"And the winners of this years regionals come from...Mckinley High School, the New Directions! Congratulations!"

- - - - - - - - -

"We did it!", Sam screams and claps Kurt on the back while all members of the New Directions are running into the choir room to put their new trophy into the showcase. Everyone is super giddy with excitement and they dance around and form a big happy group hug.
"We need to celebrate this!", Puck states and pulls a bottle of something bubbly looking out of his bag.
"Hey Puck, no under age drinking!", Mr. Schussed tries to prohibit but his warning gets lost in Tina's piano playing of "We are the champions". Puck pops the bottle and everyone clinks glasses.
"To the future national champions!", Artie pronounces.
Kurt doesn't trust Puck's self-mixed champagne and only takes a tiny sip of the strange smelling drink.
The gushing atmosphere doesn't change and soon everybody agrees to spend the night in the choir room and have a huge sleepover because nobody wants to leave. Mr. Schuster doesn't seem very thrilled by the idea but allows himself to be persuaded and helps them to carry some blankets and roll mats from the infirmary into the choir room before he goes home to bring Emma the good news.

Dance music blasts from the speakers of the stereo and everyone has separated into small groups. Artie, Sam and Tina are wildly dancing in the middle of the room. Mercedes and Puck polish carefully the trophy and Santana, Brittany and Mike sit on some chairs in the background and chat laughingly. Kurt sits a little separated and with crossed legs next to the piano. Just as he turns his gaze grossed out away from Finn who looks like he's having stomach cramps while kissing Rachel when he feels someone joining him on the piano bench.
"Hey you", Blaine says with a warm smile and slides next to him.
Kurt jumps slightly in surprise and shifts to make space for him.
"Hi", he answers a bit breathless. He still isn't used to have Blaine around in McKinley and it was for both of them a bit awkward to compete today against The Warblers, their friends and former schoolmates but he's so happy that blaine transferred schools, too so that Kurt can have his best friend around all the time now. Yes, they were only friends. No matter how desperately Kurt wishes they would be so much more than just friends.
"Why are you sitting here so alone?", Blaine says and nudges him lightly in the side.
"Oh, I'm just taking a little break from the partying. I guess the adrenaline rush from the win earlier cools slowly down."
Blaine nods in acknowledgement and shifts closer to Kurt on the bench, their thighs pressing together. Kurt's heart speeds up though he knows that Blaine is doing it unconsciously. It's who he was, it's always so naturally for him to be in Kurt's personal space and he's never afraid to touch his hands or arms or embarrassed to hug him tightly even in public though they're just friends. Normally with any other person Kurt would be bothered by it but with Blaine it was different. He feels comfortable in his presence, simultaneously it makes his blood rush a little faster and his head a little dizzier even when it's just their thighs touching.
"You know", Blaine starts and strikes absentmindedly a few keys on the piano, "I knew right from the start we would win today."
"Oh come on, just because you're not their lead singer anymore doesn't mean the performance from The Warblers was that bad", Kurt teases him.
He earns a chuckle from Blaine before he continues. "No, of course not and their song choice was excellent. You can't go wrong with a Pink cover but that's not what I meant. They just didn't have you."
"Oh", Kurt manages to say with wide eyes and turns surprised to Blaine who rubs adorably his neck.
"Your solo today was stunningly beautiful, Kurt."
Kurt blushes and smiles sheepishly at the compliment. It was his first solo at a competition and he was almost to excited to start singing. He stared at the micro for what seemed to be hours to him and was about to run scared off the stage but when he looked helplessly behind the curtains there he was, Blaine. He gave him a reassuring smile and a thumbs up and that gave Kurt the courage to take a deep breath and to start singing in a secure voice.

"Thank you", he breathes, "but without you I wouldn't have even sung a single note. And also you're overstating we won together, everyone was amazing."
"But you were special", Blaine answers and squeezes his thigh before he gets up.
Kurt's belly takes a double flip and he feels like he would have drunk the whole bottle of Puck's champagne alone. The words echoing in his head you were special.
"Now come on, it looks like Mike and Brittany are having a serious dance battle over there and we don't want to miss that." Blaine pulls him on his feet and they walk over to cheer for them.
The funny evening turns into a silly night and after a fashion show with their old costumes and a hilarious game of truth or dare where Finn had to photocopy his bare ass, Santana revealed some scary secrets about her sex life and Mercedes had to leave a long message with loud moans on the answering machine of the poor principal Figgins, they decide its time to crawl under their blankets.
Everyone is scattered around the room in a big circle. Kurt lies next to Blaine and Tina cuddled up in his blanket and listens to the story Tina is about to tell with his head propped up on his chin. Blaine lies on his side and as their eyes meet for a second they share a smile. Sometimes Kurt thinks that Blaine's gaze lingers a little bit longer on him than other persons or that his expression changes when he's around Kurt. His eyes are just a small touch softer and his smile more tender. But then again he could make up everything in his mind. Blaine sees Kurt only as a friend, a good one but nothing more. But he said earlier I am special, right?
Kurt sighs frustrated and concentrates on the story again Tina is telling.
"One day the parents of a little baby went out and hired a babysitter for the night. The babysitter put the little girl to bed but every time she climbed down the stairs to the living room the girl started to cry immediately. So she went up again every time and sing her to sleep. The little girl was always terrified and glanced to the stuffed clown toy that sat in her cradle before she fell asleep. But she started to cry again when her babysitter left the room. The babysitter called her parents telling them that their daughter won't sleep and always stared at her stuffed clown. The parents answered horrified that they didn't own a stuffed clown..."
Everyone is tensed up and Kurt has goosebumps all over his body. He robbed during the story cautiously away from Tina, nearer to Blaine. He hates horror stories especially the ones with kids.
"A-and how does it continue?", Artie whispers scared.
"Well, the babysitter dropped the phone and ran home. As she turned around outside the house she saw that lights are turned on in the little girl's room and a shadow of a giant clown leans over her cradle..."
A cold shiver runs down Kurt's back and he hides his head under the blanket.
"God, Tina how will I ever be able to fall asleep after that?!", he groans and rolls his body into a ball.
Tina laughs and pats encouraging his back. "Don't be so chickenhearted, Kurt."
Some of the guys laugh, too but Kurt knows from the insecurity in their voices that this definitely wasn't their favorite bedtime story, too. However everyone falls asleep after a short time and more or less gentle snorts echo through the choir room. But Kurt shifts around on the hard roll mat and just can't find rest. His thoughts spin around clowns and scared little girls, he sweats despite the chilly temperature in the room but he doesn't dare to stick even his toe outside and startles up to every sound in the darkness of the choir room. After a long time he drifts off into a fitful sleep.

Someone grabs him, the grotesque face of a man with a clowns mask appears directly in front of his face. The man lays his hands around his throat and tries to choke him. Kurt tries to scream and force his hands away but he can't move or speak. Now the man begins to shake him fiercely, no wait he knows that face. It's Blaine, but why is he wearing a clowns mask? Kurt tries to blink his eyes open and shakes fiercely his head to clear his mind. It's only a bad dream Kurt! He tries to blink his eyes open again but the images of the demonically laughing clown pursue him into reality.
"Kurt, Kurt, wake up!"
This time he's sure it's Blaine who speaks to him and lightly hits his arm he would recognize this dreamy voice everywhere.
Kurt finally opens his eyes and the awful clown mask disappears and vanishes into beautiful warm honey-hazel eyes. Blaine's face is inches apart and directly above him. Kurt is still in shock from the vivid pictures of his dream and he can't move a single bone, his whole body is frozen-stiff and all over covered in sweat.
"Kurt, are you okay? It was just a bad dream." Blaine rubs concerned Kurt's arms up and down to make the goosebumps go away.
Kurt blinks a few times and tries to focus on Blaine's face, the pictures rushing back every time his eyes slam shut again. After a nightmare he's always in shock also as a kid he never walked to his parents after a bad dream because he was too afraid something would happen to him on the way though he always wanted to crawl into his mothers arms.
"I-I", he starts but trails off, his voice still too rough and sleep heavy.
Blaine looks really worried and stops rubbing his arms to lie down next to him. Kurt watches him wide eyed as he slowly opens his arms and puts one hand on Kurt's hip. They're facing each other and Kurt can see him gulp nervously. "You-you can cuddle closer if you want to", Blaine whispers," I'm a pretty good comforter."
Kurt's heart pounds fast in his chest as he shifts closer to Blaine. Blaine envelopes him with his warm arms and tugs him closer. Kurt's face is completely pressed into Blaine's strong chest and he slowly relaxes against it while he breathes in Blaine's calming scent. The frightened feeling from the nightmare fades away and he nuzzles his nose into Blaine's shirt.
"Are you feelin' better", Blaine whispers.
"Uh-huh", Kurt mumbles and snuggles even closer.
Blaine strokes a strand of sweaty hair from Kurt's forehead and for a second Kurt thought he was going to press a kiss on his hair because he felt Blaine's breath ghosting over his skin but he shied away in the last moment.
The foggy feeling from the dream has faded away and make space for worries to spin around in Kurt's mind.
What are you doing Kurt? He isn't your boyfriend yet your cuddling very intimate. Friends aren't supposed to do that, right? Maybe he wants us to be more than friends, too. No! I need to stop that! I'll just end up with a broken heart...
Blaine shifts around a little bit uncomfortably.
Oh god this has to be super awkward for him. But he initiated it. Maybe I should stop now, he just wanted to calm me down. But it's so cozy in his strong arms, I wish I could stay here for ever.
"Kurt, could you maybe-"
"I make you feel uncomfortable, this has to be awkward for you, I'm sorry!", Kurt cuts him off and wriggles hectically out of Blaine's arms back on his roll mat.
"What?! No-no Kurt. I actually wanted to asks you if you could turn around, so we could make y-you know the little and big spoon thingy because my arm fell asleep. But if this is awkward for you we can stop, you were just so scared and I thoug-"
Kurt cuts him off again by placing his fingers over his mouth while he shifts closer again with a big smile on his lips and a blush on his face. "No, I-I love it."
Blaine returns the smile with sparkling eyes and pillows his head on his right arm before he puts the other one around Kurt's waist. He snuggles closer so that their backs are pressing flat against each other. Kurt closes his eyes and enjoys the secure feeling of Blaine's body pressed against his. He sighs contently and he feels Blaine's nose nudging against his shoulder. His whole body feels warm but in a good way this time and his skin prickles. He bends his legs but pulls them startled back when they bump against Blaine's.
Gosh, I'm so awkward I can't even cuddle. But how does this work?! Am I allowed to touch his legs?
Blaine chuckles like he had read his mind and synchronizes their legs carefully so that his knees touch Kurt's back of his knees and his naked toes are tickling Kurt's calves. They stay silent for a while and Kurt almost thought Blaine would be asleep but then he hears him whispering in awe "I can feel your heartbeat."
Kurt's hair stand on the end because Blaine's voice is so close to his ear and he listens to the exciting pounding of their heartbeats. Sleepily he interlaces their fingers and hugs their clasped hands tightly to his chest not caring if friends are supposed to do that or not before he slowly drifts of to sleep again. He feels how Blaine presses an uncertain and featherlight kiss on his back right between his shoulder blades and Kurt's breath catches in his throat. But maybe that's only a dream again. If so then that's definitely a good one...