The Next Step Oneshots

10. Double Threat - Pinn

She'd been invited by Noah to the music room at the studio to help record their college assignments. Both of them were dance majors, as well as music performance. This meant that they both were required to sing, as well as play an instrument.

Nobody at the dance studio knew that she sang. And she wanted to keep it that way. The only one who knew was Richelle, whom had spent too much time around Noah to not know.

Growing up, her brother had always worked with the band. And she'd loved singing alongside them, finding a passion for the performance. But it had always been a hobby, whilst dance was more of a profession.

But then, she'd been recommended by her coach to major in music performance. Being a person who'd always wanted to prove herself against her brother, she'd agreed. She didn't have anything to lose by having another degree.

--

She enters the music room, seeing a guitar and microphones placed in the middle of the room, the keyboard pulled from the side to the center. Noah seems to pop out of nowhere, as she startles.

"Hey piper. You ready to record that song?"

"I guess. Are you doing the high part or am I?"

"You, obviously. I can't do that part."

She sighs. She'd always been insecure about her falsetto. No matter how hard she practised, it had always seemed off pitch, without her enunciating the lyrics properly.

He notices her unsurety, and pats her on the back.

"C'mon piper. You have one of the best falsetto voices in the class. Now, let's just run it over first. I'm sure you've already warmed up, knowing you."

Resigned, she grabs the microphone, setting it up next to the keyboard. She'd have to do it, if she wanted to keep her grade up.

--

He's in the studio today, not knowing where to go after his parents had left the house for work. The air conditioning in his room didn't work, and he wanted to get some dance practise in.

He'd almost been overlooked last season; auditioning to not be an alternate. It might not have seemed like it, but he really did take dance seriously. He refuses to let that happen again, taking every opportunity to better himself.

It was a Tuesday. This meant that b troupe would be rehearsing in studio a and studio one, since a troupe got the day off. Baby ballet would probably be in studio b, so that left the music room free.

He jogs over to the room, chai tea in hand. When he gets to the familiar corridor, he pauses. The door's open, and a the most beautiful voice he'd ever heard drifts from the doorway.

He pokes his head in. His eyes widen, when he realises that the amazing vocalist is his gorgeous girlfriend. He nods to his fellow bro, who's strumming the guitar on the sidelines, and focuses his attention completely on the brunette. He never knew that she was such a brilliant singer.

--

Rehearsals were going well today, she thinks. She supposes that her practise has paid off. Her falsetto was finally sounding in pitch, and she was taking the effort to enunciate each and every lyric.

She'd never felt so confident about her singing. She can hear the faint strumming of the guitar, and it boosts her spirits even more. She hits the high note perfectly, for the first time ever, and finishes the song. As her friend plays the final chords, she's beaming, proud of herself for achieving such a good run through.

"Hey, pipes. Didn't know you could sing so well."

She nearly jumps out of her skin. Heart racing, she turns around to see her goofy boyfriend, smile plastered on his face. Cheeks red, she realises that he had heard her sing; something she'd sworn wouldn't happen for the foreseeable future.

"Finn! What are you doing here?"

"Me? Oh I'm getting some rehearsals in. The real question is, what are you doing in here? And why have you never told me you could sing?"

She fidgets on the spot, not wanting to look into his eyes. She knew that if she did, she wouldn't be able to resist them. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees her fellow vocalist leave the room. She doesn't know whether to feel grateful, or to panic even further.

--

He lifts her chin up. Concerned eyes staring into hers.

"Pipes? You okay?"

"Yeah. Just, not too sure about people discovering that I sing."

"Why not? You're amazing!"

He doesn't understand why she wanted to keep her talent a secret. If he had her talent in singing, he'd want to show it off to everyone. Unlike that one embarrassing fruity moons commercial.

"It's just a hobby. Someone managed to convince me to major in it in college, so I'm doing the same programme as Noah."

"You're definitely the best in the class, right? With a voice like that, your classmates would have to be impossibly amazing to beat you. You're like a double threat. Singing and dancing."

She smiles. Her boyfriend really was her own personal cheerleader, whether he realised it or not. No matter what, he was supportive of her. And that's one of the things she loved about him.

"Everyone in the class's super talented, Finn. I'm not the only one, y'know."

"Doesn't matter. Will you sing for me? Please?"

--

Eagerly, he looks at her, puppy dog eyes burning into her own gaze. How could she say no to him like that? Good naturedly, she rolls her eyes, and resigns herself to her fate.

"Fine. But you're singing too."

"Okay, okay. But I'm NOT singing fruity moons."

She giggles, imagining fruity moons harmonising with her favourite song. It was unorthodox, but it made a funny concept. Maybe one day that could happen.

She plugs in her phone into the speaker. Adjusting the mic and the keyboard, she gets ready to sing. This song had been her favourite song in her teenage years, and she still loved it to this day. It meant a lot to her; helping her with her low self-esteem and anxiety.

"I still fall on my face sometimes, and I, can't colour inside the lines cause."

"I'm perfectly incomplete. I'm still working on my masterpiece."*

She's so surprised when he starts to join in. Despite not having sung or trained in vocals since being a child, he had a decent voice. Shaking herself out of it, she continues the song and finishes it off.

"Now, wasn't that fun?" He asks her.

"I guess."

"We should totally go karaoke with the rest of the team."

"I don't know about that, Finn."

"They're not going to judge you. Plus, it's going to be fun. Most of the team don't sing, so it'll just be for fun."

Her classmate pops his head in again.

"Hey, piper. I recorded that if you want to submit it- it's a really good take. And karaoke is a good idea, you know."

Maybe her singing insecurity just wasn't worth it.

*Masterpiece - Jessie J, 2014