A/N: So, I'm submitting my first fanwork for this fandom about two years too late. My bad. In all honesty I hadn't even watched the film until a month ago, and I was completely captured by it. I hope there are still enough of you around to get some enjoyment out of this. I have another work planned, but it's proving to be quite the monster, being a series of seven interlinking stories surrounding each main character, plus another for one more character, and one last story to tie all of it up. It's taking a lot of time to set up, that's for sure.
In the meantime I wanted to write something a little less detailed, and I wanted to explore something that, from what I can gather, is a bit of a rarepair. I'm really enjoying writing this and I hope to keep up with updates once a week if I can, but if I'm unable to then you'll have to please forgive me. I work two jobs and only have so much spare time. Plus, there's the aforementioned monster of a series to plan, too.
Also as a preface, I'm going to be playing fast and loose with Gunter's accent. In the movie he doesn't seem to pronounce all w's as v's or all th's a z's, so I won't be doing it for every word here either. To be honest, I find it makes it harder to read anyway.
Keep note of the warnings below if it's something you'd rather not see. Critique is highly encouraged too, I don't receive nearly enough and I'd love to be able to improve. And with all that said, I hope you enjoy the read. Thanks!
Content warnings for: Minor violence, homophobia, biphobia, self-esteem issues, self-worth issues, slut shaming and underage drinking.
"You wha'?!"
"You can't be serious!"
"You gotta be kiddin' me, Moon!"
Buster simply smiled patiently as all three animals before him erupted into heated protest against his newest idea. Granted, it was a little out of the blue, suggesting that everyone take dance classes with Gunter and Rosita, but it was to give everyone a new skill as well as something else to offer the theatre. It had been two years since they all first set foot on his stage and not a day went by that he didn't thank the moon and stars that he still had them, at least for now.
No, this was a good idea and he was going to stick by it, too, and they would understand why it was such a good idea as soon as they calmed down.
"You really want us jigglin' around with those pork chops?!" was perhaps the most amusing and insulting of Mike's comments.
"Moon, you're gonna get someone killed!" Ash was perhaps the most dramatic of the three.
"I… I really don' think I'd be able to… to move like that," Johnny sighed, an almost wistful note in his otherwise nerve-laced voice.
Well, perhaps Buster could get at least one other animal on his side with just a small boost in confidence. And since he'd already convinced Meena of the idea earlier, two animals agreeing to take part would surely soon lead to four.
When the protests seemed to die down a little Buster cleared his throat to fully put a stop to them. "As I was saying, I think this could be a great idea to increase the theatre's repertoire of shows. Just imagine," he said dramatically, slowly waving his hands in an arc towards the sky as though painting a rainbow, "not two, but six dancers! Now Meena, she's clearly shown that she has the moves when her courage really gets her going, only needing just a little refinement to make sure she doesn't bring down the stage again. It was perfect for her first performance, sure, but I really don't think Nana would be happy paying for a new stage after every show."
There were murmurs of agreement, of course everyone agreed Meena had performed spectacularly but she certainly could stand to be a little less… destructive.
"And Johnny, Johnny my boy, when you step away from that piano and give your all into a vocal performance you can add some moves, really bring some flair to the show! You've got the makings of a real showman!"
"I-I don' know about that, Mr. Moon."
"Sure you do! We've seen the way you play, your body is just aching to get away from that piano and move around the stage like you own it!"
"Well, I guess-"
"Great!" Buster cut in, not giving Johnny the slightest chance of changing his mind. "And Ash-"
"Moon, I'm serious, I could do some real damage," Ash said, pointing behind her to her quills. "And I'm not just talking about actually performing, what if I hurt someone in practice?"
"Hmm… well it is true that your emotions seem to take over when you perform, and it can tend to get… prickly." Ash groaned at the pun but Buster continued. "But if you're just focusing on dancing, not singing, perhaps you can try to keep them in check? We can start you off with music you have no emotional connection to and slowly build you up from there."
"No, I am not dancing to that cheesy pop trash you tried making me sing."
"Oh come on, it won't be so bad. And I've seen the way you slide across the stage, shredding on that guitar of yours. Surely some part of you is interested in getting some footwork involved?"
"But Moon, I could still injure someone even if my quills aren't shooting everywhere. What if I bump into someone with my back turned?"
"Then we'll put you in the back of the room, away from the others."
Ash gave Buster a dubious look, but he just kept on smiling as though he had somehow managed to solve all the problems she had with it.
"Ugh, fine," she finally relented.
Buster smiled wider, turning his attention to Mike. So far, so good, but the mouse would probably take the most convincing. Before he could even open his mouth, Mike had already beaten him to it.
"Moon, no offence to ya, but you're off your rocker if you think I'm gonna be dancing like some schmuck in front of a theatre full of people. What could dancing even offer to my performances? My music choice ain't exactly fast or energetic enough for it."
That was a fair point. Mike's performances were all about entrancing the crowd with his voice, there was no call for dancing. But Buster already knew that, and he'd already created the perfect argument against it.
"One word: duets."
"Duets?" Mike looked as though he'd said a vile word, though given his choice of language at times anyone would have thought there was no word he considered vile.
Buster simply nodded. "Just imagine," he said, about to wave his hands for emphasis again.
"No, no, don't start that again," Mike interrupted. "You know I work solo. Who would you even pair me up with?"
"Well, Meena of course," he said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Mike fell silent for a moment, contemplating. He had really come to admire the young girl's voice over his time at the theatre, even more than he had upon first hearing it at their first performance. He couldn't say the idea wasn't tempting, their voices could match well given the right song choice, but then he remembered the argument Buster was trying to make.
"How the hell do you expect me to dance with her?!" he snapped. "I don't know if you noticed, Moon, but we ain't exactly similar in the size department."
"Well, you wouldn't be dancing with her in the traditional sense, I don't expect you to be doing any big dips or lifts."
Johnny and Ash giggled at the thought, making Mike huff.
"Hey, I'm not that weak! Just, y'know, not strong enough for that."
"But that doesn't mean you couldn't both put on a good performance together!" Buster chimed in, trying to keep his argument going. "There have been all sorts of seemingly mismatched pairs of dancers in and outside of the theatre." He began counting on his fingers. "Harry and Jennifer, Alice and James, Riley and Mandy, Lawrence and Cooper…"
"Alright, alright, enough, I get it. Fine, I'll give it a shot. But I ain't making any promises."
Buster shrugged. "It's fine, I don't expect it to necessarily work out for everyone. All I ask is you give it a fair shot." He then smirked, pulling one last ace out of his sleeve to really seal the deal. "I know Nancy could probably be wooed with a nice tango or salsa…" He added a small wiggle of the eyebrows for emphasis.
Mike blushed slightly. "Yeah… yeah, I guess she would like that." Nancy had become a great weakness for him over the time they'd been dating. No longer trying to impress her with big flashy gifts like the diamond earrings he first bought her, partly because he no longer had that kind of money and partly because it quickly lost its charm, Mike settled for smaller romantic gestures to show her how much he loved her. And learning to dance for her would certainly be a good one. "Alright Moon, you've convinced me. But like Spiky over there said, I ain't dancin' to any of that pop garbage."
"Hey!" Ash said, insulted at the nickname.
"I'm sure there will be none of that," Buster said, the all-too-innocent smile betraying his belief in the matter. Of course there would be plenty of that.
"Yeah, well, I'm heading over there before I change my mind," Mike said, turning tail and heading towards Gunter and Rosita's practice room.
"At least you won't be dancing with any bears," Buster smirked.
"Watch it!" Mike said, looking back with a smirk of his own.
Ash and Johnny shared a laugh at the exchange. They still weren't really sure of the full story behind Mike's disappearance and reappearance after their first performance, only Mike and Buster knew from what they could gather. They only knew that it had something to do with the bears that showed up when the original theatre was destroyed, and that for whatever reason Buster was able to get away with teasing Mike for it. They still weren't sure why Mike was so sure they wouldn't ever show up again, but they figured Buster must also have had something to do with that. Somehow.
Still, any reason for someone to be able to mock the cocky little mouse without receiving backlash was welcome.
"OK guys, I trust I can leave you all to it," Buster said to the two. "You'll all do amazingly, I guarantee it. Gunter wouldn't have it any other way."
"You got it, Moon," Ash said, trying to seem more enthusiastic about the situation.
"Sure thing, Mr. Moon," Johnny nodded.
"Great! I look forward to hearing about how it went."
With that the koala disappeared up the stairs, leaving Ash and Johnny to make their way to the room they would all be practising in.
"This isn't gonna go well," Ash said as they approached the door.
"C'mon, Ash, we've at least gotta give it a try."
They stood in the doorway, seeing Gunter talking to Meena in an overly animated manner. Mike was in the corner, making small talk to Rosita. He'd shed his hat, suit jacket and tie, but it seemed he wasn't wearing anything more appropriate for dancing. At least, not the kind of dancing they suspected Gunter would be starting them out with. It wasn't really surprising, the idea had only been sprung on them ten minutes ago. Ash and Johnny were just as ill-equipped.
"Well, good luck," Johnny said, stepping into the room.
"Yeah, same," Ash said, reluctantly following.
Johnny hung his jacket on a nearby coat hook and they both joined Rosita and Mike.
"So, are you guys excited?" Rosita beamed. She certainly seemed to be.
"Uhh, kinda?" Johnny said.
"Not really," Ash added with a shrug.
"Don't worry, you guys are gonna be great. Gunter's really good at teaching, he owns a dance studio down the street now! He has a lot of experience, and his enthusiasm is oddly… inspiring."
Johnny and Ash both made a face. His enthusiasm was unquestionable, but inspiring was going a bit far. Annoying, amusing sometimes, but not inspiring.
"I know, I know, I had the same thoughts when Buster first paired me with him at the auditions," Rosita said defensively. "But trust me, after you've spent some time with him you'll find his energy really is contagious."
"If you say so," Ash said, still not entirely convinced.
Mike muttered something under his breath and although nobody could hear it, they figured it was anything but pleasant. Rosita chose to ignore it.
"I'm going to go get changed, so I'll be back in a couple of minutes."
Rosita excused herself and, no sooner had she left the room, the three gained the attention of the animal they were here to see.
"Hey guys!" came an enthusiastic voice, the sound of heavy footsteps following as Gunter bounded over to them. "I did not see you come in. You are all here for dance classes too, ja?"
Mike, Ash and Johnny all mumbled in agreement.
"Aww, come on guys, this is going to be fun! Ven I am done with you, you will all be dancing with the fire in your bellies and the passion in your hearts! Come, come!"
Gunter ushered them over to the middle of the room and, after a quick greeting with Meena, everyone nervously formed a line. Ash stood a small distance away at the end, still worried about injuring someone.
"Now, we are going to learn some of the basics today. Dancing should not be done with ze head, but you must know the basics if you do not want to look like you are drinking one too many of ze beers, ja?"
Everyone had a small chuckle at the joke, even Mike. It certainly helped alleviate their nerves, though that didn't last long.
"But first, costumes!"
Gunter reached into his gym bag and pulled out a series of red sequin costumes in varying sizes, each just as gaudy as the last.
"You can not be serious," Ash and Mike both said in unison. Johnny and Meena simply groaned.
"Oh come on, do not be such party poopers. Look, Rosita is wearing one!"
The four turned their attention to Rosita as she re-entered the room, having changed into one of the very costumes Gunter was holding out in front of him, complete with a frilly skirt. She became slightly flustered as she noticed everyone's gaze on her. Thankfully their attention quickly turned back to Gunter, who had somehow already shed his tracksuit and was wearing a matching unitard.
"Oh, there is no way I am showing that much chest!" Mike argued.
"And I am not wearing that skirt!" Ash added.
"I… I don't think it would even fit me," Meena said, and everybody agreed. Now that they looked properly at the outfits Gunter was holding, they certainly looked too small. Even the smallest one looked too small for Mike.
"Ahh, but you see, zey stretch," Gunter said, demonstrating by pulling down on one of the unitards and allowing it to snap back into place. "You see? Now go on, I have one for each of you!"
The arguments continued. Rosita took a seat and watched in amusement as Gunter did his best to convince everyone to at least try them on. After a full ten minutes had passed a compromise was eventually reached. Everybody would wear a tracksuit similar to the one Gunter had started in. It at least offered the flexibility that Gunter's workouts would require, while keeping everyone's modesty. They didn't bother to question why Gunter also had one each of those on hand, they were just relieved to not have to go with the first option.
The four animals left the room to change despite Gunter's protests. He saw no reason why they couldn't just change where they were, despite the fact that not even Rosita would be willing to do that. As they finally filed back in Gunter pressed a button on his boombox to start the music.
"OK, now that we are finally ready," he said, not bothering to hide his irritation, "we vill get down to the warm up."
They all still felt silly in the tracksuits and nervous to try their hand at dancing, but as they got into the warm up, which was really nothing more than a series of stretches and cardio exercises, they began to forget what they were so apprehensive about. As the class transitioned from the warm up to actual dancing they didn't really seem to notice much of a difference in what they were being taught.
"You see?" Gunter said, eyes sparkling with joy. "Zis is fun! You are all enjoying yourselves, ja?"
Whilst they practised the moves Gunter had instructed them to perform, he moved around the room with Rosita to correct them. He showed them a move again if they didn't seem to be getting it, or else he would grab their arm or shoulders if they were just out of place in a particular area.
"No, no, you should hold your pose like zis," he said, lifting one of Meena's arms higher. "And you need to hold your legs slightly further apart, like zis," he said, demonstrating a pose again for Ash. "Mike, you are doing it correctly! You are looking very dashing!"
"Aw, c'mon," Mike said, pretending to be embarrassed but secretly relishing in the fact that he was outperforming the others.
Johnny didn't seem to be having nearly as much luck, though. His feet kept thumping to the ground as he lost his balance trying to get into position for a pose. Gunter watched a few attempts before finally Johnny tripped over his own feet, landing with a loud thump.
"No, no," Gunter tutted, making his way over to the young ape who was pushing himself back off the ground. "You are trying too hard, thinking too much. You should be more fluid!"
"I-I'm sorry, 'm just not really gettin' it," he sighed in frustration.
"Here, let me show you again." Gunter demonstrated the short routine again, comprised of a few moves and finishing with a pose that needed to be landed a particular way. "You see, your legs are too far apart when you land, and you are not allowing yourself to feel your way through it. Do not worry so much about getting it right, just worry that you are actually doing it."
Johnny nodded. He still wasn't sure he understood but decided to try again anyway. He went through the whole routine again and landed the pose, albeit awkwardly, putting himself a little off-balance.
"You are still thinking too much with ze head," Gunter said, taking note of the look of complete concentration on Johnny's face as he neared the end of the set of moves. "You have the moves memorised, so now you should not be thinking about doing them, but just doing them."
"But I-"
"No 'buts'," he interrupted before flashing a smile. "Just focus on the music, not on what you are doing. Try again."
Again, Johnny nodded. This was really difficult, not at all like learning the piano. He was used to learning things in a far more technical way, even things that required feeling. But he didn't want to disappoint anyone, especially since everybody else seemed to be doing well. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and focused on the beat, going through the motions again. This time he landed the pose without feeling the need to hold his hands out in case he fell. He opened his eyes and realised that, although it wasn't perfect, it was certainly a lot better.
"Good, you see!" Gunter beamed. "You practice the moves separately to learn how to do zem, but you do not think about this when you put zem together."
"Yeah, I… I think I got it."
"Good, now try a few more times, let's see if we can get zis better now."
Johnny did just that as Gunter watched, nodding and mentally taking notes on what needed to be improved.
"OK, so I think when you do zis last part, you should hold yourself like this."
He moved over to Johnny and took hold of his arms, moving them into position.
"Ohh, zis tracksuit hides a lot of muscles, no?" he noted as he let go of Johnny's arms. "You should have tried on the first costume, I think ze ladies would have liked it."
"O-Oh, I…" Johnny blushed, not really sure how to reply to the comment.
"And here, you need to bring your legs in just a little bit," Gunter continued as though he'd said nothing out of the ordinary.
Johnny shuffled his feet a little closer together.
"And bend just a little more here," Gunter said, pressing his hand into the back of Johnny's knees. "Lots of muscle here, too," he muttered to himself, though not quietly enough to stop Johnny from overhearing. "And there! Ze perfect pose!"
"Ah, uhh, thanks. I-I'll work on that," Johnny sputtered out.
"Good, good," Gunter said, oblivious to Johnny's flustered state. "You do that und I will join Rosita with helping the others some more. Zen I think we vill be done for today."
Gunter bounced off towards Meena again who seemed to be struggling with keeping herself light-footed, leaving Johnny to wonder what had just happened. It almost seemed like Gunter had been flirting with him. But then, he had mentioned Johnny getting female attention, not male. Perhaps he was over thinking it. After all, it was Gunter. It was probably just another of his many eccentricities, not meant to be taken seriously. After all, Gunter wasn't necessarily gay anyway, despite everyone having their suspicions.
Besides, Johnny had only just come to terms with his sexuality, having only consulted Ash through the entire ordeal of realising he was bisexual. There was no way Gunter or anyone else would have known. He trusted Ash not to tell anyone.
Dismissing the thoughts he focused on practising the moves and the final pose as he had been shown. After a few attempts he saw that he was getting better, which made him happy. He wanted to do well at this not just for himself, but also to please both Buster and Gunter. Besides, he liked being praised by Gunter. He had such a cute smile…
Johnny realised he was now performing considerably worse. Before he had the chance to consider why the music in the room stopped and Gunter's voice called out.
"OK everyone, zat is a wrap! If everyone is agreeing, we can do zis again in a few days, ja?"
"Ja!" Ash and Meena giggled, while Mike gave a simple "sure".
"Glad to hear it," Buster said, entering the room as everyone turned to him. "So, what did everyone think?"
"It was… actually not bad," Ash offered first.
"Yeah, it was really fun," Meena agreed.
"Eh, it was alright," Mike said. "Not my usual scene, but Gunter here promises we'll be learning the salsa soon, so…"
"Say no more," Buster smirked. "And how about you, Johnny?"
"Hm? Oh yeah, yeah, it was good," he said, not completely focused on the conversation until the attention was directed at him.
"And Gunter, Rosita, how did everybody do?" Buster asked.
"Oh, they were all very good for their first time," Rosita said.
"Ja, everyone has the potential to be super spicy!" Gunter said, wiggling his hips for emphasis.
"Ugh, please, do not do that again," Mike chided.
Gunter just shrugged.
"Well, that's great to hear," Buster said. "I expect to have four new dancers gracing my stage soon. And I, for one, am loving the tracksuits."
Everyone grumbled, the clothes still being a sore subject, but Buster just took a bow and left everyone to turn their attention back to Gunter.
"So I am thinking the same time on Thursday?"
Everyone agreed and after a quick chat amongst themselves to compare notes on how the class went, everyone began leaving the room.
"So, I noticed Gunter had to help you a little more than the others?" Rosita said, catching Johnny by surprise as he picked his jacket back off the hook.
"O-Oh, yeah, I was kinda strugglin' with it, to be honest," he said, stroking the back of his neck bashfully. "It's no' really how I'm used to learnin' stuff."
"Oh, I know exactly what you mean. Coming from an engineering background, everything I learned was always so… technical. And I'm sure you said you had experience as a mechanic..?"
"Yeah, so I guess it's pretty similar." He then became worried that what he said might have been considered offensive, after all, engineering was a bit of a step above anything he knew. "Well, I mean, obviously not the same since, y'know, engineering takes a lot of education, but…"
"It's OK, I was the one that made the comparison," Rosita smiled. "But my point is that you will get it, eventually. You seemed to improve already towards the end of the class, but just don't lose hope if you ever find anything too difficult. You can work through it."
"Yeah. Thanks Rosita," he said, returning her smile earnestly.
"So, I also noticed something else…" Her smile faltered and she seemed slightly concerned. "Gunter was… how do I put this? A little more… handsy with you than he was with anyone else."
Johnny's smile completely dropped. "Oh."
"And I only bring it up because it seemed to bother you. Should I have a word with him?"
"N-No, it's OK. I didn't mind."
"Oh?"
Rosita studied Johnny's face for a moment and it was only then he realised how what he had just said could be taken. He didn't see any way of changing that now, though. If he'd said it had bothered him it would have gotten Gunter into trouble, and he didn't want that. But saying it didn't bother him, well, Rosita already seemed to catch on. Of course she of all animals would.
"Well, alright then," she said, seeming to let the matter go, much to Johnny's relief. "I think Miss Crawly mentioned lunch would be provided in the break room today, so I suppose once we've changed I'll see you there?"
"Yeah, I'll see you there."
Rosita nodded and made her way to the female changing rooms. Johnny hung back for a moment, considering what Rosita must have made of their exchange. She'd probably gotten the wrong idea. Looking back on it now, Johnny could admit he somewhat liked the attention Gunter gave him, but that didn't mean he actually liked Gunter. Did it?
That wasn't a matter he wanted to deal with right now. The class had been a real workout and he was too tired and hungry to dwell on it. He made his way to the male changing rooms and, making sure it was clear, changed into his usual gear. He was looking forward to practice with Miss Crawly later that afternoon, so he let that occupy his thoughts instead as he made his way to the break room.
