Kurt

Kurt Hummel knew something was wrong. At the age of eight, he was highly keen and observant. Quite often lately, Kurt would come downstairs in his house to get a glass of milk at night, and he would see his father sitting at the table crying. Kurt had always thought of his father as the bravest, strongest man alive. So, the fact that Burt cried constantly made Kurt wonder what was upsetting him so much.

When Kurt visited his mother, Elizabeth, in the hospital one day, Kurt asked her about it. "Mommy, why had Daddy been so sad lately?"
Elizabeth looked at Kurt sadly and patted the spot on the hospital bed beside her. "Come here, baby."
Kurt climbed up gently, and snuggled into his mother's side.
"Kurt, sweetie, your dad has been sad because I've been very sick."
Kurt lifted his head slightly. "I know that. That's why you can't go away from the hospital."
Elizabeth nodded, taking Kurt's hands in hers. "Well, this sickness, it's not going away, Kurt."
Kurt looked at her curiously, genuinely confused. "I thought the doctors were going to make you better?" He asked.
Elizabeth sighed, her eyes filling with tears. "They—they can't do that anymore, Kurt. They've tried all they can, but Mommy isn't getting better."
Kurt, understanding what his mother was saying, looked up and whispered. "Are you going to be an angel soon, Mommy?"
A ghost of a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Yes, baby."
Kurt, now fully aware of what was happening, laid his face back down on his mother's chest, and began to cry softly. Elizabeth held Kurt for a little while until his sobs subsided.
"I'm going to miss you, Mommy."
"Oh, Kurt, I know. I'll miss you, too. But you have to have courage, Kurt."
"Courage? What does that mean?" Young Kurt asked.
"It means to be brace, no matter what happens. And never be afraid to be you, Kurt." Elizabeth replied, hugging him closely.
"Courage." Kurt repeated, mulling over the word. "I'll remember that forever."
Elizabeth chuckled. "And I'll always be here, Kurt." She said, pointing to his heart. "I'll always be watching over you."
Kurt nodded, still snuggled close against his mother. No other words were needed.

Elizabeth passed away two days later, Burt and Kurt by her side. Kurt could see very clearly that his father was devastated, despite the calm front he put up.

When they had left the hospital that day, Burt couldn't bring himself to drive home for the night. Home had Elizabeth written all over it. He asked his son if it was alright if they slept at a hotel that night, to which Kurt shrugged slightly, barely registering his father's question.
Burt rented a room for a night, and they had just gone into the room when Kurt looked up at his father, looming tears apparent in his eyes.
Burt sat himself down on the sofa, tugging Kurt into his arms. He held Kurt as the young boy cried himself to sleep. And he didn't let go even then.

The following two days were a blur for Kurt. He had attended the wake with his father, but he didn't remember most of it. He barely acknowledged the numerous people who came up to him and Burt, offering their condolences. Kurt only remembered keeping his eyes on his mother's still form. They had put her in her favorite dress, the one she always wore for tea parties with Kurt.

When Burt and Kurt had left the funeral home that day, they had gone home, and Kurt went straight to his bedroom without a word. He closed the door behind him, sinking to the floor and bringing his knees up to his chest. He cried for what felt like forever. But when the tears stopped, Kurt decided that he didn't want to cry anymore. Crying made Kurt feel weak, and Kurt knew that he couldn't let himself feel that way. He needed to be brace, and strong, like his mother had told him to. He needed to have courage.
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Blaine

Blaine was six years old when his parents were killed in an accident. They had died upon impact when a transfer truck veered into their lane, and sent their little car flying into a ditch. Blaine had been sent to Westerville, Ohio to live with his aunt and uncle. It was something that should have never happened to any young child. Sure, Blaine missed his parents every day, but if he was being honest, he was much happier living with his Uncle Tony and Aunt Meg.

Blaine's father had never been physically abusive, but his words cut like knives. Even at six years old, Blaine could see that his mother looked miserable after every conversation she had with his father.
Blaine loved his aunt and uncle, though. They treated him like a son from the very first day. His Aunt Meg had held him and comforted him when he was sad or lonely, and his Uncle Tony always made sure to spend time every day with Blaine. Sometimes, Tony and little Blaine would toss a football in the front yard, or Tony would take Blaine out for a movie and ice cream.

Blaine had a special relationship with his Uncle Tony. Tony was never discouraging of Blaine. When Blaine wanted to play his small guitar instead of toss a football around, Tony would be right beside him, listening to him play. When Blaine wanted to read stories of princesses in distress instead of pirates, Uncle Tony would be the one reading them to him.

One day, a few months after Blaine had turned eight, his life was turned around once more. Aunt Meg got a call one day when Blaine was at school, and Blaine had come home that day to see her crumpled on the couch, sobbing.

"Aunt Meg? What's the matter?"
She looked up, startled at the sight of a worried Blaine standing before her. "Oh, Blaine." She rushed forward, catching Blaine in her arms and hugging him close.
"Aunt Meg?" Blaine whispered.
"Let's sit down, Blaine." She said sadly.
"Is Uncle Tony at work?" Blaine asked innocently.
"Sweetie, Uncle Tony, he—he got hurt at work. It was a very bad accident, Blaine."
Blaine looked up, very concerned. "Will he be ok?"
He watched as a tear fell from his aunt's eye before she answered him. "No, Blaine. He—he's not coming home."

Blaine was overwhelmed. He hadn't wanted to think the worst, but that's what it obviously was. He started crying when he saw his aunt had broken down again. He quietly climbed into her lap and wrapped his tiny arms around her. "Are you going to be alright, Aunt Meg?"

She didn't answer.

Two days later was the first time Blaine saw his uncle. Tony was dressed in his best suit, lying still in the half-open coffin. Blaine stayed at his Aunt Meg's side throughout the entire day, making sure that she had someone beside her in case she became too upset.

Blaine watched her hold back her tears that day. He watched her appear to be strong. Blaine decided then that he needed to be strong, too. He needed to take care of his Aunt Meg in any way he could. He needed to show her that he could be brave, even when he was sad. All he needed was courage.
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Kurt

Burt had decided to bury Elizabeth in the nicest cemetery in Ohio, which was in Westerville. It was a two hour drive away from Lima, but Burt knew that his wife deserved only the best.

Kurt listened as a few of his mother's closest friends spoke about her, and then his father had muttered a simple 'goodbye', as they lowered Elizabeth into the ground.
When the funeral had ended, the family and friends of the Hummels began leaving slowly, eventually leaving only Burt and Kurt. They took turns laying the last two flowers next to Elizabeth's grave, before Burt took his son's hand, and led him out of the cemetery.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kurt noticed a small crowd of people standing across the lot. He looked across to see that another funeral was going on.
A short woman with long, brown hair and a tear stained face was speaking to the coffin on the ground. Kurt's eyes trailed beside her, to where a young, curly-haired boy stood. Kurt guessed that this boy was probably around his age. He watched as the boy looked up at him. Kurt had just enough time to glimpse at the boy's sad face before Burt led him away.
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Blaine

Blaine barely listened to the words his Aunt Meg was saying about his Uncle Tony. All that held his attention right now was the coffin that lay at his feet, which held his uncle's body inside it. Catching a slight movement up ahead of him, Blaine looked up to see a pale looking boy with perfect hair watching him.
Blaine noticed that they looked about the same age, and the young boy had an expression on his face that probably mirrored his own. Blaine watched as a bald man in a suit led the boy away, and he felt a twinge of disappointment.

As they lowered his uncle's body into the ground, Blaine couldn't help but wonder if he would ever see that beautiful boy again.