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1.
The first time George looked up onto the stage and saw Alex was when they were both kids, young and not understanding the world they lived in yet. He watched the small boy move with
a certain grace and precision he had only seen on TV, watching the ballerinas go round and round.
Then Alex held himself in the air for one too many moments and came crashing down, hands hitting the floor with a resounding thud. He got up, bowed and left the stage to an awkward applause. After the remaining dances had finished and George had taken his turn to perform for everyone, he walked outside, wandering around and waiting for his mother to arrive until he came across a small alleyway where a tiny figure was curled up into a ball, hands splayed across his face, slightly shaking.
He crept over to the boy and realised it was the boy he had watched on stage who looked so strong for mere moments.
“Hello, my name is George, are you ok?” he stared, not wanting to scare the other.
“Hi yeah im ok,” the boy stuttered, swiping a hand across his face, “m’names Alex.”
“Well, you have a very nice smile, Alex!” George smiled before sitting down next to him.
“Thank you” alex said, sniffling
“Were you the one who fell over?” he poked
“Yeah that was me” he muttered looking downright miserable
“I think you were amazing, sucks that you fell over” george said matter of factly
“I don't think my dance teacher thinks the same thing” alex replied staring at the ground
“Your dance teacher isn't very smart than”
“George, george! Are you down there” an echoing voice bounced down the little alleyway, his mother had finally arrived
“Yeah i am one sec” he called back “my mums here so i have to go, it was nice to meet you though”
“You too” alex stood and dusted off his pants
“I hope I get to see you perform again” he called back down to the other boy, waving as he ran off.
2.
“George! Come on, we're going to be late!” his mother yelled out from the car.
They had all decided to spend a perfectly nice Saturday night going on a long road trip where they were slogging their way to the local theatre, going to see a production. He was 15 at this point, starting to get irritated with the idea of going anywhere with his family. When they arrived at the show, the doors were already open and they were late, rushing to find their seats as the lights dimmed. They finally plopped down, chest: heaving, trying to shed their coats and gloves.
The music started up and immediately George remembered why he loved doing what he did, pushing his body to the limits to reach perfection, staying long nights to get the choreo down, barely being home during show weeks.
As the show started, George had a slight smile waiting to be shown what had been worked on for weeks and weeks. A lone dancer swayed across the stage, almost as if being pushed and pulled by things he couldn't control. His arms were held high above his head, swinging down and around his figure.What would’ve only been minutes felt like hours to George as he watched him run through the dance with a practiced ease, the beauty and grace shown through the movements. Then, as quickly as it had started, the boy was gone.
After the show, George had picked up a program looking for the boy he had seen at the opening of the show. After some time of picking through the program, he found him. Alexander Albon. He was sure he'd heard that name before.
3.
Growing up in an academy with around fifty other dancers was chaotic to say the least, but god if it wasn't fun. George was startled awake for the fifth time that week to the sounds of an argument and loud banging on his door. A certain dutch accent floated through the door and into George’s half awake state.
“WAKE UP YOU’RE GOING TO BE LATE”
“Ok, ok, give me one second,” George stumbled out of bed, struggling to pull on a pair of pants. After stumbling to the door, he opened it bleary-eyed.
“Thank god you're awake, we need you to sort something out,” Max, his roommate, started before the door was even fully opened.
Behind him stood their friend Charles. George would say friend, but whatever was going on between Max and Charles was more than friends but they seemed to be the only ones not to see it.
“What do you want? It's too early,” George muttered to the two.
“Well, Charles is saying that his arabesque is better than mine,” Max started. George saw Charles visibly flinch when Max said arabesque which made sense to George, remembering that Charles was from Monaco.
“Well, I'm not going to sort that out right now. I'm not awake enough.”
“You better start being awake. That touring academy is coming today,” Charles butted in.
It slowly dawned on him that he would actually have to perform today in front of people. He slammed the door and hurried to put on his performance blacks, rushing down to the studio to get one final hour in before showing off what they had learnt, practiced and worked so hard for to another academy.
When the time came, they all pushed through the doors into the auditorium, taking their places to watch the other academy first, to see what they were up against in a sense. George felt a calm wash over him as the lights dimmed and the music started. The first performance came and went quickly and smoothly. As the second one started, a boy took his place in the centre of the stage. George felt as if though he had seen him before, recognised him from where. He shrugged it off as a weird form of deja vu. The moves were slow at first, deliberate and sharp, but then the music started to pick up, and the boy’s movements started to flow, taking a likeness to water in a way. With each step the boy transformed into something not of this world, clear that he had been sculpted by the hands of the gods to do exactly this. George hoped that one day he could look like that, like it's natural.
When it was George's turn he couldn't help but peek through the curtains trying to find the other boy, after a moment he found him sitting in the third row laughing along with some friends. George realised that he wanted to hear that laughter up close and wanted to be the one making him laugh. A tap on the back startled him
“Ok, George, are you ready?”
“Yeah, yeah im ready lets do this” he replied determined to impress the other school his classmates and most importantly this boy who had taken up a space in his head and wouldn't leave.
4.
The next time George watched Alex grace the stage was while they were both auditioning for their first major companies. George was sitting side stage, leg bouncing and hands shaking when the directors called next. The man right in front of him, who he swore he had seen before, snapped his head up before slowly rising from his seat and taking to the stage.
“Uhh, what's your name and what sort of experience do you have in professional ballet?” one of the directors started off, looking at him with a smile. The rest of Alex's audition was a blur of jumps and delicately planned turns, one after the other. He was beautiful not only at dancing but as George came to realise as he watched on, Alex
Then it was George's turn. George knew as soon as the music started this was where he was meant to be, this was what he was destined to do, what he was built for, as a little kid with limbs too long for anyone to understand, he’d finally figured it out. As the music started to build, his movements got bolder and garish, a familiar ache reaching muscles he didn't even know he had. And all in that moment, he knew that it was right.
It felt right and he knew that he belonged here. With the final notes lingering and with his chest heaving, he looked over to the panel of judges, none of them even so much as taking a breath reeling with what they had just seen. George had found out later on that after he left there was a unanimous decision that he would be accepted and play their lead role. But at that moment he felt unsure of himself and everything that had come into play for this to happen. After what seemed like years, but was more like hours, he had gotten the call, an older lady’s voice crackled through the phone.
“Hello, is this Mr Russell?”
“Yes, that's me.”
“Well, I'm the lead director with the british ballet company and we were very impressed by your audition. We would love to have you attend our school and lead our version of the nutcracker later this year.”
There was a moment of silence over the phone.
“Hello, Mr Russell, are you still there?”
“Yes, yes, I’m here. I’d be honoured, it would be my absolute pleasure”
“Ok, good. Well, we will see you first thing bright and early next Monday for first rehearsals. Buh bye now.”
He hung up the phone and stood there for a few desperate moments. It dawned on him then what he had done. How far he’d come and that finally, finally he could breathe easy. After a few more moments, he darted for his forgotten phone, scrambling to call his family and friends.
5.
Alex knew exactly what he wanted to be when he grew up he’d seen it in the mirror ever since that day his mother took him to watch the ballerinas dance, what he did take into account was just how demanding it would all be and so there he was half an hour late to his first rehearsal as the paris dance companies newest ballerina, scrambling around trying to find everything he pulls on a hoodie and grabs his phone just as it starts to ring
“Where are you?” a thick American accent jumped out at him “I'm on my way just got a little distracted, I'm sorry I'm sorry” after he hung up he chucked his phone into the bag and bolted out the door.
Jogging up the steps to the old building a figure stood at the top of the stairs, looking up at the last second only just avoiding running straight through the taller man, in an effort to avoid ending up with both of them toppling down the stairs
“Oh my god i’m so so sorry” Alex rambled picking up his things off the ground
“No no its ok” the man responded with a thick british accent
Wow he's really pretty alex mused before realising the “pretty” man was staring back at him with an odd look
“God ah it's not my day today hm”
“Oh tell me about it i have no idea where i'm going” the man said looking around
“Are you new here?”
“Yeah i am haha” the taller man said scratching his head
“Me too” the man opposite him beamed “what class do you have first”
“I’m in room 64”
“Oh I have the same with sir hamilton?”
“Wait, the lewis hamilton is our teacher, as in the nutcracker prince”
“Yeah i know he is pretty cool right, anyway come i'll show you where it is we’re gonna be late if we don't hurry up”
They both ended up sprinting through the empty enough halls trying to find the right studio, after awhile they both tumbled into the studio chests heaving hands on knees, when George looked up he realised that everyone had stopped to turn and look including their new teacher, the sir Lewis Hamilton.
Since George was a kid he knew what he wanted to be and the main reason he knew was because of the man who stood in front of him. Lewis has been the head of the royal ballet company for Britain since George was little and only after he had a career ending injury did he retire to teach the next generation of dancers to show them all what perfection looks like and what it cost.
The class was once again swept up into life almost as quickly as it had gone silent, when the music started up again George felt it moving his body, arms and legs flowing gracefully swiping through the air. He looked over to the boy who he had bumped into and noticed just how deep he was into his own dancing, spinning and leaping off the ground and touching down just as gracefully, the boy looking almost startled when he caught george’s eye, he quickly looked to the floor looking bright red, George thought he looked adorable.
When Lewis called the lesson over he handed out the rest of their rehearsals times and performance dates with most of the rehearsal dates just having his name and one others who he assumed would be his dancing partner in this production and once again he recognised the name, Alex Albon.
+1
He could hear the audience chattering behind the curtain as he turned to watch Alex poised and ready for the final act. He looked beautiful, chest still heaving from the previous scene, eyes blazing with ambition and with the biggest smile completing the perfect view.
Take a picture it'll last longer - alex muttered with a smirk
Id take as many pictures as i can if it meant i got to see your smile george thought
“Huh” alex looked back at him
Shocked, George almost didn't notice the curtain opening, he shut his eyes for a moment listening to the crowd come to a deafening roar before quickly being silenced in preparation for what was to come. As the music started a slow rendition to suit the style of the dance, they both flowed in sync, moving around each other as one, they played through the carefully planned steps with a certain airy feel like they were aloft from the rest of the world.
The crowd ooh and ah with each lift and turn, with georges hands on the small of alex's back spinning him round and round getting to watch the beauty of the man he was so head over heels for be fully immersed in what he loved, muscles tensed with concentration and brow furrowed with emotions. As the final notes drew long and Alex took one last leap into George's arms.
The curtains swung shut one last time with both George and Alex looking at each other with an identical grin plastered on their faces.
“We did it, we actually did it,” Alex started smiling and out of breath.
“Yeah, we really did,” George replied while holding onto Alex's waist a little longer than needed
Time seemed to stop for a moment, just the two of them on stage in an emptying out theatre, too close but never close enough. An easy silence fell over the two with the both of them dizzy over what had just happened, but also sitting content with the other. The silence was broken first by george
“Hey so.. Uh, I was wondering.. If you would um mayb-” he was swiftly put out of his own misery when met by Alex sliding his hand back around George’s waist with his other moving to George’s neck, Alex pulled him in and George met him halfway there. Their lips crashing into each other, both feeling the grin of the other. After Alex had pulled away out of breath but not daring to move any further away from the other man.
“So I take that as a yes?” George asked, smiling like an idiot.
“Well you never got to ask your question”
“Oh, uh i was wondering if you, Alexander Albon would go out with me, on a date.” George replied, not stumbling nearly as much this time around.
“Yes, yes. I would love to.” Alex said linking their hands and finally walking off stage to a cast
awaiting in the wings, they were met with shouts from everyone .
“I KNEW IT” from a certain american coming up to Alex and giving him a hug “see i told you it wasn't that hard.”
“Osc, you owe me five bucks,” from a smug Lando Norris.
“This is bullshit, you couldn't have waited three more days” came from one exasperated Oscar Piastri, handing over a five dollar note to the shorter of the two.
And coming up to them both after the chaos had died down was Sir Lewis Hamilton.
“Well done the both of you, we all could see it coming but still, I’m proud,” he said, clapping both boys on the shoulder “now go get changed and get the hell out of here.”
After they had stumbled down into the dressing rooms meeting the remainder of their friends, who were all cheering and all round losing it, managing to shoo them all away was a whole nother task in itself. Finally with a moment to themselves, Alex rested his head on George’s shoulder.
“I've been waiting for I don't even know how many years,” he said with a smile looking into the dressing room mirror.
“Hey, we don't have to wait anymore,” he answered.
“Do you want to get out of here?” Alex asked, grabbing George’s hand.
“Sounds good to me,” George smiled back at him knowing that after all this time, after all the years of watching him dance and even more years of performing with him, he knew he had found his person. To grow old with and experience life with, he smiled just a bit more with that thought, even though that didn't seem possible.