It's been a ride! But this fic is now officially complete! Thanks for sticking with me one and all!

"I might have to leave again."

"I'll come with you."

"You can't just drop everything."

"I'll come with you. I can't go through that again. Whatever happens from here on out, I'll be there. No matter what."

It had taken some time for Kurt and Blaine to finally get back some of what had faded since they had been separated.

"I love you." Kurt whispers the words like they're a secret. Cherishes them as though they were diamonds.

Ever since an emotional reunion with Burt, the two lie tangled together on Kurt's sofa more often than not in the apartment he has been sharing with his dad since he moved to New York. Kurt's ears happily twitch occasionally, accompanied by a flick of his tail, the fur tickling Blaine's leg. The soft purr rumbling from deep in his throat makes Blaine feel finally as though he's found his home again and he could quite happily fall asleep nestled against Kurt's chest.

"Do you think we have a future? Together?" Kurt asks, voice laced with sorrow. Blaine finds that he's avoiding looking him directly in the eye, but instead staring at the floor below.

"What makes you say that?" Blaine replies softly, inquisitively, chin resting gently on Kurt's chest seemingly without a care in the world. "Do you not think we do?"

"Honestly? I never used to. When we were at school, I always felt like our time together had an expiration date; that one day you'd leave and I'd be stuck forever in Ohio." Blaine smiles at the irony a little. "But now, I don't feel so stuck anymore. I sort of feel like we're exactly where we're supposed to be, except..."

"Except?" Blaine prompts when Kurt suddenly goes silent.

"I've been thinking of moving out."

Blaine raises an eyebrow. "It will take a lot to convince my dad to let me, I know he won't like it but...someday. Someday soon, maybe? If you...if you wanted to. I can't live with my dad forever."

"Of course! I'd have to speak to Rachel first though. I don't want to just leave her without a roommate. We're struggling with the rent enough as it is."

"Right. Rachel," Kurt mutters with barely disguised disdain.

"She made a mistake, Kurt. She regrets it more than anything and she really wants to be in your life again, you know?"

"I know," Kurt says, still avoiding eye contact. "It's just...Rachel." Blaine laughs, finding that Kurt is unable to hold back a smile when he does so.

"She can be a handful. Try living with her!"

"I honestly don't know how you've survived it."

"You know," Blaine suggests, the idea coming to him suddenly. "You could try moving in with us?" Kurt goes quiet, and Blaine worries if maybe he's said the wrong thing. It's difficult, even after a month of being back with Kurt, to tell how he really feels about Rachel. He knows she's technically responsible for Kurt leaving but Blaine knows Kurt, he may be stubborn at times but he's not hateful. Hopefully it will just take time. Blaine doesn't want his life to be split between his roommate and his boyfriend. "It's just...I don't make a lot of money. Finding a place together could be tricky. It's just a possibility. Don't think you have to-"

"I'll think about it," Kurt finally says, breaking his silence. Blaine responds with a kiss, allowing the relief to flood his veins.

Kurt has still refused to say a single word to Rachel, so when he agrees to move in with them, after much debate with his father, to say Blaine is surprised is certainly an understatement. Rachel is unsure at first. She wants Kurt to move in with them, of course, but she had hoped they'd at least be on speaking terms before it happened. Ever since Blaine finally plucked up the courage to tell her about Kurt, she had been begging him to bring him over so they could reunite but every time he brought the subject up, Kurt had refused. They've been in the same room as each other twice since Blaine found him again and neither times had he uttered a word.

The day Kurt is to finally move, Rachel is a nervous wreck, cleaning and re-cleaning the loft three times before she's finally satisfied.

"You're acting like the Queen of England is coming to stay!" Blaine jokes, earning him a glare.

"I just want him to talk to me again," she says with a miserable sigh. "I missed him too, you know! And I know it's all my fault but I just...I-"

"Hey," Blaine says, placing the plate he had been washing on the rack and going over to take Rachel in both arms to calm her down. "If he still harboured any resentment, he wouldn't have agreed to move in at all. He's still hurt, and a little traumatized by everything, he probably just doesn't know how to act around you," Blaine tells her as earnestly as possible, "Just don't try so hard, okay? Let him come to you when he feels ready."

Blaine can only imagine how huge a step this is for Kurt. His whole life, the place he called home was the only place where he could ever really be himself unguarded, where he could let his true self shine through the layers he's always forced to wear. And up until now, that place has only ever been inhabited by family. Rachel has only ever seen Kurt's unique features once, and under circumstances that Blaine never hopes to recreate. He knows it will take a long time before Kurt is really comfortable here with them, but he's certain it will happen over time.

A knock at the door brings them suddenly apart as Blaine hurries to answer it, wondering why he now feels nervous when he'd been fine all morning. Kurt stands at the door, fidgeting slightly, and Blaine is eager to usher him inside, making him feel as welcome as possible before planting a tender kiss against his ready lips. The smile that radiates from his is enough to calm Blaine's nerves as Kurt takes a look around the room, hoisting his bag a little more comfortably on his shoulder.

"Kurt..." Rachel's voice is small and apologetic, as though she feels guilty for merely speaking. Kurt's attention is immediately redirected to her. To Blaine's and very much Rachel's surprise, he smiles at her gently, but Blaine knows that under his hat his ears are pressed down against his head. The fact is, he's trying, and that means the world to Blaine.

She reaches forward with outstretched arms and for a second, Blaine's heart stops, knowing how Kurt is with other people and physical contact. But, astonishingly, Kurt drops his shoulder bag to the floor and steps forward to wrap his arms around her. "I'm so sorry," she murmurs against his shoulders. Kurt still remains silent, but his feelings are clear. He's ready to move on, to move forward. They all are.

Kurt's secret remains just that. He doesn't change the world, fix all that's wrong with humankind. He knows his story is not that kind but he hopes to god that someone else's is someday. His biggest achievement, in his opinion, is his own happiness, with Blaine, with the life he creates for himself in New York, far away from all the bad things that happen in the world. He knows his mother would be ecstatic for him. He's a hybrid and he's never proud of that fact but, despite the odds being stacked against him, he makes it.