Happy Wednesday, my darlings.

Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments in the last chapter. I can't tell you how much I appreciate them. Every single review/tweet keeps me motivated to write more, so they are always super welcome.

Shout out to Christine, my beta, for her help on this and all the other chapters.

Enjoy!

"Why didn't you tell me about Kurt?"

Blaine finished arranging the flowers and turned to face his brother. "What do you mean?"

Cooper arched an eyebrow at him. "You know what I mean. Why didn't you tell me about him?"

"I don't know," Blaine shrugged. He changed one of the pink lilies to put it in the center, and then stepped back to regard his arrangement. "I meet a lot of people here."

"Not many of them are gorgeous gay men, though," Cooper retorted, and Blaine rolled his eyes. "And not all of them bring us baked goods."

"Which you should stop eating already," Blaine said, moving towards the bed to get the container away from Cooper. "You ate like half of these."

"What, are you scared I'm going to get fat?" Cooper said, and gave him what Blaine had once dubbed his smart-ass look. He looked particularly skinny today, so when he made grabby hands, Blaine let him have the muffins again. "I haven't eaten anything this delicious in months."

"Wait, how do you know Kurt's gay?" Blaine asked, as he took his usual seat next to him.

"I asked him," Cooper shrugged as he selected another muffin.

"Cooper! Why would you ask him that?" Blaine exclaimed, annoyed.

Cooper chewed half of the muffin off before he replied: "I wanted to know if he was an option. Unfortunately, he has a boyfriend."

"I know," Blaine said, as his phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and found a text from Annie with questions about one of the orders that needed to be delivered today.

"Oh, so you are interested!" Cooper's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"I'm not, I just asked him if he had any family in the area. He looked very lonely and scared and I was trying to be polite. You're just plain creepy," Blaine said distractedly as he typed a response. "Don't make him feel uncomfortable. He's already going through enough as it is."

"He told me his dad is in a coma," Cooper commented, his face growing serious.

"Yeah. I hope he wakes up soon," Blaine said, putting his phone back in his pocket. He wished all of them could leave the hospital soon, Kurt and his dad, he and Cooper. He wished they could rebuild their lives, long happy lives. "Kurt seems like a really great guy, and boyfriend or not, he spends a lot of time alone in that room with his father. So if he comes around, just be nice, alright?"

Cooper nodded. "Of course. I wasn't going to be mean to him. I just... he seemed perfect for you."

Blaine chuckled. "Do you really think I'm going to find the love of my life in a hospital?"

The grin on Cooper's face became a bit wicked. "Challenge accepted," he said.

Much later, Blaine said goodnight to Cooper after spending most of their day discussing the new schedule for his brother's chemotherapy with Dr. Morales. They were starting in three days and Blaine was already dreading it, even if it gave him hope at the same time.

Sometimes, hope came at a very high cost.

He knocked on the door of room 206 softly and opened when he heard an even softer reply from the inside: "Come in."

Kurt was sitting on the armchair by the window, and he had used the side table to create an improvised little office. His computer was in front of him, and he had a few papers lying around him on the floor.

"Hey," Blaine said, walking into the room. He showed him the empty container. "I wanted to return this. Your muffins were a big hit. Thank you so much."

"My pleasure," Kurt said, leaning a bit on the armchair as if to stretch his back. "I'm glad you guys liked them."

"Cooper is now addicted, just so you know," Blaine smiled. "You've created a monster."

"I should have probably asked you if he had a special diet or something. I didn't think of it until he was already halfway through the second muffin."

"At this point, both his doctor and I are happy if he can keep any food down," Blaine explained. "He lost a lot of weight during chemo, and he's probably going to lose some more, so..."

"Sucks that the only cure is almost as bad as the disease," Kurt said. "But Cooper looks very resilient. I'm sure everything will be alright."

Blaine simply smiled at him in response. Hope, hope, hope. He changed the subject. "I heard he asked you a few inappropriate questions. I'm really sorry. I wish I could excuse it saying it's the cancer talking, but he's been a pain in the ass like that since he was born, so..."

Kurt frowned, as if not sure what Blaine meant, until he seemed to remember. "Oh! I don't mind at all. It caught me a bit off guard, but that's it."

"He's determined to help me find the love of my life, so he practically goes around asking every guy he meets if he's gay," Blaine rolled his eyes fondly. "I've been on more dates in the past four months than in my entire life."

Kurt chuckled. "Oh my god, are you serious?"

"Yeah. It makes him happy, so..." Blaine shrugged. Again, he needed a change of subject. "How's your dad?"

Kurt's face sobered immediately. "No changes."

"He looks like someone who can't be rushed. Give him time. He'll come back to you before you know it," Blaine said, and placed his hand on Kurt's shoulder for a quick squeeze. He looked at the makeshift office. "What's all this?"

"Oh, I'm just trying to get some work done," Kurt said, sighing. "It's a good enough distraction, I guess."

"What do you do?" Blaine asked curiously.

"I'm a fashion designer," Kurt replied. "What about you?"

"I have a flowershop," Blaine said, and then added: "Well, technically, it was my Grandma's and I inherited it. But yeah, I'm in charge now."

"Well, that explains all those beautiful flowers in Cooper's room," Kurt said with a little smile.

Blaine was a bit surprised. "You liked them?"

"I love flowers! I mean, who doesn't?" Kurt snorted.

Blaine chuckled and ran a hand through his hair and down the back of his neck. "Oh, you'd be surprised." He looked at his watch and said: "I've got to run. I actually have to get to the shop for closing time before my assistant gets sick of me and quits. Then I'll be doomed."

"Okay. I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Kurt said, with a quick glance in his father's direction.

Blaine moved towards the door, walking backwards so he could keep his eyes on Kurt. "How about we do lunch tomorrow? So I can pay you back for those delicious muffins."

"Oh, you really don't have to..." Kurt said, his blue eyes going a little wide.

"Kurt," Blaine interrupted. "I want to. What do you say?"

Kurt exhaled, looking relieved, perhaps. Blaine wasn't sure. "I would love to. See you tomorrow, Blaine."

"Have a good night, Kurt!" He said, and closed the door behind himself.

He hadn't even made it halfway to the flowershop when his phone buzzed with a text from Cooper.

Cooper: Guess who got you a date with a cute nurse from the maternity ward? :D

Blaine groaned, and wondered how the hell Cooper had even managed to meet a nurse from the maternity ward.

Later that night, Blaine was slipping into bed, bone-tired and ready to fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, when his phone buzzed once more. This time, the message was from an unknown number:

Unknown: Hi Blaine. I'm Dylan. Your brother gave me your number, I hope that's okay. Sorry for texting so late, I just finished my shift. I'd love to get a drink with you tomorrow, if you're free.

Blaine blinked at the screen for a moment. As usual, he found himself wanting to find an excuse not to go through with it, but then he imagined telling Cooper he had said no, and knew he couldn't do it.

So he texted Dylan back, saying he was free the following night. He mentioned a bar not too far from the hospital where they could meet, then dropped his phone on his nightstand, and went to sleep.

Dating was starting to feel more and more like a formality, rather than something he actually enjoyed doing.

The next morning, Blaine felt unusually rested. He left his apartment and even smiled up at the sky – it was a clear, beautiful day, and the sun was shining. There were no clouds, and Blaine decided to take it as a sign that today would be a good day.

It was Friday, which meant they still had two more days before Cooper had to start with his new chemo. He was thinking about maybe buying some pizza that weekend and bringing it to the hospital, so they could eat and watch their favorite movies. They hadn't done that since they were kids.

Annie was already outside the flowershop – something as unusual as Blaine's current state of rest – looking sleepy and grumpy. Her hair was a bright purple today, and Blaine resisted the urge to start whistling that silly Barney tune under his breath. He knew it would only make her more difficult to deal with.

"Rough night?" He asked instead, as he pulled the key out of his pocket and unlocked the door.

"My roommate dragged me to a rave," Annie replied. "I only got like three hours of sleep."

"That sucks," Blaine said. "I'll make sure the coffee is extra strong today."

"My hero," Annie deadpanned and dropped her bag behind the counter.

While Annie tidied things up at the front, Blaine started the coffee maker and then went to the back, where he checked the orders he needed to get ready. There were a lot for the weekend, so he would have to stop by again tomorrow before going to the hospital.

He spent the next two hours working against the clock, drinking coffee like it was fuel, and managed to get most of the urgent stuff done. He had made a pact with himself, when Cooper had got sick, that he would always put going to the hospital first, no matter how much he actually loved his job. So if he said he would be at the shop for two hours, he stayed for two hours and left, no matter the amount of work still pending.

Cooper was waiting.

"So, listen, Annie," he said, as he left the backroom, ready to leave. "We are supposed to have a delivery tonight, at seven. Do you think you can stay and take care of that? I could try to make it, but I have a date at eight, and I would be cutting it pretty close."

"Oh, a date," Annie said, suggestively. "New guy or same guy?"

Blaine rolled his eyes. "New guy."

"You're on fire, Anderson," she teased. "I can stay for the delivery, sure. Go get some action."

Blaine decided to ignore those last words, and said instead: "You're my favorite. Thank you. Make sure they have the white orchids I asked for. I need them for a bride's bouquet. You can come in late tomorrow, let's say at eleven?"

"Now you're my favorite," she grinned. "Thank you, boss."

"See you tomorrow, then!" Blaine said, and waved over his shoulder as he left the shop.

He headed to the hospital, wishing he didn't have to ride the subway so he could keep enjoying the beautiful day. His thoughts were divided between his date and Cooper's impending chemo. Of the two, his date sounded less stressing, so he focused on that the most.

He wondered what Dylan was like, and if this date (he had lost count but he guessed he was on the fiftieth date by now or something) would be the last first one, or just another big failure. Whenever Cooper found someone for him, it was at least interesting, because his brother chose very different guys each time.

When Blaine asked someone out, it could go two ways: it was either someone he found himself at least a bit attracted to, or just the first random gay guy he came upon. Lately, it was mostly the latter. Finding men he was interested in was a task that required time and patience Blaine currently lacked. He wasn't dating to find the guy he would eventually marry, not really, at least not anymore. He was dating to keep Cooper entertained.

He just wasn't sure he had any energy left for romance.

Cooper had a huge grin on his face when Blaine walked into his room. "Well, hello there, little brother."

Blaine sighed, ready for what was sure to be a long day of getting teased. "Hi, Coop. How are you today?"

Cooper waved the question away. "Forget about me for now. How are you?"

"I haven't even gone on that date, yet," Blaine said. "I'm seeing him tonight."

"He's very cute," Cooper commented, his grin growing even more, even though Blaine hadn't thought it was possible. "Very cute."

Blaine quirked at eyebrow at him. "Are we still sure you're straight? I can cancel and you can keep him."

"Oh, no, no, he's all yours. I just think I found a good one this time."

Cooper said that every single time.

Needless to say, most of the dates had been less than ideal.

"We'll see," Blaine laughed. "How did you meet him? Don't tell me you wandered off all the way to the maternity wing. You know you're not supposed to..."

"I didn't," Cooper interrupted before Blaine could chastise him any further. "You know that lovely nurse, Holly? She stopped by after you left to check on me, and we got to talking, and one thing led to another... well, she went and got him for me, really. I showed him your picture and he said yes."

Blaine frowned. "Picture? What picture?"

Cooper grabbed his phone from the nightstand and thumbed through it until he found the picture. He held the phone up to show Blaine. It was a selfie from a couple Christmases ago, where Cooper was smiling like a Hollywood star, with half of Blaine's face out of focus.

"This is a terrible picture!" Blaine exclaimed, irritated. "I was half asleep and my hair was a mess! Is this the picture you show all the guys you introduce me to?"

"Of course," Cooper said, looking at him like he was insane. "Have you seen how good I look in it?"

Blaine was about to start complaining – his brother seriously was an awful wingman – when he noticed the wistful way in which Cooper looked down at the picture. He really was handsome in it, his blue eyes bright, his hair swooped up perfectly, his jawline looking like it could cut glass.

The man sitting on this hospital bed looked like a shadow of the gorgeous guy in the phone screen.

That tightness that lived inside Blaine's chest permanently since Cooper had fallen sick tightened even more, almost choking him, and he no longer wanted to bicker with him.

He pushed Cooper aside a bit so he would make room on the bed for him, and sat next to him, leaning on the pillow. "I'm sure I'll make a better impression tonight. Why don't you tell me what Dylan looks like?"

Blaine wasn't really listening to the words. If someone had asked him five minutes later what Cooper's description was, he would have no idea. He only listened to the tone of his brother's voice, the way it started sad and lost and a bit broken, and then grew stronger and enthusiastic as he got distracted.

They stayed like that, talking about Blaine's date, what he was going to wear ("what do you mean you didn't bring a change of clothes? You can't meet him wearing that!" "What's wrong with it? I happen to like this outfit." "You'll wear the same thing all day. He'll be able to tell if you don't put any effort into it!"), and where they were going, until there was a soft knock on the door a while later, and Kurt peeked into the room a bit shyly.

"Hey," he said. "Am I interrupting anything?"

Cooper sat up, his smile all bright again. "Kurt! No, of course not. Come in!"

"I didn't bring more muffins, if that's the reason you're happy to see me," Kurt chuckled a bit. "I didn't go home last night. But I promise to bring more next time."

"You can come in anyway," Cooper assured him.

"Thanks. How are you, guys?" Kurt asked, as he walked into the room and stood next to the bed. Cooper gestured to the chair next to it and Kurt sat.

"We're okay. Blaine has a date tonight," Cooper announced, looking as excited as a child. Cooper blinked as he regarded Kurt for a moment. "Kurt, you're impeccably dressed. Do you think he's dressed for a date?"

"Don't bring Kurt into this," Blaine warned his brother, getting nervous at the way Kurt's eyes were studying his blue polo and mustard pants. At least he was wearing his favorite bowtie. "And it's pointless. I haven't brought a change of clothes. I'll have to wear this, like it or not."

"I like your outfit," Kurt said, at last, approvingly. "It suits you, and that bowtie is a really nice touch. It depends on where you're going, though."

"We're just going out for drinks," Blaine explained, feeling increasingly uncomfortable for some reason.

"Then you're fine," Kurt said, unconcerned. "So, I'm getting a bit hungry and I remembered you said we should do lunch together today, so I decided to come see if you were ready?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm ready!" Blaine said, as he remembered. He looked at Cooper. "Do you want me to bring you something? Or we can pick some food up and come eat here with you, if you want some company!"

Kurt nodded his agreement, but Cooper shook his head. "No, you guys go ahead. I'm not hungry and I'm actually getting a bit sleepy, so I might nap for a while. I'll eat when I wake up."

After Cooper reassured them a couple of times that he was fine with them having lunch without him, Blaine and Kurt headed towards the cafeteria. Since it was such a beautiful day, after all, they picked up some salads and headed out to the courtyard, where they sat in the sunshine to enjoy the fresh air.

Kurt tilted his head up and closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun on his face. Blaine watched him for a moment – Kurt looked pale and tired, and he had spent the past couple of days cooped up in his father's room. His appearance was starting to reflect how much of a toll it was taking on him.

"So, how was your morning?" Kurt asked, squinting at him a little against the rays of light.

"Same old, same old," Blaine murmured, spearing some lettuce and chicken on his plastic fork. "I usually spend my mornings at the flowershop before I come here. I had a bunch of orders to get done. I'm starting to wish the day had more than twenty four hours. I just can't get everything done in such a short time."

"God, the last thing I want right now is for days to be longer," Kurt groaned. "They're eternal as it is."

Blaine hummed in understanding. "I take it there are no changes in your dad's condition, then?"

"No," Kurt replied, bitterly. "I'm doing my best to be patient, but it's so hard." He turned to look at Blaine. "I know the situation is different, but how do you do it? How do you sit next to Cooper day in and day out and just wait?"

Blaine moved his salad around with his fork for a moment before he replied. "Well, we both try to get as distracted as possible with other things. I have work, and then there's all that damn dating..." He rolled his eyes fondly. "It's like a sport for Cooper at this point, I think. And as bad as chemotherapy is... I think it makes us both feel like we're taking active steps into fighting this thing. It's awful and it takes a lot out of him, but it's our only option."

Kurt was quiet, and Blaine knew what he was thinking: he and Burt didn't have options, neither good nor bad. There was just the waiting, and sometimes that was the hardest thing to do.

Still, Kurt painted a small smile on his face, one Blaine couldn't tell if it was genuine or not, and said: "Tell me about your date tonight."

So Blaine told him what he knew, which wasn't much, and then told him about all the previous dates he'd had (or the ones he could remember at least, because there were so many), and Kurt laughed at all the awful anecdotes, like the time a guy had invited him over for dinner and it turned out his whole family was there, including his grandparents, who didn't know he was gay; or the time another guy had thrown up on him on a ferris wheel; or the time he had arrived at a coffee house to meet with the guy he was supposed to be on a date with, and he had showed up with his girlfriend, because they were looking for a third person for a menage-a-trois.

Kurt was practically wheezing with laughter by the end, and Blaine couldn't help but watch him with a smile. It was the most carefree he had seen the other man since he had met him, and he wished he could continue telling him about his horrible, nightmarish dates for the rest of the day so he would keep laughing.

It was so easy to be with him, like he brought a breath of fresh air into his life. Kurt was so different than all the other people in his life, he was like no one he had ever met before. And this was only a dimmed version – Blaine guessed than when he wasn't consumed with worry and heartbreak, Kurt was brighter than the sun shining down on them.

He hoped he would have the chance to see him shine soon.

I won't be around to update on Saturday, but fear not! I'll update on Friday instead, because I would hate to keep you guys waiting.

So I'll see you on Friday!

Love,

L.-