𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 - 𝙝. 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙤𝙪

𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙮-𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙚

it was the day of the recital. all my hard work would either shine here or would've been for absolutely nothing.

usually, i danced with other people and now, the lack of anyone else in my routine had me pacing up and down the dressing room.

i took some measured breaths and tried to shake off my nerves. i glanced quickly at my phone, it stared back at me hauntingly.

slightly embarrassed, i looked around the room before reaching for it and searched for my voicemails.

flicking through, i found one of my recently saved voicemails. i wouldn't admit it out loud but i would itch to play it at least once, especially with recent developments.

tapping on the screen of my phone and allowing it to start, i carried it in my hand and returned to my pacing.

"l/n," the voice crackled through, "i'm not sure if you'll get this but i hope you do get to listen before you hurt yourself. five days, you have five days before this recital. and i don't know what you're stressed about but i need you to know that you're an amazing dancer. everyone knows it, i know it. give yourself two days off, just two. don't go to the dance studio, don't listen to your music, don't even think about the recital. just two days. after that, overwork yourself all you want but don't break yourself just yet, y/n, now when you haven't shown these people what you have to offer. i don't know if there's scouts coming or if someone who's important to you but i need you to chill out. your friends are worried for you, don't scare them. be careful."

i took a deep breath.

'y/n,' he had said. of course shinsou had said sweeter things in the voicemail but it was the use of my first name that kept me coming back to it.

at my exhale, a stage manager popped in and let me know it was time to head off into the wings of the stage.

they followed me to said wings and whispered an encouraging 'good luck'. whispering a 'thank you' back, i quickly ran the dance through my head and made sure my shoes wouldn't slip on the floor.

i watched the dancers on stage. the stage was lit in fiery reds and oranges and the music was just as sharp as the dancers moves.

but when the song came to an end, they shuffled off stage and i was up next.

-

y/n had never priced herself on being a good dancer, she always knew there was always someone better above her. and whatever influenced her thinking was dead wrong.

maybe it was because she would never be able to witness herself dancing, never truly see how she moved.

she took to the stage and made dancing look like breathing. movements so fluid that you think for a moment, she herself is water.

but there's a strength that surpasses water, strong and bending like wind yet so graceful at the same time.

for she is beautiful, nothing compares to the way she carries herself on stage. alive and with a purpose, y/n doesn't let anyone see her like this even when up close and personal.

she lets down any walls she has but still she feels untouchable, ethereal in her costume and under the lighting.

but past the glamour she presented on stage, shinsou could see how much work was put into this. he was there, even if y/n didn't let him get too close.

from y/n's busy schedule to late nights in the studio, the dedication and fear of letting anyone down. the girl was hard on herself and he couldn't help but think back to their high school days. they've both improved for the better but shinsou couldn't help but to admire y/n, it was a shocking revelation for him too.