You guys. It's been so long since I've updated. I had to go back and read my own story to remember where I was. SORRY! I used to be such a faithful updater, but I really think I will be again, as I have been dreaming of my stories again. I got a comment I couldn't respond to from Beauty is a Prison Sentence. I wanted to say thank you so much. I cried when I read your comment. Thank you to everyone that reads my work. It means the world to me.

The first day of school.

Kurt took a deep breath.

This was it. The last first day of his high school career. A momentous day for so many reasons. It marked the beginning of the end. His last year in Glee. His last year at home before college. And the first day "out" at school with his boyfriend.

If he could ever bring himself to knock on his door, that is.

Kurt had been sitting in Dave's driveway for 10 minutes, paralyzed by an overwhelming combination of anxiety and nervous excitement.

They'd spent hours talking about this day. Days really. Blissful, slow days as Dave recovered from his successful kidney surgery. They had made a plan.

They were going to walk together. Hold hands. They weren't going to be afraid. Their decision to come out as a couple wasn't about making a statement. It was just about them. Just about being together. Dave nearly losing his life had taught them the importance of being together and not wasting a precious minute of the time they'd been given together.

Everything was better when he was with Dave. And if they could get through kidney disease together, they could get through a day of school together.

That thought gave Kurt the courage to get out and knock on his boyfriend's door. The courage to drive to McKinley with him. The courage to walk across the crowded senior parking lot, standing close to the other boy.

The courage; upon reaching the double doors leading into the school, to hold out his trembling hand. It was immediately encircled by the large, callused hand of the only boy he'd ever loved. Closing his eyes, he could the warmth from Dave's hand seeping into him, making him braver than he was. Dave's voice was reassuring in its steadiness,

"Shall we?"

Taking a deep breath, Kurt squeezed his boyfriend's hand, taking one last glance into those beautiful hazel eyes, scraping together the last bit of courage he needed. Hefting the strap of his Coach messenger bag over his shoulder he smiled.

"Yeah, I'm ready"

It was one of the most brutal days of Kurt's life. Except for the day his mother died, and the day he found out Dave was sick, Kurt couldn't think of a day that had been worse.

Before walking into the school he had feared that people would mock them. Laugh at them. Slushie them. Throw them in a dumpster. He'd braced himself for all of that. He'd been through it all before. But what had happened was so much worse than that.

No one had said a single word to him. No one had threatened him or slushied him or even really looked in his direction. In retrospect he thought it might have been because they had known he was gay. But they hadn't known about Dave.

And while the majority of their peers rushed around them, either unaware of or unconcerned with their clasped hands, there had been a small but vicious number who hadn't let them pass without comment.

And this small group; comprised mostly of Dave's friends and teammates, had directed all of their scorn, their mockery, and their aggression not at the two of them- but at Dave alone. The familiar group of letterman jacket clad jocks and uniformed cheerleaders, had seemed at first eager to see Dave, but faltered in their enthusiastic greetings; eyes dropping to where his hand was linked with Kurt's. Their confusion had given way to incredulity and then swiftly to cruelty.

Dave's former friends had openly ridiculed him. It made Kurt's heart beat faster until he could scarcely focus for the rush of blood and adrenaline through his system. But they'd walked away from every conflict, every comment. Dave had made him agree to that when they'd talked about this day. That Kurt wouldn't respond wouldn't defend Dave. He'd promised Dave that he'd walk away because Dave said fighting on that first day wouldn't change anything. And that this day would be on their terms, not someone else's.

Despite his promise to Dave, it took all of his willpower to turn his back on their terrible words. His whole body shook with pain. He'd rather take 10 slushies to the face than hear them make one more comment to his boyfriend. The pain he felt was sharper and more intense than any pain he'd felt for himself when he had been bullied by those meatheads. He'd almost lost this amazing, beautiful boy and it brought out every single one of his protective instincts to hear them tearing him down.

Somehow Kurt had made it through the first day; buoyed up by his supportive friends and the reassuring calm of his boyfriend. He seemed unruffled and uncaring of his former friend's harassment. He showed up at the door to every one of Kurt's classes, grasping the smaller boy's hand before he could as much lodge a single protest.

Dave wouldn't tell him what went on during his classes and in the locker room, but by the end of the day his shirt was stained slushie blue and his bottom lip was bruised and swollen. And when they got to Dave's locker after school, it was covered with homophobic slurs. As Kurt fumed in outrage, Dave smiled tightly; saying nothing, though his face was starting to show the first signs of underlying strain. Holding out his hand, he pulled Kurt to the Glee room.

Their first practice couldn't have come at a better time. Kurt needed an outlet for his feelings. He could only hope that Mr. Shue had some intense singing and dancing planned.

"Ok, ok…welcome back to Glee Club everyone!"

The collective cheers and catcalls were like a healing balm to Kurt's soul. It was so great to be amongst friends. It felt so wonderful to be able to sit close to Dave and rest his head against his boyfriend's shoulder.

They were safe here.

Mr. Shue continued as the cheers slowly died down.

"Now, we have a lot of work to do to prepare for sectionals, but with today being the first day of school, I thought you guys probably needed something more fun and something to get you back into the grove a little bit. So, today, I'm going to give everyone 10 minutes to plan and then we're going to play a game I call "iPod shuffle". Everyone gets one verse and one chorus of a song, to be immediately followed by someone else. We all get a chance to sing, to loosen up, and perform for each other. Now, the only rule regarding this song is that it can either be a tribute to your summer or an ode to the first day of school. Good luck everyone!"

Chaos descended on the Glee room as everyone dived for sheet music and began flipping through their iPods, looking for their summer and/or back to school anthems. Meanwhile, Mr. Shue was laying out the order for their performances. Kurt was smack in the middle of the list, with Dave actually having to perform last. Lifting his head from Dave's shoulder, he saw that his boyfriend was already busy flipping through his music library and Kurt hurried to do the same. This was going to be interesting, to say the least.

By the time it was Kurt's turn in the shuffle, he had laughed, cried, and cheered to the array of performances that had gone before him. Puck had kicked things off with "The Lazy song" as his summer anthem, followed by a rousing version of "We gotta get out of this place" by Santana as a back to school tribute. She's been followed by Mercedes, Quinn, and Artie and Kurt had loved every moment of the 'shuffle' so far. Now it was his turn.

"This is my back to school anthem. Pink wrote it about herself, but I'm singing it to someone else"

Made a wrong turn, Once or twice
Dug my way out, Blood and fire
Bad decisions, That's alright
Welcome to my silly life

Mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood
Miss "no way, it's all good", It didn't slow me down
Mistaken, Always second guessing
Under estimated, Look, I'm still around

Pretty, pretty please
Don't you ever, ever feel
Like your less than Fuckin' perfect.
Pretty, pretty please
If you ever, ever feel
Like your nothing
You're fuckin' perfect to me.

Kurt hadn't been able to look up as he sang. Usually he played to the crowd and made eye contact with everyone. Especially with an anthem like this Pink song. But his emotions were too on edge. He was just barely holding it together. Hearing the thunderous applause, he managed to lift his eyes. The glee club was giving him a standing ovation. And his Dave...his Dave was walking toward him. Sweeping him off his feet. Kissing him. Holding him close, muttering "I love you, babe" over and over, to the cat calls and whistles of their fellow Glee clubbers. Finally the frenzy died down and Kurt resettled himself into his boyfriend's arms, watching Britney take the microphone.

Britney, Lauren, and Tina were next- all dedicating their songs of fun as a tribute to the summer. Mike and Finn paired up; Mike dancing, Finn singing "Dream On" by Aerosmith. It was actually a little comical, as Dream On was a odd song to dance to. Finally, it was Dave's turn.

Kurt wouldn't have blamed him for singing an angry song. Or a sad song. After what he'd been through today, Dave had the right to sing any crazy song that he wanted.

Which was why Kurt was shocked to hear his boyfriend's dedication, and his song choice.