Blaine’s fingers traced along the familiar pattern of the Dalton emblem on his blazer, which was laid out flat on his bed as he sat on the queen size mattress, allowing himself to get lost in his own thoughts. He knew how safe Dalton had been, but who needed a private school when they had a boyfriend who made them feel safer than they had ever felt before? Still, McKinley was going to take some adjusting to. Blaine was aware that Dalton was far from what the real world had in store for him. New York wasn’t going to give him all the solos. It wasn’t going to worship him after every performance. Not everyone there would like him, and all people weren’t friendly individuals with only the best interest in mind. He wouldn’t call the shots anymore. Not in New York, not anywhere. Dalton had kept him safe, but it wasn’t going to prepare him for what would happen after graduation. Plus, he’d be seeing Kurt every day. That was definitely something to look forward to.

He had always regretted running away. That much he had made clear to Kurt from the very start. Part of him had always wanted to go back, but not alone. He wanted to be brave, but that was easier said than done. Why go back to being taunted and hated when he could stay at Dalton where he was a rock star? Kurt had made him see everything differently, though. With Kurt, going back to public school didn’t seem so bad, not when he knew he wouldn’t be doing it alone. Still, everything was going to be different and Blaine knew he’d have to take some time to adjust.

It wasn’t until he sighed that he remembered he wasn’t alone in his room. Kurt had cleared his throat, breaking Blaine out of his thoughts as he looked up to meet his boyfriend’s semi-concerned gaze. His parents were out of town for the weekend, and Blaine had invited Kurt over to help him pick out an outfit for the first day of school. After being dependent on the blazer for so long, Blaine sort of forgot what it was like to pick out his own outfit, and though he felt his casual wear for weekends had been alright, Kurt had insisted on helping him prepare for the following Monday when school would finally start up again.

Blaine had gotten lost in his own thoughts and worries while Kurt had been distracted with trying to figure out what he had to work with in Blaine’s closet, but now the boy was looking down at Blaine, his head tilted to the side and his arms folded across his chest as his eyes showed clear concern for Blaine’s lack of just about any form of sound for the past ten minutes or so.

“You okay?” he questioned quietly, almost sounding hesitant as if Blaine would break if he said the wrong thing. It had been obvious that Blaine was nervous about the transfer, but it hadn’t been until the past few days that it really started to show. He took a seat next to Blaine, resting a light, gentle hand on his boyfriend’s knee. “Monday’s not going to be so bad, you know,” he comforted, reaching up to brush a single curl, one that had seemingly escaped the morning’s gel routine, away from Blaine’s forehead. Fortunately, Blaine had toned down a bit on the gel, but there was still room for improvement. “I promise the slushies aren’t all that cold. If anything, that gel of yours will work as a shield,” he added, a small attempt at getting Blaine to laugh, or smile, or at least brighten up, even if only for a second or two.

Blaine did offer a smile, but it was small and not all that convincing. Kurt sighed as he used his fingers to gently life Blaine’s chin up so they were eye to eye. “You’ll have me. And New Directions adores you. That’s 12 people who care about you and will have your back no matter what happens.” He was sure that McKinley would be better this year. No, not all the students will have completely evolved into decent, accepting human beings, but Dave had at least shown signs of change, and that was definitely a sign that things were getting better. And, with Blaine by his side for the rest of the year, Kurt knew things were bound to change for the better.

“I know,” Blaine eventually spoke up, his voice not sounding too convinced, but something about him did seem to relax a bit at the mention of Kurt and New Directions. “It’s just…it’ll take some getting used to, but I’m excited. I promise.” After Kurt dropped his hand from his face, Blaine reached over to intertwine their fingers together, smiling down at their hands before bringing his gaze back up to meet his boyfriend’s.

Kurt had taken Blaine off of the pedestal he had originally placed him on a while ago, and it wasn’t long before he figured out what it was that normally made Blaine feel more confident in himself when he was feeling low like this. He stood up, tugging lightly on Blaine’s arm as he smiled down at him. “C’mon. Why don’t we practice that audition of yours, hm?”

Finally, Kurt got a genuine smile out of Blaine at the mention of practicing. As Blaine stood up and led Kurt out of the room and down the hall towards the spacious living room, he realized that he wasn’t alone and that Kurt would be with him every step of the way. Senior year was going to be a big change; that much he was sure of, but Kurt had made him feel safe and loved ever since they met, even during the lowest of times. Anything was possible, and nothing was going to touch them this year