Hey guys! So, this is a short one, next chapter will be tough and angsty. Hope to post it on Sunday.

Thank you all for reading!

Sebastian had fallen asleep on the couch. The fever and all the crying had left him exhausted.

"Go back to sleep, Seb. You´ll feel better in the morning", Kurt had promised.

Now Sebastian´s face looked peaceful despite the circumstances, and Kurt decided it would be best to leave him rest right there.

Kurt stepped outside onto the porched to get some fresh air. The night was cold, as every other night around this time of the year. It was a good thing that Kurt had never enjoyed smoking, because he figured right now he would need to smoke like a whole package. Instead he distracted himself by listening to the nightly noises of the street. A car driving by, an owl, the neighbor´s dogs barking…it was all so…random, so…mundane.

Ever since that awful day when Kurt had found Sebastian, he had turned all of his attention towards the other boy, diving completely into his story. And suddenly all the things that were important in his life no longer mattered. They seemed so trivial now. He had almost forgotten about Prom, which was only a week away. Even NYADA hadn´t crossed his mind these days. Diet as well as his nightly skin regime had been skipped altogether.

Kurt looked up to the sky. Stars were shining brightly, but Kurt felt a wave of sadness wash over him. The world, he realized, kept turning as it always did. Nothing had changed. Kurt didn´t know if that was a good thing or not. Did it mean the world was so incredibly strong that it kept going despite every adversity? Or was it so terribly indifferent that it moved on, disregarding all the pain and misery it witnessed?

Kurt lingered on that thought for a while before returning to the warmth of the living room, where his friend still rested comfortably.

He kept him silent company, watching the boy´s features from a fair distance, studying every detail on his face. His pale skin and soft brown hair, his perfectly shaped eyebrows, his long eyelashes, the freckles here and there…he was breathtaking. Even with the bruises and scars. How had Kurt never noticed before?

This can´t be happening, he thought to himself. What´s wrong with me?

Sebastian had made Kurt´s life a living hell. He was mean, insulting, arrogant…everything Kurt hated. And now Kurt was falling for him?

These terrible incidents of the past weeks had somehow shed a different light over Sebastian. They had revealed the sensitive, vulnerable boy that had been living behind the walls that were now crumbling to the floor, shattering everything to pieces on their way…

Kurt ran a hand through his face, realizing how incredibly bizarre it was. Yes, it was definitely unexpected, to say the least. And yet… it was so easy to love Sebastian.

The real Sebastian, the scared little boy, who wanted nothing else but to be loved. How could you not love him?

Kurt chuckled silently in disbelief, surprised by his own thoughts. When had those feelings taken over?

First he had tried to shake them off, supposing that it was pity, that it was sympathy for another human being who was in dire need of help. But there was more to it.

Sebastian had pulled strings that Kurt had never before realized even existed. Blaine had been his first love, his biggest love, there was no question to that. This was different, though. A feeling of warmth filled his chest, it was not sexual, but gentle and sweet. There was a need to soothe and protect the other boy.

Kurt could still feel the softness of Sebastian´s skin that the chaste kiss had left on his lips. He´d give anything to kiss him one more time, just once, and put into that tender kiss all the comfort and all the love that he didn´t dare to compose in words. Was it possible to kiss away someone´s pain?

Kurt pushed a few strands of hair from Sebastian´s warm forehead. He allowed his fingers to softly brush against his fever-flushed cheeks. How could anyone want to hurt this sweet boy? How could they make these beautiful eyes cry? It should be a crime…

A sad tear rolled down Kurt´s face and then another and another. They were bound to make an appearance sooner or later. He had kept them at bay for several days, knowing he had to stay strong for Sebastian so he had something to hold on to. Kurt´s tears flowed freely now, soon forming a river and releasing all of his pent up emotions in absolute silence.

How he yearned to share his own pain and fears and doubts with Sebastian. He wanted him to know how his heart broke every time over and over again, because despite of all his efforts to make Sebastian forget and have him smile, he always ended up crying at the end of every day. He wanted to say that he was just as overwhelmed, just as helpless and lost, startled by the sudden turn of things in life. He wanted to confess that he had no set course, no clue of how to fix things, that he was trying at his best by improvising…that he wasn´t strong at all, perhaps only a good actor, if anything…

None of that however came out of his mouth. Kurt was resolute never to allow that. He had promised to keep Sebastian safe and right now that demanded from Kurt to sweep away his own emotional turmoil and uncertainties . He had to be the one constant in this equation so full of variables.

He wiped away his tears and smiled at the beautiful sight that was Sebastian sleeping, hopefully dreaming of something equally beautiful.

The peace that spread from that simple moment was so contagious that Kurt forgot about everything else and softly sang to Sebastian as he fixed the blankets around his body, his voice barely above a whisper.

You won´t see me cry, I´m hiding inside

My heart is in pain, but I´m smiling for you.

Oh, baby, I´ll try to make things right

I need you more than air when I´m not with you.

Please don´t ask me why, just kiss me this time

My only dream is about you and I…

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