fic (Glee): The Warblers are Boring
What’s up? You know I can always tell when something is on your mind”.
Warbler practice was over, and everyone else was gone, yet Kurt was still there, sitting on the leather couch, deep in thought. Moments like this were becoming more and more regular and that was worrying Blaine. Kurt suddenly shook his head, as if waking from a stupor. “No, don’t worry, everything’s fine.”
Blaine crossed his arms, looking unconvinced. “Come on, don’t give me that. Something’s bothering you, I can tell.”
Kurt sighed as he gave in. “Alright. I just…don’t understand you guys!” A very puzzled looking Blaine just stared at him, prompting the younger guy to go on. “All of you! You are obviously amazing dancers, as was just demonstrated, yet you simply refuse to show that kind of energy in public at all!”
“Huh?” The still puzzled Blaine obviously didn’t get it.
“You saw New Directions at Sectionals,” Kurt continued, “You see the way they are together, everyone moving separately, yet together enough that they are still a group. The same way any a cappella group works. All our vocal parts are vastly different, but together they work. You tell me to fit in, be like everyone else, and that the Warblers are different from McKinnley. But it is really just the same. Only we hide behind uniforms and shuffling, providing an illusion of uniformity. Today, there was no shuffling, just everyone doing their own thing, and yet we still worked. There was so much energy in the room. It felt good!
Blaine was still looking apprehensive at the idea. “I guess…but we have this image, this expectation, we need to uphold.”
At this, Kurt cracked up, laughing as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “You know, today was really the first time I have ever really enjoyed singing with the Warblers?” At this Blaine looked stunned, disbelieving almost. “You know why? Because it was fun! Not because of the vocals itself, but because it was casual, we were mucking around, we didn’t care for image, or whether our feet were all moving at the same time. You don’t see it because you are always out the front, but none of the Warblers ever smile when they sing. They aren’t having fun. You have a great time on your own, dancing about and letting the music move you, but the rest of us? We are stuck behind the wall which goes up the moment we open our mouths.”
By now Blaine was silent. A myriad of emotions were flickering across his face, as he took a tentative step backwards, and sitting on the couch opposite Kurt, whose face was flush with the passion of his words. “You mean to say, that everyone else is bored when we are performing, yet fun during rehearsal, because they can do their own thing? But that would look sloppy and unprofessional on stage!”
Kurt smiled, and moved over to sit beside Blaine, wrapping his arm around the older boy. “Close, but not quite. It is not because they are doing their own thing, but because they are not doing what everyone else is. Because there is variation. You don’t need uniformity to still be a group.”
“The Council will never go for that” Blaine grimaced. “No way. They have been doing it for so long they won’t know how to change.”
“I know,” Kurt sighed, flopping backward against the couch. “That means it is up to us, when we are on the Council. We have to wait before we can have a chance to shake things up.”
Blaine looked thoughtful for a moment, before breaking out into a smile. “Maybe not. I’ve got to speak to a few others who might be interested, but I will get back to you. Be prepared to do a bit of improvisation when we get to Regional!” At this Blaine jumped to his feet and was halfway to the door before he stopped, raced back Kurt, grabbing his face and pulling him into a hard kiss. So shocked at Blaine’s actions, Kurt didn’t move an inch. Moments later, it was over, and Blaine was once again racing out the door and down the hall, waving over his shoulder. Kurt just sat there, too stunned to move. “Well if I knew that all it took for Blaine to kiss me was tell him the Warblers were boring, I would have done it ages ago!”
Warbler practice was over, and everyone else was gone, yet Kurt was still there, sitting on the leather couch, deep in thought. Moments like this were becoming more and more regular and that was worrying Blaine. Kurt suddenly shook his head, as if waking from a stupor. “No, don’t worry, everything’s fine.”
Blaine crossed his arms, looking unconvinced. “Come on, don’t give me that. Something’s bothering you, I can tell.”
Kurt sighed as he gave in. “Alright. I just…don’t understand you guys!” A very puzzled looking Blaine just stared at him, prompting the younger guy to go on. “All of you! You are obviously amazing dancers, as was just demonstrated, yet you simply refuse to show that kind of energy in public at all!”
“Huh?” The still puzzled Blaine obviously didn’t get it.
“You saw New Directions at Sectionals,” Kurt continued, “You see the way they are together, everyone moving separately, yet together enough that they are still a group. The same way any a cappella group works. All our vocal parts are vastly different, but together they work. You tell me to fit in, be like everyone else, and that the Warblers are different from McKinnley. But it is really just the same. Only we hide behind uniforms and shuffling, providing an illusion of uniformity. Today, there was no shuffling, just everyone doing their own thing, and yet we still worked. There was so much energy in the room. It felt good!
Blaine was still looking apprehensive at the idea. “I guess…but we have this image, this expectation, we need to uphold.”
At this, Kurt cracked up, laughing as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “You know, today was really the first time I have ever really enjoyed singing with the Warblers?” At this Blaine looked stunned, disbelieving almost. “You know why? Because it was fun! Not because of the vocals itself, but because it was casual, we were mucking around, we didn’t care for image, or whether our feet were all moving at the same time. You don’t see it because you are always out the front, but none of the Warblers ever smile when they sing. They aren’t having fun. You have a great time on your own, dancing about and letting the music move you, but the rest of us? We are stuck behind the wall which goes up the moment we open our mouths.”
By now Blaine was silent. A myriad of emotions were flickering across his face, as he took a tentative step backwards, and sitting on the couch opposite Kurt, whose face was flush with the passion of his words. “You mean to say, that everyone else is bored when we are performing, yet fun during rehearsal, because they can do their own thing? But that would look sloppy and unprofessional on stage!”
Kurt smiled, and moved over to sit beside Blaine, wrapping his arm around the older boy. “Close, but not quite. It is not because they are doing their own thing, but because they are not doing what everyone else is. Because there is variation. You don’t need uniformity to still be a group.”
“The Council will never go for that” Blaine grimaced. “No way. They have been doing it for so long they won’t know how to change.”
“I know,” Kurt sighed, flopping backward against the couch. “That means it is up to us, when we are on the Council. We have to wait before we can have a chance to shake things up.”
Blaine looked thoughtful for a moment, before breaking out into a smile. “Maybe not. I’ve got to speak to a few others who might be interested, but I will get back to you. Be prepared to do a bit of improvisation when we get to Regional!” At this Blaine jumped to his feet and was halfway to the door before he stopped, raced back Kurt, grabbing his face and pulling him into a hard kiss. So shocked at Blaine’s actions, Kurt didn’t move an inch. Moments later, it was over, and Blaine was once again racing out the door and down the hall, waving over his shoulder. Kurt just sat there, too stunned to move. “Well if I knew that all it took for Blaine to kiss me was tell him the Warblers were boring, I would have done it ages ago!”