded like she was doing it perfectly, his grin widening. "Pull it back like that." He retracted his fist dramatically, then waved it around. "Aye!" He acted like his fist had just been burned by some invisible heat. "Yeah? It's mine, so... shh," he whispered, grinning as if he had just pulled off the greatest trick.

Andie tried to hold in a laugh, but couldn't help herself.

Meanwhile, one of the guys nearby opened a can of soda, only to pour the whole thing straight into the trashcan. Moose and Andie exchanged a long, silent glance, watching the strange ritual.

After a moment of awkward silence, Moose broke the tension and turned his attention back to Andie. "You're not eating?" he asked, gesturing at her untouched tray.

Andie frowned at the food in front of her, clearly unimpressed. "You call this food?" she said, wrinkling her nose.

Moose looked down at his tofu dog with a proud smile. "Tofu dogs are both nutritious and delicious. This is good" he said with an exaggerated tone, before taking a huge bite of his own.

Andie watched him with a mix of amusement and disgust as he chewed contentedly, savoring the tofu dog like it was a gourmet meal.

"Tastes like candy canes at Christmas~" he sang, making Andie burst out laughing.

She stared at him, her expression dripping with feigned disappointment. "What?"

"You've got crap on your face," Andie said, deadpan, before standing up and grabbing her phone from the table.

Moose froze, his eyes widening slightly. "Oh." He reached for a piece of tissue and wiped his mouth awkwardly, as if he hadn't realized the mess until now.

Moose couldn't help but smirk. "See? I knew we could help each other out."

Moose slid out of the booth, standing up and stretching with exaggerated flair. He shoved the juice and the bread he got into his bag, casually slinging it over his shoulder as he moved towards Andie.

She raised an eyebrow, her posture defensive. "Oh, and what makes you think I need help? Huh?" she asked, holding up her schedule as if to prove she was perfectly fine on her own.

Moose grinned, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "What makes you think..." He mockingly mimicked her voice, then grabbed her schedule from her hand and looked at it "Trust me," he said with a knowing smile, his tone suddenly serious but playful. "I've got what you need."

Andie eyed him suspiciously, but there was no mistaking the glint of obviousness in his eyes. "I have the inside on everything," Moose said, looking around the courtyard as if sharing top-secret intel. "Who's dating. Who's hating." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders casually. "And who's hooking up," he added.

Andie tried to ignore the feeling of being pulled into his energy, but she couldn't help but be intrigued. He was certainly a character.

𓆩❀𓆪

Moose and Andie walked side by side down the halls of MSA, the buzz of students moving between studios and lockers surrounding them. Moose, ever the tour guide, gestured casually toward one of the glass-walled dance studios.

"Oh, and that's Cyborg Sophie," he said, nodding towards a girl inside the studio, twirling with machine-like precision. "She's an MSA machine — Collins' crowning achievement."

Andie followed his gaze, giving Sophie a deadpan look. Everything about her was perfect, almost unsettlingly so.

"She's a triple threat," Moose gossiped "She acts, sings, and dances."

Inside the studio, Sophie paused her stretching just long enough to flash a bright smile and wave at someone across the hall — Chase Collins.

Moose tilted his head toward the interaction, grinning. "She's won every competition out there. But she just lost the biggest battle of them all..." He gave Andie a teasing look, clearly enjoying himself. "The one for Chase's heart."

Andie wrinkled her nose in disgust, turning away and heading toward her locker.

"It's like I've landed in an episode of The Hills," she muttered under her breath as she spun the dial on her lock.

Moose just chuckled and leaned against the neighboring locker, watching the chaos of the hallway. Andie, after quickly shoving her books into her bag, caught sight of another studio just a few doors down.

A different kind of movement caught her eye—more expressive, less mechanical. Someone was dancing inside, but not like the others. It was... theatrical.

"And who's that?" Andie asked, nodding her chin toward the next studio over.

Moose's grin widened, if that were even possible. His eyes lit up like he had been waiting for her to notice.

"Oh, that," he said, dragging out the words like he had a secret. He motioned for her to follow him. "Come on."

Andie gave him a suspicious side-eye but slammed her locker shut anyway and jogged a few steps to catch up with him. Her curiosity was piqued.

They stopped just outside the studio door.

The music playing from the speakers was clearly from a musical — upbeat, bright, with big theatrical beats. The girl moved across the floor with energy, lost in her own world, completely unaware of the two spectators just outside the glass wall.

Andie leaned closer to the glass, curiosity sharpening her expression. "What's she doing?" she asked, genuinely confused.

Moose crossed his arms and leaned casually against the wall. "She's rehearsing for a drama department charity thing," he said. "It's, like... a musical number they're putting together."

Andie's eyebrows shot up. "Drama department? Wait, we have a drama department?"

Moose smirked at her reaction. "Yup. MSA's not just contemporary dance and violins. There's a whole theatre wing too. Small, but it's there."

Inside the studio, the girl  spun into a dramatic pose, singing the lyrics passionately, her body hitting every beat with a deliberate flair that was different from the usual robotic typical choreography Andie was used to seeing here.

Andie watched, still trying to wrap her head around it.

Meanwhile, Moose watched Tala with a slightly different kind of interest, his foot tapping against the floor, waiting for his moment.

Without warning, Moose pushed the door open and stepped inside, leaving Andie standing at the threshold.

Andie hesitated a second before following, the music hitting her full-force now.

But the girl didn't notice them. She was too caught up in the dance, moving with fierce focus, completely in the zone.

Moose gave her a few more seconds, then, like it was a habit, casually walked over to the speaker and pressed stop.

The music died mid-beat.

Tala groaned instantly, tossing her head back dramatically. "Again? What is it this time?" she said, still facing away.

She finally spun around and when her eyes landed on Moose, her expression stayed irritated, until she spotted a girl beside him. In an instant, her frustration smoothed out into something friendlier.

Moose leaned against the doorframe, casual. "Lunch is about to be over. Haven't seen you leave this room once."

Tala sighed, brushing a piece of hair away from her face. "Like I said, I'll eat when I get this part right."

She moved over to her bag, pulling out her water bottle. She tipped it up — but nothing came out. Tala stared at it, then let out another groan of frustration.

Moose chuckled and pulled his backpack around to the front. "Good thing I came prepared."

He pulled out a juice and a slightly squashed bread roll, holding them out.

"Here. You need to eat something."

Tala looked at the food for a moment like she was considering arguing — then gave up and grabbed them with a muttered, "Thanks."

As she grabbed the food, she threw Moose a sharp look, then flicked her eyes subtly toward Andie, the unspoken conversation between them: You gonna introduce us or what?

Moose raised his eyebrows in return like he got it, then finally cleared his throat and turned slightly toward Andie.

"Andie meet Tala. Tala meet Andie. New kid" Moose gestured towards them both.

Tala was the first one to make a move, approaching her and holding her hand out "Nice to meet you and welcome to MSA" she grinned softly.

"Nice to meet you too and thanks. Nice dancing by the way" Andie said with a small smile, shaking her hands.

"Thank you, this choreography is not usually my forte, that's why it's a bit off key" Tala said awkwardly.

"I think it was good" Andie reassured.

Meanwhile, Moose glanced at the wall clock and nudged Tala's arm with a familiar, teasing touch. "You've got about eight minutes before you're late."

Tala followed his gaze, her eyes widening instantly. "Oh my god!" she blurted, rushing to grab her bag and jacket.

In a flurry of motion, she stuffed the bread and juice into her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and shot Andie a quick but warm smile. "Bye! Nice meeting you!" she said hurriedly.

As she passed Moose, she threw him a half-grin and said over her shoulder, "See you there," before disappearing out the door and down the hallway at a fast jog.

Moose chuckled under his breath, watching her vanish.

Andie, still a little thrown by the whole interaction, turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "You're in the drama department too?"

Moose just laughed, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Sort of." before disappearing too.

"what does that even mean?" Andie said before turning away and leaving the room.

𓆩❀𓆪

The late afternoon sun dipped low behind the tall buildings, casting a warm, tired light over the stone steps at the front of MSA.

Andie sat on the second-to-last step, her backpack slouched against her side. She stared out at the street beyond the gate, her mind miles away. Her leg bounced anxiously, sneakers scuffing against the edge of the concrete.

It had been a few days since she transferred, but it still felt like she was running at full speed just to keep up — and losing.

Director Collins had started making her stay after school for private lessons, intense and exhausting. And meanwhile, her crew still expected her to show up, to practice.

A voice broke through her fog.

"Hey."

Andie looked up, blinking back to the present.

Tala was standing a few steps above her, adjusting the strap of her bag over one shoulder. Her hair was a little messy from rehearsal, a binder clutched loosely in her other hand. She looked like she was ready to head home — but she wasn't rushing off, not yet.

"Hey," Andie said back, her voice coming out rougher than she intended.

Tala gave her a once-over, reading the stress on her face immediately. "You look like you're about to punch a wall."

Andie huffed out a small, humorless laugh. "Not gonna lie... it crossed my mind."

Tala smirked and sat down on the step above her, dropping her bag with a soft thud.

"You wanna talk about it, or just sit here and hate the world for a minute?" she asked casually.

Andie smiled faintly at that, the option felt weirdly nice.

She looked down at her crumpled schedule, sighed, and muttered, "Director Collins is making me stay for private lessons every day after school."

Tala winced in sympathy. "Oof. That's brutal."

"Yeah" Andie scoffed " And i have this thing i need to be at after school everyday"

Tala listened, nodding slightly.

"But it's just so hard to keep of both of them" Andie groaned, frustrated at her situation.

"And i'm guessing you can't choose one or the other?" Tala inquired, putting a hand on Andie's shoulder.

"Yeah"

"Figured. You don't look like someone who would voluntarily go to this school" Tala joked "No offense" she added.

Andie let out a chuckled, not taking offence to it "really? what makes you say that?"

"Well..."

They both cracked up,

Then, as the moment faded, a comfortable silence settled between them.

"Well, i gotta go" Tala said standing back up and started to go sown the steps.

She paused "Hey, if you ever need to take a break, come to the theatre" she turned to look back at Andie with a small smile before walking off.

author:

not a lot of Moose and Tala scenes but we'll get there

[flamingoofeathers]

𝐈 𝐃𝐎𝐍’𝐓 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 || MOOSE

𝙏𝘼𝙇𝘼 — a girl attending MSA, an overachiever girl, but she thrives on the stage, acting her heart away.

𝙈𝙊𝙊𝙎𝙀 — a boy attending MSA, tech-savvy type of guy, but he shines the most when it comes to dancing.

a perfectionist actress meets a layback dancer.

available on wattpad too- @/whodafukisu

MAIN MASTERLIST

author: there are barely Moose fanfic, so i thought why not? let’s just hope i actually keep up with this one.

MASTERLIST

step up 2 - finished

0.1 –𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙖 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙤 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣

0.2 –𝙪𝙜𝙝, 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣

0.3 –𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙬

0.4 –𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧

0.5 –𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙪𝙥

0.6 –𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧

0.7 –𝙤𝙛𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮

0.8 –𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙨𝙤𝙣

0.9 –𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙗𝙤𝙬

[flamingoofeathers]

— there’s a dance studio for a reason

pairing: Moose x Tala (OC)

summary: "there's a dance studio for a reason, so maybe dont dance in the hallways where people walk?"

genre: fluff; crack

warnings: none

series; wc: 1.7k

main masterlist series masterlist

THE SUN SHONE down the campus of Maryland School of Arts, as Tala adjusted the strap of her bag and squinted against the light.

The school was humming with students spilling out of classrooms, laughter bouncing off lockers, sneakers squeaking on floors. Tala made her way down the more secluded area of the school, and the noise dulled down as if the volume was turned down.

The performing arts class sat at the more secluded area of the campus, where only a handful of students stayed at and that includes – Tala, but she didn't mind. She actually liked the quite atmosphere of her class compared to the rest of the school. Less noise means more room to think.

As she walked, the tap of her shoes echoed softly through the empty halls as she hums a melody, one from the musical they'd recently started rehearsing. Her fingers tapped the strap of her bag, off beat but she didnt really care.

She rounded the corner near her class, eyes still wandering around, when she saw a boy spinning around the hall but it was too late when –

THUMP

She stumbled hard, her ankle twisting as her shoe caught against his sneaker. Her bag slid off her shoulder, and she hit the ground with a graceless, startled oof, hands scraping against the floor.

"What the hell?" she snapped as she pushed herself up.

Standing above her, a guy with doe eyes and messy curl hair, looked at her, still out of breathe. He looked liked he hadn't known he was in a hallways — where people walk.

"Woah" he said taking off his earbuds " you good?" he asked as if she had walked into his rehearsal space.

Tala brushed the dirt off her skirt and calmly – or so she tried – grabbed her bag off the floor before turning towards the guy who was still waiting for her to talk.

Tala narrowed her eyes as she pointed her finger towards him "You know, there's a dance studio for a reason, so maybe don't dance in the hallways where people walk."

she said before walking off.

The boy raised his eyebrows before hurriedly trying to catch up to her.

"Chill, i was just dancing. Didn't think anyone actually go through these halls" The guy said falling into step beside her.

Tala eyed the boy weirdly, wondering why the hell he was following her.

"Well, no surprise" she said snarkly "people happen to have their classes here"

"Oh, i get it, theatre kid, right?" The guy grinned "Explains the whole dramatic-ness" he said gesturing to her.

"Excuse you?" Tala stopped, turning towards the boy "And this is coming from someone pirouetting-" "i wasn't pirouetting" "-spinning around hitting people like a drunk"

He laughed, he actually laughed, as if she didn't just insult him.

"First of all, i only hit you so i dont know what you mean by everybody" he grinned looking at her "And secondly, you're intense, i like it"

Tala just stared at him before rolling her eyes and continued walking leaving the boy behind.

"I'm Robert Alexander The Third" he called out but the girl rounded another corner "But you can call me Moose" he muttered looking in the direction of the - now gone - girl.

𓆩❀𓆪

Tala pushed open the heavy black box theatre door with more force than necessary. The old hinges squeaked. Inside, the familiar scent of stage dust and paint wrapped around her like armor. It was dim, peaceful. Safe.

A few students milled about, stretching lazily or scrolling on their phones. Mr. Howard was running late. Typical.

Her palms still stung from the fall, and her pride was absolutely bruised. She looked down and noticed a faint scuff on her tights where her knee had hit the ground. Great.

She exhaled sharply, trying to shake it off. She dropped onto the floor in the corner of the black box, legs stretched out, digging through her bag like a raccoon in a trash can. Dance shoes, water bottle, a pack of gum, but no script.

Her brows furrowed.

"No, no, no..."

She unzipped the smaller pocket, then checked the main compartment again, even though she knew it wasn't there.

Her breath caught.

Did I leave it at home? No—I had it this morning. I was reading on the walk over...

Then it hit her.

The fall.

Thala stood so fast her head spun but she didn't care. She sprinted back into the hallway, shoes echoing on the floor. Her heart thudded in time with her footsteps as she turned the corner to the hallway from before.

Empty.

No script on the floor. No faint outline of her stuff where it had scattered.

She turned in a slow circle, biting the inside of her cheek.

Then—

"Lose something?"

She whipped around.

He stood there leaning casually against the wall, her script held lazily in one hand. His curls were still messy, his sleeves pushed up like he hadn't left since earlier. But there was a flicker of something new in his expression—less teasing, more observant.

Her eyes narrowed "You".

He grinned "Me".

Tala strode toward him, arms crossed. "You always just... hang around places you don't belong?"

He held the script out. "This one fell during the Great Collision of five minutes ago. Figured you'd come crawling back for it."

She snatched it from him, trying not to show the actual relief flooding her chest. "I wasn't crawling. I was retrieving."

"Right," he said, pretending to be thoughtful. "Is that what drama kids call panicking now?"

She glared at him, but he just smiled, proud of himself.

"Thanks," she muttered.

"You're welcome, Tala."

The way he said her name—confident, like he'd always known it—caught her off guard.

She blinked. "How do you know my name?"

He shrugged. "Saw the cast list on the wall. Plus, your bag has it written on the inside flap in glitter pen. Rookie move."

Thala blushed faintly and turned to walk away.

"Moose by the way" The guy – Moose – called out once again.

𓆩❀𓆪

Rehearsal dragged.

Not because it was hard—if anything, Tala knew the lines better than half the cast—but because her knee still throbbed from that hallway collision, and Mr. Howard had a habit of stopping scenes every five seconds to adjust someone's "emotional honesty." Tala barely held in a sigh as the lead fumbled his cue for the third time.

She sat cross-legged in the wings, script resting against her thigh, chewing absently on the cap of her pen. From here, she could see the lighting rig above the stage, and the faint flicker of movement behind the booth window in the back of the theatre.

That's when she saw him.

Up in the tiny sound booth, leaning back in the tech chair with one boot propped on the console, was none other than Moose.

Tala blinked. What the hell is he doing up there?

She leaned forward slightly, trying to get a better look. He had a headset on, the mic tilted casually away from his mouth. Every so often, he tapped a button or adjusted a dial, and the stage lights shifted. A spotlight faded. A cue changed.

It wasn't random.

He was running the lighting.

Moose was on tech crew?

"No way," she muttered under her breath.

The scene ended with a half-hearted clap from Howard, and the cast was dismissed. Thala didn't wait — she slipped out of the wings, jogged up the aisle, and climbed the narrow staircase to the booth.

Moose looked up as she pushed the door open.

"You've got to be kidding me," she said, eyes wide.

He grinned, tilting the headset off one ear. "Nice to see you too."

"You're crew?"

"Lighting and sound," he said, motioning around the booth like he was giving a tour. "I set the board up last week. Been shadowing the upperclassmen, but today's my first real solo run."

She crossed her arms. "You do lighting but you were dancing in the hallway like a cracked-out backup dancer."

"Multitalented," he said with a wink.

Thala stared at him, part disbelief, part grudging curiosity.

"Guess we're gonna be working together more often now" Moose said smugly.

"Guess we are" Tala said backing out of the studio.

This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder.

𓆩❀𓆪

Moose had no chill. Thala figured that out within three days.

He wasn't just pestering her—he was committed to it. Like it was a full-time job.

"Yo, Tala," he called one morning, sliding into the hallway with socks on, half-dancing like the floor was lava. "Just making sure gravity still works today!"

She didn't even break stride. "You're not funny."

"I am," he said, spinning to walk backward in front of her. "You're just allergic to joy."

She tried to step around him. He moonwalked.

During rehearsal breaks, he'd show up out of nowhere with a snack he swore she needed. "You look like you skipped breakfast and dinner. You gotta fuel the art."

Moose had that weird, effortless charm—the kind that made people laugh even when they wanted to be mad. He was quick on his feet, quick with his mouth, and somehow always moving—drumming his fingers, bouncing a knee, tossing a pen in the air and catching it without looking.

And every time she saw him up in the booth, focused, adjusting lights or fixing a cue without a word, it almost didn't match the chaos he brought to her world.

Almost.

But then, he'd flash her that ridiculous grin from behind the glass and hold up a sign that said "Don't trip, star of the show."

She flipped him off.

He gave her two thumbs up.

Every day, it was something.

And no matter how much she told herself she didn't care...

She was starting to look for him in the corners.

author:

hello, ngl i have ideas for this story, figured i'd start with how they met, cuz i wanted them to have some sort of story already before starting the main story.

i have a tendency of starting a story but then completely forgetting about it, so i'm hoping this one sticks.

[flamingoofeathers]

i just need a hug from a tall boy with strong arms and who smells nice is that too much to ask for

[flamingoofeathers]

There are so many edits on tiktoks talking about “the tension” between them😭 like bro

YOOOOO PEOPLE SHIP HOOK AND CHLOE!? NAHHHH JAIL BUDDY JAILLLL!!!

[flamingoofeathers]

I need and i mean neeed aryan simhadri fics

[flamingoofeathers]

𝗠𝗜𝗗𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗭𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗦 || 𝗝.𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗞

pairings: james hook x peterpansister!reader

summary: in the stories we were told, Peter Pan and Captain Hook were enemies, no one knew why, but this story shows why.

genre: fluff, angst (a tinsy bit for now)

one-shot; wc: 2.3k

main masterlist james hook masterlist

requested by @stargener

a/n: this is a 2 part series! ALSO THANK YOU FOR 100+ FOLLOWERS LIKE WHAT!? TYSM!! To those who care, i am feeling a lot better now, i can stand up without getting dizzy now, so thats really good!:) also not proofread.

Amongst all the tale told in the kingdom of Auradon, there a tale shunned away from everyone, a tale that defied their ideals of 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 and 𝗯𝗮𝗱. The story of the young Captain Hook and his romance with Y/n, Peter Pan’s sister.

Long before he become the fearsome Captain, James Hook, was just a boy attending Merlin Academy, a bully some may call him but in this specific tale, he was just a boy in love with someone he couldn’t have.

Meanwhile, Y/n Pan, Peter's younger sister, was a spirited and adventurous girl. Unlike Peter, who reveled in the chaos of boyhood, Y/n had a curiosity for the world beyond the walls of the Academy.

She often wandered away from campus, exploring the secret and forbidden places that the world offered.

Their paths crossed on their first year at Merlin, on the Black Lake. It was when Hook wasn’t acquainted with the VK’s yet. James, missing the comfort of his ship back home, had seen the lake with a neglected boat.

Oh how innocent and sweet James was, if only people remembered this part of him.

James got into the boat, rowing towards the middle, he closed his eyes, feeling the soft breeze of the cold wind, the slight swinging of the boat was enough for him to feel the nostalgia of home.

During this peaceful escapade of James, he was spotted by Y/n as she swam around the lake. Intrigued by the sight of a newcomer, she approached him cautiously.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice a mix of suspicion and wonder, as she snuck up on the poor boy.

“Bloody hell!” James yelled staring at the girl staring at him from the water “what the hell!? what are you doing in the water!?” James asked looking over the water.

“Going for a swim, as you can see. What are 𝘆𝗼𝘂 doing here?” The girl inquired leaning on the boat, James scrabbled to get back as the boat drop down on the side of the girl.

“A swim!? This lake is deep” James said agasp, cuz the lake is indeed deep, the girl knew that.

“It is, but not if you have some pixie dust that helps you” the girl chuckled. “Pixie dust? Doesn’t make you fly?” James said confused “it does.” The girl said showing him as she floated above the water.

“Oh.” James said in realisation “still. its the middle of the night, who goes for a swim at midnight?” He asked trying to avoid her question.

“Well…who goes in the middle of the lake and just close their eyes at midnight?” Y/n said raising her brow at him, who looked away.

James stayed silent, embarrassed and not knowing what to say, while the girl stared at him….𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 him.

“You miss home?” Y/n said with understanding tilting her head, trying to make eye contact.

James stared at the girl with surprise “yeah, you too?”

“Yeah”

Both remained silent, catching the longing in each others tone

“I’m James Hook”

“Y/n Pan”

As days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, Y/n and James found themselves drawn to each other. They both shared stories of their daily routine, their home, the adventures they had…and soon something blossomed between the two of them.

It was the last night of school, before summer break and the two spent the night talking just as they did the whole year.

Things have changed, Hook had found himself friends and y/n did as well. In front of the whole school they were enemies, prey and predator, but in the quite hours of the night, they were just James and Y/n, not what they 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 to be, but just the way 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙚.

“Your brother is just sooo fucking annoying” James groaned throwing his head back as he sat on the shore of the lake.

Y/n chuckled as she searched for sea glasses “why do you hate him so much?”

“Because he 𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 me, for what reason? I dont know, one day he just started acting all” James said irritated as he moved his hands around expressing his dislike towards the brother of the girl.

Y/n watched him with a smile on her face, she found their hatred towards each other to be a funny thing.

“You hate my brother but you seem to like me so much, i mean, we’re kinda the same person if you really think about it” Y/n said, teasing the hooked boy.

“don’t even start. You’re different from your brother, you’re kind and sweet, you’re brother is frustrating, big headed and irritating” James said.

“I don’t know how people believe that bad boy act of yours.” Y/n said leaning down towards Hook “you’re just a softie” she giggled pinching his cheeks.

“Ow. Ow. Stop that. Plus, we already talked about this, i need to keep up the act or else Uliana and the rest will just make fun of me” James said.

“Like how they make fun of me?” The mood dropped.

“Hey…no, c’mon, don’t do that”

“Yeah yeah im just messing with you” Y/n joked “it’s like 3 a.m. now, i think we should head back now” Y/n said checking her watch.

“It’s our last night together, can’t we stay any longer?” Hook pleaded holding Y/n’s hand, still sitting down.

Y/n leaned down and touched James cheeks “i want to, but we need to be up at 5 to get ready for departure, we need sleep”

They stared at each others eyes, neither of them wanted to go back, they wanted this night to last forever.

“We’ll see each other again next year” Y/n whispered making Hook sigh “you’re right.”

They walked through the woods, chatting, both dreading their arrival to campus. As the campus comes to view, the two unconsciously slowed their steps.

They stood in front of the “Merlin Academy” sign, fidgeting in their spot, hesitant to walk away from each other.

“I’ll see you in three months, James” Y/n said breaking the tension as she hugged the boy who hugged her back tightly, afraid to let her go. “Write me letters, yeah?” Hook mumbled into the girls neck.

They pulled back slightly, still embracing each other, their faces inches away “i will and you write back” the girl smiled as the fully pulled away.

“Good Night, James.” As Y/n was about to walk away, a hand caught hers stopping her.

“I have something to tell you” Hook said nervously.

“What is it?” Y/n said, she was hoping for it to be what she wanted to hear.

“I- well… uhh, i kinda-“ Hook stuttered

Y/n looked at the boy anticipating.

“You know what, i’ll tell you next year” James said kissing the girls cheek before rushing away.

The girl stood there stunned touching her cheek.

“What the fuck”

They had kept their promises, wrote to each other whenever they can, careful not to get caught.

Y/n’s brother, Peter, had caught on the weird behaviour of his younger sister, he brushed it off that she was excited to see her friends again but he had an inkling feeling that there was something or someone else.

The first day back at school, Y/n searched and searched amongst all the student at arrival for a certain black haired boy.

As they made eye contact, it felt as if the world stopped and it was just the two of them, their eyes sparkled at the mere sight of the other, they smiled at each other, lost in the moment neither of them realised the moving crowd.

Hook frantically looked around before turning to the girl once more mouthing “𝘭𝘢𝘬𝘦. 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵." as he got lost in the busy crowd.

“Y/n!” She heard as a hand gripped her shoulder, turning around seeing her brother looking at her “we need to go. c’mon, we’ll be late for the ceremony” Peter said dragging her along.

That night, Y/n had snuck out to see Hook at the Black Lake.

As she got closer to the lake, a figure she had missed to see for months came in to view. The hooked figure stood there under the majestic light of the moon. She paused to stare at the man she had unknowingly fell in love with over the course of last year.

James, sensing someone behind him, turned to see the girl that kept him up every night, the girl he sees every time he dreams, standing there as if the world around her shimmered with an ethereal glow. Her presence alone felt almost otherworldly.

James stared as she approached, simply admiring her beauty, she wore a dress that night, it draped over her, highlighting her every movement with a gentle sway.

“If i had known you were gonna be all dressed up, then i would’ve cleaned myself up better” James teased making the girl chuckle.

“Please, you look fine” she smiled as she came face to face with the boy “my brother organised a ‘welcome back’ party in the boys dorms” she explained.

They stared at each other, a silence filled with unsaid words circled them.

“I missed you” Y/n smiled leaning to hug the boy.

“I missed you too” James said hugging the girl back, inhaling her scent, engraving the smell into his head.

“Three months without was boring” Y/n chuckled as they pulled back.

“Yeah well, i do have that effect on people” James joked waving her off “wow. Nevermind, i take it back, I don’t miss you at all” Y/n said turning away from him pretending to walk away “Hey now.” James said pulling her back in by the wrist “i was just kidding” he said.

“Boat ride?” James asked as he lead her towards the boat they use “do i have a choice?” Y/n teased “No, not really” James teased back as he guided the girl into the swaying boat by the hand.

They chatted about their summer adventures while James rowed the boat to the middle of the lake, where they first met.

“I mean, i know right, he could’ve dodged the ball but he stayed there basically wanting to get hit” Y/n chuckled talking about the recent tourney games.

“Exactly, dramatic much” James chuckled.

Their laughs faded away slowly, both settling in a comfortable silence.

“Y/n?”

“Hmm?”

“Remember what i said before break?”

“Yeah” Y/n replied, on full alert, she had been waiting to talk about this for months but now that it’s happening, she’s scared.

“That i’ll tell you when we got back?”

“Yeah?”

“Well…” James knew that there was no turning back now, he had to do it.

He took a deep breath, taking her hands in his, he looked into her eyes, which reflected the colors of the evening sky “I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something that’s been on my mind for awhile now. Every moment spent with you feels like magic and i find myself falling for you even more as days go by. You’ve become my most cherished thought and my deepest dream. When i’m with you i feel like i discover a new part of myself — a part only 𝘆𝗼𝘂 can bring out. Your laughter, your kindness and the way you see the world have captivated me. Life can be unpredictable but the one thing i’m certain of are my feelings for you. Being with you feels like coming home.” He paused gathering his thoughts “what i’m trying to say is: i am completely and irrevocably in love with you.” James let out after so long of hiding it, a weight lifted off his shoulders only to be replaced with the fear of rejection, of loosing her.

He looked at her eyes and saw the unshed tears swimming in them. He waited for a response or a sign that he hadn’t made a mistake, but he was met with silence. The girl was overwhelmed, she knew it was coming, but she didn’t know it was gonna be like this. She stared at the boy she fell in love with, unable to form words, her mind was in a mess, reliving every memory with him, a tear left her eye and cascaded down her cheek.

“James…i-“ she got cut off.

“And i know, that our situation makes it hard for us, every rule, every boundary, every expectation from the world around tells us we can’t be together. I can’t give 𝙪𝙨 up, Y/n, i just ca-“

She didn’t let him finish. In one swift motion, she leaned in and captured his lips in a sudden yet heartfelt kiss. They were lost in the intensity and the passion of the kiss, the world fading into the background. Her arms wrapped around his neck and his hands cupping her face.

When they finally pulled apart, their faces inches from each other, they were both breathless. His eyes searched hers, his panic driven mind long gone, replaced by a newfound warmth.

“I’ve been waiting for you to say that” her voice trembled “i always felt like you felt the same but i was so scared that i would loose you if i had said something and so I didn’t, but god, James! I am so in love with you” Y/n said leaning in once more.

Both of them savouring the moment, lost into the magic that had sparked between them.

Neither of them noticed the figure that lurked above them.

“𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧" y/n whispered into the soft silence.

[flamingoofeathers]

YOOOOO PEOPLE SHIP HOOK AND CHLOE!? NAHHHH JAIL BUDDY JAILLLL!!!