[Glee] Heroes, Prologue
Title: Heroes
Author: Mokoshna
Pairings: Mostly hints, except for Santana/Brittany.
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Up to Journey.
Disclaimer: Fox owns Glee.
Summary: We could be heroes for just one day. Or two.
Warnings: Gratuitous cosplay. Crack.
Notes: I had a vague discussion with berylia about Santana and Brittany being Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn (just because we both used icons about the villains while talking about the cheerleaders). It made me want to see the rest of the cast in superheroes' attires. It's stupid and I should be ashamed, I know.
As usual, no beta reading cause I'm lazy like that. Enjoy!
Prologue: How it began
For some people, high school was a time of trials. A time when the blandest teenager could still become someone if he had the right clothes, smile or friends. He could lose it in one night if he ever make a wrong step, but who cared? Priorities were warped when you were between twelve and twenty.
“They are so confused,” Will confessed to Emma. “I can understand; we were all like that at this age. Do you remember when you were fifteen?”
Emma fidgeted in her chair. She still find it a little difficult to be in the same room than him, apparently. Will smiled at her but tried not to overdo it; he was there for advice, nothing else. Surely she would understand?
“I do,” she finally said after a minute. “Remember, I mean.” She paled. “I was confused and shy and I thought my math teacher hated me because he didn't let me cover the top of my desk and chair with plastic wrap.”
Will blinked.
“Oh. Well, apart from that, was there something you liked back then? Maybe you had some kind of... way out?”
Emma's eyes widened. Will resisted the urge to sigh. Her way of over-thinking everything was kind of fascinating, once you have passed all the awkwardness her presence created. Will liked that about her; she was spontaneous in her stiffness, open-minded despite the strict way she carried herself in life. That was the change of pace he needed.
“I liked books,” Emma said. “Particularly those written by Jane Austen. I felt better after reading the adventures of those women from another country and century. How peculiar, isn't it? My schoolmates thought I was boring. I always quoted Elizabeth Bennet and Elinor Dashwood.”
“Not Emma Woodhouse? You share the same name.”
“You read the novel?”
“My mother did. She loved it.”
Emma looked disheartened.
“Oh. I didn't. The heroine was too... daring for me.”
“She was certainly very peculiar,” Will said with a smile. “My mother told me she despised the character's behavior but not the character herself, because she was so oblivious and so sure she was right it was funny. Of course, her actions always led to disaster.”
“Not always,” Emma corrected. “In the end, she came to her senses and saw that the man she truly loved was the one who was always there for her. The one she saw every day and who challenged her.”
Will nodded awkwardly. The conversation was beginning to take a detour he didn't like.
“So you say these kids need to be more aware of their surroundings?”
Emma fidgeted again.
“Not necessarily, but they sure need advice. That's what I'm here for, right?”
“And that's why I'm here myself. To find some way to encourage them.”
“Right. For the kids.”
Will coughed.
“Yeah.”
He adverted his eyes. He didn't need this kind of stress right now, not after the year he passed. His relationship with Emma was still tense but they tried to cover it by being professionals; teachers who cared for their students and wanted to improve their chances in life. Nothing else mattered now.
“They need someone to look up to,” Emma said.
Her eyes were wet. She tried to smile but failed miserably. More than anything else, Will wanted to reach for her but he didn't dare to do it for fear of distressing her more.
“They need some moral figure who is not a parent. Like you. You already play this role.”
Will sighed.
“I don't know. I'm not at my peek these days.”
“I loved Elizabeth Bennet, Emma said softly. After I was bullied by my classmates, I pretended I was her so I could defend myself. In my mind, I found dozens of ways to be a quirky Jane Austen heroine without lifting a finger. It didn't work in real life but I was calmer after those daydreams. Make-believe is a wonderful thing, don't you think so?”
“Yes. Believing is always good.”
“I wouldn't say it's always good, but it helps, sometimes. At fifteen I thought, 'If only it was real, if only I was like these women, beautiful and confident and kind.' Instead, I was plain and powerless. Like now.”
Will shook his head.
“You're not. You may not be as confident as they are, but you're beautiful and kind and more importantly, you're real. You can make a difference and you try to. Every day of the week, you're here to help the kids with their problems.”
She gave him the smallest smile.
“Thank you.”
It was really a wonderful feeling.
***
“Heroes,” Mr Schuester said. “In this world, people still believe in heroes. That's your week's assignment. You have to find a song about heroes.”
Everyone except Rachel exchanged doubtful glances. Artie raised his hand.
“What kind of heroes? Superheroes? Like in comic books?”
“Good question,” Mr Schuester said with a smile. “There are different kind of heroes. Superheroes, anti-heroes, everyday heroes. Choose the one you prefer. I don't have any preference.”
Easier said than done. After telling them more about it, Mr Schuester went away to let them ponder. Rachel was so excited she jumped in front of Finn and took his hands in hers.
“I think we should team for this.”
“What a surprise,” Mercedes snorted. “And who would you be? Super Magical Singer?”
Rachel ignored her.
“Mr Schuester said we didn't have to be cartoon heroes. So I thought we should be historical heroic figures, like Romeo and Juliet or Tristan and Iseult.”
Finn stared at her.
“Who?”
“They're both tragic couples,” Tina said. “Maybe you can play the lovers from this old Titanic movie. At least, only the guy died.”
Finn cowered in horror.
“I don't want to die! I want to go to college!”
Tina shrugged.
“You don't have to die, just play the role.”
“I don't know. I think I prefer being Superman.” Finn looked at Rachel. “You could be Wonder Woman! You're a brunette and you like to boss us around.”
“More like annoy the hell out of everyone and their mother,” Kurt said.
The rest of the group laughed.
“Quinn should be a queen,” Puck said. “It's in her name.”
Quinn glared at him.
“Ha, very clever.”
“If we follow your idea,” Kurt said, “you should be a fairy yourself.”
“Say what?”
Rachel clasped her hands.
“Oh! That would be awesome! Maybe we could reenact our own version of the play. Our names would be the starting bolt of a semantic experience that would unify our group through a theatrical journey. Think about it. We could sing and be heroes and queens and fairies and whatever we want.”
“I'm not a fucking fairy,” Puck grumbled. “If I have to play an animal, I'd rather be a stallion. Or a wolf. Wolves are cool.”
“They're better than vampires, for sure,” Matt said.
Mike elbowed him.
“You don't know that. Vampires are cool. They live at night and suck blood and they're also immortals.”
“What is it with you Asians and your morbid tastes?” Santana asked.
Mike and Tina glared at her.
“What? You both like vampires! That's morbid, right?”
“It makes sense,” Brittany said. “They're short and they have weird eyes, like in this movie with Tom Cruise.”
“Wow wow wow,” Mercedes said to her. “If you weren't so... yourself, I'd accuse you of being racist. Besides, everyone's short compared to you, sweetheart.”
“Huh?”
“Don't worry about that,” Santana said. She took her hand. “Just don't tell around they're vampires, okay?”
“Sure.”
“What about Babyface?” Puck said while pointing at Kurt. “He's short and he has a weird face.”
“You're the one who's too big and who has a weird haircut.”
“Maybe he's a werewolf?” Brittany offered.
“A fairy werewolf?” Kurt said. “That's a queer creature.”
“ I'm not queer!”
Puck jumped to attack Kurt but fortunately, his friends from the football team knew him by heart at this point: they blocked his way before he could do any damage and kept him from smashing Kurt into the wall.
“Don't provoke him,” Matt said to Kurt. “We won't always be there to stop him.”
Puck yelled at them.
“Let me go! I'll show him how queer I am, all right!”
Kurt gave him a despondent look.
“I may be half the man you think you are, but this half is still more than the entire you you think you're not.”
Everyone looked at him.
“I don't understand,” Finn said.
“Me neither,” everyone else said, except one.
Brittany shook her head and smiled.
“I did.”
“Thank you, Brittany,” Kurt said.
Puck blinked at him.
“What the fuck?”
“What, you don't want to punch me anymore?”
“Nah, it's too risky. What if I catch your weirdness just by touching you?”
“Calm down, you two,” Fin said. “It went too far. What about trying to do Mr Schuester's assignment? You had an idea, Artie, right?”
Artie made a weak smile.
“Hum... I think we can make it simple and just play comic books heroes. This way, we have a visual reference and we can choose our song according to the power this hero or heroine has.”
“Not bad,” Puck said. “I always wanted to be a badass hero, maybe Batman.”
“Batman is out of the equation,” Artie said. “He's too badass.”
“Besides, a bat-fairy-werewolf would be stupid,” Kurt chuckled.
“For the last time, I'm not a queer!”
“Who said you were? Unless you felt like it...”
“Shut up, you two!” Finn growled. “Can't you get along for once?”
Puck and Kurt reluctantly nodded.
“I still think he's a pussy,” Puck said.
“That's okay, I still think you're a dumb bully.”
“Well, now that we're all friends again,” Artie said, “how about trying to find a superhero role to fill? I would be honored to be your consultant.”
Tina sighed.
“Don't tell me you want to use this as an excuse to dress like Flash?”
“What can I say?” Artie laughed. “A man can dream.”
“I'd love to be in tights,” Kurt said.
“Sure you do,” Puck snorted.
“I don't know,” Mercedes said. “I'm not really into comics. Is there even any strong black woman in there?”
“Ororo Munroe,” Artie said. “Or Storm for the connoisseur. A mutant from X-Men. She's black, one of the strongest mutants in this universe and she possesses enough charisma to make a giant robot kneel.”
“You say the weirdest things,” Finn said.
“Leave it to me. I'm an expert in those fields.”
“I can help,” Tina said. “I can give an Asian's perspective.”
“Say what?”
She grinned.
“All right, everyone. It's cosplay time!”