Fifth Prompt Post
Welcome to the Glee Angst Meme again! You know how these things work. You can come here and prompt your most angsty prompts, and write stories filling those angsty prompts to let our characters suffer
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This was started quite a while ago (long before we started getting spoilers for the first half of S3), so let's just ignore the fact that one of the song choices ended up being used on the show.
Set somewhere between 'Born This Way' and 'Prom Queen', so Rachel and Kurt's friendship is still in the middle of that awkward transition phase. Big thanks to those who offered encouragement/concrit. This was also partially inspired by a prompt here (http://glee-angst-meme.livejournal.com/3065.html?thread=4898041#t4898041)
"All right, guys, settle down."
Rachel straightened in her seat as Mr. Schuester wrote his latest lesson on the white board. Lately, his ideas for weekly focus points had been somewhat lacking in originality, with frequent dips into whatever he happened to have watched on television the night before. She was pretty sure last week's 'Country Stars of the 1990's' theme had been a category on Final Jeopardy.
The dry erase marker squeaked as he finished.
"'Passion,'" Mr. Schuester said, dotting the 'i' with a flourish.
"You mean with the guy who hates satellites?" Brittany said with a dazed frown. "That's so racist."
Mr. Schuester stared at her, momentarily thrown. "Uh...no," he said. "I've been watching the performance videos of some of the top winners at Nationals the last couple of years, and one theme each of the groups had in common was passion," he said, underlining the word.
"Wait," said Finn, looking confused, "I thought Principal Figgins banned us from singing about sex after Jacob Ben Israel got trampled during the Britney Spears riot."
Rachel nodded in agreement - even though he was dating Quinn now, it was important that Finn see how much she supported him in everything he said and did. It was all a part of her plan to make him realise his unconditional love for her.
Mr. Schue smiled as if he'd been expecting the comment. "Ah, but passion doesn't just have to be about sex. It can be about romance, or ambitions, or even music. This week's assignment: I want each of you to find a song that demonstrates passion for something. Really feel what you're singing about."
A few groans sounded out from the risers, but Rachel squared her shoulders. The assignment was uninspired and presented very little challenge for someone as versed in music as she was, but she believed in giving every task your best effort. It was just one example of what made her such an unstoppable star.
"And to kick off the week, I thought it'd be a good idea to do a song from one of the most passionate musicals of our time," their teacher continued, turning around to grab a stack of sheet music from on top of the piano. He held the first page up for them to see. "'The Phantom of the Opera.'"
"Isn't that the one with the guy whose face was burnt with acid and stuff?" said Puck, his eyes wide. "That's totally sick."
"The Phantom of the Opera," Mr. Schue began handing out the sheets as if he hadn't heard Puck's comment, "is all about passion for music and song, and how that passion can be strong enough to consume people. The title number is iconic for its depiction of two people completely wrapped up in their passion for singing and each other."
Rachel raised her hand eagerly. "Mr. Schuester? I think Finn and I can properly demonstrate the meaning of this assignment for the others. Our undeniable stage presence can only be rivalled by Sarah Brighton and Michael Crawford themselves." She turned in her seat to beam up at Finn. This was the perfect opportunity to remind him of the chemistry they shared.
"Uh." Finn had that adorable cornered look on his face. Quinn elbowed him in the side. "Actually, I think I'm coming down with something." He coughed once, earning a pleased nod from his girlfriend.
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Rachel's shoulders drooped, her plans for a heartfelt duet with Finn dashed. Her disappointment only grew as the other boys remained silent behind her, Sam looking bored while Mike and Artie just stared uncomfortably at the wall. Without Finn, their club was sorely lacking a strong leading man. How could she be expected to shine without a proper partner backing her up?
Suddenly, Kurt stood, wearing that familiar haughty expression as he made his way to the bottom of the risers. "I suppose it's up to me to do this song justice, then," he said, raising an expectant eyebrow at Rachel. "Phantom may be overrated, but it's still a classic."
The rest of the club seemed surprised - Kurt hadn't pushed for a solo since he'd transferred back - but the look on his face dared them to comment.
Slightly stunned, Mr. Schuester gestured him on. "Yeah, okay, Kurt. If you think you're up for it," he said, taking a seat.
Rachel stood as well, joining him at the front. While he may not have been her first choice for a duet partner, at least Kurt could be trusted to sing the song properly. Next to her, he was probably the only one in the club who could appreciate the brilliance that was Andrew Lloyd Webber.
The music started, and Rachel willed herself into character. The song wasn't much of a challenge for her. She'd had it down since she was five - Phantom had been very popular when her dads had gotten together - and tapping into the heartfelt longing and curiosity of promising young ingénue Christine Daae was a simple task.
She hit each of her notes with exactly the right amount of power, imagining herself on a Broadway stage with thousands of adoring faces staring up at her, entranced by her stunning voice. She closed her eyes as she finished her verse, soulfully depicting the music possessing her like it did Christine.
"Sing once again with me our strange duet-"
Rachel's eyes shot open at the deep timbre of Kurt's voice. She'd almost forgotten he was there, but his pitch-perfect harmony made it impossible to ignore him now. His eyes were on her, like a cat stalking a mouse, a slight smirk on his lips. She watched in shock as he walked a slow circle around her, his voice low and sultry.
"My power over you grows stronger yet."
Her eyes were drawn to his, a strange warm feeling spreading throughout her. She had never realised how amazing Kurt's range was before. It was so rare to hear him sing in his lower register, but he hit each note perfectly. She realised now that that unfortunate 'Pink Houses' incident last year had failed to properly showcase his true talents. Then, his voice had had a gruff, forced quality to it, and his facial expressions and wardrobe had made it impossible to connect to his true feelings on the song. Today, though, his voice was clear and smooth. Eagerly, she began to sing again, their two harmonies blending together as one.
Why had she never truly appreciated how wonderful they sounded before now?
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"I am the mask you wear-"
"-It's me they hear."
It suddenly struck her how attractive Kurt was when he was singing. She'd never really noticed it before, but the way he'd been wearing his hair lately made him look more mature, and his most recent growth spurt meant that she really had to look up to meet his eyes. He was more confident, too - ever since he'd come back from Dalton. He seemed so at home in his own skin. Genuine self-confidence was a very good trait to have; it was the sign of a true star. Finn had admittedly been lacking in it, but Kurt wore it in every expression and movement, his long fingers beckoning her forward.
Kurt would make an amazing leading man, she realised. Maybe the reason she'd never noticed before was because they'd spent so much of their time fighting one another.
Now that she thought about it, though, all of the bickering she and Kurt had done was just like every great love story she'd ever seen. All of the romantic tension between the leading man and woman made them hate and compete against one another. But then that hate slowly grew to respect, and then, just before it was too late, they realised that they were each other's true loves.
Distantly, she was aware that the song was reaching its end, the rest of the glee club joining in, but Rachel only had eyes for Kurt.
He was exactly the type of guy she should be with. They had the same interests, the same idols, the same goals in life. She could see it now - the two of them living in a gorgeous and stylish New York apartment, starring on Broadway, one of those famous celebrity couples who appeared in everything together. Kurt could escort her down the red carpet at her first Tony nomination, and only he would understand how much it meant to her.
It was the dream future she'd always envisioned for herself, and it'd been right in front of her all along.
Rachel closed her eyes as he moved to stand next her, the music swelling up as she belted out the final note.
She was in love with Kurt Hummel.
TBC
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For the record, this fic is completely written (it clocked in somewhere just shy of 12,000 words), but it might take me a few days to finish editing and posting it, so I appreciate your patience in the meantime!
"For the last time, Finn, I'm not helping you turn our riding lawn mower into a go-kart."
Finn frowned, walking faster to keep up with Kurt as he made his way to his locker. For a little guy, he was crazy fast in a crowd.
"Come on, dude, it'll be awesome!" he said, pleading a bit. What was the point of having a brother who was a mechanic if he wouldn't make you cool stuff? "Puck said he'd pay you."
He made sure to keep one eye on the other students as they walked, watching for threats. He knew he'd dropped the ball last semester when it came to all of the bullying stuff, but he'd made a promise to Kurt and to Burt to do better this time around, and he wasn't going to let them down. Just because Santana and Karofsky had started that weird French-hat club didn't mean that others wouldn't try something if they got a chance. Kurt was his responsibility, and he was determined to be the best big brother ever.
Even if Kurt was technically a month-and-a-half older than him.
"Much as I'd love to help Puck launder his no-doubt stolen money, I'd prefer to keep my record spotless," Kurt said as he opened his locker.
"Hey, not cool," said Finn, feeling defensive. "Puck's not like that anymore. You know he wouldn't risk his parole over something stupid."
Actually, he didn't know where the money was coming from, but he'd heard him and Artie saying something about a busker revolution downtown, so it was probably okay.
"The answer's still no."
Kurt pulled out that big can of hairspray he owned and Finn backed away a bit - he'd learned the hard way not to stand too close when Kurt was spraying it. He'd always wondered how his lungs could take so much of the stuff.
Looking up, he noticed Rachel staring at them from down the hall.
Oh crap. She had that crazy, determined look on her face, like when she was talking about making them matching coffee mugs with their heads photoshopped on to Disney characters and stuff.
He panicked as she started heading straight for them like one of those smart missiles from Mario Kart. Quinn had been really scary about him talking to Rachel lately, and he was kind of running out of ways to let Rachel know it was over. It wasn't that he didn't like her or anything, but, well, she'd cheated on him, and that was something you didn't just forget about.
Well, except for all the stuff with Quinn, but that had been a whole year ago, so it was different.
Rachel stopped right in front of them, a big smile on her face, and Finn braced himself.
Wait, why wasn't she looking at him?
"Kurt, I'm so glad I caught you," she said, her eyes wide and focused as Kurt looked up from his locker.
Finn frowned - wait, what?
"I was looking through my closet earlier and I've decided that it's time for a change. I wondered if you might be willing to make some suggestions?" Was she batting her eyes at him? He'd thought girls only did that when they liked someone. Or when they had pink eye. He really hoped she didn't have pink eye - that'd be gross.
Kurt's head perked up like one of those meerkats they were always showing on Animal Planet. "Rachel Berry, are you offering to let me give you a makeover?"
Rachel smiled, and she was totally trying to hit on Kurt. Finn could tell, 'cause now she was staring at him like her eyes were glued open. Huh. He'd never really realised how creepy she could be when she was flirting.
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"I'll do it," Kurt interrupted, closing his locker and pointing a finger at her. "Your house, after school. We'll start with the animal sweaters - I'll bring garbage bags and gasoline."
She glanced down at her bright purple moose sweater uncertainly, but Kurt was already leaving. Smiling like she did when something went her way, Rachel turned, heading off to her next class with a cute little bounce in her step.
Confused, Finn watched them both go. He wasn't really sure what'd just happened, but he really didn't like it.
*
Rachel hummed to herself as she walked out of her third period chemistry class, feeling the satisfaction that only achieving one's goals can bring. It had been two days since her revelation, and while it was true that Kurt had yet to realise his deep feelings for her, she was confident that they were well on their way to the start of their fairytale romance.
Like any true achiever, she'd broken down her idea into a series of defined steps that were guaranteed to get her into Kurt's arms in no time.
Phase one of her plan the night before had meant the sacrifice of a good portion of her wardrobe - including her favourite red and yellow polka-dot skirt, after Kurt had said it made her look like a sad clown hooker. She could only hope the Goodwill store they'd given it to would let her buy it back once she and Kurt were girlfriend and boyfriend.
She'd even managed to secure a shopping date that night to replace the clothes they'd gotten rid of. While Kurt's taste in clothes was quite eclectic compared to her own, the brilliance of Rachel's plan lay in allowing him to dress her as he wanted. Without even realising it, Kurt would be transforming her into his dream girl.
Rachel just had to hope her dads wouldn't question the expenses being charged to their credit card - Kurt's tastes didn't run cheap, either. She'd have to convince them the makeover was an important part of developing her image as a leading lady.
She squared her shoulders, determined. It would all be worth it when she and Kurt became the new glee club power couple.
Now, it was time for the next stage of her plan: a thoughtful gift that spoke to their connection and future together, paired with a well-placed compliment that demonstrated her high regard for him.
Spotting Kurt at his locker again, she headed straight for him with a winning smile.
"Kurt! I wanted you to know that you did a very good job of blending with the other background singers in glee today. Normally, your voice can be somewhat overpowering in its pitch, but you managed to be indistinct enough to allow me to shine as the true star of the song. It's reassuring to know that my talent will be properly highlighted against a flat backdrop of singers at Nationals."
"Why, thank you, Rachel," Kurt said dryly. "It's always nice to know one's work is acceptably average."
She dropped her gaze as a small thrill of satisfaction ran through her. So far, phase two was a success. She watched him out of the corner of her eyes, feigning uncertainty.
"Of course, it's such a big burden - carrying Nationals all by myself," she said, toying with the edge of her binder. "I- I wouldn't want to let my fellow glee club members down - not when so many of you will likely be called on to provide quotes for my future best-selling biography."
Kurt quirked his eyebrows as he checked his hair in his locker mirror. Rachel couldn't help but imagine how flawless they'd look in their tabloid photos together someday - she appreciated a romantic partner who was as prepared for paparazzi ambushes as she was.
"Oh, I'm sure you'll manage to steal the spotlight just fine, Rachel," he said, smoothing his fringe into place. "You always do."
Pleased at his praise, Rachel smiled to herself. Time for the second half of phase two.
Shyly, she opened the cover of her binder to produce the gift she'd spent most of that morning working on.
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Accepting the present hesitantly, Kurt paused as he looked down at the photo frame.
"...This is a picture of John Travolta and Olivia Newton John in Grease with our heads glued onto it."
She beamed. She'd realised belatedly that she didn't really have any pictures of the two of them together, but this was even better. Sandy and Danny were just some of the roles they could play together once they were famous and on Broadway. She'd spent most of the night watching Evita on DVD and envisioning their revival of it - Kurt would be the perfect Che to her Eva Perron.
"See, the frame is covered in stars, because they're kind of my thing," she said, helpfully pointing in case Kurt had missed them. "That way, when you feel down, you can think of me, and what an incredible star I am. I always find it very inspiring."
Kurt nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving the frame. "Thank you, Rachel. I'll treasure it always," he said flatly, putting it inside his locker and shutting the door.
He turned and left without a goodbye, but Rachel understood that he was probably just overwhelmed. Unlike Finn, Kurt knew the importance of being a star, and could appreciate the significance of such thoughtful a gift. She watched him go, mentally checking off another step of her plan.
Phase two was officially a success.
*
Blaine's breath caught as Kurt's foot brushed his under their table at the Lima Bean. It was probably an accident, judging by how engrossed his boyfriend was in his story about his latest shopping trip with Mercedes, but Blaine couldn't stop the warm feeling that spread throughout him at the casualness of it.
It was nice, being so comfortable around someone else. He'd never know why it'd taken him so long to see it, but he was grateful he had.
"-and then, Mercedes picked up this truly horrendous pair of jeggings, but thankfully I put a stop to that nonsense before she made it to the changing room. I swear, whoever invented those embarrassments to fashion should be hunted down and flogged."
Blaine laughed at the serious look on Kurt's face.
"Another crisis averted," he said, taking a sip of his coffee and wishing their after-school dates could last longer. It'd been so much easier when they hadn't had to wait all day to be together.
"Hey, you two! Fancy seeing you here!"
They both glanced up to see Rachel Berry hovering over their table, a large grin on her face and a coffee cup in her hand. Blaine smiled, greeting her with a friendly nod - if not confused - nod. She was wearing a severe-looking trench coat-style dress that he was pretty sure was from Sarah Burton's new collection, and, while stylish, it was a far cry from Rachel's usual GapKids look. He wondered how she'd managed to afford it.
Then again, anyone whose parents would build a stage in their basement just so their daughter could give impromptu concerts probably wouldn't deny her much.
Kurt spared only a glance for her outfit before turning back to his coffee with disinterest.
"We're here every day at four o'clock, Rachel. Everybody knows this."
Rachel seemed not to hear him. She grabbed a chair from another table just as a man had been moving to sit in it, causing Blaine's brow to furrow slightly. Oblivious to the man's glare, she positioned the seat right next to Kurt.
"I wanted to thank you again for the new clothes," she said, watching Kurt with an intense focus. "While I admit I enjoyed the comfort and convenience of my old style - and I still find the corsets hard to breathe in - I know it's good practice for when I'm famous and expected to become a fashion icon to millions."
"Well, I'm always willing to help one of the less style-fortunate," Kurt said primly, though Blaine could tell from the quirk of his lips that he was pleased by the praise.
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"I know if anyone can appreciate the importance of standing apart from the crowd, it's you," she continued with a soft laugh, leaning into Kurt. "It's just one more thing the two of us have in common."
Blaine had the brief realisation that he was being ignored, but he shrugged it off, sipping his coffee. The strange rivalry-come-friendship between Kurt and Rachel had always confused him, and it was probably best not to interfere with it.
Rachel looked down in a way that was uncharacteristically demure.
"Anyway, I'm glad I ran into you," she said, turning almost full-body toward Kurt, putting herself in his line of sight. "As it happens, my dads have two tickets to the sold-out community production of Chicago in Columbus, but it conflicts with their annual couples retreat in Vermont. So, I thought you'd like to go with me. No one else would really appreciate Roxy Hart's desperate attempts to become a star at any cost like you would. I guess that's what makes us both so compatible."
Blaine frowned lightly - it was a little rude of Rachel to invite Kurt when he was sitting right there across from them, but he knew Rachel probably didn't mean anything by it. She didn't always think about things like that. He couldn't help but feel like he was missing something, though. Watching her press close to Kurt's side again, oblivious to him leaning away from her, he blinked. Was she...flirting?
Huh. He was the first to admit that he could be pretty oblivious when it came to reading signals - it usually took until someone was handing over their number for him to realise that they weren't just being friendly - but he was pretty sure this was Rachel flirting. With Kurt. Right in front of him.
He'd given up on trying to keep all of the McKinley gossip straight, but the last he'd heard, Rachel'd still been hung up on Finn. In fact, more than a few of his dates with Kurt (and not-dates before they were dating, which he now realised had sort of been pseudo-dates to Kurt, which, yeah, again with the poor signal-reading) had been interrupted by Rachel's broken-hearted-and-slightly-manic monologues about why she and Finn should be together.
So, how did hitting on his step-brother fit into that equation?
Kurt had perked up at the mere mention of theatre tickets, an excited gleam in his eyes.
"Stop right there," he said, holding up a hand as Rachel looked poised to continue speaking. "I'll go. Chicago isn't exactly Wicked, but nothing could make me turn down the chance to see 'All That Jazz' performed live."
Rachel grinned, giving Kurt a quick hug that he stiffly returned.
"Great, then it's a date!" she said, standing. "You can pick me up at six. My curfew's not until midnight, so we'll have time to grab coffee afterwards, and then you can drive me home. I'll be expecting your call to work out the finer details."
Blaine and Kurt both watched as she turned on heel and left.
"Well, that was delightful," Kurt said dryly before immediately launching into a discussion of last night's Top Model episode.
Amused, Blaine settled back into his seat again. He still wasn't sure what was going on with Rachel, but Kurt didn't seem too alarmed, so it was probably nothing to worry about.
Besides, from what he'd observed, their club tended to lose interest in stuff pretty quickly.
TBC
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Oh, this is wonderful so far! Rachel's selfish obliviousness is actually kinda cute.
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Finn kicked off his shoes and shut the front door behind him. He grinned, heading straight for the kitchen. It was Wednesday, which meant his mom had a late shift at the hospital and Burt wouldn't be home for a couple of hours.
Plenty of time for a snack with his video games before they came home and complained about him ruining his dinner.
He grabbed a soda from the fridge along with a few necessities from the cupboards. Chips. Oreos. Salsa. Cheetos. Quinn'd probably say he was pigging out, but in his defence, dinners at their house kinda sucked ever since Kurt had convinced his mom to make them all 'heart healthy' vegetable junk all the time. Lettuce was okay in, like, sandwiches and stuff, but no guy can be expected to live on that.
Hmm. Actually, a BLT sounded pretty good right now.
Finn froze suddenly, spotting a blue and white plate on the counter. He grabbed it, abandoning his snacks as he stomped out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
Kurt was in his room, his laptop open to that pink gossip site that sounded like it was written by that hot heiress from the porno but Kurt insisted was far beyond her "mental faculties" to maintain, whatever that meant.
"Why is Rachel making you cookies?" he accused, holding the plate up as evidence. He knew those cookies - Rachel'd given him a whole ton of them after they broke up, with messages spelled out on them like 'I'm Sorry' and 'I Love You' and 'We Didn't Even Have Sex.' That last one had been a really big plate. It'd taken him, Mike, and Artie to finish them all, because even though he was really mad at Rachel, she still made pretty good cookies. And being angry made him hungry.
She'd always made them for their anniversaries and stuff, too, like the anniversary of their first kiss, and the anniversary of their first date, and the anniversary of their first duet in front of a live audience. It used to make him nervous when they were dating, because seeing a plate of them usually meant that he'd forgotten something important and Rachel was about to start yelling at him.
So, yeah, Finn knew those cookies. They always meant something. And he was pretty sure Rachel hadn't cheated on Kurt with Puck.
Kurt waved a hand at the plate without looking away from his laptop.
"She cornered me in the parking lot," he said, sounding distracted. "As if I'd throw away all of my hard work in fitting into my new skinny jeans on a plate full of calories. I don't care what Rachel says - vegan does not equal fat free."
Finn glanced down at the star-shaped cookies with a frown.
The words '#1 Countertenor' stared up at him in pink frosting. The last one had a heart on it. She used to only put hearts on Finn's cookies.
"If you want to eat them, be my guest," Kurt said, idly scrolling down a webpage. "Just don't let my dad have any - I know you're the one who snuck him that Big Mac last week, and I'm not about to let him ruin his health for something Rachel Berry baked."
Crap - he hadn't thought Kurt knew about that. In his defence, though, Kurt had made them all this really gross tofu bean stuff with a French-sounding name for dinner that night. He and his mom kept going on about how good it was for them, and Burt had agreed, waiting until the last plate was cleared to slip the car keys and a ten dollar bill into Finn's hand. Finn couldn't have left fast enough - as far as he was concerned, they deserved that McDonalds for actually finishing it all.
Besides, it was kind of cool to be the one Burt went to for stuff like that. Like there was this weird sort of secret pact between them.
Finn shook his head - this wasn't about what he'd done wrong - it was about Kurt. Kurt and Rachel. And a plate of very incriminating sugar cookies.
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Finn thought it over. Yeah, that made sense - Kurt probably didn't even know what was happening. Once Finn explained it to him, he'd be really upset and shoot Rachel down and then she'd be back to normal.
Shrugging, Kurt said, "I try to avoid devoting any of my spare time to contemplating the inner-workings of Rachel's brain."
"Well, maybe you should, because- because she's been hitting on you," Finn said seriously, pausing for the inevitable freak-out.
Instead Kurt shot him a bored look before turning his attention back to his computer.
"Yes? And?"
"But- But Rachel's a girl," he said, feeling confused - wasn't he going to do anything about it? Maybe Kurt didn't get what a big deal this was. "And she's hitting on you. You don't want that."
Kurt closed his laptop.
"As touching as your concern for my welfare is, I assure you it's unnecessary. Besides, aren't you with Quinn now?"
Finn faltered. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean I don't- I mean, it's not cool to lead people on, dude," he said, frowning.
Kurt raised an eyebrow at him. "She already knows I'm gay, Finn."
"Yeah, well, maybe you should remind her or something, because I'm pretty sure I saw her writing down ideas for a romantic mixed CD in fourth period." He knew it'd been a romantic CD because there'd been at least four songs from Rent on it, and that had always been part of Rachel's go-to date soundtrack.
Shaking his head, Kurt stood.
"I'm already seeing someone, and Rachel's well aware that that someone is a guy. The fact remains that it doesn't concern you either way," said Kurt, ushering Finn out the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a Skype date in two hours and I need to get ready for it."
The door shut in his face, leaving Finn alone in the hallway.
Feeling a lot grumpier than he had when he came home, he turned and headed for the stairs, but stopped, his eyes falling to the plate of cookies in his hand. He glared for a minute before taking a bite out of the star with a 'C' on it.
No point letting them go to waste.
*
The glee club was unruly as usual, Rachel's fellow teammates a loud and immature crowd with no appreciation for proper decorum. She herself sat attentive in the front row, steadfastly ignoring the odd looks Finn had been shooting her when he thought Quinn wasn't looking.
She hadn't been able to secure a seat next to Kurt - Tina and Mercedes had walked in alongside him, leaving her with little opportunity - so, instead she'd made sure to sit directly in his eyeline. He'd spend the whole glee practice unable to stop himself from noticing her.
It was a good thing she'd gone with the red-and-white printed dress that morning instead of the faux-ripped beige one - the giant bell-shaped hips would be sure to catch his eye where they hung out over her chair.
Even if it was really hard to sit without rolling off the side.
The last to enter, Mr. Schuester gave them all a big smile, setting down his messenger bag.
"You guys did a great job with the passion assignment," he said, stopping in the middle of the room. "But I really think we need to get back to our roots."
He clapped his hands, looking excited. "I know we had some issues the last time we tried West Side Story, but I think it has just the right blend of passion and romance for us."
Rachel bounced in her seat, the hoop of her dress adding an extra wobble to her enthusiasm. This was perfect - another chance for her to claim her rightful place as Maria. The daily notes she slipped under the door of Mr. Schuester's office must have finally paid off.
And she knew just who she wanted to play her Tony.
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"The judges really seemed to like our romantic duets at past competitions, and I think this could be a great song for Nationals."
Rachel glanced down at the sheet she was handed, another rush of excitement going through her at seeing 'Somewhere' written at the top.
Immediately, she raised her hand and stood, cutting off whatever their teacher was saying.
"Mr. Schue, if I may," she said, smiling graciously to her fellow glee club members as she gained their attention. "I think Kurt and I would be perfect for this duet. Our voices blend like they were made for each other, and our natural chemistry while singing will be just what we need to win Nationals."
She could feel the others' eyes on her. They were probably wondering how she managed to come up with so many great ideas.
Mr. Schuester sighed.
"Rachel, we already talked about this at Sectionals. You and Finn can't always just-" he stopped, frowning. "Wait, you and Kurt?"
Her smile widened as he stared at her. This was a brilliant plan - singing this duet with Kurt at Nationals would require them to be around one another constantly. And once their overwhelming romantic tension was met with a dark auditorium and the power of Sondheim's lyrics, Kurt would have no choice but to succumb to his hidden feelings and admit they were soulmates.
Looking uncertain, Mr. Schuester turned his attention behind her. "Kurt?" he asked.
Kurt was obviously trying to contain his excitement, still sitting primly in his seat. His good posture was really quite admirable. "Far be it from me to refuse a solo. And West Side Story is a particular favourite of mine."
"O-okay, then," Mr. Schue nodded, trying to smile. "I guess we've got our two soloists."
Sitting back down again, Rachel nodded to herself. Everything was working out perfectly.
TBC
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