The night that he was let off from Excellent Era was a cold and blustery one. As he bid his farewell to Su Mucheng, he insisted that he was fine, that he didn't care, not one bit. But both of them knew that he did care, that he wasn't fine, not one bit fine.
Ye Qiu, your style is too outdated. It doesn't fit in with the new image of Excellent Era. We're giving your soloist spot to Sun Xiang.
He didn't want to, but as he struggled against the wind, he couldn't help but think of his struggles with the company that he once called his family, his home.
The assistant producer smirked. We don't currently have any solos for you to fill, but you can audition again next season.
The wind was harsh against his face and the cold bit into his shoulders.
Do you love dance? He asked this simple question of Sun Xiang. The up and coming dancer was everything Excellent Era wanted, everything he had denied them. It should have been a simple answer. Sun Xiang looked confused and angry.
He took a step forward.
I want to dance.
Another step.
I want to dance.
The wind was blowing so hard that he could not take even one more step further. So he didn't.
Is this the end of the road?
He didn't know of another company that would take him. Most companies preferred younger and younger dancers. A dancer's prime is late teens to early twenties after all. And while he wasn't even close to the age when most dancers retired, it was well known that he had that condition.
I still want to dance.
He had not made it even one block from Excellent Era. It was too hard. He needed to stop and rest somewhere. He looked around the street for a place to huddle for a few hours. On this cold night, even the Mcdonald's was closed. It was like the everyone and their mother had left, along with his heart.
He whispered a wish to any god who might be passing by.
"I want to dance."
And suddenly, a light. From across the street, a sole store window lit up.
He found himself thinking of an old saying he once heard Muqiu say.
If you can't go forward, just go sideways!
The wind seemed to push him along as he crossed the street, heading to this one light in the darkness.
Chen Guo wasn't sure what propelled her to go downstairs and check the studio. She supposed that she was worried that the windows would shatter under the powerful blasts of wind. The front windows hadn't been replaced since she had inherited the building from her father, and she would rather keep it that way. She inspected the windows and peered out at the whistling wind outside.
To her surprise, she saw someone caught out in the cold, tapping at the door. To be honest, Chen Guo really didn't want to open the door, but she wasn't one to abandon someone in need.
She ushered the dark haired man in, sighing in relief when closing the door to the wintry wind. She inspected this dark haired stranger. He was still shivering from the cold. His thin coat didn't look very warm and it hung off his thin frame. A simple duffel bag hung off his shoulders. His dark hair, though messy and wind blown, looked surprisingly healthy for a man of his age and a shake of his bangs revealed a small M shaped part.
The man didn't notice her staring at him. He was looking to the side, looking at the studio, noticing the shiny lacquered hardwood and the ballet barres of several heights.
"Do you dance?"
The man seemed startled by her question.
"You're looking at the studio. Also your feet are turned out."
The man looked down at his feet, seemingly surprised that his dancer's habit had given him away.
"Yeah, sorry," he answered, "I just- wanted to get out of the cold. I didn't mean to stare." He looked sheepishly down at his feet again. "But I was hoping...?"
"You wanted to use the studios?"
He nodded shyly.
Chen Guo scratched her head bewildered. "Hah, you're kind of crazy for wanting to dance this late at night, but you're free to use them if you like. No use going back outside in this weather." She pointed outdoors where the wind had picked up again, this time with snow. "I'll need to see your ID though."
"I can pay too," he said, rummaging through his duffel bag for his wallet. Chen Guo saw a mess of assorted shoes and dancewear. He gave her a few crumpled bills along with his ID. Chen Guo quickly checked the ID and handed it back to him along with the money. She didn't really need the extra money, as she hadn't been expecting any business today anyway. She gestured to the vending machine down the hall.
"Before you dance, you should at least drink something warm. I'll make a pot of tea. You can buy a granola bar or another snack at the vending machine. The water fountain and changing booths are down the hall."
The man, Ye Xiu, from his ID, nodded. He wandered down the hall to buy a snack and change clothes in one of the changing booths. Chen Guo watched him go. She was slightly worried about this guy. From his physique and natural grace, he looked to be a professional dancer. But why would a dancer be out in the cold in the middle of the night? And for some reason... he looked lonely. She went to go put a kettle on the stove and resolved to make sure this man got back to wherever he was going safely.
After changing into his sweats and drinking his tea in melancholy thought, Ye Xiu was finally alone in the studio. Happy Dance Studio was small, mostly used for recreational dance classes for children, though there were some classes for young adults and a few catering to older adults. There were only two studio spaces, but each were fitted with sound proofing, and the floors looked to be recently lacquered, judging from the lack of scratches on the hardwood. A box of rosin sat near the entrance.
The space was small but had a familiar warm and welcoming feeling. The atmosphere reminded him of Excellent Era before it became a big company. Back then, he would race to the front door with Su Muqiu and they would eat snacks in the lobby and make silly faces in the mirror during class, trying to cause the other to lose their balance. Back then, he considered Excellent Era his most favorite place. The nostalgia made his heart heavy.
He scrolled through his phone to find a playlist fitting of his mood, finally finding one that he had made a few years ago, titled "Grief and Love." He stretched automatically and tried to warm his cold muscles. When he felt sufficiently stretched, he started the music and began to improv. He moved instinctually to the music as his mind went other places.
It's unfair. I only want to dance.
Song after song. Songs filled with sadness and anger and love. He danced out his despair.
I loved Excellent Era and yet...
He moved until his sorrow turned into numb exhaustion, only stopping to sip water.
Maybe... I should just give it up.
He didn't realize that he had been dancing for hours until he realized that his playlist was about to end. But as the last song ended and he stopped to catch his breath, another song's opening notes started to play. He closed his eyes to listen as the lyrics began.
I wanna leave my footprints on the sands of time
Know there was something that meant something
That I left behind
When I leave this world, I'll leave no regrets
Leave something to remember, so they won't forget
This song- he had forgotten that he put this song at the end of this playlist. It had been a song that Muqiu had loved. As the chorus began, he felt the music fill his body and the beats reverberate through his chest.
I was here
I lived, I loved
I was here
I did, I've done
Everything that I wanted and it was more than I thought it would be
I will leave my mark so everyone will know
I was here...
He couldn't help but waltz to the powerful words and slowly he felt his determined heart reassemble itself from its shattered pieces.
No, I'm not done yet. I can still dance.
He thought of a promise, made sleepily in the darkness of their shared room.
Let's dance forever.
Yes, he wasn't outdated. He wasn't going to be compliant anymore. He had suffered for years since Excellent Era decided they wanted to push him out. And he had persisted out of love. But now that they had abandoned him, he decided that he would dance for himself. Even if he never made it back on stage, he would continue to dance.
I'm still here Muqiu, watch me. I'm going to dance until my body breaks and there's no one who can stop me.
A/N: So I've started a dance AU, and I'm hoping that posting it will motivate me to keep working on it? Song used in this chapter is I was Here by Beyonce. Disclaimer: I own neither the song nor TKA.
tbh, I've only done recreational dance, so there may be some things that are factually incorrect. I'm trying my best, but feel free to send corrections.