Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.
Medical disclaimer: I am not, in any way, an expert when it comes to the medical condition, CIPA. I only know what my research has taught me.
Warnings: No warnings for this chapter.
Chapter two
Kurt had been to the ER hospital six times since the beginning of June.
He was what the nurses and the staff members of the ER jokingly called a regular, but he wasn't looped in with the ones who came in only for the medicine. He'd been there so often that he'd learned every name and they knew what food to have ready for him down in the kitchens for when he ended up spending the night.
He almost knew the hallways by memory; new which hall would lead him to the cafeteria quicker, which bathroom was closest, which vending machine had the best snack, and which vending machine was broken so that he could get free snacks; free food always tasted better. Free things just made everything better. Just like illegally downloading TV episodes made him feel like the bad boy that he'd never be.
One hour after he'd been given a room (during the wait, he'd had a lovely chat with the cute boy; they'd learned many things about each other that they shared in common – they loved singing, were both in the Glee club, had the same taste in musicals, fashion magazines; they both had the same favorite Broadway plays and musicals... The jury was still out on if Blaine was gay, though. But Kurt could hope. He was good at hoping), Mandy had come back in to say that they had two x-ray rooms open. Kurt was placed back into his wheelchair and wheeled out of the room before he could say goodbye to Blaine, who was busy trying to wake his sister up.
The entire process of checking his body for anything wrong took four hours. By the time he'd been put back into his room, Blaine and his adorable little siblings were gone; Kurt spent the rest of the wait listening to his dad snore while he napped in the chair next to Kurt's bed, Kurt's hand clutched softly in both of his.
An hour later, they got the results.
"Hi, Mr. Hummel," the nurse who had taken over for Mandy said as she walked into the room that he had been sharing with the cute boy named Blaine. "We have the results back."
Kurt sat up in his bed, then reached over and shook his dad gently. "Dad, wake up. They have the results."
His dad jerked awake, then yawned as he sat up straight. "So, what's the verdict?" He asked the nurse, sleep still heavy in his voice.
The nurse glanced down at the clipboard in her hands, then smiled up at the both of them. "He's perfectly fine – nothing is wrong anywhere; all of his tests were clear."
Kurt squeezed his dad's hand as his father breathed out a heavy sigh of relief. "Thank god..." His dad leaned back against the chair top, his head tilted up towards the ceiling, eyes closed. He squeezed Kurt's fingers back a bit before he pushed himself off of the chair. "I'm going to go check you out, okay buddy?"
Kurt nodded, then leaned back against the bed. He was planning on laying there until his dad came back, but his watch went off and he sighed. He got up from the bed and slipped on his shoes. "Bathroom time," he said to the nurse as he began to head out of the room; he was close to the door when the nurse told him to wait for a second. She began to dig around in her pocket before she pulled out a slip of paper.
"Here," she said, handing him the paper. "I was told to give that to you." She left with a wink as Kurt looked down at the paper.
Hi Kurt.
I was hoping to give this to you in person, but you still weren't done with your x-ray by the time Katie was put in a cast and I couldn't just wait around, even though I wanted to; you're very fun to talk to, and we have a lot in common, so I don't want to just let that possible friendship go to waste. Here's my number. I do hope that you'll text me when you get this, otherwise I'll feel like a gigantic idiot.
Blaine Anderson
Underneath his name, Blaine had written out his phone number. Grinning, Kurt pulled out his own phone as he walked to the bathroom. As he made his way down the hall, his steps slow and deliberate, he typed out a quick text to Blaine.
Hi, this is Kurt. I don't know if you're awake, because it's rather late; the nurse just gave me this. -Kurt
He took ten minutes in the bathroom, and by the time he'd been checked out of the hospital and was halfway through the ride home he remembered to check his phone. There was one text message from Blaine A.
Hi, Kurt! :) That's okay – I just finished putting Katie and James to bed. If it's okay if I ask, how was the testing? Anything broken? - Blaine
Kurt smiled, one that his dad saw, because he let out a laugh as he got into the lane to get off of the highway. "What?"
His dad let out a chuckle. "Nothing, I just haven't seen you smile like that in a while. It's because of that boy you shared a room with, right?"
Kurt nodded. "Yeah, he's really nice."
"He's also charming. He offered to get me some coffee while you were getting your tests done."
Kurt grinned. "That was nice of him."
"What's his name again? Blake?"
"Blaine," he replied, busy typing out a response to Blaine's texts.
It's fine; no, nothing is broken, thankfully. How's Katie doing? I was hoping to say goodbye to her – she and James are adorable. -Kurt
"You know, Kurt," his dad said softly as they pulled into their neighborhood. "I was wondering if it would be okay with you if I invited Carole and Finn over for dinner during one of our Friday dinners?"
Kurt blinked at him, then bit down on his lip. His thoughts on the question were cut off as his dad said sharply, "Kurt. Teeth."
Kurt let his jaw drop a bit, then put a hand up to his mouth; his fingers came back slightly bloody. "Oh... I forgot for a second." He wiped at his mouth with his hand, then let out a sigh. "Yes, that would be fine; they're almost family, though, so I'm honestly surprised that it's taken you so long to invite them over."
Burt's smile seemed to grow larger. "Good, Kurt. That's... That's good," he said happily, and their conversation stopped for the rest of the ride back to their home.
Kurt didn't respond to the text that he knew Blaine had sent to him until he'd finished his nightly routine of checking over his body; his lip didn't look too bad – he'd had his dad check over it once they were in the light of his bathroom, and he'd been told that it was fine. Nothing serious. Once he was settled in bed, with his alarm set to go off at one in the morning so that he could use the restroom, he picked up his phone and read the text message.
She's doing fine – the pain medication they gave her also knocks her out so she's currently snoring her head off. James is lucky that he has his own room, because she's loud. And she wishes that she could say bye as well; she's rather fond of you. I think she has a crush ;) -Blaine
Grinning, Kurt slipped underneath his covers, then typed back his response.
Sorry about the late reply. I had to do a nightly checkup – they can take a while. Oh wow, I'm flattered. She's a sweetheart, really. -Kurt
Two minutes later, he had his reply:
That's completely fine! Yeah, I have to agree. I thought dealing with younger twin siblings would be completely, utterly horrible, and while it is half of the time, the other half (when they're cute) is rather great. -Blaine
Kurt was getting ready to reply back when his phone buzzed again.
Hey, so are you busy this weekend? -Blaine
Confused, Kurt sent back a quick reply.
No, why? -Kurt
There was a five minute break between the time he'd sent his text and Blaine's next one where Kurt knew that if he didn't have CIPA, he'd be sweating in anticipation.
Katie and James' birthday is coming up soon, and I have the lovely job of finding out what they want to give each other, and then go shopping for the gifts. I was wondering if you wanted to go with me? -Blaine
Not even a minute later there was another text.
Oh god, that sounds so boring, doesn't it? -Blaine
Just... Forget about it. -Blaine
Really. -Blaine
Snickering, Kurt shook his head, then started to type out his reply, but he'd only gotten one word down when his phone buzzed again.
But, I guess if you really do want to come with me, then sure. You can. -Blaine
...unless you're just feeling that I'm weird or something. -Blaine
I'm acting weird now, aren't I? -Blaine
I'm sorry. -Blaine
Sighing, but still smiling, Kurt abandoned texting and opted for calling him. "Blaine," he said once he'd heard the slightly hesitant 'Hello?' on the other end of the phone. "I'd love to go with you. I really don't know why you're freaking out."
Blaine let out a long breath of air that made the phone speakers sound like they were crackling, which made Kurt laugh softly. "Because you're an awesome person and I feel like an idiot right about now. I just met you, literally, and I'm already asking you to hang out with me – sorry. I'm kind of freaking out."
Kurt's laughter wasn't going to be stopped, it seemed. Blaine thought that he was an awesome person? He just made my entire week and he has no idea. "Blaine, really. I'd love to go with you, and you aren't an idiot. You're far from it, actually. There's nothing to freak out about. When you become friends with someone, you ask them to hang out. It's kind of what friends do."
There was an audible sigh that had Kurt's smile growing. "Nothing to be freaking out about?"
"Nothing to freak out about."
{*}
"Oh my god, Mercedes. I'm freaking out here, freaking out."
Mercedes glanced up from the magazine that she was reading. "Why are you freaking out? It's not a date, you know."
Kurt rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know that; we're just hanging out. But what if I forget to set my watch to remind me to go to the bathroom or... Or something horrible happens and I fall down the stairs or – or what if there's a robberyand we're all held hostage?"
"...at the mall?"
Kurt sighed. "I'm being stupid, I know, but he's cute. And he's also nice, and... Mercedes, he told me that I was awesome, and no boy has ever told me that, gay or straight." He threw himself across his bed dramatically. "Oh god... I'm acting like Rachel Berry. See what he's doing to me, Mercedes? Do you see what he's doing to me?"
Mercedes let out a small chuckle. "Baby, don't worry. I'll come over before your date and make sure that you have all of your alarms set, and then we'll pick out a nice outfit that will leave him drooling after you."
Kurt sighed heavily. "I don't even know if he's gay, Mercedes. He's probably just a nice guy; he goes to Dalton Academy, the all boys' school in Westerville."
Mercedes gave him a pointed look. "See? He could be gay – all boys' school."
Kurt rolled his eyes. "Yes, because an all boys' school automatically means that everyone there is gay," he said, moving over so that he was laying on his back. "Why am I freaking out again, Mercedes? It's not like it's a date."
She nodded. "No, it's not a date. Just take a deep breath and we'll get through this." She slipped off of his bed, then grabbed her backpack. "You ready?"
He nodded, then got up from his bed, took his messenger bag and his watch, then headed downstairs with Mercedes in tow. "Dad?" He called as he passed through the kitchen quickly. "Mercedes and I are leaving now!"
There was no response, so Kurt shrugged, said to Mercedes, "Must already be at the garage," then headed out the door and made his way to his friend's car.
Kurt always liked to arrive early to school, so that he could get past the jocks who took over the halls with shushies in their hands – he'd never been hit by one, and he was glad; he wouldn't know how to act. And he didn't want his condition known to the students. He didn't want a repeat of middle school. If it happened again, his dad would break – and Kurt would break with him.
"Mercedes, is the hall clear?"
Mercedes had stuck her head into the hallway first, and Kurt had a thought about them being a spy movie, sneaking around a building, trying not to get caught. In a way, they were.
"It's clear of jocks if that's what you mean."
Grinning, Kurt slipped out from behind the wall and took Mercedes' hand in his. "How's the history project going?"
She let out a groan. "Horribly. And by horribly I mean I want to bash my head against the wall for a few hours."
"Sounds enjoyable."
She smirked at him. "Oh, honey. It is."
He was glad for Mercedes. She'd been the first person he'd come out to; she'd also been the first person he'd told about his condition. She had been shocked, of course, but she'd stayed by his side, and had even held his hand when he'd told the rest of Glee club about being diagnosed as a CIPA patient. She had been his friend when he'd really needed one. And she was still with him, even through all of the cancellation of their plans because he'd fallen down the stairs, or when he'd forgotten to eat and ended up in the hospital with an I.V. stuck in his arm, counting down the hours until he was released.
She really put up with a lot.
"You're amazing, you know that?"
Mercedes stared at him for a second, then she grinned. "Oh, baby. I know that I am. I am flawless."
He grinned at her, feeling that the day was only going to get better. "You make me sure of it every day," he told her as they arrived at his locker. He opened it, then grabbed his books, stuffed them in his bag, then looked at the mirror that he'd placed on the door, checking his face for any cuts, bruises or swelling. He double checked his lips, ignoring a few of the scars that he had around his lower lip (from chewing on them as a child), and grinned happily when everything looked clean and free of any injuries. "Oh yeah," he said as he closed his locker and looked back at Mercedes. "You had a date the other night! How did it go?"
Mercedes shrugged. "It was okay, but I have to admit, I did spend most of it worrying about you," she said, giving him a pointed glare.
He felt the need to shrink. "I'm sorry, really. I should have kept you updated but-"
"But you were busy having a talk with Blaine," she said, winking at him as he smiled. She had him there.
"I really am sorry, though. Did you need a reason to leave at all?"
She sighed, her shoulders slouching. "Yeah, sadly. I ended up having to text Tina, but she gave me a good reason to leave early. I don't even know why I agreed to go on this date anyway. I don't even like him."
Kurt shrugged, then tugged on her arm and lead her into the choir room for their morning meeting. "Because you wanted to go on a date. Is that so bad?"
As she sat down on the seat, she nodded, pulling up a chair and motioning for Kurt to sit down beside her. "No, I guess that it's not bad. But, while we're on the topics of dates, are you going to ask Blaine to clarify if it is a date? Will you lose the 'boy-hug virginity'?"
Kurt flushed. "No, I'm not. Because it isn't one – we're shopping for his little sister and brother's birthday – and two, I'm not going to ruin the day by asking that." He frowned for a second. "And three, boy-hug virginity? Really?" He sucked in his bottom lip, placing it between his teeth, but was startled when Mercedes yanked on his arm and turned him to face her.
"No, baby. No chewing."
He let go of his lip. "Okay?" He asked, pointing to his lip.
She looked hard, then nodded. "Yeah, it's fine. Baby, you gotta stop chewing."
He sighed, then let his head fall into his hands. Lip chewing (and sometimes chewing on his thumbnails – he'd chewed one way past the skin, once, and it had resulted in having his fingernails taped so he wouldn't get to the skin) had been one of the problems that he had to deal with every day. He did it without thinking, or when things got stressful, and he had the little scars to prove it.
There were four scars on the right side of his mouth, from where he'd chewed through it as a child, then two on the left from chewing as well. He needed to stop, but it was hard, especially when he couldn't feel it. He could feel the pressure, of course, but nothing else. It was not fun waking up in the morning, realizing that he'd chewed his lip through again, and cleaning the blood out of his hair and bed covers wasn't a joy either.
"Do you know what is going to be talked about in this meeting?"
Mercedes was pulling out a notebook, looking very bored as the rest of the glee club wandered in, all of them chatting to each other. "Dunno. Rachel called it. She said we need to pay close attention to what she's going to be talking about too, so, according to her, no phones or ipods for this meeting," she said, already putting one ear-bud in to her left ear.
"Oh," Kurt said as he took out his phone to text Blaine. He couldn't wait until Saturday.
{*}
Luckily for him, Saturday came swiftly and without incident – no hospital trips, no sicknesses that popped up out of nowhere, and (most importantly) no run-ins with Karofsky or the other jocks of the school. His week had been normal, which had freaked him out in a way. But in the end, he'd chosen to enjoy having a normal week; who knew how long having a normal day would last? And when Saturday showed up, he was up and out of bed quicker than normal, because he was actually looking forward to spending time with Blaine; Blaine was funny, charming, and was a great person to talk to when it came to politics and education – they had so many of the same interests. Kurt had never wanted to have a friend like him more.
"Oh my god, it's like you're the Gift Whisperer! How the hell did you get what Katie wants to get James out of her?"
Kurt felt proud, a little bit because he was proud of what he'd done, but mostly because the look that Blaine was giving him – one of complete awe – was pretty much making his day. He'd arrived at the address that Blaine had given him (his house – well, more like his mansion) and had Blaine begging at his feet to help get what Katie wanted to buy for James out of her. She'd been tough, but he'd eventually gotten her to crack.
Kurt the Gift Whisperer: 1
Pitiful Gift Hiding Peasants: 0
"I have my ways, Blaine. But, unfortunately, if I told you, I'd have to kill you."
Blaine frowned. "No, seriously. How? It's impossible to get what gifts she wants to give to other people out of her. Christmas shopping is an utter nightmare."
Kurt laughed. "I scratched her head. My mom used to do that when I was young to get stuff out of me that I wasn't telling her – mostly what my dad was doing for her and trying to keep secret."
Blaine hummed. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, you've saved me many future headaches."
Kurt grinned at him, opening his mouth to respond, but his watch beeped at him, and his smile fell. "Oh, I'm sorry." He said, turning to Blaine. "I need to run to the restroom," he said, tapping his watch with one finger.
Blaine followed him as he rounded the corner, making his way to the bathrooms in the food court, a confused look on his face. "What for, if you don't mind my asking?"
As he pushed the door to the bathroom open, Kurt's face flushed. "Um... Since I can't feel... certain things, I set my alarms to go off every two hours. Being cautious."
Blaine blinked at him, then his eyes widened. "Oh. Oh. Okay, I-I'll just wait outside then."
With a grin on his face, Kurt watched as Blaine stumbled out of the restroom, then he proceeded to go through his normal routine – no bruises, no cuts, no swelling. Once he was done, he left the room, then searched around for Blaine. He spotted him sitting at a table with a plate of pizza in front of him. Gripping the sleeves of his jacket in his hands, Kurt headed over, then sat down on the seat opposite of Blaine. "Hungry?"
Blaine grinned at him, then pushed the plate with the four slices to the middle of the table. "I figured it was time to eat; it's almost one." He hesitated for a second, and Kurt could see that he had questions.
"Go ahead, ask. It's okay to ask, you know."
Blaine bit his lip, then said softly, "Can you not even feel when you're hungry?"
Kurt shook his head. "No, I can't even feel when I'm hungry. It's horrible, and a year ago I went two days without eating because I was so busy – didn't feel a thing. I guess... I don't know. I'm just used to it, I guess. I've lived with it my entire life."
Blaine was staring at him like he couldn't really believe what he was hearing. Kurt resisted the urge to bite his lip; what if talking about this drove Blaine away? He was already someone Kurt wanted to keep in his life, and they'd only known each other for less than a week. Blaine, what are you doing to me and how are you doing it?
Blaine's jaw suddenly snapped shut. "I'm sorry; I just... Wow. I can't even imagine how hard it is to live day by day without feeling pain or just... I know some people say that they wish they couldn't feel pain – I know that I have on many occasions-" and here Blaine pulled a face, like he was regretting something or hating himself for something, and Kurt wanted nothing more than to reach over and hold his hand. "-but looking at you, I wish that you could."
Kurt was overcome with the sudden urge to propose to the boy in front of him, to just get down on one knee and fucking propose."Wow, Blaine. No one's ever said that to me..." He grinned. "Hearing people say that they wish they couldn't feel pain makes me want to punch them, or do something violent to them. They have no idea how horrible it is..." He blinked, then gave Blaine a sheepish grin. "I'm sorry. Sometimes I just get into vent-like moods."
Blaine shook his head. "No, it's completely fine, really! To be honest, I'm kind of fascinated about it, you know? What made it so that you can't feel pain and everything." Blaine's face froze. "Oh... Oh, that just made me sound really creepy didn't it?"
Kurt let out a laugh, one that lasted for quite a while and made him feel like his entire day was suddenly ten times better. "No, Blaine. Not at all. I actually like answering questions about it, if people ask, because then they get their facts straight and don't think I'm even more than a freak than I already am."
Blaine frowned. "What do you mean?"
Kurt cocked his head to the side. "I mean that I can't feel pain, or when I'm hungry, or when I have to go to the bathroom; let me tell you, I had so many embarrassing moments before I figured out to use a watch to keep track of when I should eat and all of those important things."
"But that's not a reason to call you a freak, Kurt."
Kurt glanced down at the pizza in front of him, fiddling with his hands. Then he decided to hell with it. "I'm gay, as well as a CIPA patient," he said proudly.
Blaine blinked. "Oh, well, I am too, so... We've got one more thing in common."
Staring at him, Kurt couldn't stop the awkward grin that was appearing on his face. "Did... Did we just have the awkward 'Hi, I'm Kurt and I'm gay' moment?"
Blaine nodded, a rather large grin slowly growing on his face. "I think mine was more of the 'Hi, I'm Blaine. I'm blunt, sometimes stupid, and gay'."
"Well, your stupid and bluntness is rather cute," Kurt said, taking a bite of pizza.
Blaine chuckled, then reached for his own slice. "Why, thank you, Kurt Hummel."
Kurt grinned, then finished his pizza in silence. He stayed quiet while Blaine ate, and only once Blaine had placed his napkin on his plate did he speak up. "So, are you ready to go get this shopping over with?"
Blaine nodded. "Yes, especially since we have to go into that doll store to get the doll that James wants to get Katie. I hate that place. It's too pink."
Kurt rolled his eyes as they stood up and headed out of the food court. "Oh please. Pink isn't that bad."
As it turned out, the store really was that bad. It was like being surrounded, suffocated, by the color pink. At one point, Kurt had actually latched on to Blaine's arm when they'd rounded a corner in the shop, only to come face to face with the creepiest doll he'd ever seen. Blaine had leaned over to whisper in his ear, "I sometimes think they're alive, and that they watch us while we shop."
Kurt shuddered. "I'm never going to be able to touch a doll again, Blaine. Never again."
Blaine squeezed his arm. "Eventually the nightmares stop, Kurt. But it takes a while."
Their arms were still linked when they made the purchase for the doll Katie wanted. Kurt had been worried about what looks they'd get, or what someone would say, but the girl managing the cash register took one look at their linked arms, then sighed.
"I hope this place hasn't scared you for life; and don't worry about being called gay when you walk in and out of here. This place made a thirty year-old cling to his best friend like a five year old. Have a nice day, and please make a complaint about how pink this place is to the manager!"
"You know, I think I like her," Kurt said as they (finally) left the freakiest store he'd ever been in.
"I think she's new," Blaine replied, giving Kurt's arm one last squeeze before he let go. Kurt watched the arm move with a sad gaze, but he knew it had to have happened eventually. The doctors told him that if he was held too long there was a chance that he could overheat. And overheating and collapsing would be the perfect way to win Blaine over. Wait, what? Win him over?
He shook his head, clearing it of the random thought. "Well, we've got everything. Ready to head out?"
Blaine nodded, and the two of them made their way out the exit and towards their cars; they'd decided to travel in separate cars, just in case something happened and Kurt had to leave. Kurt had found it utterly adorable that Blaine was perfectly fine to travel separately, like it was normal to have to rush to the hospital if something happened.. It was nice to have another friend who saw past his condition.
"I'm really glad that you invited me, Blaine."
Blaine grinned, one that showed his teeth and made his the corners of his eyes crinkle. It was absolutely adorable. "I'm glad that I invited you. It's always best to go shopping with a friend, right?"
Ah, and there it was. It wasn't a date. Kurt really didn't know why he wasn't surprised. Or why he felt a little sad about it not being a date.
He was opening his mouth, intent on answering, when someone rammed into his shoulder, causing him to twist and fall towards the ground. He pushed his arms out, then felt his palms skid forward on the ground until he came to a stop. Shifting, he caught the sight of a McKinley Letterman jacket and frowned when he heard the laughter coming from the guy.
Karofsky, you bastard.
Blaine was down by him in practically a heartbeat. "Kurt! Are you okay?"
Kurt pushed himself up to his knees, then stood. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said as he glanced down at his palms; they were both bleeding, the right one more than the left. Blaine noticed this, because he dropped the bags he'd been carrying and took Kurt's hands in his, looking down at the cuts.
"Ouch," he whistled, and then he moved a thumb over some of the blood, looking more closely at the wounds. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
Kurt shook his head. "Can't feel it, Blaine. Don't worry."
Blaine bit his lip, then nodded. "I have a first aid kit in my car; come with me and I'll patch these up for you."
Kurt followed him, intrigued. "You have a first aid kit in your car?"
"Yeah, I uh... I kind of want to going into the medical field. My family isn't really happy with that, but oh well." He glanced down at his wallet. "Can I put this in your coat for now? I don't have pockets big enough." When Kurt nodded, he grinned, then let the wallet slip inside Kurt's coat pocket. "Thank you."
Kurt was still frowning, however, but he stood by Blaine once they got to the car and watched as Blaine dug around in the back seat for the kit. "Your family doesn't want you to go into the medical field? Most parents would be overjoyed!"
Blaine pulled out of the car, then placed the kit on the roof, the neosporin already in his hands. "My family owns a legal company. They want it to stay in the family, you know?"
Kurt nodded, watching as Blaine applied the neosporin to his hands. "Yeah, I do. My dad owns a car shop, but he knows that I'm not going to stay in Lima and take it over for him."
Blaine was busy watching as he cleaned up the blood from Kurt's palms. "I hope you don't mind me saying this, but this is just... interesting," he finished, reaching up to grab the band-aids and the gauze.
"What is?"
Blaine glanced up. "The fact that you can't feel this. I just put some stuff on to stop them from getting infected and I always cry out because it stings so bad."
Kurt shrugged. "I've had it my entire life; I don't even know what pain feels like."
"I'm going to say it again, and then hope that you don't hit me for being insensitive or something, but wow."
Kurt laughed softly, watching as Blaine delicately wrapped his palms up with gauze. "Blaine, you aren't being insensitive, really. It's not every day that you meet someone who can't feel pain. I'm the eighty-fifth person in the US to have a documented case. It's rare, so don't feel bad for feeling... interested, okay? If I feel like you're being too invasive, I'll let you know."
Blaine nodded, finished up his wrapping job. He dropped Kurt's hands and placed everything back in the first aid kit, then placed it back inside the car. Once he was done, he turned back to Kurt, smile still in place. "Thank you, again, for coming. It was much more enjoyable than the other times I've gone shopping for their gifts."
Kurt titled his head to the side and shrugged his shoulders, holding his palms up as he did so. "What can I say? I just make everything better."
"I wouldn't doubt it," Blaine agreed. Then he started fiddling with his fingers. "Um... Can I... Can I hug you? Is that awkward?"
Kurt blinked, stunned for a moment - Kurt had never been hugged by another boy his age before. Slowly he nodded, watching as the grin on Blaine's face grew as he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Kurt's body. The hug only lasted for a few seconds, but he loved every second of it, and for the first time in his life he wished that he could feel warmth, because he knew that Blaine would be warm. He wanted to know what it felt like to have Blaine warm him up.
They went their separate ways after the hug, and once Kurt was close to home he pulled out his phone and called Mercedes quickly, then put her on speaker phone. "So, guess who just lost his so called Boy-Hug virginity?"
Her squeal made his day even better.
{*}
He was still sitting in his unmoving car when Kurt pulled out of the mall parking lot, a smile on his face as he watched Kurt's car vanish from his view. Kurt Hummel, he thought fondly to himself as he put the keys in the ignition and started to drive home. The closer he got to home, though, the more his good mood slipped.
His parents were home now, and he wasn't looking forward to seeing them once he got back to the house. They hadn't been too pleased about Katie, and Blaine had been given a stern talking to, as well as an, "I'm disappointed in you, Blaine," from his father.
As his car pulled into the garage, he let out a sigh, then killed the engine and let his head fall forward on to the steering wheel. Kurt's lucky in a way, he thought. He knew that Kurt could still feel emotional pain, but he still had one less way to feel pain than others. And as he stumbled up into the place that never felt like home, Blaine couldn't help but think to himself, sometimes, I just wish I couldn't feel anything, emotional pain or physical pain. Life would be so much easier that way, right?
A split second later, he slapped himself, thinking about what Kurt had told him earlier. Don't think like that, Blaine. Don't.
Blaine didn't meet up with any members of his family as he entered the house and made the trip up to his room, which he was glad for. He didn't particularly feel up to seeing his parents – not that he didn't love them, but his father only seemed to care about the things that Blaine wasn't and wouldn't be.
Like being straight.
Blaine would never be straight, ever, and his father seemed to refuse to acknowledge it.
With a soft sigh, Blaine slipped into his room and stumbled over to his bed, falling onto it with a huff of air. A crinkling sound came out from under him, and he rolled over to see a stack of papers on his bed with a yellow sticky note on top of them. Sitting up, he pulled the papers over to him, curiosity rising. But once he saw what they were, his curiosity vanished, and he stared at the sticky note blankly.
Blaine, it read.
Here is a list of Universities that have amazing law programs. You are in your senior year, and you have yet to pick a University with an acceptable law program. These are a few that I'd been considering when I was trying to figure out what University to go to, so I figured that you were probably having the same issue. I hope that you are able to look over these and make your decision soon.
-Gregory A.
That was how his father communicated with him most of the time: sticky notes on a stack of papers and his signature that he used for work. And there his father went again, forgetting that Blaine did not want to go into law; they'd had that argument before. But it seemed like his father had forgotten, like he always did when it came to what Blaine wanted and what he was.
He took the sticky note and tore it up, then tossed it onto the floor in front of him, glaring down at the four pieces of paper. He was about to tear up the brochures that his father had given him when his phone rang. He answered it without bothering to check who it was.
"Hello?"
"Blaine, hi!"
Blaine stood up quickly from his bed, his good mood suddenly coming back, full force. "Hi, Kurt – hi!"
There was a laugh on the other end of the line and Blaine smiled. "I still have your wallet," Kurt said simply, and Blaine's eyebrows rose as he hastily checked his pockets.
"You're right. I kind of need that."
"When do you need it by?"
Blaine bit his lip, thinking. "Well, by Wednesday, at the latest."
"Where do you go to school again? D-something, right?"
"Dalton Academy, why?"
"Westerville, right? Well, my dad has to make a run for parts down there on Tuesday – I could stop by while he's loading the truck up and give you your wallet."
He sounded so happy, like he really wanted to see Blaine. And Blaine just couldn't say no to that. "You sure?"
"Positive. When do you have a break?"
"I have lunch at twelve-thirty, but Kurt; don't you have school?"
"I do, but I always help my dad with these pickups; check to make sure everything he ordered is there and all. No heavy lifting or anything, but he usually spends an hour or so talking with the other workers so I'll have nothing to do then. I can be there at twelve-thirty. I'll see you then?"
Blaine nodded, but then spoke out loud when he realized he was on the phone. "Y-yeah. I'll see you then."
"Okay, bye, Blaine!"
"Bye," he said happily, hanging up with the smile still on his face.
Kurt Hummel, he thought happily to himself as he slipped his phone into his back pocket.
Author's note: This chapter was long.
It's fourteen pages.
I normally write ten.
What is up with this chapter.
Oh well, it's happy! In a way! Happiness before the angst, right? RIGHT?
Aaaaanyway, I'd love to hear what you guys think of this chapter, so... review?
(this chapter was beta-read by the lovely mrsharryjamespotter) Lots of love, UO