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Tarantell watched as Firedancer attacked his tea with the honey spoon, and he chuckled, making a mental note to buy more chai tea. He picked up his own mug and sipped at it, leaning back in his chair. Firedancer glanced at him, his spoon pausing in its clinking journey around the circumference of his mug, and he tilted his head, a bemused smile playing on his lips. "What's so funny?" he asked, incredulous.

Tarantell blinked, surprised at that, and quickly caught himself, clearing his throat and shaking his head, hiding his smile with his mug. "Nothing," he murmured into the mug, taking a long drink of tea as he glanced out the window, his brows knitting at the grime that had collected on the glass. The place did need a good scrub down. Firedancer was right about that...

But Tarantell found his eyes wandering from the window back to Firedancer's form, his eyes drawing over the unitard that the boy was still dressed in, and he blinked, realizing something. With the way the rare sunlight was now filtering through the window, lighting up the black outfit, he could see thin embroidered black lines in the shapes of an enormous, stylized sun and smaller stars. He found himself staring, wondering why the details were so thin, for whose private viewing they were for. Surely no one on stage could see such things... Inwardly uncomfortable with this thought, he was thankful to have looked at something else as Firedancer's eyes threatened to draw to his own, and he set his finished mug down on the table with a soft sigh. He always did drink tea too fast.

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Firedancer noticed Tarantell was already done, and he quickly sucked down the rest of his tea, his stomach hurting just a little bit by the end of it. "O-okay... is it time for us to get back to it?" he asked, turning his attention to the dark haired man, his eyes losing a bit of the content glimmer from before. Now, he just looked bored, and Tarantell could tell, easily seeing past that easy smile of Firedancer's.

"Well, if you're ready," Tarantell said with a smile, the bandage on his nose itching him just a bit. He stood up with a soft grunt--he was too stiff lately, he'd noticed--and took his mug and Firedancer's to the kitchen sink. "I'll wash these really quick. You can go ahead and get started on those stretches from before, if you like."

"Mm. Alright..."

The atmosphere in the dance studio suddenly held a sort of comfortable warmth. Not one of contentedness but rather of curiosity mixed with the respect of the other's privacy. Tarantell, of course, had many questions about Firedancer buzzing around his mind. How did he get into the traveling circus business? And at only fourteen? Who really was this Ringleader fellow? And Soothsayer, too? And what was his real name? Were those contacts or were his eyes really the color of orchids?

These questions went unanswered; for now, Tarantell was focused on carefully watching Firedancer balance an ankle on the bar connected to the wall and stretch as far as he could go, wincing softly. Tarantell paused for a moment, then walked closer, holding a hand close to Firedancer. "May I?" he asked softly, and Firedancer blinked, looking up at the older man and nodding with a small smile. Tarantell nodded and gently pressed a hand to the center of Firedancer's back, pushing him just a little further. Firedancer grit his teeth, but was able to bend fully forward with Tarantell's help, until his chest brushed his kneecap and he breathed out slowly. These were ballet techniques, not so much the style of dance that Firedancer practiced, but Tarantell had suggested it might help with flexibility. Right then, it just hurt.

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But then, it was an interesting hurt. Firedancer was using a different part of himself, now, with these techniques. It felt more controlled, far from the wild and free style he was used to. Firedancer's eyes flickered as he felt Tarantell's hand shift on his spine, sliding down to the small of his back, and his breath barely hitched. Tarantell blinked, catching himself, and quickly took his hand away. "O-oh, I'm so sorry," he quickly said, his cheeks going hot with shame at having let his focus go astray. Normally he wasn't like this at all; he almost never touched his pupils unless absolutely necessary, much less caress them... was that a caress? Tarantell's throat knotted in shame to think of it.

Firedancer set his leg back on solid ground with a grunt, then straightened up, a smile on his face that surprised Tarantell. "Don't worry about it," he murmured, an almost sheepish smile curving his lips as he leaned back against the bar, lifting himself up and keeping his arms straight as he pulled himself up to sit on the bar. "But I wouldn't mind a short break; that hurts a little bit, the stretching."

"Oh, yes, that's perfectly fine," Tarantell said quickly, his brows knitting. "You should have told me if you were uncomf--"

"Hey Vincent?" Firedancer's voice cut through Tarantell's words, and Tarantell froze, then remembered that he'd told Firedancer that a first name basis was fine. Right, right, get it together, don't blush, it doesn't mean anything. But god, the way he said it, with a soft rising lilt on the second syllable, it made a string in Tarantell's heart twitch with excitement. He hated it, and continued to store the thought away and deny it with all of his being.

"Mhm?" Tarantell finally responded after a beat of silence, folding his arms behind his back and listening to the boy' soft words. "What is it?"

"You can dance, can't you?"

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"...huh?" was Tarantell's eloquent response to Firedancer's question. He blinked, staring at the boy's tan shoulders, starkly contrasted by the black unitard, more as something to stare at as his mind raced than a conscious choice to do so. Of course he danced; he was a dance instructor! It would be meaningless to teach something he knew nothing about. But... Firedancer didn't know that. Right. "Ah, y-yes... I mean... yes, I do. Um--"

"Ballet?" Firedancer asked, that impish little smile on his face growing more excited by the moment, and it made Tarantell frightfully nervous, his cheeks coloring under that violet gaze.

"Um--! Yes, well... yes..."

"Can you show me?" Firedancer's question hung in the air for a moment, and Tarantell let out a soft breath of nervous air. Instantly a wave of insecurities washed over him as his grey eyes flickered over Firedancer's warm, curious smile. Tarantell was old. He was in his mid thirties, which wasn't old, no, but compared to Firedancer's youthful body and sleek build, his frail and frankly a bit pudgy form looked as unbalanced and uncoordinated as it could ever be. At least in that moment.

"Um," Tarantell murmured, dithering, and Firedancer's smile fell just a bit with a soft understanding. It was harder to perform in front of one person. For Firedancer, it was easier to perform in front of a crowd. To Tarantell, it was far easier to perform to the dust on the walls and the sunlight in the windows. To no one, in other words. "I..."

"Here," Firedancer interrupted him, stepping down to put his feet on the ground, his eyes sparkling slightly with excitement. "How about you dance, and I match your movements? That way I'm not just sitting here watching you."

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It was easier than Tarantell thought, getting into the act of dancing with Firedancer. Firedancer was attentive; he was able to match all of Tarantell's movements at first. However, as Tarantell began to lose his inhibition and embarrassment, Firedancer found he couldn't keep up with the surprisingly agile man, eventually pausing, breathing hard and fast with wild eyes as he watched Tarantell spin and leap. There was honestly something silly about it, seeing him come to life in such a way, and Firedancer held back a giggle, not wanting to break the spell.

But he couldn't quite make it. Tarantell blinked as he heard a soft giggle burst out of Firedancer, and he stopped short, staggering slightly with the sudden stillness of standing. He blinked owlishly at the boy, his cheeks heating up and brows knitting in irritation. "What's funny..." he mumbled, clearly embarrassed.

"Oh!" Firedancer exclaimed, flushing in realization and waving his hands to try to placate Tarantell. "No, n-nothing. Just... th-the bandaid. On your nose," he quickly made something up, but he supposed it was true. Tarantell's flushed scowl faded only slightly, which made Firedancer grow flustered and dither a bit. "U-um--bathroom. I mean, w-where's your bathroom? I mean could I use your bathroom...?"

Tarantell blinked at the sudden onslaught of questions, or rather, many ways of saying one question. "Upstairs," he said, his face melting into a smile once again, finding it difficult to frown at the nervous pink color in Firedancer's cheeks. He felt his heart thump in his chest, and he cleared his throat, running a hand through his hair, barely damp with sweat. "Go ahead; I... think we ran a little past the lesson time," he admitted, glancing at the clock with a small chuckle. When he looked back to where Firedancer had been, the boy was already halfway up the stairs. Tarantell watched him with a bemused expression, then smiled slightly and walked back into the kitchen to finish cleaning up a bit.

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