Summary: Blaine and Sam have finally gotten together after years of frustration, and everything is going so well and they are so happy that it seems too good to be true... And it is. When Blaine discovers he is ill, will he be able to send Sam away to protect him? Or will Sam be more stubborn than that and stay there for him in every step of the way? BLAM.

A/N: Ok, I need to warn you about something but it will contain MAJOR SPOILERS, so if you don't have any kind of triggers and prefer nhot to know, please, skip this.

This is a story about Blaine being ill, especifically with cancer. I understand this might be very painful for some people to read for a lot of reasons, so if that's your case, you may not want to read this. If you decide to continue, you must know it's going to be very dramatic and probably painful to read (though I think it would be wise to tell you that there will be no deaths in this fic, so you can be safe about that. Sorry if you would have prefered not to know in advance).

Also, my knowledge in this field is quite limited, so I apologize in advance for all the mistakes and incoherences you will surely find.

I want to dedicate this fic to all the fighters that have had to deal with something like this, and to all the people that have shared their pain with them.

CHAPTER 1

Blaine smiled even before he got to open his eyes in the morning, but he couldn't help it: that's the effect Sam's arm resting loosely around his waist had on him. Waking up next to that wonderful man was the most exciting and amazing feeling he had ever gotten to experience, and fortunately that had been happening more and more frequently in the last two months since they had taken the step to be together, after years of friendship and frustration. In fact, it happened so often that it was almost as if they were already living together. And even on those nights when Sam got off work so late, he would head for Blaine's home instead of his own empty apartment, only so they could sleep together and wake up next to each other. Because apparently he loved it just as much as Blaine did.

Blaine's fingers moved to Sam's arm on his own accord to gently caress it up and down, his smile only getting wider at the thought that Sam seemed to be completely unable to sleep without touching him in some way. Most of the times they would curl around each other in a mess of limbs, or Sam would spoon him. Other times it was just a hand on his stomach or, like that morning, and arm around his waist, just as if he was making sure that Blaine wouldn't escape during the night. As if Blaine would want to be anywhere else, he thought with a chuckle, his heart beating so strongly that he was afraid it might burst any moment with love for the other boy.

Turning on his side to face his partner, Blaine was about to wake him up when he was spellbound by Sam's beauty on his sleep, and he caressed his face with the back of his hand. He felt so fortunate to be with him... Not because of his beauty –well, that too, of course, as Sam was the most stunning man he had ever met and well, he was not blind!–, but for his kindness and how easy everything was with him. And his sense of humour, of course, as hardly a day went by in which Blaine wouldn't end up with tears in his eyes from laughing too much. There were no words for Blaine to describe how grateful he was to have fallen in love with his best friend. Wow, could he already call it love? Maybe it was a bit hasty; after all, they had been together for like, what, two months? It was not a long time. But the truth was that their feelings for each other came from a long –really long– way back before that, so to call it love may not be that crazy. After all, even if they were not together, Sam had been the most important person in his life for years, and he knew it also worked the other way around. And yes, maybe he was just being his usual self and he was just over thinking everything. But he surely had never been that happy before and he couldn't help it: he could really picture a future with Sam at his side.

Wanting to spoil his fabulous lover, Blaine carefully extricated himself from Sam's grip and only bothered to put on some sweatpants that had been thrown carelessly to the floor in a fit of passion the night before making his way into the kitchen. He could have kicked himself in the shin when he realized that in his ecstasy from the last week at being with Sam he had forgotten to buy any groceries and he had next to nothing but... he would get something fixed, he was sure of that. Anything for his man.

In the end he couldn't offer more than some cheese sandwiches and a glass of milk… but he knew Sam would appreciate the effort anyway, so with a mischievous smile in his lips he returned to the room and placed the tray on his bedside table so he could wake his boyfriend up with the attention he deserved.

He had to smile as he noticed Sam had turned to lie on his stomach while strongly clutching his pillow once he had been deprived of Blaine's body, as if suddenly his arms felt too empty. But that only left more extension for Blaine to travel with his lips, so he carefully kneeled on the bed and started kissing every inch of the skin in Sam's back.

"Just five more minutes, Mum" Sam mumbled before he even got to open his eyes.

"I really hope your mother didn't wake you up like this" Blaine joked as he gave Sam's neck a last kiss and let his upper body fall on top of his boyfriend's.

"No, she wasn't so sweet for sure" Sam answered, a bit more alert, relishing the pleasure Blaine's warm body on his always produced.

"And you haven't seen nothing yet, I brought you breakfast to bed" Blaine announced as the tip of his fingers slowly travelled Sam's sides, almost as if he couldn't stop touching him even if they were laying on top of each other.

"Really?" Sam exclaimed in excitement, trying to raise his head to look at it, but Blaine only took advantage of the better access to it and starting kissing his neck, oh so slowly.

"It's really only bread and cheese, really, but I put my heart in it" Blaine joked as he continued with his slow torture, adding his tongue to his actions until he felt Sam quivering underneath him.

"Oh no, no, no, you're going to have to stop that unless you're willing to be late for class" Sam protested as he tried to lift his upper body so he could turn around, as Blaine's loving ministrations were starting to drive him crazy.

"Really? You're that easy?" Blaine laughed, even if he raised enough to let Sam change positions.

"As if you didn't know already" Sam joked as he finally lay on his back and gave Blaine an impossibly wide smile that would have melted his heart if it wasn't a puddle of feelings already. "Morning, babe" he said before he gently grabbed the back of Blaine's head to bring him down and give him the kiss he deserved.

"Morning, Sammy" Blaine answered in the sweetest tone before he let himself fall on Sam's chest, his absolutely favorite place in the world.

Sam lost no time in putting both his arms around Blaine's smaller frame in a strong embrace, almost as if they had been a year apart instead of the few minutes it had taken Blaine to get the breakfast ready.

"Come here" Sam whispered as he motioned for Blaine with a hand to his hip to fully climb on top of him, from head to toe, because there was nothing he loved more than feeling Blaine's weight on him. Even though he seemed to have thrown some clothes on him, the bastard. "Why aren't you naked?" he protested in a whiny tone.

"Because as you said, I'm not willing to be late for class" Blaine answered with a chuckle, though he still took his time to kiss those lips he would never get tired of.

"Yeah, as if some stupid sweatpants were going to make much of a difference" Sam answered in a huskier tone as he took advantage of the way he was still embracing Blaine to roll them and change their positions until he was the one trapping Blaine's body with his own.

"You're such a pervert" Blaine mockingly complained when he recovered from the shock, but his actions belied the sentiment behind his words when he cupped the back of Sam's head and brought him down for another kiss.

"You should already know that" Sam replied as his lips hungrily moved to Blaine's inviting neck, getting encouraged by Blaine's hand tenderly playing with the hair in the back of his hair.

"Wait" Blaine stopped him when Sam stopped his trail to suck on his Adam's apple, something he perfectly knew drove Blaine crazy.

"Getting too caught up in the moment too?" Sam joked as he gently bit on that inch of flesh where neck meets shoulder, very proud of the small moan it elicited on his lover.

"No… well, yes, but I wanted to give you something first" Blaine enigmatically answered before extricating himself from Sam's embrace to sit up and reach for something in the drawer of his night stand.

Sam sat up too, expectantly, looking at his boyfriend while trying to guess what he had come up with this time. After all, Blaine loved spoiling him and little surprises and gifts were almost an everyday occurrence for him. He didn't know what he was expecting when Blaine grabbed his hand and made him open it in front of him, but it surely wasn't the couple of keys with a little pink ribbon tied around them that Blaine deposited on Sam's extended hand.

"Here you are" Blaine said, accompanying his words with a little kiss to Sam's cheek.

"What is this?" Sam asked, his eyes impossibly wide with surprise and emotion.

"A couple of keys" Blaine jokingly answered, feeling incredibly happy at how moved Sam seemed to be his gesture.

"I can see that, you idiot" Sam replied with a shaky laugh. "But…"

"Well, no matter what I say you keep coming back here night after night like a stray dog, you know?" Blaine kidded his boyfriend, even if his hand went to move some hair out of Sam's forehead in a tender gesture. "And sometimes you arrive really late and I'm kinda tired of having to get up from my beauty sleep to open the door for you"

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, you're such a nuisance"

"Stop it already, I'm trying to stop the tears right now!" Sam protested even if he was sporting the biggest smile Blaine had ever seen in him.

"Why would you think I'm joking?" Blaine said with an impossible tender expression, all pretence of humor forgotten at knowing just being with him made Sam that happy. "All jokes aside, Sam… Having you here is… amazing. So I want you to feel comfortable to come and go as you please. And fortunately… all the time"

Sam couldn't find his voice for maybe the first time in his life, so instead he followed his instincts and threw his arms around Blaine to embrace him with all his forces, one of his hands immediately getting lost in the wildness of Blaine's curls as the other one traced paths all along the extension of his bare back.

"We're really doing this" Sam said, his voice shaking so slightly, once the embrace broke and he was able to look into Blaine's loved-filled eyes.

"It looks like so" Blaine answered before he bit on his own bottom lip, unsuccessfully trying to stop the smile he knew it was breaking there –and which he was afraid wasn't going to be able to erase for weeks at least.

"You don't know how long I've been waiting for this" Sam said as he gently cupped Blaine's cheek with his hand.

"I get an idea" Blaine answered with a chuckle, as he had wanted it for just as long.

Sam smiled at him again and then covered the distance between them to capture Blaine's lips in a slow and loving kiss that soon became deeper and more desperate. Sam gently pushed Blaine down so he could again climb on top of him, their lips never separating for a second, and only when one of his hands got mischievous and tried to pull Blaine's sweatpants down, the latter playfully slapped his hand and broke the kiss.

"What about breakfast?" Blaine asked, but he couldn't protest any longer as the moan that escaped his throat as Sam unexpectedly moved to kiss his neck and chest interrupted him.

"It's bread and cheese, it's not like it's going to get cold" Sam answered against his skin, just before his tongue expertly looped around of Blaine's nipples.

"Sam, I'm going to be late for class" Blaine protested without too much enthusiasm, his head rolling backwards on its own accord at the pleasure Sam was delivering.

"Yeah, well" Sam answered in a tone that easily belied how little he cared about that, as his lips just kept going lower and lower on Blaine's abdomen, knowing exactly which points to kiss and lick to make his boyfriend forget about everything.

And this time, Blaine didn't even try to protest when Sam finally rid him of his pants.

Blaine could hardly keep his eyes open as he pretended to watch TV. He knew he could easily go to bed, especially considering the horrible headache he was sporting. Sam had his key, after all, so he would find his own way in without him having to open the door for him. But… he didn't want to go to bed without at least seeing him. Their very different schedules that week had kept them from spending as much time together as they would have liked, and he felt he missed Sam. Which was kind of ridiculous, considering they practically lived together even if Sam hadn't officially moved in. But that was how he felt. And if seeing Sam's beautiful face and having his strong arms around him while they relaxed in front of the TV made him lose a bit of sleep… so be it.

Thinking about everything he had to do the next day, Blaine sighed to himself. He felt so tired lately… Maybe it was because of the stress of the final weeks of the year at NYADA and his job at the music shop –plus the little sleep he was getting thanks to Sam–, but lately he had been having a lot of headaches, and he had even gotten dizzy a couple of times. He was sure he was just tired and stressed, but maybe he should visit the doctor and make sure he wasn't lacking any vitamins or anything.

Oh, gosh, he did have something else to do next day! He had agreed to meet his good friend Sebastian between classes and work, right? Though apparently they had forgotten to decide on a time and a place. Poor Seb, he was probably just as stressed as he was with college.

Hey Seb, he texted his friend over whatsapp. Still up?

Hey, Killer, Sebastian answered almost immediately. Just finishing some essay. And you? Homework or waiting for the hubby?

Blaine smiled at Sebastian's words. Sebastian had been incredibly supportive of his relationship with Sam from the beginning –even before they got together, Sebastian had guessed Blaine's feelings and had been the one encouraging him to take the risk–, and Blaine was thankful that they had been able to put everything that had happened at high school behind them and he could now count with a friend like him.

Second option. Hey, is tomorrow's date still up?, Blaine texted.

Of course! Or you have other plans?

No, I was just wondering because we hadn't agreed on the details.

Blainey, we said I'd pick you up at NYADA and then we'd have lunch at that little place near your work. Don't you remember?

Shit no, he didn't remember. Had they really talked about it?

When did we agree to that?, Blaine asked in confusion.

When I called you two days ago? I know you were listening, because as usual you said there was no need for me to go all the way there and I had to convince you it was not a problem, remember?

They had talked about it? How come he couldn't remember? He remembered talking to Sebastian on the phone just after work, but had they really talked about that?

You okay, Killer? Sebastian asked when Blaine failed to answer, obviously worried about him.

Yes, don't worry, I have a headache and I was probably not thinking clearly, but I remember now, he lied. No need to have Sebastian worrying about him when he was probably just too tired.

Then maybe you should take some painkillers and go to bed, I'm sure Sam won't mind

Yeah, probably.

You're sooooo going to ignore my advice

You know me too well ;)

Well, I hope you have a lot of rest anyway. I have to go back to my essay now. I'll see you tomorrow, ok?

Ok. Goodnight, Seb

Nighty night, Killer

Ok, that was weird. As much as he tried to remember, he had no recollection of that conversation. And he knew Sebastian was not making a mistake, if he so clearly remembered everything they had said. Well, that was just another sign of how much he really needed to stop for a bit. He was lucky the school year was ending in just a couple of weeks, otherwise he didn't know how he was going to survive.

Thankfully he forgot all about that as soon as he heard a key turning on the lock of his front door and knew Sam was finally there. He had to smile when he saw his boyfriend walking on his tiptoe and trying to be as silent as possible in case Blaine was asleep, but as soon as Sam saw him sitting on the sofa his face broke into a loving and warm smile.

"Hey, sweetie" he said as he left the keys on the little tray next to the door and made all the way to the sofa so he could kiss Blaine's cheek. "What are you doing still up?"

"Just flipping through the channels" Blaine answered, his face still blushing a little every time Sam used a pet name that reminded him they were now together.

"Were you waiting for me?" Sam asked as he sat at Blaine's side and rested a hand on the latter's thigh, his smile only getting bigger at what he knew was going to be the answer.

"Kinda" Blaine admitted, unconsciously letting his body fall slightly to the side to rest against his boyfriend's.

"Even if you have to get up early tomorrow?"

"I didn't want to go to sleep without at least seeing you" Blaine confessed, his face blushing again to the point Sam thought couldn't get any more adorable.

"You're so sweet" Sam praised him while putting an arm around his shoulders to squeeze him lovingly to his side.

"Are you hungry? I made some supper"

"Gosh, you're amazing"

"Why don't you get it and eat it here with me? I'll keep you company while you eat" Blaine suggested. He would have gotten it himself, but he was so tired he felt unable to move.

"Sure" Sam agreed and he was on his feet in a jump almost immediately. "Are you going to eat too?"

"No, I'm not hungry"

"You ok?"

"Yeah, just… I'm just feeling a little under the weather today, but nothing to worry about"

"Maybe you're catching something" Sam said as he rested a hand on Blaine's forehead to check his temperature, immediately worried as Blaine rarely admitted he was not feeling well.

"Yeah, that's probably it" Blaine answered, trying not to sound as doubtful as he felt. "But come on, go get your dinner, you look hungry"

"Ok, I'll be right back" Sam said with a kiss to Blaine's forehead before going to get his dinner.

They kept a light conversation as Sam eat at the coffee table, getting up to date about their respective days and sharing jokes and affectionate gestures between them –Blaine had even turned the TV off to give his boyfriend his whole attention–. The familiarity in their actions felt wonderful, and they almost felt as if they had been together for their entire lives instead of two months. But that's what dating your best friend since high school is about, right?

"What?" Sam asked with an amused smile when he was cleaning his mouth with his napkin and noticed Blaine was looking intently at him, unmoving.

"Nothing, I'm just waiting" Blaine answered with a smile to match.

"For what?"

"For you to finish so I can cuddle up to your chest to watch TV"

Sam laughed wholeheartedly at his impossibly sweet boyfriend –it never ceased to amaze him how unafraid Blaine was to be affectionate an honest about his feelings– and he rushed to leave his plate in the sink so he could comply with Blaine's wishes.

"Come here, my little angel" he said before his butt even made contact with the sofa again.

Of course Blaine didn't need to be told twice, and practically jumped in Sam's arms, his favorite place in the Earth. He let his side rest against Sam's strong chest as his head fell on the blond's shoulder, and he practically purred in bliss when Sam's hand started massaging his scalp.

"The TV is not even on" Sam reminded him amusedly after a couple of minutes.

"I don't care, I just wanted you, the TV was an excuse" Blaine answered with a chuckle, and to reinforce his words he just snuggled even closer on Sam's chest and hid his face under his boyfriend's chin.

Sam held on to him more strongly and wondered if his heart would ever go back to beat at a normal pace around Blaine. It surely seemed to go a lot faster since he and Blaine had gotten together, and sometimes it accelerated so much that it felt about to explode. Especially when Blaine was being affectionate and sweet towards him, which he was most of the time. Especially when he turned into a little ball just so Sam's arms could envelop him completely. Especially when he made Sam feel he was some kind of hero just because someone as perfect as Blaine had chosen to love him. And yeah, what they had was love, he didn't have any doubt about it anymore. And maybe it was about time to say it.

"I love you, you know" Sam said, almost in a whisper, not wanting to disturb the peacefulness of the room even if he knew Blaine would appreciate it.

Blaine lifted his head from Sam's chest for a second to look intently at his eyes. It was not that he didn't know how Sam felt for him, but it was the first time they said it. And Blaine loved how it had happened in a daily moment, how Sam had suddenly felt the need to say it when they were just cuddling together instead of waiting for the perfect time. Which meant that for Sam there was nothing more perfect than their simple and easy moments in their simple and easy life. And that thought made Blaine happier than he had ever imagined.

"I love you too" Blaine answered with a smile that was immediately reciprocated, and then he let himself fall on Sam's chest again because there was no need for more words.

"Is it too soon to ask you to marry me?" Sam suddenly broke the comfortable silence a couple of minutes later.

"A little" Blaine answered with a chuckle, though he could have sworn Sam was only half joking. "But we know how much you love proposing so…"

"It would be the first time I really mean it, you know?" Sam explained with a laugh as he remembered those times in high school when his impulsivity had driven him to propose to Quinn or Brittany without even meaning it. "It would be the first time I can really see it, and not just an impulse. So…"

"Don't you dare" Blaine threatened him with a smile.

"Will you…?" Sam pretended to try, but Blaine interrupted him first.

"Stop!" he ordered, and both of them laughed at the silliness of the situation.

"Someday I will ask you and you will have to say yes" Sam warned him, and by the way he felt when Sam's loving fingers played with the curls in the back of his head, Blaine didn't have any doubt about it.

"Ok, someday" he casually promised.

"Really?" Sam asked, wanting to know if he had heard correctly.

Blaine's answer was just a shrug of his shoulders, but the tender smile that went with it spoke volumes about how he really felt.

"Gosh, then I need to start thinking about the perfect proposal" Sam suddenly announced, mockingly worried about it which only made Blaine chuckle again.

"Forget about the proposal, it's a perfect wedding the only thing we need" Blaine contradicted him, easily getting into the game.

"And what about the perfect married life?"

"Oh, what are you going to do about it?"

"I promise… that I will always give a message to your back and you feet when you're tired" Sam said after pretending to be thinking intently about it. "What about you?"

"I promise to always wake you up with a kiss" Blaine answered without hesitation.

"Uh, I like that one. Nothing will beat my promise of washing your hair for you whenever we shower together, though, I know how much you love that"

"Please, what about making pancakes for you every single Sunday of your life?"

"Dinners at candlelight"

"Romantic serenades"

"Ok, you win" Sam feigned to surrender at that, although it was true that there was nothing he loved more than hearing Blaine signing a slow love song –especially when it was directed at him. "Gosh, our lives are going to be amazing"

"Indeed they are" Blaine easily agreed just before giving Sam's lips a quick peck to close the deal. But they quick movement of his head made his eyesight go blurry for a second in one of those dizziness spells he had been having recently, and he could not stop a little wince that of course didn't go unnoticed to his boyfriend.

"What's wrong?" Sam immediately asked.

"I just have a terrible headache" Blaine answered vaguely, as he didn't want for Sam to worry too much.

"Wow, are you really using a headache as an excuse not to have sex with me so soon?" Sam joked, and Blaine knew it was just his way of trying to make him feel better, and not because he didn't take it seriously.

"Don't make me laugh" Blaine protested even if he hadn't been able to stop a chuckle, which made him wince in pain again.

"Anything I can do for you, babe?" Sam asked, a bit more seriously.

"Just… hold me" Blaine asked, almost pleaded, because all those headaches and memory loses and dizziness were starting to worry him and he just needed to forget and feel safe and protected in Sam's arms for a while.

"That's easy" Sam answered, glad there was a way for him to help Blaine, and he gently pushed Blaine's head on his shoulder and resumed the caressing of his hair that he knew it often made wonders to make Blaine feel better. "By the way, you've got to wake me up tomorrow before you go"

"Why? You should take advantage of the time you have and sleep more"

"Well, I don't want to start the day without seeing you either" Sam answered, practically repeating Blaine's words from earlier, and the smile the broke in Blaine's face told him the latter understood how honest he really was even under all the joking. "And well, some kissing would be nice too"

"But I'm not letting you making me late again… as you've been doing all week" Blaine warned him, even if he knew it would probably be happening again because there was no way he could resist it if Sam got playful enough.

"We'll see" Sam promised with a wink.

A/N: Let me know what you thought!