Blaine woke up in the middle of the night to find himself slumped over Kurt in an awkward position. Shit I fell asleep on him! He started moving to make his way over to his bed but stopped when he heard Kurt talking in his sleep. He heard Kurt repeat the word stop a few times and immediately knew that he was having another nightmare. He shifted himself so he could lay behind Kurt comfortably. He wrapped one arm protectively around Kurt's waist, he placed his head on his other arm, allowing his fingers to lightly stroke Kurt's hair, and hummed quietly. Blaine was unaware of the fact that Beatz had also been awake. He was an incredibly light sleeper and woke up when Kurt began to talk in his sleep. He watched as Blaine adjusted himself next to Kurt and smiled to himself when he heard Blaine humming to him. Blaine continued to hum quietly even after Kurt had settled down. He didn't want Kurt to fall back into his dream so he hummed until he fell asleep next to him.

Kurt was confused when he woke up that next morning. He wasn't alone in his bed and for a moment, he was scared by the arm that held him tightly. He realized it was Blaine and blushed at the thought of Blaine cuddling with him. He shifted uneasily in his bed, stirring Blaine awake in the process.

"Kurt?" Blaine asked sleepily. "What's wrong?"

"You mean other than the fact that you're cuddling with me on my bed?" Kurt replied with hint of sarcasm.

"Oh!" Blaine said, quickly removing his arm. "Sorry."

"Why are you in my bed?" Kurt asked him.

"We fell asleep during the movie. I actually woke up in the middle of the night but you were having a nightmare so I cuddled and hummed you to sleep. I hope that's alright." Blaine said sheepishly.

"I-it's fine." Kurt stammered. "I was having a nightmare?"

"Yeah, you don't remember?" Kurt shook his head no and moved to sit up on the bed. "Oh well, I guess that's a good thing right?"

"Right." Kurt said quietly.

Beatz, who had woken up only seconds after Kurt and Blaine, stretched in Blaine's bed, making his presence known.

"Morning." Beatz said sleepily.

"Morning." Kurt and Blaine replied at the same time.

"What's the plan for today?" Beatz asked.

"I have homework to finish but that's about it. I don't know about these guys." Blaine replied, nudging Jeff with his foot.

"Ellie, I swear I'm going to cut your Barbie doll's hair if you don't let me sleep." Jeff mumbled.

Beatz and Blaine laughed while Kurt watched them with a confused expression. Beatz nudged Jeff with his foot, granting them another mumble.

"Stop Sammy or I'll eat all your X-men."

"What is he talking about?" Kurt asked.

"Ellie and Sammy are two of his sibs. If you try and wake him up before he wants to he ends up mumbling random things like that." Blaine said laughing.

"Really? Can I try?" Kurt asked curiously.

"By all means." Beatz said smiling.

Kurt reached over and cautiously nudged Jeff. "No, I don't want to play dress up Sarah. I make an ugly princess."

"Oh wow." Kurt laughed.

"Yeah. Nick's his roommate and he has a few recordings of all the random shit he says." Beatz told him.

"I think I need to hear these recordings." Kurt said smiling.

"I think you need to too." Blaine laughed.

Kurt's cell phone suddenly rang loudly, making the other boys startle awake.

"Who's playing Lady Gaga this early?" David grunted.

"Sorry, it's my phone." Kurt said and quickly made his way out of the room.

While the other boys started to get up for the day, Beatz made his way over to Blaine to whisper in his ear.

"Someone's got a crush." He said in a singsong voice.

"What?" Blaine said quickly.

"You heard me." Beatz said with a wink and walked away.

The group of boys all went their separate ways that Sunday; most of them having homework to finish. Kurt stayed in his room for most of the day and read. Blaine found things to preoccupy himself with in their room in order to spend time with Kurt; he couldn't help but want to be around him. There was something about him that intrigued Blaine on a level he couldn't quite understand. He was glad when Kurt asked him about auditioning for the Warblers, sending them into a deep conversation about music. They both quickly learned that they had quite a bit in common and Kurt was surprised at how easily it was to talk to Blaine. Later that evening, Blaine convinced Kurt to hang out in the common room with the rest of his friends and Kurt was more than grateful that the other boys accepted him in their group so quickly.

Kurt's first day at Dalton was interesting to say the least. He spent the morning scowling at himself in the mirror, hating the fact that he had to wear a uniform. Even though it had been a while since he'd actually dressed to impress, he still hated feeling like he couldn't express himself. He quickly learned that the classes at Dalton were completely different than the ones at McKinley. At McKinley, the students never sat still long enough to hear what the teacher was saying; not that it mattered because most of the teachers droned on either way. He wasn't in the least bit academically challenged there since most of the teachers simply didn't care. At Dalton, the students not only sat and listened to what the teacher was saying, but they actually participated. The teachers didn't drone on like the ones at McKinley; in fact, they were vivid and passionate about what they were teaching. Kurt couldn't quite grasp that idea but he rather enjoyed it.

The boys at Dalton were unlike anything he'd ever seen before. In class, they were model students; outside of class however, they were normal rambunctious teenage boys. There were several couples in the school which Kurt had not expected at all. There was no bullying, no fighting, no fear in the halls of Dalton. At one point, Kurt actually thought that he might have joined a cult because seriously, how can all these boys be so happy all the time? He was surprised at how differently the Warblers were treated compared to the other boys as well. The Warblers were the most popular guys in the school; even the teachers treated them differently and Kurt just couldn't get that. He wasn't sure how he was going to handle the attention he knew he would get once he joined, but he was glad that he had Blaine to help him through it.

That was another thing that Kurt couldn't quite understand; Blaine. Blaine was something out of a 1950s movie. He joked around with his friends and all, but he was the most polite and dapper person that Kurt had ever met. He made sure that Kurt was doing ok throughout the day; he even let himself be late to his classes in order to walk Kurt to his. Admittedly, Kurt didn't mind it; especially when he had a panic attack after lunch. Blaine was there to calm him down with his smooth vocals that Kurt was sure he would never tire of hearing. The other Warblers were ridiculously friendly to him as well. It didn't matter that many of them had only spoken to him once or twice that weekend; they all witnessed what had happened when he received the text from Karofsky and too many of them understood that feeling of hopelessness and despair. His official Warbler audition was on Wednesday and despite the nerves, Kurt was rather excited about joining the group.

"I can't do this." Kurt said in a panic. "I can't! Do you have any idea how long it's been since I sang in front of anyone; like really sang? I can't do it. I can't!"

Kurt was standing outside the Warbler hall with Beatz, waiting for the council to call him in. Beatz and him bonded in a way Kurt could only describe as brotherly. While he was no Finn, he was in the same category and Kurt was really grateful for it.

"Would you relax? You're going to be fine." Beatz assured him. Kurt glanced at him unsurely but said nothing. "Ok, tell me the truth, are you nervous about singing in front them, or in front of him?" he asked with a knowing smile.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Kurt said, avoiding Beatz's gaze.

"No, of course not." Beatz said with a laugh. "Don't worry, he already thinks that you're amazing; now all you have to do is how him just how amazing you truly are."

Kurt blushed and looked down at his hands. Beatz was the only Warbler who had heard him practice for the audition and by pure accident, Kurt had mentioned being nervous about singing in front of Blaine. He quickly said that it was because Blaine was the lead soloist so his opinion mattered to him but Beatz knew better than that.

The doors opened up and David poked his head out to tell Kurt that they were ready for him. He took a deep breath and walked in, ignoring all the eyes on him. Beatz took a seat across from Blaine purposely; he wanted to see the expressions on Blaine's face while Kurt performed. 

"Whenever you're ready Kurt." Wes said with a bright smile. This was the Warbler's most anticipated audition yet. They knew that Kurt was a countertenor and were all expecting to be blown away. None of them hid their surprise when the song started nor did Blaine hide the smile that spread across his face.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Black bird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
all your life
you were only waiting for this moment to be free

The Warblers sat quietly, listening intently to Kurt sing. There was something about the way he sang it that hit home for many of them. Beatz switched back and forth from Kurt's performance to Blaine's expressions. He could see the tears well up in Blaine's eyes and he took it as a very good thing.

Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.
Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise,
You were only waiting for this moment to arise,
You were only waiting for this moment to arise

By the time that Kurt had finished the song, most of the boys were teary eyed. Kurt wiped away his own set of tears and chuckled nervously as he took in all of the faces in the room. His eyes finally landed on Blaine; he could see the adoration and pride in Blaine's eyes, making him blush and look away.

"Well done Kurt!" Thad said proudly. "All those in favor of adding Kurt to the Warblers raise your hand."

Every hand went up without hesitation; Kurt couldn't help but smile broadly at the acceptance.

"Congratulations Kurt. Welcome to the Warblers." Wes said smiling as the Warblers broke into applause. "With that said, we have something for you."

Jeff quickly got up from his chair and exited the room. The boys began talking with one another while the waited. Just as Kurt reached where Blaine was talking with Beatz and David, Jeff came in with a bird cage. Wes took the cage from Jeff and made his way over to Kurt.

"Kurt, we present to you Pavarotti. We have a tradition here where the newest member of the Warblers gets a real Warbler to take care of. That bird is your voice. Treat him well." Wes said as he handed Kurt the cage.

Kurt watched Pavarotti curiously for a moment before thanking the council. The rest of that evening consisted of working Kurt into the routine for Sectionals which was only a week and half away.

By Friday, Kurt could not deny how tired he really was. While he enjoyed finally being challenged, the academics at Dalton were no joke. It didn't help that Wes was driving them to perfection for Sectionals either. He found himself to be too busy to worry about anything that was going on in the "real world" as he liked to call it, but was truly glad for the distraction. It prevented him from thinking too much and he knew that it was never good when he thought too much. He still had a few panic attacks throughout the week, but he was usually with Blaine, Beatz, or David when they happened so they sang with him to calm him down. Now that it was Friday night however, he was more than anxious about the weekend. He would be going home early Saturday which meant that he would have a distraction free weekend. The only reason he hadn't gone home after school Friday was because of Warbler rehearsal. He would've stayed the whole weekend with that excuse except that Wes insisted that Kurt go home for the weekend to be with his family.

"Hey, are you ok?" Blaine had asked him. Blaine always seemed to know when Kurt was feeling off and while Kurt really did appreciate it, it was also slightly annoying.

"I'm fine." Kurt answered him. Blaine looked at him curiously before getting up from his desk to sit next to Kurt on his bed.

"You know you can tell me, Kurt." Blaine said softly.

"I know." Kurt replied quietly. "I'm just...I guess I'm just worried about this weekend."

"Why?"

"Because I'll be at home. I miss my family and everything but..."

"You feel safer here?" Blaine finished for him.

"Yeah." Kurt said quietly, ashamed by the admittance.

"I know what you mean." Blaine said with a sad smile. "But don't worry, I'm only a phone call away and so are the other Warblers. Alright?"

"Yeah, alright. Thanks Blaine." Kurt said smiling shyly.

"Anytime Kurt."

Kurt was woken up around 2 am that night. He struggled to open his eyes and when he finally did, he saw Blaine smiling goofily at him.

"What?" Kurt snapped in his half asleep daze.

"Come on, wake up. We need to hurry up or we're going to be late." Blaine told him.

"Late for what?" Kurt asked in confusion.

"Would you just come on?" Blaine said eagerly.

"I am not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is going on!" Kurt said irritably.

"It's a surprise. A Surprise you are going to miss if you don't get your tush out of bed." Blaine said playfully.

"Seriously, Blaine?" Kurt asked exasperatedly.

"Seriously, Kurt. Now come on. Trust me." Blaine said softly, holding his hand out to Kurt.

Trust him? There it was again. That was the second time that Blaine had ever asked Kurt to trust him and while a part of him was screaming no, another part of him, the same part that always got lost in Blaine's deep hazel eyes, was telling him yes. He sighed heavily before taking Blaine's hand. He put his slippers on quickly and let Blaine lead the way.

"Blaine, slow down!" Kurt said in a whisper as Blaine rushed them outside. "Where are we going?!"

"Just come on! We're going to miss it!" Blaine said as he led Kurt outside of the school building.

"What are we doing? We're going to get in so much trouble! We're not supposed to be out here!" Kurt said panicking.

"We'll be fine, come on!" Blaine said. He dropped Kurt's hand and finished running to the side of the building that had a ladder.

"Blaine what are you doing! Get down from there!" Kurt practically screeched at him.

Blaine didn't answer him; instead he sped his pace up, ignoring the protest from Kurt.

"What the hell is he doing?!" Kurt mumbled to himself just as Blaine disappeared onto the rooftop.

"Are you coming or what?" Blaine called out to him.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Kurt said irritably. He huffed in defeat and climbed up the ladder.

When he made it to the top, his jaw dropped when he saw all the Warblers spread out on sleeping bags and blankets. He walked over to where Blaine was settling himself down, saying a quick hello to his new friends. As soon as Kurt made it over to Blaine, Blaine grabbed his arm and pulled him down.

"Are you going to tell me what we're doing up here? This isn't some crazy Warbler tradition where we all jump off the roof is it?" Kurt quipped.

"Oh hush and lay down. It's about to start." Blaine said smiling.

"What is?" Kurt asked in aggravation.

"Shh." Blaine replied as he pointed up towards the sky.

Kurt settled himself next to Blaine, probably closer than he should've been but neither one minded. He looked up at the sky and waited for something to happen. He opened his mouth to make another remark but stopped when he saw the shooting stars.

"Wow." Kurt whispered.

"Yeah. We love coming up for this." Blaine whispered back. "And yes, it is a Warbler tradition."

"It would be." Kurt replied smiling.

They laid there quietly for several moments. If this was what being a Warbler meant then Kurt couldn't think of ever not being one. He had never felt more at peace then he did at that very moment.

"It's beautiful." Kurt said absentmindedly.

"Yeah, very beautiful." Blaine agreed.

Kurt hadn't noticed that Blaine was watching his face light up instead of the shooting stars; Beatz and David however, did notice. They nodded at one another as if coming to an agreement before shifting their attention back to the stars.