Ten Lords A Leaping

"You're all going to this class and you're going to dance and you're going to like it."

Puck recoiled visibly as Coach Beiste slammed her hands against the wall of metal lockers and dismissed the team for the night. They had been at practice for hours, and no matter how hard they tried, the team chemistry just wasn't there. Beiste had tried pretty much everything she knew to get the ten players before her on the same page during their winter conditioning but nothing was working. So when she decided to force them into a twice-weekly ballet class, they were all pretty much willing to do whatever it took to get a winning record and not piss her off any further. Puck only had one more season of football left, and he wanted to make every game count when he started his senior year the next fall.

"You heard her," Finn told the crowded locker room on that December afternoon. "We're doing this."

"As your captains, Finn and I will see to it that every one of you shows up for each class," Puck pledged. "We're going to do this and we're going to do it together. Tons of the best football players in the NCAA and NFL take dance to help improve their agility and balance. We're doing it to improve our teamwork."

While there was a good deal of grumbling, everyone seemed to accept their fate. Mike was the only one that seemed excited, but that was mostly because the class was one that he already regularly attended. Puck wasn't exactly psyched about the prospect of spending two nights a week dancing around like a princess fairy or whatever, but at least there would be girls there. He figured that was a much more attractive sight than seeing Karofsky's ass in the shower or Evans sweating it out in the weight room.

Rachel, however, didn't seem as thrilled to have her masters' class taken over by the entirety of the McKinley High Titans football team. She had stayed away from all things football since Finn had broken up with her the previous spring. She had no use for the sport, and she got all the school spirit and team unity she needed with the glee club. She had argued with her teacher that it was far too advanced for novices like them, but the old Russian woman had simply insisted that it would be good for her to help out if she wanted to make extra money teaching classes when she moved to New York.

"Alright, everyone to the barre," Rachel announced, clapping her hands briskly as she moved to the front of the room. Mike took the other side of the barre next to her so they could lead everyone through the warm-ups. "Now, you'll want to move into first position and start stretching through the legs. Keep your plié slow and smooth, bending at the knees as low as you can while keeping your arm fluid to your right. Watch Mike and myself to see the proper posture."

Rachel and Mike each did a pair of pliés, bending gracefully low to the ground and then raising back up to standing first position fluidly. Mike continued as she started walking down the line of boys to check their stances. "Finn, hold your neck long and keep your eyes focused straight ahead," she told him softly before she stopped to adjust Azimo's arm. "Very nice, just keep it steady. It might be hard at first, but your body will adjust as it gets used to the movement."

"Okay, Sam, just move your feet a little bit closer. Make sure to keep your heels together, feet planted firmly on the ground," she explained patiently. Puck was surprised at how good she was at this. She was terrible at teaching in glee, always growing furious when someone refused to take her notes or adapt their style to fit hers. "David, you're doing wonderful. Slow your timing a little and you'll be able to really keep the movement smooth. Measured movement can really help with your endurance."

Puck thought about making a lewd joke there, but he stopped himself when Rachel paused by him. He winked at her as he tried to do the best plié he could. He wasn't sure why, but he suddenly felt it necessary to impress her. "Good job, Noah," she said with a smile. She reached out to loosen his grip on the barre before moving down the line a little bit further.

They didn't get much further than first and second positions during the first week, but all the guys had to admit that they were already feeling the improvement. Sure, they had sore muscles and they never talked about ballet outside class or the locker room, but none of them actively seemed to hate it. Azimo even admitted that Rachel was a pretty decent teacher, though it did come with a crass comment about how her legs looked in tights. Puck didn't bother to pretend that he didn't mean to slam the lineman into the water fountain that afternoon.

Puck stayed late after the fourth class. His legs had been a little achy after all the stretching. He wasn't used to moving his body in the ways that they did during the dance class, so he thought he'd spend a few extra minutes to make sure that his muscles weren't sore later. He was flexing his quad in the mirror when Rachel came out of the changing room dressed in the same violet argyle sweater and black skirt she'd worn to school that day.

"You're still here," she said. Her wide eyes and surprised tone gave her away. "Is there a problem?"

"Just wanted to cool down a little," he said before collapsing to the ground. He pulled his feet in to stretch out his calves. "You don't have to stay. Chang's in talking to your teacher, so he'll make sure I clear out."

Rachel shook her head. "It's not that. I'm just a little surprised. There's no rush," she assured him. He watched her toy with the handle of her pink trolley bag. "Is there something I can help you with? I know some good stretches that help with under-utilizec muscles. I don't get them often, but I've been dancing for years. I'm very flexible."

Puck shrugged (and ignored her last comment) as she came over to start manipulating his body. He had to admit the burn felt surprisingly good. "So any plans for winter break?" he asked conversationally. His plans mostly consisted of sleeping late, watching his sister and taking these two classes. Hannukah was early this year, so the holidays were already over for him.

"Just dance and voice lessons," she told him. "Everyone is busy with Christmas and whatnot."

"Maybe we could do something, you know, in Jew solidarity or whatever."

She seemed a little surprised. "That would be nice," she decided. "Maybe next week after class?"

"Yeah, you can show off some of that flexibility," he teased her.

By the time the next week rolled around, Mike and Rachel had the nine other players actually doing a series of tiny jumps across the floor. The leaps were simple and not too high, but they managed a decent grace as they moved around the room in pairs and trios. Puck wasn't surprised that Evans was light on his feet, but the fact that Finn managed to jump without tripping over his feet was an incredible feat. He even heard Karofsky say that it might help them when hockey season rolled round in January, and Puck was thinking himself about the improvements it could have on his basketball game.

When they were done, Rachel came to the front of the room beaming. She applauded the guys. "You looked so great out there!" she told them cheerfully, reaching over to pat Karofsky on the shoulder and smile at Finn. "I know that you're football players and not dancers, but watching you now, I couldn't tell that."

Mike led them through a quick cool down before they escaped into the chilly December air. Puck lagged behind to wait for Rachel so they could head over to the vegan pizza place that had just opened up downtown. She came out wearing jeans and a hooded sweatshirt that he recognized as his own. "I stole it last week when you left it here after practice," she admitted. "I hope you don't mind."

He didn't mind at all. In fact, he thought it was pretty perfect to see her standing there, wearing his number. "Look hot," he muttered before slinging his arm around her shoulders. "Just don't expect me to wear one of your leotards. I don't do sequins, babe."

"Tights then," she taunted with a mischievous smile. He hip checked her and then reached down for her hand.

As he helped Rachel up into his truck, he decided that Coach Beiste had been right. He had gone to class and he had danced and he had liked it. It had given him this moment, this second chance, and he didn't intend to waste a single moment of it.

I just loved ballet!Puck so much that I had to have another (different) taste. I hope you're enjoying. Review and let me know what you'd like to see in the final two installments of this series. No sequels or continuations, please.