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causeiwanttoandican · 3 years

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The Times

Prince William’s close friends on what makes him tick — and why he’s not trapped

March 20 2021, 6:00pm

As the world devours the Harry and Meghan interview, what’s going on with the brother who was left behind? He’s embracing his destiny, William’s close friends tell the Sunday Times royal correspondent, Roya Nikkhah

Next month Prince William will celebrate his tenth wedding anniversary — the day he became a duke and embarked on the most formative decade of his life. Back then, the tentative 28-year-old newlywed was not ready to devote himself entirely to royal duties. A decade on, he is in a very different position.

The job of being the heir to the heir to the throne, of finding a balance between life and duty, is difficult at the best of times. These are not the best of times. In their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey this month the Duke and Duchess of Sussex accused the royal family and the institution around it of racism and callous disregard for a suicidal newcomer, among many other damning charges. Harry the spare also declared that William was trapped within “the system … My brother can’t leave that system, but I have.”

In the immediate aftermath of the interview William was “reeling”, a source close to the duke says. “His head is all over the place on it.” Four days after the Sussexes had their say, he hit back during an engagement with the Duchess of Cambridge at a school in east London. Asked about accusations of racism, William retorted with restrained fury: “We’re very much not a racist family.” He also confirmed that he hadn’t spoken to Harry yet, “but will do”. By the weekend it emerged they had “been in contact”.

William is thought to have been less than thrilled a few days later when that conversation made global headlines after the American presenter Gayle King, a close friend of the Sussexes, revealed live on air that it had not been an easy chat: “I did actually call them to see how they were feeling,” she told viewers. “Harry has talked to his brother and he had talked to his father too. The word I was given was that those conversations were not productive.” The intervention prompted a senior royal source to say that “none of the households will be giving a running commentary on private conversations”.

A close friend of both brothers says Harry’s “trapped” comment was “way off the mark”, insisting that William does not see it that way. “He has a path set for him and he’s completely accepting of his role. He is very much his grandmother’s grandson in that respect of duty and service.”

When the Queen turned 90 nearly five years ago William admitted “the challenge” that “occupies a lot of thinking space” is how to “modernise and develop” the royal family, and make it “relevant in the next 20 years’ time”. Twenty years now seems like a very long time. In the hours and days after the Oprah broadcast, William was at the heart of all discussions with the Queen and the Prince of Wales about how to respond to the Sussexes. He was keen that the issue of race should be acknowledged in the Queen’s statement as an area of particular concern that “will be addressed”.

William has always railed against being a “ribbon-cutter royal” and the issues he champions — mental health, battling racism in football, homelessness and his ramped-up eco-warrior role — are a window into where the future King William V will take the House of Windsor. A friend says: “He’s a small-c conservative. He values tradition and the need to go around the country, but he realises he can make a difference beyond traditional royal duties.”

Today royal popularity is, to put it mildly, in a state of flux, but William’s strategy has been working. Post-Oprah, he ranks just below the Queen at the top of a YouGov poll of royals. Not so long ago such a position looked like a long shot, when the “workshy Wills” and “reluctant royal” tags plagued him and he was clocking up fewer days of royal work than his nonagenarian grandparents. Pictures of him hitting the ski slopes and clubs of Swiss resort Verbier in March 2017, missing a Commonwealth service that even the Duke of York flew back for, didn’t help.

After the lasting PR gold dust of the Cambridges’ 2011 wedding and the births of Prince George and Princess Charlotte, it was the first public nosedive for William, who was still working as an air ambulance pilot. “That pissed him off,” a friend says. “He was leaving home at 5.30am, getting home after dark and saving lives in between, but people were still being critical of his commitment to his [other] job.” William was based at Cambridge airport with East Anglian Air Ambulance for two years, where he was on call for “some very sad, dark moments”, often working “on very traumatic jobs involving children”. He later acknowledged that “after I had my own children … the relation between the job and the personal life was what really took me over the edge, and I started feeling things that I have never felt before”. But it was a job he loved, because of “working in a team … that’s something that my other job doesn’t necessarily do. You are more out there on your own.”

A former royal aide says: “Immediately after their wedding he had a very clear idea of the pace at which he wanted to take things.” William was adamant he wouldn’t curtail his day jobs, first as an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot in Anglesey and then with the air ambulance. “If you’re not careful, duty can weigh you down an awful lot at an early age,” he said, insisting he didn’t “lie awake waiting or hoping” to be king. He delayed full-time royal duties until the autumn of 2017, when, acknowledging the Cambridges’ future required more time at “monarchy HQ”, they moved from Norfolk to London and George started school.

He’d had to fight his corner for the air ambulance role. A source close to William reveals “there were lots of raised eyebrows in the Palace when he wanted to do that. While the Queen and his father backed him, some senior courtiers questioned whether it was becoming of a future king to be doing a middle-class role, hanging out with ordinary people. They thought he wouldn’t stick it out, he’d find it boring, or was doing it out of stubbornness to put off royal duties. He was pretty bloody-minded about it, and determined that other people’s expectations in the media or the system shouldn’t get in the way of his own values.” In the wake of Harry and Meghan’s interview much has been speculated about the extent to which royal life is dictated by Palace officials, but it is clear that William has managed to forge his own path. Who knows how high those senior courtiers’ eyebrows rose in 2019, when William spent three weeks shadowing the spooks of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ to learn how they combat terrorism. He insisted on being called “Will” and lunching in the canteen every day.

Those closest to the duke say his resistance to the idea of full-time royal duties stemmed not only from a desire to achieve something for himself but also from a fear of the impact on his family life. Miguel Head worked alongside the prince for ten years until 2018, as William, Kate and Harry’s communications secretary and later as William’s private secretary. “In his role everyone’s going to tell you you’re marvellous,” Head says. “The RAF and air ambulance jobs were about knowing what his abilities were, what he was good at in his own right. Without that he’d still be hankering for something that was his own.” After children came along he says William developed a “visceral determination to give them a life of consistency and privacy that were missing for large parts of his own childhood”.

Another close aide says the plan enabling the Cambridges to have a few years of “normal” married life, away from the full-time glare of the royal spotlight, paid dividends: “For years, the battles around privacy and paparazzi intrusion were all-consuming. He wanted to know, could we build them a credible plan allowing them a family life while slowly increasing the profile of official life? It took years to get there, but the success of that plan allowed him to be confident and content in his role. He’s not worried about his kids’ privacy any more and he has been able to be the kind of dad he wants to be.”

“Marriage maketh the man,” a friend says. “Catherine’s groundedness has been the critical anchor. And where his relationship with the media was once all fury and frustration, he now understands using the power of modern media, so the public feel they’re getting enough access.”

The children’s birthdays are marked with photographs — often taken by the Duchess of Cambridge — and there has been a noticeable increase in their public appearances of late. While not “officially” staged, William was happy to let George and Charlotte be photographed at their first Aston Villa match with Mum and Dad in 2019. Pandemic set pieces have shown the family clapping for the NHS on the steps of Anmer Hall, their Norfolk home, and, before Christmas, their first red-carpet appearance together for an evening at the panto with key workers and their children.

As they celebrate their anniversary on April 29, friends who joined the Cambridges on their wedding day tell me the partnership’s equal footing is key to its success. “They’ve got a solid relationship and she gives him confidence,” one says. “There is no jealousy, no friction, they are happy for each other’s successes.” In private William talks as passionately about Kate’s work as his own campaigns, and takes pride in her growing confidence on the public stage.

William has said his grandmother’s approach to being head of state is to take “more of a passive role. She’s above politics and is very much away from it.” He doesn’t plan to meddle in party politics, but he was not happy about the unenviable position the government put the Queen in with the 2019 proroguing of parliament, which was later ruled to be unlawful and forced an apology from Boris Johnson to the monarch. Constitutionally the Queen had no alternative other than to act on the advice of her government, but in William’s reign there will be “more private, robust challenging of advice”. His last three private secretaries — Christian Jones, Simon Case, now the cabinet secretary, and Head — had all worked in government departments, helping William to keep his finger on the political pulse. The new incumbent, the Whitehall heavyweight Jean-Christophe Gray, who served as David Cameron’s spokesman, continues in that vein.

The former Conservative leader Lord Hague of Richmond was last year appointed as chairman of the Royal Foundation to develop William’s work on mental health, the environment and a raft of new support programmes for key workers. “People internationally and nationally respect his credibility and knowledge on these issues,” Hague says. “He’s very persuasive. You only see that behind the scenes. He knows what he wants and he goes out to get it.”

Charlie Mayhew, chief executive of the conservation charity Tusk, has known William since he was 20. In 2005 Tusk and Centrepoint, the homelessness charity championed by Princess Diana, were the first patronages William took on. “In those early years I kept having to pinch myself to remember how young he was,” Mayhew says. “He was much more mature than his age and very aware of his destiny coming down the track. He had a sincerity, but never without wicked humour. His teasing is merciless.”

William knows some people see his passion for conservation as a posh man’s part-time hobby, but Mayhew says the duke’s “genuine and huge knowledge” undermines that view. “He’ll call and WhatsApp to flag up something that I haven’t even seen in the conservation space. He can be impatient to get things done.” Last year William launched the Earthshot prize, a £50 million Nobel-style environmental award to galvanise solutions to global problems over the next decade. He believes “conservation and the environment … shouldn’t be a luxury, it’s a necessity”, Mayhew says. “That’s the drum he wants to beat. He’s got a megaphone and wants to use it in the most constructive way. He speaks for that next generation and I think they can relate to it.”

A turning point for William was his 2015 official visit to China, one of the world’s largest consumers of ivory, where he met President Xi and condemned the illegal wildlife trade as a “vicious form of criminality”. Unlike his father, who has refused to visit the People’s Republic over its human rights record and treatment of Tibet, William’s view was that despite the UK’s fractious relationship with China, “we’ve got to engage”.

“It was very political, raising the illegal wildlife trade in China. I’m sure the diplomats were having all sort of nightmares in advance,” says Mayhew, who joined the duke in China. “But he was gathering greater confidence that he had the ability to be a mouthpiece for the issue.” Mayhew reveals that while William was visiting Japan before China, he still hadn’t secured a meeting with Xi. “But when the Chinese saw all the high-level meetings he was having in Japan, they changed their minds and Xi made time for him.” Later that year, as Xi began a UK state visit, William appeared on Chinese television condemning the ivory trade. Two years later China banned the trade.

In 2018 he spent months prepping for his most high-stakes overseas visit yet, to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories that summer. Navigating the diplomatic tightrope walk between Jerusalem and the West Bank, he visited a Palestinian refugee camp in Ramallah. As he travelled back to Jerusalem, he changed his speech for a reception with young Israelis and Palestinians to strengthen his solidarity with the latter: “My message tonight is that you have not been forgotten … The United Kingdom stands with you.” It was a bold move, but both sides hailed his visit a success and the officials breathed a sigh of relief. To the delight of the travelling press pack, William’s engagements on the final day were brought forward, allowing the diplomat duke and president of the Football Association to land back in the UK in time to watch England’s World Cup tie.

Ask him if he’s a peacemaker and William will laugh, saying Kate is the mediator. But according to a source close to William and Harry, his bridge-building skills were deployed in the lead-up to Harry and Meghan’s wedding in 2018, when tensions in the Kensington Palace household, then still shared by the brothers, were running high: “Every time there was a drama, or a member of staff on the verge of quitting, William would personally try and sort it out.”

As the brothers clashed more over the substance and style of their work, and the family hierarchy that William is a stickler for but Harry is less keen on, a split was inevitable. When they finally divided their households in March 2019, it had been a long time coming. But he never thought that a year later his brother would up sticks for America.

The pair went for a long walk to clear the air after the “Sandringham summit” when the Megxit deal was hammered out, but did not part shores as friends. What upset William the most was Harry and Meghan’s surprise launch of their “Sussex Royal” website before the summit, which featured their blueprint wish list of a part-time, commercial royal future. Later, when the Queen decreed they could no longer use “royal” in their future ventures, their website hit back with this bold statement: “While there is not any jurisdiction by The Monarchy … over the use of the word ‘Royal’ overseas, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not intend to use ‘Sussex Royal’ … or … ‘Royal’ …” Both “the content and that it’s still online is staggering”, a senior royal source says. “That was it for William, he felt they’d blindsided the Queen in such an insulting and disrespectful way,” says a source close to him, who reveals it was still at the forefront of William’s mind at the Commonwealth Day service one year ago. It was the Sussexes’ final engagement as working royals, and the froideur between them and the rest of the family was unmistakable.

It is a year since the Sussexes left for California and William misses Harry. “Once he got over the anger of how things happened, he was left with the absence of his brother,” an aide says. “They shared everything about their lives, an office, a foundation, meetings together most days and there was a lot of fun along the way. He’ll miss it for ever.” A close friend says William “definitely feels the pressure now it’s all on him — his future looks different because of his brother’s choices, it’s not easy.” Another friend says: “It’s still raw. He’s very upset by what’s happened, though absolutely intent that he and Harry’s relationship will heal in time.”

After lobbing bombs in his Oprah interview, Harry said: “I love William to bits … We’ve been through hell together … we have a shared experience … The relationship is space at the moment, and time heals all things, hopefully.” Harry would be wise not to set his stopwatch.

The first test will come this summer, when the brothers could be reunited for a series of family engagements including the Duke of Edinburgh’s 100th birthday and the Queen’s birthday parade in June. In July they are scheduled to unveil a statue of their mother at Kensington Palace, marking what would have been Diana’s 60th birthday, an emotionally charged occasion with the world watching.

While a chasm has opened up between the brothers, William has grown closer to the Queen and Prince Charles. He has helped them to navigate their way through Megxit, Prince Andrew’s removal from public life following the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and, now, the Oprah controversy. “That has changed the way the Queen sees him and values his input,” a courtier says. William also feels his relationship with his grandmother has “massively improved” in recent years and their views are “more aligned than ever”.

Friends say there has also been a “renaissance” in William and Charles’s relationship. “As the years passed there were strains imposed by the system — money, work, competition, Diana,” one says. “Part of William’s evolution is that as he has become closer to his father, he sees their similarities. At William’s wedding there was a gag in one of the speeches that he was more like his father than he’d ever admit, which made a lot of us laugh. As their respective destinies get closer, it weighs more heavily on them and strengthens the bond. The rift with Harry has also brought them closer.”

William is said to hate “flummery”, though the role of future king comes with plenty of bowing and scraping. But in 2017, for the first time publicly, he didn’t get his way. As a new parent worried about rising teenage suicide rates, he had spent a year convening a Cyberbullying Taskforce with big cheeses from tech and social media giants including Facebook, Snapchat, Apple, Google and Twitter. He wanted them to adopt industry-wide guidelines creating safer online spaces for children. According to William the meetings at Kensington Palace got “fruity” and the tech giants didn’t come close to the change he wanted. He was furious.

Tessy Ojo, chief executive of the Diana Award youth charity, sat on the taskforce. “He was deeply disappointed,” she says. “He didn’t come into it as ‘the duke’, he gave emotional pleas as a father.” William has since publicly condemned social media giants for their “false choice of profits over values” and privately offered support to the family of Molly Russell, who took her life at 14 after viewing images of self-harm online. Ojo believes it is William’s “lived experience of the fragility of life that guides the work he does”.

It also shapes the way he and Kate are raising their family. William has said he is determined that the grandchildren Diana never knew should “know who she was and that she existed”. He “constantly” talks to his children “about Granny Diana” at bedtime, so that they know “there are two grandmothers in their lives”. Earlier this month on Mother’s Day, Kensington Palace’s social media feeds published George, Charlotte and Louis’s cards paying tribute to “Granny Diana”, revealing it is an annual ritual for the Cambridge children. After a difficult few weeks for William, a line in Charlotte’s card provided poignant insight into how he is feeling: “Papa is missing you.”

He is on course to be a more modern monarch than any before him, but William is still a creature of habit at heart. He has the same tight circle of friends from his schooldays, one of whom says that, with William, “it’s all about trust and loyalty”. He plays five-a-side football in his Villa socks when he can, goes to the Chelsea Harbour Club gym he went to as a child with his mother and has a “smart casual” public uniform of chinos, jacket, blue shirt and no tie.

“William’s not trying to be down with the kids,” a friend says. “He never wants to be painted as irrelevant or dull, though he’s allergic to being compared to celebrities. The public doesn’t always get to see his funny side, but otherwise he’s the same in private as in public. He once said, ‘I’ll be in the public eye all my life. I can’t hide who I am because I’ll be found out.’ ”

In 2019, during a visit to a youth homelessness charity supporting LGBT people, William was asked how he would feel if one of his children was gay. “Absolutely fine,” he replied. “I fully support whatever decision they make, but it does worry me from a parent’s point of view how many barriers, hateful words, persecution and discrimination might come.” Such a personal exchange was a radical departure from royal engagement small talk. But William, the first in his family to be photographed for the cover of a gay magazine, had personally put the issue on the agenda.

As president of Bafta he gave the academy a diplomatic dressing down in his speech at last year’s ceremony, expressing his “frustration” over the lack of diversity: “In 2020, and not for the first time in the last few years, we find ourselves talking again about the need to do more to ensure diversity in the sector and in the awards process — that simply cannot be right in this day and age.” The 2021 nominees announced this month suggest his words hit home.

William “thinks the public look to him to keep royal work looking modern”, a confidante says. “The Queen and Prince of Wales are providing continuity and stability. He’s carving out his own relationship with diverse communities. He sees it all as a way of doing things now that will help a smooth transition when the time comes.”

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, as a former frontline worker himself, William has led the royal charge supporting key workers. “Now, more than ever, he knows what his role in public life is, and he sees the value in it,” a close aide says. Chatting to NHS workers in January, William said: “Something that I noticed from my brief spell flying the air ambulance … is that when you see so much death and so much bereavement, it does impact how you see the world … as a … darker, blacker place.” Soon after the first lockdown was announced, the Cambridges’ Royal Foundation launched Our Frontline, a round-the-clock mental health and bereavement service for key workers.

Miguel Head says the future King William will continue to campaign on his big issues: “I can’t see him backing away from causes he’s passionate about. And while he’s not someone who loves ceremony, he knows the importance of it. When he gets the top job he won’t do away with it all. He’s mindful the monarchy represents something timeless that’s above all of us, and many people like the magic and theatre of it.”

Roya Nikkhah

Roya is royal correspondent at The Sunday Times. Over more than a decade she has covered royal events for the BBC, interviewed the Prince of Wales and Prince Harry and presented the films Prince William, Monarch in the Making and Meghan and Harry: The Baby Years.

#William #TeamQueen #TeamWilliam #TeamCambridge

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freddiesaysalright · 5 years

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Dancing With Ben Week 2

A Ben Hardy x Reader Fic Most Memorable Year - Jive

Summary: Reader is one of the pro dancers on Dancing With the Stars. It’s her second season on the show, and this time, her partner is none other than Ben Hardy. Will they win the Mirror Ball? Maybe they’ll win something even more meaningful!

Word Count: 3.1K

Tag List: @psychosupernatural, @someone-get-a-medic, @twigleektribute23@asquiresofftime, @caborhapch, @iwasnothingbutacityboy, @a-kind-of-magik @ionlyhavepicturesofflowers Let me know if you’d like to be added!

A/N: This chapter was super fun! Lots of good Queen and BoRhap discussions, plus a special appearance from Rami!

Week 1

Week 2 here we go!!!

You were still coming down off the high from the first night. Ben really had done a superb foxtrot. This week you knew would be more intense since you had less time, but you were sure of his dedication now. He wasn’t satisfied with his scores, and was absolutely determined to do better this time around. When you got to rehearsal, you were surprised to find him already there.

“Look at you, eager beaver!” you said, setting down your bag and removing your shirt so you could get your mic pack on.

He bounced on his toes. “I’m ready to go again! What have we got this week?”

When you were both camera ready, you sat cross legged on the floor, patting the wood beside you. He took a seat there, stretching his legs out.

“So, this week’s theme is most memorable year,” you explained. “What would you say is yours?”

He leaned back against the mirrored wall and looked up at the ceiling in thought. “It sounds kinda stupid, but I have to say 2018. Bohemian Rhapsody was really a life changing experience for me and I loved being a part of it.”

“That’s not stupid at all!” you encouraged. “Tell me more about what made it so special.”

“The story was really meaningful,” he said. “The music is awesome. But I also met people who became more like my brothers than just my cast mates. I miss them all so much, even though we talk almost every day.”

“I love that,” you assured him. “And I’m really glad you picked something happy because this week, we’re doing the jive.”

“The jive?” he questioned.

“Yeah, it’s high energy, but a lot of fun,” you said. “I really think you’re gonna like it. And since you chose your time on Bohemian Rhapsody, I think we should do a Queen song!”

His lips turned up into a grin. “Which one?”

“Don’t Stop Me Now,” you said.

“Yes!” he cried, his face lighting up in a way that made your stomach flutter. “I love that song!”

“Who doesn’t?” you returned, equally excited. “And it’s the perfect tempo for a jive.”

“I never thought a Queen song would be right for ballroom,” he said.

“You’d be surprised!” you replied, getting to your feet and helping him up. “Now we’re gonna warm up because jive is a lot of cardio and a lot of footwork. I don’t want you to pull or strain anything.”

You began with some light cardio to get your heart rates up and warm up your muscles. Then you sat down again to stretch out your legs. You observed him to be sure his form was right.

“You should feel this one in your hamstrings,” you said. “Right here.”

You placed your hand beneath his leg, but your fingers brushed the underside of his knee. He jerked away from you and you blinked, surprised. Then, you smiled mischievously at him. A pink tint rose in his cheeks and around his ears.

“Ben, are you ticklish?” you asked.

“No,” he answered, too quickly. “Okay, a little, behind my knees. It’s a really weird spot to be ticklish, but luckily, very few people touch me there.”

“I think you’re holding out on me,” you said with a smirk.

“Don’t you dare,” he warned.

You crawled across the floor and lunged at him with a laugh. You were too fast for him so you quickly straddled him, pinning him under you. You ran your fingers experimentally over his tummy, but he didn’t react. You inched your way up, holding his gaze as you went. Your fingers were just trailing from his chest to his underarms when suddenly, his hands snapped up, digging his fingers into your sides and tickling you furiously. You screamed and fell to the side, releasing Ben from your hold as you giggled and tried to fight him off.

“Y/N, are you ticklish?” he mocked your earlier tone as you writhed beneath him.

Through your laughter, you nodded. “Incredibly so! I’m sorry, please let me up!”

He stopped, and you remained on your back a moment to catch your breath. He sat up, looking smugly at you.

“I’d say we’re pretty well warmed up, wouldn’t you?” you asked.

“I think so.”

“Well, let’s dance then!”

He helped you to your feet so you could start this week’s routine.

He had an easier time of the jive than he did the foxtrot, which you found unusual. But Ben was great at keeping time and staying on the beat, so his kicks and flicks were good. You corrected him on a few things, making sure his feet didn’t look like they were flopping on the kicks, and keeping his arm long on moves where he was reaching.

“Okay, step, kick, step, good!” you praised as you went. “Keep your eyes up, Ben!”

He obeyed. It was another one of those moments where he almost stopped you in your tracks. God, those eyes were going to be the death of you.

“Kick, kick, kick, and turn!”

You continued on until it was lunch time. You were both sweaty messes, so you ordered food to the studio instead of going out. You also took this time to check your phones and grab some water. You flopped down on the floor next to Ben, still breathing hard from your last run through. You opened your Instagram story camera, chose a random filter and began filming you and Ben.

“Hey there, Ben, did you just take a shower, dude?” you teased. “You’re all wet.”

“We can’t all be you, Y/N!” he protested lightly. “Looking bloody perfect after dancing all day.”

You giggled girlishly at the compliment. Then he flipped his hair, dripping sweat on you and your phone. You gasped dramatically.

“Ew!” you cried.

He snickered. “That’s what you get for making fun of me,” he said as he pinched your cheek.

“Very rude, Benjamin,” you play scolded.

You posted the video to your story, tagging Ben in it. You wrote over it “Yes, we are very hard at work” as well as #TeamQueen. He got you back when lunch arrived. He snapped a photo of you mid-bite and posted it to his own story, writing “Caught Y/N slippin” with laughing emojis. It was an unflattering photo where your cheeks were puffy from a mouth full of noodles. You smacked him playfully on the arm for it before getting back to work.

You felt amazing about the routine by the end of the day. Ben was doing really well and you were sure this routine would earn him even higher scores than last week. Halfway through the week, you and Ben were plugging away at it for what felt like the millionth time that day. He was hitting every step.

“One, two, three, four, five, step, turn on eight,” you said as you guided him. “Great job, Ben!”

He looked at you and smiled, the way he did after that first dance, and you stumbled through the beat. Ben stopped abruptly. His mouth fell open as mirth danced behind his eyes. The color drained from your face.

“Did you just miss a step?” he wondered.

“No!” you said defensively. “I was just...improvising.”

“Improvising?”

“Yeah,” you insisted. You busted into some casual, more hip-hop dance moves, shaking your rear to the music, which was still playing.

“Really?” he said. “Twerking? To Queen?”

You giggled. “It’s what Freddie would have wanted.”

You slowed and stopped as he burst into laughter.

“You’re not wrong,” he said. “But, you did miss the step.”

You crossed your arms over your chest. “So what if I did?”

“I’m the coach now,” he joked.

You punched him in the arm. “Nice try, Hardy. You wanna take a water break?”

He nodded and you took seats together. He pulled his phone from his bag and smiled when he opened it.

“Something nice?” you asked.

“Yeah,” he said. “Rami texted. He said he and Lucy got tickets to the show this week.”

“That’s awesome!” you said. “Considering the theme and the dance we’re doing, it seems appropriate for them to be there.”

“I agree,” he said.

You opened up Instagram. You scrolled through your DMs and groaned. You were flooded with messages demanding to know if you and Ben were dating. It was exactly like when you and James were partners.

“What’s up?” he questioned.

“I put up one story of us together and people are already asking if we’re dating,” you sighed. “Just like last season.”

“So you and James...weren’t together?”

You looked at him. “Of course not. I’m a professional, and we just didn’t feel that way about each other.”

“Good,” he said, turning his eyes back to his phone.

You blinked. “Good?”

He met your gaze again, looking flustered. “Well, I just - I dunno - I thought you might have been with him and I didn’t…” he trailed off. “Don’t look at me like that.”

You chuckled. “I get it. Sometimes, dancing together can make it appear that there’s something more than there is. It so often looks romantic when we’re putting on a show. The choreography tells a story. But usually it’s just a deep friendship between partners. That’s what me and James were. Best friends.”

“So...you are single then?”

“Oh, yeah. God, I haven’t had a serious boyfriend in...two years I guess now.”

A beat passed.

“What about you?” you wondered. “Any ladies in your life?”

“Just one,” he said. “Her name’s Frankie.”

A pang of...something shot through your heart. Jealousy? Disappointment? You didn’t want to name it. Then you’d have to face it.

“You wanna see a picture?” he offered.

“Yeah, sure,” you agreed.

He opened his phone again and pulled up a picture of a sweet little dog. You laughed with a bit of a new something. Relief? Again, you dared not name it.

“She’s your dog?!”

He chuckled. “Yeah. That’s my best girl right there.”

“Is she with you in LA while you’re here?”

“Nah, she’s at my mum’s house,” he explained. “Although she said she and dad are streaming the show. I don’t think they can vote, but they’re cheering me on anyway.”

“That’s the cutest thing in the world,” you said. “And your Bohemian Rhapsody brothers?”

“They all watched last week and texted me what a great job I did,” he said, looking at his phone gratefully. “I think they’re gonna like this one even more.”

“I think they are too,” you said. “Shall we return to practicing?”

He nodded, helping you up off the floor.

With the jive, jumping back in was quite literal. Although you hadn’t choreographed a terribly difficult jive - it was only week two after all - it was challenging. Even so, you and Ben had a ton of fun. The dance was just the right pace for his energy and he was eager to do the song justice as well.

On the final day of rehearsal, the producers wanted some more for the video package, so they had you ask Ben more about filming Bohemian Rhapsody. Once again, you sat across from him on the floor and started to “interview” him.

“So, what was it like meeting Roger Taylor and Brian May for the first time?” you asked.

“Amazing,” he said. “Roger and Brian are wonderful people, and they really helped us learn about themselves, John, and Freddie of course.”

“Did Roger help you with your drumming?”

“Well, he had to,” he said. “I had no drumming experience before I got that part.”

“What?!” you gasped.

“And - lots of people know this now - I lied and said that I did,” he said. “I just wanted it so bad. It was legitimately the coolest role I’ve ever been up for.”

“You do remember you were in the X-Men movies, right?”

“Of course!” he laughed. “But this was Queen. They’re legends. Anyway, I don’t regret it. I learned a lot, and like I said, met the greatest people. I’m including Brian and Roger in that category as well because they’re honestly fantastic men.”

“They seem wonderful,” you said. “How did you feel about the reaction to the movie?”

“That was seriously one of the craziest parts about the whole thing,” he told you. “Critics kind of had it out for this film. People nitpicked and analyzed and pointed out every little thing that they thought was wrong or inaccurate and got hung up on that. And yet, the general public loved it. It killed at the box office and then later on in sales. It’s sort of like Queen themselves when they got their start. Music critics and others in the industry sort of wrote them off but the public loved them.”

“So, what do you want to say with this dance about your experience with Bohemian Rhapsody?”

He bit his lip to think on it and you squirmed when your heart skipped a beat.

“I think I just want it to reflect how much fun I had making it,” he said. “And how proud I am of what we created. I think it’s a great film and we’re all really proud of it.”

“Well, I think you’re on the right track because you’re killing this dance,” you said. “Let’s go out there and celebrate what you all accomplished.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

You high fived and got up to rehearse again.

When show time came, Ben was not nearly as nervous as last time. You thought it was because he knew the song he was dancing to, and he felt more comfortable in the jive than he had in the foxtrot. You and Ben were going last that night, so it was right before the first elimination. You hoped that aspect didn’t shake Ben’s confidence. So far, even watching the other couples go hadn’t. It made you more confident as well.

At your turn, you and Ben headed down to the dance floor to take your places as the video package played. He focused on you, so he wouldn’t get distracted and miss the cue to start. It faded to black and the music began.

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It started off slow. Ben stroked your face on the first two counts. You twirled in his arms. Then it picked up. You ran down the stairs and started to really jive. Ben was grinning like a little boy as you went. Once again, you found it remarkable how well he stayed on the beat and kept up with you. You hardly even felt like you were backleading. This dance really just allowed you to have fun together.

After the final notes played, you hugged him again. He carried you over to the judges to get their feedback. He put his arm around your shoulder and you both panted as you waited to hear what they had to say.

“Ben!” Carrie Ann cried. “That was amazing! For you to pull off a jive on your second week as well as you just did...I’m so impressed.” She went on to tell him little tweaks to improve it. He nodded and thanked her.

“I wasn’t too sure about jive and a Queen song,” Len began sourly. “But I must say, I was entertained. A lot of jive content, so well done, Y/N. Ben, there were a few things I’d like to see more from you…” he went on and explained them.

“Benjamin!” Bruno cried enthusiastically. “I loved it! You really were like a tiger defying the laws of gravity! You were so light on your feet, which I know is difficult for men with your build, no?” He only criticized Ben on keeping his hands tight when extending so his lines didn’t fall short.

You both thanked the judges for their feedback as Tom turned to Ben.

“Now, I believe there’s a special guest here for you tonight,” Tom said.

Ben smiled. “Yeah, um, Rami’s here,” he said.

Tom urged Rami to come up to the dance floor as the crowd cheered for him. Ben released you and embraced Rami warmly. When they broke apart, Tom approached.

“Rami, tell us what you thought of your friend’s dance,” he said before holding his mic out for Rami to speak into.

“I thought you were incredible, Ben,” he said. “Lucy actually took a video of the whole thing and sent it to Brian and Roger.”

You all laughed.

“But seriously, I thought he did great, and I’m really proud of you, man,” he finished.

Ben hugged him again. “Thanks, mate.”

Rami waved to the crowd and returned to his seat next to Lucy. You remained by the judges’ desk to receive your scores. Carrie Ann scored you an eight. Len scored you another seven, so you shot him a thumbs down. Bruno scored you an eight. You squeezed Ben to you.

“That’s amazing!” you said, turning to lead him up to the stage. “See? You got better!”

“I know, but I now I want even more!” he returned.

“We’re gonna get there, Ben, I promise,” you assured him.

The other couples were already standing in their places, waiting to find out who was going home this week. You and Ben took your spot and you heard him gulp. You squeezed hand. He brought yours up and pressed it to his lips. You blushed and looked at the floor.

Tom and Erin went through couple after couple, telling them whether they were safe or in danger. Artem and his partner were in danger. Sasha and his partner were also in danger. They got down to three couples who didn’t know yet. You felt like your heart was going to beat right out of your chest. You released Ben’s hand to wrap your arms around his waist.

“Ben and Y/N,” said Tom, leaving a long dramatic pause. This was the worst part of what you did. You knew they had to make it suspenseful, but it killed you every time. “You two are safe to dance next week!”

A shout of excitement escaped you as you jumped into Ben. He held you so tightly you thought you might burst. You were so grateful to get to dance with him. You were nowhere near ready for this journey to end.

The couple that ended up eliminated was Artem and his partner. As the show ended, you and Ben went over to give them hugs and congratulate them. Selfishly, you were glad it wasn’t you. As you headed backstage to change, you stopped and looked at Ben.

“You know what next week is?” you wondered excitedly.

“What?” he asked.

“Disney night!” you squealed.

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