As always,

Guest: Awww, that was so nice, thank you!

THEMoDePo: Of course I couldn't leave Sam waiting for too long... And I'm always on for some Puck teasing! :) Yep, they finally came clean with their feeling and well... yeah, Mike is not so good. Thank you so much! :)

Darrinia: Yay, they're a couple indeed! Yes, Sam needed some big gesture for Blaine to understand he really meant it and wants to be with him. Don't worry, there will be a little romance in this chapter but... not so much, too much drama, you know? Gracias por el consejo sobre el corrector, pero fue algo puntual y ya tengo mi ordenador de nuevo :) Thank you soooo much, preciosa! :)

Raiderva: well, I'm really really sorry for disappointing you because you were expecting some big thing coming from Sam... I meant the fact that he came clean about his feelings not just with him, but with everybody (it's not just words, he really did it and well, the way he's been taking care of him also says a lot about how much he loves him, right?). I thought that was a big thing, so... sorry again, i hope you can forgive me :) But it was the only thing Blaine asked of him, so now that he gave it to him there is nothing else standing in their way, right? They know they can die any day, they can't waste time with resentment. I hope you can get to like my blam again! And thank you so much!

Mildlifecrissis: Well, yeah, Sam took his anger at the others about the walker thing but come on, he had at least a bit of right to do so, a walker had come to Blaine's feet! About the relationship thing... it was more of a joke between the others, how they acted like a couple, but they didn't really believe they were (or at least they didn't have any confirmation of it). So when Sam told them so directly, it was kind of a surprise, but not too big. Thank you so much, sweetie!

Me-me157: So glad to hear from you, I was kind of scared something had happened to you after not seeing you here nor in tumblr for a few days! Yes, poor Mike is clearly devastated, even if he was strong enough to take care of Blaine at the beginning. But he needs some time, and he doesn't want anybody pitying him. Of course Sam and Puck made up! I love their bromance! :) I'm glad you liked Sam's big revelation to anybody, he really needed to do it after how he had behaved. I'm not sure that the story is getting better, but thank you so much for saying it! Thanks! :)

CHAPTER 21

Sebastian laughed even before he fully opened the door to the office after knocking to ask for permission. He could hear those two idiots arguing from outside, though by the tone of their voices he could easily guess they were just joking.

"Will you keep still? I'm going to cut you if you keep moving like that" Sam admonished his boyfriend as he knelt at his side with a razor in his hand.

"Oh my God, Sam, you're like the worst shaver ever!" Blaine loudly protested, though by the wide smile shining on his face, it was easy to see she was having a good time in spite of everything.

"Well, excuse me, but it's not like I do this often on faces that are not my own!" Sam replied as he gave Blaine's face the finishing touch and he sat on his heels to admire his work –and Blaine's beauty, while he was at it.

"What is this? Spa session and I was not invited?" Sebastian joked as he made his way into the room and sat at Blaine's other side, carefully so as not to spill the soup he was carrying in a bowl.

"Lucky you" Blaine answered, smirking at Sam as if to provoke him.

"Can you believe this vain prince couldn't possibly do with a little stubble for a couple of days?" Sam added with a tone full of fondness, and Sebastian's heart warmed at how at ease and happy his friends seemed now that they were together and Blaine looked like he was going to be fine.

"It was more than a little, and it itched!" Blaine protested with a pout, brushing his fingers across his chin as if satisfied at how soft it felt now that the stubble was gone.

"And since he can barely move or even hold his own head, guess who was elected as the man for the job" Sam sarcastically added, grateful for once at Blaine's lack of strength because he was sure he would have slapped him by then if he could –even if playfully.

"Well, you've been shaving yourself for a long time now, I trusted you to know how to do it!"

"I know how to do it on myself! No one is constantly moving and complaining when I shave myself!"

"Well, you did a good job in the end" Blaine praised him in a tender tone, which immediately softened Sam's expression until he could only smile goofily at him and join their lips together for a quick peck.

"Aw, aren't you two… disgusting?" Sebastian commented, even if they both knew he was only joking and that he was happy for them.

"We're not, we're adorable" Sam contradicted him before giving Blaine's lips another kiss, just to prove his point. "I tried to convince him that he looks just as pretty as ever with a beard, but he wouldn't listen"

"Don't call me pretty" Blaine protested, though the blush on his face made it quite obvious that he actually liked it.

"Come on, Killer, did you know that five-clock shadow just made you all the hotter?" Sebastian joked in a flirty tone.

"Now, don't you get too carried away, Smythe" Sam warned him, and even if Sebastian got scared for a second he had crossed the line, soon he realized that the blond was only joking.

"Shush, I will never say no to some flattering" Blaine told his boyfriend.

"I will live that to your sweetheart, just in case he decides to kill me" Sebastian answered, and he couldn't help but to chuckle when Blaine blushed at the sweetheart mention, even if Sam didn't seem bothered by the title at all. "I brought you some soup, by the way. I guess it's time for you to start eating something"

"I'm not hungry" Blaine unsurprisingly refused it, but of course Sam was having none of that.

"Well, you're going to eat anyway" Sam intervened, with no trace of joking in his voice this time. "You can't have those medicines on an empty stomach. Plus you need all the energy you can get to make a full recovery so come on, I won't take no for an answer"

"Wow, he's strict" Sebastian joked, hoping to create a lighter atmosphere again so Blaine wouldn't feel cornered and blatantly refuse.

"I know! Who would have thought?" Blaine answered playfully, grateful at Sebastian's joking.

"He's right, though" Sebastian added in a sympathetic tone. "I'm not leaving until you've emptied this plate"

"You are ganging up on me" Blaine protested with a pout that only served for Sam to chuckle fondly at him.

"Yes, we are, so come on" Sam ordered as he put a hand behind Blaine's back to gently lift him up and added an extra pillow between him and the headboard, so he was practically sitting up and it was easier for him to swallow –the last thing they needed was for him to choke, on top of everything.

"I can't possibly eat anything, my stomach is closed" Blaine insisted.

"You're going to have to open it, then" Sam replied, and Blaine could see how much practice Sam must have had with dealing with his little siblings along the years by how he was not relenting even one bit.

"I don't think I can even hold the spoon" Blaine tried a last desperate attempt even if he knew it was already a lost battle.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll feed you" Sam answered with an annoying smirk as he took the plate from Sebastian's hand and held it on his own lap. "Just think of how sweet that will be"

"I can't win with you two, right?" Blaine protested, looking judgingly at the other two.

"Right" Sam agreed while trying hard not to laugh at Blaine's indignant expression as he held the full spoon in front of his mouth. "So come on, open your mouth"

Blaine sighed and finally obeyed, feeling slightly embarrassed that he had been scolded like a little kid and that, in top of that, he had to be fed as if he was a weak kitten. But then he remembered it was Sam who was feeding him, the man who had confessed he loved him more than anything in the world and who had been taking care of him since he got injured, and suddenly it wasn't embarrassing anymore. Even if Sebastian was still smirking at him as if he found the situation very funny.

"Why does my whole body hurt?" Blaine asked in frustration after a couple of spoonfuls, realizing he had not been joking when he had said he wouldn't even be able to hold the spoon himself, considering he was already tired of just sitting up. "It feels like I was given a beating"

"That's probably from the blood loss" Sebastian answered in a casual tone, glad to give him some distraction in the form of conversation while they finally got some nourishment in the smaller boy.

"And the fact you fell from a first floor, don't forget that" Sam added, looking seriously at his boyfriend. "Even if the rubbish skips mostly cushioned the fall, it still was bound to leave some bruises. Your whole body is full of them, you're kind of a purple mess"

"When did you give my body a full check-out?" Blaine suddenly asked, and it wasn't until Sebastian let out a hearty laugh that Sam understood he was only joking.

"Shut up, I didn't give you a full check-out, I was trying to make sure there were no more injures to worry about" Sam blushed in spite of himself, realizing how much he sounded as if he was trying to make excuses even if he was being totally honest.

"So thoughtful of you" Blaine answered, giving Sam a wink to make sure he understood he was only pulling his leg.

"Hey, can I make sure there are no more injuries too?" Sebastian asked, and Sam marveled at the chuckle that comment elicited on him, as only a couple of days ago it would have made him enrage with jealousy.

"Over my dead body, Smythe" he answered good-naturedly before turning to his boyfriend again. "And don't you try to distract me, you're eating this whole bowl or I'll give a good spanking to your perky and delicious behind"

"You sound just like Tina" Blaine laughed, not noticing the dramatic change in the atmosphere of the room at the mention of their friend. "Hey, and where is she, by the way? I'm surprised she's behaving and hasn't been here all over me yet. She's usually worse than you two put together"

Sam looked gravely at Sebastian, as if trying to wordlessly ask him for advice about how to deal with that situation. He couldn't believe he had not realized until then that Blaine still didn't know about one of his best friend's death, the girl he had considered almost a sister. He couldn't lie to him, obviously, but was Blaine strong enough to deal with a broken heart? He was still so weak and fragile… He couldn't afford to lose the will to fight.

"Are you afraid of her being too intense and you're keeping her away or what?" Blaine asked, still trying to joke even if he could already sense there was something going on –he hadn't missed the look the other two boys had exchanged.

"Well, she's been busy, she…" Sebastian wanted to lie, almost as scared that the news would be too much to take for Blaine on his situation, but Sam rested a hand on his arm and shook his head at him to stop him: they couldn't lie to him like that.

"Blaine…" Sam started even if he couldn't possibly find the words to say something that he knew was going to devastate the boy he loved, and he set the bowl of soup aside knowing he would need to give Blaine his full attention.

"What's wrong?" Blaine asked apprehensively, his gaze changing alternatively between the two boys until finally stopping on his boyfriend's –the person he trusted the most in the world, so he knew he wouldn't lie–. "Sam, what is it?"

"Tina didn't make it. In the attack" Sam said kind of abruptly, knowing there was absolutely no way to make it easier anyway. "I'm so sorry"

"What?" Blaine asked in the softest voice, as if he was afraid to hear the answer. "Sam, don't joke with something like that"

"I wish I was joking, B" Sam answered, his heart aching for his boyfriend as he gently removed some stray curls from his forehead.

"Tina is… dead?" Blaine repeated, needing to make sure, and Sam realized he didn't want to believe it.

"I'm afraid so" Sam answered as his hand moved to cup Blaine's cheek in a comforting gesture.

"No" Blaine answered, moving his face away from Sam's touch, refusing a comfort he wasn't ready to accept –because that would mean accepting that Tina was dead–. "No, Sam, no. She can't be dead"

"I'm so sorry, B" Sam insisted, not giving up on his need to help Blaine somehow so this time he slid closer to him and put his arms around him in a close embrace –careful not to touch the still tender wound on his shoulder–. "We couldn't help her"

Blaine didn't refuse Sam's touch this time and let himself be engulfed in his embrace, though he still didn't reciprocate it. Sam didn't mind it, though, and just held Blaine's head to his own shoulder so he would know he was not alone and that he was there for him. But Blaine was still not reacting, and Sam worried that he might be going into shock or something.

"How did she die?" Blaine asked, and Sam was glad that at least he was talking. "Did the walkers…?"

"No, no. She was shot. She never felt a thing" Sam rushed to explain, knowing it was the only comfort he could offer.

That finally made Blaine get out of his stupor and his whole body started shaking on its own accord. Making a great effort because he hardly had any strength, he was able to lift his arms enough to reciprocate the hug Sam was offering, even if more weakly, and he buried his face in the crook of the blond's neck, the only place he could feel mildly safe at the moment.

Even if no sobs were coming out of him, Sebastian could see how really upset his friend was, and he thought the wisest thing to do would be to give him some privacy with the boy he loved, knowing he was the only one who could give him some comfort in a time like that. And judging by the strength Sam was holding him with, comforting Blaine was clearly the only thing in his mind, Sebastian noticed as he tenderly squeezed Blaine's shoulder in support for a second and then he left the room.

Blaine was shaking so much that for a moment Sam worried that he was going to break his wound open, but there was nothing he could do about it apart from offering all his love and strength to him. He couldn't believe he had not realized about Blaine's lack of knowledge of Tina's death until now, but he had been so worried about his survival that he had left everything else aside. But he should have known that, next to Mike, Blaine would be the most affected of them all because of his close friendship with the girl.

Of course Blaine was also thinking about Mike, because as soon as he recovered the ability to talk, his first words were to ask about the other boy.

"How's Mike?" Blaine asked, looking intently at Sam once the embrace broke with eyes full of sorrow, and Sam was not surprised at all that, even in those circumstances, Blaine first thoughts would be for someone else.

"He is… devastated" Sam admitted, not seeing the sense of lying –and knowing he would never, ever, be able to lie to Blaine, whatever the circumstances.

"I want to see him" Blaine pleaded in the softest voice, and Sam picked his hands in his –because even if he was surprised that Blaine still had to share a tear, it was pretty obvious how upset he was by the still present shaking, both in his body and his voice.

"No, Blaine, you can't worry about any of that now" Sam begged him, terrified that such an emotional shock would have an adverse effect on his still fragile recovery. "You need to focus on yourself, you're not out of the woods yet. Besides, he… he doesn't want to talk to anybody"

"But I need to talk to him and tell him…" Blaine insisted, his heart going to him when he thought about losing the person you loved like that –if something happened to Sam…– but Sam interrupted him before he could dwell on those feelings too much.

"And you will, I promise you I will ask him to come and see you, but not right now. You're still too weak and… I can't lose you" Sam said, and when his breath caught up in his throat with a half sob. "Please, you need to eat something"

Blaine could only nod in agreement: he knew how painful it was just to imagine that something could happen to the person he loved. But Sam didn't need to imagine it: he really had gotten to experience that when they thought Blaine had been bitten. And he wasn't even near fully recovered yet, so Sam still hadn't had a minute of peace since the attack. Of course all that was taking its toll on the boy, and Blaine decided he would anything in his power not to hear that kind of pain in Sam's voice again.

Sam gave him a small smile when he saw Blaine was ready to continue eating –both because he would get the nourishment he so desperately needed and because he knew he was doing it without complaint only for him–, and started feeding him again. They both remained in silence, each lost in their own thoughts, and it wasn't until Sam was giving Blaine the last spoonful that the first tear found its way down the curly-haired boy's cheek. And Sam didn't even have the time to leave the bowl on the floor and put his arms around Blaine before the latter broke on bitter sobs for his lost friend. And not even Sam's warm and strong arms around him and his comforting whispered words in his ear could stop them for a while.

Meanwhile life outside that little office that had become Blaine's and Sam's whole universe went on. Everybody tried to act normal, as if nothing happened, but there was a tension in the atmosphere that didn't go unnoticed to any of them: they had lost Tina and Joe, Blaine wasn't out of the woods yet and they didn't have their beloved prison anymore. They didn't feel secure anymore –much less in a simple house, when not even a prison had kept them safe–, and there was always someone furtively looking outside through the little cracks between the wood planks used to seal the windows, almost as if they were expecting any kind of danger to appear any minute.

"What's wrong?" Artie asked when he noticed Puck remaining in one of those spots for too long, his eyes travelling all the way up and down the street.

"Nothing, I just… I don't like this neighborhood" Puck answered, trying to sound cautious instead of terrified, as he was really feeling.

"I know it's not the kind of people you used to befriend but…" Artie tried to joke, as they were staying in the fanciest neighborhood in all Lima, with very different lifestyles than what Puck usually frequented –even if their new world none of that mattered anymore.

"Hahaha, very funny" Puck answered with the hint of a smile at Artie's poor attempt of humor. "I meant we are right in the outskirts of town… Everyone going in or out of the city must pass this way"

"And you're not looking forward to encountering more people, of course" Jake added, suddenly understanding his brother's worry.

"They scare me more than walkers do" Puck confessed turning to look at the other people in the living room. "Which won't stop passing by either, by the way. I've counted like eight of them in the small while I've been watching through the window"

"And that is not by any means the only thing we need to worry about" Unique intervened, more seriously than she usually did.

"What do you mean?" Marley asked, looking worriedly at her friend.

"Well, who is going to be the first one to say it?" Unique asked in a slightly sarcastic tone, waiting for anyone to state the obvious. "We need supplies, and we need them now"

"Yeah" Puck admitted with a sad nod before turning to the window again.

After Blaine calmed down from his breakdown, he claimed to be tired and let himself fall on their makeshift bed again, curled on his side and fell asleep almost immediately, his body and his mind exhausted after so many emotions. He didn't even have the energy to ask Sam to lie down with him –or maybe he just wanted to be left alone for a while, Sam didn't know–, so Sam was left only to look at him from the distance, though he rushed to tenderly cover him with a blanket so he wouldn't go cold. After that, all he was left to do was to kiss his forehead and watch him sleep, hoping he would be feeling better when he woke up again.

Searching for something to do with his free time, Sam thought about reading the book Sebastian had forgotten there the day before, but his dyslexia made it so difficult that he didn't think it was worth it –and he had never liked reading anyway, not like bookworm Blaine, he thought with a fond smile–. Looking around the room, he noticed there was a wooden old chair in one of the corners that didn't really go with the rest of the furniture. Maybe it was there for sentimental reasons, Sam didn't know. What he did know was that he could give it a better use than just gathering dust.

Careful so as not to wake his lover, Sam got up and easily lifted the chair from the floor –as it wasn't that heavy– and turn it around to see the bottom of it. He was glad to see it was indeed old and pretty battered, so pulling the legs out of it wouldn't be too much of a problem. That way he would have four wooden pieces he could easily sharpen with his machete. And then they would have four more weapons to replace some of the ones they had lost in the attack. He didn't know if they would be of much use –apart from being adequate to be embedded on walkers craniums–, but at least it would keep him occupied.

He sat next to Blaine again to start working on the wood, not wanting to stay away from him longer than necessary in case he woke up and decided that he indeed wanted Sam to hold him. But even as he worked, his mind wouldn't stop functioning for a second. How he had not thought about telling Blaine about Tina's death he would never know. But if he had to be honest with himself –and he was quite ashamed to admit it–, with Blaine's injury and then his infection and everything, Sam had completely forgotten about the girl's death. And about how it was going to affect his boyfriend, considering how close he had been to the girl.

And then there was their current situation, which Sam knew was far from ideal. Being in a house was not as safe as the prison, and even that had ended terribly. He had convinced the others to wait until Blaine was completely recovered before trying to find something else –or travelling, as they had decided–. But how long was that going to take? He was so weak from the blood loss that he couldn't even hold his own spoon to eat, and the ever-present fever –even if not as high as the day before– in him showed he had not beaten infection yet. It would take days, maybe weeks, to be in a reasonable state for him to travel, and that considering everything went well and he was able to beat the infection. And Sam wasn't going to let him even move from the bed even one minute before that. He had been too close to losing him, he didn't think he could do that again.

But how much time could they stay there? With hardly any supplies, no security and surrounded by walkers? How long until they were attacked again? And if all that was not enough, they couldn't count on two of the guys who had lead them the most until then: Blaine, because of his injuries, and Mike, who still had to speak a word on his own initiative since Tina died, and who seemed to be getting further and further away from then with each passing moment even if he was at the same room.

His heart heavy with sorrow, he thought about what Tina would be thinking if she saw them right now. If she saw how the two people she loved the most out of them were hurting. Knowing her, she would already be in action to do something about it, as she was always the first one to help, like when Mike had almost complied with his father to forget about his dancing passion and Tina had applied to that prestigious school for him, or when Blaine had not wanted to go to the Sadie Hawkins dance because of the dark memories it brought to him and she had taken him herself and made sure he was alright.

So yeah, he owed it to her to at least try. He couldn't help Mike right away because he had specifically asked him to leave him alone until he had dealt with his emotions himself and was ready to talk, and he needed to respect his wishes –he would make sure to remind him he was there for him if he needed him every now and then–, but he could do something about Blaine. Blaine was his boyfriend now, the love of his life, and he knew how much Blaine loved him back and trusted him. If there was someone who could hold his head above the surface until he was strong to swim on his own again, that was Sam. Because Blaine needed all his strength to recover. And he wasn't going to let him fall into despair.

He was interrupted from his thoughts by a soft knock on the door, and not even a second after that, the door to the office silently opened.

"Hey" Sebastian whispered as he poked his head around the door.

"Hey" Sam answered, raising his gaze and smiling politely at his friend.

"Is he asleep?" Sebastian asked, still in the softest voice just in case, and his heart broke when he looked at the sleeping boy and noticed the dry paths of tears on his cheeks, which told him how upset he was about the terrible news he had received that day.

"Yeah" Sam answered, looking fondly at Blaine's sleeping form while unconsciously caressing the back of his head.

"Think you can come out for a minute? There are some important things to discuss" Sebastian asked, feeling awful about asking Sam to leave Blaine alone, but those were some important matters and Sam should have a say in it –both in his name and Blaine's.

"Sure" Sam answered after a small hesitation, also not wanting to leave Blaine alone but knowing Sebastian wouldn't ask him to if it wasn't important, and then he bent down and kissed Blaine's temple in a tender gesture that made Sebastian smile. "I'll be right back, love"

Sam let himself be guided to the living room by Sebastian, where all of their friends were obviously waiting for them for some kind of meeting, sitting around on the couch, the mattresses or simply on the ground.

"Hey, Sam" Puck immediately greeted his friend, whom he hadn't seen since the day before due to his caring of his injured boyfriend. "How's Blaine?"

"Not too good" Sam answered with a sad sigh as he let himself fall on the couch near to Trend in a defeated gesture.

"Did he take a turn for the worse?" Trent immediately answered, obviously worried for his friend.

"No, physically he's doing as well as can be expected, I'm sorry I scared you" Sam rushed to explain, aware that he might have given them the wrong impression. "He… he just found out about… Tina" Sam hesitantly explained, looking pointedly at Mike. "He asked for you"

"Ok" Mike answered shortly, and Sam could see he would have pretended not to hear him if he wasn't so polite.

"He would like to see you" Sam insisted, feeling the need to reinforce the fact that Blaine not only wanted to know how Mike was, but he also wanted to see him to give him his condolences himself.

"So what did you want to talk to us about?" Mike asked as he turned to Puck to avoid answering to Sam, but Sam could see the sorrow in his eyes and he didn't have the heart to insist anymore. Once again he was reminded of how close he had gotten to be in Mike's situation, and he probably wouldn't want to talk to anybody either –especially someone who had also been shot but had survived… maybe he resented Blaine for living when Tina didn't?

"Well, as you can imagine we hardly have anything to eat anymore" Puck explained, apparently taking the lead now that it was so desperately needed. "We were lucky we found some canned food on the pantry, but even that is reaching a critical point"

"We need to go out" Unique added. "I can't do any more miracles. We need food now"

"So are we talking about an expedition outside?" Artie asked in a worried tone. Nobody had forgotten what happened the last time they ventured outside for supplies and Ryder didn't make it back.

"We have no other choice" Puck answered with a frown, as he wasn't dying to go outside either. "So I'm going, and I'll need a few of you to bring everything that we can"

Practically everyone started volunteering to accompany Puck –the time to be scared and let the others do the work had already passed for everyone, and their cruel reality had taught them how to fight already–. Sam's heart broke at the idea of staying inside, safe and warm, as the others put their lives in danger for everyone, but he knew he had no alternative: there was no way he could leave Blaine alone when he couldn't even defend himself.

"Guys, I'm so sorry, I would love to go with you, but…" Sam tried to apologize, but Puck wouldn't even hear of it.

"But you have to stay here, Sam, we understand" Puck interrupted him as he lay a comforting hand on his shoulder, knowing that in any other circumstances he would be the first one to go. "And someone like you needs to stay anyway, to make sure Blaine and Artie are safe"

"I know, but still…" Sam said, knowing that Puck was only trying to make him feel better.

"And you would be worrying about him all the time anyway if you came, so you wouldn't be of much help" Puck insisted with a smile that Sam couldn't help but reciprocate, so glad he was that Puck –and everyone else for that matter– had accepted his relationship with Blaine so easily.

"Be sure to come back" Sam warned him and Puck embraced him in a rare demonstration of affection that Sam gladly returned.

"We will" he promised in an embarrassed tone after letting his emotions shown that again made Sam smile fondly at him. "Mike, you'll stay too, just in case?"

"Sure" the other boy answered, sounding as if he didn't care much either way.

And with no goodbyes, the party –that included absolutely everyone except Blaine, Sam, Artie, Mike, Sugar and Unique– was gone.

Sam stayed in the living room with the others for a little while, not wanting to leave them the whole responsibility of keeping watch now that there were so few of them, but all of them could see how he was dying to go back to his lover to make sure he was alright so they insisted that they could do it without him until he let himself be convinced and made his way back to the office.

Everything was completely silent when he opened the door, but the different sound of Blaine's breathing seemed to indicate he was not sleeping anymore, even if his posture hadn't changed one bit since Sam had left.

"Sweetie?" Sam whispered, just in case he was wrong. "Are you sleep?"

"No" Blaine answered, his voice equally soft even if he was not afraid of waking anybody up.

"You want to talk?" Sam offered, desperately seeking for answers as to how to help his boyfriend while resuming his place at his side.

"No" Blaine answered, his body still unmoving and unresponsive to Sam's gentle caresses on his arm.

"You okay?" Sam asked, even if he already knew the answer, as his hand did its familiar comforting gesture of moving Blaine's curls away from his forehead.

"Yeah, it's just… my shoulder hurts so much" Blaine answered with a shaky voice, shocking Sam to no small extent: of course he understood that Blaine's wound had to hurt like the devil, but it was the first time he complained or admitted it since he got shot.

"Ok, that's it, you're taking some of the painkillers Sebastian brought for you and that's final" Sam sternly replied as he got up from Blaine's side and retrieved the bottle of pills that Sebastian had left there in case Blaine changed his mind about them and a glass of water and returned to Blaine's side.

"Ok" Blaine answered as he submissively let Sam raise him enough to drink and give him the medicine. And that just made Sam see how upset he really was, that he would surrender so easily without any kind of fight. But at least that way he would be relieved of some of his pain, so Sam wasn't going to say anything about it. He just wished there was also something to lessen the pain in his heart.

Because if there was something that terrified Sam was that Blaine would stop fighting to live.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Blaine asked, and it wasn't until he did that Sam realized he must have been staring at him.

"I'm scared, Blaine" Sam confessed, not feeling the need to beat about the bush with Blaine –if there was something they had always been able to do, that was opening their hearts to each other unreservedly.

"Of what?" Blaine asked in confusion. Of course their current situation made them live in permanent fear, but what was Sam referring to?

"Of… this" Sam answered, awkwardly signaling at Blaine's defeated posture. "Of you just… losing the will to fight. And you still need to fight so much…"

"Sam, please" Blaine begged for Sam to understand, wanting to reassure him, hating that he was giving him even more reason to worry about him. "I just need to be a sad for a while, Tina was like a sister to me. But I'm not giving up"

"You sure?" Sam asked, wanting to make sure Blaine really meant it.

"Of course. I've got you now to fight for" Blaine said, even managing a small smile as he weekly raised a hand to Sam's cheek and caressed it, making Sam reciprocate the smile with his tender gesture. "And I'm not going to waste the chance to survive that Tina never had. I owe both of you to live, and I'm going to"

"Ok" Sam relented, more than a little relieved that Blaine was aware of his worries and that he had no intention of giving up.

"But still…" Blaine's voice broke before he could even begin to explain how he was feeling, but Sam didn't need any words to understand and hurried to put his arms around him and bring him to his chest in a strong embrace.

"Schhh" he tenderly shushed his boyfriend, his hands getting lost in the wildness that were Blaine's curls and he comfortingly graced his scalp with the tip of his fingers. "We're going to make it, you hear me? You and me, together. We'll be alright"

Unable to speak in fear of breaking into sobs again, Blaine only nodded in agreement and relinquished in the warmth and security that Sam's body provided, and he only sighed deeply when Sam rested a long kiss on his forehead.

"You should get some sleep" Sam's whispering voice sounded close to his ear, almost as if he was trying to lull him to sleep. "You still need to recover your strength. I'll bring you something to eat when you wake up from your nap"

"Ok" Blaine finally answered, closing his eyes in an attempt of keeping his tears at bay.

"Do you want me to stay or…?" Sam asked, thinking that maybe Blaine needed to be alone for a while –after all, Sam had been all over him since the attack, he wouldn't blame him for needing a bit of space.

"Please, stay" Blaine answered, almost begging, unconsciously nestling even more closely to Sam's chest and gluing his face to the left side of it, hoping that way he would get to hear the reassuring and calm sound of his boyfriend's heartbeat and be reminded him that Sam was still there for him, that he was alive and that he loved him.

"I was so hoping you'd say that" Sam answered with a relieved smile –he couldn't imagine being away from him in a time like this–, before getting more comfortable on the bed himself and squeezing Blaine even more strongly to his chest, if that was even possible.

Silence fell between them for some time, though it was not awkward or strained this time, but comfortable and reassuring. Both of them were aware of the other's love and understanding, and it wasn't until Sam's hand moved to Blaine's soft curls once again that the latter's defenses were finally broken down and he couldn't help but to confess his most inner thought to the man he knew would always understand.

"We were both shot" Blaine said, almost in a whisper, afraid that his voice would break if he dared to speak any louder. "Why did I survive and she didn't?"

"I don't know, love" Sam answered, talking against Blaine's skin as his lips moved to kiss his temple. He should have imagined, he had heard about survivor's guilt before, and Blaine had the biggest heart… He wished he could give Blaine some answers, anything that could make him let go of that irrational guilt, but he couldn't. The only thing he could do was to remind him how loved he was. "But I'll thank the universe every day that you did"

"I love you so much, Sammy" Blaine confessed with a broken voice as he buried his face deep in Sam's neck, and the latter could feel the moisture of his silent tears against his skin. "I need you to know that"

"I love you too, B, and I'll never again hesitate to tell you" Sam promised as he shed some tears himself at his lover's pain. "I love you more than you can imagine. And we're going to make it. I promise"

And even if he could still feel Blaine's tears dampening his skin, the confident nod Blaine gave was enough to give Sam's heart a bit of peace.

It was getting more and more difficult to get supplies, as most of the shops and the supermarkets they found in their way had been looted already, which also gave them the evidence that they were not the only survivors around –something they couldn't decide if it was good news or not–.

They were already out of Lima before they found what seemed to be an untouched supermarket, in the neighboring town of Fort Shawnee. Santana parked the bus –which was dangerously getting low on gas– in front of the shop and everybody yelled and celebrated with happiness when they entered and found it completely full of provisions. Of course there was a rotten smell in the air from all the perishable products that had already expired, but even that could not alter their spirits as they started taking everything they could carry and got it on the bus, while Marley and Trent kept watch outside, guns ready, in case some walkers –or people– decided to join the party.

As she was taking all the tuna cans she could manage between her hands, Santana saw a movement from the corner of her eye behind one of the fridges, and she let everything fall to the ground to take her gun from the waistband of her trousers and point it at the stranger.

"There is someone there!" she yelled, her voice full of fear, but before she could react, the man behind the fridge made a run towards the exit, clearly afraid for his life after having been discovered.

Unfortunately for him, Puck stopped his advances when he intercepted him before he could reach the door and also pointed his gun directly at the stranger's forehead.

"Hold it up, Mister! You're not going anywhere" Puck said in a threatening tone that didn't give the stranger more options than to obey.

"Look, I am not looking for trouble, I was already here when you arrived" the man, probably on his late twenties or early thirties and with a thick and disheveled beard that told them he had probably been on the road for some time, answered while holding his hands up in surrender. "I'll just take a couple of things and be out of here before you know it"

"Wait, I know you from somewhere" Puck said as he looked more closely at the stranger, trying to imagine him without his slovenly state to know where he had seen him before.

"He looks familiar indeed" Brittany said, also looking intently at the man.

"What's your name, dude?" Puck asked, his weapon not lowering an inch even if he could feel that the man was not a real threat.

"My name is Cooper Anderson" the stranger answered.

A/N: Hey, guys! If you know me from tumblr you already read this there, so just ignore it. If not... I need your help! I'm getting a bit stuck with some parts of the story. I know what I want to happen in the drama-relationship part of it, but I need ideas for "adventures" so I can add more action again. Places to go, disasters to happen… Not really what can happen to the characters personally, but a general idea of what could happen in their universe.

I'm a little stuck in that area, and I wouldn't want to leave the fic before it's finished, but inspiration isn't coming to me!

So if you want to help me I'll be really really glad! :)

Thank you all in advance!

And I hope you enjoyed this chapter!