This is the second to last chapter! After this, I'll concentrate on either a HP/Glee xover (probably Harry/Kurt), a Kurtbastian, or a Kurt/OC. Let me know what you would like to see first in the comments or in the poll on my profile ^^
Kurt couldn't believe his ears. He had done and would do a lot of things for this woman and for New Directions, but he had to draw the line somewhere! Being subjected to this with both Mercedes and Santana in the room was only added mockery.
"Not every gay man is interested in being a drag queen and I'm not here to be the token queer. That is not the reason you accepted me back in the Cheerios and it will not be how I'll finish my Glee career!"
"Bold of you to assume you know why I choose to do anything."
"Clearly, my angel's voice and continued flexibility are what bought my admittance. My sparkling scene presence is what will help us stand out, not my legs in a miniskirt - regardless of how hot that would look."
Had he gone too far? Maybe he shouldn't have brought it up... if Coach Sue hadn't already thought about him in drag during Cheerleading Nationals, it was a dangerous thought to put in her head. But on this, at least, he had to stay firm.
His conviction wavered a little when Coach Sue advanced threateningly towards him, with a murderous look in her eyes, and got close enough to snarl in his face,
"You better hope your sparklingly queer presence wins me my trophy, and your pathetic little choir competition, or I won't be responsible for my actions. Coach Roz Washington will not get my team, not as long as I live and breathe!" And after one of the most terrifying and heart-stopping performances from Sue Sylvester that he had ever seen, she marched away to go make some freshmen cry, probably.
From Kurt's other side, Santana whistled, impressed.
"Way to make her spitting mad, ladyface, and just in time for our next practice too. I'd never want to be you, but right now even less so."
Kurt recovered enough to roll his eyes,
"You're not helping, Satan."
"As if I was trying to." And with that Santana flounced off, wiggling her fingers in a wave and leaving with the parting shot, "I'll be sure to point her at you at practice."
Kurt could only groan while Mercedes patted him awkwardly on the back,
"Well, good luck?" He looked at her, hoping to convey his thoughts without voicing them in an office that was probably bugged by the same she-devil he had basically sold his soul to.
"Well, you did bring this upon yourself, asking Coach Sylvester to get back on the Cheerios."
"Yes, twist that knife a little more, why don't you?"
Frankly, the only salvageable thing from the whole week had been being able to light up the Auditorium stage with his sheet metal work. At least, if he had to bear Coach Sue's impossible demands not only when training with the Cheerios but when rehearsing with New Directions as well, he could work off his frustrations by making sparks fly.
It still didn't leave them with anything close to a winning number, but he had had fun.
Then he did his part, sneaking into Vocal Adrenaline's rehearsal, properly this time, without getting noticed or picking up a cute gay boy, to get a recording of their competition.
From that moment on, everything seemed to move at double the speed. Suddenly, he had barely finished Cheerio practice and returned home that he had to pack his bag (and help Finn with his), sleep barely six hours, say goodbye to his dad and Carol, and get comfortable in an old, weird-smelling bus that would take them to Chicago, and to Glee Nationals.
It was a dream come true.
Even the day before the show, when everyone was screaming at each other and doing their best to practice in a hotel miles away from home, he felt collected. He relished in the sense of purpose and managed not to lose his head. He knew that was exactly what he wanted to do with the rest of his life: perform.
When he finally returned home as a National Champion, his dad was waiting for him with a hug and a letter. The letter.
Rachel called him before he could reach her number in his contacts list. She screamed for a good twenty seconds before calming down enough to say she wanted to open them together in the Auditorium… and he had to interrupt her because he was not waiting until the following morning. Finn was receiving his letter from Carol in the other room, so Rachel would come over right at that moment, they would sit down on his living room couch in thirty minutes and not one more-
Rachel hung up at that and he guessed, correctly it turned out, that she was running out of her house.
Being rejected was strange. It hit him and he felt like something in him shattered.
As the knowledge settled over him, he felt... dead. He could put up a brave face and smile for his friends and family, but he felt as if the whole floor had been pulled from under his feet.
He had really thought he had a chance. He had thought he had a better chance than Rachel, with the way she bombed her audition and he received compliments from Madame Tibideaux… But all for naught.
He was nothing more than another Lima loser.
He couldn't even wallow properly, he had less than a day to put himself back together and prepare for another National Competition.
That was what spurred him on. His last act as a McKinley senior before graduation would be winning Coach Sue another trophy if it was the last thing he did.
Which he had meant figuratively, but may just turn out to be the case. He had never exercised as hard as under the five-day, intensive training regime from hell that Coach Sue instated after returning victorious from Glee Nationals and before leaving for Cheer Nationals, apparently over the moon at having her cheer team be completely hers once more.
The Cheerios definitely felt the difference that not having Coach Roz mitigating Sue's more outlandish plans brought.
Kurt had continued exchanging casual texts with Chandler in the last few weeks, but after the other boy's congratulations for the win at Nationals, Kurt had been so busy (not depressed over his rejection letter, of course not) he could barely talk with the people he saw every day. He spared him a thought and sent a quick text on the way to Cheer Nationals, but his head wasn't in it. How could it be?
He and all the Cheerios seemed to have entered a pre-competition daze, but luckily they had Coach Sue and her entirely personal approach to pre-competition pep-talks to defuse the tension…
As they waited for their turn, the woman rounded up everyone in a tight group, looked at all the girls and boys on her team, some of whom were trembling, and screamed,
"Win!"
It was motivational.