Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, or any of the songs, or movies you recognize.

Nick's POV again.

Warning for homophobic language.

Boys Don't Cry

It's time.

I breathe slowly through my mouth as I stand facing the curtain that separates Jeff and I from the audience. In and out, in and out. You can do it.

Someone touches my hand and I flinch away before realizing it's Jeff. He envelopes me in a hug and kisses me quickly but I barely manage to put my arms around him before he lets go and goes back to his spot.

"I would tell you to put a smile on, but since your sad expression works better for this song, I'm going to let you be this time," Wes says in a sharp voice. I turn to glare at him but he's smiling which is so rarely directed to me that I end up looking confused instead. "Do your best, Warblers, and go win Regionals for us."

He doesn't get to say anything more because the curtains starts moving. This is it.

The stage fills with light and music and I realize that I almost can't see audience with all the spotlights pointed at me. It would be comforting if I weren't so aware that they are probably all watching me. Walking out towards the very edge of the stage, I sing: "Have you ever done something you can't change, something you can never rearrange?"

I concentrate on my breathing, on my singing, on looking sad and not panicked. Or at least I try to. But my head is spinning and I feel like an idiot, standing here singing, thinking I'm good enough. Maybe I'll puke on the stage and embarrass Dalton. This was a stupid idea.

Breathe.

Thankfully it's Jeff's turn to sing: "I have, I have. Have you ever been so sad you can hardly stand, lying on the ground, head in your hands?"

I answer him: "I have, I have" and back away from the edge of the stage before slowly walking towards him while he sings. "I can feel it all down deep inside. But oh, I wanna let these feelings rise."

Together we sing the chorus. I stand beside him, fixing my gaze at the back of the auditorium when I feel him take my hand."But boys don't cry, boys don't cry. I know it would be fine. But boys don't cry." My instinctive reaction is to turn to him but I manage to stop myself after a tiny movement that hopefully no one, least of all Wes saw. It's bad enough that one of us did something other than what had been choreographed for us.

The rest of the song passes in a blur of trying to breathe, trying to look collected and trying to sing well. In time for the last chorus, the Warblers join us on stage and I don't have to worry about fucking everything up anymore. No one would notice me with all the people on stage.

Jeff sings the last: "Boys don't cry" by himself and when the audience start clapping I grin at him. He smiles back and I vow to tell him later how brilliant he was.

We get off the stage approximately four minutes later when Blaine has charmed everyone with his interpretation of Viva la Vida and the Warblers have shown just how good we are at dancing. I immediately sit down on the floor in one of the corridors behind the stage and hold up my hand. "Look, I'm literally shaking."

Sebastian rolls his eyes and says "Amateur," which earns him a shove from Jeff.

Wes sinks down on the floor beside me. All conversations amongst the Warblers immediately die out when everyone turn to stare at him. Our calm, collected leader having to sit down after a performance? Well, that wasn't exactly something that happen every other day.

"We made it," he says, smiling up at the others.

David chuckles, as he too sits down on the floor. The Warblers still standing exchange glances before they all sit down around us. I laugh, the sound strange even to my own ears, and I feel how they stare at me.

"This day is just a bunch of surprises," Seb says and punches me lightly on the arm. I grin and punch him back.

"Calm down, Warblers," Wes chastises but when we look at him, he's smiling and shaking his head, not seeming to be disapproving at all.

We stay like that laughing, smiling and talking for several minutes before one of the New Directions, an awkward, tall guy, stumbles upon us.

"Finn!" Kurt exclaims and scrambles to his feet to hug him. "You were amazing out there! Original songs, I would have loved to join in."

"You were great too," Finn answers, nodding to us.

I watch them chat for a while, feeling too drained to come up with anything to say to the Warblers who've started talking again. But then Jeff, on the other side of the corridor, crawls over and sits back on his knees in front of me.

He links our hands together and smiles. "You were beautiful out there."

By pure willpower, I stop myself from turning red like a tomato and lean forward to give him a quick kiss instead. "You too."

I search for something more to say, something meaningful. This moment, with him in the corridors of my old school, feels ridiculously important for some reason. Maybe it's just my nerves from the performance, from trying to find Sebastian earlier and from being here, in the place were my bullies are. Maybe it's something else. Maybe it's him, my wonderful boyfriend.

Whatever it is, it makes me want to do something, or say something. I stand up, dragging him to his feet with me, and away from the Warblers. They shout something about being back in time for the winners' ceremony and something about protection that makes me blush.

I don't stop walking until we can no longer hear their voices. Then I turn to Jeff. "I love you," I state.

He smiles. "I know."

I shake my head. "No quoting Star Wars, I'm trying to be serious."

His arms envelope me, drawing me towards him. "Okay."

"I'm going to start telling you that more often," I say, before realizing what I said and backtracking, "Not to stop quoting Star Wars of course, but that I love you. Because you are important to me and I want you to feel as happy as you make me feel."

Jeff brushes a hand over the back of my head. "You don't have to do anything more to make me happy, I already am."

I put my arms around his waist and pull him closer. "You're ruining my meaningful moment."

He laughs and the sound of it makes me smile even wider. I rise up on my toes to reach his mouth and kiss him again. Warmth slowly turning into heat flows through me, as I feel him kissing me back.

Before I lose myself to his touch, however, the sound of someone laughing breaks the spell. We break a part and I see someone over Jeff's shoulder. Several someones.

Aural Intensity.

"So you showed up after all, freak," one of them says. "We didn't think you'd dare to, but even cowards can get fagot boyfriends to hide behind."

I feel my pulse quickening and nausea rising through me. Their slimy faces are getting more and more blurry to my eyes but I still try to glare at them while stepping in front of Jeff.

"Oh, the little fag's all grown up now. Trying to protect his boyfriend."

"Shut the fuck up!" Jeff snaps and grip my arm to pull me back. "Are you so miserable you have to pick on others to try to make them feel as bad about themselves as you do?"

One of Aural Intensity's dancers step forward, anger blazing in his eyes. But Jeff talks over him. "Well sucks for you, but it doesn't work. We're happy and you're hateful. We win."

I suddenly find myself smiling, through the nausea, the fear and the anger. "You know what, I don't give a fucking damn what you think about me or my boyfriend. We're going to go out of here with all our friends and we're never coming back, if not to beat you at Regionals again next year."

Jeff's hand finds mine and we start walking backwards to the corridor where we came from. I won't turn around, since I'm sure they'll try to do something if we turn our backs on them.

Surely enough, one of Aural Intensity spits after us and a few moves closer, as if they're going to attack with violence instead of words.

"You'll get disqualified if you hit us," I say calmly and gives them the middle finger before we get around a corner and start running.

We don't stop until we reach the rest of the Warblers, still sitting on the floor in the corridor. "The ceremony starts soon, doesn't it?" I ask, breathlessly.

Wes looks up at us, blinking and scrambles to his feet. "Of course. Right. Warblers, lets go."

Together, we walk back to unto the stage, joining New Directions and the glaring Aural Intensity. I grip Jeff's hand tightly and bite down on my lip.

Why did I come off as so arrogant while speaking with my bullies? What if we don't place over them?!

"In third place this Midwest Regionals... from Westvale High school: Aural Intensity!"

The crowd cheer halfheartedly. We don't join in. Neither Warblers nor New Directions are clapping for them. But I try to stop myself from smiling at least, that would be a bit too much gloating.

"In second place, ladies and gentlemen... from Dalton Academy: the Warblers!"

I let out my breath, both frustrated and relieved. The New Directions were great, really, but it would have felt so good to win. As one the Warblers move to take our prize, at first dazed and disappointed but then Thad shouts happily and we join in, cheering and grinning.

We did place second. We did win over Aural Intensity. Jeff and I sang our first duet in a competition. We are winners.

"And first place goes to... The New Directions, from McKinley High school!"

The auditorium fills with happy voices, laughter, cheering, clapping. This time the Warblers join in, applauding the winners and ourselves.

Jeff's arms comes around me and he spins me around, frowning when he sees my face. "Hey, are those tears?"

I jab my elbow lightly into his arm. "No, of course not."

"Nicky."

"I'm just happy, that's all," I say and smile at him. "And I want to go home."

Jeff smiles back and opens his mouth to answer but someone grips my arm and pulls till I turn to glare at him.

"Sebastian's disappeared again!" Blaine shouts over the noise in the auditorium.