All About Us

With the kids climbing and swarming around him, he couldn't help but laugh. His eyes scanned the group in front of him briefly before lifting up and catching the person he'd come to see. She weaved her way through the crowd towards him and the moment she was close enough she threw her arms around him and he pulled her in close. Haden had been away from her for longer periods of time, but it was always the same when he came back. He squeezed her tight and lifted her feet from the ground a bit before setting her down and pulling back. He rolled his eyes at her and shrugged, "I wanted to surprise you instead. Plus, I couldn't very well let you get all of the attention, I had to see the kiddos too!"

The mob of children all cheered and hollered, "Alright, alright, you guys. Time to get back to the bar, still gotta make it through class." He smiled at Ella and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Maybe once they're off the bar exercises we can show 'em some fun stuff, yeah?" The kids all giggled and scattered back to where they had run from, but Haden lingered near Ella. Distance never did him any good and he found himself to be a bit more on the clingy side when he returned each time.

Once he had room to move, he set down his bag and shrugged off his jacket, "What's on the agenda for today, Teach?" He flashed her a smirk, folding his arms across his chest.

Haden wouldn't quite say he had a way with people, though perhaps he had a way with kids. It was the infectious attitude that he carried, doing his best to be cheerful and optimistic. Growing up, things had been rough, but at the very least he'd acquired Ella along the way. She was the only one who saw through his charade and he liked to think that he could offer that to one of the kids in this room. Or all of them. It went deeper than just the shallow reason of wanting them to like him better than Ella, although it had its perks, but he genuinely cared about what he was offering. Dancing had given him his best friend and a family.

His nose scrunched at the word 'plié' and at that the kids laughed. When she looked over her shoulder at him, he gave a smile and nodded before she turned back and his face scrunched up again. "They are doing amazing! But don't worry Ells, you've still got the best plié around," He winked at the kids and laughed.

When she teased the kids, all he could do was watch her. She'd always been a better teacher, patient and understanding. Haden had been offered the instructor position a year or two ago, but always turned it down because he couldn't handle the stress of being in charge. He was a better side-kick than he was a leader. The pressure of having everyone depending on him triggered his flightiness, which he'd been trying so hard to fight. The only way he could do so was remaining on the sidelines. "Who wants to see Miss Ella show off? Anybody?"

Haden always loved watching Ella dance. She was beautiful and fluid with her motions, so graceful and light. He envied her for the natural movement of her body, she made everything seem so effortless. He was lucky to get her as a competing partner because his main job was just making her look incredible, something she managed all on her own. She finished her dance and he could feel the smile on his face as he joined the kids in clapping and whistling for their teacher. She may not have liked being a performance monkey, but he knew that by watching her it would do the kids a world of good. It would motivate them to stick with it because eventually they would be able to do what she did.

She punched him in the arm and he stood smirking, "Normally it is, you're right. But I don't look quite as pretty when I dance. Besides, you're their teacher, they should be allowed to see why that is, ya know?" He nudged her back and slung an arm around her shoulders, "You make for a very cute performance monkey, Ells." He squeezed her shoulders before letting his arm drop back to his side.

Parents began to show up to pick their kids up from class and he had to turn away from the affectionate displays. His shoulders tensed up a bit, so he chose to walk to the middle of the floor and distracted himself with bits of choreography that he'd been making up in his head. He closed his eyes as he danced, imagining a beat and melody that weren't there. Ella was always a lot better at dealing with the parents than he was and it made things easier when he didn't have to focus on the things that he'd missed out on. He'd just gotten home, the last thing he wanted was to sour his own mood.

Haden was fully aware of Ella talking to the parents, he could hear her voice, though muffled by a slight distance. He was tethered to her in some kind of way that always made him cling to the sound of her voice. It was one of the only comforts he had in his life, something that had been a constant for several years. When the room went quiet, his shoulders dropped and his tension slipped away with the remnant voices and giggles. The door latched, but he kept his eyes closed for the moments leading up to her footsteps in front of him.

She slid his hand over his shoulder and took his hand. While she whisked him into a slow dance, he opened his eyes and settled to look at her. Haden hadn't been gone for more than a few weeks, a couple of months maybe, but nonetheless, he'd missed her to the point of misery. Her words only solidified the feeling. Haden twirled her around and pulled her in closer. "Life must be pretty boring without me, huh?" He smirked the tiniest bit before pressing his cheek against hers and continued swaying.

Haden sighed and breathed into her ear, "I missed you, too, Ells. I'm glad I'm home."