#i wrote it while procrastinating other work ajkfdhdsfkjh

[edelgoth]

mesmerizing (dimitri x reader)

pairing: reader x dimitri alexandre blayddid words: 1900 words genre: fluff!! request:  hi! i’d like to request an imagine pls for fe:th with dimitri. the reader is a dancer and she hides it by showing that she is a skilled fighter until she is seen by dimitri when she practices for the white heron cup since she got selected by the professor. i hope this makes sense, and thank u!! a/n: this is the cutest request in the world thanks for sending it <3 i hope you like it!! 

Nobody was supposed to know. 

You had no idea how the professor had worked it out. But there you sat in front of them, shoulders raised like hackles and fingers clenching your knees. 

“Please,” Byleth implored, expression disturbingly calm . “I’ve run through everyone -- and I mean everyone -- in the class, and you’re the best option.” 

“What about Mercedes?” You asked, refusing to look them in the eyes. 

“I’m sure she’d love to, but we both know she can be a bit...” Byleth turned their eyes to the ceiling, obviously trying to pick the right word. “Absent-minded?” 

“Felix?”

“No force in heaven or on earth could make him dance, let alone to represent the Blue Lions.” 

You bit your lip. That was true; and furthermore, the mental image of Felix dancing was... almost disturbing. Like you weren’t mentally equipped for something so powerful. 

“The thing is, we need to win.” Byleth said, sitting forward in their chair. “I’ve seen you on the battlefield. I know you’re very capable, but there’s something else to your movements --” Byleth looked up again, and you wondered how fast you’d have to be to escape this conversation from hell.

“There’s a certain grace to them,” Byleth said, finally, “if you just applied that natural talent with a few weeks training, I’m convinced we could win this damned White Heron Cup.” 

You stared at your professor. You knew your expression was a grim mask of anxiety. They stared back at you, face as unreadable as always. 

There was no way out of this, was there?

“Fine,” you sighed, slumping your shoulders. 

“Excellent!” Byleth gave you a rare smile. “I’ve spoken with Manuela; would you be able to fit some dance classes into your schedule?”

You nodded, unable to do anything else. Your fingers were digging into your knee so tightly that you thought it might bruise. 

“Don’t be nervous,” Byleth said, so nonchalant that it almost made you angry. 

You just smiled bleakly in response. 

You weren’t sure how you managed to get out of that room, but you did. Head down, fists clenched, and legs moving as fast as you could make them... 

“Ah!” You gasped, stumbling back. You’d collided with what felt like a solid wall. Looking up, you realized--

Oh no, you thought, oh no, no, no.

“I’m so sorry,” Dimitri said, voice laced with genuine remorse and surprise, “are you hurt?”

“I’m fine!” You blurted out. You cursed yourself for responding so quickly. 

“Are you sure?” Dimitri asked. His frown deepened as he looked at your face. “You look unwell. Do you need to--” 

“Honestly fine,” you breathed, trying your best to give him a convincing smile. “Just a little stressed. Classes, you know? Assessments... the ball.”

You could feel your anxiety rising at the mere thought of it. The dance competition was one thing; the ball was a whole other beast. 

“The ball?” Dimtri tilted his head at you. “Why would that be causing you such undue stress?”

You waved a hand at him, hoping it didn’t come across as frantic. You knew you were bright red in the face already. No need to make it worse. 

“It’s silly, don’t worry about it,” you said, avoiding eye contact. That in itself was nothing special; you always struggled to look him in the eye. It was just too overwhelming. 

“I’ve got to go,” you gave a poor semblance of a bow, and rushed off before he could even respond. 

Of all the people, you thought, I could have possibly run into... did it have to be him? 

The goddess was cruel, it seemed, and she delighted in your discomfort. 

Did you have a crush on Dimitri? Well, you would’ve said no, absolutely not. Your friends would’ve said otherwise. Annette had a particular fondness for teasing you about it. She’d nearly revealed it to Sylvain -- Sylvain -- one time. You’d never quite recovered. 

No, no, no, you didn’t have time to worry about all that. You had more pressing things to think about. 

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Nothing was going according to plan. 

You’d hoped to sneak off during the day, to find a nice secluded part of the forest, and to practice until every muscle in your body hurt. It wasn’t your brightest idea, but you felt you didn’t have anywhere else to go. 

The dance lessons hadn’t been much help. You were too nervous. So nervous that you struggled to follow commands. There were just so many other people there, and having Byleth watch you intently was beyond disconcerting. You weren’t going to say that, though; that was rude. But you could tell they regretted choosing you.

It was only two days to the competition. You were horribly out of practice. What even was a pirouette? Could you do one? Sure, but was it graceful? Byleth said so, but you’d decided they were either a liar or a fool. Probably both. 

It seemed the goddess was against you. Every time you thought you could sneak away, something came up. Mercedes needed help carrying some boxes, Annette asked for help on dinner duty, Ashe needed a study buddy... It had all piled up, and you’d lost that precious, precious time. Busy as you were, sneaking off to the forest was looking less and less like an option. And there was no way you were waking up in the early hours of the morning to do so. You had some self-respect. 

Practicing in your room was proving fruitless. There wasn’t enough floor space. And if there were any more bangs and bumps, your neighbours might start asking questions. 

As far as you were concerned, you had one option. 

Was it a good idea to practice in the training room during the dead of night? No. But you weren’t going to the forest, that was for sure. 

All things considered, it wasn’t the worst place to practice. It was quite spacious, and it seemed to absorb sound quite well. Sure, the dusty floor was annoying, but it didn’t ruin the experience. It served a purpose, and honestly? You were desperate. 

And you’d been there for hours. It’d been a while since you’d really thrown yourself into dancing, and that in itself meant you had to brush up. But, you got into the rhythm of it quite quickly. The stiffness melted away, and before long, it was like you hadn’t even been out of practice. You even laid the groundwork for your performance. 

It wasn’t a full routine, but it was something. A bit like a skeleton that you had to add the muscle to. And sure, it wasn’t perfect, but you were almost proud of it. 

You were finally relaxed, your body flowing with ease as you followed the steps you’d laid out for yourself. There was something freeing about letting yourself go, to move so fluidly, stepping and spinning and -- 

Someone was standing in the doorway. 

You didn’t think about it. You dashed to the wall, grabbing a sword off the stand. Without missing a beat, you held it in front of you, ready to face your would-be assailant. 

Dimitri threw his hands up, eyes wide. 

“What are you doing here?” You hissed, lowering your sword with trembling hands. “You-- you nearly scared the life out of me.” 

“I didn’t mean to,” Dimitri said. He sounded genuinely apologetic. “I-- I couldn’t sleep.” 

You stared at him for a second. Your emotions finally began to process. 

Shit, you thought. Shit, shit, shit. 

“I, ah, I’m sorry,” Dimitri scratched the back of his neck, unable to meet your eyes. “I didn’t mean to intrude--”

“No, no,” you waved a hand at him, trying to muster the courage to look at him. “I shouldn’t have been practicing in such a public place.” You “Sorry you had to see that.” 

“Sorry?” Dimitri asked, confusion laced in his voice. You looked up at that, surprising yourself. 

“Don’t apologize,” Dimitri said, “you were... mesmerizing.” 

That’s it, you thought, this is how I die. 

“Now I should be the one apologizing,” Dimitri coughed, cheeks alarmingly red as he looked at his feet. “That was inappropriate for me to say,” he bowed to you, and you wondered if it really was possible for you to explode on the spot. Could you trick Annette into incinerating you with one swift fireball? 

Oh fuck. The realization that you’d already collosally fucked up this interaction slapped you in a face. 

“I- I- thank you,” you groaned, covering your face with your hands. “That’s what I’m supposed to say.” 

Dimitri chuckled. You paused. He chuckled. Did Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd almost laugh at you?

You peeked at him through your fingers. 

“It’s no problem,” he shook his head. “I surprised you. During the middle of the night, no less. Your reaction was perfectly understandable.”

You begged to differ, but you weren’t about to argue the point. “Sorry,” you sighed, looking down. “It’s just that... nobody’s really seen me dance before.” 

“Really?” He sounded genuinely surprised. “But you do it so wonderfully.”

If this boy gives me one more compliment, you thought, I’m going to throw myself in the lake and never be seen again. 

“The professor chose me to represent the Blue Lions for the White Heron Cup, so I’ve been trying to sneak in some practice,” you admitted. “I thought this location would be safe.”

“I’m sorry for intruding on your sanctuary,” Dimitri chuckled again. You were growing to like the sound. 

You shook your head, still not looking at him. “I should’ve expected someone would turn up.” 

You stopped yourself before you could say ‘and I wish it hadn’t been you’. There was no way to explain that statement. 

“Well, I’m glad I did.”

Your head shot up at that. What did he just say? As your eyes caught his, his cheeks bloomed red. 

“I, ah...” Dimitri cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck, “sorry, that was also... irresponsible of me to say.” 

“It’s fine,” you waved a hand at him, unsure of what to say to any of this. All things considered, you were quite proud of yourself for staying on your feet. 

“If it is alright with you, would I be able to... stay?” He asked, the faintest tint of pink on his cheeks. He wasn’t looking at you, fixing his gaze on one of the weapon stands in the corner of the room. You realised that you’d seen him blush more in this one exchange than you had all year. 

“And watch?” You said. You are a colossal idiot, you thought to yourself, if you die here, you have no one to blame but yourself. 

Dimitri chuckled. “I suppose. But only if you were comfortable with it.” 

You thought about it for a long moment. “Okay,” you nodded, ignoring the light, fuzzy feeling in your chest. “Just-- don’t mention this to anyone, okay? Not until the White Heron Cup.”

“I promise,” Dimitri smiled, giving you a small bow. 

“Don’t do that,” you groaned, shaking your head. 

“It seems I have a lot to apologize for tonight,” he chuckled, raising to full height. “I will stop bothering you, at least.” 

He walked to the corner of the room and sat down, offering you what seemed to be an encouraging smile. 

Well, you thought, maybe this isn’t the worst audience to perform for.