Pretty Boy: Paul Lahote Love Story

Conditioning

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.