Disclaimer: Of course not.

Maybe this will turn out better, this time. (remake of Blue And Yellow)

Faint sunbeams streamed into the empty room through the drab curtain, striking his eyes with light. He groaned, attempting to shift away; his reward was a bolt of agony charging up his calf into every nerve in his body, like greased lightning crackling in his bones.

"Damn-!" Kurt's cry halted from the air suddenly vanishing from his lungs, falling limp once more. He cracked open his eyes, chocolate irises taking in his surroundings. He appeared to be... in the sanatorium? However, why was he there? He vaguely recalled something about yellow, somewhere... then there were just endless seas of black.

"You'd do best to stay put, Kurt," echoed a voice from the hall. His limbs jerked while another wave of discomfort shot up his limbs; the resulting hiss was choppy and stunted.

Kurt stammered, balance upset, "Who-who-what? What are you- I mean, what am I- how did I get here?" It was then that he noticed the IV tube in his arm, and the rather repulsive periwinkle cast on his left leg. What exactly was he up to yesterday?

"Your brother, Joe, brought you in," Alex intoned mildly; stepping out of the shadows in a mysterious fashion, he made his lab coat swish about in what he imagined was a carefully rehearsed fashion. Goodness, he must be quite bored today. "You fainted of exhaustion out in Hank's fields. Your leg is also, obviously, broken, so it's not the brightest idea to move so sharply."

The brunet pouted slightly, folding his arms. "...So how long am I to stay here?" he queried, eyes lidded and downcast. This was terrible, how was he to accomplish anything in his state? Oh, oh goodness, how his head throbbed with an oncoming migraine.

The doctor frowned in distaste. "Around four weeks."

Pressure formed in the back of his throat while he struggled to articulate something, anything, which would express his shock. "What?" he choked eloquently, fists clenching in the thin bed sheets. "B-but... I've got work to do!" Kurt began to flail about his arms, the urge to kick something growing stronger by the minute. "I've got buildings to construct, and furniture to build, and.. and-" He gave out a spectacular shriek as he slipped off the small bed, thankfully- in a sense- landing on his uninjured leg. The needle tore unceremoniously from his forearm, eliciting another yelp from the now-bleeding young man.

"Oh, Kurt," Alex lamented, rushing over to assist him back onto the mattress. "I told you not to flail so much, didn't I? You'll only make it worse." The brown-haired man only grumbled as Alex hoisted him back up.

"I didn't ask for your help," he muttered darkly, coloring with embarrassment. Had he the opportunity, he would have refused, but since he was currently incapacitated, that was no longer an option. "Nor did I ask for your... service."

Whirring fan blades were the only sound in the unexpectedly silent enclosure; save for Kurt's labored breathing which seemed to intensify with every passing second. The eerie quiet shattered when the medic spat the diminutive, almost seething retort of, "Well, no one asked for you to drop in on me!" after which the medic turned on his heel and stormed off to his office.

Kurt gaped. His fingers rose to his cheek, where he could have sworn the raven slapped him- at least, that was what the barbed counter had felt like. Abruptly, unusual waves of something washed over him, slowly at first, and then it hit him like a raging sack of bricks.

He actually felt... well, bad, for lack of a better word.

The bedridden man rested his arms behind his head, letting out a long-winded groan. The pain spiked anew in his temples. "...It's nothing, nothing at all," he consoled himself, falling back upon the pillows. No, he was just starving, that was why his stomach was coiling up in knots like badly wound wool.

Alex returned a few minutes later, poking his head around the corner. It seemed as though the nurse had given him a rather firm talking-to, since his visage now had contorted with reluctance and distaste. His mouth opened as if he would say something incredibly important, and then thought better of it, leaving him with a disgruntled mutter of "If you need anything, just give me a call." Pathetic, really, how Gwen told him exactly what to say- and quite forcefully at that- but once he had caught sight of Kurt with that shameful look on his face, he had just drawn a... a blank. The doctor pivoted once again and stepped back into the darkened hallway, albeit with a lighter step, leaving the other man with a feeling of sheer bemusement.

Well, it was certainly a bit melodramatic. Kurt scowled lightly, waving a hand as in dismissal, even though he had already left. He could even cause Alex to lose his usual air of elegance and calm, how peculiar. Apparently, these folks had a thing for stone-cold intimidators, even if that "thing" was just overall trepidation and wariness around him, cutting off conversations and postures immediately stiffening.

The medic was different, though. He... he feared him. He could see it in the hazed looks Alex gave him when he thought no one was looking, could see it in the hesitancy to get closer than a meter or so to him.

To tell the truth, it frightened him, too.

Joe whistled gaily, basket in hand and a spring in his step. His grin was infectious, causing others to grin madly, not unlike a disease. "I wonder what Kurt's up to!" he sang, pivoting about; never was he one to simply walk from place to place.

"Hey, Joe!" called a distinctly feminine from a distance. He turned his head quizzically, and then beamed, waving his free hand.

"Oh, hello, Ann!" Joe rejoined her with a start. "What're you up to?" In an instant, he changed his step to a slow, too-cool-for-school gait. A swift hand ran through his wind-tousled hair, smoothing it back.

Quietly, she chuckled. "Well, someone looks all fancy. Where are you headed to at this hour?" she intoned with mild interest- Joe was usually never awake before noon on his off days.

Joe gave her a thumbs-up. "I'm just off to see Kurt at the hospital, he broke his leg," he said in blunt earnest. "I thought he might like some fruit or something, so... you know..." He flushed lightly. "So... uh... You wanna come with me?"

Ann giggled. "Sure thing, Joe," she said jauntily. She hooked an arm with his, making his face redden even more. What a ladies' man.

Kurt jumped ever so slightly as the front door was pounded on, spikes of pain peaking. "Damn it," he snarled, slamming his fists together. He hated it when that happened.

"Stay still, Kurt," Alex admonished, irritated. The IV had slipped again, almost piercing the doctor's skin. "I'll be right back- don't try to move, those take forever to reattach." The ebony-haired man skirted off, roaming toward the heavy wooden doors. For such a slight fellow, he was relatively speedy when he wanted to be.

He moaned and let out the breath he had not known he was withholding. With the medic's constant glaring, he found it difficult to even blink, let alone breathe. After all, the good man had seemed quite upset after his good-natured chide. Oh, how he wished he could scratch that new itch, terribly so... but Alex would never let him, of course.

He had some sense, you know.

"Hah... it was just Nina again." Alex pinched the bridge of his nose, brow furrowed, reemerging into the infirmary. "I really don't know what's gotten into that girl; she's always bringing me tea..." Evidently, he had developed an impulsion to speak to himself. Kurt found it rather pleasant.

"Oh, I think I know why," Kurt smirked, a devious glint in his eye, drawing in a great- if histrionic- breath for the bombshell he was about to drop.

"She wants in your pants, doesn't she?"

Now he would just count to three…

"Excuse me?" Bingo. "I-I haven't the slightest- I'm not quite- How could you-" Coughing horribly, he braced himself on the edge of the hospital bed that the carpenter lay on, trying his hardest to compose himself. That man just got on his nerves like no one else could! When he reemerged from under the shell he had made of his arm, his patient had already finished cackling wildly at his expense. Unfortunately, he could not tell if that was a good or a bad thing.

"Yeah, you'd like that wouldn't you," Kurt brought his palm to his mouth and yawned; he was a bit sleepy now.

"I-I-"

"There's no need to explain, everyone knows you've got the hots for Miss Moe over there."

Alex flushed angrily. "Y-You... You shall not speak of Miss Gina in such a fashion! I haven't the faintest as to how you could draw that sort of conclusion anyway, since all you do is spend your nights holed up in that stupid cave with the tool shop girl-!" The doctor stopped abruptly, covering his mouth in horror. Staring, shocked, at Kurt, he gasped, "I-I'm so sorry...! I had not meant to insult- I mean, just please ignore what I... what I... never mind all that, then! I-I have acted very unprofessional... This will n-not happen again."

The brunet stared disconcertedly at the flustered raven; he looked near to tears. Even someone as coldhearted as he had a little shame. His brow contorted in outrage, appalled that the doctor had even noticed his little trysts. Albeit it had been fun teasing the slight man, he had to admit, Alex's ire was not a pretty sight. "..Well, doctor, Joe would not like it at all if you complained of my... transgression. So I suppose I must concede." Kurt smiled- wait, what was that? Had he smiled, for real? Oh, goodness.

The confused look Alex aimed at Kurt made him chuckle.

"...Hmph." Alex set his lips in a firm line, hiding his flustered face. Pity was never comfortable. Although Kurt had not quite given him pity, it still had the same effect. "Don't make me laugh." Hastily he set to work reattaching some dislodged wrappings, probably for something to occupy himself.

"So, doctor, what's with the ranting, huh?" Kurt queried delicately, a hint of amusement worming its way into his voice. "I've never seen you act so- well, womanly."

The doctor ignored the last part. "I am merely concerned for my assistant," he replied at last, voice cold.

"..." The bedridden man smirked. "You're a horrible liar."

"And it's still none of your business what my motives might be!" scowled Alex, shoving his hands in his pockets and busying himself with some menial organization of his impeccable workspace. Kurt took that as a sign to lie back on his pillows and shut his eyes for a while.

Alex paused to make sure the bothersome fellow was asleep, before letting out a deep sigh. He was a horrible liar.

Then there came the knocking, the rapid and frequent pitter-patter of hasty individuals. The sound was grating on the doctor's nerves. He stood, exiting quietly from the top floor. After that incident, he would rather Kurt did not wake up this time. He did not need those chestnut eyes to glare at him again this early in the day.

With tiptoe steps, Alex drifted to the door, opening it as softly as possible. This was fantastic. "What do you two need?" he whispered loudly to the duo.

"Hey, what's up, Doc? Why are we whispering?" Joe muttered.

"Your brother is currently sleeping, and I'd rather he didn't wake now."

"...Oh," Ann murmured understandingly; Kurt's sharp tongue was not something she would like to experience more than once, if at all. "When should we come back?"

"Not anytime soon." Alex flushed.

The tallest snickered like a young child. "What exactly are you two doing in there?" he laughed, a bit too loudly.

The doctor started. He had not a clue as how to proceed. "Um. Th-there is absolutely nothing going on! Nothing. I assure you," he forced out, heating up to match the colour of Joe's neckerchief. Sure, he was overreacting, poor man.

"Alright, alright," Joe reassured the wide-eyed, panicky man. He had always seen the medic as frantic, hassled far too much for his own liking. Alex should relax sometime; maybe go fishing... In fact, that did not sound half-bad right now. With a quick nod to Ann, he trotted off to fetch his rod.

The ginger girl held back for a moment. "I'm sorry you had to be stuck with him," she whispered rapidly, patting his cheek in a motherly fashion before hurrying off to catch up with Joe.

Alex stood there awhile, glancing at the pair of happy people.

Just because he was the shortest man in town did not mean everyone had to act as his mother, for goddess' sake!

WHY SO WOMANLYOUS, ALEX? FFFFFFFFFFFFFF