Chapter Text
The bronze tones of the Clock Tower were especially bright on that average-looking Friday. The dark sky wasn’t much different than usual, though the full moon peeked over the greyish clouds, exhaling its white aura onto the ominous city. It sure was an important day in Eternyx; the Annual Dance Selection Show was going to start in a handful of hours, and a certain steampunk inventor couldn’t wait for it.
He wasn’t going to perform, of course. A dirty little watchmaker with a special interest in rock music would never be able to do the simplest plié.
It was her.
All about her.
As Cygnus was repairing the rusty hands of a tiny pocket watch, he heard three familiar soft knocks echoing on the metallic doors of his workshop. Abandoning his craft for a while, the young watchmaker happily walked over to those and cranked them open.
“CYGNUS!”
The young man was so startled by the enthusiastic scream that he didn’t even notice the young ballerina wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Oh my Gods, Laurie…what a jump scare!” Cygnus blurted out, laughing out loud as a familiar reddish tone started creeping up his face.
After giving him a soft kiss on his cheek (which made Cygnus let out a silly flustered sigh), the ballerina stepped back and pointed at her own figure.
“So…how do I look?”
Cygnus wasn’t even able to mouth a few words right after she asked such a simple question.
Laurie was wearing a pastel pink corset top, with glittery edges decorating its sweetheart neckline. A delicate piece of light pink lace was attached to it, shaped like a cropped top. A pale pink satin ribbon was wrapped under the top, as well as a fluffy purple skirt over a faint red one, both cut at the front, resembling a tutu. Similar faint red-toned shorts hugged her smooth waist, and were cut at the front as well. Light lavender tights and two purple ballet straps decorated her elegant legs, ending in a pair of equally purple ballet slippers.
Laurie’s curly bubblegum-pink hair was pulled to the left, emanating a sweet aroma that resembled freshly-cut roses. On the right, a cute light blue round hat with a pink bow on top finished her hairstyle. The young ballerina was stroking her hair with her pink-gloved hand, sweetly staring at it with her deep green eyes.
Gods...
Wasn’t she beautiful?
Gorgeous?
Amazing?-
“Hey, clock guy! Cat got your tongue?”
Laurie got closer to Cygnus and smirked at his idiotic “totally-in-love” expression. He sheepishly scratched the back of his neck and ruffled his long, straight blue hair, giggling in nervousness.
“You look…perfect. C-come on in, it’s cold outside and you’re not wearing a jacket!”
The sweet young girl tip-toed her way to Cygnus’ desk, sitting on it while innocently bouncing her legs up and down. The young inventor smiled widely as he sat on his comfortable, golden brown ergonomic chair. He carefully picked up the tiny pocket watch he was working on, as well as a copper-toned screwdriver, and resumed his work while glancing occasionally at his lover.
“So, Laurie dear, big day, isn’t it?”
The pink-haired coach sighed in anxiety, her emerald eyes looking nervously at her gloved hand.
“Yeah…” Laurie said in a shaky tone of voice, her eyes now placed on the cobalt blue hair strands that decorated Cygnus’ shoulders. “I’m not that confident. But I think that originality is the key and I created a rather unusual routine so…”
Cygnus lifted his eyes from the monochromatic tones of his work and faced the ballerina. Looking at her bright eyes, he tenderly stroked her gloved hand with his own.
“My cygnet, don’t you worry about that!” The inventor answered in a tone of voice that made Laurie’s heart melt. “You have more personality than half of the entire population of Eternyx, plus, your moves are magnificent!”
His crow-black eyes sparkled for a moment.
“Speaking of so, would you mind showing me the routine? It’s not because I have boyfriend privilege but because I’m too curious to wait for tonight.”
Smiling so widely that her dimples popped out, Laurie got up in a jump and placed a little old-fashioned stereo next to Cygnus. Then, the ballerina coach laid on the floor (very much to her lover’s surprise, who giggled in proudness) and got herself in a position that resembled a bike’s structure.
“Music, please!”
The stereo immediately started playing an antique piano tune as Laurie moved her limbs, like sprockets working at the same time.
The entire routine screamed creativity. Laurie was able to mix her ballet skills with some unique and silly moves, which expressed her personality perfectly. She had taken inspiration from her lover to create that choreography, always having him in her mind while dancing it.
Though there was something…
unique…
happening during its chorus.
The bronze hues of Cygnus’ workshop were completely gone. Every surface was painted in pitch black, pink lights emerged from the floor whenever she landed a silly jump. All the sprockets, bells, chains, plaques and mechanisms danced in unison, mimicking Laurie’s rhythm with an almost disturbing precision. Laurie herself had completely bathed in those unfailingly dark shadows, her majestic figure outlined by a pink neon light thread that didn’t seem to start nor end anywhere on her body.
Cygnus felt a bit off whenever this happened during the choreography.
He felt…
Dizzy.
Sleepy.
Submissive.
Inferior.
The watchmaker had never been put into hypnosis, but this…
This was hypnosis on its purest form.
Strangely enough, Cygnus couldn’t realize this at the moment.
No.
He had to watch her.
Appreciate her.
Idolize her.
Protect her at all costs-
Thankfully, it had stopped. The ballerina was now finishing her routine, ending it in the same pose as she started it.
Her lover clapped so hard that the entire workshop echoed metallic tingles. Laurie got up in a jiffy and smiled widely, her pale white skin coated in droplets of sweat, running down her sweet face.
Cygnus got up from his chair and faced her with a proud expression. His fluffy cygnet looked at the bronze-colored ground and bowed to him in a respectful plié. He caressed her wet face with his gloved hand and touched his forehead on hers.
“You did perfect, Laurie.”
He felt her hot breath on his chin when she laughed quietly. Opening her shiny eyes, Laurie looked deeply into Cygnus’.
“I love you.”
They didn’t even need to use their physical voices to say that.
Their lips were sealed in a soft but loving kiss, their arms wrapped tightly around each other’s bodies, his hands caressing her face, her fingers stroking his neck.
Every time they kissed, Laurie felt like she was levitating, the weight on her body vanishing completely into the nothingness.
Cygnus, on the other hand, felt like he was one with the ground below her.
But he didn’t care.
As long as she was happy, he’d be happy too.