Alexander Lavelle Harris (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thedemonmagnet) wrote2009-02-14 09:28 pm
thedemonmagnet) wrote2009-02-14 09:28 pm
Catcratch Club Opening Night
Xander sat back in the 'backstage' area of the newly opened Catcratch clubbed, arms wrapped tightly around his knees and head buried in them. Why was he doing this? He knew he'd worried the Emcee, the guy kept making puking jokes around him. Xander almost wished he could puke, maybe he'd feel a bit better. Why had he agreed to do this? He hadn't even wanted Buffy and Wills to know about this and now he was stripping in front of a bunch of people that he could actually know this time. Of course, he knew why, he didn't want to let Helen down. It was the white knight in him, unable to not help a lady. Of course, he didn't know about her making him the main male act when there were others who had to be better. Not that he'd paid attention when the others were practicing. He'd been keeping his distance from Dick, Christmas kiss not withstanding.
He listened to the music as each person performed, getting closer and closer to his turn and the tension just kept building his shoulders. He didn't know how he was going to move, much less dance. It took everything he had to just keep breathing.
---
When the first beats of the song started, Xander closed his eyes, took a deep breath and let himself drift down to the place he'd found in Oxnard. A place that disturbed him for the fact that it even existed inside of him but was there all the same and gave him a skill he'd never thought he'd ever have to admit too. When he opened his eyes again, he felt almost like a different person. Normal!Xander had just about checked out.
While most of the other dancers had gone the costume route, Xander had decided to go the other direction. His costume were a loose pair of jeans and a loose hoodie, complete with sneakers. He moved and bent his body, just like he was expected, but the loose clothes kept his body hidden. Like he was hiding. Invisible. But then he began to tug and pulled at the clothes, exposing a bit of hip here, a flash of back there, until finally in one smooth, practiced motion, thehoodie was over his head and his jeans undone. But a t-shirt and the jeans remaining on his hips continue the tease. Somewhere in the song and movement his sneakers are off, the jeans fall down his legs unaided and t-shirt is pulled up and over. It seems almost natural, how they fall around his feet as he never stops moving. Finally, he's all uncovered except for the g-string...and the song is done. A tease from start to finish.
---
Once the song was done, Normal!Xander returned in force almost as soon as the last beat sounded. He bit his lip to stay composed as he gathered his clothes and moved off the stage. He exchanged a quick glance with Helen, saw that she seemed pleased and with a small smile to himself, moved off to find a place he could get dressed in private and then bolted as quickly as he could from the building. He'd meant to watch Helen perform, but at the moment, he couldn't think of anything besides panic. Finally, he stopped by a nearby palm tree, still in full view of the club but at least it wasn't completely obvious that's where he had come from. That is, unless they had just seen him dance. Oh god. He couldn't think about that and breath at the same time.
Why did he think this was a good idea? Why had he let Helen get this secret out of him? Oxnard was one thing. It was a matter of survival in place where he was another face in the crowd so he could get home to his girls. Here? What if Giles saw him? Or Clark? It was bad enough Spike worked with him. Why did the one thing he was good at had to be taking his clothes off? It wasn't like he even liked sex. Faith had terrified of the very word.
He sank down into the sand and just buried his head under his arms, resting against his knees. Why was he doing this? He had a blank slate to work with and this is what he did with it. He had to take a few deep breaths before he hyperventilated.
Find him before, during, or after he dances, just let me know.
He listened to the music as each person performed, getting closer and closer to his turn and the tension just kept building his shoulders. He didn't know how he was going to move, much less dance. It took everything he had to just keep breathing.
---
When the first beats of the song started, Xander closed his eyes, took a deep breath and let himself drift down to the place he'd found in Oxnard. A place that disturbed him for the fact that it even existed inside of him but was there all the same and gave him a skill he'd never thought he'd ever have to admit too. When he opened his eyes again, he felt almost like a different person. Normal!Xander had just about checked out.
While most of the other dancers had gone the costume route, Xander had decided to go the other direction. His costume were a loose pair of jeans and a loose hoodie, complete with sneakers. He moved and bent his body, just like he was expected, but the loose clothes kept his body hidden. Like he was hiding. Invisible. But then he began to tug and pulled at the clothes, exposing a bit of hip here, a flash of back there, until finally in one smooth, practiced motion, thehoodie was over his head and his jeans undone. But a t-shirt and the jeans remaining on his hips continue the tease. Somewhere in the song and movement his sneakers are off, the jeans fall down his legs unaided and t-shirt is pulled up and over. It seems almost natural, how they fall around his feet as he never stops moving. Finally, he's all uncovered except for the g-string...and the song is done. A tease from start to finish.
---
Once the song was done, Normal!Xander returned in force almost as soon as the last beat sounded. He bit his lip to stay composed as he gathered his clothes and moved off the stage. He exchanged a quick glance with Helen, saw that she seemed pleased and with a small smile to himself, moved off to find a place he could get dressed in private and then bolted as quickly as he could from the building. He'd meant to watch Helen perform, but at the moment, he couldn't think of anything besides panic. Finally, he stopped by a nearby palm tree, still in full view of the club but at least it wasn't completely obvious that's where he had come from. That is, unless they had just seen him dance. Oh god. He couldn't think about that and breath at the same time.
Why did he think this was a good idea? Why had he let Helen get this secret out of him? Oxnard was one thing. It was a matter of survival in place where he was another face in the crowd so he could get home to his girls. Here? What if Giles saw him? Or Clark? It was bad enough Spike worked with him. Why did the one thing he was good at had to be taking his clothes off? It wasn't like he even liked sex. Faith had terrified of the very word.
He sank down into the sand and just buried his head under his arms, resting against his knees. Why was he doing this? He had a blank slate to work with and this is what he did with it. He had to take a few deep breaths before he hyperventilated.
Find him before, during, or after he dances, just let me know.
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He licked his lips, stalling a few moments before answering honestly, "I don't really know."
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He sighed and leaned back against the tree, head thunking softly as he closed his eyes. "I think I just don't want to give up on something I'm good at...no matter what I feel about it." He finally just blurted out, for lack of anything else. He felt he owed Helen that much at least. "I just wish I could either feel more confident or have enough conviction to not do it instead of this stuck in the middle."
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"It does make things a mite different, looking into the audience and seeing a bunch of familiar faces," she agreed with a little laugh. Saffron didn't mind it, especially considering several of those in the audience on any given night would already be pretty ruttin' familiar with what she was putting on display, but she could understand how it would make things a bit strange. "But not such a bad thing to have to get used to, right?"
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He shrugged slightly. "I guess not. And in all honesty, I just kind of blocked out the whole thing. I couldn't name you one person who was in the audience tonight. I guess it's just the whole, walking down the beach and wondering if the people I see know what I look like naked, kinda thing."
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Xander heaved a big sigh then looked up her with a smile. "Thanks. And hey aren't you supposed to go on soon?" He stood up and offered her a hand up.
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