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Purpled had held out false hope, he moved into his college dorm and the other bed was empty. He felt partly like he deserved it, getting into the School of American Ballet wasn’t easy especially with the lack of support system he had but he was here and that’s what mattered. The empty dorm remained that way all day until the evening when the door slammed open. A blonde with a bright red shirt on and two large suitcases made his way awkwardly through the doorway. The blonde was also on the phone to someone.
“Dad, I’m not telling you the college, I picked a different one for a reason, don’t make me block you again” he said down the phone, before hanging up, he had a British accent, he looked up to Purpled who was sat on his bed his laptop open on his lap “Sorry my flight was delayed, I’m Tommy”
“Purpled”
“Cool, I see you’ve unpacked”
“I have been here for a few hours, my flight was on time”
“Lucky you,”
“Are you British?" Purpled asked.
“Yes, surely the accent is obvious” Tommy laughed, swinging one of his suitcases onto the empty dorm bed.
“And from what I’ve gathered your dad doesn’t know you're here?” Purpled smiled.
“Yeah, he thinks I went to the college down the road, it’s hard to travel as a sixteen year old”
“He thinks you’re studying something normal and not attending one of the most prestigious ballet schools in the world?”
“Exactly”
“How did you pull that off?”
“I don’t know,” Tommy half laughed.
“I did something similar, dropped off the grid and ended up here”
“So you’ve got a mysterious past as well” Tommy continued.
“I guess I do,” Purpled agreed.
Tommy’s phone started ringing again, he looked over at the screen and sighed before picking it up.
“Tech, what do you want?” he asked, a pause “No I’m not telling you where I am” another pause “Do none of you consider that the entire point of me leaving was so that you didn’t know where I was?” a longer pause “Yeah, yeah, I can block you like I did to Wil” he hung up.
“Any specific reason you left?” Purpled started “Not to pry but sounds like a handful”
“Nah, you aren’t prying, just live with a bunch of overbearing family members, I felt like I couldn’t breathe, they had an idea of who I was and what I wanted to do which wasn’t who I actually was if that makes sense”
“Yeah I get it, I left for similar reasons, my family wanted me to go into something like medicine and I wanted to dance” he kept it brief, he wasn’t going to trauma dump onto his new roommate not yet “Left high school the moment I got the call, may have committed some elements of forgery to be here”
“Hopefully this is what I chalked it up to be” Tommy resumed his unpacking “You’re also sixteen?”
“Yeah, we’re both a bit late to this,” Purpled agreed.
He returned to the movie he was half watching on his laptop and ignored the piling missed calls from his brother, he kept an eye on Tommy as the other boy moved around the room putting clothes away and posters up. He eventually turned in for the night.
He woke the next morning at seven sharp to the ringing of his alarm and Tommy’s both clashing sounds. He turned his off the alarm and saw the missed calls that filled up his lock screen like they had the previous night. He pointedly ignored them. Tommy’s phone was ringing again as the boy turned off do not disturb.
“I recommend silent mode” Purpled commented “Then they don’t make noise when they come through”
“I know, but it reminds me they care,” Tommy added sarcastically, his hair sticking up at odd angles.
Purpled snorted “I’m heading to breakfast, you coming?”
“Yeah, one sec” Tommy slipped crocs on and pocketed his now silenced phone.
“Did you always want to come to New York?” Purpled asked as they entered the elevator to head down to the cafeteria.
“I think part of me always did, I didn’t start ballet until later on in life, didn’t really consider it as an option” Tommy answered “What about you?”
“I had posters for this place stuck up on my wall since I can remember, I always knew I was coming here somehow”
“How long have you been dancing for then?”
“God it has to be at least twelve years, I was the only boy in my class” a fond laugh followed his statement, Tommy smiled.
“I’ve been dancing for eight, my teacher said I was a natural, one of my brothers used to dance” Tommy replied.
“My brother wanted nothing to do with it” Purpled sighed “He’s in college studying law, my parents are thrilled”
“One of my brothers is a musician, the other majored in English now he has a degree and uses it for jackshit”
“Standards aren’t high in your family then” Purpled commented.
“Nope, my dad always wanted the best for us as long as we were happy he didn’t care, my mum was a big pusher for making sure we were at least doing something to help gain life experience” Tommy began “So my musician brother works in a record store and English degree brother does tutoring and is doing a course on poetry”
“I was given three options, medical school, business school or law school” Purpled started “I saved birthday money, christmas money, part time job wages and pocket change to get here for the auditions, I got a scholarship” he said as they grabbed their trays and made their way along the food queue.
“So you're really good to get in on a scholarship” Tommy scoffed.
“I suppose so” Purpled nodded “What about you?”
“Got a partial scholarship and drained a good portion out of my savings” Tommy sighed “My parents will pay next year”
“Really?”
“I hope so, my dad owns a successful company, my mum is a freelance photographer but is popular so is always booked” Tommy said “They make a lot of money, they also said they’d cover any of our uni costs and help with a down payment on a house”
“So you’re a trust fund kid”
“Kinda”
“I am jealous, if I didn’t get the scholarship I would be still in high school then in a state school or if I got a scholarship in another college, there”
“What classes are you in?” Tommy asked as they sat at a table.
“Partnering two, Men’s one, Combined one, stretch and pilates” Purpled replied “I have physio sessions on Wednesdays”
“I’m the same except I’m in combined two” Tommy replied “We’ll be seeing a lot off each other then”
“I suppose we will” Purpled was happy about that.
The first day was rigorous as expected. School until two in the high school a few blocks away then back for classes until six thirty with a half hour break at four. Then dinner followed by another two hours of classes before finishing at nine. Then any homework before bed. He practically collapsed into bed that night.
“So, how was your first day?” Tommy asked, returning to their room after getting unready in the bathroom.
“Hard but good, I’ll get used to it” Purpled replied “Just wait till Nutcracker season” he chuckled “What about you?”
“Good, it felt right, the busy days are worth it” Tommy agreed climbing into bed “Keeps me distracted”
“Any more phone calls?”
“Plenty, then a break due to time zones” he sighed.
“How long until they figure it out?”
“No idea”
“They’ll calm down at some point” Purpled assured him.
“My mum still hasn’t called yet” Tommy added “She’s the only one I want to call”
“Maybe it’s worth calling her,” he suggested.
“Maybe” Tommy shrugged, he paused before leaning over to turn out the lights “Night”
“Night”
It felt like time moved faster in ballet school. There was minimal time to rest until Sunday. There were no classes on Sunday, Purpled still didn’t let himself sleep in too long. He’d set an alarm for eight and it successfully woke both him and Tommy up.
“Turn it off,” Tommy complained.
“Good habits Tommy” Purpled replied “Come on, breakfast closes in half an hour”
“I don’t need breakfast”
“You’re paying for this breakfast”
Tommy rolled out of bed and as usual tugged on a hoodie and his crocs.
“What are your day off plans?” Purpled asked Tommy whilst in the elevator.
“Call my mum” Tommy replied as they exited the elevator into the canteen.
“You're finally getting around to it” Purpled teased as they joined the line for breakfast.
“Hey, I’ve seen the missed calls on your home screen”
“Fuck you”
“Watch your language, there are children around” Tommy chided “What are you doing?”
“Rehab, I’ll do some stretches and shit, thinking about taking a walk around the city this afternoon”
“Mind if I join?” Tommy asked as they took a seat.
“Not at all” Purpled replied “Haven’t really made any other friends”
“It’s hard” Tommy said “Making friends, especially round here, everyone is loaded and naturally strong and flexible and it feels like I’m a million miles behind even though I’m not, they are all stuck up their own asses”
“Yeah, it's difficult, no one really relates to you and in the classes as well, partnering especially is annoying, partnering two is full of fourteen year old girls half of them that won’t pull their weight in a pas de deux” Purpled complained waving his fork around.
“Tell me about it” Tommy groaned “You have to jump before I can lift you and you also have to be able to stay on your centre when pirouetting and surely that’s easier on pointe?”
“Who knows, I’ve never tried it,” Purpled shrugged.
“I want to” Tommy added “Always wanted to try pointe, when the girls in my class got to go to their fittings and shit, it made me jealous”
“Men dance on pointe now” Purpled said “You could always try to go to a fitting see what the fitter says”
“Maybe, that sounds like a task for another Sunday though”
“Today is for rehab and addressing family issues”
Both boys laughed at that.
They finished breakfast and returned to their dorm to get ready for the day. Then it was to the studios.
“Purpled, did you actually book a studio?” Tommy asked.
“Yeah, I’m not that stupid” he replied “See” he tapped the booking sheet “Studio seven is all ours”
They headed down the hallway and Purpled shoved the door open, the cool lighting reflected off the marley floor and wall of mirrors. Purpled threw his bag down in a corner and lay down on the floor.
“Are you alright?” Tommy asked, cocking an eyebrow.
“Yeah” Purpled replied “I might call my brother”
“Is he the one you're getting all the calls from?”
“Yeah”
“I’ll call my mum first” Tommy rummaged for his phone pulling it out of his bag.
He lay down on the floor on his stomach next to Purpled.
“You’re doing it now?”
“Yeah, why not?”
“Do you want me to leave?” Purpled propped himself up on his elbows.
“No, you can stay” Tommy opened his phone and scrolled through his contacts.
He clicked ring on his mothers contact and switched it to speaker before placing it on the floor and pushing it away slightly. It rang twice before picking up.
“Toms”
“Hey mum” he replied.
“How are you?”
“Great, I’m doing great” Tommy exhaled.
“And you're safe?” her accent was American which surprised Purpled slightly.
“Very, I have shelter, food and education”
“And you’re happy”
“Very happy”
“Will you tell me where you are?” she asked.
“No, not yet, I don’t want Wil, Tech or dad on my case just yet” Tommy shook his head.
“You’re definitely safe though?”
“Yes”
“And you’ve got people”
“A person, but he's more than enough” Tommy glanced over to Purpled.
“Good” she said “Make sure you call me”
“I will,” Tommy nodded a small smile on his face.
“And maybe your dad and brothers at some point”
“Maybe” Tommy chuckled.
“Love you”
“Love you too” he hung up the phone.
Tommy rolled flat on his back and sighed.
“Everything seems alright for you now,” Purpled said.
“It’s better” Tommy agreed “Now it’s your turn”
Purpled got up and headed over to his bag pulling out his phone. He sat on the floor next to Tommy. He hesitated as he stared at his brother's contact.
“He’s gonna be an ass, just warning you” Purpled said before clicking the call button.
The phone rang a fair few times before it finally picked up.
“So now you call” Punz huffed.
“I thought you’d be happy to hear from me”
“I would’ve been a week ago”
“So you don’t care anymore,” Purpled teased, attempting to lighten the mood.
“Where the fuck are you?” Punz asked tone flat.
“None of your business” his tone dropped to match the mood of his brothers.
“You’re in New York aren’t you, at that stupid ballet school”
“So what if I am”
“I will tell mom and dad” Punz threatened “They are going to take you home”
“I’ve got a scholarship, they can’t take me away from here” Purpled defended, his voice didn’t come out as strong as he’d hoped.
“They can and they will”
“I will file for emancipation, I’ve looked into it”
“Ballet school” Punz sighed “You could’ve just taken the easy way out”
“I’m doing what I want alright, I have a future in this”
“I’ll call you some other time” Punz stopped the argument.
“Don’t tell mom and dad”
“I’ll do what I want”
Dial tone.
“Fuck” Purpled cursed, running both of his hands through his hair.
“And I thought I had family issues,” Tommy commented.
“There was no need for that now,” Purpled responded with a small smile.
“Come on, lets stretch” Tommy said “Can we also run that pas de deux we were meant to know? Mine is not looking good”
They worked until lunch, it wasn’t fast paced or strenuous, both boys enjoyed it. They even messed around a bit at the end, Tommy taking the female part of the pas de deux and practically nailing it. They were sitting at lunch when Purpled brought up something interesting.
“When you get pointe shoes fitted we should try the pas de deux again” he commented “You were better to work with”
“I’ll be so much taller than you though”
“I can make it work, also you practically weigh nothing” Purpled replied.
“That’s what we can do on Sundays then”
“Great, now you just need to get fitted for shoes”
“Do you just walk in to fittings?”
“Depends where you go” Purpled replied “One of the girls in my class said you had to book another just showed up”
“I’ll research it later”
“You might be a natural Tommy,” Purpled teased.
“Sure”
The next week passed similarly to the first, both boys continued to get closer and Tommy did manage to book a fitting for pointe shoes during the week so retrieving those were going to be today’s Sunday activity. So they tackled the streets of New York on the bitter Sunday morning, and made it to the pointe shoe shop in one piece. It would’ve been much easier if they could’ve gone through the school but the school wouldn’t pay for Tommy’s shoes. He didn’t need them. So they were at a pointe shoe shop in the city. The bell on the door rang as Tommy pushed it open.
“So, you’re the boy” The lady behind the desk laughed.
“Yes,” Tommy replied shyly.
Purpled hadn’t seen Tommy ever be shy so as the good friend he was he pushed Tommy further into the shop.
“Come, stand by the bar” the lady commanded.
Tommy followed instructions.
“Shoes off, stand in first and pointe your left foot a la seconde”
Tommy rushed to pull off his converse, they were half laced anyway so they came off quickly.
“Your feet have potential” the lady said “Unlike most men you have a rather flexible foot and a nice straight line when your foot is pointed, I don’t think shoe type will matter too much, just finding a pair large enough”
“What shoe size are you?”
Tommy replied and she got up rather abruptly and headed into a back room, there was some shuffling around before she came back with three boxes.
“These are the only pairs in your size, we’ll see which work”
She placed the boxes down and opened the first offering the shoes out to Tommy.
He pulled them on and stood up.
“They feel weird,” he said.
“They will, it's harder to keep balance when standing flat” she replied “Now step up onto pointe”
He did and Purpled was surprised to see that they looked good. He’d seen men on pointe on social media and had to admit that most of the time they looked either pulled back or pushed over.
“They look great, how do they feel?”
“Pretty good, little tight around the ball of my foot”
“Tight as in supportive or painful”
“Mostly supportive but I feel they could become painful”
“Alright, I don’t want to widen the box, I think you could sink into the shoes, we’ll try the next pair”
Tommy tried the next pair and was immediately more comfortable in them.
“These feel a lot better,” he clarified.
“Good” the fitter replied “They don’t seem to wide either so I don’t think sinking will be a problem, cross into fifth for me”
Tommy brought his feet into the position.
“Yeah they look great, I’m happy sending you away with those”
“Great”
“I’ll ring you up, come over when your ready”
They were back in studio seven with Tommy’s pointe shoes and a sewing kit with ribbons.
“I found a Youtube tutorial” Tommy declared, taking a seat on the floor next to Purpled who was inspecting the shoes.
During the fitting the fitter had been surprised at Tommy’s ankle flexibility. According to her, men usually lacked ankle flexibility, so those who tried pointe shoes were often pulled back on the shoes, ultimately making it harder and more dangerous to dance.
“Let me see,” Purpled said, angling the phone so he could see as well.
After watching the video they were a bit more clued in. Still Purpled decided he was taking charge.
“Right, put the shoes on,” he said.
Tommy slipped the shoes on.
“Now go onto pointe”
Tommy did so. Purpled held the ribbon to the side of the shoe and wrapped it up Tommy’s ankle, he messed with the angle until it looked and felt right. He did the same for the other three ribbons.
“Okay, take them off carefully” Purpled instructed.
“I will,” Tommy huffed.
“You could do this on your own you know, be thankful I’m helping”
“So we just stitch the ribbon in place?”
“Yeah, on the inside obviously”
“Obviously”
Purpled finished the shoe he was working on in five minutes. He glanced over to Tommy who was concentrating hard, his tongue poking out the corner of his mouth. He cursed as he pricked himself with the needle. Purpled laughed at him.
“I’m almost done” Tommy defended after noticing Purpled staring at him.
“Do you want any help?”
“I’m almost done, just a couple more stitches”
The couple more stitches took a couple more minutes. But eventually Tommy was tugging on the shoes and tying them up.
“Lets see how you do on them” Purpled teased.
“I’ll be great,” Tommy said, confidently rolling up onto pointe ”How about we run a short class? Barre, some releves, maybe pirouettes?”
“Sounds good to me,” Purpled replied.
They ran through the basics of a barre and Tommy minimally complained about pointe shoe pain. Then they moved to center work.
“We’re just doing releves” Purpled groaned.
“I’m scared though”
“Just do it, you aren’t going to break your ankles” Purpled argued “You did them just fine on the barre”
“Alright, alright” Tommy took a breath before doing an echappe.
“See, easy,” Purpled said.
“Yeah, it was,” Tommy nodded before coming down to flat and stepping back into fourth.
“Don’t you even think about pirouetting” Purpled started.
Tommy smirked before prepping and completing a clean single.
“That was easy,” Tommy exaggerated.
“Let’s do a port de bras or something first” Purpled sighed.
“Ok, which one?”
“Did you do RAD grade eight?” Purpled asked.
“Yeah”
“How about the Etude Lyrique?”
“Sounds good”
After completing the short dance twice, once on flat then once where Tommy utilised his pointe shoes Tommy wanted to work on turns again.
“Just aim for a double” Purpled said “I can partner you if you’d like”
“I feel fine for a double,” Tommy said.
He prepped and set off for the double; he stayed up on pointe for both rotations but stepped out messily.
“Finish it properly” Purpled scolded.
“You try it then”
“You have surprisingly small feet, mine will not fit into your shoes, and I’m not buying my own”
“Okay, don’t criticise me then”
“Shut up and do the pirouettes”
Tommy rolled his eyes and set up for another set of pirouettes, this time he went around three times and finished correctly.
“Lovely” Purpled teased.
“How many pirouettes can you do?” Tommy asked a slight saltiness to his tone.
“Tommy I’m a turner, I can do many” Purpled replied “I prefer fouettes or turns in second”
“Not an attitude or arabesque turn type of guy?”
“Nope” Purpled shook his head “I need to work on my back flexibility”
“Why don’t you do that whilst I work on pointe?”
Purpled huffed but did pull out his exercise band and started on back exercises.
Tommy eventually interrupted “Could we give the pas de deux a go?”
“You’re feeling that confident?”
“Yeah, my arabesque’s will be lower and I’ll stick to triples for the pirouettes but I should be fine”
“Ok,” Purpled nodded.
They entered the starting position and the enter routine despite Tommy being taller than Purpled on pointe it turned out alright up until the last set of partnered turns. Tommy prepared for the turns and set off into them Purpled provided the required partnering until the third turn hit and Tommy lost part of his balance, in an attempt to stabilise him both boys ended up on the floor in a pile as the music played out.
After the laughing calmed down, Purpled was the first to speak “You alright?”
“Perfectly fine” Tommy sighed “You saved my ankle from twisting”
“You’re welcome”
“I think that will do for today,” Tommy stated, moving to take off his shoes and pack up.
“If we keep working maybe we can partner in class” Purpled suggested jokingly joining him in packing up.
“Yeah, yeah, maybe we’ll even partner in the Nutcracker,” Tommy added sarcastically.
“Have you been in a Nutcracker before?” Purpled asked.
“Nah, they don’t do them as much in the UK unless you're in proper ballet training” Tommy replied “School’s do them around here don’t they?”
“Yeah, I’ve been a party boy, a rat, both sizes” Purpled chuckled “I was Fritz one year, I’ve done Russian and Arabian a couple of times, there are those awkward years when I was twelve and thirteen where I was too old for party boy and too young for ensemble so I was just a rat”
Tommy laughed “We did yearly shows in my dance school, at the end of term, sometimes they were themed and one year I was also a rat, can’t remember what the theme was but the costume was awful”
“They always are,” Purpled agreed as they left the studio.
“What part do you want in Nutcracker this year?” Tommy asked.
“I don’t know, we’ll be in the school’s production so we’re top of the food chain really” Purpled started “Company do a separate one that they get guests in and hold auditions for the party kids”
“That’s cool, so I could be the Nutcracker or something” Tommy smiled excitedly.
“I think you’d make a good mad uncle, or maybe russian, you’d love the jumps and squats”
Tommy outwardly groaned at that “Are there any parts that aren’t jumpy?”
“Arabian is pretty slow, but a big chunk of it is partnering, you could also be a rat”
“I would love to be a rat,” Tommy grinned.
“Maybe we can both be rats” Purpled added “I think I would like to do Chinese this year”
“You should try for the Nutcracker, you’d make it”
“I don’t know if we do auditions” Purpled stated “I think they decide from classes”
“We’ll know when the time comes,” Tommy concluded.
The time did eventually come, after long months of hard work and Tommy burning through a few more pairs of pointe shoes than he would’ve liked. Purpled moved onto partnering one after improving through his practices with Tommy and Tommy moved up to combined one after all his pointe work aiding his technique. They still danced together every Sunday. The lead up to Nutcracker was upon them, Purpled did end up being chosen as the second Nutcracker as well as Chinese for the shows he wasn’t Nutcracker. Tommy was the mad uncle and also was ensemble in Spanish, Purpled was proud of himself for foreshadowing Tommy’s role as uncle.
Progress on the family issue side of things was different for both boys. Tommy managed to talk to his brothers and father in depth, there were arguments, yelling and tears. Nights were spent talking things through with Purpled whilst the other boy offered comfort. But Tommy’s family were all coming to watch the final performance as well as spend a few days with Tommy and he wouldn’t have to pay tuition for next year. Purpled however had avoided Punz like the plague, letting every call ring out, ignoring every text and voice mail and after a few weeks they stopped. He didn’t know if he was happy about it or not, but he didn’t have to deal with it despite Tommy constantly checking in with him regarding it.
The start of performances crept up on them and dress rehearsals in the theatre began, they ended quicker than they came and opening night arrived. The buzz of excitement and nerves plagued backstage and dressing rooms, Tommy’s usual spark was dampened slightly. Purpled awaited his cue side stage watching as the party scene ended, Tommy’s face lit up with a smile as he passed the other boy, a shiver ran down Purpled’s spine as the music cue signalled him in. The stage lights hit and any nerves melted away, he felt at peace on stage, performing as hard as he could whilst still remaining cautious of technique. The rest of the show passed in a blur, he remembered Spanish though, he watched Tommy dance confidently in his element, a smile on his face. And the bow at the end of the show was exhilarating, loud applause and smiles from all the dancers. Each show got better, the excitement of it all never fading.
The final night came around, Tommy and Purpled on the dressing room floor, Tommy sat against the wall Purpled next to him.
“You’re family’s here aren’t they?” Purpled asked, watching Tommy's message on his phone.
“Yeah, they want to meet you”
“I can’t imagine why,” Purpled smiled.
“Anything from your family?” Tommy asked, causing Purpled’s smile to drop slightly.
“No, but I don’t expect it or particularly want it”
“My family can be yours if you need that support” Tommy offered.
“Thanks”
The ringing voice over the soundsystem told them that curtain was in five and all party scene dancers needed to be side stage.
“I’ll see you later” Tommy said, scrambling up and leaving.
Purpled loitered in the hallways of backstage, interacting with some of the younger kids whilst he waited for his cue to head to side stage. Mirroring opening night he stood in the wings and waited for the party scene to end, he watched Tommy have the time of his life before exiting the stage this time meeting Purpled with an even bigger smile before Purpled’s cue arrived. The stage felt just as magical as the first time, it felt right, he knew he was destined for this knew he had a future in this. He soaked in every second of his final performance before bows began, he was last to bow as the Nutcracker usually was, the audience clapped loudly, the curtains met and he was practically tackled by Tommy, he was quick to return the hug.
“That was amazing,” Tommy declared “You were amazing”
“So were you” Purpled gasped “I can’t believe it’s over”
“Come on, let's go to the lobby, my family will be there and maybe some aspiring ballet dancers” Tommy yanked him by the arm through the crowds of dancers.
The walk to the lobby blurred past but the sound of the crowd brought him back.
“I see them,” Tommy said, continuing to yank Purpled through the crowd.
Purpled managed to spot the odd assortment of people, a blonde man in an odd hat with a dark haired woman to his side, a freakishly tall guy with a beanie and a pink haired guy. But Purpled was now standing in front of them all. Tommy hugged the woman, his mother, Purpled stood awkwardly to the side.
“This is Purpled” Tommy finally addressed him, “Purpled this is my mum, dad, Technoblae and Wilbur”
“Nice to meet you” he nodded.
“You were wonderful on stage,” Tommy’s mother commented.
“Thanks”
Before the awkwardness could continue Purpled’s attention was pulled towards a mother and her kid who wanted a picture, he was quite happy to step away. As nice as Tommy’s family seemed it was hard for Purpled to see when his own was so distant and unsupporting. After being subject to a few photos and quick chats Purpled retreated to the dressing rooms undetected. He started to get ready to head home for the night, the rest of the boys having mostly cleared out by now.
The door squeaked open and Purpled spotted Tommy from the mirror on the dressing table.
“You left,” Tommy frowned.
“Yeah” Purpled twisted in the chair to face Tommy.
“Why?” Tommy pulled on his sweatpants before moving to sit on the chair next to Purpled’s.
“Your family seem lovely Tommy,” Purpled started staring at his hands “But as much as I complain and dislike mine, seeing yours be supportive hurt, part of me wanted my family to be there to watch”
“Sorry”
“It’s not your fault” Purpled shook his head “My mom has never missed a dance show, she didn’t support me doing dance as a career but she was the one who put me in it in the first place, this is the first thing she’s missed”
“If they don’t support you now after doing so before they are stupid” Tommy claimed “You’re successful now, you’re in a world renowned ballet school and on the doorstep to professionalism so not supporting you now is stupid”
“Thanks”
“I’m going out to dinner with my family” Tommy started “Do you want to come? You don’t have to, they’re in New York for almost a week”
“Another time,” Purpled suggested.
“Of course” Tommy nodded “See you later alright, take my bag back for me”
“Yeah, see you”
Tommy grabbed a hoodie and pulled it on before heading out.
Purpled slung his bag and Tommy’s over his shoulders and left the theatre. The walk back to the school was slow but it gave Purpled time to think. By the time he’d dumped his stuff in his dorm and showered it was nearing midnight. He collapsed into bed with a bag of chips and pulled out his phone, there was a text from Punz. He opened it to see a picture of himself on stage captioned ‘it was nice to watch u’. Purpled thanked him, glad to have his brother in his corner despite their constant disagreements. Tommy eventually returned and collapsed on his bed.
“Good time?” Purpled asked.
“Yeah” he nodded “You seem happier”
“Here” Purpled tossed his phone over the message from Punz open.
“That’s nice” Tommy passed the phone back.
“I suppose it is,” Purpled agreed.
“Goodnight,” Tommy replied.
“Night” Purpled set his phone down and went to sleep feeling a bit lighter than usual, maybe next term he might have his brother behind him when he eventually returns home for the summer. That would make things easier.