The Course of Love Never Did Run Smooth ~ Doc Ock One Shots

little swan - ballerina! fem reader x pianist!otto

Authors Note: I know very little about ballet or Swan Lake in general. I just love the whole aesthetic of it. So that being said, I apologize in advance for anything that isn't correct. As always, I hope you all enjoy!

Summary: You have rose the ranks of your ballet company. Finally you have secured your place as Odette/Odile in this season's production of Swan Lake. While you have gained many enemies throughout this whole process, there was one man who stuck by your side. Otto is a pianist for the company, as well as a wealthy benefactor. For years he has worked with them to keep them producing show after show. After all these years he had never met someone quite as talented as you.

Warnings: Self esteem issues, tooth rotting fluff
————————————-

This afternoon's rehearsal was well past finished. The hints of the inky night sky began to fade into the orange and gold hues of a warm spring day. Yet there you stood in the studio. A judgmental voice in your head whispered cruel words. It questioned your skill and made you feel as if you hadn't earned the part. This was the echo of the girls who's whispers haunted you.

"I wonder who she had to sleep with to earn a role like that?" It was a common topic that came up in conversation. Some even theorized that your family bribed the company into giving you a role like that. But you know this was not true, of course it wasn't. You worked your ass off to get here, just like every other person in the production. Why could no one see that?

A soft piano melody tinkled from your phone. You didn't want to disturb Mister Octavius at this late of an hour, so this was the best you could do at the moment. With a critical eye, you scrutinized every little movement you made. Nothing was good enough for you. In your mind there was not a single thing you could do that would silence that critic.

As the song drew to a close your frustration with yourself grew. It was days like these that made you question why you even bothered being a ballerina. A defeated grumble left your lips. You were so close to taking off your point shoes and chucking them right into the stupid mirror. "Why the fuck do I even bother with this shit." You muttered quite loudly,

"I'd hardly call Tchaikovsky shit." A voice said from the entrance of the studio. "Christ Otto, you can't just sneak up on people like that!" You place a hand to your heart which was thumping in your chest like a drum. This earned you a hearty chuckle as he strode across the smooth wooden floors. "You scare quite easily little Swan, it's hard hard not to."

Little Swan was the nickname that had just stuck with you. Otto enjoy the way your face would flush a gentle rosy shade whenever he used it, but he would never admit that out loud. Just as you would never admit that you liked when we used his pet names on you.

"I'm gonna get you back one day, and you're gonna regret it Mister." You place one hand on your hip while your pointer finger wagged in the air to emphasize your faux anger. He simply brushed past you with a soft smile spread across his face. You spun around to see just exactly what he was doing.

To your surprise he took a seat at the shiny black baby grand piano that sat in the front corner of the studio. "Otto, it's getting late. You don't have to stay with me. I was probably going to head on home-"

Otto had cut you off without saying a single word. The first chords of the Odette variation could be heard from the beautiful instrument. "Humor me Little Swan. I want to see you dance." A defeated sigh left your lips. Your head shook side to side weakly. "I'm tired Otto, I really don't think you want to see me dance now."

Your protests seemed to fall upon deaf ears. Otto continued on with the gentle melody, he was truly a man on a mission. "Fine fine, I get the message." You head out to the middle of the floor. It takes you a moment to get a feel just where he is in the music. You have to admit, there is just something different about someone playing the music live.

The playful tune fills the small space as if the notes fed right into your veins. In this very scene Odette reveals to Prince Siegfried that she has been placed under a spell by the evil Wizard Von Rothbart. By day she is doomed to remain in her Swan form and only at night she can return to her human form.

You try to mimic the grand wings of a swan as closely as you can. You rise up into an arabesque with your leg stretched out behind you. At first your movements are rather robotic. You are moving just with the purpose of getting through each step.

As the music continues on the stiffness in your joints seems to melt away. With every pirouette you fall further into your role as the Swan Queen. Through your fluid motions you convey the story your character is telling. All of the girls cruel words fade into nothingness until it is just you alone with the music. Not a single thing can get to you when you're in this state of mind.

The last chord fades away and you are left a panting mess. Sweat makes your hair cling to your supple skin. The buzz of adrenaline overtakes your whole body. Only the rapid beating of your frantic heart could be heard pounding in your ears and against your temple.

Reality begins to fall back into place when your eyes fall upon Otto. He sits there for a moment simply staring at you. It's almost like you could see the gears turning and shifting in his mind. Slowly he arises from the piano bench. Each step he makes, you can feel the tension only grow.

Once he was close enough to you he grabs ahold of your shoulders with his large hands. While it's not necessarily the most gentle thing, it still doesn't hurt you. It just takes you by surprise. "You are a star my Little Swan." All you could do was stare back at him like a deer caught in the headlights.

While Otto wasn't necessarily the shy type, you had never seen him so intense about something. "You were born to play this role. You are the Swan Queen." You could feel your cheeks grow redder by the second. While at the same time all of your emotions began to over come you. Tears began to gather in the corners of your eyes giving them a glassy look.

His words squeezed your heart in an iron clad grip. After months of hearing you didn't deserve the opportunities that you earned, this truly hit you harder than any other compliment you had received in your life. Otto dropped his hands from your shoulders and wrapped his thick arms around your waist. You practically went limp in grasp, pressing your face into his broad chest.

A choked sob left your throat, and the first few tears finally fell. His hand gently stroked your trembling back. "T-thank you." Was all that you could manage to say through your tears. "Of course my dear, I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it."

He removed one of his arms from around your waist and cupped your chin with one of his calloused hands. Ever so gently he tipped your face up so you could meet his soft gaze. With the tip of his finger he brushed away a stray tear. "Dry those lovely eyes my Little Swan, how about we continue this tomorrow? I would be honored to work one on one with you after rehearsals."

You nodded your head quite eagerly which earned a grin from Otto. "I think that would be lovely."