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wanderlust-in-my-soul · 2 months

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Currently Watching - March

aka The Masterlist

Because I love a good little list - in alphabetical order! 😊

Regularly updated during the month, latest update 30.03.2024

A little link to my favorite bl-tropes-collection 💙

I am happy about gif-requests 🌼

Here you can find all of my gifs.

Tracking: #josistag

At the end you can have a look at what we can expect in January with a MDL link and a link for a trailer (if avaible).

This is guaranteed to contain spoilers!

1. Cityboy_Log (11/? on Youtube - Korean)

Soon-to-be Idols, actors and models vlog their days of photo shoots and meetups and how they fall in love with each other. It is surprisingly good and the acting is excellent. It really feels like a "real" vlog and that is what we are all here for. I really enjoy those four men on my screen.

2. Deep Night (3/8 on iQiyi - Thai)

This is everything I was expecting, so it didn't disappoint, I guess. To be honest, I watch this for First. I guess he would have chemistry with a stick, soooo this is nice. And I hope the story, at least stays like this and won't get worse... Update: This show is a mess 😂 there is so much going on all at once and at the same time nothing really happens? It is so confusing, yet very entertaining. But Wela, my dear, it is totally okay to be pissed if one fucks with you, while you are so drunk you can't remember shit the next day... Just a thought.

3. Jazz For Two (2/8 on Gaga - Korean)

I love bls about music and about traumatic pasts. I really enjoyed the first episodes and I like the characters. Especially because they tricked us in believing something was going on in the practice room. I am really curious about the character developement and story! I know all the episodes are out on iQiyi, but because I can't watch it there (VPN does not work for me), I have to wait for GagaOOLala to air the episodes weekly...

4. Koi wo Suru nara Nidome ga Joto (4/6 on Gaga - Japanese)

Guess I am hooked and wish I just waited until it is finished airing, because I want to watch their story now! I want to know what happend in the past and how they both deal with each other in the present and what brings the future and will poor little Yuto find his happy ending too! Because I love him, but he is just a support and needs to keep his hands away from senpai!

5. My Strawberry Film (6/8 on Gaga - Japanese)

This is what I call a love triangle. And the fact that the screenwriters worked for Eien No Kinou or Jack o'Frost is promising some heartbreak and teenage angst. The acting is good, the story for me interesting. I feel so bad for Ryo. The heartbreak is so real and he still manage to do things for his best friend and his first love, just for him to be happy. I really don't know how this will end.

6. Only Boo (1/12 on Youtube - Thai)

I don't know what to think of this one right now. I cringed a lot during the first episode and at the same time it is cute? My emotions are very conflicted about this one. I don't know if I can keep up with this weekly or if I just wait and binge it. What is it with these sunday shows that they are this awkward lately.

7. Unknown (7/12 on Youku, Taiwanese)

The story about found family, childhood trauma and struggling topped with a lovestory between "brothers". They aren't really brothers so I really don't care and just enjoy this forbidden and hurtful lovestory to the fullest. This is exactly what I hoped for! The longing, tension and hurt is so good! I feel the pain in both of them and I can't wait for the next episodes!!!

Finished in March

Series

Perfect Propose

I liked this one very much! I enjoyed the episodes, the chemistry between the couple and the whole story and it wants to tell us. Work is not everything a good and healthy meal is important! Kai was my little favorite and I was happy seeing him vulnerable in the end. I don't know what it is, but this type of japanese series are always hitting the right spot in my heart and I can't see any flaws (I now there are some, but I decide not to see them). A 10 out of 10 for me.

Cherry Magic

I do love the japanese version very dearly and I tried not to compare these two with each other, because it wouldn't be fair. This was such a wholesome watch! Those two talked to each other and solved their "problems" with a good communication. All of them are total green flags and it was a delight to watch the main cp and the side cps falling in love. It was funny and heartwarming and, I am honest, I never thought we would see the chemistry chemistrying like this between TayNew! I am still in awww with episode 11! And the whole proposal was the sweetest, most perfect shit ever! A clear 10 out of 10 for me!

Dead Friend Forever

Usually I don't watch horror-stuff, but this was quite okay, nothing really scary, but it was an intense ride nevertheless. The story was good and the acting was good too, most of the times. I needed some time to find a way into it, but in the end, I had a great time and there was Ta's naked ass on my screen, whic was unexpected, but I don't complain, because it was a nice ass! The only thing I really hated was what they did to White... I give it a good 7,5 out of 10.

Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka

This one was a fine show, but nothing special. If you want to get hungry and crave some delicious-looking japanese dishes, you're not going to be disappointed! If you want a nice romance story with two handsome and kinda quirky guys fall in love with each other, go ahead, this is yours! Something was missing for me, but that is just me and I can't really pin out, what exactly was missing. But because of that missing feeling I can't give this more than a 6,5 out of 10.

Kimi ni wa Todokanai. aka I cannot reach you.

This was such a wholesome and fast watch. Really a sweet little show about first love and best friends and being true to yourself. I had such a good time watching it. It is well written and well played and the characters are very lovely. I enjoyed this very much. It is funny how easy and wholesome some of japanese bls are and how flawless in my eyes. I give this a sweet little 10 out of 10.

Anti Reset

The premise was promising and I love how obvisiously attracted both were to each other. The story about the AI Ever Nine who turns the life of an emotionless professor upside down has a really nice start. But after a while it got boring and they overpowered the romance aspect a little bit. I love romance, but this was not my kind of show. It was too heavy and the show itself was too clean and to sterile. I don't know how to explain it, but it feels a little bit too artificial. I get why some might like this, but for me it is a 5,5 out of 10.

Short Film

Movie

Dropped in March

1000 Years old (2/13 on Gaga - Thai)

Let's be real for a moment, I won't catch up with this. I keep this to binge watch later, so I can fast-forward the boring parts. It started quite cute, but lost my interest on its way. For now, it is on-hold.

Looking forward to in March

Koi wo Suru nara Nidome ga Joto aka Love is Better the Second Time Around (March 5th)

Born to be Y (probably cancelled) - Trailer (March 6th)

Deep Night - Trailer (March 7th)

23.5 - Trailer (March 8th)

Two Worlds - Pilot (March 21st)

High Demand (March 23rd)

The Star (March 28th)

Only Boo - Trailer (March 31st)

Wuju Bakery - I don't know how many times this was on this looking forward list... I don't know if we will see it sometime soon... But for the moment it should be out in March...

Blossom Campus - sometime in March...

Jazz for Two - Trailer (March 27th)

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minimujina · 2 years

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ᴍᴏᴏɴʟɪɢʜᴛ sᴏɴᴀᴛᴀ !

ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀs. venti, thoma, kazuha, xiao, albedo

ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛs. the boys x ballerina reader; kazuha’s a flirt; albedo’s a menace and a tease :)

ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢs. she/her pronouns used. normally i write in 2nd person, but i didn’t even realize i wrote in 3rd person here, so i just went with it. im so sorry! also there’s lots of smooching :) none of it is sexual or meant to be interpreted that way, intimacy like that is just beautiful, or i use it as a sort of comedic medium (kazuha’s <3)

ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ's ɴᴏᴛᴇ. perhaps i’m biased as a dancer, but i’ve always wanted to write something like this :) hope you enjoy!

i worked very hard on this piece for a long time, so if you like it, reblogs are much appreciated <3

ᴠᴇɴᴛɪ’s breath caught when he saw the familiar silhouette of a girl at the foot of his statue. she had always left such a prominent impression on him that her form could never appear foreign to him, even in the cover of darkness. as usual, she was dancing without music, alone—but he knew that there was a content smile on her face. there always was.

the girl danced with such grace that the wind god was consumed by wonder; it ate his heart away bit by bit until he could feel and think of nothing but her. permanently imprinted in his mind was the image of the ballerina drifting elegantly along the ground as if it were ice, swaying in a nearly hypnotizing manner. she was so delicate, so gentle, so lovely—like a whisper in the wind, venti mused. her movements conveyed deep emotion without words, emotion that couldn’t be expressed by words. fabric fluttered around the girl as she twirled and leapt and leaned, arms following suit in a form not perfect, but uniquely beautiful.

every other night, the girl was there. every other night, venti came to watch. and every other night, he began to expect her. so when she started to arrive only every two nights, then every three, then four, the god’s smile fell when he watched her dance, because what he saw in her movements was no longer the same as it had been.

before, the girl’s dance seemed to be her expression of joy. she had looked so happy. now, her movements were slower. they were solemn. sorrowful. he saw it in the way her fingertips no longer reached for some invisible object like they used to, in the way her lips never once showed an inkling of a smile, in the way her elbows sagged in her arabesque. occasionally, she would simply stand with her head bowed, one leg crossed behind the other. it crushed venti's heart. even more dispiriting was when he could hear the girl humming a tune he did not know—and venti knew every tune. but now, all he identified in the girl’s humming was a song of broken desperation.

so the god stepped forward into the light, startling her slightly, but she saw that it was only the bard. the bard, who had unashamedly pursued her for quite some time now—chasing her around mondstadt with his lyre while he tried to convince her to go on tour with him; the bard, who reminded her of a child's laughter and the smell of a summer breeze; the bard, who had surprised her with new shoes to dance in when her own had become much too worn. the ballerina had witnessed the sides of this flirtatious and fun-loving musician that no one else had.

her lips melted into a sad smile, and she welcomed him with open arms.

before venti enveloped her in his embrace, he lifted his lyre into the air; it floated on its own and began to play a much lighter—but still mellow—tune. it was a clear invitation to waltz, the lyre swaying mischievously as if encouraging her to just go on and dance already. the girl’s surprise was evident, but when the hands of the bard found her hips, everything melted into the background except for him.

venti guided the ballerina, letting his own joy pour into the movements in hopes that the girl would find her own. his hands brushed around her waist as she pirouetted three, four, five times, her arms floating above her head. as she came to a stop, the two faced each other once more, and venti could finally see that beautiful smile of hers again; her cheeks flushed, hair messed, and eyes bright, venti thought that no one could be more lovely. and he told her so, too, as he brushed stray hairs from her face, his touch like lightning on her skin.

they danced to the lyre until their feet stung and muscles ached, but their faces were sore from smiles and laughter. they had waltzed until dawn, and now the townspeople's chatter began to rise like heat, sending the ballerina into a sudden panic. their night of solitude and fairy tale-esque atmosphere had ended rather promptly, and her heart was beginning to feel the effects.

"hey, hey! it's okay!" venti murmured, placing the girl's hands in between his own. "do you trust me?"

she tilted her head. "i...i think so? what kind of question is that? are you gonna do something weird?”

venti's grin turned from sweet to sly, hands snaking around her torso to hold her to his side. "oh, no," the girl laughed nervously. "no, no, no, venti--"

but then the two were up in the air, blurred scenery of the city of freedom and its surroundings rushing past. the ballerina clung to the bard for dear life, barely managing to bite back her screams of terror; yet as quickly as the journey had begun, it ended, and the they landed in a secluded clearing of trees and underbrush.

as the couple composed themselves, little birds and squirrels began to approach them meekly, and venti swore the girl’s eyes lit with a joy like fire in that moment. she chittered back at the small animals in what most would consider just a goofy voice—but to venti, it was goofy and incredibly endearing.

after resting their achy muscles for a good while, and perhaps sharing a kiss or two (or seven), their waltz started back up right where they had left off, animals of all kinds hidden away in the trees to watch the lovely scene unfold.

every second ᴛʜᴏᴍᴀ waited, the eagerness in his heart grew.

she visited komore teahouse every so often, needing a place to stay after a performance or during travels, and every time, without fail, thoma somehow managed to fall more in love with her.

even when she wasn’t dancing, she was the embodiment of grace—lovely, gentle, charming. thoma could barely restrain himself from following her around like a puppy at all hours of the day just to see her smile and laugh and, well, dance. he loved nothing more than watching her dance, for when she did so it was clear that she was the fullest version of herself. the most happy. the most confident. the most free.

but thoma had no idea that the ballerina happened to be quite in love with him, too. half of the times she came to the teahouse with the explanation that she’d just had a performance were lies—she came simply to spend time with the housekeeper of the kamisato clan, just because she liked him.

“i’m bored,” the girl murmured, resting her chin in her palm to stare at the man across from her. they’d just finished eating a meal thoma had prepared which was, as usual, perfect.

thoma felt a slight panic rise in his chest. did he do something wrong?

but a sudden smile lit up her features as she sat up straighter, wiping any negative thought clean from thoma’s mind.

“let’s dance,” she whispered, a certain fire in her expression that only appeared when such prospects came about.

“what?” did he hear her right? thoma couldn’t dance. thoma was a housekeeper.

“i said let’s dance, pretty boy!” she laughed, wrapping her hands around his upper arm and pulling him to stand. “it doesn’t have to be perfect—you just do what you feel like doing.”

leaving him with an eager grin, she rushed to the music player in the corner of the room, picking a song so unlike anything he’d ever heard the ballerina dance to. it was upbeat, playful, and completely foreign to him, though he wasn’t against it at all. in fact, he felt his chest flutter in excitement as the girl shuffled back to him, beginning to move to the music.

what she did was completely different than her normal style of dance. while the ballet was beautiful and graceful, and she did indeed look happy when pirouetting and leaping, what thoma saw before him was a new side to the girl that he might’ve liked even more.

silly. joyful. bouncy. fun. the girl twirled herself around before grabbing his hands, saying, “come on!” in a sing-song voice. the girl lead him in a kind of duet where their hands were clasped as they danced; a lot of leg-kicking was involved, as well as switching positions with a twirl, or four. the music sounded vaguely familiar to thoma, which was odd, since he was sure he’d never heard it in his life.

“what is this?” thoma laughed, struggling to get a hang of the footwork, but enjoying the feeling of the girl’s soft hands in his own.

she beamed up at him, unable to hide the excited blush on her cheeks. “it’s called the charleston!” she exclaimed, twisting her hips with a laugh. “it’s not from here.” she would’ve liked to tell him where it came from, but that was an unfortunate secret she wasn’t allowed to disclose.

“i’m terrible at this, but i love it,” thoma yelled over the music as he tried to copy the girl’s movements. they danced until the end of the song, chatting and laughing until their lungs hurt from breathlessness; and as the last beat of the song died out, thoma and the girl collapsed in a heap of giggles, bodies cradling each other, their hands still tangled.

the atmosphere gradually became more calm as the two rested. thoma couldn’t help but say what had been burning at the back of his mind for so long now.

“sometimes…i wish you came around more,” he mumbled. “no, always. i always miss you when you leave, you know that?”

thoma ran his thumb over the back of her hand wistfully, waiting for a response. the only thing he got, however, was a brief kiss smack dab on the lips and a smile that could shame the stars. but these affirmed him better than any words could.

he was shocked—not that he didn’t like it. he’d wanted to do that for a while now. so, after seeing her happy little grin as she leaned over him, he took the liberty to lean back in, stealing as many kisses as he wanted. between each kiss, he mumbled ridiculously sappy and sweet things such as, “my pretty ballerina…” “my tiny dancer…” “my little cookie crumb…” (she barked out a laugh at the last one).

the girl reluctantly received every single kiss and comment, barely holding back her laughter at his too-sweet attitude. thoma knew what he was doing, and he only continued amusedly. “my beautiful, beautiful sugar plum fairy…” another kiss, more laughter, and thoma’s hands gliding along her hips to pull her closer.

“thoma, you’re killing me here,” she cried, crumbling into a fit of giggles as he attacked her face with more smooches. cheek, forehead, nose, lips, temple—nowhere was safe.

the ballerina ended up coming to komore teahouse even more often than before, and it wasn’t uncommon to find her at kamisato estate either, “bothering” thoma while he was supposed to be working.

ᴋᴀᴢᴜ��ᴀ met her on the crux. she often had to travel between inazuma and liyue for shows, and beidou was more than happy to have her as a stowaway—especially when she found out just how much kazuha liked her.

well, it was apparent that the feeling was mutual, because not once, not twice, but three times did beidou catch kazuha and the ballerina making out in some discreet corner of the ship. young love, she mused. it made sense, didn’t it? a poet and a dancer? regardless, she snapped at them each time (affectionately), threatening to separate them if they couldn’t stop snogging each others’ faces off on her goddamn pirate ship. she was met only by childish giggles and kazuha’s dramatized smooching sounds in response.

but hey, how could they help it? they only saw each other every so often. they completed each other, they said, and perhaps this was true—the ballerina would listen with heart-shaped pupils as kazuha recited his sappy, lovely poetry; she flitted to and fro when he played his music, pirouetting to her heart’s content. they had an intimacy so innocent and incomparably tender that beidou often pretended to be seasick. “you’re gonna give me a cavity, assholes,” she would mutter as she passed by the couple, who had practically no space in between them as they “snogged each other’s faces off.”

kazuha was no ballerino, but he could certainly dance a duet. mostly, he loved to hold her hand or support her weight while she twirled and leapt—although he was quite guilty of interrupting her practice with distracting things like hugging her waist or tenderly kissing the back of her neck. each time kazuha committed such an act, he was met with a playful smile, but was ceremoniously and smugly corrected to place his hands on her hips, not his arms. then such distractions could be avoided. he would hum and agree, but just keep doing the same thing, kissing her neck with a grin as she struggled to pry off his leech-like grasp.

eventually, she would have to give in, but kazuha’s hold wouldn’t loosen—his arms snaked around her waist and pulled her ever closer as if this is the last time they’d see each other.

it struck her then that that was actually true—though not for a while, at least. she was going to leave the crux when they arrived to inazuma, and he was going to stay on board; it was likely they wouldn’t see each other for several months. the thought made her skin prickle uncomfortably, so instead she focused on her poet’s hands gliding around her hips.

“zuha,” she whispered. “when will i see you again after this?”

his expression became grim and his movements faltered, but he turned her around and tenderly kissed her forehead in response as if to comfort her worries. they both knew the answer to her question—not soon enough.

“why do you have to leave again? can’t you come off the boat with me? just for a little while?” she was close to tears at this point, tired of losing her love to distance. kazuha pulled her into a gentle hug. once again, they both knew the answer to her question.

kazuha was a wanted criminal in inazuma. if he got off the boat, the ballerina would lose him for good.

so they made the most of their time together, dancing and singing and laughing and kissing until beidou couldn’t stand it anymore (“you kids are gonna eat each other’s faces off, i swear,” she grumbled). however, the captain had no choice but to let it pass when she saw the crew members of the crux smiling and laughing, too, even joining in on the dancing and singing. when tasks were light, kazuha and the ballerina often led spontaneous group dances where most of the crew either joined of their own volition or followed reluctantly by means of force.

when the time came for goodbyes, the ballerina was very tearful, like always. kazuha had composed himself, but he felt deep turmoil at having to leave her again. but soon, he thought. soon they’d be together again. i just have to be patient, he told himself, wiping away his darling’s tears and kissing her forehead with a gentleness that was so characteristic of him.

patient.

how could he be patient?

kazuha knew that he could never be patient again. not after how long he’d spent with her, how deeply he had cherished her presence, how much he had kissed her and loved her and sang for her and danced with her. kazuha was not going to wait. kazuha was not going to leave her again. he didn’t care what it took—if he got arrested, if he died.

but the ballerina knew. kazuha had this look in his eye that said everything he was thinking—such teary desperation, overwhelming sadness, and anger.

she wouldn’t let him come after her. the risk was too great.

this spelled the beginning of a heated debate, one which beidou had to disarm very carefully as if tip-toeing through a minefield. once she was finally able to knock some sense into romeo and juliet, she stated very directly, “kazuha can stay with the resistance on watatsumi. problem solved? yes? okay, great. now kiss, you two—i’m getting bored.”

xɪᴀᴏ would never associate himself with mortals. he wanted absolutely nothing to do with them, not only because he didn’t want to harm them with his karma, but also because most of them were just annoying.

however, there seemed to be a mortal girl he considered to be noticeably less annoying than the rest, given that he allowed her to bring him almond tofu and sit next to him on the roof of wangshu inn. he tolerated her, was all he said when questioned suggestively by the owner of the inn.

the girl in question came to wangshu inn often to perform, as she was a travelling dancer and moved all around teyvat, but her favorite place to reside for long periods of time had always been liyue. this may or may not have been due to the presence of a certain adeptus. was she herself aware of this? not consciously, no. all she knew was that she always felt safe in liyue, as if protected by someone or something, and something about the place was simply attractive to her. she couldn't help but be drawn to the picturesque landscapes of jueyun karst, the warm and charming qingce village, and liyue harbor's lively atmosphere. it felt like home away from home.

xiao just happened to be surveilling the area around wangshu inn when the cliché occurred—the ballerina was meandering down the road to the inn for the first time, drinking in the sights with her small bag clutched before her, when a group of treasure hoarders approached. xiao had disarmed a great many similar situations, so it was no surprise to him when the thieves surrounded the girl threateningly, making her feel small and helpless with their jeering and suggestive whistling. xiao’s heart lurched in disgust.

“get lost,” the adeptus growled before anything more could occur, brandishing his spear as he sauntered toward the band of ruffians. the clear leader puffed up his chest in challenge, but the rest merely shuffled uncomfortably and glanced at each other, seemingly at a loss for whether to flee or fight.

“are you stupid?” the yaksha tilted his head in question; but before anyone could act, the surrounded girl suddenly whirled her travel bag, sweeping the lead thief right off his feet. he landed on his bum with a thunk. the other thieves bristled angrily, beginning to move towards her, but they had all been knocked out by xiao before a single hand could be laid upon her. the leader of the group, as the only one conscious, whimpered pathetic apologies while he scrambled to his feet and scurried away like a rodent.

this was how xiao and the ballerina first met.

her eyes were filled with wonder and appreciation as she profusely thanked the adeptus, but he dismissed her with discomfort, departing in that abrupt way of his—teleportation. she remained in the same place for a long time after his leave, heart beating in her ears, limbs tingly with anticipation. though xiao had disappeared from her sight, he had not traveled far. he watched the girl as she stood, eyes transfixed on her stunned figure until she finally began down the road. if anyone asks, he definitely did not follow her all the way to the inn to make sure she stayed safe. and he definitely did not give the stink eye to anyone who even glanced at her.

to xiao’s faux dismay, the girl became enamored with him. she considered herself in debt to him for saving her life no matter how much he insisted that he didn’t care. she knew that xiao at least didn’t hate her, just by the fact that he still talked to her. and she was right. he acted annoyed and distant, but he truly cherished the moments where she sought him out at the inn and sat next to him at the edge of the balcony, leaning on the rails and swinging her legs restlessly. that was one thing he thought was amusing about her—she was never still, never had been still in all the time that he’d known her. xiao supposed this simply came with her love of dancing and moving.

one of the ballerina’s proudest moments was when she managed to make xiao smile. they were alone on the balcony of the inn as usual, xiao staring into the horizon while the girl danced gracefully behind him to a silent tune. it would occasionally manifest in a hum, the volume jumping in intervals at extreme movement, but xiao was lulled by her voice nevertheless. he refused to face her in fear that she would see past his tough facade, because if he saw her smile, he was sure he would fall apart.

that is, until she slipped and fell. xiao’s head whirled to the sound of the crash, eyes darkening at her crumpled form. “i told you it’s not safe when you’re wearing socks,” he grumbled, helping her up by the hands. once standing, her grip on him tightened, refusing to let go even when he pulled. he glanced up to see the girl grinning mischievously.

“let go,” threatened the yaksha, but the girl was unrelenting. “i will get you to dance with me, xiao,” she smiled, beginning to move and pull him along.

he shook his head profusely, voice rising in pitch as he growled, “no, no you will not. i will not dance with you, mortal.”

“oh, xiao, you know my name by now.”

“i won’t dance with you.”

“but you already are!”

and with that, the ballerina released him with a reserved smile and continued her solo, but now xiao couldn’t look away. he was trapped, watching her dainty form as if in a trance. he was grinning before he knew it, even if it was just a slight upturn of the lips.

the ballerina had seen it, but this was for her only to know. she took hold of him once more, not daring to mention his smile—but now he was more willing to comply, intertwining his fingers with hers, placing one hand on her waist, and responding to her movements gently. she had done it—tamed the beast, danced with him, made him smile. her heart swelled with accomplishment, as well as admiration for the adeptus before her.

they seemed as if paintbrushes dusting across a canvas in the way that they moved, waltzing on the balcony with the kind of silent delight one finds in solitude. they were alone together, not a distraction in sight, allowing xiao to focus on one thing for the first time in his elongated, exhausting existence—the way she smiled. his life had always been dark. it consumed him day by day, the pain inflating like a balloon in his chest, fuzz clouding his vision until there was nothing left but a numb sort of grief. but the way she smiled? it washed away the fuzz. it popped the swelling balloon in his chest. he could see again; he could breathe again. he felt his face muscles lift to mirror the ballerina’s innocent grin as they twirled across the balcony in a dazed stupor, and xiao thought that he’d never experienced something so simply profound.

all in all, he was quite soft deep down.

as a master of alchemy, ᴀʟʙᴇᴅᴏ wasn’t really one to pursue frivolous affairs of the heart, those frivolous affairs being crushes or anything to do particularly with love. but aside from being a scientist, he was also a painter—he could appreciate art when he saw it and was not incapable of finding the aesthetic beauty in things. his deepest desire would always be to watch the universe expand, break it all apart so that he could understand it, then build it back together again; but albedo’s love of art swelled to meet this desire when he encountered a ballerina, and all his preconceptions of love were thrown out the window.

her downright indifference to him was what spurred albedo on in his pursuit. he masked his intentions with the claim that he wanted to study the ballerina and her dancing, both for science and his paintings. he hadn’t fooled her, this was obvious, but she was so unbothered by his false motives that she played along anyways. she wasn’t quite sure what he really wanted, but whatever it was, she was certain that she wouldn’t mind it, given he was just a harmless scientist—as she saw him, anyways.

those who had pegged albedo as the type of intellectual to be inept at love couldn’t have been more wrong—he was wildly flirtatious when he had his wits and confidence about him. just because he normally didn’t take advantage of his attractiveness and focused on his work didn’t mean he couldn’t court somebody properly, by all means!

the ballerina was truly charmed by his efforts, but she kept that to herself, along with all of the letters and paintings and sketches he had sent to her from dragonspine when he was unable to see her, or she him. it was her guilty pleasure to read them over again and again, tummy fluttering unwillingly.

the girl had no clue just how infatuated albedo was with her. something about the artfulness of ballet and the beauty of human movement had inspired and entranced him, and since she was the embodiment of such things, naturally he was drawn to her. the more and more albedo saw her, the more and more his appreciation for her dance grew; and then it became a sort of cycle, where his appreciation for her dance trickled down into love for her as a person. he found himself unable to focus on his experiments and research, instead wishing he could watch her dance all day—or perhaps, he could dance with her. that was something he’d have liked to try, though he was certain his lack of experience would be his downfall in that activity.

despite her soft-spoken nature, sucrose—albedo’s assistant—couldn’t help herself from telling the ballerina many of the things her teacher had accidentally imparted to her, the subject usually being the ballerina herself. sucrose wasn’t a gossip at all, no! she was simply trying to help the girl realize just how much albedo thought of her. as much as the man was charming, at the moment he seemed to be tarrying, as if his courage and energy were waning. all sucrose wanted was for the both of her dear friends to be well and happy (and in love).

this opened the ballerina’s eyes, promoting her to understand albedo’s actions a bit more. when he made advances, she didn’t resist so blatantly, instead finding herself to even be a little bashful.

the girl’s favorite pastime was speaking to albedo in french, her hometown being fontaine. it amused her that this was the one advantage she would have over him, probably ever. that is…until he inevitably decided to learn it for himself. he would probably master it within weeks with that brain of his.

“ta cervelle est assez drôle (your mind is rather funny),” the ballerina mused, observing albedo during his work time. the man replied without so much as batting an eyelash to her, “i told you to stop doing that until i’ve learned it myself.”

“arrêtez quoi ?” (stop what?) her voice was lilting and musical, as if trying to push him to his limits.

“there you go again, being coy,” the scientist murmured, still focused on his work. “perhaps you’ve stopped playing hard to get, no? do you actually like me now?”

she hesitated. but since she believed he couldn’t understand her, she ended up pouring her heart out.

“c’est pas que je t’aimais pas,” she mumbled. “j’appréciais toujours ton compagnie, sincèrement. en fait, je pense…je pense que je t’ai toujours aimé.” (it’s not that i didn’t like you. i always enjoyed your company, sincerely. in fact, i think…i think i’ve always loved you.)

albedo paused in his work. he spun around to face the girl, an unreadable expression on his face.

“i’ve always loved you too,” he said, a whisper of a smile gracing his lips.

so this asshole really did know how to speak french.

“il y a beaucoup de choses que tu connais pas sur moi, ma ballerine.” (there’s a lot of things you don’t know about me, my ballerina.)

“tais-toi.” (shut up.)

“ouch, how rude. i thought you loved me,” albedo teased. at this point, both were standing, and he was inching closer to her by the second, each footstep slow and meticulous. the girl’s heart thumped in her ears like a drum; she was still in shock from the fact that she had just accidentally poured her heart out to him. he knew now. he knew.

but all he asked of her was one dance. one dance, and he wouldn’t tease her about it anymore.

her agreement led to the two waltzing around albedo’s workshop, the passage of time forgotten amidst glowing smiles and the touch of each other’s hands. of course, he had no trouble picking up the steps or getting the hang of the movement’s flow. she wondered how he could be so well-versed in quite literally everything—he was truly a gift.

many “tais-toi”’s were uttered that day, albedo’s teasing being unrelenting despite his promise. he claimed that they hadn’t danced enough yet for his standard, so he still had teasing rights. of course, it turned out that this scale of “enough dancing” was decided wholly by albedo, so he could claim that no amount of dancing was enough and potentially tease her for the rest of time if he so wished. and oh, did he wish.

𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑜 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 ❤︎

also, i am obviously not a native french speaker, so if there are any mistakes or strangely worded parts in the dialogue of albedo’s, please let me know!! im just a student and it’s only my first year learning :)

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