Well...real life has been kicking my ass you guys! I had surgery, and then school started up again, and then my hard drive exploded. But in between all that, I've have some stuff in the works, so here's some good times to make us all feel better!

"Alright," Mr. Schue is saying, "You all worked really hard to get here, and I couldn't be more proud of you. No matter what happens on that stage, you're all winners in my book." I'm sitting next to Blaine in our dressing room, twenty minutes before we're supposed to take the stage at Nationals. Blaine may look calm and collected, but I can tell from the way his knee is bouncing up and down and the way he can't seem to find a comfortable position that he's freaking out. He's leading in one of the songs in our set tonight…that is, if he can keep it together until then.

I lean over to him, keeping my voice low. "Are you alright?"

He considers it for a moment, then shakes his head. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Yeah, well try not to do it on stage. I don't think the judges would appreciate that." He rolls his eyes at me, but he is looking a little bit green, so I take his hand and pull him out of the room.

"Where are we going?" he asks.

"Someplace less public." I find an empty room along the hallway and pull him into it, locking the door behind us. Blaine sits down on the floor, pulling his knees up and hiding his face. "You know they have chairs in here, right?" I ask. He nods silently, but makes no move to get up, so I sink down beside him. "You know, if you are going to get sick, that's probably not the best position to be in." He snorts, but doesn't look up. "Why are you so nervous? You've done this a hundred times."

He sighs, peeking out just slightly. "I know, but it's different. Everybody's counting on me. What if I let them down?"

I gently wrap an arm around him. "You won't Blaine. I know you won't. You're incredibly talented, and I've seen what you can do. You have nothing to worry about."

"Yes I do!" he insists. "What if I choke? Everyone will hate me."

"Blaine, will you please look at me?" Slowly, he lifts his head. "You're not going to choke. But even if you did, no one would hate you. They're going to love you. And I'll be right there with you, so if you start to panic, just look at me."

I watch as normal color returns to his face. "Okay. Thank you. I needed that."

"You don't have to thank me," I tell him. "You helped me through a lot. It's only fair I get to help you, at least once. Do you feel better?" He nods, and I grin. "You sure? You're not going to throw up anymore?"

He laughs. "No, I think I'm okay."

"Good, because that would have really put a damper on this." I lean in, kissing him softly. When I pull back again, he grins. "Let's get back before they start to search for us."

I take his hand again, pulling him up from the floor and back to where the rest of the New Directions sit. "There you two are," Mr. Schue says. "We're on in five."

We take our places in the wings, watching the group on stage finish their performance. Blaine squeezes my hand, leaning over to kiss my cheek lightly. "Thanks for before," he murmurs.

"Any time." The stage goes dark as the other team exits. "Ready?"

"And the national champions are…"

I barely here the name they call, as the confetti and other sounds are all so distracting. But I can tell by the way Blaine is squeezing all the air out of my lungs that we won. "Blaine," I manage, "Can't breathe…"

He chuckles, his grip loosening. "Sorry."

"I told you you could do it," I say, nudging him lightly.

He grins. "Yeah, well you were right, 'cause we did it!" I can't help the laugh that breaks free at his child-like excitement. We meet our parents in the audience, and they each hug us tightly.

"We're so proud of you boys," Julie murmurs. "Come on, this calls for a celebration." We end up at an ice cream parlor, talking and laughing in a booth where Blaine holds my hand under the table. "So boys," Julie says, sliding in across from us, "Excited for graduation? It's coming up soon."

Blaine nods. "I know, it's weird. It doesn't seem real that this time next year, we'll be in college."

"What about you, Sebastian?" she asks. "How are you feeling about the whole thing?"

I think for a moment. "I don't know. It's kind of sad. I just found a place I'm comfortable, and now it's over."

She nods thoughtfully. "Well, think of it this way. You'll always have a place to come back to. Besides, there are bigger and better things waiting for you out there." She smiles. "But you have to promise me one thing."

I raise an eyebrow at her. "Okay. What?"

"Promise me that no matter how big and famous you get, you won't forget about us." She grins.

I smile. "I could never. You mean too much to me."

Later, when Blaine has fallen asleep on the couch next to me, I feel a light touch on my shoulder. I look up to find Julie smiling at me. "Penny for your thoughts?" she asks softly.

"There's a lot of them," I admit. "I just…I can't stop thinking about everything. Graduation, and New York, and NYADA, and…Blaine. The rest of my life. It's just all kind of…swimming around in my head. It's a lot to think about."

She nods. "Are you still worried?"

"Yeah, kind of. But I think everyone worries. Sometimes it doesn't seem real, and sometimes it's just too real."

She smiles. "I understand the feeling. But you're going to make it, Sebastian. Think about all the things you've conquered just this year. You've done amazing, honey. I know it might not seem like it now, but you have done incredible things, and I know that you're ready for this."

I chuckle. "At least one of us knows that. Do you really think it'll be okay?"

"I have all the faith in the world in you. You'll be amazing, I know it." She hugs me gently. "And besides, no matter what happens, you'll always have us."

I smile, hugging her tightly. "I think that's finally started to sink in. Thank you."

"Any time sweetheart." She laughs softly as Blaine snores, shifting around on the couch. "Alright, you may be a national champion, but you still need to go to bed." She grins. "And take sleeping beauty with you before he falls off the couch." She leans in, kissing my cheek softly. "Goodnight Sebastian."

I smile, picking a sleeping Blaine up from the couch. My next words come out without hesitation. "Goodnight mom."

Yay! We deserved some happy times, don't you think? Sorry the wait was so long! I'm getting back into the groove, so keep an eye out for updates. Also, please remember to review!

Love,

TheSongSmith