Aosh told himself this wasn't a bad thing.Well lying about who he was was probably not the right thing to do but he rationalized that things could be worse; besides he saw it as another opportunity. A straight out confession was probably not the best way to go about this. Aosh got caught up in the intense emotions that swelled inside him, not having enough common sense to stop and think things through.
As an avid purveyor of romantic literature Aosh liked to think he had gathered an adequate amount of knowledge to woo Tiza. This name changing situation was the perfect opportunity to test that, he'd read about a couple scenarios like this one anyway so he felt like he knew what he was doing. These scenarios followed a simple formula: Say you're someone/something you're not, get to know the other person on a deeper level than you could if you were to be yourself, confess, and live happily ever after.
Aosh wasn't so out of touch to believe anything could end in 'happily ever after��; most of these stories he's referring to had an underlying message of: 'It's better to be yourself than anyone else'. The Alpha understood that fiction and reality were two different things, even so he was in no position to tell the Omega who he was yet. If he wanted to get to a place where a relationship was possible he'd have to stick to this little white lie, he hoped Tiza would be able to forgive him knowing the circumstances he was faced with. Aosh was really doing this for Tiza's sake after all.
With the first step in the formula already complete, they could get to know one another slowly as teacher and student. Both men would grow closer through intimate touches and casual conversation; from there their relationship would blossom. He could picture it now in his head; learning new things about one another, a smile here, a laugh there. All soft and pleasant like in the novels. It was the ideal situation, he thought.
Aosh also hoped that with the return of his fated mate he would enjoy these classes once again. Without knowing anything about ballet, he already preferred Tiza as a teacher rather than Sean, and that wasn't solely because Tiza was his fated mate.
After only one dance lesson Tiza had made the basics extremely clear and easy, no one would've known it was his first class. From first position, to pliés, and onward he made it easy to follow and the terms easy to understand. Sean on the other hand had a completely different teaching style, coming from a more matter-of-fact point of view than an artistic one.
What Tiza had that Sean lacked was passion. It was plain to see in the way that the Omega spoke about ballet and the way he danced; gracefully with both purpose and emotion. This was why the class had dwindled down in the last week to about half , and Aosh's lack of progress was apparent. Sean's sub par teaching strategies and the sudden inconsistency with the teacher ,due to Tizas heat, was mostly the cause for this. Aosh didn't mind though, the less people the more attention he would get from his mate.
...............…..
Arriving early like always, Aosh was ecstatic to see Tiza inside the dance studio once again; seeing his brother next to him, shooting the Alpha a glare that could put holes in his head, did not. Ignoring the Beta, a plain black collar caught his attention, an anti-bite collar to be more precise. Wrapped around Tiza's neck, it was a stark contrast to his pastel attire. Aosh was a little taken aback by it, it wasn't that he'd never seen one before, it was common for Omegas to protect their necks from being claimed and mated by another Alpha. Tiza hadn't worn one prior, that was why he was confused.
Tiza noticed Aosh and his lips pressed into a thin line looking at the Alpha. Before he could make it further into the studio he was stopped by Tiza holding up his hand.
"You've been in these classes for a week and you still haven't gotten the proper clothes?" Tiza clicked his tongue in displeasure. It was only now that Aosh realized that he totally forgot to get the recommended clothes for the class, always showing up in a shirt, some loose joggers and his street shoes. In the back of his mind he wondered why Sean hadn't scolded him for it.
"How could you learn proper postures and techniques dressed like that? Go to the front desk and get what you need." Tiza shooed him away much to Aosh's dismay. It was a good thing he came early.
...............…..
The leggings were tight and the ballet flats felt weird on his feet but at least he was able to keep the shirt he came with on. Tiza gave him a once over when he reentered and gave a nod of approval. At this point more students had shown up and class was about to begin.
"Hello ladies and gentleman, I cannot apologize enough about being absent this past week, but thank you so much for bearing with me and being so kind as to welcome me back."
Several students expressed their excitement to have him back and it was clear to see that Tiza left a good impression on all the ladies present even if he had only taught one lesson. Starting with warm ups they went to work going over the material they had learned in the Omega's absence.
..................….
"Aaron, straighten your posture." Aosh didn't hear Sean at first, forgetting his fake name while he tried to keep his balance in his plié. The one correcting his posture was Sean not Tiza; this made Aosh irritated. The Omega had not corrected his positioning since that very first class. Aosh could barely remember the electric tingles those feather soft touches brought to his skin. He was starting to get the idea that Sean was doing this on purpose.
It's his third week in this class now and although Aosh has gotten a bit better at ballet, Tiza and him have not become any closer than they were before. Sean wouldn't let Tiza stay close to him for more than a minute before he came between them and ushered the Omega away to help another student. Aosh's well formulated plan was falling to pieces; cockblocked by Sean so many times Aosh wasn't even able to get more than a few words in with Tiza let alone get to know him on a more personal level. If it wasn't obvious by now that Sean had it out for the Alpha then you were blind.
A solution found its way into Aosh's brain when he finally realized he'd had enough, and that solution was private lessons. Using his lack of talent in the ballet department as an excuse, he would ask for private one-on-one lessons with the Omega.
Now Aosh believed that this was definitely not going to work, especially with Sean eyeing him like a hawk everyday during class; but he was running out of patience and time. By the time classes came to a close he had hoped to be able to confess to his mate, but the two were no closer than before.Once again proving not everything in romantic fiction was indeed possible.
Part of the curriculum the class was to complete included a dance sequence that utilized all of the basic moves and techniques learned in the two month class. Compared to the rest of the women in the class, Aosh's abilities were far below average. Luckily they only poked fun at him a little, which he took in stride; he knew when to laugh at himself.
One day after class he approached the two teachers. Sean eyed him when he approached, Aosh chose to ignore it, turning his attention to his fated mate.
"Tiza, I have a question for you," he continued after getting a hum of acknowledgement.
"I feel like I'm having a harder time than the others at getting these techniques."
"It's because you're all muscle. It's not hard to tell that you've let your lower body become underdeveloped in comparison to your upper," Tiza said snarkily, Sean let out a shallow laugh, "But your progression isn't the worst I've seen."
"I think I would improve with some one-on-one training. Would that be something I could do?"
"No," Sean said immediately. Tiza shot his brother a narrowed glance.
"Aaron, along with this class I have two other classes to teach-"
"Before this class?"
"Well no.."
"So you do have time."
"Wait, Aaron-"
"I'm willing to pay extra for private lessons. It's no problem, I just really want to improve."
In fact paying for extra lessons was a problem, his wallet hadn't recovered from paying for these classes yet and adding another expense was really pushing it. Aosh already told himself it was worth it and he had to try. Tiza was worth it, even if he had to pick up some extra shifts and add more things to his already hectic schedule.
Sean opened his mouth to object again but Tiza's voice drowned him out when he suddenly agreed to Aosh's proposal.
"Tiza I said-" Sean tried to protest but was ignored.
"You'll get an extra hour before this class to work with me on things that you're struggling with. Fifty dollars extra a week starting tomorrow. Don't be late." Tiza walked away leaving Sean to throw a disdainful look Aosh's way before he caught up with his little brother. Sean's mood was made worse seeing the shit eating grin plastered on the Alpha's face.
"Tiza, listen to me." Sean said angrily as the two walked to their shared office.
"This is my class, remember. Let me do what I want," Tiza answered, opening the door, "Besides, I need the extra money to replace the heat suppressants I lost."
"Do I need to remind you that it was that Alpha's friend who made you lose them in the first place?!"
"Then it's only right that it's Aaron's money that will pay for them," Tiza turned to say.
"Besides you already put this damn collar back on me, what's the worst he can do? He can't even get to my neck."
"And that's another thing! You know that his name isn't Aaron just like I do. Why are you indulging in this game he's playing? If he doesn't have any ulterior motives then why give you a different name than the one he used to sign up? I don't trust him to be alone with you for a minute. You should know better than anyone what Alphas-"
"Can you just back off! Just...just let me handle this ok. Let me at least try to handle things myself for once." Tiza looked morose as his fingers brushed up against the collar, pretending like he didn't notice how his brother completely sidestepped the Omega bringing it up.
Aaron hadn't done anything to raise suspicion that he had ulterior motives, but Tiza had a hard time believing that the Alpha just wanted to improve his dance skills as well. The fact that he didn't have any more heat suppressants was unnerving to him, he'd feel better knowing he had some in case an emergency happened. Due to the fact that his insurance won't cover his prescription he had to pay out of pocket for the necessary medication. Tiza's mind made a sudden comparison to his past ,another time when money was needed and couldn't be procured through traditional methods; it left a bitter taste in his mouth. This was different he told himself, and as much as it made him anxious to be alone with an Alpha he'd do what had to be done for the money. That was a thought that he had hoped he would never have to think again.
..................…..
True to his word Aosh was on time to his private lesson. The Alpha entered the room as Tiza was slipping on his ballet shoes, he caught a glimpse of the Alpha in the mirror wall from where he was sitting on the floor.
"You certainly are punctual aren't you," Tiza glanced at the others' reflection.
The alpha smiled before he answered.
"I guess I don't want to waste this time we have together, since I am paying extra for it."
"Well, suit up and get on the barre and start with first position. Your core positioning is deplorable. It's the base of ballet and as such needs to be fine tuned and practiced thoroughly."
Aosh did as he was told and held the position to which Tiza made the proper corrections.
"Good now begin your tendus starting with the left leg going front, side, and then back."
Continuing to execute positions and make corrections as he was told, Aosh kept silent up until Tiza gave him a five minute break halfway through the lesson.
"So what made you want to teach ballet?"
Tiza was quiet as he sipped his water contemplating whether he should humor the Alpha with an answer.
"If I answer your question you have to answer one of mine."
"Ok, deal." Aosh was just glad they were finally having a conversation. He could answer a few questions in return for his own curiosity. Tiza shifted his weight and looked to the side.
"Necessity. I'm good at it so why not make a living off of it," his answer was blunt and indifferent. "Why are you taking my class? Because of your friends?"
The Omega leered at the other pointedly. 'So he knows,' Aosh thought. Aosh had to choose his words wisely. He wanted to use this opportunity to get close to Tiza and couldn't risk saying anything that would make the other upset, but at the same time if he thought about it wasn't he just doing exactly what Marcus wanted to do? Use the dance classes as a guise to get close to the Omega and eventually make him his mate.
His mind fought back and forth on the moral truth behind his actions. Yes, he was using the ballet class as an excuse to be close to Tiza, but his intentions weren't like Marcus' in the least. Aosh had to come clean now about him agreeing to take this class with his friends, to lie about it would be handing himself the shovel that would dig him deeper in the lie he was already sitting in.
"We're not friends. At least not anymore, I can't stay friends with someone who would prey on someone weaker than them. I don't even know how to begin to apologize. I shouldn't have listened to him in the first place. If I knew where the bastard was I'd drag his ass down here to apologize," Aosh sighed. "I didn't think he was capable of doing something so terrible…I guess I didn't know him that well in the end."
"So why stay in my class? You're not cut out for it, I assume you bodybuild?" A delicate hand gestured towards Aosh's upper body, where his pectorals peaked from behind the white top he wore and his tattooed biceps stretched the arm holes to its full extent. It was obvious to see the Alpha put a lot of time into his upper body.
Sadly the only thing those muscles would help him with in ballet were lifts; otherwise the muscles used in ballet were tragically underdeveloped. 'It's a shame,' Tiza thought while tapping his water bottle, 'he would instantly enthrall any who saw him perform on stage with looks like this.'
"I just lift weights recreationally not for competitions. I started about six months ago, it became a way to release stress and then started to love it. I assume ballet is like that for you too; I can tell you don't dance merely for necessity like you say you do." There was no way dance was just a means to an end for Tiza, Aosh could see the passion he truly had for it.
Tiza was quiet for a moment.
"I guess you could call it that," looking at the clock he went up to the barre and rapped the slender pole with the tips of his fingers, "If you're intent on asking questions then do it while doing relevés. Four count intervals."
Aosh assumed the first position again, his hips whining in pain. Lifting his body onto the balls of his feet and holding it there for four counts he began his line of questioning once more.
"Have you taught anyone like me before? Is there any hope for me in getting better or am I hopeless?" Aosh smirked after rising again.
"I haven't taught any Alphas."
"I meant someone with as much muscle as me."
"Oh.Well…no,�� Tiza looked him up and down and came up closer to the bars. While Aosh came down he pointed at his abdomen, "The problem with you besides the lack of muscles built in your legs is your core balance. You have to make a mental effort to keep yourself centered in ballet. Imagine there is a zipper on your stomach and that you need to have both ends zip into the middle like so."
Tiza demonstrates what he meant by this by holding two fingers to himself one at the bottom of his rib cage and one at the top of his pelvis. Making the two fingers meet in the middle his posture straightened, sucking in his stomach. Aosh copied the movement at the barre.
"Good. Now do a relevé and keep your core tight. Does it feel different?"
Aosh nodded doing a few more.
"If you're actually serious about doing ballet, then yes."
"Yes?"
"Yes, there is hope for you to get better. But it's an art that requires discipline and practice, much like lifting weights."
Aosh hummed in approval. The two continued until the time was up and the actual class was about to begin.
....................
Aosh and Tiza continued to play this game of questions during the private lessons; the Alpha found Tiza becoming more open to talking to him, which made his hope for this working out higher than they were before. From this game Aosh learned quite a lot about his mate.
Tiza came from 'a town you have never heard of so I'm not going to bother you with the name' and moved here only three years ago. He also found out that Sean wasn't actually his brother but his cousin who was married with a child on the way; Aosh assumed he was called such because the two were just that close.
Other miscellaneous things about his mate included: his love for fresh baked goods and true crime shows, America was the only other country he'd been to, his extreme dislike for cold weather, and he really wanted a dog but Sean refused to let him get one.
It was hard to get Tiza to talk at the beginning, he was often cold and standoffish and still was to a degree, but the man had times where he'd let his guard down just enough so Aosh could squeeze through the harsh facade he wore. Although, Aosh learned if he asked too many questions or the wrong questions he'd get ignored. In more than one lesson the Alpha tried to get the other to talk more about his family beyond his brother. Tiza refrained from talking about the rest of his family, skirting around the topic or making Aosh do burpees for asking too many questions and not paying attention to his form.
Tiza liked to work him ragged in these private lessons and expected him to be raring to go when the actual class started right after. The Omega was like an intense personal trainer, always pushing him to his limits; but all the hard work paid off. Aosh was beginning to feel confident in his dancing ability, which was truly something he'd never thought would happen in this life. He didn't truly believe he possessed any real skill, but that his mate was just that great of a teacher.
There was an indescribable feeling when the pair would get together in private for these lessons. It was what he assumed the female lead in a novel would feel when she saw her love interest for the first time; pure electricity, butterflies, stars in their eyes, any of those tragically cliche stereotypes. When they talked it seemed to help make the Omega warm up to him, if only slightly, but Aosh would take what he could get.
The last class was at the end of this week and they would have to perform a dance sequence that would showcase all the moves they had learned and a final grade would be given. Aosh felt fairly confident he wouldn't look like a total fool in front of the rest of the women. He was looking forward to impressing his fated mate, showing him how much he learned, and confessing to him shortly after.
.....................
It was Wednesday now and the last private lesson he would teach to Aaron before the exam tomorrow. Tiza was glad. Aside from the extra money ,which was good, he was stretching himself thin taking the time to teach the Alpha in private. However, the lessons were going better than he thought they would at the start.
Aaron was unlike any Alpha Tiza had met, those were the only words Tiza could use to describe him. The Alpha was very kind, patient, willing to listen, and persistent in his pursuit in ballet. If Tiza wasn't always prepared for the worst he may have enjoyed the others company more than he had, but he held little trust for anyone aside his brother; especially when it concerned Alphas. He remained distant from the other and vigilant, honestly waiting for the moment Aaron would show his true colors and act like the Alpha he is, but the facade never fell.
As the Alpha made real progress from the private lessons Tiza was surprised, not only at his teaching ability but that Aaron made a real effort to improve. It wasn't uncommon for male Alphas to practice ballet, he had the displeasure of dancing with a few while in school, but Tiza was under the assumption Aaron had joined for the same reason that his scumbag of a friend did.
Although from the lack of Aaron doing anything even remotely out of line, Tiza was slowly convinced that maybe, just maybe that this guy actually wanted to take his class from the very beginning. Or at the very least he was trying to impress some of the other women in the class, it was plain to see they all vied for the Alpha's attention, so it wasn't a far fetched notion.
He should've felt bad for doubting the other but he didn't; being wronged by one too many Alpha's did a number on how much trust you put in people. As far as him figuring out why the man lied about his name, Tiza had no clue and couldn't find a good way of asking.
When Tiza entered the dance studio, he hadn't expected Aaron to already be there this early. The Alpha smiled at him brilliantly, all teeth, from where he leaned against the barre; his phone in his hands. Tiza returned the smile with a small one of his own.
"Aaron, you know I don't allow phones in the dance studio," he reprimanded.
"I know but I wanted to show you something." His eyes reflected his smile as he came trotting up to the Omega who was putting down his things in the corner of the room. Indulging the other before he made Aaron put the phone away in a locker, Tiza looked at the screen with concealed interest.
On the phone was a video of two ballet dancers performing together. Tiza didn't miss the fact that this video was saved to Aaron's favorites on the social media app he was on; taking note of his commitment to learning dance once again. When the video ended Aaron turned to Tiza and looked at the Omega expectantly. A little lost he spoke up.
"Yes? That's a pas de deux. What about it?"
"I want this to be what we go over today. Well, specifically this part," Aaron rewinds it specifically where the man picks up the woman and spins her in the air, "I found it last night and I thought, 'I could probably do that'."
"You have your exam tomorrow. This time would be better spent working on the moves you'll need to pass," chided the Omega, shaking his head.
"I'm pretty confident I have it all down already, besides I could pick you up easily! This is my last private lesson." Aaron gave him a pleading look.
Tiza was never opposed to teaching someone who wanted to be taught, but normally Tiza wouldn't be the one teaching lifts. He didn't have the upper body strength necessary to do so, also there was a lot of touching when practicing lifts which Tiza wasn't comfortable with for a number of reasons. Even now, he thought back to when he performed them on stage with any number of the jerks he went to ballet school with. Remembering it made his stomach do flips. Aaron looked at him expectantly for an answer; for some reason Tiza was finding it difficult to tell him no. So he settled on a compromise.
"I'll show you how to pas de deux without lifts. If you pass your exam tomorrow I'll teach you lifts next semester, if you come." Tiza wasn't even sure if the Alpha would take another class.
Aaron quickly agreed and looked jubilant to have gotten what he wanted. Tiza reminds Aaron to put away his phone as he himself goes into his dance bag and pulls out a pair of pointe shoes. The other eyed the shoes curiously.
"These are pointe shoes, they are used to dance on pointe or when a dancer wants to dance on the tips of their toes," He demonstrated this after he put them on, "Part of a pas de deux aside from dancing together is for the male to help the ballerina while on pointe. He steadies her and allows her to stay on pointe longer than if she was by herself." Tiza stood in front of Aaron, back facing him.
"We'll start with a balancing exercise....place your hands at my waist." The Alpha did so, the rough skin of his hands touched the smooth tights Tiza wore. The moment those palms touched him Tiza's body involuntarily twitched in response. He internally cursed at himself for being so fragile, and he urged the Alpha to hold on to him tighter.
"...Make sure you hold onto your partner firmly, you always want to make sure your partner feels secure." The grip tightened a fraction and Aaron's silky voice came from behind him, asking if that was better. Nodding in approval the Omega continued.
"Now I'm going to go on pointe. I want you to hold me steady, then I'll lean to either side and you'll return me to center. This way you can get a feel for your partner's weight and center of balance." The Omega rose to the tips of his feet and began to do as he said. The two were quiet while they practiced the exercise. The heat from Aaron's palms seeped through the fabric that separated their skin. Steady breathing tickled Tiza's neck and the Omega could feel his own breathing slowly become uneven.
"Now I'll lift my right leg up into an arabesque and you need to support me at the thigh and waist…"
Aaron's hand pressed into the soft flesh of the extended thigh, holding it steady where it was lifted.
"This is pretty easy."
"It's not easy when you have to make sure your partner doesn't lose balance and fall. Keep your hands at my waist while I do a pirouette and try to keep me centered." Tiza dropped to the soles of his feet for a mere moment before he was up again and beginning his spins. The Alpha just barely was able to keep up with him, but he was impressed nevertheless.
Returning to flat feet on the floor Tiza looked up and behind him to see Aaron smiling at him; that goofy, toothy smile he's seen almost everyday for the last month. Tiza is uneasy once more and only then realizes that the other is still holding onto him firmly. Quickly he puts some distance between them.
"Did I do good?"
"For a beginner you did fine."
"Fine isn't good. Hmm. I guess I'll need to practice more," Aaron chuckled.
"The amount of skill you have right now is enough to impress any girl you want."
Aaron was silent as he contemplated those words.
"I told you there's no girl I want to impress."
"Mhmm and I told you I find that hard to believe," Tiza accused.
"The only person who I'll be impressing is you. Tomorrow, during the exam."
Tiza rolled his eyes.
"You being this cocky really makes me want to knock you down a couple of notches." It was a playful threat that still held venom behind it.
"Ha! Go ahead and try."
…��....................
Aosh sat hunched over on the hard floor breathing heavily, sweat dripped from just about everywhere on him. Tiza wasn't kidding when he said he wanted to 'knock him down a couple notches'. Now Aosh realized the Omega had been going easy on him all along! He wasn't even allowed to sit more than a minute before his devil of an instructor called him to attention again. Tiza himself showed little signs of exertion, if a little breathless himself. 'This playful side of his is endearing but deadly!' the Alpha thought.
"C'mon Aaron! We have ten more minutes before we have to start setting up for actual class. Don't tell me you're losing all your steam now?"
Tiza bent at the waist to face Aosh; clearly proud that he was able to make Aosh eat his words.
"No!No. Ahem...I'm good. Just-just trying to give my legs a break." In reality his legs wobbled like jello and he didn't know if he was going to be able to hold up his own weight, but he couldn't back down from Tiza's taunting now. After rising on shaky legs he prepared himself for whatever the Omega would throw at him next.
"Well if your legs need a break I guess I could humor you with a simple lift. Just one. Stand right there and hold me at the waist like you did before, then lift me up and out using your arms." Tiza returned to pointe facing Aosh this time, lifting his arms above his head; his gaze set on Aosh's glistening face. Tiza feet left the floor, his hips gripped between Aosh's hands. Ascending into the air for the first time in a couple years, Tiza felt like he was floating. Even if the other didn't have the proper technique yet, he could tell his weight lifting contributed to some proper form he maintained.
Tired legs gave way suddenly. Losing his balance he fell to the floor with Tiza on top of him.
"Ow…"
"..Fuck…"
Tiza rolled off the other and laughed. A sound that Aosh had never heard but now would never forget. It was beautiful and light, the sound of it drowning out the ache in his back.
"Sorry. Sorry. I'm really not being a good teacher and showing you proper form. That was pretty mean of me. Are you ok?" Tiza turned to make sure the other was ok. A genuine smile graced his features.
"Yea, I'm fine. I really need to work on my legs more." Aosh laid on the floor, eyes to the ceiling as he ran his hand through his ink-colored bangs weakly. He couldn't quite look at the Omega yet, too embarrassed to make eye contact after dropping the man on himself; but after a long stretch of silence he grew concerned and shifted his eyes over to where the Omega sat next to him.
The veridian eyes he loved were as big as saucers, his face seemed to lose some of the color it had accumulated after almost an hour's worth of intense exercise.
"What's wrong…" Aosh found the question he posed to fade into the air, realizing Tiza wasn't only just staring at him but at his arm that was connected to the hand that was still on his forehead.
Two scarred words that were usually hidden in a sea of flowers and koi fish could be easily seen.