Chapter Text
Pas de bourrée, tour jeté, saute, arabesque, pique, chassé, grand jeté.
Wylan repeated the sequence in his head, over and over, visualizing the movements as he stretched. Closing his eyes, he took a steadying breath. He’d practiced the audition choreography for weeks. He could do this. He was ready. All he needed to do was give the performance of his life and get the lead role and-
The door creaked open and Jesper Fahey, his absolute least favorite person of all time, strolled out, not looking the least bit ruffled. Ugh, who could look so unbothered after dancing a challenging audition choreography? Only Ketterdam International Ballet Academy’s biggest asshole, Wylan decided.
Wylan narrowed his eyes as Jesper swaggered towards him.
“Good luck in there, kid,” Jesper drawled with a smirk.
“I’m not a kid, and I don’t need luck,” Wylan huffed. “Especially not from you.”
“You know, most people just say thank you,” Jesper said, raising an eyebrow. “No need to be such a brat.”
“Don’t call me that,” Wylan growled.
“Then don’t be one,” Jesper responded jovilly.
“How about you go fuck yourself?” Wylan snapped.
“If you weren’t such a coward, you’d do that yourself,” Jesper responded with a sly grin.
Wylan flushed bright red, his blush spreading all the way down to his chest. This fucking asshole, how dare he-
But before he could come up with a retort, one of the assistants popped out from the audition hall door. “Wylan Van Eck? You’re up next,” she said.
Wylan nodded, standing up to follow her. Jesper shot him a grin and a wink, mouthing, ‘good luck’. Wylan ground his teeth with a scowl as he pointedly ignored him.
*************
“Wylan, can you please just relax? You’re giving me anxiety, and I don’t even dance!” Nina begged, chucking a roll of gauze at his head.
Wylan ducked to avoid the flying projectile. “No,” he said decidedly. “The cast list is supposed to come out today. Why isn’t it out yet?”
“They said noon, Wy. There’s still-” she glanced at the clock “-six minutes until then.”
“It wouldn’t kill them to release it early,” Wylan grumbled. Nina rolled her eyes as she continued stocking the medical supplies in the clinic. “I can’t wait to see Fahey’s face when I get the lead role.”
“Why must you two antagonize each other all the time? Can’t you try to get along?” Nina pleaded.
Wylan gaped at her in betrayal. “We do not antagonize each other. He antagonizes me! Whose side are you even on?”
Nina held her hands up in surrender. “I’m on your side, obviously. I just don’t understand this animosity you two have.”
“It’s because he’s a smug asshole who acts like he’s better than everyone, just because he can do a few cool tricks!”
“Right.”
“And would it kill him to at least wear a shirt? I mean, seriously, who doesn’t even wear a shirt to practice?”
“Wylan, honey, that’s gay.”
“No, it’s infuriating! Total asshole behavior! Like, sorry we can’t all have an eight-pack, but there is no need to be showing off at every practice,” Wylan ranted, rolling his eyes.
Nina patted his shoulder sympathetically. “You’re gorgeous, Wy. I’d fuck you if you were my type, and also not my best friend.”
“And gay.”
“That too.”
“So does this mean you’re back on with Matthias again?” he asked, referencing the burly security guard.
Nina smirked at him. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Pleeeaase? I need a distraction,” Wylan begged.
“What you need is to get laid. Maybe you’ll calm down.”
“Rude.”
“But true.”
“I get laid!”
“When?”
“A few months ago?” Wylan mumbled. Nina raised a judgmental eyebrow. “I mean, the sex is fine. But it’s not… great?” he said sheepishly.
“Oh, honey,” Nina said sympathetically. “Maybe you need to find someone you actually have an emotional connection with.”
“What, like you and Matthias? Please, you keep breaking up and getting back together every other week.”
“Yeah, but the sex is amazing,” Nina said, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
Wylan rolled his eyes. “Well, it’s not like I’m interested in any of the boys at the academy like that. And besides, it’s not like I’ll have time for dating anyway, once the rehearsals start for the show.”
“That’s what you say every year,” Nina accused. “How will you ever find a husband and have a million babies so I can be an auntie?”
“I didn’t realize my hypothetical marriage and babies were all about you, Nina.”
“Everything is about me,” Nina replied haughtily. “But, seriously, Wy, when will you open yourself up?”
“I do not have time to be opening anything up,” Wylan replied stubbornly. “It’s my last year at the academy. I need to nail this show so I can get a principal role with a company once I graduate.”
“Getting a principal role straight out of the academy is impossible, Wy. Everyone starts out in the corps de ballet.”
“Which is why I need to get this lead role, Nina. There will be company directors at those shows. I need them to see me.”
Nina shook her head. “Not doing the impossible doesn’t mean you aren’t still an amazing dancer.”
Not according to my father, Wylan thought bitterly. He already thinks I’m worthless. Anything less than being the best makes me a failure.
But instead he said, “I just really need to get this role and have the season go well.”
“I’m sure it will, Wy,” Nina said supportively.
Just then, Wylan’s phone pinged. Fishing it out of his pocket, he quickly recognized the little Outlook icon (why the academy didn’t use Gmail instead was beyond him), and clicked on it eagerly. Turning on the text-to-speech function, he eagerly listened as the monotonic voice read out the email announcing that the final casting decisions had been made and to please see the attached PDF file. Clicking on it, Wylan held his breath eagerly as the robotic voice began reading off the casting list.
Wait, what?
Wylan played it again just to make sure he heard right, blinking in confusion. “No. No, no, no, no!”
“That’s not so bad,” Nina reassured him, having listened in.
“Not so bad?” Wylan laughed humorlessly. “Jesper-fucking-Fahey got the lead role, and I have to play his love interest?” Sliding to the floor dramatically, Wylan covered his face with his hands, groaning as if the news had caused him physical pain. He wasn’t fully sure it hadn’t. “This is the end of the world, Nina,” he whined. “I’m not going to survive this year.”
Nina patted his head sympathetically.