#I'm going to admit myself into the nearest hospital tomorrow

[cardinalfirefly]

Gentle reminder oasis stans:

[judgement-free-sideblog]

Dancing lessons

Barry Berkman x reader

Summary: Barry is finally cast in a feature, the problem? He said he could dance and now he can either disappoint Sally or found a way to learn some steps.

Warnings: Swearing, blood, violence, guns, cheating maybe.

Part 1 ● Part 2 ● Part 3 ● Part 4 ● Part 5 ● Part 6 ● Part 7 ● Part 8 ● Epilogue

Part 3

The cheerful notes of the Pas de deux of Swan Lake's third act started to play and you were all alone in the studio, the girls had been practicing to that and it was still in the record player, you were liying on the floor, and your pointe shoes were next to you.

Barry have left about fifteen minutes before leaving your head troubled with his words. After on long hour of practice he was finally getting somewhere with the slower rhythms of tango, but there was a long way ahead of him to learn his routine.

Tired he sitted on the wooden floor looking at himself in the mirror, and you went to sit next to him.

"Well that's an improvement" You told him and he gave you a nod, and a smile while he tried to catch his breath "You should be proud, is more than I expected"

"It's all you, you are an excellent teacher" He said sincerely "I just hope all this work is worthy"

"Worthy or not I still get paid" you wink at him and stood up giving him a hand to do the same.

"Of course, I meant..." He took your hand, and stood next to you "I accidentally listen to Janice and Andre fighting on the phone, and it sounded like they were removing the scene, I mean I had the other scenes but I don't want to know I have spend the last 5 days rubbing Voltatrol on my calf and knees for nothing"

"Well I wouldn't say for nothing, you have learned a new skill and I'm sure you may take your girlfriend out to dance and she would appreciate it"

"Yeah, once she is not busy" he sounded hurt, but you didn't feel it was your place to ask, and didn't needed because he kept talking "I mean I know that she is working on something she loves, and I'm proud of her and I love her but..."

"You wish she had more time for you?" You asked, interested since this was the first real personal conversation you had with him.

"Yeah, you know. More like you" He said and you gave him a very confused look "Well you and your husband, I wish we were like that" he added nervously.

"Like what?" Sick of each other to stubborn to quit your mind said but your face continued smiling.

"Well you work in something you love, and you are really good at it, and I always have the feeling that I'm not enough for Sally, is not like she says it, is just that she always have something more important, and I fear one day she will found someone more important than me" You nodded with your lips extremely closed trying not to be mad at him since you actually didn't know him. "Also you work at home that's good too" the innocence on wich he said it made you furious for some reason.

"You had no idea what you are talking about" you told him, again trying to not sound too harsh and not succeeding "Lesson is over you can leave"

"What? No, I meant it as a compliment, you have the best job..."

"Shut it!" You scream and he looked shock at you "I'm sorry I didn't mean to yell, but that's just stupid you know? I don't mean to offend you, but you are at a studio 6 to 7 hours every morning surround by beautiful actresses, and here two hours every day with a woman basically rubbing on you, think about that for a second" You told him but he didn't say anything "If she didn't have her show, and she had to sit at home waiting for you, I bet you would not consider you are letting her down"

"Well no, because..." He started but you make it shut down with a movement of your hand.

"Because you are the big guy, the man, the one allowed to have dreams and follow them even if you have to put other people's needs apart. Maybe think about that and then you can talk" You notice your chest going up and down quickly and you were thankful you were still on the heels because on your normal level you would have look ridiculous screaming at someone that tall.

"That's what people call toxic masculinity isn't it?" He asked, surprisingly calm

"Get out" You said pointing at the door and turning your back at him

"Yeah, I thought so" He said and pick up his stuff without going to change back to his regular clothes "Same hour tomorrow?" He asked by the door

"Of course" You said and with that he was gone.

As the third act was coming to his end and you could clearly picture in your mind Odile and Rothbart entering the palace, you stood up and put on the shoes, Barry was wrong of course, in expecting a servant woman as a partner, but that was not what hurt you, you made a bow to an invisible Siegfried and make a couple movements to get loose, Mr. Block dare to say that you were happy? Well at least your deception was working and you look like you were, and like you love that job, Odil's coda started and you start making fouettés, one and you could feel your leg shaking but you continued, even when you were moving from your place and in no way at the speed that you wanted, two, three... by the sixth you were sure you could get to twenty, but then at the ninth that old damaged ankle gave in and the stinging pain made you tremble and fall to the ground, but it was okay because once the sharp edge of a chair broke into your skin and everything went black you were no longer thinking about it.

***

About ten minutes after he left the studio, Barry's brain struggled to understand why does Y/N had taken what he said so personally, was then when he realized he was hungry and turn his car to go to the nearest In-N-Out, he searched for his wallet and couldn't find it, Fuck he thought knowing it must be still at the studio with probably his hoodie since he didn't have it either, he made another turn hoping to still find the woman there. The music he could hear when he approached and the lights coming from inside suggest him she was still there.

"Y/N I know you are mad, but I leave my wallet here..." He said opening the door and froze in his place "Jesus, Y/N are you okay??" The women's body was in the floor, with her head over a small pool of her own blood, and next to her one of the chairs covered with her blood too making evident what have happened.

The cut on her head was small, and when he checked on her she still had pulse but was unconscious, and not responding so he carried in his arms back to his car and drove to the closest ER he could find.

"Help please!" He screamed with her in his arms and her blood covering his hands. "She was dancing and fall, she hit her head with a chair" He said to the two nurses that come at his encounter "She is not waking up..." He was agitated and he wanted to scream for them to move faster.

"Hey, hey sir calm down, come on deep breaths" a doctor said once she was in a stretcher and after checking her pupils to be okay, "what's your name sir?" She asked putting a hand on his shoulder and speaking in a calming voice.

"Berkman, I mean, Barry Berkman" He was trying to breath but there was a knot in is chest tightening more every second.

"Ok Mr. Bearkman, go with nurse Joaquin and help him fill some forms and we will take care of her, ok?" Barry nodded and let the nurse to take him away. He filled the forms mechanically not even sure he was putting on them and finally sit on the waiting room. He covered his face with his hands and he saw they were still covered in blood and the memories of the last time he had been in a hospital started rushing to his head like wild horses.

Mr. Cousineau knew, he was sure Fuches had told him the truth about Moss and was trying every day after the arrest to talk to him, and he tried his best to avoid him, he even skip a couple classes until it was impossible to ignore it anymore.

On the other hand the look for Fuches was a waste of time, any rat hole he was hiding in was too hard to locate, and since Hank was back at Chechnya he had no assets to help him.

One night Gene invited Sally and him to have dinner at his lake house again, an obvious set up since they have barely crossed words in the last two months, but after the massacre and the damage he was sure he had caused he felt like it was time to face the truth and find a solution. After all Gene was not Janice, and he was sure they could get to an arrangement.

Sally went to sleep and they were left alone in the livingroom, Mr. Cousineau had a glass of whiskey in his hand and signaled the door with a head gesture, and Barry walked outside with him.

"It would have been nice you know?" He started once they were by the lake. "Growing old here, just me and her, that's all I wanted." He was looking at the water and Barry was behind him just patiently listening. "I kept repeating that night in my mind, over and over again, for so long and it never occurred to me to think about you" Barry's eyes were fighting back tears since Cousineau was standing right where she was that night "But in all fairness you had told me already what you used to do for a living, I just didn't listen" He turned around and a small silver revolver was in his hands.

"Gene calm down, let's talk about this" Barry started knowing all too well that the old man would shoot his own foot before he could aim at him.

"Why don't you do it one more time?" He asked and took the gun by the barrel and gave it to him.

"Mr. Cousineau what are you talking about?" He asked perplex.

"My life is meaningless Barry, I have no longer reason to live without her and even when I hate to admit it Leo being back in my life is just not enough, so since you owned me this do it, take my life like you took hers" He put the gun in Barry's hand an point to his head "Just do it"

"Are you insane? Sally is in the house" Barry let go from his hand and put the gun down "Where did you get this?"

"Is mine, I bought it to kill you, but I can't do that, I'm too much of a coward, I don't even have te courage to kill myself, that's why I need your help" His voice was calmed and a monotone, but his eyes reflected a broken man and Barry feared he might convince him.

"Let's get inside, we can talk about this later ok?" He said taking his hand, and the man followed him like a sheep.

"You'll have to do it at some point, I haven't told the police but I might" he said once they were on the house, and he walked to his room leaving Barry alone in the dark.

A couple weeks later Fuches broke into his apartment, he looked sick, skinnier, with several scars and open wounds on his face. Apparently the Chechens blamed him for the massacre in the monastery and he managed to make a deal to bring him to them.

"And why would I go?" He asked once he was tied to a chair "Do you really thought you could take me?" He asked, not to brag but he was in terrible shape and it didn't cost him much to subdue him.

"Oh I knew I couldn't, what I need is your help to flee the country, they know you want to kill me, if they think I failed and that you did they would leave me alone" He said, and he was no longer the man Barry used to know, he was erratic and completely disturbed.

"What if actually kill you and we end this for once?" He said and pointed his gun at him.

"You wouldn't, you don't want to, I have followed you, you live your life like the happy little lep dog of that blondie, and that's fine. You don't want to unleash the real Barry again, and I'm counting with that" He said and Barry got angry because he was right. He left him go without accepting his offer, but he was sure he will came back.

The days passed and he was holding on to the hope both men will drop their "plans" and since Mr Cousineau was becoming a granddad and he was offering a big party he believed at least he had.

The morning of the party Gene asked him to help him buy some party supplies and he gladly accepted, by two in the afternoon they were loading the car with bags and talking about the new baby in the almost empty parking lot.

"Barry, do you remember what I asked you?" He said after putting in the las bag.

"I do, and the answer is the same, it won't happen" he said frowning.

"And I hope it doesn't, the thing is, you don't know how great life is until you know it, I mean I'm giving a baby shower for a woman I barely know because she is having my granddaughter"

"That's great, I'm sure Leo is thankful for that" Barry was not completely sure of why he was saying, so he asked. "And now what, are you telling the police?"

"Oh jesus no, that's a lot more trouble, and that won't be enough punishment for you, I want you out of the class, forever. After the party, you'll make a brilliant excuse and you will leave us alone" It was obvious he had rehearse that speech because he was not even looking at Barry who was about to replicate when the sound of a laugh make them turn around.

"Oh look the little actor guy is breaking up with you" Fuches said, he had a gun in his hand and was aiming at Barry.

"You??" Gene asked recognizing the so called Detective that had showed him Janice's body, and told him about Barry "what else do you want from me?" He ask with his voice about to break.

"Absolutely nothing, but since our boy here is not responding to diplomacy I thought a little pressure may help, now Barry be a good sport and come with me or" He said and got closer to Gene still pointing the gun at him.

"Fuches stop this man, leave him alone, he is not part of this" Barry tried to reason with him "Let's talk about this, leave him alone and I'll figure out a way to help you, come on man" He started to come closer, and tried to move Gene away from Fuches.

"You really need to know who is in charge here Barry" Fuches said and shoot the gun, it was all so fast, as Gene body fall to the ground and Barry tried to hold him as Fuches was running away, but he didn't bother on follow him, his only concern at that moment was to put pressure on Mr. Cousineau wound and wait patiently for the ambulance to arrive.

"Is going to be ok, don't close your eyes, just hold on" He said while he dialed 911 on his phone "Hi, my... my friend has been shot, outside Ralphs on Venice Boulevard"

"That really hurts you know? I don't know why would I tell yo to do that to me, but in the end you didn't, isn't it funny Barry?" He said before losing conciousness.

The lights of the ambulance came a couple minutes later, and they drove him to the ER, they asked him a couple questions and send him to the waiting room, he sited and waited for Leo and Sally to get to the hospital, he waited as he went into surgery, and he waited until the doctor come out to tell them he was out of surgery. The story they told was that some burglar tried to stole the car from them, and since the cameras on the supermarket recorded Fuches coming at them it was believable.

He spend every afternoon outside work in that hospital for the next week helping Leo take care of his dad. And even when Mr. Cousineau was thankful for his gesture he end up leaving the class when he came out of the hospital, hoping that being apart from him was enough to prevent more damage.

And now here he was, again waiting, again with blood on his hands, just that this time it was not his fault, the doctor came out a couple minutes later and walked him to her bed, they had shave part of her hair and put some stitches to stop the bleeding, and she was now awake, talking very animated with a nurse.

"And then you just add as much mozzarella as you want Abby" Y/N said and finally looked at Barry approaching to her bed.

"Well it sounds delicious, I would definitely try it. Thanks Y/N" The nurse saw the doctor and immediately walked away.

"Well apparently you are doing better Mrs. Berkman, but I still prefer for you to stay here for a couple more hours just to make sure you don't have a concussion" The way she addressed her took Barry by surprise but he didn't say anything.

"Do I have to? I'm fine, it was just a bump on the head, and you already fix that, and gave me a edgy haircut thanks for that" She responded, not bothering to correct her, wich was a surprise for Barry.

"Ok, let's do this, your husband can take you home, but you can't go the sleep, stay awake for at least the next 12 hours, and if anything happens in that time you can call me ok?" She said writing her number in a piece of paper and giving it to Barry "I'll make someone take this off" She signaled the IV on her arm and walked away.

"Ok hubby let's go" She winked at Barry once they were done with the paper work and inside Barry's car.

"Why didn't you said anything?" He asked starting the engine.

"Because they would have called Alan and since he is in Texas in a business trip I would have to stay the night there waiting for him to fly back so they could discharge me" She said like it was not a big deal "and don't worry I put my on social security number, so the bill won't be a problem."

"So your apartment is empty?" He asked thinking about what the doctor said.

"It is, but don't worry I can stay awake" She smile at him.

"Bullshit, I'll stay with you, at least until you are clear to sleep" He said and she let go a little chuckle.

"Oh look at you, what a nice husband" the comment almost make him blush but he focused on the road. "Fine let's go, we could find something to do for the next twelve hours"

I'm so sorry I didn't post this yesterday but I got the flu and I feel like shit, anyway I hope you enjoy this.

@meraki--mei