𝐁𝐄𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐃: 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀. | 𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘪 [✔]

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 - 𝔅𝔢𝔣𝔬𝔯𝔢: 𝔗𝔰𝔲𝔫𝔞𝔪𝔦

☆｡･::･ﾟ★,｡･::･ﾟ☆

bonjour and welcome to the last chapter of this mini series! I had so much fun writing these chapters and I'd love to know your opinion too, so feel free to leave me a comment if you feel like it hehe. But for now, have fun reading :)

quick disclaimer: not edited yet

⊰᯽⊱┈──╌❊❊╌──┈⊰᯽⊱

Neither of them brought up the incident of that evening in the following days.

Yet something in their relationship had shifted regardless. It was like there'd been made a silent agreement between the two to look out for each other. To start treating the other as a companion, not quite friends yet, but definitely not competitors either.

And so it came that whenever a new challenge was coming up, they would spend the days before practicing the choreo till both of them got it right. This usually led to Ni-Ki being finished way before Sunoo could even grasp the first half, whereupon the younger helped him until he was satisfied with the process and the elder practically bathed in sweat.

Sunoo wanted to argue that Ni-Ki was being too hard on him, considering the little background in dance he's had, but let that thought drop as he could've sworn, he glimpsed a shy but proud smile on his young teachers lips. Since Ni-Ki had a really minimalistic approach to compliments, Sunoo felt his heart swell with pride. Real Sunoo gave a condescending grunt at that, he didn't believe pride was a desirable feeling to have, but not even he could deny that getting the Riki Nishimura to acknowledge your improvements was already an achievement in itself.

While his dancing had indeed improved significantly, thanks to Ni-Ki's help, Sunoo noticed the biggest change in his alter ego, I-Land Sunoo. Or rather, the way Real Sunoo regarded him. There was still lots of room for improvement, but with his new relationship to Ni-Ki came a strange sense of calm, knowing there was someone out there who liked both, the Sunoo who was fascinated by Einstein's theory of relativity, as well as the Sunoo who stressed the importance of regular bubble baths. That there was someone who didn't make him believe there was only one dimension to him.

Despite Ni-Ki's young age, he never once complained about Sunoos cheerful demeanour nor his extensive skin care routine. In the eyes of the Japanese boy, he was whole as he was and for Sunoo, that outshined every compliment he'd ever received. Ni-Ki was honest and unconventional in a way only teenagers could be. Not only was he a great dance instructor, he also made Sunoo question if maybe I-Land and Real Sunoo could become one one day. That they didn't necessarily excluded each other.

Ni-Ki on the other hand appreciated how his hyung always offered him a shoulder to lean on and an open ear that listened to his concerns with genuine interest.

Sure, Sunoo calling him a dance prodigy wasn't the first compliment he'd gotten about his dancing, but this time it felt different.

Usually, when someone would express words of praise towards Ni-Ki they were nearly always tied to a condition.

Keep up the good work.

Don't let me down, boy.

You have the potential to become one of the best.

He didn't want to come off as ungrateful, but the way these words were phrased caused his chest to feel heavy. It made him feel like he didn't have anything to give aside from his dancing skills.

In their eyes, he was a product of either the past or the future.

He was or he could be.

Potential in a boy, not a boy with potential.