Kurt jerked awake as his phone vibrated in his hand. He remembered laying down for just a minute, but didn't realize he had dozed off.
He grabbed his phone and realized Blaine was calling. He answered, trying his best to sound like he hadn't just been asleep.
"Hey, I'm out front," Blaine said. "You ready to go?"
Kurt pulled the phone away from his ear to check the time. Shoot. Blaine was coming to pick him up since they were going to Rachel's house for a New Year's Eve party. Finn was already over there, and Kurt remembered telling himself he had five more minutes before he needed get up and get ready, but now they were way late.
"Come to the door," Kurt said, untangling his blanket from his legs and getting up. "I'm… almost ready. Sorry, I dozed off."
"Okay, I-" Kurt cut him off by ending the call and hustled downstairs. He felt a vague throbbing in his head, but quickly pushed it aside. He never felt the best after a nap.
"I thought you left already," his dad questioned, camped out on the couch watching the New Year's program with Carole.
"Overslept," Kurt explained hastily, pulling open the front door.
"It's freezing out there," Blaine said, his teeth chattering as he hurried into the warm house. He kissed Kurt with cold lips and took off his coat, joining Burt and Carole on the couch.
"I'll hurry," Kurt promised. "Warm up and I'll be ready to go."
Kurt stomped back upstairs, hearing his boyfriend and parents make small talk. He was worried; his head had only felt worse in the three minutes he'd been awake. He wished he could just cancel his plans and curl up in his warm bed… if only his friends weren't waiting on him.
Kurt dry swallowed some Advil and quickly changed into his pre-planned outfit, grateful he had already thought through it. Admittedly he felt a little nauseous, too, but if he just stayed busy and didn't think about it, he could forget about how bad he felt. He could do anything for the next five hours.
He luckily was able to make his hair look like he hadn't just woken up, and zipped up his coat before flying back down the stairs, not wanting Blaine to get impatient.
"I'm ready," he said with a sigh, patting his pocket to double check he had more medicine on hand.
"Hey, home by one," his dad called. "You guys don't need to be out all night. Same goes for Finn, let him know."
"We'll be up for awhile," Carole added. "Call if you need anything. Nice to see you, Blaine."
They both said their goodbyes and hurried back out to the car to avoid the cold wind. Kurt tried to talk during the car ride, but a headache combined with mild motion sickness made it difficult.
I just need dinner, he thought. Some food will help.
They joined Finn, Rachel, and her dads for their traditional New Year's Eve Italian dinner. Kurt was impressed with the layout of food, but nothing sounded good. Thankfully, Finn usually ate enough for three people, so no one noticed Kurt barely touched his salad and fettuccini.
After dinner, Rachel's dads were heading out to some party, so it was just the four of them. They had invited others from the glee club to join them, but only Kurt, Blaine, and Finn had been invited to dinner. Tina, Brittany, Santana, Puck, Sam, and Mercedes were supposed to show up any minute.
She led them down to the basement, and they were all surprised; Rachel had gone all out. "I skipped the alcohol this time," she explained, alluding to the infamous party she had hosted the previous year. Even without it, the basement looked like an actual party, not just Rachel's personal dance studio. She started asking their opinions on games they should play, but Kurt flopped on the futon in the corner, already exhausted.
"Kurt!" Rachel snapped her fingers in his face a moment later. Kurt pushed her hand away, the sharp noise making his head feel worse. "People are showing up, look alive!"
Kurt got up, already missing his cozy spot on the futon. Mercedes and Sam were the first to arrive, and shortly after that Rachel turned on her speaker to "set the mood," and the party began.
Everyone else was there within twenty minutes, and then it really got loud in the basement. Kurt faked it for as long as he could: he talked to all his friends, tried to drink a ton of water, and put up with Finn and Puck being excessively loud together. It seemed like time was passing quickly, but when Kurt checked his watch, it wasn't even ten yet.
"Hey," Blaine said, appearing behind him, his voice loud to drown out the music. "You've just been standing there. Are you bored?"
Kurt shook his head. He knew he was doing a bad job at faking it, so he smiled. "I can barely hear anything! I'm going upstairs."
He set his Solo cup of Diet Coke down and clambered up the stairs clumsily. The music and the disco ball lights that Puck had turned on made his head throb and his stomach turn. Kurt made sure Blaine hadn't followed him, and he ducked into the guest bathroom.
Kurt hadn't realized how bad he looked. His eyes were so heavy, his hair was less than perfect, and he had no color in his face. Hopefully the lights had hidden that, though.
He reached for his pocket for the emergency Advil he had brought, but his pocket was empty.
"No, no," he pleaded. They must have fallen out at some point in the night, but Kurt was desperate. He couldn't recall when he had ever had a headache that bad before.
Tears filled his eyes, since it wasn't even close to midnight. Kurt sat on the closed lid of the toilet, his head in his hands, when a soft knock came.
"Just a minute," Kurt called, sniffling and quickly trying to dry his tears. He didn't want to be the one to ruin the party, and he knew he had to face the music.
"It's me." Blaine. Kurt was grateful, because if anyone was going to see him cry he'd prefer Blaine over anyone else, but still, it wasn't pretty.
Kurt opened the door, exposing his boyfriend to how miserable he looked and felt, and tried to fake a weak smile.
"I figured as much," Blaine sighed, putting a hand on Kurt's shoulder. "You didn't eat dinner and I got concerned. Are you sick and didn't say anything? You know that doesn't do anyone any good."
Kurt shook his head and looked down. "No, I'm not sick," he mumbled. "I just have a little headache and being at a party doesn't help."
Kurt knew Blaine could see right through him. He really had done his best to cover it up, but it was blown.
"Would you rather be miserable here for three more hours or go home and have a chance to feel better?" Blaine asked, crossing his arms. Kurt had been longing to go to bed all night, and the offer was so tempting. What was he supposed to say to Rachel, though?
"I'm fine," he said, his voice even smaller and less convincing.
Blaine looked him in the eyes. "No, you're not. I'm kind of bored, anyways. Go get in the car. I'll tell Rachel. She can't be mad at you when you don't feel good. Now do what I say."
Kurt nodded, more grateful than not. He was glad Blaine was there for him, but was too miserable to care anymore. He was upset to miss his last New Year's Eve in high school, but that quickly faded when he got back in the car and turned on the heat, the first moment of peace and quiet all night.
Blaine drove him home in silence, keeping a hand on Kurt's knee. He was exhausted, but happy that Blaine offered to stay with him at home for a little bit. It felt like a blur, but Kurt finally managed to take more medicine and get in bed, the two things he had been looking forward to all night. He wasn't exactly sure of what time it was anymore, but he swore he was awake long enough to hear Blaine whisper "happy new year" in his ear, which made the awful night just a little bit more tolerable.
Author's Notes:
I'm starting to think writing and updating is the only thing that will keep me sane in quarantine. The only reason I haven't posted more this week is because I'm working on a five-part short story! I've finished the first part but probably won't post until it's close to being done. Without giving too much away, it centers around the events that follow when Kurt is rejected from NYADA.
I'm in online school for the next four and a half weeks but it hasn't been too strenuous so far, so I'm hoping to get the new posts up ASAP once I finish them! I am taking prompts so keep those coming, too. Happy weekend everybody!