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memarrymilf · 7 months

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House of the Dragon (Dance Moms Au)

AN: This is based off of a fever dream i had while adjusting to my new anxienty meds, good luck.

The Targaryens had a long line of success within the world of dance, some even considered them royalty. Many flocked to the studios that they would dance at, though they had danced at the same studio since they were 2. Alicent Targaryen, nee Hightower is a real dance mom, and she loved her children equally.

Interview with Alicent Targaryen (Mother of Aegon, Daeron, Aemond, Y/N and Helaena Targaryen):

Alicent (31): “My children have danced with Criston Lee Cole since they were babies, and we never lose.”

Aemond (7): “I am the best, sorry.” (Clearly, he was not sorry.)

Helaena (8): “I just like the sparkly costumes.” (Queen of not giving a shit.)

Daeron (6): *Isn’t here. *

Aegon (9): “I don’t really care, I don’t try, but I win anyway.” (Unbothered.)

Y/N (9): “I hate being here, but I’m the best at what I do.” (Does Jazz hands, with no facial expression.)

Alicent: “We are on Criston’s competition team, and we love being here.” (Clearly, she does not love being here.)

Rhaenyra Strong, nee Targaryen had danced at Criston’s studio when she was a young girl. Her sons have made quite the name for themselves in the dance world, and she supported them all the way. She just wants to see them dance.

Interview with Rhaenyra Strong (Mother of Jace, Luke, Joffrey and Visenya.):

Rhaenyra (30): “We are all just so excited to be here.” (Looks like death.)

Jace (8): “I will be the next James Cordon, no one wants to see me but I’m always there.” (Seems to be giving up on life.)

Luke (7): “I really love my mom.” (Puppy dog eyes.)

Joffrey (6): “I like dance.” (No thoughts, head empty.)

Visenya (6): “Yall already know who I am, my names Visenya and I’m the best jumper on the team.” (Crazy Topher eyes.)

Rhaenys Velaryon, nee Baratheon was dance royalty when she was a coach for Criston’s studio. She decided to step down from her position when her children were born.

Interview with Rhaenys Velaryon (Mother of Laena and Laenor Velaryon):

Rhaenys (42): “My children are the dancers that they are because of me.” (Very proud of herself.)

Laena (9): “I am the duet master.” (Smug.)

Laenor (8): “My sister is insane.” (Looks around as if she would appear.)

Rhea Royce, divorced mother of 2, devoted Christian and very vocal about all of her thoughts. Pro guns and Pro-choice, she just thinks everyone should be dead.

Interview with Rhea Royce (Mother of Rhaena and Beala):

Rhea (28): “My girls love dance, and I want them to be happy.” (Sincere.)

Beala (7): “My mother is the best mom ever.” (Honest.)

Rhaena (6): “I love doing Acro and tricks.” (No thoughts, head empty.)

-Monday 13:54-

The mothers and their children enter the studio at the same time, almost rehearsed. Alys is sat at the front desk, shuffling through the papers that have slowly been piling up on the surface. Alys was the choreographer for Criston’s studio. She prided herself in being the best and producing the best dances.

The children all love her.

Interview with Alys (choreographer):

Alys (21): “I love working with the kids, I don’t love working with Criston though, he’s insane.”

She smiles up at them as they pass the desk. “Good afternoon, ladies, hi kids.” A chorus of responses floods the room, they all head to get changed and the mothers to help their kids. However, Alicent stops at the desk.

“Good afternoon, Alys.” the words are soft, tender. A soft smile plays upon her lips, she has always been kinder than the other mothers.

Alys smiles in response, “Hi,” she too has a tender smile upon her face. Alicent doesn’t linger too long before she heads back to help her kids get ready to dance.

-14:30-

“Kids get in here!”

The children flock towards the voice, Criston is stood at the front of the room, by the mirrors. On the mirrors, photos making a pyramid.

The mothers walk in after them standing to the side of the room. “Time for pyramid,” a sinister smirk appears upon Criston’s face, the children shudder with fear.

“On the bottom of the pyramid,” he removes the page covering the photo, “Jace, you fell out of your turns and boggled the pirouettes, I’m just glad that the judges were looking at Aegon and not at you.” Jace lowers his head in shame.

“Next, Rhaena, your jumps were slow, and your timing was off half the time.”

Rhaena too looks to the ground, unable to meet Criston’s eyes. “Next, Laenor, you missed half a step, I’m disappointed. Next, Joffrey, you didn’t stick out to me. Next, Beala, you were good, I’m waiting for you to be great.”

Criston starts revealing the next row, “Luke, you were cute, but we don’t want cute, we want compelling. Next, Helaena, you did good. Next, Laena, your turns were good, but you had sickled feet. Next, Visenya, you did the best jumps, very nice.” The children who were yet to be revealed what spots they received seem much more at ease now.

“Next, Aemond, you did what was expected, good job. Next, Y/N, you were the female lead, and you exceeded my expectations. And at the top of the pyramid, Aegon.”

Aegon does not react to this at all, because Aegon doesn’t care. “This week the group routine is intitled: Dance of the Royals, it is about a family at war over who gets the throne now that the king is dead. There will be two sides of this ‘war’ the greens and the blacks. Each side has a lead dancer who together will almost be preforming a duet in the midst of the ‘war’. Aegon, you will lead the green side, Y/N you will lead the black side. Then I also have 3 solos and one trio to give out.”

His eyes scan over them, “Aegon, Y/N, Aemond, you three have solos, as you are at the top of the pyramid. Laena, Beala and Helaena you are in the trio, the trio is called: Pigs and Us, it is about the struggles of being a woman in this world. It is contemporary, and very emotional. Aegon your solo is called: The Taker, it is jazz, and it is about the benefits that society give men but deny women. Aemond, your solo is titled: God’s Eye, it is contemporary, it is about a battle between two warring souls. Y/N your solo is titled: Dry-eyed and Docile, it is a ballet solo, and it is about a young girl who is taken from her life and married to a man much older than her. All the solos are designed to win, so you better win.”

The children are promptly dismissed to start learning the choreography.

-Upstairs: the mothers-

“Well, ladies, what’s new?” Rhea Royce, mother of two said enthusiastically. (AN: It took me several minutes of contemplation to figure out how to spell that, but that is mostly because I am an idiot.)

Alicent glanced over at Rhaenyra making an annoyed face, Rhaenyra covers her snickers by coughing. “I have decided that Luke, Jace and Joffrey will be taking a few extra privates this week and next week to help them out a little.” Rhea rolls her eyes.

Interview with Rhea (mother of Beala and Rhaena):

Rhea (28): “Rhaenyra will do anything in her power to give her kids extra help, its not right. Now, my little Beala, she would thrive with some extra privates.”

-Mothers-

“That’s wonderful, I bet they’ll appreciate that.” Alicent smiled at Rhaenyra.

Rhea rolled her eyes once more, “Yes, I’m sure.” She pauses briefly trying in vain to regain her composure. “What do you ladies think of the dances for this weekend?”

“Oh, I’m very excited, I love the idea for the group and the solos for my kids, I’m sure they are going to love it.” Alicent practically gushes.

Rhea, ever the bitch, rolls her eyes once more (AN: I can’t stop.) “Of course, you would be thrilled, three of your kids got solos and the other one got a part in the trio.”

“What is your problem?”

Rhaenys makes no comment on the inevitable fight, simply enjoying the show.

“My problem is that Criston clearly has favourites, and your kids are at the top of that list. He keeps giving them solos even though they can’t dance.” Rhea is yelling now.

Alicent looks at her for a moment before replying, “Sis- you better be joking.”

“I’m not joking, and I’m definitely not your sis, bitch.”

“Oooooooohhhhhh.” Fucking Rhaenyra, her best friend is about to fight someone and yet she jokes around.

“You better back the fuck up before you get smacked the fuck up hoe, because I’m not the one.” Rhea actually looks pretty intimidated; you would be too if there was a scary lady dressed in a green power suit willing and ready to beat your ass.

Rhea: 0

Alicent:1

Rhaenyra snickers again. “Haha,” that seems to hold a more mocking tone.

Alicent shoots her a look of disproval, Rhaenyra’s resolve seems to quickly fade upon meeting her gaze. “Sorry,” she mutters, clearly not sorry.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Alicent looks smug as ever.

-the children-

Aegon is doing pirouettes in the centre of the room, taking up so much space that everyone else has to dodge his feet in order to survive. He doesn’t seem at all bothered by the fact that Aemond keeps threatening him that if he doesn’t stop, he will shove his ballet shoe up Aegon’s rectum.

As Aegon continues to ignore his brother Jace makes his way over to Criston, “I’m sorry Mr Criston, but could you please tell Aegon to stop?”

Criston narrows his eyes towards the boy as he scrutinizes his choice of clothes. He straightens his posture before dropping down slightly to get close to Jace’s face. “Bother me again and I will kill you, you little twerp.” He whispers harshly to the literal child that he is beefing with.

#they're lesbians your honor #someone save me #rhaenyra x alicent #alicent hightower #rhaenicent #alicent x rhaenyra #aegon targaryen #aemond targaryen #family au #dance moms au #modern au #reader is also there #heleana is the idgaf queen #no thought head empty

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dollarstoreartsupplies · 1 year

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Anyway here’s a dance moms au art dump because I’m trying to get them out of my system lmao ft. baby mike who is not on dance moms but is their good best buddy

Link to fic I wrote like a year ago to ‘get them out of my system’ (lol rip) for ur convenience

Vague timeline masterpost

#dance moms au #fem richie tozier #fem stan uris #fem mike hanlon #it’s THEM they’re still HERE #my art :)#it was such a STRUGGLE to try and get a picture of old instagram #losers club #fem losers club #richies arms are LONG in most of these and I just realized and don’t feel like fixing it

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batarangsoundsdumb · 1 year

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"I couldn't be more disappointed with Gaby-Ann, she sewed rainbow sequins on the girls' costumes when we all agreed that they didn't fit with the subject matter of the choreography. Next time, we know who we can't trust."

#this is completely serious and not at all a joke #the-real-peter-parker and i started talking about dance moms au like 5 minutes ago and it is rewriting my brain #they're the internet's darlings #dc #dcu #bruce wayne #batman #batfam

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luuxxart · 2 years

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I don’t remember the point of this

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orangesand-lemons-234 · 2 months

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Whenever JoJo does something ridiculous (which is often), Specs channels his inner Abby Lee Miller and yells at the top of his lungs:

"JOJO? HAVE YOU LEARNED NOTHING?!"

#obviously modern au #i feel like jojo specs and romeo would watch tlc shows to laugh at them #dance moms is deffo one of them #and specs is constantly quoting them #especially that one #because god knows jojo has done some dumbass things #yes this is based on the clip with muekeni and alm at uksiee #uksies*#i think its funny #newsies #uksies #newsies headcanons #jojo de la guerra #specs newsies

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butmakeitgayblog · 11 days

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Does teach me clexa do anything special for Pride month?

I was JUST talking about this with Sam tonight 🤯

Because she asked if I was writing anything for Pride and I was like eh idk I'm lazy, bUt also that I'm working diligently on Professor au in the hopes it'll be done by this month (with a bit of MBFW work being done as well 👀 yes you read that correctly). And that got the convo rolling on how:

Clarke has never been to a Pride.

Ever.

Like, ever. She got married so young, and then had a baby, and spent all her younger adult life doing the whole housewife and mom thing that it just... it seemed to pass her by. Plus... she kinda felt weird? Like if she went, then Finn would've wanted to go and it would've felt weird to her to bring her cishet husband (unnecessarily, but ya know, sometimes people internalize some bad hot takes), and so she just always kinda felt like she didn't belong either (again, very wrong. So wrong.)

But of course Lexa's been to so many that she's probably accidentally inhaled enough rainbow colored glitter that her internal organs look like a disco ball 🥴

So after everything in the fic is said and done, I think Lexa eventually taking Clarke to her first Pride would be An Experience. Granted they're in their 40s so the days of doing body shots off lingerie clad drag queens are squarely in the rearview mirror, but everything else? Getting to do the silly face paint and soldier through the heat of a sea of bodies and a 1000 goddamn suns, Clarke getting to meet other bi women and make friends with other queer moms while Lexa quietly watches on the sidelines with her big "I'm very in love with that excited little dork" hearteyes. A BARELY-legal-to-drink Madi tagging along and doing shots with an ease that both impresses and disappoints Clarke down to her bones. All three of them buying entirely too many tchotchkes and so on from venders because, "Yes Lexa 😑 we absolutely do need matching lesbian and bi wife mugs. We're helping the community."

#anon #teach me #prof/stu au #honestly tho given the right circumstances they probably would still do a couple body shots lbr here #and if Madi catches a glimpse of her mom and stepmom tipsily dirty grind dancing to a song at some point well welcome to pride young buck

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thesexydancingcrepe · 11 months

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Shenanigans

🙈 🙉 🙊💗🪭🐵🪭🎀🩰✨️

Don't be suspicious🎶 Don't be suspicious 🎶

Mimi's being a good older sister and supporting her younger siblings interests, even if it's stealing from the masses

She receives a commission for her services anyway

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skeletonoli · 6 days

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harry potter au where Severus Snape is Abby lee miller

#harry potter #severus snape #dance moms #abby lee #abby lee miller #alternate universe #au

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creatrixanimi · 4 months

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ive drawn so much stuff for that submas hazbin au i posted about a while ago but i havent posted anything because i get embarrassed easily.

#some is funny some angsty #emmet is having a bad time while ingo is having a hot girl summer #also like its more of a crossover than an au so i wanna draw more inter-property character interactions #but i havent psyched myself up for that yet #all i know is emmet and alastor would try to kill each other dance moms style #me #submas hazbin hotel au

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tennessoui · 1 year

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😧

^^ quinlans face after he leaves his buddy to terrorize a few senators, comes back to find him talking to the one guy he really should not be talking with while pulling all his usual flirting moves, looks away only for the pair of them to disappear, blinks and sees his buddy running after his other buddy, doesn’t see him for a while before seeing him again looking very recently mauled and clearly disassociating only to lose track of him again, see that one guy he shouldn’t be talking with following him up to a restricted area only to be told not even an hour later that his buddy was stabbed by a sith who kidnapped the chancellor elect and now he’s in the halls of healing, unconscious and injured

#asks #Stacy’s mom au #Quinlan looked away for one second!!!!#obi-wan is never gonna hear the end of this #also I took it out because it was too long but there was supposed to be a scene in between the conflict with Ahsoka and the balcony scene #where obi-wan finds Quinlan and tells him he was right while they dance #and idk lays his head on his chest seeking comfort #figured it would be nice for obi-wan to know he still got his best friend #and heal that bridge before the major one (anakin) falls apart #and also so anakin could see that and be >:( but also :(

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ebbpettier · 1 year

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i would bet money that agatha wellbelove stands in turnout all the time without realizing it

#her mom probably hates it but her barre instructors love it #i could write such a dance school AU if i had an inkling of plot for it #i have a headcanon for what every character does #penny was decent in tap but nothing really *stuck* until she got into irish step #she gives me an irish step girl vibe #eyes directly ahead arms locked at her sides ponytail gel that rings like metal when you knock on it #simon is not a good dancer his dad just runs the place. all the ballet girls ask him to break their shoes for them.#baz has really intensive ballet foundation but he does ballroom and tango and rumba and lyrical and-

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dollarstoreartsupplies · 1 year

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i lowkey would totally be interested in your richie and stan dance moms au lore. I read that fic ages ago and now can't get richie and stan being dancers out of my brain. especially because im a dancer myself

Richies strengths are performing (obviously), but i also think she would have this super cool and unique quality to her dancing while stan is super technical. and i think stan would struggle with a perfectionistic mindset (ugh dont we all) and sometimes lose her artistry while richie is relaxed and genuinely just dances for enjoyment, not really caring if shes not completely technically sound

(btw you are such a talented writer i could read ur writing forever. and you characterization skills are so fucnjkh good)

(Here's the fic for reference btw)

Dude, homie, bestie, my dear like it’s so STUCK IN MY BRAIN because like?? I in general am of the opinion that gals Stan and Richie were in dance classes as little kids together, because I think it’s fun, and I ALSO think they’re the two funniest characters to throw onto reality television? Like,,,, come on?

(Also like I’m Bad at describing dance for a person who dances so unfortunately there isn’t nearly enough dance info forthcoming in this as there is in my brain)

SO the basic timeline and lore built out in my head is:

Age 2: Richie and Stan start dancing at the ALDC in those baby ballet classes, Andrea and Maggie become friends sitting in waiting rooms and tiny Richie and Stan baby bond INSTANTLY, so they’re best friends immediately

Age 8: The show starts filming, and it follows the actual real life incredibly fucked up dance moms lore where everyone thought they were signing up for a short documentary style thing about dancing and got locked into YEARS OF TELEVISED CHILDHOOD TRAUMA

They’re in a one year contract at first, which then gets upped to a five year contract once the show starts picking up, so six years in total that they’re REQUIRED to be on the show.

Stan genuinely is very invested in dance and both her and her parents specifically put a lot of weight in her being successful (without meaning to be kind of fucked up about it), and she’s an only child with a stay at home mom who can spend all her time on Dance, so that’s why they sign on

Richie is pretty much Gonna Do What Stan Is Doing and is generally having fun (-ish) with the being a minor celebrity of it all because she’s Nine Years Old so she’s down

She does have one older sister but she’s way, way older (18 when Richie is 8 kind of vibe) so she’s going to college by the time the show begins and therefore Maggie and Went feel comfortable committing to it

(There are some episodes where Maggie isn’t there because of Richie’s sister and Abby thinks she’s a bad mom because of it and says it a lot)

It’s also important to note that they’re just normal people being intensely manipulated by production to sign on

At the start of the show A La Maddie (DISCLAIMER: i refuse to write any semblance of real person fanfiction, Abby doesn’t count because she fucking sucks, so decide on ur own if the normal real dance moms girls are there or there are just other random Dance Children) Stan is very much the golden child who Always wins and Always gets very good solos because she’s abby’s favorite

Their solos are mostly Ballet and Lyrical because they are technically incredible and a very pretty dancer

HOWEVER like you said she is SUCH a perfectionist (mood) and takes every loss REALLY personally, so it becomes a sort of toxic fandom mindset that she is a spoiled brat because they cry a lot and have panic attacks over not liking how a dance went (FILMED LIVE ON FUCKING TELEVISION AT EIGHT! WUH OH!)

Richie is sort of set up to be a Jojo type character, where she’s REALLY REALLY fun to watch dance and a ball full of energy but because she’s so Much all the time the producers end up painting her as very, very rude and sort of lazy brat

But she’s a fantastic performer, which is crazy important in dance, and it’s not like she’s BAD she’s just not super technical? Which actually sometimes works in her favor because she ends up being a really a super versatile dancer

Jazz and musical theater are her Big Two but she’s pretty much good at everything except ballet because WHO IS? (Stan)

The dynamic is basically Stan is a incredible dancer but really just at certain styles (idk if I’m describing this well but she’s very much the kind of dancer you watch and think Wow She’s Good At Dancing and Doing This Correctly) and Richie is very much a jack of all trades master of none

They’re very good at duets though because Richie gets Stan to loosen up and Stan refuses to let Richie Not Practice Constantly

Richie’s coasting the bottom of the pyramid WEEKLY even when she wins because of her ‘behavior’ and Stan is usually at the top

Generally the production team tries to frame the two of them as enemies because they’re SO different that it makes good television for perfect, ballerina Stan to be constantly butting heads with obnoxious brat Richie but they’re genuinely such good friends it Does Not Work

One episode is set up to sort of push the Hate Each Other narrative in season one where they give Stan a really cheesy, big performance jazz number and Richie a really, really technical ballet number, expecting it to be a big competition and fight but instead they just help each other practice and cheer each other up when they get upset

Stan wins the first nationals, obviously

Age 9-10ish: By the second season it sort of starts to pick up in intensity and both of them start to get homeschooled/setschooled and the show becomes their entire lives, which is Bad

By this point both of their mental health isn’t Awesome but Stan is really not doing great, especially because they’re so anxious the social media perception is really getting to them, and her mom is trying really hard to get out of their contract, but they’re stuck.

Stan and Richie (along with their moms) decide they’re both leaving together the second their contracts are up.

Someone else from their team wins nationals second season but because Stan is so in her head about everything she gets like fourth, which is also Bad For Her and the narrative starts to slightly switch from ‘golden child’ into ‘is she Still the golden child?’

Age 11: THIRD SEASON, though, Richie win’s nationals and Stan gets second, which like… isn’t supposed to happen

(Fun actual Dance Moms fact: pretty much all the competitions are rigged but nationals are Less Rigged like they’re tilted in their favor but the judges are a little more real)

Abby is PISSED and basically tries to make it seem like the judges messed up scoring or it was a mistake and it’s one of those Famous dance moms scenes because Abby is basically saying that Stan should have won because she is better and Richie is clearly very genuinely upset (which doesn’t happen a lot she’s very good at like making when she’s upset a joke when the cameras are around) and Stan fully stands up to Abby and calls her out on her bullshit

After that the whole energy skews more against Stan where suddenly production is airing a lot more of the little insults they usually cut out specifically for Stan to try and push the agenda that Abby is unfairly nice to them

Everyone sort of blames Richie for it a lot of the time, though, and the two of them probably have a thinly veiled duet called like The Bad Influence

Age 12: Abby really fucks up and says something Genuinely So Bad (and probably Pretty Antisemetic im ngl because have you fucking watched dance moms?) to Stan so production literally cannot make them stay legally, like with Kelly situation, where it could get them into actual trouble so Stan and Andrea are allowed to break their contract and leave the show

The show runners cut most of the argument out and edit it to seem like it wasn’t Abby’s fault

Richie and her mom try to follow but because it’s a specific situation that wasn’t aimed at Richie they aren’t allowed

They both know they’re leaving when the contract is up but there's still two years stuck on the show without her immediate best friend support system and it really sucks

People make a lot of sad edits about it and Richie thinks it’s really funny but also it's genuinely the crux of why she's QUITE so mentally ill (in general being hated by abby was never good for her but once Stan leaves it's ROUGH)

Age 14: Richie’s off the show, she knows she’s gonna be off the show, so she like fully flips Abby off in the dressing room after nationals and storms out with her mom and the show honestly just keeps it in because it’s good tv to have a big reason like that to explain why she left

They worked it out so Stan and her mom are waiting outside and they drive them home and hang out and it’s a good time :)

OTHER LOSERS LORE:

Richie and Stan were best friends with Mike from before the show and they went to school together/continued to post both of them leaving the show

She’s in One (1) episode for two seconds at like a party or something and Richie and Stan pretty much Just Post That Scene when they’re older, like if someone asks them about their favorite moment they’re like oh yeah when mike was there

She’s got a big social media following from the two of them and thinks it’s hilarious

They meet the rest of the losers in college

Bill and Mike are college roommates who are crushing hard on eachother so she becomes their friend through Mike

Stan and Ben are roommates and Ben is dating Bev so that’s how they become friends

Bev was a childhood Dance Moms stan, like ran a fan instagram account and went to meet ups because I think that's really funny don’t worry she’s better now

Bill and Eddie have been best friends since elementary school so she gets dragged to a lot of their hangouts and is completely and entirely unaware that Stan and Richie are like c-list celebrities for a WHILE

tbh this is like a very train of thought bare bones explanation but do with it what you will :)

#dance moms au #fem richie tozier #fem stan uris #this might be illegible idk

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solemnlyswearnogood · 1 year

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Someone stop me from planning and writing a Marauders Dance Moms au.

No but imagine it, the drama between Effie and Walburga which transcends down to their children until the boys realise theyre all on the same team but their dance teacher always has James and Regulus have solos to go against eachother due to their parents rivalry, this leads to them being dance rivals. Oh, and theres Sirius whos practically a Jojo Siwa varient, oh and Remus and Peter being the underdogs who are actually great at dancing but no one really realises it until Sirius notices Remus dancing alone one day...Dude Hope and Effie teaming up against Walburga. Evan and Barty often being teamed together for duos but their mothers dont really get on, they ignore this cuz they're besties. Reggie and Sirius are like Maddie and Kenzie, so therefore Walburga sucks up to their dance instructor, Mr Fucking Dumbledore (Who no one actually really likes), and then theres his assistant, Minerva, Minnie, the one and only really, shes awesome and we all know it. Ah, someone stop me stop me stop me stop me stope me theres no plot theres nothing stop me before it becomes something stop me-

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cat-brrr · 1 year

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Ocs stuff🫠

#zoya jelliclesona #zoya alonzo’s mom #nurr #art #my art #au #shitpost #they are dancing

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bylertruther · 1 year

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the brainrot is so bad that i'm sitting here trying to watch the godfather just thinking to myself "damn..... how can i make a byIer au outta dis... 🤔📝"

#karen's actress is italian... maybe karen is too... she's a civilian but mike gets roped into it bc ted is more involved as an accountant.#her family loves him and ted loves money and being able to provide for his family and all that Macho Family Man^tm stuff and #sure karen wants mike to do big things—bigger than just messing around with his friends—but she isn't sure that having him get #chummy with her family is the right idea. mike does it anyway bc it's what he's Supposed To Do and he's Getting Older and karen #thinks well... okay... if this is what you want... ❤️ and mike just nods and agrees like he always does bc thts easier than speaking up #or trying to figure out what the hell to do after uni and Much less scary than working on that book he's been working on since forever.#will's a civilian ofc he gets brought along to mike's family things bc mike wants the company but he doesn't Like that world and the #way they look at him. whenever lonnie used to get fired from whatever job he was working at then he'd end up doing ''favors''#for one of the other families and even though will's nothing like his father and he and his brother and his mom aren't even remotely #involved in that kind of life he still has his last name and it's a brand tht sticks. smth smth the romeo n juliet vibes of it all....#in this au maybe hopper hasn't been reformed bc there's no tragedy to pull him out of that so maybe he's on the wheelers' payroll #and he has a daughter tht they want to introduce to mike... smth smth mike going to will's apartment in the dead of night to get #patched up.. smth smth mike taking el to things instead of will.. smth smth will and mike getting into A Big Fight bc will doesn't #want to see mike continue to get hurt or lose himself in this world and become this person that he doesn't even recognize anymore #and mike starts goading him like oh why do you care so much huh blahblah and they've been dancing around this all their lives #but it finally comes out and it doesn't fix anything bc will doesn't want This mike and mike can't stand the way will looks at him now and #will storms out after having said the unspeakable.. goes somewhere and gets caught in the crossfire.. cue the body pulled from the quarry #parallel when el calls him immediately after she finds out from hopper and there's a horrible few hours where they don't kno if will's #gonna pull thru. he does ofc much to their surprise.. wake up calls n apologies are eventually had... hurt/comfort ensues.. mike talks #to karen and opens up for the first time ever bc they've gotten closer now.. smth smth um . gay people 🫶#mike in suits n gloves + will learning to not ask questions + el seeing tht will's apartment looks more like it's will-And-mike's #apartment bc there's so much of him and his things there and he always walks in n moves around like he owns the place +#will's hands shaking as he tries to tend to mike and he manages to keep it together until mike's all patched up but when he turns around #to clean up his shoulders are shaking and mike jus comes up behind him n hugs him through it bc he knows this hurts will more than it hurts #him (which is saying smth bc mike's blood is literally all over will's hands n dinner table rn so like)#SOOOOO self-indulgent but idc im free . (<- said thru gritted teeth and while closing my eyes so i don't have 2 look at this post)#also i say brainrot but i think tht has bad connotations now. i am just an Enjoyer a Lover a Scholar an Enthusiast one might even say..#mine

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jhsgf82 · 2 years

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Feel the Beat, Always Part I

A/N: Thanks to @daydreamsandcaffeine for encouraging me to write this and for the little brainstorm session! I’m not very good with edits, but above is a little visual anyway. It’s kinda long. Enjoy!

Katniss raises her arms above her head, stretching her lean, lithe body; she links her thumbs, bends her knees, and arches her chest as she drops her head back, leading with her fingers. Slowly, she goes into a full standing backbend, then drops down and catches herself. She bends her elbows and goes into a reverse tabletop position for about ten seconds, then lowers herself down to the mat.

She’s been up since sunrise, limbering up and running through her dance routine, twice. Now she’s completing her post-dance stretches. Maybe she’ll go through the routine once more though, for good measure.

After all, her big audition is TODAY.

And big shot producer, Alma Coin, is going to be there.

Dance is Katniss Everdeen’s life. And she’s good at it, really good. Oh, she’s not a star by any means, but she’s managed to land a couple of larger roles which have gotten her name out there, and she’s kept steady gigs in the chorus line of several popular stage shows. It’s been enough to make a living without having to work two or three jobs, which is a small miracle here in New York City. Her place isn’t a penthouse, obviously, nor is it a rat’s hole‒it’s just a simple loft, and it’s just right for her. What she loves best is that there’s plenty of space to dance.

A small town girl leaving her small town life to make it as a performer in “the big city” is relatively unheard of–well, no, not unheard of. It’s all too common. What’s not common is being successful at it. But Katniss has talent, and she’s aware of it. She can sing; she can dance, and if only she could act, she’d be a triple threat; however, she sucks at acting. But that’s okay. She doesn’t really need to; she can make her body work for her when her words and facial expressions fail her.

Katniss goes into a butterfly stretch.

Her mangy old muddy-orange cat, Buttercup, whom she inherited when her grandmother passed, comes up beside her, brushing her with his tail as he passes. He stops to stretch out beside her, elongating his body and sticking his butt in the air as he digs his nails into the gray and beige geometric-patterned rug. Then he trots over and jumps up on her couch and assumes the loaf position. Lazily, he watches her with rotten squash-colored eyes. He blinks at her once, and Katniss’s lips twitch.

Buttercup, an unlikely companion (and one she didn’t like very much at first), is quite possibly the ugliest cat she’s ever seen with his mashed-in nose and half an ear missing. He was definitely unwanted at first, but he’s grown on her. He’s her only company, truly, the only person in her life, and he’s not even a person. Well, Katniss hasn’t had a date in…some number of years, but that’s okay. She doesn’t really need anyone; she only needs the stage.

As for family, there’s only her dad. She’s an only child, and her mom left when she was little. She does try to call her father at least once a week. They don’t have much to talk about, but they get each other all the same. For one, he’s good about not guilt-tripping her for never coming to visit; he’s just happy to hear her voice. It’s not that she doesn’t want to go back to New Hope, West Virginia, or maybe she doesn’t. Admittedly, it would be too hard to see…certain persons, namely one, and of course, she’d have to hear everyone drone on and on about how she abandoned the town to make her way in NYC.

She finishes her stretches, showers, braids her long hair up in a high braid, and dresses in her dance attire as she doesn’t know what the changing room situation will be like‒she hates crowding in a room with dozens of other girls, all fighting over the last mirror. Not that Katniss cares about the mirror so much; she’s not a heavy makeup wearer. She checks the weather, and of course, it’s raining, so she grabs a trench coat and slips into it on her way out. In the elevator, she buttons it partially up and cinches it at the waist.

Midtown traffic is a killer, per usual. Actually, it seems much, much worse today. What the heck is going on? It takes her nearly twenty minutes to hail a cab, and her once leisurely commute is suddenly a rush. When the cab comes to a stop, she says a silent thanks. But then, she sees a middle-aged woman with long gray hair across the street, and she’s going for the same cab as her.

Oh no, no way. That’s my cab! thinks Katniss.

Her competitive side kicking in (and also her survival instinct‒Katniss Everdeen doesn’t get pushed around by anyone), she runs for the cab as fast as she can in her character heels, and without being hit by traffic. Fortunately, it’s come to a crawl. The other woman gets to the cab just ahead of her and opens the door, and Katniss slips right in, calling out, “Thank you!”

“This is my cab!” the woman screeches.

“I’m sorry, but it’s a matter of life or death.” Katniss shuts the door and gives the driver the address, and he’s speeding off, leaving the woman standing there in the rain‒she’s lost her umbrella, so she’s getting pelted. For a moment, Katniss feels bad, but she can’t miss this audition; this is her big break. Wherever the woman has to go, it can’t be as important as where she’s going. She probably has some cushy office job, anyway, where it doesn’t matter much if you’re a few minutes late.

Briefly, Katniss thinks of someone she used to know. He was always such a do-gooder that he’d never approve of this kind of behavior. He’d never make it in this city, she thinks; NYC would chew him up and spit him out. Even so, she decides to do something nice for some random stranger later in his honor; perhaps she’ll buy coffee for the next person in line at Starbucks after she nails this audition.

-----

Katniss gets to her audition with only five minutes to spare. It’s good she decided to wear her crop top and tights to the audition rather than change there; now she only needs to dry off her shoes a bit, so she doesn’t slip.

When her name is called with a group of several others, Katniss heads confidently to the stage. She’s not nervous, not really. There was a time when she used to get nervous before auditions, but such a thing does no good. It’s better to appear confident, even if you’re not; although, she is.

Katniss performs the routine perfectly. She noticed a couple of the dancers getting off the beat, but it didn’t throw her a bit. Those two will surely be cut. She makes it through the first round of cuts, and then the second, and she’s practically flying, her smile wide, her face glowing with hope and just a bit of perspiration.

“Now, Ms. Alma Coin would like to have a look at you,” Coin’s assistant, who’s been doing the cuts, says.

Katniss stands tall, strikes a pose, and smiles just as the cab woman walks out on stage.

Oh crap.

Katniss prays this woman won’t recognize her, but of course, she does, her thin, lipstick-less mouth curling up into a snarl-grimace. Then she hopes for Ms. Coin to be professional, to choose the best dancers, regardless of petty vendettas. But no. She immediately begins dressing her down for her outlandish behavior, says she’d never allow such a disgraceful person to perform in one of her shows. It seems a bit much to Katniss. Just because she inconvenienced her and ticked her off she’s going to ban her from being in any of her shows? And not only that, but Ms. Coin also declares, in an overly dramatic fashion, that her ‘career is over.’

She can’t just decide that, announce that she’ll never work on Broadway again!

Katniss tries to explain herself, smooth things over, but that only results in her accidentally knocking Alma Coin off the stage and injuring her. Not knowing what else to do, Katniss rushes out of the audition.

-----

On her way back to her apartment, she receives several texts from her friend Cinna. Apparently, someone captured a video of her knocking Alma Coin off the stage and posted it on social media. The ridiculous thing is up to 30,000 views.

Cinna, what am I gonna do? she texts.

Cinna: Just give it some time. Lay low and try again after a month or so. It’ll die down.

A month? she texts back. I don’t have a month. I’m already behind on my rent since the money from my last show ran out, and I’m sure my sleazebag landlord isn’t gonna be happy.

Cinna: Don’t worry, darlin. Just let me know if you need some money.

I don’t take charity, Cinna, she texts.

Cinna: I know.

-----

Over the next three weeks, Katniss does everything she can to make ends meet, even cocktail waitressing, something she never thought she’d (or wanted to) go back to. Additionally, Cinna had the brilliant idea that she should audition for Portia Rose, a big Broadway producer, who’s apparently the only one not intimidated by Alma Coin. But how is she going to audition for her? Her agent dropped her after the video, and it isn’t exactly easy to take meetings with wealthy show biz people.

Her one chance comes after Cinna does a little detective work and discovers that Portia will be dining at the ritzy Capitol Bar & Grille for lunch Friday afternoon. It might be crazy, but if Katniss can put on a performance on the sidewalk as Portia is coming out of the restaurant, maybe she’ll catch her eye. Dressed in her best dance ensemble, a sparkly silver little number designed by Cinna, she waits outside for Portia. Sure enough, she’s there, and the moment she leaves the restaurant with her group, Katniss goes right into it.

Unfortunately, Portia either doesn’t notice her or doesn’t care because she walks right by. As she’s trying to get her attention, Katniss runs into a hot dog vendor and ends up covered in ketchup and mustard.

For the topper on the crap sundae that is her day, and her life, when she gets back to her apartment, her stuff is in the halls and there’s an EVICTED notice on her door in bold black letters. And the locks have been changed. Did her asshole landlord throw her out with no real notice?! Okay, so maybe he’d been threatening her for weeks, but how could he just toss her stuff into the halls and change the locks? It could’ve been stolen! At least he put Buttercup in his cat carrier rather than turn him loose. She considers going to her landlord to plead her case, but he’s already made it clear he won’t be lenient anymore, that is, unless she wants to sleep with him. She’d rather be homeless. She doesn’t want to live in a place managed by such a creep anyway.

Katniss slumps against her door between the boxes and slides down to a seated position. Her head falls back against the door with a thunk. Buttercup yowls from beside her, and she sticks her fingers through the holes of the carrier to let him sniff her.

“We’re gonna be okay, Buttercup. We’ll be o-kay.”

Just then, her phone rings, and as if he sensed her despair, it’s her dad.

She hesitates, then answers the video call. “Hey, Dad.” She attempts for bright and cheery, but she’s sure she’s grimacing, and she can feel hot tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. Katniss hasn’t cried in years, not since her mom left, and she doesn’t plan to start now.

“Hey, Catkin! How’s my best girl?”

“Just…paying my dues, Dad,” she mutters. She can’t fake it much longer, but she doesn’t exactly want to give him the deets.

“It’ll happen, sweetie,” her dad assures. “You’re so talented. You’re gonna make it.” He goes on to tell her how proud he is of her and how he’s saved the playbills she’s sent him for all of her Broadway shows. He’s only made it to one of her shows, but she knows that was difficult enough for him to manage, so she’s thankful.

“Thanks, Dad,” she says, plastering on a small smile.

“Are you…sitting in the hallway?” he asks.

Oh God. She positions the phone to ensure he only has a view of the door, not the boxes and bags littering the hall.

“Yeah, just, uh, waiting for my take-out,” she says. And he seems to buy it. Her dad knows how much she loves food.

“Oh,” he clears his throat, “what’d you get?”

“Chinese,” she answers immediately.

“Oh. Sounds good.”

There’s a pause.

“Well, uh, Dad, I think that’s my food coming up the stairs now, so I better…”

“Okay, honey. Call me later. Love you.”

“You too.” She hangs up and sighs.

She stares across the hallway at her neighbor’s door until she hears a little ding. She looks down at her phone. It’s from Dad.

Dad: You can’t fool me, sweetie. Just come home.

Dad: You can stay in your old room as long as you want. It’s all set for you. Haven’t changed a thing.

Katniss sighs. She doesn’t want her dad to think she couldn’t hack it; she doesn’t want to admit failure. But what else can she do? Presently, this city is sucking the life out of her, and she needs a recharge. She can crash at home, er her old home, maybe get a job and save up some money, and once she’s back on her feet, she can work on getting to Portia again.

-----

Against her will, her dad bought her a plane ticket and insisted on picking her up at the small New Hope airport. Probably for the best. There aren’t any cabs. Even Ubers are extremely rare. And unless she wants to hitch a ride on Old Farmer Diggs’ tractor, it’s best that she lets her father pick her up.

They sit quietly in his truck; Katniss has barely said anything since their greeting and hug at the airport. After several minutes pass, her dad starts humming a little song they used to sing together, which successfully breaks the ice, and she starts humming, then singing along. Her dad has an amazing voice, always has. She swears he can make the birds stop to listen. Truthfully, he was her inspiration to get into show business, although she's more confident and comfortable dancing than singing.

Just as they’ve passed the New Hope sign, “So, uh, heard from your mom lately?” her dad asks out of the blue, effectively putting the ice wall back up.

“Nope,” she replies. She doesn’t know why he would think she would after all these years.

Suddenly, Katniss has a terrible thought. Not that she should care about what the person who abandoned her thinks, but… “I hope she didn’t see the video.” Katniss groans. “Or anyone in town. I’d die.”

“Oh, now, don’t be too full of yourself, sweetie. People around here have other things to worry about, you know. Their own lives.”

“I know.”

“Probably just me stalking your Instabook.”

“That’s Instagram, Dad.” Katniss smirks.

“That’s what I said.” Her dad laughs a little, and Katniss’s lips quirk. But not long after, her lips curve into a frown. “I hate the internet,” she says on exhale.

“Me too,” her dad replies. “Just keep up with it for my pride and joy.”

That brings another little smile from her.

They’re driving past Town Hall when they see Coach Odair and his football team. He’s barking at them to pick up their feet and run faster, so they’re not the slowest football team out there, as well as other little passive-aggressive encouragements.

Katniss’s dad throws up his hand. “Hey, Finnick.”

“Hey, Mr. E, how ya doing?” Finnick waves back, then proceeds to ride his team.

“I see the football team still sucks,” remarks Katniss.

“Ah, they’ve had their good years and bad. Finn’s a good coach. He rides ‘em hard, but he’s actually a big softie.”

That sounds about right.

Katniss and her father make idle conversation about his job in the mines, which Katniss wishes he’d give up, and about the possibility of making the farm his sole source of income, which she encourages. But he isn’t a risk taker, he tells her. Not like her.

“Some risk taker,” she mumbles. “I take these huge risks and fail.” Katniss sighs, and Buttercup meows from the truck bed. “I really screwed up, Dad.”

“Oh now, honey. That’s what the term risk implies, that you might fail. But you haven’t failed. This is just one missed opportunity, a minor setback after multiple successes. Like you said, in a profession such as yours, you’re bound to have to pay some dues.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Come on, gimme a smile.” She does her best to. “Aw, you can do better than that.”

“This might be the best I have in me right now, Dad.”

“Ah, that can’t be it. Hey, I know what you need…cheese.”

Katniss quirks a brow. She does love cheese. Cheese and chocolate: two substances she could pretty much eat (or drink) her weight in.

“Or better yet, cheese buns!”

“No, Dad.” Katniss shakes her head. “Can’t we just get some cheese at the market? You know I can’t go to the bakery‒”

“Not to worry, Catkin. He won’t be there. He’s never there this time of day. I’ll even go in for you, just in case.”

----

Katniss waits outside Mellark’s Bakery while her father goes in for bread and cheese buns. She decides to get out of the truck for some fresh air. As she leans up against the truck, she cranes her neck to see if she can see who’s inside working.

“Katniss?”

Katniss spins at the sound of the high-pitched affected accent of who could be none other than Ms. Effie Trinket, her dance teacher from when she was a pre-teen through high school.

Sure enough, there she is. She’s a bit older, though she looks much the same (probably thanks to Botox, and all the makeup). Naturally, her hair is dyed a vibrant color; today, it’s bright pink. She’s dressed in her usual flamboyant style and wearing at least three or four-inch stilettos. She’d always change into dance shoes for practices, but otherwise, she’d be wearing high heels around town.

“Oh, h-hey, Ms. Trinket.” Although she’s married to the surly town drunk with a heart of gold, she still uses her maiden name. “How are you?”

“Can’t complain, dear. How are you?” She raises her voice on ‘you.’ “The big Broadway star!”

Katniss feels her shoulders slumping, but she puts on the hint of a smile. “Fine. Just fine. How’s Haymitch?”

“Oh, goodness! He’ll be the death of me, I’m sure of it!” she wails.

“You two are still…together?”

“Heavens, yes.” Then Effie launches into a number of complaints about her alcoholic husband, who is apparently sober now (for the most part) and assistant coaching the football team, interspersed with sprinklings of praises throughout. These two have an interesting relationship. They’re so different, yet somehow, they’ve made it work all these years.

“And what about you, dear? Any special man in your life?”

Katniss shakes her head. “No, not really.” She knew it was a mistake mentioning Effie’s relationship, for it was bound to lead to questions about her own, or lack thereof.

“Oh, speaking of, I just saw Peeta!” trills Effie Trinket.

Katniss feels as though a large thorn has been jabbed into her side at the mention of his name.

“Peeta?” another voice chimes in. “Oh, I saw him this morning!” Delly Cartwright has just strolled up the sidewalk hand in hand with her little girl, a light brunette girl with her hair in buns wearing a pink tutu and leotard. The last time Katniss saw her, she was a baby; she recalls that her name is Emmy. “Katniss! Is that really you?!”

What is this? A reunion?

Well, Katniss knew she was bound to run into people from her past in town. But does every one of them need to bring Peeta up?

Katniss nods and smiles faintly, and Delly claps her on the back.

“I thought it was you, but I couldn’t be sure! I mean, I thought you were in N-Y-C. I’m so glad you’re back.”

“I’m not back,” Katniss protests, though they both seem to ignore her.

“Ohhh,” Ms. Trinket claps her hands together. “It’s almost as if nothing has changed.”

Delly smiles. “Minus Katniss and Peeta being attached at the lips, that is.” She giggles.

Another thorn in her side.

Katniss rolls her eyes out of Delly’s sight. It wasn’t like Peeta and she were super into PDA. Okay, maybe they were. Peeta, anyway. Oh, he was perfectly fine with showing his affection for her anywhere and everywhere, and he was, quite frankly, hard to resist, so that made Katniss a little more lax on her no-PDA policy.

“Have you seen him yet?” asks Delly.

“Who?” Katniss plays dumb.

“Peeta!” exclaims Delly.

“Uh, no, I haven’t.”

“He’ll be glad to see you.”

No, he won’t, thinks Katniss.

“You know, back then, you two were pretty cute,” says Delly. “Some people thought you were a little sickening,” Delly giggles again, “but I always thought you two were perfect together. I really thought you were gonna get married and have a bunch of babies.”

Yeah, well, that was a long time ago, Delly. People grow up. They change.

“Oh, but then you went off to dance school while Peeta waited at home and you got that audition in Manhattan, and then came ‘the text’.” Delly uses air quotes.

Why is she giving her the play-by-play? As if Katniss doesn’t remember what happened.

“Oh yes, the text!” bleats Effie. “How scandalous!”

Katniss certainly doesn’t need to be reminded of the infamous text. She can’t help that she’s no good at saying things and chose the worst way possible to break up with her high school sweetheart. And apparently, Peeta went around telling everyone in town about it. She can’t believe he did that.

“When you two broke up, it really messed with his head, you know,” says Delly. No, she didn’t. “He was moping around town for months, barely spoke to anyone, and you know how friendly he normally is. We were all very concerned about his depression.”

Peeta was depressed? Katniss feels awful about that, but it was the way it had to be. It wouldn’t have worked out with her going to New York, and Peeta, quite obviously, wanting to stay in their hometown. Whatever existed between them was nice while it lasted, but it’s gone now.

“Oh, you remember my youngest, don’t you, Katniss?” Delly pulls Katniss from her reverie, presenting the little girl in the tutu. She’s holding a stuffed pig. “She was in Pampers last time you saw her. Emberlyn. Emmy for short.”

“Of course, I remember,” says Katniss as sweetly as possible. “Hello, Emmy. You’ve gotten big.”

“Hasn’t she?! And she’s taking dance now, just like you!”

“That’s nice.”

“Ohh, and she’s doing just marvelously!” Effie chimes in. She bends slightly at the waist as she can’t quite squat in her skirt and heels and taps Emmy on the nose. “You know, Miss Emberlyn, Miss Katniss was my star pupil.”

“That’s right!” chirps Delly. “And star soloist in the choir, too.”

Wow, that was a long time ago. Does everyone in this town have the memory of an elephant?

“And now she’s on Broadway!” adds Ms. Trinket with an air of pure pride that makes Katniss feel sick to her stomach. She hates the thought of letting down these people who believe in her.

“How’s Gale?” deflects Katniss, needing a change of subject.

But it’s short-lived as all Delly says about her husband is: “Oh, same old Gale, you know.”

Katniss nods and says, “Give him my best.”

“Will do!” bubbles Delly.

“Oh, darling,” Ms. Trinket interjects, “while you’re in town, you simply must come by and see the girls at the dance studio!”

“Uh,” Katniss pauses, “I’d love that, Ms. Trinket…except…” She pauses. Being in a dance studio is the last place Katniss wants to be after the audition debacle; she doesn’t want to be anywhere near anything related to dance, in fact. Plus, she knows her dad was just blowing steam and she actually is under the town’s scrutiny‒it’s a smaaall town‒and she can’t face the looks and little whispers once they learn what a failure she is and how she blew her big shot. And as primitive as this little town is, someone is bound to see that video and pass it along. She doesn’t want to lie to them, and yet she can’t stand the notion of telling them the truth, either. So, she lies. “Except, it’s my dad. He’s sick.”

As soon as she says it, her dad walks out of the bakery, a white bag tucked under each arm. He shoots her a curious glance.

“Oh dear,” says Ms. Trinket. “I do hope it’s nothing serious.” She looks between Katniss and her father.

Katniss looks to her father. “Oh no, don’t worry. I’m fine,” he says. “Catkin is just being overprotective, you know.”

Katniss glimpses Delly, who also has a concerned look on her face. “Always such a trooper, Mr. E! Well, I’m gonna bake you a casserole!”

Ah, small town hospitality.

“Well, um, we…better be going, Dad.”

“You’ll consider stopping by the studio?” Ms. Trinket jumps in before they can get in the truck. “Perhaps around…5:30? I know you need to take care of your father, but the girls…it’d be such a thrill for them. I’d hate to disappoint them.”

Katniss opens her mouth, but her father speaks for her. “Of course she’ll be there. I can get by for an hour or two on my own, and we wouldn’t want to disappoint the girls, now would we?” Her father gives her a pointed look, and she’s toast. Although, why would they be disappointed if Ms. Trinket hasn’t told them anything yet?

Katniss looks between her father and Ms. Trinket then says, “Sure, I’ll be there at 5:30.”

“Wonderful!” shrieks Effie. “Well, you feel better now.” She pats Mr. Everdeen’s shoulder and announces that she’s off. Delly tosses out some last well wishes, a ‘good to see you, Katniss’, and a promise for that casserole ASAP.

-----

After waving goodbye to her father, Katniss stands outside the New Hope Dance Studio. She stares up at the brightly painted sign with the dandelions on it, which was hand painted by Peeta, she recalls. She takes a couple of deep breaths before making her way inside.

The place hasn’t changed much. It’s still painted a bright sunset orange. The reception area is exactly the same with the box of dance-related pamphlets on the counter and a couple of spare leotards and tutus hanging on the wall. She wanders over to the opposite wall with the corkboard. This area has changed a little. Namely, there’s a large framed collage photo of Katniss in various stages of growth in dance attire as well as the newspaper clipping with the story about how a local girl made it big in NYC on Broadway, also framed.

Miss Trinket hums as she comes up behind Katniss. “I know I only taught you for 6 years 10 months and 22 days before you went off to real dance school in Chicago, but I’d like to think I had a hand in you becoming a Broadway sensation.”

Katniss turns, smiles faintly, and nods.

“Thank you, Ms. Trinket,” she humbles herself. “I’m grateful.”

Miss Trinket sniffles and looks like she’s about to cry. She waves her hand in front of her face, then says with a hopeful expression, “Grateful enough to teach a master class, or three?”

Katniss sighs. Not that grateful, no.

“Oh, but don’t worry about that right now.” Effie tugs on Katniss’s arm. “Come on, let’s not keep the girls waiting.”

Once inside the dance studio, which also looks exactly the same, and could probably use some renovations, Katniss surveys the young dancers while Ms. Trinket brings over a folding chair for her. Delly is also there. She’s a committed dance mom, of course.

“Have a seat now, dear,” says Ms. Trinket. Then she turns to the girls. “Girls, this is Miss Katniss. She was one of my best students and is now a big Broadway star! Make her feel welcome, please!”

The girls all clap, save for one. Katniss catches sight of none other than Primrose Mellark off to the side, and she looks none too pleased to see her.

As for the rest of them, Katniss does her best to commit their faces and names to memory as best she can as Ms. Trinket introduces them. Meanwhile, Delly is signing alongside her.

There’s a deaf girl with pale skin, amber eyes, and bright red hair. Katniss has already forgotten her name, but her face and nose is elongated like a fox, so she’s calling her Foxface. So, it must be for her benefit that Delly is using sign language.

There’s Rue, a dark-skinned girl with soft brown eyes who gives off a very birdlike quality. At least she has the body of a dancer, so there could be hope for her yet.

Then there’s a girl named Camille, who places a flower crown she made atop Katniss’s head. Katniss recalls Peeta doing the same thing one day in the meadow. It feels like so long ago…

Speaking of Peeta, Katniss knew that Prim was interested in dance because she used to prance around in front of her constantly. And she didn’t seem half-bad for her age. She wonders how she’s progressed. Hopefully, she’s learned some actual steps.

Katniss doesn’t know Peeta’s youngest sister as well, but she seems energetic, and maintains close proximity to her brooding older sister.

Delly’s girls are there as well as Finnick Odair’s brood: a little girl with dark brown hair and sea green eyes named Morgan, and apparently, he leaves his son Rusty, a bronze-haired, green-eyed boy, there while he’s at football practice. Rusty just watches and colors.

Ms. Trinket gets through the introductions, then decides it would be fabulous to have a Q&A session with Katniss, so the girls can learn from a real life success story.

They ask questions like: When did you start dancing? Does the most talented dancer always get the part? Etc. And Katniss answers in brief. When one of them asks what show she’s in now, Katniss moves on to another topic.

They’re all overly excited now, as if they’ve had sugar, and just about every one of them has announced that they want to be on Broadway someday. One of them raises her hand and asks how to get on Broadway.

“Well, first of all, don’t ever make a mistake in front of anyone important,” Katniss says. Alright, so maybe she’s a bit jaded from her recent experience. “But here’s the thing. You don’t always know who the important people are, so that means you can never make a mistake in front of anyone, ever. Oh, and also, hard work and talent.”

The girls are staring blankly at her.

Katniss knows she should stop, but she keeps going. “I’d say you all have a .0001 percent chance of making it.” Delly signs it, then adds an enthusiastic little fist pump after as if to soften the blow.

Despite Delly’s false enthusiasm, their faces collectively fall. And a few of them are even cuddling each other for comfort. But it’s better she tells them the honest truth now before they go out and fall on their faces. They look like criers.

This seems like a good time to take her leave, so Katniss excuses herself (but not before Ms. Trinket slips a dance competition flyer into her bag). She feels a little bad about dashing those little girls’ hopes, but maybe she’s done them a favor. The life of a Broadway dancer is not at all glamorous.

When she steps outside, Katniss is blindsided by the sight of her father standing next to none other than Peeta Mellark.

Katniss comes to an abrupt stop and gapes.

“Look who I ran into, Catkin,” her dad says.

Peeta is grinning at her. And he looks great. “Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in,” says he.

“Peeta,” she mutters like an idiot, blinking rapidly. She’s not sure why she’s reacting this way; it’s not like she didn’t know it was a strong possibility she’d run into him while she was home.

“You remembered.” He smirks.

Katniss clears her throat. “Of course.”

“So, the rumors are true. You’re back,” Peeta says. And she can’t tell if he’s happy about that or simply stating the fact.

“Temporarily,” she clarifies. “I’m just home visiting my dad. He’s…” She looks to her father, who quickly chimes in with the fake story she made up in order to save face, which is probably already going around town anyway.

“I’m sick,” her father chimes in. “I’ve been sick.”

“Oh,” Peeta’s brow furrows. “Really? Mr. E, I’m…” Peeta doesn’t finish his sentence, but instead lays a hand on Mr. Everdeen’s shoulder.

“Yeah…” Her dad gives a clearly fake cough. “I better go rest…in my truck.”

Peeta nods solemnly, but the quirk to his lip indicates he knows it’s a lie. “Feel better, Mr. E. I’ll bake you a pie,” he promises as he waves goodbye to him.

Well, at least thanks to her lie her father is going to be well-fed. He’ll have Delly’s casserole and now Peeta’s pie, both delicious.

Once they’re alone, Katniss offers Peeta a thin smile. “So, um, what are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here?” repeats Peeta, clearly amused. “Did they wipe your memory while you were in New York? I’m picking up my sisters from dance class. Remember Primrose and Poppy?”

“Of course I remember Primrose and Poppy.”

They stand there a moment, Katniss shuffling her feet, Peeta staring at his.

“So,” Peeta speaks up, meeting her eyes again and folding his strong arms across his broad chest. Has he gotten even broader? Peeta always had muscles, but now he’s…like a brick wall. A very cozy brick wall, she’d imagine…

Katniss shakes off her delusional thoughts.

“So,” she repeats, folding her arms and arching a brow. She hopes to appear nonchalant, although she feels completely the opposite.

“So?” he repeats, the corner of his mouth twitching. He still has that damn dimple. Of course he does. She’s not sure why she’d think it would go away, or that it would stop having an effect on her.

When she says nothing more, Peeta starts up a conversation, filling in both his and her parts. “So, how are you, Peeta? What have you been up to?” he says. “I’m great, Kat. Busy. Baking, of course. Doing odd jobs around town. And my Grandma Mags has been getting a little forgetful, so I’ve been taking over more with my sisters. You know, doing the grownup thing. Oh, and by the way, your dad is still on me about fixing the barn from that time we, uh,” he raises his brow, “accidentally started that fire.”

Katniss’s cheeks warm, and Peeta adds proverbial fuel to the fire by saying, “Who knew starting a fire,” he winks, “could actually start a fire?” He gives her a sly grin. “Guess that broken lantern had something to do with it, huh?”

“Guess so,” she mutters, suddenly unable to look him in those blue-blue eyes.

Working up her nerve, Katniss decides to just come out and say what needs to be said. “Look, Peeta.”

“Mhm?” He strokes his chin and stares at her thoughtfully. Why does he have to make everything so difficult.

“Since...” She sucks in a bit of air. “Since I’m going to be back for a bit, and we’re clearly going to be running into each other a lot, I should say…I know I broke your heart.”

Peeta pokes out his lip and bobs his head up and down. Is he mocking her?

“I know I didn’t end things in the most…thoughtful way…”

“‘Sorry to do this in a text,’” Peeta quotes, “‘but I’m going to New York, so we have to break up. -Kat.’ No, see, I thought it was very thoughtfully-worded.”

Katniss smirks and shakes her head at him.

“I just wanted to make sure, uh, that there weren’t any hard feelings…”

“Oh, Katniss, Katniss, Katniss, Katniss, Katniss. That was high school. Ancient history. I mean, it’s not like we were ever gonna work out.”

For some reason, the way he says it so casually and cheerfully turns Katniss’s stomach.

“Well, I better be going,” says Peeta, reaching out to graze her arm. She feels an electric current pass between them. He then tosses her father, who’s in his truck across the street, a ‘see ya later’

Mr. Everdeen calls out in reply, “That barn’s not gonna fix itself, young man!” Peeta just laughs.

-----

Katniss is in a foul mood on the drive back to the Everdeen farm. And her dad doesn’t help matters by saying, “Well, it’s good he’s finally over you.”

Katniss grimaces.

“At least his skin’s cleared up.” Katniss shoots her dad a bewildered look, and he quickly changes the subject by pulling the dance brochure out of her bag. “Oh, what’s this?”

“Just some dumb dance competition thing.” Katniss sighs. “Ms. Trinket actually wanted me to teach, can you believe it?”

“Well, I think that’s nice. Means she thinks a lot of your skill.”

“No, it means I’m a failure, Dad. I should be doing the dancing, not teaching.”

“I told you, you’ll get your shot, honey.”

Katniss huffs. Her dad clears his throat and starts reading through the brochure.

“Hey, this doesn’t sound so bad. There’ll be all kinds of big name judges there.” Katniss gives a skeptical exhale. “No, really.” He starts naming them off, one of which he claims she is friends with, although she only danced in a benefit she hosted. “Then there’s,” her dad goes on, “Por-tee-uh Rose.”

Katniss slams on the brakes and pulls off to the side of the road. “Portia Rose?” She snatches the brochure from him, and sure enough, Portia Rose will be one of the celebrity judges at the finals in Atlantic City.

“I’m going to do it, Dad,” she announces. “I’m going to teach dance.”

#JHsgf82 writes #Based on Feel the Beat #Feel the Beat Always #dancer!Katniss #exes!Everlark #Prim and Peeta siblings #Peeta has sisters instead of brothers #Mr. Everdeen is alive #AU #dance teacher!Katniss #dance teacher!Effie #dance dad!Finnick #dance mom!Annie #dance mom!Delly #everlark #Gelly #Odesta #hayffie

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