Fic: Those Old Streetscapes 20/24 (Glee, Puck/Kurt,PG13)
Title: Those Old Streetscapes 20/24
Fandom: Glee/So You Think You Can Dance
Pairing: Puck/Kurt
Rating: PG
Word count: 1000
Warnings: Cheesiness. Lack of dance knowledge. Random Cat Deeley fangirling.
Summary: AU. Kurt's a classically trained dancer who has trouble connecting to his audience. Puck's a novice b-boy with loads of charisma and not a whole lot else. When they meet at the New York auditions for So You Think You Can Dance, both their lives change in more ways than they anticipated. AO3 link
A/N: I love Cat Deeley. That's really my only excuse.
Week Eleven: Top Six Results
Cat’s not exaggerating when she says she hates Thursdays. She loves her job, loves the choreographers and the judges and especially the dancers, every one of them, and she dreads nothing more than telling two of them they’re going home every week.
If it were up to her they’d all stay and dance all season long, and at the finale the judges would pick one final winner and be done with it. She’s said as much to Nigel, but so far he hasn’t seemed keen on taking any of her suggestions on board.
More’s the pity, she thinks as she lines the boys up, taking in their sad little faces and the way they’re all clinging to each other as though they can delay the inevitable. She’s already sent Brittany to safety, and when she opens the envelope and reads Mike’s name she’s not surprised.
“Mike. You’re the first guy through to the finale,” Cat says, then she steps back to let first Puck and then Kurt congratulate him. She gives them a moment before she shoos him off the stage, then she has to send Kurt and Puck backstage to suffer with Rachel and Tina for a bit longer.
And she feels terrible for Rachel and Tina, but she feels worse for Kurt and Puck. It’s been clear since the start that they’re sweet on each other, and Cat’s been dreading the time when she has to bring them up on stage together and split them up. It’s partly selfish; she loves a good love story, and they are sweet together. But mostly she just hates that they have to be separated so close to the end of the competition, when they need the moral support more than ever.
Puck’s the only contestant whose family hasn’t come to see him dance, and if Kurt leaves too then he really will be all alone. Kurt, on the other hand, has grown so much since the start that even Cat can see it, and even after all these years she still doesn’t know much about dancing.
But someone has to go, and it’s going to be one or the other. She takes a deep breath as the final commercial rolls and steps back onto the stage, taking her mark and calling the girls onto the stage first.
“Shall we get it over with quickly, my lovelies?” she says, smiling at a nervous Tina and an absolutely panic-stricken Rachel. “The final girl joining our top four is…Tina. Rachel, that means you’re leaving us tonight.”
After a quick hug Tina escapes to safety, and Cat smiles and pulls Rachel close. “Come here, you gorgeous creature. Let’s take a look at some of your best moments, shall we?”
She keeps her arm around a shell-shocked Rachel throughout her package, smiling when Rachel’s fathers come on the screen to assure the viewing audience that she’ll be bringing home this trophy just like she’s brought home every other trophy she’s ever gone after. Cat pats her shoulder when it’s all over, then she sends Rachel backstage and calls the boys out.
It’s the moment she’s been dreading most of all, if she’s being honest. She doesn’t play favorites, really; she loves all her babies equally, and she hates to see every one of them go. But pitting these two against one another seems too cruel, even if it’s only a week before they’ll be reunited at the finale.
Kurt and Puck walk onstage hand in hand, and Cat just smiles at them for a moment before she gets down to business. They really are lovely together, she thinks, her heart breaking a little when Puck’s arm goes around Kurt’s shoulders and he leans in to whisper something in Kurt’s ear. Whatever he says makes Kurt laugh, and Cat smiles again and takes a deep breath.
“You two. You’ve had quite a week, both of you, but we’ve delayed as long as we can, I’m afraid,” she says, brandishing the card in her hand for the audience to see. “The final dancer in our top four is…”
Cat pauses and glances down at the card, and she’s truly not sure whether or not to be surprised at the result. “Puck. Kurt, I’m afraid your journey ends tonight, my darling.”
Kurt nods, his sweet face flushing pink as he turns into Puck. She watches Puck pull him close and press a kiss to his cheek, and over the roar of the audience she hears Puck say, “I thought for sure it would be me.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Kurt answers, then, “You deserve it, Noah. Remember that.”
She gives them another moment to hold onto one another before she reaches for Kurt’s hand, then she shoos Puck toward the edge of the stage. “Off you go, you. Join the others.”
For a moment she thinks he might refuse, but he finally nods and lets go of Kurt to head offstage and complete the final four. Once he’s gone Cat pulls Kurt close, sliding an arm around his shoulders and turning him to face the screen at the back of the stage.
“Shall we see some of your best moments?” she asks, and when he gives her a watery smile and nods she squeezes him and turns back to the screen. Together they watch Kurt at his audition, looking nervous and dancing flawlessly, but never once looking at the audience. They see him dance with Tina and some of the all-stars, see him laughing with the rest of the cast and finally they all watch him dance with Puck, eyes shining and lighting up the whole stage, and it’s easy to see just how far he’s come.
“Amazing. Truly amazing, you are,” she says, giving him one more squeeze as he wipes away fresh tears.
Once the package is over she calls Rachel back out, then she closes out the show while the top four scramble back onto the stage to say goodbye to the two ousted dancers. And they won’t be gone for long, because they’re all coming back to dance in the finale, but it’s still difficult to see them go.
Cat stands back and lets the others swarm Kurt and Rachel, passing them from one pair of arms to another and then back again, and when Kurt gets to Puck and pulls him forward to kiss him square on the lips Cat laughs along with the rest of them. Some of the producers might not care much for it, but there’s not a thing they can do about it now.
Week Twelve: Top Four Perform
Fandom: Glee/So You Think You Can Dance
Pairing: Puck/Kurt
Rating: PG
Word count: 1000
Warnings: Cheesiness. Lack of dance knowledge. Random Cat Deeley fangirling.
Summary: AU. Kurt's a classically trained dancer who has trouble connecting to his audience. Puck's a novice b-boy with loads of charisma and not a whole lot else. When they meet at the New York auditions for So You Think You Can Dance, both their lives change in more ways than they anticipated. AO3 link
A/N: I love Cat Deeley. That's really my only excuse.
Week Eleven: Top Six Results
Cat’s not exaggerating when she says she hates Thursdays. She loves her job, loves the choreographers and the judges and especially the dancers, every one of them, and she dreads nothing more than telling two of them they’re going home every week.
If it were up to her they’d all stay and dance all season long, and at the finale the judges would pick one final winner and be done with it. She’s said as much to Nigel, but so far he hasn’t seemed keen on taking any of her suggestions on board.
More’s the pity, she thinks as she lines the boys up, taking in their sad little faces and the way they’re all clinging to each other as though they can delay the inevitable. She’s already sent Brittany to safety, and when she opens the envelope and reads Mike’s name she’s not surprised.
“Mike. You’re the first guy through to the finale,” Cat says, then she steps back to let first Puck and then Kurt congratulate him. She gives them a moment before she shoos him off the stage, then she has to send Kurt and Puck backstage to suffer with Rachel and Tina for a bit longer.
And she feels terrible for Rachel and Tina, but she feels worse for Kurt and Puck. It’s been clear since the start that they’re sweet on each other, and Cat’s been dreading the time when she has to bring them up on stage together and split them up. It’s partly selfish; she loves a good love story, and they are sweet together. But mostly she just hates that they have to be separated so close to the end of the competition, when they need the moral support more than ever.
Puck’s the only contestant whose family hasn’t come to see him dance, and if Kurt leaves too then he really will be all alone. Kurt, on the other hand, has grown so much since the start that even Cat can see it, and even after all these years she still doesn’t know much about dancing.
But someone has to go, and it’s going to be one or the other. She takes a deep breath as the final commercial rolls and steps back onto the stage, taking her mark and calling the girls onto the stage first.
“Shall we get it over with quickly, my lovelies?” she says, smiling at a nervous Tina and an absolutely panic-stricken Rachel. “The final girl joining our top four is…Tina. Rachel, that means you’re leaving us tonight.”
After a quick hug Tina escapes to safety, and Cat smiles and pulls Rachel close. “Come here, you gorgeous creature. Let’s take a look at some of your best moments, shall we?”
She keeps her arm around a shell-shocked Rachel throughout her package, smiling when Rachel’s fathers come on the screen to assure the viewing audience that she’ll be bringing home this trophy just like she’s brought home every other trophy she’s ever gone after. Cat pats her shoulder when it’s all over, then she sends Rachel backstage and calls the boys out.
It’s the moment she’s been dreading most of all, if she’s being honest. She doesn’t play favorites, really; she loves all her babies equally, and she hates to see every one of them go. But pitting these two against one another seems too cruel, even if it’s only a week before they’ll be reunited at the finale.
Kurt and Puck walk onstage hand in hand, and Cat just smiles at them for a moment before she gets down to business. They really are lovely together, she thinks, her heart breaking a little when Puck’s arm goes around Kurt’s shoulders and he leans in to whisper something in Kurt’s ear. Whatever he says makes Kurt laugh, and Cat smiles again and takes a deep breath.
“You two. You’ve had quite a week, both of you, but we’ve delayed as long as we can, I’m afraid,” she says, brandishing the card in her hand for the audience to see. “The final dancer in our top four is…”
Cat pauses and glances down at the card, and she’s truly not sure whether or not to be surprised at the result. “Puck. Kurt, I’m afraid your journey ends tonight, my darling.”
Kurt nods, his sweet face flushing pink as he turns into Puck. She watches Puck pull him close and press a kiss to his cheek, and over the roar of the audience she hears Puck say, “I thought for sure it would be me.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Kurt answers, then, “You deserve it, Noah. Remember that.”
She gives them another moment to hold onto one another before she reaches for Kurt’s hand, then she shoos Puck toward the edge of the stage. “Off you go, you. Join the others.”
For a moment she thinks he might refuse, but he finally nods and lets go of Kurt to head offstage and complete the final four. Once he’s gone Cat pulls Kurt close, sliding an arm around his shoulders and turning him to face the screen at the back of the stage.
“Shall we see some of your best moments?” she asks, and when he gives her a watery smile and nods she squeezes him and turns back to the screen. Together they watch Kurt at his audition, looking nervous and dancing flawlessly, but never once looking at the audience. They see him dance with Tina and some of the all-stars, see him laughing with the rest of the cast and finally they all watch him dance with Puck, eyes shining and lighting up the whole stage, and it’s easy to see just how far he’s come.
“Amazing. Truly amazing, you are,” she says, giving him one more squeeze as he wipes away fresh tears.
Once the package is over she calls Rachel back out, then she closes out the show while the top four scramble back onto the stage to say goodbye to the two ousted dancers. And they won’t be gone for long, because they’re all coming back to dance in the finale, but it’s still difficult to see them go.
Cat stands back and lets the others swarm Kurt and Rachel, passing them from one pair of arms to another and then back again, and when Kurt gets to Puck and pulls him forward to kiss him square on the lips Cat laughs along with the rest of them. Some of the producers might not care much for it, but there’s not a thing they can do about it now.
Week Twelve: Top Four Perform