The Next Step Oneshots

Pretty

Not a request, but I wrote this as a positivity piece after all that angst. And I think it delivers a really important message.

"Am I pretty?" She asks, out of the blue, fingering a strand of brown hair, as they're hanging out in the Next Steep. He puts his Assam tea down just as he was about to take a sip.
"Piper, what did you just ask?" His blue eyes read confusion.
"Never mind. It wasn't important." She squeezes his hand under the table, and returns to her own hot drink.
"No, what was that question?" Her brows raise. He seems to care a lot about this inquiry that he apparently didn't hear.
"Nothing, I just asked if I was pretty." She mutters quietly in response. She guesses she got her answer. He takes a gulp of his drink, before setting it down again. He stands up, walks across to her, and offers his hand. Curious, she accepts it, and he delicately pulls her out of the chair. He starts leading her hurriedly out of the café.
"Your tea!" She exclaims, not wanting to be wasteful or a nuisance.
"Screw my tea." He says with such a certainty that she doesn't dare retort. He heads down the corridor, his hand still in hers. Half way to the Studio, he chooses to spin her around.
"What are you doing?" She laughs.
"Dancing with you!" He grins.
"In the hallway?"
"Mhm!"

They get to the Studio and suddenly, his hands are over her eyes. She feels unsteady, but he's steering her forwards.
"You know I can't see, right?"
"I know."
"Can you move your hands?"
"Nope." She can feel that he's smirking.
"Finn," She warns. He motions so that she turns left.
"One second…okay," He lifts his hands. They're in the middle of Studio A, facing the long, polished mirrors. "Look."
She's not entirely sure what he means, but she doesn't want to get conscious looking at herself, so she checks out his reflection. His hair was scruffy, his eyes shined and he was very…toned. She looks down as she feels herself blush.

"You're very handsome."
"No! Pipes, that's not the-" He smiles at the compliment, "I mean, thanks, but look at…her." Did he mean herself? She studies her own figure. She wasn't conventially attractive, she thinks. She was tiny compared to him and she didn't have doe eyes and her hair was nowhere near silky and she was curvy, a little, but not in the correct places. She was…just Piper. And he was standing next to her, looking like a model.

"What do you think?" He shoots a sideways look at her.
"She's ordinary." She remarks.
"Ordinary?" His head tilts in the most endlessly cute way.
"Yes. She's not, she doesn't look unattractive?"
"I'm sorry, what?"
"What?" She crosses her arms, "I'm being honest."
"I'm offended."
"How are you offended?"
"Well, that's my girlfriend, actually. And, she's not the most aware of it, but she's beautiful." She feels herself smile and she sees his arms around him in the mirror. Oh, she did not deserve him.
"In what way?"
"I mean, look at her. Her smile is gorgeous." She looks up at him and he gives her an earnest look. He's too good.
"But, um, her body-" She says in a lowered tone.
"Is amazing. And, her eyes are sparkly, and you know what, that's all an extra. Because she is the most caring person you will ever meet."

"Thank you." He kisses her head as she leans into him.
"What for?" His reflection answers, slyly.

Hello! Yep, you. Hi. You know you're breath-taking, right? Like, stunningly gorgeous.

Also, appreciation of Alex Chaves/Piper's freaking beauty.

Thanks for reading 💗