Does she know that you love her?
Take a shot and fight for your right
To love again.
"Does She Know" – Brock Baker

Wes checked over his clipboard one more time, checking off the last of the names. "Alright, we've got everyone. Load up the bus!"

Upon the announcement, Blaine walked over to Kurt, grabbing his messenger bag off his shoulder. "Alright. Time to go home. Ready, Kurt?" he asked, concern blatantly evident in his tone. Blaine's done nothing but make heart eyes at Kurt ever since That Day.

With a sudden lurch, Kurt throws his arms around Blaine's neck, burying his face in the shorter boy's shoulder. He stayed silent for a long time, but Blaine could feel him shaking, so he pulled back slightly. "Hey, what's wrong? Talk to me. What is it?"

"I didn't think it would be so hard," Kurt whispered, bringing a hand up to wipe under his eyes.

Blaine's eyebrows furrow. "What would be? Losing?" He smiled slightly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Like I told the council, I knew we would lose."

After a quiet sniffle, Kurt spoke up again. "No, you said we'd lose if you sang by yourself. But the crowd loved the song you carried. But 'Candles' didn't-"

"Kurt," Blaine started, pushing the other boy back. He placed his hands on his shoulders and seemed to stare straight through him. "Please don't tell me you feel guilty about this? It is by no means your fault that we lost. You…you sang like an angel today."

"Can we talk about this later? Wes is glaring at me over your shoulder. I think we're holding up the bus." Kurt sighed, grabbing his bag back from his Possibly-But-Not-Really-Officially-Discussed-Boyfriend, who followed him onto the bus, unease written all over his face.

A few minutes later, everyone was situated on the bus, which was a sight to behold. The normally so composed and put-together Warblers were all exhausted after such a demanding day, both vocally and emotionally, so they took the invitation to make themselves comfortable on the ride back to Dalton literally. Hardly anyone was in their blazer or tie anymore. Most were already starting to fall asleep, curling up and leaning on windows.

Blaine and Kurt, being the last to come on the bus, were left with the front seats on the right side. They sat down quickly, stashing their things in the overhead area. Moments later, the bus was rolling out, beginning the two hour trek back to school.

Blaine turned to look at Kurt. "Do you want to talk about today?"

"Blaine, I know why we lost. We lost because of that duet," Kurt said, also turning in his seat to face the other boy. "You knew about the judges, who they were. You knew when you asked me to sing with you that we would lose. How am I not supposed to feel guilty about costing everyone a trip to New York?" he finished, turning back to face the front of the bus. By the light of the passing streetlamps, Blaine saw a few tears fall down the boy's face.

Blaine let out the breath he wasn't aware he was holding. He opened his mouth to reply, but the sharp ding! of his phone drew his attention away from the conversation momentarily. Sliding it out of his pocket, he saw the notification for a single text.

Jeff: Please, for our sanity, will you two just make it official? :P

Blaine chuckled softly before glancing back at Kurt. He smiled, noticing that the other boy's eyelids were already starting to droop. Not wanting to end the conversation on a sour note, he nudged Kurt with his shoulder.

"Hey. Don't fall asleep on me just yet."

Kurt was fading fast, though. His words came out slightly slurred. "'M just tired, Blaine. Can't we talk about this later? I'll 'pologize t'morrow."

Blaine shook his head. "Nope. You have to read this first," he said, holding out his phone. "Look, they're not angry. The opposite, in fact."

Kurt rubbed his eyes, trying to focus on the bright screen. He seemed to read through it a couple of times before it sunk in and he looked up at Blaine.

Blaine merely grabbed Kurt's hand, twining their fingers together before pulling him down so that his head rested on his shoulder. Placing a gentle kiss to his forehead, he spoke again. "If you'll have me, I'd really like-"

"Yes," Kurt quickly retorted. That was one word he could still manage, despite his exhaustion. "Yes. Absolutely."

Blaine's grin could have lit up the entire bus. "Alright, now you can sleep."

Kurt snuggled further into the seat, curling into his new boyfriend's side. "Now 'm almost afraid to. I don't want to wake up from this," he said, yawning.

Sliding his phone back into his pocket with his free arm, Blaine just smiled, pressing another kiss to Kurt's hairline. "Sleep, Kurt. I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here when you wake up."

"Promise?" came the last reply, but Kurt was asleep before Blaine had a chance to answer him.

Quietly, to himself, he replied anyway. "I promise. I'm done running."