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"Our next guest plays Ricky Bowen, a talented and misunderstood 16 year old boy in the new Disney+ series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, please help give a warm welcome to Joshua Bassett!"

The crowd cheers making Joshua grin as he appears on stage. He waved and did a little dance while he approached Ellen.

He looked into the crowd at screaming teenagers, all above maybe 14 years old, many accompanied by their parents who looked annoyed and tired, but he didn't mind.

Joshua understood and felt for them, so he chuckled a little as he reached Ellen, who greeted him with a hug and gestured with her arms to cut the music.

"How are you? You look fantastic!" Ellen praised.

"I'm doing great actually, thank you." Joshua smiled, thanking her as he rubbed his hands together to calm his nerves.

She commented on the cheers received from the crowd when he came on stage and began to ask him questions about the show.

"How are you enjoying leading the charge for Disney+, as the breakouts seem to be this series?"

Joshua mouth broke out into a big smile, "It's scary and exciting and everything in between. I mean, it can be a little intimidating, especially when you are adding on to this franchise that is this beloved. There is some pressure that comes with it. Fortunately, this show is brand new and not trying to recreate anything. We didn't have to live up to anything, we were able to do our own thing."

"But you won't believe how many people told me "Don't screw it up" before filming even started, so.." Joshua lifted his arms in the air and shrugged, making the audience and Ellen laugh.

"It's not what everyone assumes about a sequel or a remake, it's its own thing entirely, and for people to finally get that now and to be spreading the word for me, I don't have to convince everybody is a relief, but seeing this kind of reaction from the public is so exciting and wonderful." Claps were heard around the set as Joshua gestures towards the audience.

Once the audience quieted down, Ellen replied with another question.

"Yes, the public has been going absolutely crazy about this series! You've also become very close with your co-stars, right?"

"Um, yeah! What's so great about the whole process before we started filming was that we were able to build genuine, real relationships outside of work. When we went to work, we weren't...I wasn't doing a scene with my co-worker. I was doing a scene with my close friend, my best pal, that was cool that we were able to develop those relationships prior to actually working together. We really were 'All in This Together'." Joshua chuckles, his cheeks tinting a bit when he realised he had rambled on about how much he loved his friends.

The interview carried on smoothly. Joshua answered questions clearly and honestly about songwriting, his family, his childhood and more about the series, until one question broke his confident, professional exterior.

"Now, onto the real questions." Ellen smirked. Joshua laughed along with the audience, thinking that he was about to play one of Ellen's games she plays with her guests occasionally. He was wrong.

"So, last week I was talking with your cast mates..." She started, a small smile creeping onto her face.

"Oh no. What'd they say now." Joshua inquired playfully, wondering what kind of trouble his friends had gotten him into now. He assumed it was nothing embarrassing for him. Wrong again.

"And they told me about your big crush you have on Y/N L/N, who's starring in the upcoming series on Disney+, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier." She smirked, watching Joshua shift in his chair as he laughed nervously and ran a hand through his hair.

"That's not true, you have no proof." Joshua waved his hands, which were becoming sweaty around awkwardly. "Oh really? Can you.. show the video please?"

A video began to play on the screen behind their chairs. It was during filming, Joshua was watching the livestream of a panel at San Diego Comic Con, where they introduced the cast of multiple upcoming Marvel series.

"What are you doing, Josh?" The voice of Sofia Wylie is heard from behind the camera. They were inside Frankie's trailer, where the cast usually hung around.

Frankie's trailer also had the best wifi service so Joshua found himself watching the livestream from there. He still vividly remembers this day like it was yesterday.

The laughs of his other cast mates are heard throughout the trailer. "Shhhh! They just announced her shut up!" He said, not taking his eyes off of his phone. "He's watching Y/N L/N again, huh?" Matt inquires in the background from the couch.

Sofia moves herself to show both the phone and Joshua's face as you walk onto the stage. You were wearing a white shirt with a yellow 'mini' skirt, intentionally matching with both Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan who were waiting for you at the end of the stage, where your mark to stand was.

Joshua claps quietly and lets out a little 'yay' in the video. "She looks so pretty." He smiles widely, finally looking up from his phone and the video cuts.

The audience yelled out a mixture of 'aw's' and laughs. Joshua looked down at his hands in his lap, trying to hide the immense colour on his cheeks.

"That's the proof." Ellen teases.

"Okay, yes. She is my celebrity crush." Joshua stammers, avoiding Ellen's taunting stare.

"So you admit it! Have you met her before? I mean, you are both working for Disney+."

"N-No, I haven't. She has no clue I exist," Joshua chuckles, "My cast mate Dara Reneé is her friend though, and she won't stop teasing me about it."

"Oh really? Well, Y/N, can you come out here?" Ellen inquires, causing an uproar from the audience.

Joshua's eyes go wide as he looks behind him, where the screen door near tWich's desk was, revealing you. You walked effortlessly towards the stage with a big smile on your face as you waved and blowed kisses to some screaming fangirls near the front.

Joshua quickly covered his face with his hands and leaned back in his seat, embarrassed by what he just said and shocked that you were actually here!

The crew brings over a chair for you to sit in and you finally reach the stage, Joshua taking his hands off his face and standing up to hug you.

You approached him with open arms and embrace him. You were almost as tall as him in your heels. As you hugged him, you noticed how warm he was.

It was still incredibly cold on the set and you were wearing a sweatshirt, so when he pulled away it felt like the hug lasted for less than a second.

You shuffled over to hug Ellen and send her a quick greeting. You had been on the Ellen show a couple times before this so you had developed a small bond with Ellen.

"So Y/N, how are you?" Ellen inquired.

"I'm actually really good, thanks. I didn't know I was going to be here," You chuckled pointing to the stage around you, "You told me I was here to film a few clips for your YouTube channel. I feel underdressed." You contorted your face with disgust as you looked down at your red sweatshirt and mom jeans, paired with simple white heels.

"You look g-great." Joshua complimented, finally gaining enough courage to speak to you after realising this was not a dream.

"Thank you." You smiled gratefully, your eyes flickering from his big brown eyes up to his curly, almost untouched hair. Joshua noticed this and began to blush again.

"So as you heard backstage, Joshua has a bit of a crush on you!" Ellen piped in with another signature smirk imprinted on her face.

"I heard!" You giggled, hearing Joshua groan, embarrassed again. He peered down, covering up his blush for maybe the third time in the last five minutes.

"You just met him, but did you know anything about him before?"

"I actually did!" You turn to Joshua, "when I was filming in Atlanta last year, you guys were filming at the same time! Dara actually invited me to come on set once, but unfortunately I couldn't, we had reshoots that week. She would constantly talk about how much she adored you guys and she actually told me about your crush on me a couple months ago, so this isn't the first time i'm hearing it."

"She told you!?" Joshua had turned to face you in your chair. "Yeah," you chuckled, "we were watching the series and she pointed to you and went 'that boy is so obsessed with you, it isn't healthy.' and she continued talking about you." You say making Joshua's eyes widen.

"All good things, I swear."

"That's a relief." Joshua sighed and pretended to wipe imaginary sweat off of his forehead, shifting a couple curls of hair in the meantime.

"Ain't he kind of cute?" Ellen interrupted your conversation, realising that you both would've kept talking if she hadn't stopped you both. Now it was your turn to blush.

"I mean, sure. He's.. I.. Ellen! you can't put me on the spot like this!!" The audience laughs noticing your loss for words.

Joshua breathes out inaudibly and begins to prepare for ultimate rejection on national television.

"Sure? This video says otherwise."

Another video appears on the screen. You had absolutely forgotten about this video. You make a mental note to yell at Dara for giving Ellen this unreleased video after the show.

You and Dara were sitting on your beanbags in your basement drinking lemonade and watching episode 6 of the series together. Dara was filming you as the part where Ricky sings a cover of 'When There Was Me and You' to Gina. You hum along with Ricky and sigh when the song ends.

"What?" Dara questions, holding back a laugh as she observed the look of frustration on your face.

"He's just-" You pause and let out a frustrated groan, making Dara cackle and shake the camera accidentally.

You watch the video continue playing with your hands covering your face from Ellen and the audience.

"What?" Dara inquires again. "He's just so... pretty and musically talented, I want him to sing to me like that." You turn your head from the paused TV and take a sip from your straw as you make direct eye contact with the camera.

You believed you looked disgusting in that video. You were wearing no makeup, your hair was in a fluffy bun, and you were wrapped in a white fluffy blanket while wearing a black cami tank top and flannel pajama bottoms.

The audience cheers loudly and Joshua turns his body around trying not to display all of his excitement but immediately after the video ends a massive grin appeared on his face along with gleaming eyes. His cheeks were more rosey than ever.

You were now sitting with your legs hugged up against your chest, shielding yourself from immense embarrassment. You could feel everyone's stare on you.

You slowly peak your head up and meet Joshua's face which made you smile close to instantly. At first it was an awkward smile, but the tension shortly faded away, as that same smile shared so many unspoken words from you both.

You both understood there was nothing to be embarrassed about in the first place.

You were both each other's celebrity crushes.

"I think i'm cupid. I really do." Ellen declared happily as you both broke off your stares and waved to the audience as the long interview finally ended.

N O T E !
i'm sorry lol this was so bad! also, if you didn't catch it, in the beginning where josh answers questions parts of it are from a different interview!