In hindsight, it was a dumb idea to travel. But it was the glee club reunion and the dedication of Finn's auditorium, so they had to go back to Lima.
The airports were vacant, and the flight was only a third of the way full. They washed their hands, they stayed away from others. Arriving back in New York to empty streets was eerie and foreboding, but at least they were home.
Blaine and Kurt stayed at home after that. They did everything right and didn't leave the apartment. They were fine.
The days were so slow. They both worked online, and some days they didn't change out of their sweats (Kurt tried getting dressed every day, but that didn't last long). They had nowhere to be and no one to see. It was lonely, but it was important. If only everyone thought so, too.
Surprisingly, they didn't argue as much as they thought they would. Their apartment was big enough to give them each the space they needed. Their biggest fight arose when Blaine washed one of Kurt's sweaters on the wrong setting and stretched out the fabric, but it blew over in a couple hours.
They quickly approached the two week mark where they would be able to be certain they hadn't caught the virus from travelling. It had been eleven long days of biding their time, but that was when everything quickly became derailed.
Blaine got a cough first, then Kurt. They assumed allergies at first, since they'd had the windows open on a few breezy days. But then came the fevers and chest pains. Neither of them wanted to admit it or acknowledge it, but they were quickly growing miserable.
Blaine woke Kurt up the next morning by throwing a pillow at him with the little strength he had left. "Kurt, wake up." He coughed into his elbow, his chest on fire.
His husband moaned. "I just fell asleep. What?"
Kurt hadn't slept all night. Blaine's cough was worse than his, but Kurt spent hours trying and failing to get comfortable. He was worried, too. New York City was bombarded with the virus, and what if Rachel got sick, too?
Luckily Blaine had gotten some rest that night, even though he didn't feel any better. "I think we should call the doctor's office," he sighed. "I just feel worse."
Blaine watched Kurt slowly wake up and check his phone. "Rachel left me a voicemail. She said she's fine but that she's worried about us."
Blaine drank from the water he kept on his nightstand. He felt like a furnace, burning hot, even though he knew in no time he'd be freezing with chills. "Yeah, I think we should call someone. This isn't allergies, Kurt."
Kurt knew his husband was right. But he could barely walk thirty steps to the kitchen, so how was he supposed to get dressed and leave the apartment to see a doctor?
"I just want to go back to sleep," Kurt mumbled, still irritated Blaine woke him up. He covered his face with the comforter and finally relaxed for the first time in hours. He closed his eyes, but it felt like just seconds later Blaine was peeling the blanket away from his face.
"Hey," he said softly. He hated waking Kurt up when he was clearly so miserable. "I know, I'm sorry. You slept for an hour, though. The doctor wants us to come in and get tested. She said she would give us meds to help our coughing, too."
Clearly, Kurt didn't have the same sense of urgency Blaine had. "I was comfortable," he whined, but Blaine ignored it.
"Please, come on," he said. "I told the receptionist we'd be there. It's silly for me to go without you."
Kurt knew he needed to listen to him. He just couldn't stand for more than a few minutes without his head throbbing and his chest feeling like a weight was on it.
Getting out of the apartment was a slow and tedious process. They both felt sick enough to where it took them forever to get ready. They only had to walk a block, but it felt like twenty by the time it was all said and done. They were wheezing and trying not to cough in public.
They spent less than an hour at the doctor, luckily, and both were able to get tested to see if they had the virus. The nurse sent them home with prescriptions and strict instructions not to leave the apartment again unless it was an emergency. It was a short outing, but Kurt and Blaine were exhausted when they got back.
The prescriptions helped in the short-term. Blaine could finally go five minutes without a coughing fit and Kurt was able to sleep for more than two hours at a time. Neither of them were hungry, and the days seemed to blur together after that, since they only ever got up to get a drink or take a quick shower.
"We should be better by now," Kurt said one night, huddled under his covers even though his fever slowly creeped higher. He didn't even know what day it was anymore, but the doctor had called that afternoon to let them know both of their tests were positive. Kurt looked to his husband. Blaine looked like he had been starved since he lost a little bit of weight, and he had no coloring whatsoever.
"I just… still can't breathe very well," Blaine hacked out. He had done everything right: taking the prescriptions, drinking water every waking minute, and resting nearly all day. Why was it getting harder to breathe? He didn't want to scare Kurt. If he had to go to the ER and got admitted, he knew he'd be put in isolation and his husband couldn't visit him.
Kurt sat up when he heard him struggle to talk. Over the past few days Blaine's fever had dropped a little but his respiratory problems were getting worse. Kurt was worried since he had no strength at all, and if Blaine needed to go to the hospital or emergency room, he would be useless in trying to help him.
"Hey, I'm fine," Blaine wheezed, noticing Kurt's concern. He coughed more and took a drink. "Let's go to bed, that'll help."
Kurt was hesitant, but didn't need to be told twice. On a normal night it would take him forever to fall asleep, but being sick and exhausted he only needed a few minutes before he passed out.
Blaine stayed awake, trying to stay ahead of his sickness. Deep down he was worried, yes, but he and Kurt were healthy. They were young, too. He was sure that in a week's time they'd be feeling much better, perhaps even able to work again. Blaine finally managed to choke down some NyQuil, gagging at the taste. He was finally sleepy and desperate to feel better when he woke up.
When Kurt opened his eyes, it was pitch black and he wasn't sure what time it was. His Apple Watch flashed so bright in the darkness and he covered it quickly to keep it from bothering Blaine. Just after two.
He rolled over and kicked the blankets away from him. His fever was still peaking at a hundred and three, and he was either freezing or burning up at any given moment. Kurt took a drink and was about to get up and change into a cooler shirt when he heard his husband jerk awake, coughing and wheezing worse than he ever had before.
"Hey," Kurt said, flicking on his lamp and standing up. He handed Blaine his water and inhaler, concern mounting when he couldn't catch his breath. "Blaine?"
Blaine took a drink of water but choked on it, making everything worse. Kurt took the inhaler back and pressed it to his lips, but Blaine couldn't even take in a real breath before the wheezing got worse.
"I can't-" he choked, pushing the cup away and inadvertently spilling it on the bed. Kurt -for the first time since they had gotten sick- panicked and knew Blaine needed more help than prescriptions alone would give him. He watched his husband fight for air, and a new sense of fear filled him as he reached for Blaine's phone.
Author's Notes:
I wrote this during an online chemistry lecture when I definitely should have been paying attention, but hey, we all have to get through school somehow! And hopefully the little cliffhanger will hold interest.
This is NOT part of my new five-part prompt but I am still working on that! I've been taking breaks to write small chapters like this one. I've also been trying to introduce my fiancé to Glee but he doesn't seem to be on board so far... I guess I just have to find a really good episode to get him hooked on. (We watched Vitamin D from season one... one of the best early episodes in my opinion).
Hope everyone is still staying strong. I'll post more soon!