The smell of make-up, sweat, stale alcohol, and a scent that Ichigo could only describe as the stage assaulted his senses. It was like coming home. He inhaled deeply, finally feeling like himself again after almost two months of 'recuperation' at his father's behest. So, standing in the doorway of the dressing room at Candy Land had his nerves on fire and the electricity of the upcoming show created a pool of excitement in his belly. He had all of about five seconds to enjoy this though as an ear-splitting squeal broke through his reverie.
"STRAWBERRY!" Tutti Fruiti literally pounced him and clung to his shoulder. "WE MISSED YOU! Didn't we boys?" She turned to grin at the night's line-up.
Mocha smiled and waved. He'd been the only one to visit the orangette while he was in the hospital. Next to him sat Chai, a lanky brunette with a thing for collars and arm bands; Licorice, bulkier than both Chai and Mocha put together and the only dancer sporting facial hair as he had squared off sideburns that reached his jawbone; and Coconut, a silver-haired man who looked to be older than the rest but had one of the most impressive sets of abs Ichigo had ever seen. The dancer must have been extremely proud of them because he often wore open or skin tight shirts so he could display his six-pack.
"Candyman tonight, ne?" The orangette asked, taking in the costumes the male dancers were wearing.
Tutti Fruiti smiled and winked, "You know it, Berry-tan!" She bounced her way over to Coconut and glomped him. "Since you're here though, that means I don't have to go on. You're up for it right?" She leaned her head over the silver hair of the man who was ignoring her.
"Of course. I know that one like the back of my hand." He laughed, waving her off. She wasn't at all dressed yet, so he didn't feel bad about stealing her tips. "Let me grab a drink and I'll come back so you can help strap me into the costume."
Fifteen minutes later Ichigo was dressed in a pair of skin tight bright red leather pants made up completely of buckles and straps, a matching half-shirt with the same buckles and straps down both arms, a corset of darker red, and knee-high black boots. All together he had forty-eight buckles holding the majority of his costume together. He added another buckle when he donned a thick black collar. A touch of eyeliner and color to his lips so he wouldn't wash out completely on stage and he was almost ready. Tutti Fruiti gave him a final go over and smacked his ass on his way out of the dressing room to join the other 'Flavors' in the line-up to go on stage.
No sooner had he left than the blue-haired menace that had been keeping tabs on him since he'd been discharged from the hospital exploded into the dressing room. "Where is he?!"
"Where's who, Blue?" Tutti asked, her hand on her hips and a tilt to her head.
"Ich—ah Strawberry." Grimmjow stumbled over the stage name.
The Scene girl flicked shook her head, making the dreadlocks of her ponytails shimmer in the bright lighting, "He's already in the line-up. If ya hurry ya might catch him."
He was already out the door and tearing up the stairs to the wings before she'd even finished her sentence. He at least knew enough not to go yelling for the man as he dashing through the back stage area. He did, however, shove several of the other dancers out of the way, earning himself dirty looks and a muffled expletive before stopping at the bottom of the stairs leading up onto the platform in the center of the stage.
When the blunette finally caught up to his favorite Flavor, the strawberry was adjusting his fingerless gloves with two fingers, the other three curled around something that Grimmjow couldn't make out in the darkness. He could see the scowl he received from the top of the steps and almost felt bad for hounding the orangette.
"What are you doing here, Grimm?" Ichigo asked, feeling repetitive. It seemed like he was always asking that question of his ex.
"Ya can't dance yet! Yer dad said ya aren't ready. Ya don't have yer wind back, an' I won't stand by an' watch ya collapse on stage ag'in." He couldn't meet the angry amber glare, fidgeting.
A stage hand leaned around the corner. "Five minutes, boys."
The orangette looked up briefly and then back down. "Look, Grimm, I don't have time for this right now. It takes too long for someone else to get strapped into all of this. I'm dancing and that's final."
Using his feline reflexes and significant upper body strength, the Sexta hauled himself up onto the stairs in front of his berry. "I don't want ta see ya get hurt ag'in. Tha last time ya were on that stage ya wound up laid up fer two months." He reached out to touch Ichigo's cheek but the orangette batted his hand away.
"I'm not sick anymore, and you're in the way. I have to go on."
Grimmjow growled, and the stage hand walked past. "Two minutes." Earning the petite blonde a dark glare and a second growl.
"Grimmjow, get out of the way or so help me I will pull you on stage with me." Ichigo fisted his hips and glared up at the now higher blunette.
"Then yer takin' me on stage wi' ya." The former Espada crossed his arms over his chest and gave the object of his affection his 'I'm not movin' glare.
Ichigo rolled his eyes, "Fine. But you'll need the trench coat from Mr. Candy Man behind you."
He gestured and the Sexta turned around to see the same wavy blonde-haired man from the stage two months ago, standing at the entrance to the stage with Mocha and Chai in between him and the spill of the lights. The smile the club owner wore was entirely too familiar for Grimmjow's comfort and the glint in his eye spoke volumes about the sort of trouble the blunette would find himself in should he attempt to take the trench coat.
However, with a spin of the man's cane, the threat was replaced with mischief. "Of course, Strawberry. If your partner insists on participating, I'll be glad to hand over my jacket."
Somehow, magically the deep green duster fit the much larger frame of the Sexta, but considering who it came from the former Espada thought it best not to question it. While he was trying it on, the same stage hand who'd warned them of the time gave the line-up an apologetic look then pressed a button on the wall-sized stereo system.
"Tarzan and Jane were swingin' on a vine!" The man on the track shouted out across the crowded house, and a rousing cheer drowning out the vintage drumbeat and trumpets.
"That's our cue, Grimm." Ichigo stepped forward with a roll of his eyes, and started tapping the beat with the heel of his boot.
"Wai-wait!" The Candy Man's cane was shoved into the blunette's hand and the top hat that matched his duster placed on his head. "What do I do?"
"Just stand there, Raspberry." Candy Man grinned.
Mocha and Chai took Grimmjow's arms in theirs, and strutted him out to the beat, which the feline Visored easily fell into. Ichigo stepped out around them with a deliberate shake of his posterior to the upbeat song. He carried a riding crop and still had his hand wrapped around the something from before. The lights narrowed and then went out.
"Sweet…" The left spotlight illuminated Mocha with an arm across Grimmjow's chest.
The right spotlight came on, and Chai had mirrored the darker male across the blunette's back. "Sugar…"
"Candy Man." The final spotlight lit up at Grimmjow's feet to show Ichigo crouched down and looking over his shoulder.
The Sexta stood in his standard motorcycle boots, dark jeans and skin tight graphic tee-shirt, feet shoulder-width apart, both hands on the curved handle of the cane, hat tilted down to shade his eyes and bathed in a soft blue light from above. The band of the hat glittered, and the fabric shimmered.
When the trumpets came back in, the lights came back up and Coconut and Licorice joined the four already on the stage. Chai and Mocha crossed around Grimmjow and Ichigo to latch on to the two newcomers, who were both dressed in sharp black suits with matching top hats. Chai and Mocha matched Ichigo in bright blue and white respectively.
Ichigo rose to his feet and as a team the three in brighter colors strutted around to stand behind other three. On a downbeat all three draped their left arms over the respective left shoulders of their props and the three buckles down each forearm popped in succession after the first was released with click. The red, white and blue sleeves flew back over their wearers' heads into the darkness.
Three hands snapped to the beat, and their owners wiggled their way back around to wave their leather clad posteriors in the audience's face. Mocha and Chai pressed their chests against Licorice and Coconut, but Ichigo bent over the cane that made Grimmjow stand out from the other two. Where his hands were both crossed over the hook of the cane the other two had their hands in their pockets. Another downbeat had the smaller males popping the other three buckles on their respective left arms, and the sleeve disposed of over the shoulders of their props.
The lyrics prompted the three to spin around and sink down onto their heels so they could loosen the six buckles on their thighs. The word 'drop' brought them back up, the straps of their pants from knee to hip falling to leave the men in speedo-style hot-pants. The three stepped forward, shaking their hips and pressing their pelvises out to the audience.
Throughout this erotic display of his berry's body, Grimmjow stood stock still, trying his hardest to not show how nervous standing on stage made him. His eyes darted from one side of the club to the other, and his knuckles went white. His attention was drawn to them when Ichigo's hands landed on his own again. He tried to catch his berry's eyes, but caught up in the music the orangette wasn't paying attention, or maybe he was deliberately avoiding eye contact?
Lights flashed and the music continued and Grimmjow tried to just watch Ichigo. It wasn't easy but after a sidelong glance at both Coconut and Licorice he found it best to just look at his hands. The nervousness wasn't something he was comfortable with. The Sexta Espada did NOT get scared of anything. Not when he was wandering the deserts of Hueco Mundo and not now.
He was so focused on NOT being scared of being on stage that when Ichigo smacked his rear end with the riding crop he jumped forward. Only his natural reflexes kept him on his feet, but apparently the spin he unconsciously did with the cane had the audience roaring. It took all of a nanosecond for Grimmjow to make the decision to leer at his Kitten. The berry strutting around like the other two again, naked but for the boots, g-string, corset, fingerless gloves, and collar. Unknowingly, the blunette followed the smaller man in a spin that turned his back to the audience because of the presence of the crop pressed against his cheek. They'd finally made eye-contact and he'd be damned if he was going to break it.
The singer whispered into the microphone on the track again and Ichigo leaned into Grimmjow's chest, dropping the slim stick so that it was out of the way. He put his hands on either side of the Sexta's neck, and with the beat slid between his legs, all of his weight supported by the larger man. In a slick move that fit perfectly with the music, Grimmjow tossed the cane into air, caught Ichigo's hands as he slid, and spun back around to face forward again, throwing the strawberry back up onto his feet. The orangette grinned over his shoulder reaching out to grab the cane as it fell. He spun it around his arm and smacked the end against the stage, strutting around it. Leading with his pelvis again he walked up to it until he was straddling the wooden shaft. A few shimmies over it and he threw a high kick into the air to turn himself around again.
The orangette stalked back to his blue-haired partner, spinning the cane, so that when the singer started actually singing again he was right in front of the feline. The last chorus was spent displaying the strawberry's flexibility. When the man from the beginning of song started chanting again, Ichigo leaned in to almost kissing distance, but pulled back on the echoes. Grimmjow, of course followed, and the final explosion noise he jumped. The blunette caught him and the cane as confetti rained down over the stage and the audience went crazy.
Money was thrown onto the stage by the handful. Screams rang out from wall to wall. People were jumping out of their seats. It was pure chaotic mayhem, and Ichigo just soaked it all in. Shows like this were the whole reason he danced in the first place, and the secret part of him that really just wanted to forget the whole messy nonsense of the last three months relished in the fact that it was Grimmjow who was holding him instead of Mr. Candy Man.
The lights went out as the announcer shouted over the din, "Give it up for Coconut, Mocha, Chai, Licorice, and our delicious Strawberry, back from a two month hiatus! Isn't he just something else!? And how about a big Candy Land cheer for Blue Raspberry, our last minute stand in! This was his first time on stage, folks. Let him hear how much you loved him! Maybe he'll be back if you're loud enough!"
In the darkness, Ichigo hopped down, just like Mocha and Chai, and the six men moved off while the stage hands swept the performance platform for the next dancer. He tugged off one of the gloves and ran his hand through his hair. Shaking out the glitter and sweat, he dug into his corset and withdrew a gold chain with a small aquamarine-encrusted charm hanging from it. He never danced without it, and even though most of his costumes didn't let him actually wear it, he could usually tuck it somewhere, especially with ones like this. In the mix up with Grimmjow earlier he'd almost forgotten to tuck it away, and he actually had forgotten to take it off before putting his collar on.
"Hey, thanks again, Mocha." He called as the dusky male walked past.
Tossing his hair with a haughty smile. "Anytime, Strawberry." His tenor was musical, still high from an amazing performance.
Ichigo shook his head at the other, watching him wrap himself around one of the bouncers, Vanilla or something. The orangette wasn't sure, but the man wore a horribly obvious wig the color of vanilla beans. The two were on-again, off-again it seemed, and at the moment, they were most definitely on, as Vanilla grabbed Mocha's chin and kissed the smaller male soundly. The cocoa colored man gave a squeak, and a giggle, diving mouth first into the kiss like no one else was around.
The strawberry couldn't stop the sigh that escaped his lips, and he held his necklace tighter. Then he forcibly looked away from the scene, determined not to let anything interrupt his adrenaline high. He found himself nose to chest with the tight graphic tee that had been his focus for most of the last five minutes. Unable to help himself, he looked up into the bright cerulean gaze of the wearer of the shirt. He got all of a moment's warning before the mouth he'd been missing so keenly latched on to his own. He melted, utterly and completely, and found himself wrapping his arms around that strong neck, hauling himself up onto the slim waist, and crossing his ankles behind the taller man as wide, sturdy hands gripped his backside, holding him aloft. Paradise reigned until…
"Mmm, Kitten." The rumbled voice against his lips shocked him back to reality.
He pushed with all of his might against the man holding him and fell, ungracefully, to the floor just outside of the dressing room. He scrubbed his lips with the back of his hand and glared up at Grimmjow. How dare he!? After everything they'd been through! He was just about to voice those very thoughts when he caught the dimming of the light in his ex's eyes.
The blunette stepped up to him, bent over and picked up the necklace that had flown out of Ichigo's hand the second he'd launched himself away. He ran his thumb over the surface of the charm.
"Heh." He blinked with a sad smile. "Ya still wear it." Ichigo opened his mouth again, but Grimmjow cut him off. "Nah. I was outta line…again." He held the necklace out to his Kitten. "Here."
The gold and blue trinket pooled into the orangette's hand, and the Sexta turned to walk away. "Grimm…" His voice was rough.
"Yeah?" A sad eye looked over his shoulder at the former Substitute Shinigami still sitting on the floor.
"I…" He trailed off.
"Yeah…" Grimmjow answered. "See ya 'round, Ichigo." Without another word, the former Espada walked off, leaving the club completely.
Ichigo stared after him, then looked down at the charm. He traced the gemstones. It sparkled in the light coming from the stage—an old English style six.
A/N: OMG! I'm back on this one! XD It took me forever to finish this chapter. I think this will probably be the last dance I actually write out for this story. The entire hold up was on designing Ichigo's costume! x.x Anyway, here's hoping it won't take me so long to finish the next chapter, ne? Enjoy, minna! Ja ne! =3