(Hairspray) Charmed

Title: Charmed

Fandom: Hairspray (2007 movieverse)
Pairing: Shelley/Amber
Rating: PG
Words: 1456

Notes: For 10lilies, prompt "lucky".

Summary: Shelley watched and waited, but she never held her breath.



It was lucky that Amber was so vocal about her mother running the television station.

If she wasn’t, Shelley might have done something stupid that first day Amber strutted into the studio like she owned the place. Shelley might have actually talked to Amber, extended some sort of friendship towards her, and that would have made things very tricky indeed.

If Shelley had made friends with Amber that first day, the others might have labelled her a sycophant like they did Noreen and Doreen, even though it was just the twins’ nature to be welcoming. If Shelley had made friends with Amber that first day, she might have found herself even more under Mrs. Von Tussle’s thumb than she and the rest of the council already were.

If Shelley had made friends with Amber that first day, maybe it would have been too late, because it was hard enough to remind herself to hate Amber once she knew the full extent of Amber’s spoilt personality. If she’d made friends with Amber before recognising her as such a princess, maybe she wouldn’t have been able to walk away. Maybe she would have been trapped by Amber’s smile.

But Amber had made sure they all knew her connections, had tacked on that little comment about her mother being in charge during her introduction, had said it all in one breath and smirked at them, and Shelley had known to keep her distance.

*

It was lucky that Amber got herself a boyfriend two days after starting the show.

Link was already popular, so it only seemed natural that Mrs. Von Tussle would encourage Amber to lean in his direction. Things were already changing under her reign, and none of the council members were happy about it, and Corny had been scowling non-stop since Y.W.Z.T. had appointed Mrs. Von Tussle their new station manager. Which was especially strange, because nobody had ever seen Corny do anything but grin and laugh and sing before.

The music was changing, and that was the most obvious and jarring difference. The council members no longer had a choice of which record to dance to, and even Corny had to argue his case for certain songs.

Amber had a choice, of course, and Amber already had the best dresses and Amber was already getting the most screen time, and it was only natural Amber got the best boyfriend.

Link was pretty canny, Shelley had always liked that about him, and it was obvious that dating Amber meant he got to stay on Mrs. Von Tussle’s good side, got to share Amber’s camera shots and got a pretty blonde into the bargain.

Shelley understood why Mrs. Von Tussle had chosen him, why Amber agreed to it, why Link smiled and winked at Amber and let everyone see them holding hands, and it should have made things easier for Shelley. Because Amber was spoilt, and Amber was taken, and she should have just let it go, but Shelley couldn’t.

*

It was lucky that Amber was so shallow.

She didn’t particularly care if Shelley liked her or not. They still spent time together at school because it was expected, their own little clique, the council members sashaying through the hallways, celebrities for everybody else to fawn over. They had nothing to talk about beyond the show, nothing in common, so they discussed music and dance, and Shelley noticed the way everyone was very careful not to disagree with Amber, to constantly compliment her, to nod their heads empathetically and trip over themselves to acknowledge her.

Shelley remembered when Link had had an opinion on everything, but now he mostly stayed quiet with his arm around Amber’s waist, staring at something beyond their heads that nobody else could see. He didn’t look trapped, but he didn’t look free either. He just looked distracted, and Shelley almost wanted to feel sorry for him, but she couldn’t.

Not when his fingers traced idly at the curve of Amber’s hip, as casual as anything, and Shelley shouldn’t have been jealous, but she was.

*

It was lucky that Tracy was such an amazing dancer.

She was the energy the show needed, and Corny was smiling again, and so was everybody else. Shelley hadn’t noticed the other council members looking miserable or anything like that, but now she could see that their smiles had been forced and their eyes had always been darting towards Mrs. Von Tussle and her fingers tapping irritably over her clipboard.

Link looked distracted still, but in a very different way, and he’d apparently found his voice again. Shelley even heard him disagree with Amber on more than one occasion, and she secretly listened to the fallout, waiting to see if each argument would be the last, but it apparently never was. They needed each other, and even if it was for superficial reasons it was a strong enough bond to weather each storm.

Shelley remembered being one of the most popular girls on the council, and she didn’t remember taking a step back when Amber had joined but that was apparently what had happened. Because now Shelley felt like she watched, like all she did was watch Amber, and she was starting to grow tired of it.

For the first time in a long time, Shelley felt like dancing again. And Tracy always smiled at her, like she knew just how Shelley felt, and it didn’t tie her stomach in knots like it did when Amber smiled at her or anything like that. It just felt warm and natural, and that was Tracy down to the letter, and Shelley could feel change in the air.

*

It was lucky that Amber didn’t win Miss Teenage Hairspray.

Shelley didn’t want to win the title. Well, perhaps she did, but she knew it wouldn’t happen, they all knew they couldn’t compete with Amber. They’d all suspected that the votes were rigged in previous competitions, but who could they complain to? Mrs. Von Tussle? She was the most likely suspect, and nobody wanted to lose their place on the council by fruitlessly accusing her. Corny? He’d had too much on his mind already, and nobody wanted to bother him further.

But there was a feeling of excitement in the studio, and it was obvious even Corny was feeling it. Heck, Corny was practically feeding it, dancing around, humming under his breath, sharing a secret smile with everyone.

They were all waiting for Tracy to come, and they didn’t know how she’d manage it, but they all knew she would.

And she did, of course she did, but it was Inez who danced away with the prize, and The Corny Collins Show was changed forever.

The council members, the audience, everybody was celebrating. Tracy and Link were wrapped around each other, falling into each other’s eyes, and Shelley didn’t need to watch to know where that was going. Instead her eyes found Amber, watched Amber watch them kiss, and there wasn’t any hurt there, maybe less disappointment than Shelley was expecting. Just a very careful blankness, and then Amber was looking away, and her eyes fell on the writhing bodies nearby, the now fully integrated council, and a small smirk tugged at her lips.

For the first time since Amber had waltzed into the studio, since she’d smiled at them all in those few moments before she boasted about her mother’s position, Shelley felt a flare of hope.

*

It was lucky that Mrs. Von Tussle was fired.

It meant she wasn’t there to spy on Amber, wasn’t there to control her daughter’s life. It meant Amber was more approachable, and yet it also meant that nobody was inclined to go near her, not anymore.

Amber kept dancing with a stubbornness Shelley had grown rather fond of, and she tried harder with every new step, although Shelley suspected she was the only one who noticed. And Amber was learning to try new things, new dances and new music, learning to talk to new people, learning not to judge.

Learning to relax into it, learning to appreciate Shelley’s lips over her own, learning that the norm maybe wasn’t for her after all, and Amber was just as good a kisser as Shelley had always known she would be. She knew when to be soft and sweet, when to be a little rougher, when to nibble and lick and make those quiet little sounds, letting Shelley lead her and teach her and open her eyes, and Amber was smarter than everybody gave her credit for, which was very lucky for Shelley as her fingers traced idly at the curve of Amber’s hip, casual as anything and a hundred different kinds of perfect.