Kurt checked his reflection in his rear-view mirror for the 20th time, straightening his collar and adjusting that one annoying piece of hair on his forehead. He looked at the clock on the dashboard; exactly two minutes had passed since the last time he had checked it. Despite spending the entire ride to school gathering the nerve to walk through the halls after what had happened last Friday, he still couldn't get his body to exit the car and walk across the parking lot. At this point, he would be late if he waited any longer, and although it was tempting to make his way to Algebra in an empty hallway, he knew it would only make things worse. Mrs. Phillips had screamed at a kid last week for forgetting his textbook in his locker, and Kurt was anticipating a tough enough day as it was, without having it begin with a scolding from a teacher.

He took one last deep breath before finally forcing his hand to unlock the door and push it open into the cool morning air. 'You can do this,' he thought to himself as he headed towards the front door, straightening his shoulders and tilting his chin up as he approached the school. 'You are Kurt Hummel. You are fabulous. You are better than all of this.' He paused for one more second before pushing through the heavy door, prepared to survive the day.

Blaine checked his phone under his desk for the 20th time since British Literature had started, tapping his foot on the hardwood floor. He had texted Kurt that morning to make sure he was okay (of course he wasn't okay, Blaine, don't be stupid), but didn't know what else to say to his boyfriend, other than the already overworked "COURAGE." It wasn't even as if Kurt could send him a message in the middle of class, but that didn't stop Blaine from checking his phone approximately every two minutes, just in case.

Blaine loved Dalton, he loved the uniform and the Warblers and the classes and the buildings… but he had never more wanted to be at McKinley than in this moment. It wasn't fair for Kurt to have to deal with the aftermath of Friday night on his own. Blaine had been terrified in that auditorium full of people, but at least he had been able to be there for Kurt. It didn't seem so scary when they could face it together. But now, today, they were separated again, and it didn't seem fair that Blaine's day went on as usual, when he couldn't even imagine how awful Kurt must be feeling. And a part of Blaine hated himself for being relieved that the roles weren't reversed; Kurt was braver than Blaine would ever be. He still couldn't believe his boyfriend had walked back into that room and up onto that stage to accept his crown; the least Blaine could do was dance with him, and even that seemed insignificant in comparison. Where did Kurt get his strength? Blaine opened his phone one last time, before taking a deep breath and trying unsuccessfully to switch his focus back to The Canterbury Tales. His thoughts were still miles away at a very different high school, hoping Kurt was surviving the day so far.

Kurt blinked away tears as he passed yet another group of students talking about him. These girls didn't even bother to whisper as they pointed at him and wondered aloud how he could show his face in school today. But he would absolutely not give them any sign that their words had affected him. He was stronger and better than this. He pushed his chest out a little further and gripped the strap of his bag a little tighter, not even glancing at them as he passed by.

Usually he was glad that Blaine no longer had to endure any bullying, but today he really wished his boyfriend was there next to him. Not that they could hold hands or even stand too close, but just his presence gave Kurt a reason to put one foot in front of the other. The whole school now knew they were together anyways, but that certainly didn't mean they were safe from slushies or dumpster tosses. Even so, just thinking about Blaine gave him the strength to walk a little taller. Most days he couldn't believe that he had found someone like him, particularly in Ohio. He had been especially reminded of his luck at prom; just when he thought he was finally going to lose face in front of his entire school, Blaine was there with an outstretched hand, reminding him that he was no longer alone in this battle. 'They can't touch me. They can't touch us, or what we have,' he repeated to himself as he walked by another group of staring students before entering his next classroom. 'Blaine is worth it. That slow dance was worth it. They can't touch us.'

"Pointing and whispering is the best they can come up with? Gosh, high schoolers these days are so unoriginal," Kurt had texted Blaine during lunch. Blaine smiled at his boyfriend's usual sass, even though he knew he was faking it to reassure Blaine, who, of all people, knew exactly how much pointing and whispering could hurt. His guilt at not being there for Kurt was again conflicted with his relief at being in Dalton. He could all too easily recall the shame and embarrassment after his Sadie Hawkins dance, made worse by the cast on his arm and the blatant bruises on his face. He hoped his texts to Kurt could at least provide a little motivation; Blaine hadn't had that luxury two years ago, as the only person who truly understood had disappeared the day after the dance. More than anything he wished he could see Kurt right after school, but he had Warblers practice and Kurt had a history exam to study for. He would just have to wait until the Lima Bean the following afternoon.

Blaine smiled as he imagined Kurt's outfits for school this week; if he knew his boyfriend at all, the prom incident would only augment his outrageous fashion choices. He probably looked damn fabulous walking through those McKinley halls, even if none of the students appreciated his efforts. Sometimes he was just overcome with pride and love for that boy; how did his cowardly, goofy self end up with someone as amazing as Kurt? His heart ached that he couldn't be with Kurt today; he felt so helpless, stuck in his blazer, while Kurt walked straight into the lion's den. There had to be something he could do. "They can't touch us, or what we have," Kurt had said to him three days ago. He wanted to prove this to his boyfriend, to McKinley, and to himself. He pondered the situation and hummed to himself as he took a seat in his Latin classroom. He softly sang the next lyrics under his breath, though he would never admit to the Warblers that he knew all the words to this particular song, and he was suddenly struck with the perfect plan. He leaned over and whispered to Wes, as Kurt's words repeated in his head: 'They can't touch us, or what we have.'

'I made it,' thought Kurt with a sigh of relief as he walked to his last period. He used to think getting shoved into lockers was bad, but he honestly would have preferred those days back after the treatment he received today. At least you could brace yourself against physical bullying, and the pain was something tangible to deal with. He was accustomed to the paranoia of people talking about him behind his back, especially when he wore one of his more unique outfits, or got a grape slushie to the face in the middle of a crowded hallway. But knowing that everyone was definitely judging him, and not even bothering to hide their stares, was much worse than being completely ignored, or being thrown into a dumpster. He was even dreading glee club a little bit because he knew that the staring and whispering would only continue – although at least in this class it would be out of care and concern. He was barely holding himself together at the moment, and even just thinking about them hugging him or asking how he was doing caused him to tear up.

He walked into the choir room and the conversation stopped, as all eyes turned to him. He managed a weak smile as he sat down in his normal spot. Without saying a word, Mercedes scooted her chair over and put her arm around him, as Brittany moved to his other side and grabbed his hand. Even Santana patted his shoulder, and Puck ruffled his hair (it was a testament to Kurt's day that he didn't even reprimand him for that forbidden action). And with that, their conversations went back to normal as Kurt blinked away tears. Mr. Schuester walked out of the adjoining office, and Kurt had never been more grateful for the ignorance of their teacher; he was probably the only one in the school at this point who was oblivious to what had happened on Friday.

Kurt took a deep breath and relaxed back into the hard plastic chair, debating whether he had time to send a quick message to Blaine before Mr. Schu announced his next misguided assignment. He was reaching into his bag for his phone when a loud knock came from the door of the choir room, and once again conversation halted mid sentence. He looked up and nearly fell sideways into Mercedes' lap when he saw the curly hair and navy blazer of the unexpected visitor.

"Mr. Schuester, I'm sorry to interrupt, but could I come in? I'm sure you guys are busy preparing for nationals," – half of the glee club smirked at that, seeing as everyone knew they had never prepared for a competition more than a week in advance, but Blaine continued rushing his words out, "but I'd really like just a few minutes of your time."

"Uh, sure… Blaine is it? Take the floor," Mr. Schue responded distractedly, focused on whatever paper he was holding. It wouldn't be the first time one of his lessons was usurped by an impromptu performance.

Kurt watched in disbelief as Blaine walked over to the piano, taking a moment to catch his breath, as it appeared he had literally run here from his car. Blaine looked over at Kurt (as did the rest of the glee club), and without preamble, started his song.

Elevator buttons and morning air
Strangers' silence makes me want to take the stairs
If you were here we'd laugh about their vacant stares
But right now my time is theirs

Blaine thought about his anxiety earlier, surrounded by his carefree classmates at Dalton, while Kurt suffered through his day, as he continued to the next verse.

Seems like there's always someone who disapproves

They'll judge it like they know about me and you
And the verdict comes from those with nothing else to do
The jury's out, my choice is you

Kurt could no longer hold back the tears at that last line, taken aback by his boyfriend's sincerity, especially in front of a room full of people. He continued to grip his friend's hand as Blaine reached the chorus.

So don't you worry your pretty little mind
People throw rocks at things that shine
And life makes love look hard
The stakes are high, the water's rough
But this love is ours

You never know what people have up their sleeves

Ghosts from your past gonna jump out at me
Lurking in the shadows with their lip gloss smiles
But I don't care 'cause right now you're mine

Half of New Directions glared over at Rachel when lip gloss was mentioned, as they all clearly remembered the train wreck extravaganza incident, but Kurt only had eyes for Blaine, as the last line rang true.

And you'll say
Don't you worry your pretty little mind
People throw rocks at things that shine
And life makes love look hard
The stakes are high, the water's rough
But this love is ours

And it's not theirs to speculate

If it's wrong and
Your hands are tough
But they are where mine belong and
I'll fight their doubt and give you faith
With this song for you

Blaine sang those lyrics with all of the passion he had, hoping the words could ease some of Kurt's pain. Judging by the contented, albeit watery, smile on his boyfriend's face, it was just what Kurt needed to hear today. Thad and David may not agree, but Taylor Swift knew how to write a love song.

'Cause I love the gap between your teeth

And I love the riddles that you speak
And any snide remarks from my father about your tattoos will be ignored
'Cause my heart is yours

Kurt's own heart felt like it would burst as Blaine sang those words, despite Brittany's hushed inquiry about the location of Kurt's tattoo. At that moment, the glee club didn't exist, nor did any of the other students at the school. The only people in the world were Blaine and Kurt and they had each other and that's all that really mattered at the end of the day.

So don't you worry your pretty little mind
People throw rocks at things that shine
And life makes love look hard
Don't you worry your pretty little mind
People throw rocks at things that shine
But they can't take what's ours
They can't take what's ours

The stakes are high, the water's rough

But this love is ours

Blaine played the last note, and just stared at the piano keys for a moment, before sheepishly rubbing his hand on the back of his neck, and turning to survey the room. Most of the girls were crying, and Blaine swore he even saw Puckerman discreetly wipe his eyes. By the time his gaze reached his boyfriend, Kurt was already out of his seat and practically collapsing into Blaine's arms. Kurt was so used to going it alone that he forgot the wonderful, uplifting feeling of having someone else to lean on (quite literally at the moment). Blaine returned the embrace enthusiastically, pressing a quick kiss to the side of Kurt's neck.

"I really have to get back for Warbler's practice before the council kills me," he whispered into his ear, "but I thought you could use a pick me up today." He pulled away to look at Kurt and showed him that smile that he saved for him and only him. Kurt returned with a huge grin of his own and simply stated, "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Blaine just shook his head and replied, "You would do just fine, Kurt Hummel. Now go back to your seat and I'll call you in a few hours." Kurt gave him another brief hug before returning back to his chair, while his boyfriend politely thanked Mr. Schu and waved to the room as he walked out the door. Kurt didn't even hear this week's assignment; instead he wondered what he had done to deserve Blaine Anderson as he replayed the serenade over in his head, unable to wipe the grin off his face. 'Just let them try to bring me down right now,' he thought defiantly, 'because they can't take what's ours."