Chapter 41: Nationals

ARTIE

"Hey," Artie said, shaking his step-brother's shoulder from where he sat in his chair beside the bed that they were sharing for the weekend. "Wake up. We've got to start getting ready for the competition."

In true Artie fashion, he had already been up for hours, propped up in bed and scrolling through his Twitter feed and reading a few chapters of the book he'd brought along with him on the trip. Sebastian had always been a late riser, often the last one in the family to stumble lazily into the kitchen on a Sunday morning. After countless sleepovers with the other guy, Artie knew Sam to be hard to get going in the early hours of the day as well. What he didn't know, however, was that Spencer was an early riser too.

Artie and Spencer often shared silent greetings in the morning, careful not to wake their snoozing bedmates. By Sunday, though, they'd realized that an atomic bomb could go off and likely not cause either Sam or Sebastian to so much as stir. So when Spencer texted Artie from the other bed, asking if he wanted to go to the hotel's Starbucks to grab coffees, he was more than down.

They headed downstairs- still clad in their pajamas- and had returned to their room just past ten o'clock only to find the other two still sleeping.

"Seriously, Seb, get up," Artie tried again, shaking him a little more forcefully, to which the boy just let out a groan. "Spencer and I brought you back a coffee."

When Sebastian still didn't make an effort to move, Spencer decided to take matters into his own hands, reaching for the pillow that Artie had been using between his knees while he slept and whacking his sleeping boyfriend over the head with it.

"Ow!" Sebastian let out loudly, startling Sam, who sat straight up in the other bed.

"Ah! What was that?!" Sam panicked, groggily looking around the room, trying to figure out what had caused such a ruckus.

"Great, now you're both up. We need to start getting ready for the competition," Artie said, handing Sebastian a venti black iced coffee from the tray set in his lap, and Sam his green tea. "We ran into Mr. Schue in the elevator. He said that the bus is leaving here in an hour. So get up."

Sebastian begrudgingly sat up in bed in order to take a sip of the drink his boyfriend and brother had gone through all the trouble to get him. He still didn't look too happy about his rude awakening, though.

"You kick in your sleep, by the way. Did you know that?" Artie told Sebastian, who made an annoyed face in his direction. "It's true! You kick."

"How would you know?!" Sebastian retorted.

"Because it woke me up!" Artie said back. "I mean, look at your legs! You're like a damn kangaroo." That last comment elicited a snort from Sam and a stifled laugh from Spencer, much to Sebastian's chagrin. "Listen, I may not have feeling down there, but I think I'd know if I was being jostled in the bed like that," Artie continued, maintaining that his story was the truth.

"Well… you hog the covers!" Sebastian replied, appearing to be a little self-conscious of his sleep actions.

Once Sam and Sebastian had consumed enough caffeine to get their day started, the boys all ditched their pajamas for the clothes that they would be wearing on the bus to the Orpheum Theatre, where the competition was being held. Artie selected black jeans and a red, orange, and white color-block collared shirt with his black Vans sneakers.

The boys took turns in the bathroom, none of them taking a particularly long time, except for Sebastian who used half a can of hairspray to ensure that his hair would be perfectly coiffed for the show. After Sebastian was finally ready, they all retrieved their fancy white tuxedos in their garment bags from the hotel room's small closet and headed down to the lobby, where they were to meet the rest of the team and their chaperones to load onto the bus.

"Artie," Mr. Schue called over to him as they waited on the girls to make an appearance so that they could leave for the theater. "The bus that the school rented for us doesn't have a lift for your chair. I'm so sorry about this. I was on the phone with the bus company for over an hour this morning trying to figure it out, but it doesn't seem that they have any handicap buses they can send…"

As the teacher rubbed his temples, Artie noticed that he really did look very apologetic and stressed about the whole situation. It was making Artie feel bad for the guy, having gone to all of this trouble on his behalf.

"Oh. Well, that's okay," Artie assured him, not feeling entirely confident in his own words, as he adjusted the way his glasses were sitting on his face. "Sam can just carry me on. It'll be okay. Right, Sam?"

"What? Oh, yeah, sure," Sam agreed, perking up when he heard his name mentioned.

"Alright," Mr. Schue nodded. "Once again, I'm so sorry, Artie."

Not long after that, the girls finally graced everyone with their presence, and then they were off to the competition. Sam carried Artie onto the bus, just as he said he would, before depositing him in the seat beside Kitty. Sebastian and Spencer followed closely behind, holding the pieces of Artie's dismantled wheelchair before setting them on the seat behind where he was seated.

When it was time to get off of the bus, they completed the same steps again, this time in reverse order. Once Seb and Spencer had assembled Artie's chair on the pavement outside, Sam picked him up and carried him off.

Theaters- especially old ones that were built before the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990- were notoriously inaccessible, and this one was no different. For the most part, the auditorium where the audience sits has been renovated, and they may have an elevator, so that they're technically compliant with the law, but that is usually the extent of their renovations. Even if the house is fully accessible, chances are, the backstage areas are not. Because nobody ever takes disabled performers into account, of course. Luckily, Artie had some pretty great friends who were on hand and willing to help him out where they could.

"Artie, I love you, but you have to wear a little bit of coverup makeup," Kitty insisted as Artie sat next to her in front of her makeup mirror. They were both dressed in their costumes, and they would be leaving their greenroom to head out into the crowd any minute now. "You're pale as it is. You need something on your face, or else the stage lights will totally wash you out."

This was a fight that Artie had been a part of at almost every show choir competition he'd ever competed in (first with Kurt, now with Kitty). He just wasn't a dude who liked to wear makeup. After some push back from Artie, Kitty was able to persuade him that a little bit of concealer and some bronzer wouldn't hurt anybody.

"Is everybody ready?" Mr. Schue called. "The Amazonians from Oklahoma City are first, then it's Throat Explosion, then it's us. We get to watch our competition before we take the stage, which could potentially be a huge advantage for us."

"Or it'll just psych us out," Artie let out, under his breath so that only Kitty heard it.

"Hey, no," she said, placing her hands on his shoulders and forcing him to look at her face. As he focused on her, he couldn't help but notice how the bright blue eyeliner she was wearing accentuated her gray-blue eyes. "Don't talk like that. We're going to go out there and absolutely blow the judges away. We've got this!"

Her optimism was infectious, and he really, really hoped that she was right.

…

SEBASTIAN

The show choir blogs had been absolutely right about Jean-Baptiste and Throat Explosion. They were phenomenal. Their performance of Styx's "Mr. Roboto", perfectly segued into OneRepublic's "Counting Stars" (featuring a costume change right in the middle of their performance!) might have to go down in history next to Vocal Adrenaline's performance of "Bohemian Rhapsody" as one of the most iconic show choir performances of this century.

To say that morale was already low as the New Directions headed backstage from their spot in the audience would be an understatement, but then Jean-Baptiste had to show up and make things even worse.

"Well, well! If it isn't les Directions Nouveau!" He called, coming up from behind the group, accompanied by a few of his teammates. "I hope you all enjoyed watching what a real champion show choir team looks like. You may have had your time to shine last year, but you're old news."

The New Directions glanced around at one another. There wasn't even time for Sebastian or Kitty to craft a witty comeback to send the other team on their way, because Jean-Baptiste didn't even give them a minute to respond before he continued spewing insults at them.

"Let's get serious. You've got zero chance of winning. You tied your sectionals. You're only here on a technicality, and everyone knows that all of your decent singers graduated last year. Nothing's going to change that!"

"You're a tool, man!" Sam yelled, lunging after him before he was restrained by Blaine and Ryder.

"Break a leg!" Jean-Baptiste cheerily called over his shoulder as he and his teammates exited into the audience to watch the New Directions take the stage in just a few minutes.

"Guys, come in here," Finn motioned them into their dressing room. When everyone was crowded around him, Mr. Schue closed the door to give them some privacy.

"What that guy just said? Let it go. They're just trying to psych us out. They're being idiots. We've got to get our game faces on because we're not like the other teams. We don't have the big budget or the… giant pool of students to choose from. We came here to sing and dance our hearts out, and to win this thing." Finn glanced around. "I don't want to hear any garbage about doing your best or giving it the old college try. Go out there and wipe the floor with the other teams! Do you hear me? I'm standing right here, holding all of your hands, telling you that 'the show's gotta go all over the place or something'."

His last comment elicited giggles from Artie, Tina, Brittany, and Sam- the only members of the team who knew what he was referencing.

"And when you're up there on stage, I'll be sitting right next to Mr. Schue, cheering you on. And when you win your second Nationals trophy, I'll be cheering even louder. Alright? Let's do this! Show circle, hands in!"

Everyone followed his lead, piling their hands on top of one another and cheering "aaaaaamazing!" on the count of three. Sebastian hadn't known Finn for that long, but he did know that the guy wasn't necessarily known for his pep talks. However, his words just now were exactly what the team needed to hear before their big moment.

"Don't be nervous," Artie said, wheeling up next to Sebastian as they took their spots on the stage behind the closed curtain. "You've been waiting for this moment for too long to be nervous. You'll be amazing. Love you."

Sebastian smiled, bending over to give his step-brother a quick hug before he needed to hurry off to his own spot.

"Love you."

The setlist, which had been selected by Finn from his favorite songs of all time, was heavily focused on highlighting the four seniors who had given their all to the Glee Club for years now: Artie, Blaine, Sam, and Tina. Normally, Sebastian would have been bummed about the spotlight not being on him, but not today. He knew that he would have been singing lead if he had stayed at Dalton, but regardless, he still didn't have any regrets about transferring. He got to spend his senior year with his brother, and got the chance to compete at Nationals. That meant so much more to him than being a featured vocalist in a number.

"More Than a Feeling" was a duet between Tina and Blaine. The two had such a special kind of chemistry as they sang together that was hard to ignore. There was a lot of partner work in this one, which was difficult for a team made up of eight boys and five girls, but they made it work. The classic song was a real crowd pleaser.

Neil Diamond's "America" was just the upbeat, fun number that they needed in order to get everybody up on their feet. Artie got to sit and dance front and center while he sang his solo parts as everyone danced around him. Sebastian and Spencer even got to dance together, which never would have happened if they'd been competing in their conservative home state of Ohio. Lucky for them, California was much more forward-thinking.

Their final song, U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", was the perfect way to end it off. The choreography for this one was fairly simple: the foursome sang up front while everyone else swayed on the risers behind them and provided the background vocals. What stood out to Sebastian about the number, though, were Artie's smooth runs and adlibs that he added to the performance. Most would overlook them in favor of Sam's strong voice singing lead, but Sebastian couldn't bring himself to. They were too good to not appreciate.

As they struck their final pose, the crowd roared with applause. Sure enough, Finn was right where he said he'd be, next to Mr. Schue, cheering them on.

And just like that, it was over. Their last ever performance as members of the New Directions before they'd be graduating and leaving Lima to set out on their own after-high school plans. It was bittersweet, but they'd given it all they had.

Now, they were just anxiously waiting to find out if their all was enough to beat Throat Explosion.

The three teams took the stage an hour or so later. After the judges- Joanna Rohrback (the creator of Prancercise: the holistic fitness craze that's sweeping the nation!), and famous actresses Jackée Harry and Marlee Matlin- had time to deliberate, they appeared on stage with the results in a sealed envelope.

A wacky fitness instructor, a Deaf actress… Where do they find the judges for these things? Sebastian wondered. They always seemed so random and not at all qualified to judge high school show choir.

"And now the pivotal moment is here," Ms. Rohrback said. "For there can only be one champion show choir per nation."

As the Amazonians were announced in third place, Sebastian's stomach felt like it was doing back handsprings. One of his hands held Spencer's, and the other squeezed Artie's shoulder as he sat in front of him. Everything they'd worked so hard for came down to this one moment.

"Second place goes to…" Jackée began, as she tore open the envelope containing the results. "Throat Explosion! Which means the New Directions have won the National Show Choir Championship two years in a row!"

Sebastian's jaw dropped. For once in his life, he was truly speechless as everyone around him cheered, jumping up and down with excitement. He felt like the world was moving in slow motion as he first embraced his boyfriend, then stooped down to hug his brother. They'd done it. He couldn't believe it.

…

They weren't scheduled to leave California until the next morning, so the New Directions rode their celebratory high all the way to Santa Monica Pier. The pier was home to a handful of fun restaurants, as well as Pacific Park, an amusement park complete with a rollercoaster and a ferris wheel, among other attractions. It was one of the quintessential tourist spots in LA, and it was the perfect place to spend time together before they had to go home.

After telling them to meet him back at the entrance to the park before sundown and to call him if they needed anything, Mr. Schue let the kids run off on their own to enjoy all that the landmark had to offer.

Their first stop, of course, was to get dinner. Sebastian had been too anxious to eat lunch before they competed, so the only thing he had consumed that day was the coffee that Spencer and Artie had bought him. Now, he was starving.

Artie and Kitty had decided to hang with Seb and Spencer for the night, and with their differing palates, the only thing that the four of them could agree on was Beach Burger. Sebastian, ever the picky eater, just ordered a plain burger with nothing else on it, while the others ordered all of the fix-ins. Beach Burger was casual enough that their meals were served to-go, so they settled down on a bench overlooking the water, Artie parking his chair at the end.

"Hey, let's take pictures!" Artie called as they were finishing up, pointing to the photobooth beside where they were sitting. He was always looking for any way to document his experiences.

It was awkward, trying to fit the four of them in the small booth made for two. Kitty and Artie essentially ended up sitting on Spencer and Sebastian's laps to get their faces in the frame, but they made it work.

"Now we've got to hit some of the rides," Spencer said with a starry-eyed glance in the direction of the amusement park.

"I'm down, as long as we steer clear of the rollercoaster and the spinny one," Artie replied, patting his stomach. "Unless you want to see that burger come back up."

Of course, nobody wanted to see that. Kitty gagged at the thought before slugging him on the shoulder, him feigning hurt, but laughing anyway.

They mutually decided to part ways for a little bit, so that Sebastian and Spencer could ride the rollercoaster while Kitty and Artie went and played some of the carnival games, before meeting back up forty-five minutes later.

"Hey Art, think your stomach can handle a little ferris wheel action?" Sebastian asked, pointing up to the structure that loomed above the pier. They only had time for one more attraction before they needed to meet back up with Mr. Schue.

"Oh hell yes," he replied, having sufficiently digested all of his food. He eagerly pushed off on his wheels, leading the way towards the entrance to the ride. Sebastian threw an arm around Spencer's shoulders as the two of them and Kitty followed closely behind.

Artie was able to transfer into the cart on his own, while Kitty held it steady before climbing in herself. Sebastian moved Artie's vacant chair off to the side while the ride lurched forward to get the next available cart ready for Sebastian and Spencer to occupy.

As their cart continued to rise up higher and higher, they got an even better view of the California coastline and the Pacific Ocean. Spencer, who was wearing a white t-shirt with navy blue shorts (with an incredibly short inseam, much to Sebastian's approval) and sunglasses, was turned away from him, marveling at the view as the sun got brighter as it prepared to set.

From the cart above them, Sebastian could hear Kitty giggling as Artie directed her to pose for his camera ("It's golden hour! The lighting is just fantastic!").

Sebastian took this serene moment to reflect on how lucky he was. This past year had been tough at times, but in the end, it was nothing short of a blessing. He was surrounded by the best, most accepting friends and teammates a guy could have, and he would be going home tomorrow to a loving and rambunctious family- something he'd always wished for while he was growing up as an only child.

Now, as he was seated across from the goofiest, sexiest boyfriend in the whole world, and getting to enjoy this gorgeous view, he couldn't help but be grateful. It was the perfect way to end this trip of a lifetime.

His show choir career may be over, but he had everything he could ever dream of. And that was more than enough.

Surprise! I just had to fix the results of this competition because I'll never forgive Glee for making them lose this one. I really enjoyed inserting Finn into this chapter, and I hope you all liked how it ended up. :) I also had to write in something about how the bus to Nationals wasn't accessible... I got that idea while rewatching the episode because the bus they were on wasn't, yet they never addressed it, even after making the accessible buses such a big plotline of Artie's in the past.

Please leave me a review if you liked this chapter!