Word Count ⋆2287

𔓘𔓘𔓘𔓘𔓘𔓘𔓘𔓘𔓘𔓘

Ballet is your dream job and you will do everything to achieve it. But you feel inexperienced since you're parents never allowed you when you were young. So you had to take class in highschool.

Since you started it now, it's pretty hard for you to know all the steps but it is a dream and you can't back away from it, not yet. You are determined to practice hard and be the biggest ballerina to ever exist.

Your friends know your struggle and they keep supporting you. But there's a specific person who feels deeply for your struggle. You don't even know who they are but they know so much about you that they know the day you take those classes.

What touches your heart is the fact that they always slip band aids into your locker with cute stickers on them, always a boba tea one. You realized they might know about ballet since they manage to slip in a bandage for your feet and sometimes a ribbon too.

Your heart can not handle it and the little notes they write always make your day.

As usual, you walk up to your locker and open it to take out your books. It was the usual powerpuff girls themed band aids and pastel green note under them. You giggled and open it up.

You will get through it today too. Fighting!

And then their usual boba tea sticker. You giggled again and you put them in your blazer pocket.You happily skipped to your class after closing your locker.

"Y/N!" As you think about this person who always manage to make your day, someone calls from behind and you spin around to see Sungchan. Beside him was Shotaro. You walk back to them, trying to hide your smile.

"Good morning," Sungchan says.

"Good morning," you reply with a smile to both of them.

Shotaro shyly waves his hand.

"You look happy today. What happened?" Sungchan asks.

You just shrugged as you put your hands into your blazer pocket, holding the note tightly. "Nothing much. I guess the weather is too nice to not be happy."

"Is your feet okay?" Shoatro asks pointing at your feet.

You furrowed your brows. You are close to him but you never mention about the ballet thing so you were confused.

"Fine?"

"What happened to your feet?" Sungchan looks down at your feet.

"N...nothing. I just...." you don't want to tell people you do ballet even if the practice room is still in your school. You thought the more people know, the sooner your parents find out.

"I saw her limping, that's why I asked," Shotaro quickly says. You nodded your head and you thank God he doesn't know about it.

You want to tell him since he is your good friend and you know he would keep it a secret if you told him too. But you are scared he might consider it easy topic and suddenly slip it unintentionally. You are so scared of your parents even letting your friends know was a huge step.

Sungchan looked back at you. "You should just rest. You shouldn't have come to school."

"It's okay, really. I just stepped on my foot real hard. That's why," you say, waving him off.

He nodded. "Anyways, rest well."

"Don't strain yourself, ok?" Shotaro gives you a smile and you nodded. You like how he always cares for you and if only he was the secret motivator of yours, you'd be the happiest.

"Hey let's get a drink after school," Sungchan said as they walk behind you.

"That cafe you like doesn't have boba tea so I'll pass," Shotaro says.

You were reminded of certain person and you quickly turned around. You see Sunghcan ruffling Shotaro's hair as he fights him off.

Guess that person takes too much of your mind.

𔓘𔓘𔓘𔓘𔓘

The afterschool ballet class was canceled so you decided to just practice on your own since you already told your parents you will be at the library.

It was between four and seven so you have plenty of time to go back to your friends so your mom can pick you up there.

You warm up first and decided to do what the teacher has taught you over the week. You lift your leg, your right hand gripping the handle. You stand on your toe and lift the other one as your left hand stretches across your feet.

You keep practicing but the twirl is not getting too clean so you keep doing it.

Just when you thought you are doing it, you just land on your both feet and start all over again.

This was agitating and exhausting. But you can't give up now. You have to prove to your parents that ballet doesn't have any side effects on your study let alone life.

You envisioned yourself on a big stage, prime ballerina while everyone is clapping. You are swan like, your fluttering open like a flower. You are twirling on the air and you are tiptoeing around.

You got carried away that you forgot to lift your leg properly so your position was awkward. That's when one leg landed before the other and your leg gave up, as you collapse on the floor.

The pain was agonizing. You wanted to scream but you couldn't. You muffled your scream while holding your leg with your hand as if it'll cease the pain.

You dragged yourself across the bench and sat there. Hopelessness and failure fills you up completely. You couldn't help but think about how a disappointment you are. This was supposed to be easy, you thought. Why do I always mess up?

You quietly sobbed on your hands. You cried for three minutes when your head throbbed in pain. You hated everything. Ballet, school: all of it is making you feel like a failure and that feeling didn't help either, added with the head throbbing.

"Are you... okay?"

You gasped at the voice and you turned your head towards the door. But you were crying uncontrollably and your eyes are all teary, you couldn't make out the tall figure on the door.

"Wh—who are you?" You asked, wondering if it is your dad. But the voice was sweet and if it was your dad, he wouldn't be asking that softly. He would yell at you and ignore the fact that you're hurt and you know that.

The figure runs towards you. For a second, you were afraid that you might be unsafe. Your were still gripping your feet and clenching your hand. You would have prepared to fight if it wasn't your leg holding you back.

"Who are you?!" You asked as you wipe your eyes. The figure is getting closer and clearer. Before you figure out who it was, the figure crouched down infront of you.

"Are you okay?" The worried sweet voice asked again.

Then slowly you can see who it was.

"S...sh...shotaro?" You were quiet surprised and also relieved to see him. Why was he doing there? Why was he there at that hour?

"Shotaro?" You repeated as he inspects your legs with a worried expression. You can see the definite panic in his eyes and that made you feel safe for some reason.

"Did you sprain it? How did it happen?" He lifts your feet by your ankle gently. A shiver went down your spine by his action. You hold back what you're trying to say and let him see it.

"Your feet was hurting this morning. Why would you strain it more?"

"Ummm... I was looking for a friend in here and I guess the floor was slippery..." you lied. You sniffled and look away, not to meet your eyes.

Shotaro sighs. "I know you do ballet. It's ok."

You widen your eyes. How did he know? Why didn't he say anything to anyone?

"You do?"

He nods as he takes off his backpack. "I notice everything." He kneels on one knee. "About you," he added.

Despite the pain in your feet, you found yourself blushing. He was always sweet to everyone and that got no business of making you blush but you still feel somehow special.

"You've been parcting for how long now, two years? You've never rested," he says.

"That sounds like a stalker behavior, I'm sorry," he says with an apologetic smile.

"No, it's ok. It feels good someone actually cares." You waved him off.

He smiles and then said, "A lot of people do, trust me. Even your parents."

"If they did, they would allow me to follow my dream," you said with a quiet tone, attempting to not let him hear it.

He nods his head. "I get it. They just wanna protect you."

Shotaro slowly holds your ankles and moves it in circular motion. "Do you feel pain?"

You nodded your head.

"Then let's get you to the hospital."

"No, it's ok."

"What do you mean it's ok? Your obviously hurt. Come on," he said and turns his back to you. "Come on."

You didn't know what to do so you just stared at the back of his head.

"Piggyback?" You asked.

Shotaro hummed as in a yes.

𔓘𔓘𔓘𔓘𔓘

After your leg is wrapped up, shotaro slowly walks you out of the hospital.

"Let's sit here until the cab arrives," he suggests and you hummed in approval.

The sweet smell of the night is swaying in the air as you inhaled it. You are at peace now: there's no car sounds, no parents yelling at you and no ballet instructor telling you that you did it all wrong. You realized you're exhausted from everything. You strain yourself too much and school and ballet are making you so busy that you don't sit and think what will happen if you just take it all easy. Your mind tells you maybe ballet is not the one but how can you explain the joy you get rom the pain? How can you explain the irony?

Shotaro bumps your shoulder into you. "Hey, what are you thinking about?"

You inhaled sharply, trying to form your thought into a sentence. "I don't know. I feel like giving up."

Shotaro shakes his head frantically. "You don't think that. That's just some evil speaking to you. You're are so good at this. Trust me you'll be fine."

"You think?" You say, not quiet convinced because he doesn't know you. He doesn't know the pain you go through just for it to go in vain.

"I believe. You're brave and I believe in you," he says. He is sitting closer to you that you feel his warmth.

"Someone says that to me everytime," you say, reminiscing those notes from the bubble tea person. "They bring me peace, you know."

"Oh yeah?"

"Uh huh. They always put note in my locker with a bubble tea sticker. Also a powerpuff girls band aid." You found yourself smiling. "It's for my cuts but I actually collect them. I use sometimes but they're so dear to me."

"They're...dear to you?" Shotaro asks. You didn't notice but blush creeps up on his face and he's glad you are not facing him but the road ahead of you.

"Yeah, I get motivated by them. The thing is I don't even know who they are.  But they damn make me happy," you say with a chuckle. "I sound delusional, right?"

Shotaro is staring at you. You find the notes from someone motivating? He couldn't believe his ears.

You were propping your hands on the bench and when you lif it up a splinter splits into your fingers, making you wince.

"Ugh, now my finger too?" You said with a fake pout.

Shotaro smiles at how cute you are. He wanted to squish your cheeks but he did not. He also wants to tell you everything but he did not. He simply didn't know how to and it's eating him up inside.

Then, as if a light bulb flickered up above his head, he widens his eyes and unzips his bag and retrieves something.

That moment, the cab he called pulled up on the road.

"Did anything get inside?" He asks and you shake your head.

Suddenly, he pulls your hands and puts a band aid on your fingers. A powerpuff girls bandaid.

"You don't have to collect this one," he says with an eye smile.

I'd powerpuff girls trend these days?

"And this one's for doing good job all the time." Shotaro sticks something small on your wrist and smiles as if he carries the whole sunshine with him.

You were about to thank him when realization hits you.

Powerpuff girls and now boba sticker?

Could it be?

It was him! Your secret motivator is Shoatro?

"It's you," you said, as in a statement and not question.

He says nothing except tapping his foot nervously.

"Oh my God, Taro, it's you." You wrap your arms around him. He didn't expect that you would react this way. He wraps his arm around your waist and holds you tight.

"It is you," you repeated.

"Are you mad? I'm sorry if, again, I sound like a stalker. I really hated seeing you burned out." His voice was calm but nervous as he gives you his puppy eyes.

You hit his arms playfully. "Are you crazy? I'm freaking glad you did all of that."

Shotaro smiles. "I'm glad. I'm glad I made you happy."

"You always did before that."

You gazed into each other's eyes for who knows how long. He holds your hand and was about to have your moment when the cab honks the horn loudly, taking you out of the intense staring.

𔓘𔓘𔓘𔓘𔓘𔓘𔓘𔓘𔓘𔓘

totally not inspired by love 119 mv 🙄
vomment is appreciated luvlies