Though We May Fall {An Aphmau AU}

The Auditions

** Aaron's POV**

    It was that time of the season again. Our dance troupe puts on two performances a year, and in the winter season, we perform The Nutcracker. Last year, I was the Nutcracker. This year, I didn't expect a lead role again. But Cadenza was hoping for one, as well as most of the other dancers.

    "I'm so excited!" Nana bounced around on the sidewalk, pink hair bouncing and tail whipping around behind her back. Cadenza giggled and Aphmau laughed, but I noticed that she was tense. I put my arm around her shoulders, giving her a grin.

    "Hey. You'll do amazing." She smiled up at me, letting out a sigh. "I'm serious. There's no way you could've gotten into this school, on a full scholarship no less, if you weren't good." She blushed, bumping against me lightly.

    "T-Thanks. What roles are you guys hoping for?" Cadenza sighed, spinning around in a circle. Nana frowned, looking up at the sky. And I shrugged.

    "I don't really care. I've gotten all the roles I wanted. Well, that is in my league anyway." Before she could ask me what I meant by that, Cadenza started talking.

    "Oh, I really want to get like, a really pretty role. Something like the Snow Queen or maybe even the Dew Drop from Waltz of the Flowers!" Nana giggled, tail swaying behind her back as last-minute nerves set it.

    "Well, I'm sure you'll get it Cadenza!" She was still bright and cheerful, even if she knew that she didn't have to be that way all the time now. "I'm not expecting much; this is my first year after all! What about you Aphmau?" She shrugged, looking at the building coming up ahead.

    "I really don't know. I don't expect too much because this is my first year here too. But... I can hope." She smiled, rolling her shoulders and lifting her head. "No matter what, I'll be happy I'm at least here!"

    "Always the optimist." I grinned, bumping against her. She bumped back, and some of the tension dissipated. "Come on. If we want time to warm up, we better hurry."

    We made it to the Dance building, dance bags hitting against our sides. Hurrying in, Cadenza and I lead the way towards the room we would be spending quite a bit of time in the next couple months. Aphmau had started to relax, almost as if the closer she got to the actual moment, the less worried she became. Nana looked nervous, but I knew from experience that she worked better under pressure.

When we walked in, I felt several glances come our way. Aphmau tensed up, lowering her gaze and making her way to a spot by the wall. We followed her, Cadenza and I exchanged a glance. She set her things down and started to change her shoes.

"Aph? Everything alright?" I heard Cadenza whisper, sitting on the floor next to her to change her shoes as well. Aphmau sighed before leaning in to whisper in Cadenza's ear. I looked away, not wanting to eavesdrop on whatever they were talking about.

"Alright dancers!" A woman opened the door to the studio, clapping her hands. "Start warming up!" Her voice contained a thick Russian accent, but after being with her for a couple of months, it was easy to understand. The freshmen seemed only slightly confused, following the others.

I grabbed Nana's hand and lead her to the spot on the barre where Cadenza and I always stood. She grinned at me, ears twitching. "Thanks, Aaron." She whispered before she started to stretch. Being a Meif'wa, she definitely had an advantage because she was very flexible. But she got distracted really easily, and unless she got like, 13 hours of sleep she was grumpy. And that's why we love her.

Aphmau and Cadenza joined us at the barre, Cadenza looking slightly worried and Aphmau looking fed up with something. I wanted to ask her what, but Mrs. Anya, the choreographer and head of our performances, was walking behind me. I knew better than to talk.

After giving us five minutes to warm ourselves up, Anya started us through vigorous exercises. The entire time we were on the barre, I kept my eye on Aphmau and Nana. I knew how Cadenza danced, but I didn't know about these two. Nana was very flexible as I suspected, but she had good control over her movements and was very graceful.

Aphmau completely shocked me. The entire time, she made practically no mistakes. She had the same flexibility of Nana and maybe even more control. She was extremely balanced, and the grace in all of her movements portrayed a sense of confidence and years of practice. And she had been worried.

When we moved to the center, she surprised me again. She was by far the best dancer on the floor. She knew all the moves Anya put in the combinations and performed them with ease. A few of the advanced moves she did struggle with, but she worked past them.

Finally, the last part of the auditions came around. Anya paired the older members, juniors and seniors, together, boy and girl. She wanted to see how well we worked as partners. She paired me with Cadenza, and Aphmau was paired with another junior named Ein. They started talking, and she giggled over something he said.

Cadenza caught me staring at them, and I must have had an expression on my face because she started giggling. "Is Aaron getting jealous?" She teased. I blanched, looking away from her while my face burned. She was about to keep teasing me when Anya started talking again, giving us all a combination to do with our partners.

As I suspected, Aphmau struggled more with partnering than anything else. I'm guessing she's rarely ever danced with a partner, but she picked it up pretty easily. I was surprised, she was extremely talented. She had real potential to become a professional.

"Thank you, dancers. The cast list will be posted in the lobby in a few days. Until then, get lots of rest so you're prepared for rehearsal. Good luck!" Everyone burst into chatter, gathering in groups as we left the studio.

I left ahead of the others, not wanting to get stuck in the mass of people. I waited outside on the sidewalk for the others, crossing my arms and staring up at the clouds passing overhead. I was exhausted from the auditions, but already I couldn't wait for the cast list. Probably the worst part of the entire ordeal.

"Aaron!" I felt someone grab my shoulders before they jumped onto my back. She giggled, wrapping her legs around my waist. I laughed, reaching behind me to grab her by the waist.

"I vaguely remember this happening before... Hmmm... I don't think it works." She giggled, locking her arms around my neck. "Oh fine. By the way, great job Aph." Aphmau smiled, resting her head on my shoulder.

"You did great too! Oh, I can't wait for the cast list!" Cadenza and Nana joined us, and together the four of us walked down the sidewalk back to our dorms.