Richozzy Endgame (Oneshots)

Falling in Love

A/N: Just a little story about how I imagine the scene from the season 8b trailer to go. I seriously can't believe we're finally getting them😭 Parts of this were influenced and inspired by Cinematicolour - give their recent Richozzy story a read, it's a good one!

Richelle's POV:
I sat in the dark studio and sighed. Ever since Step Inside and the team moving on, everything had been so different. It had been so chaotic and busy, and yet I'd never felt quite so empty and alone. I supposed you never knew what you had until it was gone. And that team was my family.

For a long time I didn't know what I was going to do. So when Nick asked me to be the Head Choreographer for Nationals, it seemed like an obvious answer. Of course I had to do it. The Next Step had been my home for so long now, and to work here felt like a dream. But the job had been so much more difficult than I anticipated - now I just felt like such a failure. I thought back to after the show when Ozzy told me I could do anything. But, what if he was wrong? What if I couldn't do this?

I couldn't take the feeling any longer; I couldn't sit there and wallow in my insecurities. Abruptly, I stood up and switched the music on. The song that played caused a sharp pulsating feeling to commence in my chest. It was "Reality".

It was funny. Chad wrote this song, and it was his voice filling the room, but when I listened to it, all the feelings I'd thought I'd had for him felt like a world away. All I thought of was my duet with Ozzy, and how even when I'd done everything to push him away, he'd still showed up for me.

And now he was gone. I was all alone.

Entering the centre of the studio, I let my body dictate my movements. All of my frustration flowed out of me as my limbs moved in time with the music, and all of a sudden I felt so much more free. All of my burdens were lifted and I was flying through Studio A, completely weightless.

As the song drew to a close, I found myself sat on the floor, completely breathless. I wrapped my arms around my torso as if to hold myself together, and squeezed my eyes tight. I just wished I could see a way forward and a way through all this self-doubt. The pressure was just so much.

"Well, if that's the calibre of choreography you're bringing to Nationals, then I think Absolute Dance should just crown The Next Step already." My head snapped up.
"Ozzy?" I breathed, in complete disbelief. He'd been so busy with his new job lately that I hadn't heard from him in weeks - it was surreal to see him back here.
"The one and only." He grinned, and I felt the pressure in my chest alleviate a little.

"What are you doing here?" I said, wrapping my arms around him in a warm hug.
"Nick called," he responded as we made our way over to the benches and took a seat. "He said you were having some trouble? He thought maybe I could help." I scowled. So I guessed I wasn't hiding my struggles that well, then. Even Nick didn't think I was doing a good enough job.

"Trouble? Me? No, honestly, I'm fine," I insisted. "The new job is a challenge, but you know me, Oz, I love a good challenge."
"I do know you, Richelle. That's why I know when you're lying to me. The way I saw you dancing just then...you've got something on your mind. Please tell me what's wrong - I hate seeing you like this." The look on his face was so sincere that I suddenly felt so vulnerable. When he looked at me like that, I felt like he was seeing all of me, without any of the walls I tried so hard to put up. Nobody else ever looked at me like that.

I let out a sad laugh.
"You're right. I don't know why I ever try to lie to you," I said, as a small knowing smile appeared on his face. "I just...I know everyone was so excited for me getting this job, and I know they were all so sure I could do it. But I don't feel like I have this. I feel so out of my depth, Ozzy."
"You do have this, Richelle. And I'm not just saying that," he said as he reached out and gently brushed my arm. "It's natural to feel like this. Choreographing for a competitive team is so different to dancing for yourself. It's not just your fate in your hands now, and I know that scares you. But you could never let them down, Richelle. You're the most talented person I know, and there is no other person better suited for this job than you."
"You really think so?"
"I know so."

I stared at him for a long moment, just taking in his facial expression and letting myself believe what he was saying.
"Ozzy," I found myself saying without thinking. "You know you're my best friend, right?" He reached out and squeezed my hand.
"Oh, I know," he grinned cockily. I punched him lightly on the arm, laughing much more freely now. "Come on," he said, pulling me up from my seat. "Let's dance."

He switched on the music and I was surprised to hear the familiar notes of "Slow Motion".
"Do you still remember it?" He asked, looking at me expectantly, referring to our first ever duet together. I smiled a wide smile,
"Of course." We began moving in time with the music, turning, rising, falling. All I could think of was how much had changed since we first danced this. Back then, Ozzy had been this silly boy who had a crush on me and who I'd never given the time of day. But how he was Ozzy. He really meant a lot to me.

As the dance came to an end, he put me in a dip and all that could be heard in Studio A was our heavy breathing. He pulled me up into a tight hug, and just like I'd tried to hold myself together before, I suddenly felt he was doing it for me. As we pulled away slowly, I felt our cheeks linger next to each other for a second longer than was natural, and I moved my hands up to his neck as our foreheads rested on each other.

"Thank you, Ozzy." I said.
"What for?" I shook my head in disbelief.
"For being here, for coming just because you thought I needed you. I can always rely on you, Oz. We all can. You saved Step Inside for the team and I don't think I ever thanked you for that, either. So, thank you." He moved his head back from mine slightly and looked at me then, really looked at me.
"You know who I did that for, Richelle." At those words, I felt my heart start to race, and everything just fell into place.
"Ozzy..." I whispered.

And then I was kissing him. Our lips moved in sync as if we were well rehearsed at this, like this is what we'd been doing the whole time. I gripped my arms around his neck and his hands moved firmly against my back, pulling me into him. Ragged breaths and urgency passed between us as we tried to express everything that had been building in that one kiss.

After what didn't feel like nearly enough time, we parted and were breathless once again, this time for a much better reason. The grin on his face mirrored mine and I laughed. I couldn't believe it had taken me so long to realise this. To realise it was always him.