The alarm went off and a loud ring broke the soft silence in the dark bedroom. It took some fumbling and some cursing for Kurt to find the alarm and switch it off but once it was done he dragged his tired body out of the warm and cozy bed and into the bathroom. The light was harsh and he moaned as it burned his eyes. He took a few steps closer to the mirror and he rested his hands on the edge of the cold sink. His chest was burning.

It was always like this. It was worst in the morning and in the evenings when his body was tired and it felt too heavy for him to carry.

He looked into the mirror. He had dark circles underneath his eyes and his chestnut brown hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat. His skin was pale and he had a small breakout on his forehead and in the unforgiving light his cheekbones were clearly visible. He slowly dragged his hand through his hair and ended up with a small piece of hair in his hand.

Great, first I lose my clear skin and now I lose my hair.

He sighed and dragged himself into the shower. He leaned against the wall for support as he washed himself as quickly as he could before wrapping a towel around his waist and reentering the bedroom. He roamed through the closet until he found a nice pair of jeans, a blue long-sleeved shirt, a grey vest and a pair of brown boots to go with the outfit. Then he slowly made his way down the stairs.

Carole was just placing the breakfast on the dinner table when Kurt entered the kitchen a little breathless. Finn was already shoving food into his mouth while mumbling something that was quite hard to grasp since his mouth was full. Kurt sat down at the table just as his dad entered the room.

Burt Hummel was not in a good mood that morning. One of his co-workers had just called in sick, he had a lot of work to get done that day and he had left his coffee to pick up the phone and now his coffee was cold. He grumbled as he sat down and after complaining about the fruit on his plate that Kurt was forcing him to eat he hid behind that morning's newspaper. Carole just rolled her eyes at Burt.

"Good morning Kurt", Carole said as she poured Burt a new cup of coffee. "Did you sleep well?"

"It was fine." Kurt checked his watch. "I've got to go now or I'll be late. See you guys later."

Burt hummed and Carole nodded as she started to clean the table.


The most frustrating thing was the mornings.

He had learned to live with it but it was one of the few things that never failed to bring him down. The mornings were hard because not only was he still tired but his entire body ached and it made everything a lot harder.

And then there was the early departure.

Finn always used to leave the house before Kurt but as time passed it got harder and harder for Kurt to move around until Kurt finally reached the point where he had to leave before Finn if he wanted to be on time. It was frustrating because he felt as if by leaving early he was admitting defeat.

But it didn't matter. Not really.


Mercedes was already in the classroom when Kurt arrived but that was normal. She was always there when he got to school and had been since the day she found out he always arrived ten minutes early. He used to always arrive just on time. But that had been before. Now things were different.

"Hey." Mercedes attempted to pull his chair out for him but he slapped her hand away. "What's up?"

He sighed as he sat down. "Not much. How about you?" He had to take a few seconds to catch his breath but then he started to pull his books out of his bag.

"Well Sam decided to call me again last night and…" She went on and on but Kurt didn't really pay attention. He was too tired.

Just as the bell rang a new guy stepped though the door.

He had dark hair that was slicked back with an insane amount of gel, soft features and a smile was playing on his lips. He was talking to Sam Evans (when you speak of the devil, Kurt thought to himself) and it was obvious that Sam had just done one of his horrible impressions but the dark haired boy seemed to find them quite hilarious because he had tears in his eyes from laughing.

The guy suddenly looked up and his eyes found Kurt's.

Kurt quickly looked down and he could feel a blush creep into his cheeks as he started to fumble with his pen. Mercedes poked him on the shoulder and gave him a questioning look but he just shook his head. Sam and the dark haired boy sat down a few rows in front of them and Kurt didn't miss the longing sigh that left Mercedes lips as she looked at Sam.


"I have prepared a little solo for today's glee club. I really think you will appreciate not only the simplicity but also the beauty in this masterpiece and I really feel like I add a whole new dimension to this song, you know?"

They were making their way to the choir room and Rachel was once again going on about how she was 'taking the glee club to a whole new level'. Kurt couldn't quite decide whether his medicine or Rachel was the course of his headache but he knew one thing and that was that he felt like punching someone.

"Jesus Rachel, can you just shut up for once?" Kurt shot Mercedes a thankful look but Rachel continued her rant even as they found their seats. Mr. Schuester was writing something on the white board and Brad had already taken his seat at the piano. Does that man ever go home?, Kurt thought to himself but he quickly forgot it because the guy with dark hair from his previous class had just entered the room.

The guy cleared his throat and Mr. Schuester seemed confused for a moment until he realized who had been the source of the sound.

"Hello can I help you?"

The dark haired boy stepped into the room and oh god was that a bowtie?. "Yes, is this the choir room?"

Mr. Schuester gave the boy a short smile. "Yes indeed it is."

"I wanted to join the glee club if that was possible?"

Mr. Schuester threw his arms out to the side and gave a welcoming smile. "Well of course. We are always excited to welcome new members. So what is your name?"

The dark haired guy stepped forward and shook hands with Mr. Schuester. "I'm Blaine. Blaine Anderson."

Rachel jumped up from her chair and dashed over to where Blaine was standing. "Hello I am Rachel Berry and I am the unofficial leader of the New Directions".

"Oh hell to the no!" Mercedes started to get up from her chair but Kurt pulled her back down.

"It's always nice to get new background singers. Now go take a seat and then I'll sing a little song just to set the standard."

Blaine simply nodded and then took a seat next to Sam who was shaking his head at Rachel.

The rest of glee practice went as usual. Well aside from the long glances that he got from Blaine. He was used to people starring at him but not in this way; it wasn't a mean or judging look, no it seemed like a more curious look.


"And for next time I want you to prepare a song that gives you hope".

Everyone started to get up and Kurt couldn't help but feel relieved that glee club was over. He enjoyed glee, he really did, but it made him so incredibly tired and after a full day of walking and sitting he was truly exhausted and he just needed to get home and lie down.

"Hey Kurt!" Sam called from the front row where he was standing with Blaine. Sam motioned for Kurt to join them so he slowly made his way down the steps. God knows Kurt Hummel hates steps and stairs.

"Kurt, this is my friend Blaine." Kurt and Blaine quickly shook hands and Kurt couldn't help but notice just how beautiful Blaine's eyes were. The light was dancing in them and they had the same colour as hot caramel. Kurt's hand shook a bit and Blaine seemed to notice because he raised an eyebrow at Kurt.

"Cancer", Kurt simply replied to the unspoken question. He used to avoid saying the diagnose out loud and for a long time he had refused to tell anyone but his closest friends but over time he stopped caring. It didn't matter anyway. Not really.

"Oh", Blaine frowned and he bit his lower lip before simply pointing at himself with a shrug. "Cancer survivor".

"Oh." Now that was unexpected to say the least.

"How bad is your diagnose?"

"Lung cancer. I can't walk twenty meters without gasping for air. Take your guess."

"Did you smoke too many cigarettes in your younger days?"

Kurt gave a short humourless laugh. "I've never even touched a cigarette and I don't have any intention to do so any time in the near future."

Blaine laughed and the sweet sound of his laughter filled Kurt's stomach with butterflies. "Well that makes you a part of those special 10%."

"Special 10%?" Kurt asked sceptically.

"Only 10% of the cases of lung cancer aren't caused by cigarettes so congratulations you're special."

"I'm not sure if that was supposed to make me feel better but thanks." Kurt laughed but after only a few seconds he started coughing because he couldn't catch his breath and he couldn't help but feel slightly humiliated. I can't even laugh anymore. This is a joke. But it didn't matter anyway. Not really.

"Well, I have to get back home but maybe I'll see you tomorrow." Blaine grabbed his bag and started to make his way towards the door. Just before he stepped into the hallway he turned around. "What was your name again?"

Kurt couldn't help but feel disappointed because he generally liked this guy. "Kurt."

Blaine laughed. "No silly, I know that. I meant your full name."

Kurt blushed and gave a nervous laugh. "Umm, Kurt Elizabeth Hummel."

"Kurt Elizabeth Hummel", Blaine quietly said to himself. "I like the sound of that. See you tomorrow, Kurt Hummel".

And with that he left.