Step Right Up

7/7/2022

Summary: Random one-shots, different character focuses/plots but all involve Kurt being awesome somehow. All kind of AR/AU.

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AN: Because I love Kurt, that's why. :D

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1

Cheerios, Rachel, Cheerios!

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"I want to join the Cheerios." Rachel dropped her bag onto the floor next to the table which Sue, Santana, Quinn and Becky sat at.

The rest of the Cheerios team were practicing off to the side where Sue could keep an eye on them while they vetted this year's hopefuls. They had room for 2 new Cheerios and so far nobody had met their standards.

"NEXT!" Sue shouted.

"No, I'm serious, I want to try out!" Rachel put both hands on her hips and was determined not to go anywhere until she got her way.

"Why?" Quinn asked with her brows raised, truly not understanding what Rachel was thinking.

"Because, I want my vocal talents to help elevate this team to winning Nationals." Rachel said in a poor imitation of what Kurt had said. "Besides, Kurt's on the team."

"Kurt, is a star." Sue informed her dryly.

"I'm a star!" Rachel was wearing the most ridiculous clothing, she had taken all the 80s inspirations and came up with something very wrong. "Let me prove it to you."

"Cheerios tryouts have an order, you come in through that door and you wait your turn." Quinn informed her pointing at the door at the far end. "You do not just drop your stuff off at our table and demand to be part of the team."

"Waiting is for losers." Rachel dismissed with a wave of her hand as if she was trying to swat an annoying fly.

Sue held up her hand to stop her team from saying whatever it was they would and they all had something they were brimming to say. "She's right, there's some tenacity in her, let's see what she's got."

Rachel went up to the mark that they'd put on the floor so they could all see her well, but Sue especially. She opened her mouth and Sue took out a blowhorn. "W-"

"NEXT!" Sue said sharply through the blowhorn cutting her off.

"But I haven't done anything!"

"Exactly! Your form was all wrong the second you got into place. Get out of my sight."

"Kurt is awkward and just sits around all the time!" Rachel screamed in frustration.

"Oh yeah?" Santana asked silkily, leaning forward a little. They were protective of their own, even the dumb ones that she didn't know the names of. She could hear the lead up in the music just as the other three at the table could. "Watch."

They all turned as Kurt made his entrance. He came from behind the team and was flying through the air, making different shapes and spins before he was caught easily at the front end and placed on his feet. Without missing a beat or his mark, he started singing, strong and sure, in French.

"Everyone sounds good in French when you're an American – you just learn the sounds."

"Quiet, we're trying to listen." Becky snapped. Nobody contradicted her and Rachel pouted and crossed her arms to continue watching along with the rest of them.

She watched as a pyramid was formed behind Kurt and then he was lifted up by one pair of hands and tossed upward to be caught by another, they turned him around as if he were a wheel, and he was upside down for a moment before he was upright again and being thrown upward to the next row. He was spun and tossed higher and was caught again. Then he was thrown higher than the last row of the pyramid and did a somersault before landing back down again with each foot caught by the row beneath and he struck a pose. All of it was done without missing a single word or sound as the song finished in a climax.

The team dissembled even as another song started up and they moved straight into those formations. Kurt wasn't featured in this part and so Sue turned back to Rachel. "Are you able to do that, Poster-Child for Clearasil?"

"I mean, with the right training and they're doing most of the work for Kurt, so yeah, probably." Rachel wasn't quite as confident as she had been when she first walked in. She didn't really want to be thrown around like that. It was very dangerous and to do so in High School might ruin any of her chances for the future.

"It's a lot harder being the one tossed about than you think." Quinn put in there, trying to explain but unsure why she was at the same time. "A lot of partnering is required, trust and body positioning and holding and it's even harder while singing and using those muscles for both contradictory things at once."

"Get lost, Before Nair Ad." Santana waved her away.

"But-."

"NEXT!" Sue shouted through her bullhorn once more and with a flinch, Rachel accepted her fate, gathered up her stuff and left. They didn't even laugh as she went, they were too focused on their task, they didn't care about her. They forgot about her the second she was out of their eye line, maybe even before that.

They were heartless. Which made it all the more painful when she heard, quite clearly through the bullhorn before she was even out of the auditorium. "Good job Hummel, just like that every time and we'll snatch Nationals even if everything else collapses. Although will anything be less than perfect, Cheerios?"

"No coach!" Was the chorus in return.