Finn waved to Blaine as he settled into a seat a row up from where his parents were, smiling when Blaine gave him a thumbs up. The reunion had gone well then, he thought, settling back into his seat. They had been the last group to be seated (given the almost expected drama that had erupted in the dressing room) and so he had not been able to see his brother before this. Finn's lips curled, knowing that, more than ever now, Kurt, hell, all of the Warblers, would be working even harder now. They had their classmates who were here to support them, their family, and now their former team members here cheering for them. Hopefully they took that pressure in the right way.
"You seem happy," Rachel whispered from beside him.
Finn didn't bother to reply. Mr. Shue might have pulled them into a meeting to remind them (threaten them) to put their differences aside for the sake of the team, but for Finn, it was a superficial truce at best. He wanted nothing to do with Rachel, especially given the phone call Burt had received earlier that week, a phone call he had thankfully mentioned nothing about to Kurt. That was definitely not something Kurt needed to deal with and he would not forgive her for it. Thankfully though, she didn't press him, settling for a long suffering sigh that previously that would have had Finn doing anything to put her back into good spirits. But right now he could not be bothered to do it. They were both good enough actors, he reckoned that they would still impress the audience despite their own differences.
Or at least he hoped so.
The lights started flashing, signalling five minutes to show time and a kernel of nervousness wriggled in Finn's stomach and he forcibly tried to force it away.
"The show must go on," he murmured to himself.
Twenty minutes later, any thought of nervousness was miles away from Finn's mind as he bent his head trying not to laugh too loudly. Man this was hilarious, he thought, lifting his head briefly to take in more of The Renegades before snorting and laughing again. He wasn't the only one. Around him people were either laughing or cheering loudly for all the wrong reasons. He couldn't help but wonder who exactly this group had beat to get here.
The team was a mismatched group of teenagers in varying degrees of punk rock clothing. But it wasn't their clothing that was hilarious - it was their interpretation of the theme. Love for this group so far consisted of a rather edgy performance of "Blame It On The Alcohol" that had a few people cheering a bit too loudly as they grinded and gyrated around the stage, one standing one the island and making the devil's horn sign. Somewhere further down the aisle Puck whooped loudly and Finn was not at all surprised by it. Beer and dirty dancing. Puck was in his glee right about now. Finn nearly lost it though when they transitioned into a rock version of "Chandelier". He was done; he could not take this seriously and he really doubted that the judges would.
"We're definitely not fighting for last," he thought as finally, the performance came to an end.
People jumped to their feet to applaud, but Finn knew that it was more in appreciation for the laughs they had provided than anything else. He stood as well, because boy did they successfully rid him of his nerves and, due to his height he could see Jeff cheering loudly while Kurt tugged furiously on his arm, trying and failing to reign him in. Jeff probably had wanted to run up there and sing with them.
"That performance was an abomination," Rachel declared. "That was nothing but an ode to alcohol."
"All kinds of loves exist sweetheart," Puck said giving her a wide grin.
He was still too into that performance Finn thought, as he sat.
The host had returned to the stage and was now trying to restore order to the room.
"That was a rather...innovative take on the theme wasn't it?" Rebecca Sampson - a local television anchor - said, although it was pretty obvious to all that her cheer was forced. "Right now we're going to ask New Directions to start heading to the backstage area while, for your entertainment, we have the local group, The Swizzlers, here to perform a medley for you. Give it up for them!" she bid.
Finn was pretty grateful that they were performing now. That was one group he could do without seeing.
Well the audience reaction to them had been considerably more positive, Finn thought contentedly as they ran off the stage still sharing hugs and high fives. The cheers had been genuine, and, by the start of their third song, everyone was on their feet, jamming to the groovy love song they had ended their routine with. Finn was happy with what they had done, and, getting Artie to the island had drawn a significant reaction from the crowd just as they had hoped. There wasn't much he could say for the vocals. Rachel's solo had been amazing and, with Mercedes delivering secondary vocals, he knew the judges had to have enjoyed it. Their duet was good as well, although resisting the urge to sneer at the lovey-dovey eyes Rachel threw at him (that had definitely not happened during their practice) had been an act of patience. Mr. Shue was talking now, congratulating them and saying something along the lines of this being their best performance to date, and Finn agreed with him on that. They had had to come hard this time around, harder than usual and it had paid off. Now it was up to the judges to decide if they had worked hard enough. But enough of that, he thought, as they headed back to their seats.
He had done his part and now he wanted to watch his little brother do his. Blaine gave him an enthusiastic nod of approval that left him grinning a bit as he dropped down into his seat.
There was a music band onstage now serving as the new interlude, and Finn looked around him absentmindedly. He frowned after a moment as he saw several men sporting the theatre's work jackets make their way to the stage carrying safety mats. Some were settled in front of the dividing wall and others behind it.
"What are they doing?" he heard Mercedes ask.
"I don't know," Santana answered.
Finn's mind raced as he recalled a complaint Kurt had made. "Shit," he breathed.
"Finn?" Rachel asked, resting her hand on his arm.
"Oh no, no, no," he muttered, not really hearing her, as he took in the men positioning themselves now. "They cannot...I am going to kill him," he grated out while resisting the urge to storm off to the backstage area right now to chew Kurt - hell all of the Warblers, off. The venue organisers had been worried their routine was excessive, Kurt had said. They wanted them to edit it because of it, he had said. Why was he getting the feeling that his brother has substituted the word excessive for dangerous, deadly or downright insane?
Finn turned to where Blaine was and their eyes met. He was only minutely relieved to see a similarly disturbed expression on his face. If he had known that Kurt was willingly participating in what was more than likely going to be a suicide routine, Finn would have immediately took away all of approval points he had given him over the past few years. Blaine looked away from him, turning in his seat to speak to Burt and Carole, and Finn in that moment, was certain that he was not the only one who was not going to enjoy the Warblers' performance as much as they had originally expected to.
By the time that Ms. Sampson came out to announce them, a few more audience members seemed to have picked up an inkling of what the workers had been doing. As the curtains started to raise, Finn noted that there was quite a bit of nervous energy in the auditorium alongside the anticipatory air.
The curtain lifted slowly, revealing a dimly lit stage. The main spotlight slowly brightened on the stage centre, revealing Trent. The music started gently and despite his nervousness, Finn's lips quirked as he recognised the opening strains of Michael Bolton's "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You". He relaxed back into his seat, and gave a soft whistle as Trent began singing. He hadn't realised that he had had that level of pipes on him, and he was impressed. The stage gradually brightened, and about six Warblers leaped gracefully across the stage in tune to his singing, some spinning while others made a series of movements, that, were Finn more knowledgeable, he would have recognised as contemporary lyrical dance. As he neared the chorus, almost ethereally, other voices started drifting forward, intertwining beautifully to complement Trent as he, well, unleashed his heart into the words of that chorus. There was no other way to put it.
The stage fully brightened and looking up Finn saw Kurt and Jeff on each respective balcony. The Renegades where the only group who hadn't used it then, he thought idly. He smiled as he easily picked out Kurt's lilting high notes, adding to the dimension of Trent's performance. He blinked in confusion after a moment, his eyes darting from Trent to his brother and then to the other performers. They were not dressed uniformly.
Trent was in a full suit, as were the dancers he was moving in tandem with now, but Kurt lacked a jacket and a tie. Instead his shirt had a few buttons undone and he was wearing a neck tie around his throat, and he was pretty certain that he was seeing suspenders on Jeff. He couldn't wait to see how that played out. By the time Trent was finished with the bridge, people were on their feet, some waving their phones in rhythm. He didn't blame them. If he hadn't been a bit perturbed by what was to come, Finn was certain he would have had goose bumps by now. Finn stood as well, not caring what the others thought. Trent was amazing and he would give him full kudos for that.
His head tilted in confusion as Trent's vocals slowed down, taking on a hint of confusion as the other Warblers entered the stage in movements that decidedly differed from the more graceful moves currently being performed. Finn laughed as they circled the original dancers, mimicking punches to their faces. The dancers comically fell to the ground and a good few laughs erupted from the audience as finally, two of them came up behind Trent and feigned tripping him before pointing upwards to Kurt and Jeff.
"Enough of the ballads!" Jeff declared cheerfully, before a heavy base started playing. "Let's kick this up a pace!"
Adam Lambert's "If I had You" Finn noted even as Kurt launched into the song, Jeff joining him after the first few lines.
Cheers erupted from the crowd as the Warblers, in fast paced choreography danced around the stage, raising the energy of the performance. The chorus found a few of them nudging their 'fallen' comrades who, surprising flipped from their prone states into crouches before standing, looking at their friends contemplatively for a moment, before falling into beat. A few women screamed at that, and Finn was liberal enough to accept that seeing suit clad males performing hip hop moves was quite visually appealing.
Finn's worry crept back though as four Warblers formed circles under each balcony, followed by two others who hopped onto them forming a tower. His eyes widened and he heard gasps, actual gasps, as Kurt and Jeff, gave the audience big grins as others took over singing the bridge. The pair, in tandem, hopped over the balcony to the ledge, and there was all of Finn's fear right there again. Jeff was gyrating, while Kurt's movements were a bit more languished but still in the tune of the song. He saw the moment Kurt's performance face slipped briefly and oh god, he was going to do what he was thinking.
"Oh my god!" Mercedes shouted (a cry echoed by a few more as) with a whoop from Jeff and a sassy finger snap from Kurt, they pushed off the ledges with enough force that turned it into a flip. Finn's throat was in his heart as he watched Kurt's body rotate once before he was (thankfully) caught by his circle. The tower moved, propelling him and within seconds he was grinning at the audience from the top of his pyramid, Jeff doing the same besides him as they retook control of the song.
The crowd was in an uproar now, understandably so and Finn recognised that the technicians backstage were compensating for it by raising the volume of their mics. The towers broke apart as they launched into the final chorus and, as Jeff and Kurt grooved and gyrated to the stage's centre, they flicked their hands outwards. More cheers erupted as the suited members dancing to the stage front, in one deft move tore off and tossed their jackets, revealing sleeveless shirts. Jeff and Kurt gave each other a high five and then the Warblers on either side of them tore away their sleeves and now they were all in the same uniform.
"Damn," he heard Santana shout.
He couldn't help but spare a glance at Rachel whose face was contorting. He knew what she was thinking. Two songs in, the Warblers had the crowd eating out of their hands in a way they had not managed. Two songs in and their stunts had already blown theirs out of the water. Their vocals were good as well, and, unlike them, they had done a considerably better job of disseminating the singing roles among them. Nearly half of them had, at this point, contributed vocally in some way. And now, they had actually picked up speed and intensity, so that, as Kurt let loose a note Finn had not even realised he was capable of doing, the number ended with an electric feeling running through the crowd.
Finn turned and grinned when he saw that Blaine and his friends were actually jumping as they cheered. He could understand. This performance, this performance was epic. Except that, Finn noted, so far those safety mats had not come into play and given that they were headed into the last song, Finn knew that the Warblers were about to make or break their performance.
Wisely, they let a few seconds pass for the crowd to settle down a bit before they started popping their shoulders, a strong drumbeat starting. Little Mix's "Black Magic," an even higher intensity song. By now Finn could only stand there and watch as the Warblers secured (in his opinion) their victory. All of them were moving in coordination, utilising the stage. In the back there were a few tumbles and leaps occurring. To the sides were more of that contemporary dancing and Kurt and the Council alongside a few others had spread themselves in the middle of the stage, performing a cross of pop and hip-hop moves that was quite impressive. Finn was never more proud of Kurt than in this moment. Kurt didn't stick out at all despite being one-armed, and his heart warmed as he remembered those early days when he struggled to keep his balance while standing. He had come so far. His reminiscence cut off abruptly though when he saw the six of them rhythmically backing away as they headed for their performance headed for the explosive edge of the chorus.
"Oh hell," he breathed as they started running forward, hoping futilely that they were just teasing them. But no, no they weren't. Kurt and Jeff were on the left of the stage, two boys he didn't know were on the right, and Phillip and Trent were centre staged.
"Are they going to-?" Rachel began only to cut herself off as, reaching edge of the stage they flipped, they flipped. Finn's heart skipped. Finn's eyes were riveted on his younger brother as he pushed forward, and somehow, somehow, turned that movement into a rotation before landing on the bannisters and island. The audience lost it and Finn was torn between his pride and that previous urge to strangle Kurt. A few more Warblers poured onto the island as the flippers took over the bridge, freestyle dancing as they sang. They were impressive, but Finn could see that tiredness was starting to take root.
They compensated for it though, all six hitting the key notes simultaneously in their respective ranges so that the final result resonated. As the song neared its end, if possible, they stepped up the intensity, a few more pyramids and tosses occurring on the main stage while the bannister dancing transitioned into a routine of side jumps and fist pumps before it broke into freestyle once again. The song ended with them, hands victoriously in the air as they sang that final note to the heavens while all around the stage the remaining Warblers landed and posed.
Finn was pretty certain that his ears would be ringing in the hours to come from the noise being generated, and he knew that his throat would be sore from all the screaming he was doing. Now that Kurt was safely standing there breathless on the wall, he could admit that that truly was the performance of a lifetime.