From One Diva to Another, Glee fanfic
This is for chocolatepot who requested Rachel and Kurt getting along. It's a bit long, coming in at 1,603 words. Three word wars with 
plus an extra 15 minutes of writing. Very successful day!!!
Contains spoilers for both seasons, so if you're not up-to-date, be forewarned.
One.
Rachel gathered up her things slowly. She was glad to have won-“Defying Gravity” was her song, and no one else's. But something was wrong. She observed Kurt on the other side of the room. He was getting his things together just as slowly. She watched him wave off Mercedes. Once everyone had left the room, Rachel approached him.
“Hey,” she said softly. “No hard feelings?”
Kurt shook his head, but remained silent.
Rachel paused, unsure if she should continue. But something about the competition wasn't right. “Why did you do it, Kurt?”
Kurt's eyes widened in surprise. “Did what?” he replied suspiciously.
“Throw the competition.”
He shrugged. “I have no idea what you're talking about. I missed the note. I thought I had it, but I guess I was nervous. I couldn't hit it. You won. You should be gloating.”
“Kurt,” Rachel said softly. “I heard you practicing last week. I guess you could say I spying on you.” She laughed a little. “I was worried about losing. I was even more worried after I heard you. Don't tell me you were nervous. I know you could have beat me if you had wanted to. What happened?”
Kurt looked away, blinking furiously. “My...” he coughed. “My dad. People pick on me at school; they always have. I guess I'm used to it. But my dad...” He stopped, trying not to cry. “He's doing his best, you know? He loves me, even if I'm not exactly the son he imagined having. But he's new to this. Dealing with homophobia. He wants to protect me, but he can't.” Kurt took a deep breath, regaining his composure. Carefully he smoothed a stray bit of hair away from his forehead. “So I have to protect him. If I sing this song, I'll just be asking for more hatred. I can handle it, but Dad can't. So,” he said wryly, “congratulations, Rachel, you won this round.”
“No, not like this,” Rachel said, surprising Kurt. “If you can't sing this song because some people are too stupid to appreciate your talent, then I won't sing it either. I like to win, Kurt. I like to be the best. But this isn't winning. This is letting bullies and jerks and idiots win.” She smiled at him. “One day, Kurt, you and I will have a proper sing-off. Maybe even a diva-off. Make no mistake, I will still beat you,” she said, punching him lightly in the arm. “But the competition will be on our terms, and no one else's. Deal?” She held out her hand.
Kurt shook her hand firmly. “Deal. Except no one can out-diva me.”
Rachel raised her eyebrows. “Oh, it's on.”
“It most certainly is, Miss Berry.” Gallantly he offered her his elbow, which she took with a smile. “Come on, let's get out of here.”
Two.
Rachel noticed Kurt's withdrawn behavior a week after Regionals. They were both sitting in the practice room after school, early as usual. But instead of rolling his eyes at her as she warmed up her vocals and rehearsed her Grammy acceptance speech, he was just sitting at the piano, staring off into space, plunking at the occasional key. She had a feeling that losing the singing competition wasn't the only thing bothering him.
Rachel walked over to him and gestured at the piano bench. “Mind if I join you?”
Kurt shrugged, and she took that as a yes.
“I know what's bothering you,” she said, trying not to sound bossy. “Finn. Well, me and Finn. I mean, I don't really know how you didn't see this coming. He and I are clearly the two most talented members of the group. It's only natural that we would eventually get together and become a power couple...” Rachel trailed off as she noticed Kurt's glare.
“Um, that is to say, I mean, if Finn were gay too, then the two of you would probably have gotten together and become a power couple. You are the only one who could rival my diva stardom.” Rachel paused, considering a Glee Club with a power couple that didn't include her, frowning at the thought. “But he isn't. He's with me. He loves me, and I love him too. But you shouldn't feel discouraged! Finn loves you too, just, in a different way. Like as a brother. I think. So cheer up! You'll find a great guy just like Finn someday. Well, not just like Finn. Like a flamboyant, fashion-conscious version of Finn. He's out there, somewhere. You'll see.”
Satisfied that she had sufficiently cheered up Kurt, Rachel patted his hand encouragingly before returning to the center of the room. His gloomy stare had interrupted her Grammy acceptance speech, and she really needed to perfect it if she was going to win her first award by the age of 20.
Mercedes had walked in the room at the end of Rachel and Kurt's conversation. She sat down next to her best friend, linking arms with him. “What was that all about?” she asked.
“Marc Jacobs just tweeted a teaser for his fall collection, and his palate doesn't suit my skin tone! I was mentally composing a letter to him in my head when Rachel came over and started blathering on about her and Finn.” Kurt shook his head. “I think she was trying to make me feel better?”
Mercedes laughed. “Rachel? Doing something nice? Yeah, right.”
Kurt grinned. “It's a mad mad world. First Marc Jacobs breaks my heart, and then Rachel Berry tries to mend it.”
Mercedes pulled a catalog out of her purse. “Here's something to cheer you up. The latest in Armani formal wear. For men.”
Kurt kissed Mercedes's cheek. “Girl after my own heart.”
Three.
“Why on earth did you invite Miss Rainbows and Sunshine to lead Glee Club?” Rachel hissed at Kurt, stopping him at his locker. “I was doing a perfectly fine job of running it while Mr. Shue is sick!”
Kurt turned to stare at Rachel. “You have got to be kidding me. It was like 'The Rachel Show' with you in charge. Glee Club was about to mutiny. I would know. It was my idea. I even had my pirate costume all picked out.”
Rachel tossed her hair. “I was just doing what was best for the club. It wasn't anything personal. 'The Rachel Show'? You say that as if it were a bad thing, as if it were all about me.” Rachel straightened up to her full height, which, granted, wasn't that high. “You didn't see Vocal Adrenaline compete at Regionals. I did. Guess what. Their number was like an episode of 'The Jesse Show.' And they won. So maybe if the club focused a little more on giving solos to the most talented members of the group instead of being all 'Little League, everyone's a winner' nonsense, we actually would be winners.”
“Do you hear a word you're saying? You are talented, Rachel, okay? We all know that. Even if you weren't annoying, I would probably still secretly hate you for your voice. But even you can't be twelve people at once. And we need twelve people to compete. Twelve happy people. So save your righteous indignation for someone who cares.” Kurt slammed his locker shut and started walking off. He stopped for a moment before turning back to his rival. “You know the difference between you and me, Rachel?” She shook her head, a little less defiant and a little more uncertain. “I want us to win. I want the group to win, even if I can't be the star. You want us to win too, but only if you're the star. You would rather be the star and lose then let anyone else have the spotlight and win.”
Rachel was at a loss for words, for possibly the first time in her life. She watched Kurt walk away. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she wondered if maybe he was right.
Four.
“A year ago, if you had asked me if I would ever be drinking tea with the Diva Miss Rachel Berry herself, I would have called for a straight jacket,” Kurt declared, carefully adding a lump of sugar to his mug.
Rachel laughed. “A year ago, if you had asked me if I would ever be helping the Diva Mr. Kurt Hummel prepare for a solo, I would have fainted dead away.” She lifted her mug. “A toast, to the best singer of the Warblers.”
“And to the best singer of New Directions,” Kurt added. They clinked mugs, being careful not to spill the hot liquid.
“I miss you at Glee practice,” Rachel confessed. “We all do.”
“I miss you guys too. But it's so refreshing being challenged academically in my classes. And not being challenged physically between classes.”
Rachel took a sip of her tea. “I'm happy for you, Kurt. I'm also happy you're not taking any more of my solos,” she added with a wink.
“And the truth comes out!” Kurt joked. “But you're right. I like you so much more now that we've stopped fighting to be the biggest diva in Glee Club.”
“I'm glad we're friends now,” she said, squeezing his hand lightly.
“Me too, Rachel, me too.”
plus an extra 15 minutes of writing. Very successful day!!!
Contains spoilers for both seasons, so if you're not up-to-date, be forewarned.
One.
Rachel gathered up her things slowly. She was glad to have won-“Defying Gravity” was her song, and no one else's. But something was wrong. She observed Kurt on the other side of the room. He was getting his things together just as slowly. She watched him wave off Mercedes. Once everyone had left the room, Rachel approached him.
“Hey,” she said softly. “No hard feelings?”
Kurt shook his head, but remained silent.
Rachel paused, unsure if she should continue. But something about the competition wasn't right. “Why did you do it, Kurt?”
Kurt's eyes widened in surprise. “Did what?” he replied suspiciously.
“Throw the competition.”
He shrugged. “I have no idea what you're talking about. I missed the note. I thought I had it, but I guess I was nervous. I couldn't hit it. You won. You should be gloating.”
“Kurt,” Rachel said softly. “I heard you practicing last week. I guess you could say I spying on you.” She laughed a little. “I was worried about losing. I was even more worried after I heard you. Don't tell me you were nervous. I know you could have beat me if you had wanted to. What happened?”
Kurt looked away, blinking furiously. “My...” he coughed. “My dad. People pick on me at school; they always have. I guess I'm used to it. But my dad...” He stopped, trying not to cry. “He's doing his best, you know? He loves me, even if I'm not exactly the son he imagined having. But he's new to this. Dealing with homophobia. He wants to protect me, but he can't.” Kurt took a deep breath, regaining his composure. Carefully he smoothed a stray bit of hair away from his forehead. “So I have to protect him. If I sing this song, I'll just be asking for more hatred. I can handle it, but Dad can't. So,” he said wryly, “congratulations, Rachel, you won this round.”
“No, not like this,” Rachel said, surprising Kurt. “If you can't sing this song because some people are too stupid to appreciate your talent, then I won't sing it either. I like to win, Kurt. I like to be the best. But this isn't winning. This is letting bullies and jerks and idiots win.” She smiled at him. “One day, Kurt, you and I will have a proper sing-off. Maybe even a diva-off. Make no mistake, I will still beat you,” she said, punching him lightly in the arm. “But the competition will be on our terms, and no one else's. Deal?” She held out her hand.
Kurt shook her hand firmly. “Deal. Except no one can out-diva me.”
Rachel raised her eyebrows. “Oh, it's on.”
“It most certainly is, Miss Berry.” Gallantly he offered her his elbow, which she took with a smile. “Come on, let's get out of here.”
Two.
Rachel noticed Kurt's withdrawn behavior a week after Regionals. They were both sitting in the practice room after school, early as usual. But instead of rolling his eyes at her as she warmed up her vocals and rehearsed her Grammy acceptance speech, he was just sitting at the piano, staring off into space, plunking at the occasional key. She had a feeling that losing the singing competition wasn't the only thing bothering him.
Rachel walked over to him and gestured at the piano bench. “Mind if I join you?”
Kurt shrugged, and she took that as a yes.
“I know what's bothering you,” she said, trying not to sound bossy. “Finn. Well, me and Finn. I mean, I don't really know how you didn't see this coming. He and I are clearly the two most talented members of the group. It's only natural that we would eventually get together and become a power couple...” Rachel trailed off as she noticed Kurt's glare.
“Um, that is to say, I mean, if Finn were gay too, then the two of you would probably have gotten together and become a power couple. You are the only one who could rival my diva stardom.” Rachel paused, considering a Glee Club with a power couple that didn't include her, frowning at the thought. “But he isn't. He's with me. He loves me, and I love him too. But you shouldn't feel discouraged! Finn loves you too, just, in a different way. Like as a brother. I think. So cheer up! You'll find a great guy just like Finn someday. Well, not just like Finn. Like a flamboyant, fashion-conscious version of Finn. He's out there, somewhere. You'll see.”
Satisfied that she had sufficiently cheered up Kurt, Rachel patted his hand encouragingly before returning to the center of the room. His gloomy stare had interrupted her Grammy acceptance speech, and she really needed to perfect it if she was going to win her first award by the age of 20.
Mercedes had walked in the room at the end of Rachel and Kurt's conversation. She sat down next to her best friend, linking arms with him. “What was that all about?” she asked.
“Marc Jacobs just tweeted a teaser for his fall collection, and his palate doesn't suit my skin tone! I was mentally composing a letter to him in my head when Rachel came over and started blathering on about her and Finn.” Kurt shook his head. “I think she was trying to make me feel better?”
Mercedes laughed. “Rachel? Doing something nice? Yeah, right.”
Kurt grinned. “It's a mad mad world. First Marc Jacobs breaks my heart, and then Rachel Berry tries to mend it.”
Mercedes pulled a catalog out of her purse. “Here's something to cheer you up. The latest in Armani formal wear. For men.”
Kurt kissed Mercedes's cheek. “Girl after my own heart.”
Three.
“Why on earth did you invite Miss Rainbows and Sunshine to lead Glee Club?” Rachel hissed at Kurt, stopping him at his locker. “I was doing a perfectly fine job of running it while Mr. Shue is sick!”
Kurt turned to stare at Rachel. “You have got to be kidding me. It was like 'The Rachel Show' with you in charge. Glee Club was about to mutiny. I would know. It was my idea. I even had my pirate costume all picked out.”
Rachel tossed her hair. “I was just doing what was best for the club. It wasn't anything personal. 'The Rachel Show'? You say that as if it were a bad thing, as if it were all about me.” Rachel straightened up to her full height, which, granted, wasn't that high. “You didn't see Vocal Adrenaline compete at Regionals. I did. Guess what. Their number was like an episode of 'The Jesse Show.' And they won. So maybe if the club focused a little more on giving solos to the most talented members of the group instead of being all 'Little League, everyone's a winner' nonsense, we actually would be winners.”
“Do you hear a word you're saying? You are talented, Rachel, okay? We all know that. Even if you weren't annoying, I would probably still secretly hate you for your voice. But even you can't be twelve people at once. And we need twelve people to compete. Twelve happy people. So save your righteous indignation for someone who cares.” Kurt slammed his locker shut and started walking off. He stopped for a moment before turning back to his rival. “You know the difference between you and me, Rachel?” She shook her head, a little less defiant and a little more uncertain. “I want us to win. I want the group to win, even if I can't be the star. You want us to win too, but only if you're the star. You would rather be the star and lose then let anyone else have the spotlight and win.”
Rachel was at a loss for words, for possibly the first time in her life. She watched Kurt walk away. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she wondered if maybe he was right.
Four.
“A year ago, if you had asked me if I would ever be drinking tea with the Diva Miss Rachel Berry herself, I would have called for a straight jacket,” Kurt declared, carefully adding a lump of sugar to his mug.
Rachel laughed. “A year ago, if you had asked me if I would ever be helping the Diva Mr. Kurt Hummel prepare for a solo, I would have fainted dead away.” She lifted her mug. “A toast, to the best singer of the Warblers.”
“And to the best singer of New Directions,” Kurt added. They clinked mugs, being careful not to spill the hot liquid.
“I miss you at Glee practice,” Rachel confessed. “We all do.”
“I miss you guys too. But it's so refreshing being challenged academically in my classes. And not being challenged physically between classes.”
Rachel took a sip of her tea. “I'm happy for you, Kurt. I'm also happy you're not taking any more of my solos,” she added with a wink.
“And the truth comes out!” Kurt joked. “But you're right. I like you so much more now that we've stopped fighting to be the biggest diva in Glee Club.”
“I'm glad we're friends now,” she said, squeezing his hand lightly.
“Me too, Rachel, me too.”