Well, we've reached the end of Invisible! It did take me longer to get this story completed than I would have liked but as a fluff writer generally, I did struggle keeping my own emotions out of this story at parts. And this was the first story where I started encountering some less-than-pleasant reviews, but I tried to keep that as a lesser factor in writing and uploading speed. It was a tough issue to write so I hope I did it justice.

Not only is this the Warblers, this is summing up everything that Kurt has felt over all of this - his reactions to having Finn and Rachel showing up at Dalton, Sectionals, and then just getting used to being at this different school. So we're actually looking at about six months.

Thanks for reading, darlings! I hope you've enjoyed it :)

Warblers.

"How do you want to do this?"

Kurt stayed silent for a long moment, thinking. He could feel Blaine next to him, so close that they could be touching, but Blaine kept his distance. Finally Kurt sighed and looked up, staring at the ornate wall in front of him. "Tell them."

Blaine frowned, reaching out to touch Kurt's hand tentatively. "Are you sure?"

"I've just come from a group where nobody noticed what was going on and I know part of that was because I didn't tell them. And I know nobody's going to hurt me here, but I don't want to join this group and feel like the outcast again." Kurt glanced across at Blaine who was watching him, smiling faintly but comfortingly. "Besides, these guys are your friends and you trust them. And they know about you."

The last bit was more of a question than anything and Blaine nodded. "They do. And they'll accept you, no matter what. You're not the only one who's been through hell in there, I promise. A lot of the boys behind these walls have come from wealth or came for the education, yes, but there's a lot who also had to come in situations like yours, like ours. I'll introduce you to Jeff. He'll understand."

Kurt closed his eyes for a second before wrapping his arms around Blaine and burying his head in his shoulder. Blaine held him tight, rubbing his back in slow circles. "It's going to be okay, I promise. You're not alone, no matter what happens today, you still have me."

Blinking back tears, Kurt lifted his head and kissed Blaine quickly, taking him by surprise. "I love you. And I… I trust you."

The fact that those words were harder to say definitely said a lot about Kurt and what he had been through. And Blaine understood, pulling Kurt back in close and holding him again, showing him without words that it was okay. But Kurt pulled away only a few seconds later, wiping his eyes quickly. "They're waiting for us, aren't they?"

"It's okay, I think they know that there's extenuating circumstances." Kurt stiffened a little - even though they were just about to walk in there and tell these people what those circumstances were, it was just a little bit frightening knowing that they could already know - and Blaine murmured soothingly. "It's okay, not like that. We don't usually get mid-semester transfers unless there's an important reason behind it. And they won't push it if you choose not to talk about it either - I didn't start telling people until six months after I arrived. But you're braver than me."

Kurt shook his head. "No way."

"Yes way," Blaine countered firmly. "But that's a discussion for another day. Are you ready?"

"Sort of… no," Kurt admitted, standing. "But I never will be."

Blaine took his hand again, rubbing his thumb across the back of Kurt's hand softly. "I know. But I'm going to take care of you." And with that, Blaine led Kurt to the door and knocked, waiting for a response.

A moment later, the door swung open to reveal Wes. "Blaine, Kurt, welcome. Come in." Before they could enter, Blaine leant over to whisper something in Wes's ear whose eyes widened. "Is he sure?" Blaine nodded, glancing at Kurt who attempted to smile and Wes's gaze softened. "Okay, that's not a problem. You can have the floor."

As they entered the room, Kurt quickly took in the surroundings. The room was just as elaborate and detailed as the rest of Dalton - something he would normally admire in much more detail if his palms weren't sweating and he wasn't trying to stop his hands from shaking. Sitting around on various couches and seats was about twelve teenage boys, all dressed immaculately in the Dalton uniform, staring at him. "Hi guys," Blaine said cheerfully, stopping in the middle of the room. "This is Kurt, he's just transferred and he'll be joining us in the Warblers from now on. But before he does, we just wanted to talk about why Kurt's transferred." Blaine glanced over at him and Kurt nodded. He knew he couldn't say the words himself, but even hearing them coming from Blaine was going to be difficult. "Okay, so Kurt's come from McKinley High, who are actually our competition at Sectionals as we all know."

Murmuring immediately filled the room. "He's not a spy, is he?" came from one of the boys before a dull thud rang out.

"Seriously?" asked another, lowering his hand from where he had hit the first boy. "If he were a spy and Blaine knew, do you think he'd be letting him in?" He shook his head, turning back to Kurt and smiling, and Kurt noticed his hand was linked with another boys. "Sorry about Cameron, he's a few sandwiches short of a picnic sometimes. We're honestly glad to have you Kurt and anything you want to tell us, we're all ears."

"Thanks, Nick," Blaine said, shooting Kurt another glance. Kurt was only hoping he hadn't turned pale. "No, Kurt isn't a spy. He's here because he has no other choice - McKinley isn't safe for him."

That certainly got everybody's attention. Cameron immediately looked apologetic and a few of the other boys seemed to have caught on to what was going on. Kurt knew there were three boys sitting behind them as well and found himself wondering about their reactions - after all, they were the Council and they could easily decide that Kurt was too unstable to become a Warbler. "To those who don't know," Blaine continued, "Kurt is actually my boyfriend. And anybody who recognizes him, that would be because he came to spy here a few weeks ago at the insistence of his old Glee club and we confronted him about it. And when we did, the truth came out about what really brought Kurt here." Blaine paused for a second and Kurt squeezed his hand impatiently. Now that he had started, Kurt just wanted it finished. "Kurt was being bullied badly at his old school because of his sexuality, and this is mental, emotional and physical bullying I'm talking about. But on top of that, none of his so-called-friends or fellow Glee club members seemed to notice or care. Kurt had nobody to talk to, nobody who tried to help him or understand what was going on."

Kurt sniffled before he could help himself, fighting so hard to keep the tears at bay. The last thing he needed was to start crying like a baby in front of all of these people, no matter how understanding Blaine said they were. He stared down at the floor, tracing patterns with his eyes and waiting for Blaine to finish.

"The reason we're telling you this is because we want Kurt to feel like a part of the group and Kurt feels like he can't do that unless you know what life's been like for him. All I ask is that you accept him like you accepted me when you found out my story," Blaine's words caught slightly but he continued, "and treat him just like anybody else.

For a few moments, there was absolute silence and Kurt just wanted to sink into the floor that he was staring so resolutely at. And then a flash of movement caught his eye and Kurt glanced up to see the blonde-haired boy with his hand raised. "Um," came Wes's voice from behind them, sounding confused, "yes, Jeff?"

"Seriously, can I just hug Kurt right now?"

Kurt couldn't help but let out a tearful chuckle because really? He glanced at Blaine who was smiling almost knowingly and even though, apart from Blaine and his family, it had been so long since someone had touched him in a good way, his answer was immediate. "Yes, please."

It wasn't just Jeff that came to hug him though - first Nick, then half of the Warblers were crossing the room. But it was when all three Council members left their desk to hug him that Kurt started crying because Blaine had warned him about these guys, that they were the nicest guys around until you put them behind that desk, and they still wanted to hug him.

So this is what unconditional acceptance is like.

It took approximately five seconds after his father leaving for Kurt to start crying and he probably would have collapsed on the floor in the foyer right there and then if Blaine hadn't caught him. Kurt had put on his best brave face when he was talking to his step-brother but that had hurt so much, seeing Finn stand there and not have any answers for his behavior. And combined with saying goodbye to his dad - and yes, he was going to see him in a week but still - Kurt couldn't handle his emotions.

"Shh, it's okay, come here." Blaine pulled him close, allowing Kurt to bury his head in his shoulder. "I know, I know it hurts but you're going to be okay. I love you so much."

Kurt was vaguely aware of the sounds around him - the foyer which had been bustling with students was getting quieter by the second and Kurt heard what sounded suspiciously like David's voice barking orders at students and telling them to clear the room. And then there was silence and Kurt had to look up to see what was going on.

David, Thad and Cameron were all still in the foyer which was now empty of other students. Cameron appeared to be arguing with some students who were wanting to get through while Thad and David were sitting on the stairs, talking calmly like it was completely normal for them to clear an entire foyer simply because a student had started crying. And then David glanced up and caught his eye and Kurt had to suck in a breath because there was absolutely no judgement there, no teasing, not even a hint of impatience for the task they had just had to complete. David just smiled slightly before turning back to Thad, making it clear that Kurt had all the time he needed.

"You okay?" Blaine asked and Kurt pulled back to look at him, sniffling. "Stupid question. You're not, I know."

Kurt had to smile, even as more tears spilled over. "No, but being here helps. Especially with…" he trailed off, waving a hand around at the foyer.

"I told you we're all looking after you. Nobody wants to see you hurting, but we all know things won't get better overnight so we're all just doing our best to make things easier for you."

And yeah, now there was no way Kurt was going to stop crying for quite some time. Blaine's grip tightened around his waist and they stayed there, holding each other for a long time, knowing there was no worry about being interrupted. Finally Kurt pulled away a little, not wanting to let go of Blaine. "I must look awful."

Blaine lifted a hand gently to wipe the tears from Kurt's cheeks, kissing a few away. "Never," he said softly. "And you know how proud of you I am, don't you? You're not hiding away or pretending you're not hurting and that's courage, Kurt. And every single day you're getting that little bit stronger, you're healing that little bit more and it's getting easier. At least, I hope it is?"

Kurt nodded. "Of course it sucks when people show up out of the blue like that but at least I know I have a home here."

Blaine kissed him, just a gentle brush of lips together before pulling away. "Come on. I think a movie afternoon is in order."

Smiling, Kurt allowed Blaine to lead him towards the staircase where the three boys were sitting. As they stood, Kurt stopped and turned to them. "I - thank you," he said quietly, wishing he had the words to express what it really meant, that it was more than just the action but the fact that they had just done it and that was normal here and Kurt had a lot of adjusting to get used to but in such a good way.

"You're welcome, Kurt," David said. "Can we help at all?"

"You already have."

The three boys nodded and thankfully left it at that, disappearing down the hallway as David began telling some story about his girlfriend. Kurt turned to Blaine who was watching, smiling. "How is this normal?"

"Dalton's a wonderful place," Blaine said simply. "Not everybody is as understanding as the Warblers though. We've all been through a lot together and we understand - there's a lot of us in there who have broken pasts and we need each other a lot of the time."

And now Blaine's voice was sounding suspiciously choked up and Kurt shook his head, pulling him closer. "Okay, we're not having a crying fest this afternoon," he told him, pressing a kiss to Blaine's temple. "Can we go watch something really stupid and forget that the world sucks outside of this place?"

Blaine grinned at that. "Absolutely."

As the Warblers piled offstage, laughing and swapping high-fives, Kurt's smile faded as he heard the announcement. Of course he knew New Directions would be up next but he hadn't really thought about it. Kurt had done his bit to avoid the group but there was no way he would be able to sit there and watch them all perform, but the last thing he needed was to draw attention to that fact, especially with the Warblers on their post-performance high. So as the rest of the Warblers made their way straight back into the auditorium, Kurt slipped away quietly and disappeared out into the foyer.

Kurt knew it would only take Blaine a few seconds to realize what was going on and follow. Sure enough, just as Kurt took a seat on the floor with his knees tucked into his chest, there was another body sliding down the wall to sit next to him. "I didn't think you'd want to watch them."

Sighing, Kurt leaned into Blaine's shoulder, feeling his boyfriend's arm wrap gently around his waist. "Does this make me weak?" he had to ask, because he was definitely feeling it.

"It makes you sensible, Kurt. If it hurts you to see them, you are under no obligation to do so."

"Our sentiments exactly."

Kurt jumped, glancing up to see the entire Warbler group standing in front of them. "What are you guys doing here?"

Wes actually rolled his eyes at that. "Do you think we're going to sit in there and watch the group that upset you this badly perform? We're a team, Kurt. We stick together."

"Plus, there's food out here!" Cameron called out, already halfway to the canteen. "Food always wins."

Kurt stared as the rest of the Warblers began milling around the foyer, taking seats and chatting about their performance. Nick and Jeff sat down right in front of them, Jeff reaching out to take Kurt's hand. "You're doing a really good job, Kurt," he said reassuringly. "It takes time, but you're doing way better than I was."

"Or me," Blaine chipped in.

Kurt just shook his head. "I can't get over this. You're all willing to miss their performance simply because I can't watch them?"

"Of course we are," Nick said instantly. "I know some of them saw us leaving, Kurt. This is a way for us to show them how much we disapprove of how they treated you and to show them what a real club is like. We take care of each other. Sometimes we come across as stuffy and boring and like we can't have fun, but a lot of the time that's because we need to focus on what each individual member needs. We have one set of rules and we stick to that because that means it's fair for everybody."

Kurt nodded slowly, taking in the words. It was true that, no matter how accepting the boys had been, Kurt's first week in the Warblers had been quite difficult to wrap his head around. To not be able to get up and sing whenever he wanted was a huge change, as was taking a backseat a lot of the time. But he felt like part of a team, that he wasn't in the background because nobody noticed him, but he was on the same level as everybody else. And even though Blaine was the one who got all of the solos, it wasn't that he was any more important than anybody else, simply that bit more talented. Considering Blaine was the kindest and most humble person Kurt had ever met, he could accept Blaine's constant solos easily. Besides, after so long Kurt wasn't sure how ready he was to get up there and sing again. It had been so long, after all.

The music could be heard very faintly from the auditorium and Kurt couldn't help but listen. "Time Of My Life," he murmured. "Interesting choice. It doesn't sound like Finn and Rachel though…"

"I saw a blonde couple up the back when we came out," Nick offered.

Kurt raised an eyebrow, listening again. "My goodness, he actually did."

"Quinn and Sam?" Blaine asked and Kurt smiled. Blaine knew nearly as much about New Directions as Kurt did by now. "That's a good sign, at least."

And then the music switched, a tune Kurt couldn't miss. "Valerie? But Rachel couldn't sing… Santana?" He turned to Blaine who looked amused. "He didn't give Rachel a solo? She's going to be furious."

"Good," Blaine said simply. "Maybe it's time that they see that they shouldn't take everything for granted. Things change." Kurt knew how much more there was to Blaine's statement and let his head drop back onto his boyfriend's shoulder with a sigh. Blaine was running his hand along Kurt's arm gently and Kurt focused his breathing in time with the action, allowing himself to calm down and remember how safe he was.

Perhaps a little too calm, because the next thing Kurt knew was Blaine's voice in his ear. "Kurt? Hey, I didn't want to wake you but they're announcing in a minute. You don't have to go in there -"

"I want to," Kurt mumbled, lifting his head. "Is my hair a mess?"

Blaine laughed softly. "No, you're gorgeous as ever, I promise." He stood and held out a hand for Kurt to take, pulling him to his feet. "We'll stand as far away from them as possible."

A couple of the New Directions members tried to catch Kurt's eye as he walked onto the stage. He offered Sam a half-smile, Brittany a wave, Mercedes a shallow nod - the girl hadn't contacted him since he had left and Kurt wasn't quite sure what to think about that - and avoided eye contact with all of the others altogether. Finn was a different story as the two of them were beginning to work things out in the privacy of their home, so Kurt really didn't want to attach memories of him to this group. Instead he stared straight forward into the audience, hand in hand with Blaine, and waited.

A tie. Of course it would be a tie.

The Warblers basically formed a protective guard around Kurt as they left the stage, headed straight for their minibus. Only when they had all climbed on and Wes had given his usual post-performance mini-speech (with the real one reserved for the following day, apparently) did the others disperse and leave Kurt and Blaine alone.

"You okay?"

Kurt nodded, staring out the window. Blaine rested a hand on his arm and Kurt leant back into the touch. No words needed to be said - Kurt would heal in his own time. Until then, he had Blaine and the Warblers to take care of him, to hold him up until he wasn't going to fall anymore.

Kurt knew without a doubt that Nick and Jeff would be waiting for them as they walked away from Rachel, Jeff immediately taking the hand that wasn't wrapped around Blaine. "We really didn't want to make you do that," Nick said, the apology clear in his words. "But we know you would want the choice."

"It's okay," Kurt said quietly, feeling more drained than anything. Apart from that one tear that had slipped out, Kurt hadn't cried any more, no matter how hurt he was inside. No matter how difficult things had been with Rachel, Kurt had always known she was the person he was most like at McKinley - self assured about their talent, determined to get things their way, but still so insecure inside. Kurt had thought - almost dared to hope - that Rachel would be the one to understand, to apologize. But she had been the worst of all of them.

"What happened?" Jeff asked. Out of all of the Warblers, only Blaine and Jeff were confident enough to actually ask Kurt for details about people or situations, both having been there before. Kurt hadn't managed to draw up the courage to ask Jeff exactly what he had been through, but the empathy in his expressions whenever Kurt talked about a lot of the bullying was enough for Kurt to know that it had been serious.

Blaine glanced at him, clearly wanting to know whether he needed to explain on Kurt's behalf. "Rachel was basically just her same old selfish self," Kurt said. "I don't think she ever thought about how much I was hurt, only about how it affected her."

Nick growled and Kurt looked up, surprised. He knew Nick was very protective, just like Blaine was of him, but Kurt had never seen that protectiveness for anybody but Jeff before. "I knew there was something wrong with that girl from the moment I met her," he said. "I'm sorry, Kurt."

"Same," Jeff said, squeezing his hand.

Kurt smiled ruefully. "It's okay. That's the last time I'll voluntarily have anything to do with her, and I hope she got the picture. I'm done with that stage of my life, I'm not going back to McKinley and I have you guys now. Rachel will always be selfish, but she's also alone and what I have is worth more than any solo."

Another thing Kurt would have to get used to was impromptu Warbler hugs, and the way that the rest of the group seemed to somehow know that one was in progress. Or perhaps they had just walked into the choir room and Kurt hadn't realized. Either way, being surrounded by half a dozen teenage boys was something Kurt might never get used to, especially when one of them was his boyfriend who looked so proud that he might burst. "I love you," was whispered in his ear.

Kurt smiled. "I love you too."

Life went on. It always does.

Kurt slowly found his place in the Warblers - not the lead soloist, not a background singer. It took a few months before he felt ready to try and audition for a solo, just in time for Regionals. And as soon as the Council heard his and Blaine's rendition of Candles, they were sold and the first Warbler duet was set to be performed.

Of course they lost. Ohio just wasn't ready to see what Blaine and Kurt were prepared to show them. But they lost as a team and Kurt had never been happier to lose. And watching New Directions perform, Kurt could tell that they were broken again and was thankful that he had gotten out, wondering what kind of person he would be if he had stayed.

So the Warblers settled back into their post-performance schedule. Occasional performances here and there, but most of their rehearsal time spent having fun, singing songs that they would never sing in public. Kurt finally got his wish for the group to sing Rio to the overwhelming applause of the student body, but the subsequent request to sing it at their next mall performance was denied. And Kurt could live with that.

Senior year was coming and Kurt knew there was no way he was going back to McKinley for it. He had always imagined what Senior year would be like at that school - he would be on top but still on the bottom, still not respected, still so very hated. Here, Kurt was shaping up to be one of the most well known boys in the school and quite possibly the most popular Senior. Of course he would always be overshadowed by his boyfriend, but since Blaine was a Junior, Kurt couldn't really be that upset about it. Nor could he really be upset by anything Blaine did.

Their relationship was constantly moving forward, growing in trust and respect and love every single day. Once Kurt was at a point where he didn't just need Blaine, he realized how much he could be what Blaine needed as well and together they began to work through both of their pasts, their demons. They had their bad days, their fights, just like any couple. But they worked through. And somehow both of them knew that this was forever.

If Kurt had been asked a year ago if he thought he would be happy singing in an a capella choir with someone else as the lead constantly, watching as his old Glee club went to Nationals in New York, he would have told them they were out of their mind. There was no way Kurt could be happy if he wasn't being his individual self and that meant in every single aspect - no uniform, no supporting singing roles, no losing.

But Kurt was happy. Happier than he had ever been in his life.

"So, Wes. Very serious question here."

Wes glanced up, concern crossing his face and Kurt found himself torn between sighing and smiling. Even after six months with the Warblers, they were all still looking out for him at every opportunity and some treated him just a little too much like he was fragile at moments. Still, the fact that they cared so much was something that never ceased to amaze Kurt. Instead, he smirked back at his friend. "As a Council member, you've gotten to choose the songs all year and who sings them, right?

"We have," Wes said, the sad smile appearing that always did whenever someone reminded him that he was graduating in less than a month.

Kurt allowed his smirk to grow. "So if I was on the Council next year, I'd be able to give myself all the solos I want?" Blaine elbowed him and Kurt sighed. "Okay, I'd be able to give myself and Blaine all the duets we want?"

"Much better," Blaine said sleepily, snuggling back into his shoulder.

Wes rolled his eyes. "Only you, Kurt. Technically yes, but I don't think you'd last long. Is this your way of saying you want to be on the Council?"

"I severely doubt that I'd get voted in."

This time it was David's turn to roll his eyes. "Are you serious? You'd be on the Council in a heartbeat, Kurt. The guys love you."

Kurt paused. "I - really? You honestly think…"

David glanced at Wes, having a silent conversation with their eyes and making Kurt severely doubt their heterosexuality as he always did when they were together. "We have to put forward our favourite candidates for the positions and that gets given serious consideration. We were wanting to put you forward but weren't sure if that was something you'd like."

Blaine had clearly felt him stiffen as his head came up. "Baby, you know you don't have to do this if you don't - are you crying?"

Kurt ducked his head. "I should be used to it by now but… wow. Back at McKinley, there's no way I ever would have gotten something like this. This isn't just a solo or a one off performance… this is big."

"It's yours if you want it," Wes stated, sounding completely confident in that even though they hadn't even put it by the other students.

Kurt laughed shakily. "I would love it, if you'll have me."

"Always," David said. "Just the way you are."

Straightening his blazer, Kurt took a deep breath before pushing open the doors to the room. All noise ceased instantly as he stepped through the doorway, glancing around. His eyes met a pair of beautiful hazel, glittering with so much emotion that Kurt had to fight back a smile. Familiar faces stared back at him, but there were many new ones, ones that Kurt would look forward to meeting.

Glancing up to the Council table, Kurt smiled at Nick and Trent who were sitting on either side of the middle seat.

The middle seat that was empty.

No further encouragement needed, Kurt took the final steps over and sat down, picking up the gavel. One second to marvel at how right it felt in his hand before bringing it down on the desk, even though the room was already silent.

"Welcome to the Warblers," Kurt said, looking out across the room. "My name is Kurt Hummel and I'll be your Head Warbler this year."

He was home.

Yes, I teared up writing the last three sections. My love for Kurt Hummel is only overshadowed by my love for Chris Colfer, and I have struggled so much writing so many chapters where Kurt has been so hurt. But now he's happy and loved and my goodness I have so many feelings.

Thank you so much for reading.