As usual,

Mildlifecrissis: yeah, Cooper really needed to tell Sam, we'll see how Blaine reacts to that. Yes, Cooper is going go stay, don't worry ;) I'm so glad it made you emotional, as it was my whole purporse from the beginning XD. Thank you, sweetie!

THEMoDePo: Don't cry, sweetie! Although I guess it's alright if you sat you like it, right? ;) I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter. Thank you so much, sweetie!

Darrinia: Yeah, they're both very stubborn, but just because they want the best for each other. Un besazo, cariñín!

Musicjunky81: hey, it's you! Gosh, I've missed you! I'm glad you got hooked up in one of my stories again then ;) I have to warn you than they're going to suffer, yeah, a lot! Thank you so much for your trust!

A/N: This one is long! I hurried a bit to finish it, because I wanted to post it today, since tomorrow I'm leaving on vacation for a few days, so I hope it's not too bad. I'll see you all when I get back! Enjoy the chapter!

CHAPTER 4

Blaine woke up with a start when the arm curled around his body strengthened its grip. He hadn't even realized he had fallen asleep, but he guessed it had happened somewhere around dawn. Even if he felt guilty for enjoying it, he cuddled up even more closely to Sam's chest and sighed in contentment. God, he had missed him for the previous two days… Even in his sleep, the tight embrace in which Sam was keeping him was so strong and powerful that it almost made Blaine feel invincible in his arms. He knew that wasn't true, though. And that not even Sam's loving and firm arms were going to keep him safe this time.

After Blaine gave up on his intentions of pushing Sam away from his life and had accepted that the blond was going to be more stubborn than him, and after they had embraced for what felt like hours, they had eaten the dinner Sam had been cooking –although both of them had to make a big effort to eat, considering how in knots their stomachs were– and then had retreated to Blaine's room –or their room from then on, considering Sam had already decided to move in–. They had to talk about a lot of things, after all, and reacquaintance with each other after two days of broken hearts. And talking they did, for hours and hours. It had started awkwardly at first, with each one sitting in one end of the bed, hardly able to look at each other –Blaine because of how guilty he felt that he seemed to have done everything the wrong way, and Sam in fear of breaking down in tears every time he looked at his lover's face and remembered what he was going through–. But they had been getting closer and closer with each passing minute and when the time came for Blaine to explain everything about his illness to his very worried boyfriend, they had both finally broken down and embraced to cry together at the unfairness of the world. And they hadn't separated again since then.

Even if he still wasn't sure that letting Sam in was the best decision, Blaine had apologized a thousand times to Sam for not being honest and making such a decision for him. And Sam had assured him he forgave him one time after the other, until he was forced to mockingly threaten him with dumping him if he didn't stop it. And then he had promised he was going to be with him in every step of the way, and that they were going to make it together. And even if Blaine didn't feel so optimistic, it still felt good and safe to know he was not alone on that, that he had the best man in the face of the Earth at his side, so he nodded and smiled when Sam kissed the top of his head with all the tenderness in the world.

And suddenly it was as if they had never been apart. The conversation slowly started drifting towards lighter topics, and before they knew it they were tentatively joking and lightly laughing. Sam even made himself more comfortable and lay down, bringing Blaine with him and gently pulling of him until he was lying on his chest so he could completely envelop him with his arms, as he had always loved to do. And Blaine had planted an adoring kiss on his chest, curled his arm around Sam's waist and hidden his face in the crook of the blond's neck, as he always did. And that's how they had finally fallen asleep not more than two hours ago. And how they had remained until then.

Blaine knew there was no way he was going to fall asleep again, after all the emotional carousel from the day before and the anxiety about the appointment with his doctor for that day, but he didn't want to disturb Sam so very carefully he extricated himself from his embrace and sat up on the bed. One look at Sam's beautiful face was enough to break Blaine's heart all over again, as it was not difficult to identify the dry paths in his cheeks that the tears dropped during the night had left. And for a second, Blaine again reconsidered his decision of letting Sam be a part of something that it was obviously hurting him so much. But he knew it was Sam's decision to make and that he was not going to back down. And frankly, after having a taste again of what being loved by that wonderful man meant, Blaine didn't think he could separate from him again. So he tenderly ran his thumbs across Sam's cheeks to get rid of those offending marks and placed a kiss on his forehead before leaving the room, closing the door behind him so as not to disturb his sleep.

Blaine was not surprised to hear some noise in the kitchen. After all, they had heard Cooper making his way back to the apartment some time during the night –as he had probably been out just to give them time and space to fix whatever they needed to fix–, but he had immediately gone to the guest room, and Blaine and Sam had been unable to move from their embrace anyway, so they hadn't had the chance to talk yet after what Cooper had done. It was probably time now to confront him, Blaine thought as he tiredly dragged his feet across the suddenly crowded apartment.

"Morning" Blaine said in a murmur as he entered the kitchen.

"Morning" Cooper answered in what he hoped sounded like a cheerful mood, because he could sense the tense atmosphere in the room.

Blaine moved to the coffee maker, glad to see Cooper had already prepared a full charge, and filled a cup for himself. After all the emotions of the previous days, his stomach was still in knots and he didn't feel like having anything solid, but at least some coffee would probably help him wake up a little.

Silence fell upon them as Blaine took a seat in front of his brother and started sipping on his coffee, letting the warmth and the caffeine spread along his body and start making him feel human again. He felt exhausted, both physically and emotionally, and starting a conversation with his brother seemed too big of an effort. Especially considering he still didn't know how he felt towards him at the moment and about the fact he had betrayed his trust when taking the decision to tell Sam about his illness against his wishes. But it was too early and he was too tired to reach a conclusion, so he just remained quiet and focused on his coffee.

"So I'm guessing Sam is still here" Cooper talked after only a few seconds. Blaine should have known, his brother had never been one to stand the silence –especially if he perceived it as uncomfortable, as theirs was at the moment.

"Yes, he's sleeping in my room. In our room, I guess" he answered, even if forming sentences seemed like such a hard task at the moment. But he didn't have it in him to just plainly ignore his brother, so he continued. "We were talking until the early hours, so I thought I'd let him sleep a bit longer"

"It was a hard blow for him" Cooper commented, and he could immediately see it was the wrong thing to say when Blaine's eyes turned accusingly at him.

"You don't say" Blaine sarcastically replied, humorlessly laughing at his brother's nerve, when he had clearly been the one to provoke that situation.

The tense atmosphere elicited silence again, something very uncommon between the two brothers, who would always have thousands of things to explain to each other after living in different sides of the country. Cooper debated with himself if he should just do the same that his brother and remain quiet, or even play the victim card and leave the table in a dramatic way, because he didn't think he had done anything wrong. But being at odds with his brother was killing him, especially when he remembered Blaine was not in a good place and it was quite understandable that he could be more sensitive and unreasonable than usual. So maybe for once he could make the effort to break the ice so they could fix it, even if he was not willing to take the blame

"If you are waiting for me to apologize…" he said, hoping that would at least make his brother react.

"I'm not" Blaine answered in a neutral tone that didn't let Cooper guess if he wasn't expecting it because he didn't think he should, or because he thought Cooper was too proud for it.

"Because I didn't do anything wrong" Cooper continued, wanting to make his position clear.

"You had no right" Blaine retorted in the same unemotional tone that was upsetting Cooper more than if he suddenly started yelling at him.

"Blaine, I…" Cooper tried to explain, forgetting about his pride for once, but he couldn't find the words to justify himself. After all, he didn't regret what he had done and he would do it again, but he could totally understand his brother's anger.

"I want to thank you and strangle you at the same time, you know?" Blaine confessed with a hint of warmth in his voice that made Cooper hope not everything was lost yet.

"Yeah, I usually have that effect on people" Cooper joked, as he usually did as a mechanism defense when things got too intense. But no, this was a serious matter –probably the most serious one they had ever had to face– and there was no time for joking. "I don't want to say sorry because I would do it again, but… I'm not proud of betraying your trust"

"You should have respected my decision, Coop"

"Maybe… But come on, Blaine, you really thought you could do this without him? It's going to be hard enough, the last thing you need is a broken heart on top of everything"

"I know" Blaine admitted, because the pain he had experienced during those two days he had spent without Sam had been next to unbearable. "But I just wanted…"

"To protect him, I know" Cooper finished for him because, damn it, he could understand his brother even if he didn't agree with him. "And maybe I didn't have the right, but… you need him. If you're not going to be a bit selfish and think about yourself for once in a moment like this… then I don't know when you're going to do it"

"Still…"

"And Sam needs you too, anyway" Cooper interrupted him, not wanting him to look for any more arguments.

"That's what he said" Blaine agreed with a sigh, remembering the conversation from the day before.

"Because it's the truth. You're not only your tumor, you know? Sam doesn't suddenly see you as that. You're still Blaine, the boy he fell in love with. And he still wants to be with you no matter what. Your illness is only a part of your relationship, not the whole of it. He doesn't just wants to help you. He wants you"

Cooper's words and the intensity in his eyes when they met Blaine's, made the younger man finally understand: Sam not only wanted to take care of him out of pity; he just wanted to be with him, as he had for the last three months. Because he loved him with all his heart and he wanted for them to be together, whatever the circumstances. And the fact that Blaine was now ill didn't change a thing.

"That boy really loves you" Cooper's voice took him out of his reverie.

"I know" Blaine admitted, his heart swelling with love and breaking at the same time at his brother's words.

"You know what he said yesterday? That he thought you were going to be the love of his life"

"I used to think that too. But now…"

"Now what?" Cooper encouraged him to continue when Blaine hesitated, feeling like his brother really needed to let it all out.

"Now everything's changed" Blaine lamented while sadly shaking his head. "Nothing is the same as it was a week ago. I'm not the same person I was"

"Have you stopped loving him?" Cooper pointedly asked him.

"No" Blaine answered without the slightest hesitation. "That much hasn't changed"

"Then that's all you need to make it work" Cooper answered, smiling for the first time when he covered Blaine's hand with his and the latter didn't refuse the contact. "And you know Sam will agree with me"

"I know he will agree, that's why I didn't want him to know" Blaine answered, with a fond smile towards his stubborn boyfriend. "Gosh, Coop, I love him so much…"

"It's so fucking unfair…" Cooper continued, his voice breaking in the end in a way Blaine wasn't used at all, because Cooper had never been the one to show his emotions so freely.

"Coop…" Blaine said in a reassuring way, now him being the one to put his free hand on top of his brother's, feeling bad to see him in such pain, even if he knew it was not really his fault.

"It's just… why did it have to happen precisely now? When you were finally happy with the man of your dreams, as you deserved?"

"Yeah…"

"I still can't believe this is happening" Cooper confessed with a sob he couldn't contain anymore as his eyes filled with tears of anguish, unable to keep staying strong for his brother as much as he tried.

"Oh, Coop" Blaine said as he hurried to put his arms around his brother in a comforting way. He hadn't forgotten for one second he was not the only one suffering, and seeing his strong brother break down like that was only another proof of how much pain they were going to endure on the following months.

Cooper reciprocated the embrace and let himself get lost in it for a couple of minutes. He knew he needed to be strong for Blaine, but he couldn't help it: his brother was the most important person in his life by far. Due to their age difference sometimes he felt him more like a son than as a brother –especially now that they didn't have their parents anymore–, and he couldn't stand to even think about what he was going to go through. He would gladly take his place if he could, and he didn't even want to think about the possibility that Blaine's fight wouldn't be enough.

"I love you so much, little brother" Cooper said in a broken voice, muffled by the skin of Blaine's neck.

"I love you too, Coop" Blaine answered in a serene voice as he held him, gently rubbing his back in a comforting way, and Cooper just admired him all the more for his courage and his compassion.

They remained in each other's arms far long after Cooper's sobs started diminishing, both comfortable and comforted by the fact that they were not alone in their fight. And it was like that that Sam found them when he finally made his way out of the bedroom, having woken up due to the absence of Blaine's body glued to his.

Seeing the brothers like that was like a punch in the guts for him as it roughly made him fall back to reality after a couple of hours of blissful sleep in which he had been allowed to forget and just enjoy Blaine's warmth against his skin, as if nothing had changed and his world hadn't crumbled. He could see the intensity of their embrace; he could even see the tears in Cooper's eyes and the way Blaine seemed to be comforting him and Sam's heart went to him. He had been so absorbed in Blaine and in his own pain that he had failed to see Cooper would also be devastated, considering how much he adored his little brother. And it seemed as if the older man had held on for too long for them and hadn't been able to resist it any longer. And just that thought almost brought tears to Sam's eyes too, but he refused to let them fall in his brother-in-law's behalf.

"Morning" Sam said so they would be aware of his presence, even pretending to be rubbing his tired eyes as if he was just getting out of the bedroom so they wouldn't feel observed or uncomfortable.

"Morning" Cooper answered as he finally broke the embrace and discreetly dried the remains of tears from his cheeks.

"I'm glad to see you two made peace" Sam continued as he bent down to kiss Blaine's cheek and then proceeded to pat Cooper's back in an understanding way. "You ok?"

"Of course we're okay" Cooper answered, sounding too cheerful to be natural as he grabbed his coffee cup again and started sipping, just so he would have something to do.

"You don't have to be embarrassed, Coop" Sam advised him in the most understanding tone he could muster, wanting for the older man to understand how he wasn't going to think less of him because he showed his feelings –quite the contrary, in fact–. "We're going to go through a lot together and… we're a family after all, right?"

Sam's heart melted when Blaine smiled at him at his words, his expression full of pride, and took his hand to make the blond sit next to him, on the same chair, to keep him as close as possible now that they were together again.

"You're right" Cooper agreed with a grateful smile, deciding once again he was never going to regret having brought Sam back. "We'll all need to lean on each other"

"Do you want some coffee?" Blaine offered to his boyfriend after discovering the big dark bags under his eyes after almost a completely sleepless night.

"Sure" Sam answered in a joking tone as he gently grabbed Blaine's wrist and directed the cup he was holding towards his own mouth, glad to hear Blaine's chuckle at his actions after all the drama of the day before.

Blaine knew he was a bit oblivious sometimes, but he was not an idiot and he could see what Sam was trying: to show him with every one of his actions that they were still a couple, closer and more connected than ever. It had taken them hours of talking, but Sam had managed to forgive Blaine's actions and put all that shit behind him, as if it had never happened. And if kissing him to greet him, sitting on the same chair or sharing a cup made them feel more in sync, he would gladly do it. And enjoy it as much as he could.

"What time is the visit with your doctor?" Sam asked, sobering the mood a bit again in spite of himself.

"In an hour" Blaine answered after looking at the clock on the wall in front of him, his stomach turning into knots once again at what was about to come.

"Do you mind if I go with him, Coop?" Sam asked, feeling bad about pushing Cooper to the side now that he was back but… he couldn't help it. He needed to be with Blaine in every step of the way.

"No, of course not" Cooper answered with an understanding smile, showing Sam how much he respected his position as Blaine's partner. "As long as you explain everything to me later"

"We promise" Blaine answered, taking Sam's hand in his and speaking in both their names so Sam understood that he also considered them fully a couple again too.

"Thank you" Sam told Cooper, incredibly moved and grateful for his understanding.

"It's not a big deal. I'll start unpacking in the meantime. 'Cause yeah, I'm sorry about screwing your honeymoon phase with my presence and all that, but I'll be staying here with you" he dared to joke so as to lighten the mood a bit, which he was glad to achieve when both boys laughed at his nonsense.

"It works for the best for me, actually" Sam continued in the same joking tone. "As you'll be taking the guest room, Blaine won't have another choice than to take me in his room"

"There is still the couch" Blaine joked, but he quickly booped Sam's nose for forgiveness at his mockingly outraged expression. "The truth is I love having you in our room, honey"

"And how sweet does that sound?" Sam answered with a tender expression before he captured Blaine's lips in a quick but meaningful kiss. "I love you"

"I love you too" Blaine answered with a smile before letting his head fall on Sam's shoulder in an intimate way.

"Ok, if you wanted me to go you only needed to say it" Cooper said with a feigned disgusted face at their open displays of affection, but as he got up to leave his now empty cup in the sink he had to hide a smile at how sweet those two were and how good it was for both of them to be together again.

"Really? It's that easy?" Sam joked even as his hand unconsciously moved to Blaine's head to get lost in his soft curls. "I'll try to remember whenever you get too obnoxious"

"I can still throw you out of here with a kick to your butt, you know?" Cooper answered, his arms akimbo to try and look more intimidating, but he could see he was not successful when the only response he got from Sam was a hearty laugh.

"I'd rather you didn't" Blaine intervened as he put his arms around Sam's waist and held strongly into him, eliciting similar fond smiles in the other two men.

"Ok, but I will only be doing it for you" Cooper answered with a kiss to the top of his little brother's head on his way to this room that made him chuckle. It was good to be surrounded by people that loved him so much.

He wasn't aware he was doing it, but Blaine was tapping the floor of the waiting room steadily with his foot, the rhythm he was keeping going faster and faster every minute. Only when Sam's hand came to rest on his thigh to stop it and he smiled reassuringly at him, he was aware of it and made a big effort not to start again.

"Sorry" he said, looking apologetically at his boyfriend.

"You don't have to apologize" Sam immediately absolved him, putting an arm around his shoulders to attract him to him and gently kissing his temple. "It's understandable that you're nervous, we're about to know what the hell is going to happen for the next months. I'm this close to start screaming myself"

Blaine chuckled at that and nestled more comfortably to Sam's side, hoping the contact would offer some comfort. But he hadn't had the chance to know before the door to his doctor's office opened and the kind man poked his head around it.

"Blaine?" he softly called him when he saw him in an embrace with another boy, presuming he was more than a little nervous and in need of understanding.

Blaine sighed deeply before disentangling from Sam's grip, intending to follow the doctor inside the office. But Sam beat him to it and stood up in a jump –and yeah, he seemed to be almost as anxious as himself– just to offer a hand to him. Blaine smiled and took Sam's hand, letting himself be pulled to his feet, and the way Sam's fingers entwined with his own as they walked made him feel a little bit better.

"Sit down, please" the doctor offered, pointing at the two chairs at the other side of his desk, as he himself sat on his own chair. "How are you today, Blaine?"

"A bit worked up, to be honest" Blaine answered with a shy smile, glad that if he did have to go through all that, at least he had the luck of counting on such a nice doctor who so obviously cared about his mental state, and not just the physical one.

"Well, I can only imagine" the doctor answered with an understanding tone and a reciprocating smile. "I'm so glad you didn't come alone this time"

"He didn't let me" Blaine answered, looking adoringly at the boy at his side for a moment before turning to the doctor again. "This is Sam, my boyfriend"

"And future husband, hi" Sam added with faked seriousness as he offered his hand to the doctor to shake, to which Blaine rolled his eyes and the doctor chuckled.

"I never said yes" Blaine protested with a mocking judging frown.

"But you will someday, you promised" Sam answered with a shrug of his shoulders as if he didn't have any doubt about it, which made Blaine chuckle in spite of all the tension –as well as the doctor, who was just glad to see that Blaine could count on someone who so obviously loved him so much.

"And my big brother is aware of everything too, and he even moved here from Los Angeles to be with me" Blaine explained more seriously.

"That's good, really good" the doctor answered, happy to see this young boy, who had immediately won his heart with his warmth on his previous appointments, had such a good supporting system. "You don't have to go through all this alone"

"They didn't let me" Blaine enigmatically answered, once again looking at his boyfriend, and he smiled when he felt Sam squeezing his hand, still in his own bigger one.

"Well" the doctor started, the light atmosphere from a second ago quickly turning into tension again. "I guess you will want to know how everything is going to work from now on"

Both Blaine and Sam nodded solemnly at that, and the doctor took a deep breath before he started explaining how he was going to turn their lives completely upside down. Gosh, he hated that part of his job.

"Sam, you are aware of the situation more or less?" the doctor asked, wanting to include him in the whole process so Blaine wouldn't have to go through it alone –and because frankly, the boy seemed very eager to be included.

"Yes, Blaine explained everything he knew to me" Sam answered, avoiding to add the fact that had happened just last night because he had already put that behind them.

"Well, I presented your case to the whole oncology department of the hospital to see how we can best approach it, as we usually do" the doctor explained. "I'll be the link between the team and you, but I want you to know there are a lot of people working on this so we can give it a proper fight"

Blaine nodded again, too moved and nervous to risk talking without his voice breaking, and only Sam bringing his hand to his own lap so he could grab it between both of his kept him from crying.

"I'm afraid the tumor is bigger than we expected, and its location deeply worries us" the doctor went on, talking slowly so the patient would have time to come to terms with every word.

"What does that mean?" Sam asked, his heart in his throat at what seemed to be even worse news than he had expected.

"It means it's going to be a bit more difficult than we initially expected. But it doesn't mean that there is nothing we can do, alright?"

Sam visibly gulped and nodded, trying to remain calm, especially when he felt Blaine's hand starting to shake slightly, so he just held more strongly into it.

"We can't operate it on it right now because of its size and the way it's pressing on your celleberum"

"But if you can't remove it…" Sam insisted, only stopping when the doctor held his hand patiently in front of him.

"Wait" he said in a calming voice. "I didn't say we weren't going to operate, I said we couldn't do it yet"

"So I guess that means chemotherapy" Blaine spoke for the first time since the doctor started talking, his voice so soft that the other two had to strain to hear it.

"Yes. We need to make the tumor smaller before we attempt to remove it or it could be really dangerous"

"Dangerous how?" Sam asked, desperately needing to know every little detail before they could decide what to do.

"The surgery would be so complicated that he could end up with a lot of different sequelae in his talking, his movement, his body functions… I think it's worth the try to avoid all of this if we can"

"And he won't have any of that if the tumor is smaller when they try to remove it?" Sam asked, his voice shaking with fear as much as he tried to help it.

"The risk would be so much smaller too" the doctor agreed, before turning to Blaine, who by then was so pale that he looked almost like a ghost. "What do you think, Blaine?"

"We'll do whatever you think is best" he said, looking at Sam for confirmation that he agreed, which he obtained in the form of nodding.

"Well, I'm not going to lie to you: this is going to be hard and long" the doctor continued, wanting for his patient to be prepared. "I need you to get the idea that you're going to lose a year of your life, at least professionally speaking. I know it sounds like a lot, but you're so young…"

"I'm going to have to drop out of school, right?" Blaine asked, his eyes getting glassy without him being able to avoid it at the thought of giving up on something in which he had invested so much effort.

"Let's say put them at hold for a year, ok? We'll see after that, but if everything goes as expected, you can return to them next year" the doctor answered, trying to sound optimistic, and Blaine nodded even if he didn't look too convinced. "And you're going to need someone at your side when you start feeling bad" the doctor added, looking knowingly at Sam.

"That will be me" Sam hurried to make it clear, turning to his boyfriend. "I already talked to my boss to shorten my work days to a half so I can be with you most of the time, and I'll leave the job completely if it comes to that, Cooper already said he could support us meanwhile"

"But Sam… you're starting at Pratt in September" Blaine protested; it was bad enough that he had to leave everything, he couldn't let Sam do the same.

"I'm not starting at Pratt this fall… I already talked to them" Sam confessed, feeling a bit guilty that he had been doing things behind Blaine's back too, even if he knew they were the right things to do.

"What? No, Sam, you worked so hard for that" Blaine pleaded, his eyes filling quickly with tears that broke Sam's heart, but the latter knew he could not let them affect him and he needed to be strong.

"And I will do it, just… next year" Sam promised, cupping Blaine's cheek with his hand and drying a tear that had fallen with his thumb. "I explained the situation to them and they said they would save me a place for next year, so everything is ok"

Blaine wanted to protest, to tell Sam he was not going to let him do that for him, to convince him that he was not worth so much sacrifice, but he found he couldn't speak. Everything was suddenly too much –his illness, the treatment, the possible sequelae, having to leave NYADA and now Sam having to forget about Pratt too– and instead of words, only a sob came out of his throat that immediately elicited for Sam to put his arms around him until he was strongly held against his chest. And Sam's love and compassion, although so well-intended, only made him feel worse and he broke down in sobs when he couldn't help it anymore.

"We're not destroying our lives, ok?" Sam tried to reassure him, gently stroking the hair on the back of Blaine's neck while holding his head to his own shoulder in a protective manner because he could practically read Blaine's mind and he knew that him leaving Pratt was what hurt Blaine the most. "We're only putting them on stand-by for a year. What's a year for someone so young as we are? We still have our whole lives ahead of us, one year won't make much of a difference, and the important thing is that we are going to be together"

"Listen to him, Blaine" the doctor added, feeling almost as an intruder in the scene but needing for Blaine to understand it had to be like that. "I know you feel guilty for Sam, but all my patients have needed someone to put their lives on hold for them. All of them. You're not a bad person for needing help. In fact, you think that your boyfriend would do it so willingly if you were a bad person at all?"

"It's not fair" was the only thing Blaine was able to say when he broke the embrace, but Sam's arm remained around his shoulders, knowing he still needed all the comfort he could give him.

"No, it isn't. In fact, it's a fucking shit" the doctor agreed, surprising the two young men with his choice of vocabulary. "But we already knew that. So we just have to… suck it up and do it. And I think I've seen enough of you to know that you're a fighter"

"He is" Sam intervened while fondly pinching Blaine's cheek with his free hand.

"So let's do it. Let's fight" the doctor tried to encourage him. "Are you with me?"

Blaine still couldn't trust himself to speak but he nodded at the doctor before breathing deeply a couple of times to calm himself down, unconsciously snuggling more closely to Sam's side when the latter squeezed his shoulder to show him how proud he was of him.

"Ok, so here's what we're going to do: we'll start with the chemo in two days, alright? So tomorrow is just for you" the doctor suggested. "Take the day off and relax, go for a swim in the lake, or go to an amusement park or have a romantic date with your boyfriend… Whatever makes you feel good and helps you forget. And then, the day after tomorrow, we'll feel strong and ready to start the fight, ok?"

"Ok" Blaine agreed with a small and grateful smile towards the man in front of him.

"I'll make sure he does" Sam promised before turning to his boyfriend to kiss his temple. "We're so going to win this fight, babe"

True to their word, Sam and Blaine spent the day after the doctor's appointment in the most relaxing way they could think of: they had a romantic picnic in Central Park –they even nodded off a bit, tightly wrapped around each other, after the plentiful lunch Sam had gotten ready for them–, they went to the cinema to watch the most stupid movie they could find and they even made some shopping to indulge themselves a bit. But in the evening, they rushed home to get everything ready for the dinner they were having: Blaine knew he couldn't keep his illness a secret for too long, so they had invited their closest friends to spend a nice evening with them… and to share the terrible news with them. Maybe it wasn't the best way to do it, but Blaine couldn't possibly imagine having to tell them one by one so it was the only solution he found. And of course Sam supported him a hundred per cent in his decision, as usual, and he was going to help him as much as he could.

"Hey, guys!" Puck's cheerful tone immediately put a smile on Blaine's face when he opened the door to his friends.

"Come on in" Blaine answered with a warm smile, moving aside to let everyone enter.

"Hey, Killer" Sebastian said as he took a moment to embrace his petite friend, but the way Blaine seemed to clung to him for a much longer while than necessary immediately alerted that something was not right. "You ok, Blaine?"

"Sure" Blaine answered, still smiling as he patted Sebastian's back to put an end to their embrace, though this time it was easy to see that his smile was not reaching his eyes.

"You sure?" Sebastian insisted, openly worried now even if he kept a low tone so as not to bring everyone's attention on themselves, as Blaine didn't seem to be in the mood for much talking and bringing more people into it would not help him to open up.

"Smythe, you're blocking the door" Sam good-naturedly complained from the other side of the room, feigning to be thinking about the other guests who hadn't been able to enter the apartment yet, but Blaine guessed it had been only an strategy to save him from Sebastian's third-degree, so he sent his boyfriend a grateful smile.

The idea was to have a nice dinner, enjoy their friends' company and then tell them about Blaine's illness at the end of the evening, because they knew there was no way they could be happy and carefree if they talked about it at the beginning. But Sebastian was not making it any easier, and it was just a matter of time until somebody else started noticing about their serious stances.

"Cooper!" Mike exclaimed as Blaine's big brother appeared in the living room, so he hurried to shake hands with him. "Didn't know you were visiting"

"It was kind of a last minute decision" Cooper answered dismissively while he started greeting every one of his brother's guests in feigned cheerfulness.

"Why don't you make yourselves comfortable? We made margaritas" Sam suggested with a mischievous smile that Blaine tried to imitate.

"I'll help you" Kitty immediately offered, but in her way to the kitchen she managed to trip with one of the boxes Sam had used in his moving and that had been forgotten there –the rest of them had already been moved to the bedroom–. "Shit, you guys, tidy up a little if you don't want your guests to split their heads open" she protested good-naturedly as she fortunately regained her balance before she ended up on the floor.

"I'm sorry, Kitty" Sam apologized as he hurried to pick up the box, hoping no one would start getting any theories about why that box was there.

But of course it was too late. If Cooper was only visiting he would have never brought a cardboard boxed with him, only suitcases, right? And Blaine was practically an obsessively tidy person, so there was no way he had left a box just lying there –even if he had bought something, he would have already tidied up that thing and thrown the box away, right? –. So that meant it could only be Sam's.

"Sam, have you moved in?" Tina, always the astute, asked, looking quizzically at him.

"Em… yeah" Sam answered, knowing he had no alternative than to tell the truth.

"You bastard, you didn't tell me anything" Sebastian happily exclaimed as he nudged Blaine on the ribs, pretending to be upset about the fact that Blaine had failed to tell him something as important as that.

"It's just… he moved only two days ago" Blaine confessed, and it didn't go unnoticed to Sebastian that Blaine didn't look as ecstatic as he should, considering he and the love of his life had taken the step to live together –something Sebastian knew had been Blaine's biggest dream for a long time.

"This calls for a celebration!" Puck practically yelled as he hurried to the fridge. "Damn it, where are you keeping the champaign?"

"No, guys" Sam stopped them, looking at Blaine for permission to start explaining, as it was obvious they couldn't keep postponing it any longer in spite of their previous plans. "I mean it's great and everything but… I moved in with such a hurry for a reason"

"What? Did you lose your apartment?" Sebastian asked, wondering if maybe that was what was keeping Blaine so pensive.

"I wish it was that" Sam answered with a sad smile.

"We were going to wait until the end of the night so as not to ruin the supper for you but…" Blaine started, and when his voice kind of broke, Sam crossed the room and rushed to stand by his side, wanting to offer all of his support.

"What's wrong?" Sebastian asked, as he was starting to look really troubled about the couple's strange behavior. "You're scaring me"

"Well, I… this is a bit hard to explain" Blaine started as Sam took his hand in his, but he let him talk because he knew it was important to Blaine to be the one to deliver the news. "I don't know how to sugarcoat it so I'm just going to say it, ok?"

"Sure" Sebastian encouraged him while Tina nodded vigorously.

"The reason Sam moved in like this, and Cooper came for a visit so suddenly is… so they can take care of me" Blaine explained, his voice hardly more than a whisper.

"Take care of you?" Sebastian repeated in a worried voice. "Why? Are you ill or something?"

"Yes. Ok, I don't want you to get too scared, but… I've got…" Blaine continued until his voice was about to break, but Sam's arm curling supportively around his waist helped him recover enough to finish. "I've got a brain tumor"

Blaine thought it was probable that he was going to become used to those silences that always seemed to accompany any conversation related to his illness. It was not that he didn't understand: it was just too shocking to know what to say. But those silences were so ironically deafening that he couldn't stand them.

"I know it's something difficult to accept, so if you feel the need to cry, or scream, or make any questions… you can do it" Blaine announced, suddenly sounding like the strong and confident person they all knew so well. "We already have done a lot of that" he added, looking at Sam and at his brother with knowing and sympathetic glances.

"But… does that mean…?" Puck started asking, not really knowing what consequences that could have for his friend, but he was completely unable to finish the question.

"I'm starting a treatment tomorrow" Blaine answered, understanding Puck's question. "I'm going to get some chemo and then they will try to remove the tumor from my brain with surgery, so I'll… hopefully be alright in a few months" Blaine knew he was being too optimistic, but he didn't want his friends to worry too much with statistics and possible consequences.

"It's not going to be pretty, but we're going to fight" Sam added, putting his arm around his boyfriend as a way of showing everyone they were together in that.

Everyone seemed to be in shock, paralyzed, not knowing what to do or say. They wanted to be strong for their friend, to help him start the fight in the highest possible spirits, but they couldn't. That was Blaine they were talking about: their friend, one of the most important people in their lives. The boy who always had a smile and a nice word to say to everyone. The one that had always been there for them whenever they had needed it. The boy who deserved all the good in the world and then more. And now he suddenly was talking about fighting for his life? How was that fair?

Tina was the first one to react when she was completely unable to stop the tears. But Blaine had been expecting that –he knew how much that sweet girl adored him– so he gladly reciprocated the embrace when she clung to him with all her forces.

"It's okay, Tina" he whispered in his air. "Just let it all go"

"I love you so much, Blaineydays" she answered between sobs as she tenderly caressed the curls on the back of his head.

"I know, Tina" he answered with a shaky laugh, squeezing her more strongly to him. "I love you too"

"We all love you, Blaine" Mike added, in an unusual demonstration of affection for him because of his shyness, before he also threw his arms around him and Tina.

One by one, -Artie, Kittie, Puck, Santana, Brittany, Ryder and Marley- all the friends approached and joined the group hug. There were more than a few tears shed, and quiet sobs and sniffles filled the oppressing silence of the room for a few minutes. Blaine was surprised when he realized Sebastian was one of the ones to be dealing with the news better, remaining stoic and hardly participating in the hug more than with a lazy hand to someone's back –though the fact he hadn't said anything or how he refused to even look at him, told Blaine a completely different story.

"Come on, guys" Cooper intervened after a while, when he noticed his brother was starting to get a bit overwhelmed, and he decided to go for some light joking, hoping to break the tense and sad atmosphere, if only a bit. "I know it's hard to take, but Blaine is going to need to breathe sometime soon!"

Most of them chuckled sadly at his words and started letting go of each other, the last one being Tina with a loving kiss to Blaine's cheek.

"Let's try and have that nice dinner we had planned, ok?" Sam suggested, putting his arm around Blaine's shoulders again now that he was available. "The fight doesn't start until tomorrow, so let's make the most of today, ok?"

"Of course! Where are those margaritas?" Puck asked, always the first one to get ready to party. But this time they knew he was just trying to help –the way he had had to dry a couple of tears showed how much he cared about Blaine's wellbeing–, so Sam just winked gratefully at him and followed him to the kitchen to get everything ready, not before resting a comforting kiss on Blaine's temple that elicited a smile from the smaller boy.

That dinner was not as lively and carefree as they usually were, of course, but everybody was making a very big effort to act normal so Blaine would feel comfortable and relaxed. After some time, the joking started, and their noisy conversation started filling every corner of the living room, effectively banishing that silence Blaine was coming to hate so much, even if it was only for a while.

Except for Sebastian. He was sitting the furthest away from Blaine –whether it had been on purpose or not, Blaine didn't know–, and Blaine still had to see him open his mouth to talk –or even eat, as his plate seemed to be as full as it was at the beginning of the meal–. His attitude was surprising and confusing Blaine very much, because he had expected him to cry, to scream, to get angry, to cling to him until he couldn't stand it… Anything but that silent treatment he was giving him.

Sebastian seemed to guess the scrutiny Blaine was subjecting him to, because only a minute later he finally spoke to say he was going to the bathroom and disappeared before anyone could utter a word about it.

The dinner went on around him, but Blaine couldn't concentrate in it anymore, just waiting for Sebastian to come back so he could see he was alright. But when more than a few minutes had come and go and Sebastian was not back yet, he decided he was not going to wait anymore. Maybe getting him alone would be the best idea, anyway, so he could confront him and ask him what the hell was going on.

"I should go and talk to Seb" Blaine whispered at Sam's ear, not wanting the others to hear and attract too much attention towards his friend.

"Alright" Sam answered, and smiled when Blaine kissed his cheek before he left.

On his way to the bathroom, Blaine was surprised to see the door to the terrace slightly ajar, but one quick look outside told him that it had been Sebastian leaving it like that when he had gone outside, probably in desperate need of being alone. Which only confirmed to Blaine that he really needed to talk to his friend and let him know he was there for him too.

"Seb?" Blaine softly said, not wanting to scare Sebastian, who seemed to be deep in thought as his gaze was lost in the horizon.

"Blaine!" Sebastian exclaimed in surprise, not having heard him approaching, and hurried to dry the tears in his eyes in hopes his friend wouldn't see them.

"Are you going to keep avoiding me for long?" Blaine asked without a hint of reproach in his voice.

"What? I'm not avoiding you" Sebastian answered, even if he still had to turn around to face his friend.

"Can you look at me, Sebastian?" Blaine pleaded.

It seemed as if it was a big effort for him, and Blaine wondered if his friend was going to plainly ignore him, but in the end Sebastian let go a long sigh and turned around, finally meeting his friend's eyes for the first time since his announcement.

"You ok?" Blaine asked, when he saw a sorrow in Sebastian's eyes he had never seen before.

"Of course" Sebastian answered way too quickly to sound convincing.

"You don't have to feign with me, Seb" Blaine said in a reassuring tone as he moved closer to his friend. "We're way over that"

"I know" Sebastian agreed with a nod of his head.

"Why did you disappear like that?" Blaine asked as he rested his hand on Sebastian's arm, wanting him to know he could tell him anything.

"Because…" Sebastian started and it seemed as if he was going to look for another excuse but then thought better of it. "Because I couldn't keep it together any longer"

"And you didn't have to, you know?" Blaine answered, understanding as usual. "You could just have let go of it"

"No"

"Why not?"

"I just… I have no right" Sebastian confessed even if his voice broke at the end.

"Of course you have the right, Seb" Blaine answered with a fond and sad smile as he squeezed Sebastian's shoulder.

"But you are the one who's ill" Sebastian tried to explain, even if he knew he was not really hiding the tears in his voice anymore.

"Yeah. And you're my best friend. And I'm here for you too, ok?" Blaine answered, looking intently at Sebastian's eyes so the latter would know he really meant it.

"How can you stay so strong?" Sebastian asked, his eyes, already full of tears, looking at Blaine with so much admiration it almost made him blush.

"I'm not" Blaine confessed with a sad smile. "I've just… had a few days to get my head around it. It was… very hard" Blaine's own voice shook at the reminder of everything he had gone through since he had received the damned diagnosis. "But I'm trying to accept it now. And frankly, speaking with the doctor yesterday and getting to know how everything is going to work from now on helps a little. You know, the fear of the unknown and all that crap"

"Are you going to be alright?" Sebastian asked, his heart shrinking with fear at the answer he was going to get, as Blaine still hadn't talked about his options.

"I'm surely going to try" Blaine answered with a laugh even if his eyes were already shining with unshed tears. "You haven't seen the last of me yet, Smythe"

Sebastian half laughed, half sobbed at Blaine's poor attempt of humor before throwing his arms around him in that embrace he had denied him before for fear of breaking down. He held Blaine strongly, almost in an asphyxiating way, but he needed to feel him while his body was still healthy and full of life, so he could remember him like that when things got difficult. After all, as Blaine had said, he was his best friend, he loved him dearly and couldn't even begin to imagine a life without him. And instead of being there for him… it was Blaine the one trying to comfort him. That wasn't fair.

"I'm sorry" Sebastian apologized as he tried to control his tears, feeling deeply ashamed for his behavior. "You need strong people around you and… look at me"

"Seb, I'm looking at you" Blaine answered, even breaking the embrace so they could look at each other face to face. "And do you know what I see? Someone who loves me very much. And that's what I really need"

"Oh, Blaine" Sebastian exclaimed as he embraced Blaine to his chest again, this time intending to be the one to offer his support. "I'm so sorry"

"I know" Blaine answered, embracing his friend just as strongly. "But hey, we can do it. You're going to help me, right?"

"Of course, Blaine" Sebastian answered when the embrace broke, even if he kept his hands on Blaine's shoulder to squeeze them reassuringly. "I love you, you know? I promise I'm going to be there for you for anything you need, Blaine"

"I have Sam, Cooper and you. I couldn't possibly ask for anything better" Blaine assured him with a more honest smile this time.

"How about not being ill?" Cooper dared to joke, and it made Blaine feel infinitely better to get a glimpse of the real Sebastian.

"Ok, that I could ask" Blaine answered with a laugh that was immediately reciprocated.

Silence fell again between them, but this time Blaine didn't hate it so much, because he knew it was all Sebastian needed to get a grip on himself. It only showed him how much his friend cared about him.

"You okay now?" Blaine asked.

Sebastian's only answer was to dry his tears and nod confidently at him.

"Then come on, let's get inside" Blaine suggested, offering his hand to his friend, who immediately took it and let himself be pulled inside.

Sam was just waiting for them at the door, as unsurprisingly he had gotten worried when both of them had failed to go back to the table. Sebastian made a quick and silent escape towards the bathroom to wash his face, but Blaine took the chance to fall into Sam's waiting arms that immediately closed around his.

"Are you ok?" Sam asked as he rocked both their bodies in a comforting way, even resting a kiss on the side of Blaine's face in such a tender way that it almost made him cry again.

"I am" Blaine assured him, resting his head on Sam's shoulder and closing his eyes to enjoy their moment more deeply. "And I'm going to remain this way" Blaine promised to himself, empowered by all the love of the people around him were giving him.

And by the way Sam reinforced his embrace and rested his head against his, he knew he was going to make sure he kept that promise.