dancing through years and mistakes
Kang Chani was once an annoying little brat whom you hated with all your heart. Now, years later, nothing has changed, but somehow you find yourself practicing with him for the annual dance festival, and you aren’t at all happy about it.
♦ Pairing: uni student/dancer!Chani x uni student!dancer!reader/you
♦ AU: enemies to lovers
♦ Genre: fluff, comedy
♦ Words: 3.4k
♦ Warning: -
♦ A/N: Click here to be added to the TAGLIST and to let me know about your fic preferences. 💖
Kang Chani was the definition of savage, and you knew it from the moment you were accepted at the same dance academy with him.
You were only six, he was the same age, and both of your parents thought that it was a good idea to get you into a dance academy that would offer you classes right after your elementary school classes. Unlike him, you didn't have it easy because in the beginning, you really hated being there, you hated performing in front of others even if you loved dancing with all your heart. But what 6-year-old doesn't dance in their room when there's a catchy song they can dance to? Of course, it all changed with time and soon dancing became your remedy, your form of therapy and your only shelter from the busy world and the alarming responsibilities that were thrown at you.
Anyway, Chani took advantage of your shyness and teased you whenever he could; he pulled your hair, he drank from your water bottle, he stole your socks... Just to name a few of his childish crimes.
At that time, you were one of the three girls who weren't in the ballet class, so you danced with the boys including Chani himself. Luckily, it all changed a year later when they started an all-girls hip-hop group because there were enough applicants, and you thought you could say goodbye to Mr Perfect who earned himself a reputation for being the best dancer his age quite early. The boy was sure talented, but his apparent confidence was something you hated with all your being, and it didn't change as time went by.
Soon, he became a young boy with more defined and manly features, and almost every girl in every dance group swooned over him, his appearance and his dance skills. Except you, of course. You tried to avoid him as much as possible, and most of the times it worked, and if not, you didn't back away from talking back to him. He needed to learn some manners, that was for sure.
So no, you weren't happy at all when you learned the news that your team would have a collaboration with Chani's team for the annual dance festival. Usually both teams had their own stage and time slot but due to the fact that there was a whole new co-ed ballet group this year, there wasn't enough time for both groups.
Unfortunately, Chani didn’t seem to be off the same opinion because after your first dance practice together when you were the last ones left in the practice room, you couldn't help but ask.
"What are you so happy about?" you inquired as you caught sight of that annoyingly wide grin on his annoying face. In your opinion, there wasn't anything particularly delightful about the collaboration so far considering that you two weren't the only ones who couldn't stand each other. The new group still lacked a lot of chemistry and the first dance practice was the perfect proof.
"I'm happy to be working with you," he responded smoothly, making you frown in response. "Why? Is that so unbelievable?" He quirked an eyebrow in question, and you hated how evident his cockiness was.
"You are one of the worst liars I know." You shook your head as you picked up your water bottle and threw it into your bag. You could literally feel Chani's gaze on you, and it irritated the hell out of you. Why did he have to be so damn aware of his own attractiveness?
"You don't even know me," he retorted cockily, and you wished you could swipe that stupid smirk off his face.
"Well, I know you enough to know that I don't want to get to know you more," you told him without batting an eye. On the other hand, Chani apparently couldn't hide his bewilderment, but he tried to cover it up by sending you a wink.
"It seems that you'll still have to put up with me in the future," he pointed out, and you wanted nothing more but to disagree with you. You knew you couldn't though. "See you tomorrow then!" He grinned as he walked past you, and you were very well aware of his close proximity and the fact that he could have easily left the room without getting so close to you. You knew, and you hated him even more for thinking that you could easily be swayed by such childish methods.
You held your chin up high, not breaking the eye-contact until he finally left the practice room, and you could let out a relieved sigh.
You wanted to strangle him so bad, and it was only the first practice with him. What was still waiting for you?
As days went by, the tension between the two of you stretched further and further. You couldn't help but get annoyed at every single remark of his, at every single suggestion of his and at every single smile he directed at you. He was so damn talented, but even his flawless performance was slowly getting on your nerves. You tried your best to avoid him, to spend as little time with him as possible but it was a lost case since you two were always the first ones to arrive at practice and the last ones to leave. Not to mention the fact that he clearly enjoyed the attention he got from the girls in your dance team, a smirk always playing on his mellow lips.
Your patience was wearing thin, and when you came to the academy after a particularly difficult day at uni just to mess up the moves during practice, you were already fed up with the whole world, you didn't need Chani's words to add to the effect.
You tried your best to avoid listening to him, you didn't say a single word while he was constantly talking to you, and busied yourself practicing the choreography for the festival. He didn't give up though; he talked and talked while you were dancing, and if it hadn't been for a particularly prominent fall of yours, he wouldn't have shut up.
Don't you dare to laugh at me was already on the tip of your tongue but the pain was numbing your senses and even Chani was well-mannered enough not to make fun of you while you were trying to get up from the floor without causing more damage than it was already made.
"Hey! Are you alright?" The boy walked closer to you as you got to your feet, examining how badly you've injured your ankle. It wasn't that bad but the pain was still very much spreading through your body, you just wouldn't tell Chani because he was Kang Chani after all. You would hate to appear weak in front of him.
"Yeah, sure. It was just a tiny mistake on my part." You shrugged as you decided that it was enough for one day and started packing up your stuff. You assumed that the boy would accept your answer as it is, and wouldn't start asking stupid questions.
However, what he did instead angered you even more.
"You don't have to act like you are fine if you aren't," Chani retorted rather coldly, and you couldn't help but snort at his words.
You turned around to face the boy, your lips pressed into a thin line. You hated to see that uncertainty in his eyes, the faint glistening of the hidden treasures. You hated to see the shining stars waiting to be explored, waiting to be seen. You hated to see the fragility of his orbs because it just reminded you that he was very much humane.
"Since when did you start caring?" you asked fervently, your tone even more accusing than you had intended. You didn't care anymore, and even though Chani happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, he could only blame himself for your outburst. "It's not like you would care if I hurt myself. You never cared about others' condition, let alone their feelings."
"That's not true." He immediately shook his head, trying to clarify himself when you knew better than to trust him. Yet, you couldn't convince him, he was way too full of himself, so you just let him be.
"It's not like I care." You shrugged as you grabbed your backpack, and purposefully hit his shoulder when you walked by. "Just know that we are not kids anymore. We can get hurt more easily," you said as your very own goodbye, and left the practice room without looking back, without wishing for him to come after you.
You knew he wouldn't. He was either too shocked by your honesty or too egoistic to admit that you were right. Because you were. You weren't the same old kid who would watch him pull your hair without saying a word. You stood up for yourself now, you also got worked up more easily, and you also got hurt more easily. You knew the world wasn't as bright and perfect as you've imagined, and your past has taught you that people were sometimes not worthy of your trust.
You didn't just let anyone play with your feelings like you did when you were young.
During the next practice, Chani was uncharacteristically quiet, and you would have been stupid to say that it wasn't because of you. At least, you hoped it was because it would have meant that he took your words to heart, and actually considered them as a valid response.
Concerning your condition, you tried your best to go easy on yourself and not trying to perfect your moves until the next practice at the academy actually helped a lot. You were back to your good old self pretty quickly.
Though it didn't mean that you weren't taken aback when after the next practice, Chani passed you some kind of a cream that indicated on its package that it was especially good for sport injuries.
"Apply some before you go to bed. It actually helps a lot," he explained seeing your bewildered expression. It couldn't have been more surprising that Kang Chani was actually trying to help you when the last time he did something like this was probably ten years ago.
"Well... thanks," you mumbled rather cautiously because you had no idea how to respond. Chani seemed serious with his lips pressed into a thin line without a trace of a smile or a grin, his eyes not indicating anything at all. He was usually very easy to read, yet now he seemed like an emotionless statue as he stood in front of you with his arms in front of his chest, his eyes following your every move, watching as you put the said cream into your bag.
You didn't know what else you could say, you two didn't usually talk a lot besides him getting on your nerves for asking stupid questions and endlessly teasing you. Though you were lucky this time because Chani finally broke the silence that seemed more and more unbearable as seconds passed by.
"You could have just told me that I've hurt you," he blurted out quietly, his sudden confession prompting you to come to a halt while packing your stuff. You were genuinely surprised for a moment, yet a jolt of disappointment washed over you when you realized it wouldn't have mattered anyway even if you had told him about how you felt.
"You never took me seriously," you remarked scornfully, thinking of all the times he had laughed at you or made fun of you even when you specifically asked him not to do so.
Chani's breath was caught in his throat. He seemed rather sad than angry, and you almost regretted your last words when he looked at you like you had just shot a bullet at him. Yet, you weren't one to change your mind so easily, especially when you knew that he would probably try to reason himself anyway.
Which he did, of course, but it was different from what you've expected.
"Because it was just teasing for me, and I was convinced that you just played along."
There was it; the truth laid out in front of you in all its rawness, and it hurt even more than if he had just told a fib. You knew Chani was never good at drawing the line between teasing and hurting someone unintentionally, but you've thought that he grew out of it, that he got better at reading people.
You felt the sudden need to laugh at how ridiculous this whole situation seemed, but nothing came out of your mouth, not even a word, let alone a laugh. You were frozen on the spot, eyeing the boy whom you had known ever since you were 6, and musing why everything turned out this way. You had to admit that his behaviour was understandable considering that he didn't know the consequences of his actions. On the other hand, you knew your behaviour was understandable as well since you had no idea that he didn't think twice before speaking. It was disappointing, to say the least, to realize that you've misunderstood each other all along.
"Well, it seems like we've really misunderstood each other's intentions," you declared as you casted a glance at the boy who was even more disappointed than you were.
"Well, it seems so." He nodded.
You stood in silence for god knows how long, looking each other in the eye. You had to admit that it was prominently nerve-wrecking, but somehow you couldn't tear your gaze away. There was something fragile about this moment, about keeping the eye-contact after the truth was finally out, about looking at him differently for the first time in years. Even if your nerves were frazzled and your mind was dizzy playing back the memories you shared, analyzing why Chani acted the way he did, you couldn't stay, you felt suffocated.
"See you tomorrow then!" You said as you put your bag on your shoulder and started walking towards the door.
"Use the cream. It really helps," Chani shouted after you, and you were thankful that he couldn't see the tiny little smile that was creeping onto your face.
After that day, Chani was a bit more cautious than before, and whenever he cracked a joke around, he stopped to look at you to see if it affected you in any negative way and whenever someone pointed out your mistakes during practice, his eyes immediately found yours as if he was asking if you had been hurt. Which was ridiculous because this boy was the one who was as childish as to pull your hair and drink from your water bottle without your permission when you were young, and now, even though he was doing it silently, he seemed to be watching over you.
You couldn't wrap your head around what was happening, this side of Chani was something that you've never seen before, and it scared you. He changed, he definitely changed, and knowing that you were the cause of the sudden turn of events, you felt a bit uncomfortable. You didn't even know why, it was so stupid of you to think about such things, yet you couldn't help but steal glances at him whenever he wasn't looking your way. Maybe your frustration towards him beclouded your perception, and you saw him as the most evil person on Earth instead of seeing him for who he really was.
Weeks went by fast with the endless practices for the festival, loads of assignments for uni, and of course you also tried your best to stay in contact with friends and family, so you had a packed schedule, that one was for sure. It was easy to get lost in the sea of responsibilities, and by the time you felt like you seriously needed a break, you were already at the festival's after party aka a small get-together in a downtown pub. You couldn't stay long though as you had an exam the day after, and you wanted to have a good night's sleep because they say that sleep improves the ability to concentrate and you seriously needed one to pass your exam. That's why you bid your goodbye relatively early.
However, you were surprised to find someone catching up with you while you were walking down the street.
"Hey!" Chani panted after he fell in step with you, drops of sweat forming on his forehead from running after you.
"Hi!" You bobbed your head, greeting him in a way that was neither friendly, nor despising. You still didn’t know how you should treat him, that’s why you tried to stay as neutral as possible. "You have something to tell me?" You quirked an eyebrow in question, a smooth smirk already making its way onto your lips when he started gesturing fervently.
"Oh no, not really. I just caught sight of you, and thought that I would say hi." He shrugged nonchalantly when it was so obvious that he was lying. "Though you were pretty good today," he admitted quietly, kicking into a small pebble that was in his way. Hearing it from him was definitely more of a compliment than hearing it from anyone else. Though you wouldn't admit it for the world.
"You weren't bad either."
"I wasn't bad?" He exclaimed and put a hand over his heart as if he had been hurt. "That's it?"
"What? You want me to feed your ego even more?" You retorted immediately, and without noticing, you found yourself gently pushing his shoulder. He didn't seem dumbfounded though, more like proud.
"Yeah, that would be nice." He grinned stupidly, and it was the first time you didn't want to wipe that smirk off his face. "I mean, at least you're honest with me," he added more seriously, his voice laced with genuine rawness. You would have never thought that getting compliments could be a bad thing, but it seemed that Chani was so used to being praised that he didn't know anymore what was the truth and what was merely for the sake of his reputation. He was a born dancer, everyone could tell, but of course no one was perfect, and Chani seemed to know that he also had flaws no matter what.
Frankly, you didn’t like the serious atmosphere that was created after his last remark, so you tried your best to broach up a different topic. To be precise, to play with him a bit.
"By the way, your hair looks terrible today," you joked but he didn't realize at first that you were just teasing him and started defending himself.
"What? No! My hair looks totally fine,” he said as he unconsciously reached to ruffle his hair. You almost laughed straight into his face, but you couldn’t break character, so you continued on.
"I'm just being honest, you know. You seem to like honest people," you pointed out with a childish smile, and that's when he seemed to get what you were doing. A knowing grin was already inhabiting his mellow lips, his eyebrows raised in a slightly seducing way.
"You're right. I definitely like honest people," he agreed way too smoothly, and the way he emphasised the word ‘like’ sent a shiver down your spine. How could he be so unpredictable? He was being serious in one moment and in the next he was already back to his good old teasing self. He was really something, that was for sure.
You couldn’t stop yourself from asking the question that you would have never thought that you would ask one day, especially not around Mr Perfect.
"Are you flirting with me right now?"
"Maybe." He shrugged his shoulders, and even one single word of his was enough for you to stop dead in your tracks. Chani, on the other hand, kept walking, and when he looked back, there was nothing but mischievousness on his face.
Kang Chani may have been the definition of savage, but you realized that he wasn't that bad. After all, he cared, and caring was where all bonds started.