Edited 7/4/22.

A/N: This chapter contains mild swearing.

***

"Oh my fuck- babe, I swear-"

"I warned you that this wasn't going to be pleasant. But you only have ten more seconds."

"Ughhh."

"Hold it, baby, hold it!"

Marshall does his best to hold back amused snickers, but he only succeeds in muffling the sounds.

He's currently lying on his back against his partner, the shifter leaning toward the floor with his legs opened wide. It's a deep stretch made even deeper with a second body being used for additional weight and endurance training.

Paul's doing his best to not groan, but a couple of pained noises slip out without his permission.

Heat permeates through the fabric of his slightly damp shirt. Both hands are clenched tightly around his ankles in order to have something to brace against. His legs burn, and he can feel muscles he's never worked before being stretched out.

"Annnd done!" Marshall hops off.

"Finally!"

Paul unfurls himself and flops onto the hardwood floor of the dance studio. Deep breaths wrack his body. His chest rises and falls in a fast paced manner. Brown eyes are screwed shut.

Marshall hides a grin behind his hand. "You good over there, Tiger?"

"I'm fan- I'm fantastic- what're you talking about?" Paul pants with his eyes still closed.

Shaking his head, the vampire looks up at the sound of glass doors opening. In comes the production's choreography manager with the main cast and extras. It's actually a pretty substantial group of people, which is a detail that fills Marshall with a sense of pride.

Bigger productions with new faces are always more enjoyable to work on. They're also more fun to teach.

He claps a quick hand onto his husband's stomach before moving to greet everyone.

"Good afternoon! Please be mindful of Paul on the floor- lazy bones doesn't want to move, so please don't trample him. I'd like to not have to get a new husband!"

Laughter erupts from multiple sections around the room.

Golden eyes look over new and familiar faces, as well as different types of physiques. People of all walks of life are part of this production—whether they be short and thin, or tall and a bit on the heavier side. Either way, Marshall makes a mental note to keep today's conditioning session a bit more lenient so people are still able to move tomorrow.

No point in gearing up someone's muscles if they won't even be capable of using them after.

Everyone tapers off around the room to put their belongings down. A few people begin doing their own stretches to warm up. Others are making small talk with each other to bridge any gaps between newer and older actors.

A fleeting glance is given toward a group of more seasoned dancers—the same type of people who weren't fans in terms of giving Brad a chance when he first started out.

Frowning, Marshall's gaze does a swift dart as a means of telling everyone to be friendly. The more snooty dancers fake delighted expressions in an attempt to get on his good side without actively doing anything. A particularly hard—and rather annoyed—expression makes them squirm a bit in discomfort.

Attempts at being friendly become a little more genuine after that.

Marshall smiles when the new choreography manager approaches him, the woman being tall with blonde and partially graying hair held up in a high bun.

She's a bit older, but her physique sheds light on just how heavily years worth of dance have weighed on her body. Her arms are strong. Her thighs are defined with hard muscle. She doesn't have the most stereotypical dancer's body—and it's nice to see.

It's always nice to see different types of people coming together to do the things they love.

"Hi, it's good to finally meet you. I'm Marshall Lahote." He offers a hand.

"Kathleen Harris." She shakes it and presents her own grin. "Is your husband doing okay over there?"

"I'm fine," Paul mutters from his spot on the floor. It causes both employees to chuckle.

"He'll be alright. So!" The two sit down together before Marshall continues talking. "I noticed our big genres for this production in terms of music are going to be swing, rock and roll, and fast jazz. I'd like to start with our less intense song in order for everyone to get accustomed to any new movements. Then, after they are, I'd like to switch to the big routine at the end to get it out of the way. Would that be alright?"

"That's fine with me- and good planning. Usually production staff like to start with the hardest song first to try and save time. I think your method would be better for the newbies," Kathleen states. "I think what would be good is to do some stretching and maybe some laps around the studio. Y'know, give everyone a chance to start building up some stamina. Then we can take a short break and really get into it. Sound fair?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Perfect- I'll be out of the way for now then."

Marshall gives a nod in understanding. Looking over toward his partner, the vampire can't help but shake his head while smiling.

Paul is still on the floor.

"Come on you big baby- up we go."

A pale hand takes hold of a larger, tan one. Marshall pulls, trying to help his husband to his feet. Golden eyes widen though, when the hand wrapped around his tightens. He brings his attention to Paul's face.

A tender expression is brought to life by a small, delighted smile.

"If you wanted to hold my hand, all you had to do was say so, my love."

"Now where's the fun in that, Marshmallow?"

Both men get to their feet as the others come around to form a group. Marshall motions for everyone to give each other a bit of space for optimal stretching room.

He begins by having them pull their arms over their heads, continuously reaching higher with opposite hands to stretch out their shoulders, triceps, and ribs. After, he has everyone spread their legs apart for a deep thigh and calf stretch.

Marshall immediately takes note of some people having a harder time reaching the floor. He doesn't say anything though, because he understands that certain flexibility exercises need to be steadily worked. He just hopes no one tries to do more than they're actually capable of for the sake of showing off.

Once that specific stretch is done, he has everyone get a little more active with jumping jacks.

Marshall finds himself holding his breath as a means of curbing some natural instincts.

Even though he's been a dancer for years, he's never been able to comfortably adjust to people suddenly becoming active. Exercises that involve a lot of strenuous movements tend to bother him because of an overly keen sense of smell. Discomfort only heightens thanks to the dance studio being an enclosed environment full of crowding bodies.

Paul offers an understanding nod, the male being able to read the most minuscule traces of unease.

It helps Marshall focus on work, rather than focusing on his next meal.

He switches gears by having everyone commit to a deep cobra floor pose. Some of the more seasoned dancers bend their backs a little deeper. A few newbies try to do so as well, only to wind up cracking their spines.

"Careful," he warns. "Don't do anything super uncomfortable. It's not a race. If you're not as flexible as you want to be, don't worry. You'll get there. I don't want anyone getting injured, understand?"

Multiple people respond with verbal agreements, while others simply nod.

They go through a few more quick stretches before running some laps around the room. Marshall leads with Paul in tow as this is something more up the shifter's alley. He doesn't even really break a sweat while doing so because it's such an integral part of his daily life.

Figuring he may as well utilize their time as best as he can, Marshall has Paul, Rebecca, and Julia run while yelling out counts. It's done to begin conditioning for singing while not completely stationary. It helps to build breath support, as well as making people more cognizant of bodily movements.

Laps only last for a few minutes as Marshall doesn't want anyone to overexert themselves. A ten minute water break is given before shifting gears for dance rehearsal.

"Alrighty." He takes his stance in front of the room. "For our production, we have a total of thirteen songs. There are a few ballads and things like that mixed in there that don't require much dancing- and are really during sentimental scenes- so you guys don't have to worry about those. As a collective unit though, we have nine songs to worry about. The one we're going to work on today is the opening track, 'This Lovely Morning'. It's a bit of a slower swing piece that builds tempo toward the end. Because of that, our routine will shift from slower ballet and jazz dance to more fast paced dance throughout. Understood?"

A collective response is made. Nodding, Marshall claps his hands together to get everything started. Kathleen scoots a bit closer to give pointers when needed; but other than that, she remains silent.

Everyone pays attention when quiet music cuts in. Since the song is sung by the main cast, dancing styles will change for each person during their section of the song. With Marshall starting it, he focuses on his slower stylized movements.

He begins by demonstrating a self waltz. Footsteps are light and calculated, but still give the impression that his dancing is effortless. He continues for a few counts before moving into a spin. With a swift drag of his leg, he rotates a good four times before stopping. While doing so, he gives the appropriate counts.

The move is followed with a step and high kick. His legs are separated 180 degrees, and it's more of a standing split that only lasts a few seconds. He steps out of that move and completes it with a single spin, chassé, and calypso leap. An additional step is taken to gain some footing. He finishes in second position arabesque.

Marshall looks over at Kathleen, the woman giving an impressed nod. He turns his head back to the dancers in front of him. A few of the newbies are looking at the vampire with wide eyes and jaws dropped. Paul is among the group of surprised faces.

"Don't worry, not everyone has to be doing kicks and stuff like that at such substantial heights- that's just my capability. A lot of you may be on the less flexible side, and we can modify movements to make them easier on you. The crowd won't really see it as modifications- they'll just see it as different styles, which is fine. But anyways- how we're going to do this is we're going to break down into smaller groups to gauge everyone's capabilities. We'll go through everything slowly. I'll mix in more advanced dancers with newbies so people have a chance to learn from people that aren't just me, or Kathleen. It'll also give me a chance to come up with a plan on where to place people."

Paul is in the first group of dancers along with Carlos.

Marshall faces the direction of the mirror, so he can see himself and the people behind him. He goes through the first waltz at a much slower pace in order for everyone to better understand the counts, as well as the mannerisms. The same move is repeated over and over while gazing over people's bodies in the mirror. He notices a bit of stiffness in some of the newer dancers.

"There's nothing to worry about- if you don't get it right away, that's okay. That's what rehearsal is for." Marshall offers a smile while continuing to look around. "Just try to relax, and have a good time. Breathe. Calm down. No one is here to poke fun if you can't do something. I just need to be certain on who can do what. Then, we'll be able to go from there."

"Could- could you go a little faster? Just to see how it would look?" one of the newbies asks. "Sorry if that's a stupid question."

"No stupid questions here. That's more than fine."

Marshall speeds up a little bit as he goes over the waltz. He finds himself ogling a bit at his husband while still continuing to be mindful of his movements.

Paul actually isn't bad.

When he admitted that he never said he couldn't dance, just that he didn't—that didn't leave much of a barometer for Marshall in terms of his husband's skill.

He's actually loose where he needs to be and is holding himself up in a way to keep his lower body as a separate entity from his upper body. His chin is angled up to properly show his face. He holds the position for optimal breath intake. His shoulders are a bit stiff, but that's something that can easily be remedied. Even some previously clumsy footsteps are becoming more accustomed to the routine. They're more confident.

Marshall can't say that the same fluidity will be present when it comes to more flexible, acrobatic movements; but still. Paul is doing better than expected.

Gold meets brown in the reflection of the mirror. The larger man offers a wink, making other people snicker.

"Damn flirt." Marshall chuckles to himself before addressing the room. "Now, when it comes to the spin, what you're going to want to do is keep that fluid-like movement in yourselves. In your bodies."

"If you're too stiff, it'll make it harder for you to turn as desired- and you might end up hopping if your body's frame is too rigid," Kathleen points out. "The spin may be slow, but we don't want hopping."

"Exactly. So be mindful of how you're carrying yourselves. That being said, you're going to put your weight on your standing leg, while using your other one as a point to drive your spin. Something that a few of you are doing already is separating your upper body from your lower body by holding yourselves up. That's a good technique. But again- be mindful of what you can do, so you don't tire yourselves out." Marshall stops moving. "I'm going to have you guys do a couple of spins, so I can see how your bodies are utilized. We'll do it in groups of three with each group doing eight spins at a time."

"Remember to spot so you don't get dizzy," Kathleen adds with a sing-song type of voice.

Marshall puts his weight on one leg while crossing his arms over his chest. He makes his pouting face while looking around. A motion is made for Paul, Carlos, and another new girl go first.

The trio are counted in. Golden eyes look over their forms with unwavering attention. Carlos is studied for a moment before focus is shifted between the two newbies.

The girl is good and is holding herself up well. She's just kicking her foot in a way to make her spin faster. It's a smidge sloppy. And she isn't spotting as much as she should be, so she's bound to get dizzy from her spins.

Paul is spotting well, but his frame is a bit teetered to one side. He doesn't hop. But being unbalanced will make it more likely for him to stop too soon.

"Hold on one second," Marshall calls out. "Mind if I touch you, Paul?"

The shifter replies with a suggestive wiggle of the eyebrows which makes everyone snicker. Marshall rolls his eyes in a playful manner as he walks over. He stands in front of his husband, giving everyone a chance to see what's being fixed from the back.

"You see how he's teetering a little bit? Some of you might have the tendency to lean toward your dominant side, but that can lead to less concise spinning and could risk injury more." Marshall is delicate when his fingers push against Paul's sides to fix his pose. "It may help to suck in a bit because it'll help you stand straighter. Also, just another note from what I saw, don't kick too far back in order to drive yourself. It could mess with your count times.

"Now, I want you three to do the actual eight rotations in real time. I'll count you in. If you find yourselves struggling, don't be afraid to stop."

Marshall goes back to his original position. He snaps his fingers to set a tempo. He counts the trio in, and they commence with their rotations. Ending is a bit sloppy for the newer people, but the twirls themselves are better than they were initially.

"Good, good." He gives a dual thumbs up. "Let's switch things up and get with the next group. I like what I see so far. And remember guys- have fun while you're doing what you're doing. That'll make this seem like less of a workout. Now, next group please!"