The three boys, Kurt, Blaine, and Trent, spent the next few days together. Kurt was in bed and the others tried to entertain him. Kurt was too sick to really do much, and Trent had all of his sisters to visit during the holidays. Trent came from a big family and, being the youngest of eight and the only boy, he tried to stay in the dorms for most of the vacation. There were only so many little curtain-climbing, rug-rat, house apes that he could stand. It seemed like each of his sisters was trying to repopulate the world with Barnes offspring. Trent loved little kids, especially his nieces and nephews, but some days enough was enough and he had to hide out with his best pal, Blaine, just to get a breather.

This was one of the days that the sister entourage had kidnapped their little brother to go caroling with all the little ones. Trent complained to his friends, but they saw the joy in his eyes when he left, elf cap firmly on his head.

“I guess its you and me, Kurt,” Blaine said. “What do you want to do?”

“Oh..it doesnt matter. Im still feeling kind of dizzy from the pain meds your brother gave me. You dont have to entertain me, you know. I can take care of myself. I am an only child,” Kurt said, yawning and stretching a little. He moved his stump in the wrong way and yelped a bit, but covered with a cough. Blaine was not fooled.

“How about I read to you?” Blaine asked. He and Kurt had talked about reading and they had many interests in common.

“You dont have to do that. Im fine. Go out with your friends and have fun! Youve been babysitting me for almost five days. You need to have a break,” Kurt said.

“Everybodys at home – and most of those are not in Ohio. I just stay here in the dorm because its more my home for now than the house I grew up in,” Blaine said.

“Why is that?”

“Ah...well, Cooper lives there in the carriage house. Hes been going to move back to the main house for three years, but it never happens. Im kind of lonely in the big house. Its cold and silent and holds too many memories,” he said.

“Memories?” Kurt prompted.

“If were going to spill all of our cherished family stories, you have to participate, too.”

Kurt sat still for a moment. He didnt want to say too much, but he was beginning to trust Blaine. He needed a friend and it looked like Blaine needed one, too.

“I had cancer,” he said.

Blaine sat still, then looked over at Kurt. He didnt want to say the wrong thing and have Kurts eyes turn cold. He got up slowly, walking across the dorms Aubusson carpet in his pink argyle socks and climbed on the big bed next to Kurt. Without saying anything, he held out his arms and Kurt fell into them.

They just lay together on the bed, not saying anything, just holding each other for a while until Kurt sat back up.

“Sorry...I dont like to tell people, but I know you would be able to handle it,” Kurt said.

“Oh, because my brothers a doctor?” Blaine said.

“Partly, but more because you understand me, you know I dont want sympathy – just understanding,” Kurt said. “Now, tell me something.”

“My parents died in a plane crash three years ago. My dad was the pilot and my mom died with him,” he said. Kurt took in a breath, looking to see how Blaine was doing, sharing this thing in his life. Kurt put his arms back out, and this time they hugged for a longer time.

“My mom died when I was eight, just before we found out I had bone cancer. My dad...” Kurt took a deep breath, wanting to tell Blaine about his father, about why he couldnt continue to ruin his life, but the words were stuck.

“I guess we needed to find each other, right?” Blaine said, a small smile gracing his face as he looked into Kurts eyes.

“Yeah, misery gravitates together or something,” Kurt said with an ironic laugh.

“I think its more than that. I think maybe we needed each other for more – I dont know what would have happened if I hadnt seen you fall on the Alms Creek Bridge that day. That was a deep gash – you might not have made it. Or you might not have gotten care if the infection wasnt treated. Right?”

“Yeah, I guess thats true. Are we done with the game? I dont know what more I can tell you,” Kurt said.

“Oh, no...we can tell each other anything! Not just the earth-shattering things. I love peppermint ice cream with hot butterscotch sauce all over it,” Blaine grinned.

“What? No...that sounds terrible!”

“Au contraire! It is beautiful, wonderful, life-transcending. The best thing ever. I promise,” he laughed. Kurt smiled finally.

“Ah, Ill take your word for that,” Kurt said, rolling his eyes. “I have tried every kind of ice cream there is I think. When youre a little kid in a hospital, you get to have all the ice cream you want. I got sick of it after a while,” he said.

“How long were you in the hospital?” Blaine asked. He didnt like working the childrens ward when he was an orderly. It was always too sad.

“Oh, months and months. Some stays were longer than others. I was in right after my mom died. I had terrible nightmares then. They knew I had cancer and I got chemo and radiation, which you know makes you sick. The nurses tried to give me ice cream or anything to make me eat. I still have a hard time eating. When I was nine, the cancer was back and the oncologist said I had to have my leg cut off. I had to go to therapists and crap to get used to the idea. Let me tell you, you never get used to it.”

Kurt sighed. He hated revisiting that time in his life, but he thought Blaine needed to know if he was going to really know him.

“I finally just asked if the cancer was running around in my body, getting bigger with more strength while I was at these therapy appointments. The therapist said they might be, so I told my dad and the doctors I wanted it done right away. They took my leg off the next day,” Kurt said as if was nothing. He had spent too many years agonizing over it and now it was like some dream that happened to someone else. He didnt think about it all day every day like he used to.

“That had to be hard. Whats the worst part?” Blaine asked.

“My dad. He lost mom – and that about killed him. He was so heart-broken and he tried to take care of me. I was hurting not only from losing her, but my leg hurt all the time. Dad thought I was crying because of mom, so he didnt take me to the doctor for a month. I finally fell and he felt a lump on my knee. It didnt get better, so he thought Id chipped my patella. They took an X-ray and found the tumor....you can imagine the rest. His guilt, my anger – though I never blamed HIM. It wasnt a good time,” Kurt sighed.“Tell me about your folks.”

“Dad was a research doctor, looking for ways to improve medications for certain diseases. He worked in a lab at the hospital. He was working on asthma related illnesses and the medications to treat them when he died. His brother died of asthma when he was a little boy and Dad promised him he would cure asthma one day. He sure worked hard on it. I often hope that they are together now, Dad sure missed his brother,” Blaine said.

“Oh...do you believe in heaven?”

“Its more like I hope there is a heaven. You know? How can anyone know for sure? I want to believe that my parents can see me still. I want them to know Im trying to make them proud now, like getting a second chance sort of. I know Cooper says hes proud of me, and that should be enough, but theres this ache in my bones that makes me want my parents to think well of me...” Blaine said, then looked at Kurt. His eyes got wide when he thought about what he just said.

“Oh, Kurt – Im sorry!”

“What? Why?” Kurt looked confused.

“I said that about an ache in my bones...and your cancer...and....” Blaine stuttered.

“Blaine. Let me tell you something right now. You cannot change the way you speak, the words you use to express yourself, or anything just because I had bone cancer. Okay? We can only be friends if we can talk about things like this – and you have to know that I am not sensitive to the words. I can say cancer and bones and leg and prosthesis and all of that without cringing, and you should be able to also. Okay? I dont want sympathy. Ive had a belly-full of that from well-meaning people for so many years I want to scream. So---promise me you will not tippy-toe around me. I couldnt take that from you,” Kurt said in a deadly serious tone. Blaines eyes got wider as Kurts voice got louder and by the end of his speech, Blaine was ready to agree to anything.

“Okay. I see what you mean. Please forgive me and we can start again on a new page, pax?”

“Pax.” Kurt said and leaned forward to kiss Blaines lips chastely.

Blaine just looked at him, surprised. There had been no flirting, no suggestive comments...what was with the kiss?

“Oh...sorry, Blaine. My grandmother is European – Polish to be exact. She always sealed an agreement with a kiss. I didnt mean anything by it. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable,” Kurt said, But when the realization came to him that he had actually kissed another boy, his face turned bright red and he couldnt look in Blaines eyes.

Blaine reached out his hand, cupping Kurts face and turning him gently to face him once again.

“Its fine, Kurt. Just fine, I understand,” Blaine said solemnly. Kurt gave him a thin shadow of a smile and was off on another tangent, talking about comfort food from his very ethnic background.

“You didnt say anything about your mom. What was she like?” Kurt asked.

“Oh, she was so warm and welcoming. She was one of those people who never met a stranger, you know? The kind of person that did her work, then helped other people do their work, too. She was always ready to lend a hand or a shoulder to cry on,” Blaine said, smiling at the memory.

“Did she stay home with you when you were little? I remember my mom always being there,” Kurt said.

“She wasnt one to sit at home baking cookies, no. She was a doctor, too,” Blaine explained, shifting his weight and scooting over a little so he could use his hands to talk. Kurt smiled at that – how adorable was Blaine?

“What kind?”

“Oh, she was an obstetrician. Delivered babies. I remember when I was really young, she would take me to the hospital and wed walk over to the windows where the babies were in their plastic cribs. She would lift me up and Id point out which baby I wanted her to bring home to me. I wanted a baby sister so badly. Mom got pregnant again when I was about seven. I was so excited. I wanted the baby to live in my room. I offered to let her have my bed and everything,” Blaine rambled, Kurt watching his animated face as he talked, tripping over his words as he spoke.

“Oh, what were you going to name her?” Kurt asked, the enthusiasm contagious.

“I cant tell you,” Blaine blushed bright red. Kurt giggled and put his hand up to Blaines cheek.

“Ouch!” he kidded, making fun of Blaine, who laughed in return.

“Okay...it was Aurora Ariel Cinderella Anderson,” he said very quickly. Kurt snorted trying not to laugh, but it just came out.

“That is a lovely name!” he said, looking at the sparkle in Blaines eyes.

“Yeah. It was,” he agreed, but the light left his eyes. “Mom had a miscarriage when she was five months along. It broke all of our hearts. She didnt want to be an obstetrician after that. She decided to work with Dad on his asthma medication. I think she was happy doing that, though. She and Dad really loved each other and they got to spend more time together. They were going on a sort of second honeymoon when they died. Dad was flying them to a cabin on the Great Lakes. Michigan, I think. The authorities said they both died on impact, so they probably didnt even know what happened. They are together now, so I guess I can be thankful for that,” he said. Kurt reached over and wiped the single tear from his cheek.

“They must have loved you so much, Blaine. People who love like that – they just cant contain it, you know. It spills out all around them and you cant help but get splashed with it.

My mom was like that. Dad, too.” Kurt said, feeling sad about missing his father.

“I dont know how they felt about me. We had a sort of...a misunderstanding before they died. It had turned into a big thing – Cooper was living in Los Angeles. I was the only one home and one day at dinner I just – well, I gave them some news and it sort of short-circuited our whole happy household. There was tension where there hadnt been before. The family dinners were more like an armed camp. I was resentful, they were upset – as if Id betrayed their faith in me,” Blaine related. He stopped talking to pour each of them a large glass of grape juice. Kurt drank his quickly and Blaine poured more.

“Do you want to tell me what happened? What was your news?” Kurt asked, though he wouldnt have been surprised if Blaine had pushed the thought away.

“Ah, well, Kurt are you sure you want me to tell you? I mean, were friends and I trust you, but this is something that I think is a little sensitive. I dont want it to endanger what we have. Well, that sounds bad....but I dont want anything to get in the way of our beginning friendship. We are friends, arent we?” Blaine asked, very serious. He suddenly wanted to be friends with Kurt more than he remembered wanting anything in his life.

“Blaine, I like you and I love the fact that I get to call you my friend. I dont think there is much you could reveal about yourself that would mar that friendship. I mean...you gave me a sponge bath, how could we be any closer?” Kurt laughed when Blaine turned bright red once more. He got very fidgety and shifted around to get more comfortable. They were both under the covers, the wind and snow beating the windows and making the room chilly. Blaine deliberately put a little more space between them. He turned his head a little, afraid to see Kurts reaction to his news that had driven a wedge between himself and his parents.

“Blaine? You dont have to tell me. I can see its making you uncomfortable. There is room between us for privacy, you know. Youll tell me one day if you want. If not, well, no harm done. Unless you are secretly a Republican?” Kurt tried to get Blaine to smile, and he got a little smirk.

“I told them I am gay,” Blaine whispered, looking down at his lap. He was blushing dark red, a painful flush coursing through his body as he trembled, so emotional, so scared.

“Blaine?” Kurt asked, touching Blaines chin with his fingers and raising his face. “Blaine, its okay.”

Blaine just looked away with his eyes, his face still tipped towards the other boy. Kurt didnt let go.

“Look at me, Blaine,” Kurt said softly, so sympathetic to Blaines feelings over this. “Please, look at me. Dont be afraid of me, Blaine. Were friends,” Kurt said. Blaine finally gave in and looked at Kurts face, those soft lips, the sparkling blue eyes, the sincere expression. Kurt moved forward slowly and placed his mouth on Blaines lips, giving him a very sweet, chaste kiss. He let go of Blaines chin and sat back a little, his arms finding their way around Blaines waist.

“Oh....youre? You are also...?” was all he could say. He looked at Kurt, his mouth still open a bit in awe of what he just did – what Kurt just did. He felt like he was moving under water, everything slow and deliberate. Kurt was smiling at him. Smiling. That 1000 watt smile, meant for him.

“Yes, Blaine. I am. Gold star gay. Hey, are you okay?” Kurt asked, his face starting to show concern.

“Ah...yeah, Im okay. Yeah. I just never...well, I wished for a while...oh, I didnt say that...Kurt?” Blaine rambled, not sure what to say.

“Welcome to the team,” Kurt giggled.

“Ah...yeah,” Blaine was still speechless. He had been prepared for anything. He knew what he would say if Kurt had expressed anything – pity, shock, understanding...anything but what he did say. Kurt was gay, too? That was too good to be true.

Blaine had met several gay students at Dalton, but there were not a lot and most of them were in relationships. It was fine, Blaine was busy with all of his extra-curricular and didnt really have time to devote to the kind of relationship he wanted to have. Hed never gone looking for a boyfriend, never met anyone he wanted to get that close to. He had close friends: Jeff and Nick, Thad and Trent. Most of the Warblers were his close friends. This...this was different. He suddenly realized that he had wanted to have something more with Kurt. Hed put it at the back of his mind, never thinking Kurt would be interested. This was a revelation.

“Hey, Blaine. Did I lose you somewhere?” Kurt asked. He was kidding, but there was a note of serious concern that resonated in Blaines mind and he shook himself back to full consciousness.

Im okay. I just never...well, I didnt think about it. I must seem like a complete idiot here...maybe I need to go use the restroom for a moment. Ill be back,” he said, quickly getting up and walking to the bathroom. He closed the heavy door and locked it, sliding to the floor. Sitting with his back to the door and his face in his hands, he blinked back emotional tears. It had been an emotional day and he just now realized it was after four in the afternoon. They had skipped lunch and just spent the whole day talking. How did that happen? Well, Kurt was easy to talk to. They just hit it off and felt so comfortable together...then Blaine thought about how much Kurt needed to eat and have his medications and the fact the Cooper would be here in a few minutes to change the antibiotic in the IV.

Blaine jumped to his feet, splashing some cold water on his face and drying it in a hurry. He used the facilities and washed his hands, spritzing on a tiny bit more cologne before going back into the dorm room.

“Kurt, do you need help into the restroom?” Blaine asked. Hed been helping Kurt to get there all week.

“Yeah, if you dont mind. I just realized how late it is. Im sorry, I didnt give you a minute to even eat lunch,” Kurt said, a bit at a loss as to what to say now. He had suspected that Blaine might be gay, but the myth about gaydar wasnt always a certainty and Kurt was not used to looking for gay companionship, given that he lived in Lima, Ohio and went to McKinley. He had just waited to find out, his patience fraying as time went on. At least he knew for sure now.

Blaine picked him up, setting him down on his one leg at the side of the bed and helping him hop into the bathroom, leaving him alone to finish his business. He got busy getting out the sandwiches hed packed for lunch and setting them on plates, adding a bowl of mixed berries with whipped cream for dessert. When Kurt called to him, he went back in to the bathroom and helped Kurt back to the bed. He had just gotten Kurt tucked in to bed when there was a knock at the door and Cooper walked in.

“Hello, guys. How is my favorite patient today?” he asked Kurt, who smiled at him.

“Im feeling much better, thank you.”

“Okay, lets just get the preliminaries out of the way,” Cooper said, taking Kurts temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and then unwrapping the wound. “Its looking good, considering what you did to it. Lets just get it flushed and you can get on as soon as I add the new bag of antibiotics. I am planning on switching you to oral medications tomorrow. I think the IV has done its job,” Cooper said, opening a plastic bag of orangey-gold liquid to drip into the IV.

“How is the pain?” he asked.

“Down to a four in most places, still a good six at the gash site. That is an improvement, though, right?” Kurt said, a look of hope on his face.

“Good. Well, you have those pills if you get to hurting too much. You mentioned you have Menieres, how are you doing with that? Any spells?” the doctor asked.

“Not anything to write home about. I get dizzy in the mornings usually, but nothing has lasted past nine or so. I used to take hydrochlorithyazine, but I ran out so it comes a little more frequently,” Kurt rattled off.

“No problem. I can write you a script for that and bring it with me tomorrow. You shouldnt stop that unless you have spoken with your doctor, you know,” Cooper frowned.

“I know. It was a bit out of control at the time. Thank you, Dr. Anderson,” Kurt said.

“Its Cooper to you. Now, let me get this wrapped back up. You might possibly be able to use the prosthesis on Friday, but you need a new one. I can try to make a pad for temporary use, but you and I both know that is not enough. Well talk, okay Kurt?” Cooper said, sounding a bit on edge.

“Of course, doctor, of course,” Kurt said in a shy manner. He was still not completely comfortable with Blaines brother yet.

“Friday....come with Blaine to dinner and I will let you use your prosthesis again. Deal?” Cooper asked.

“A...yes, thank you. I will be there,” he said, startled by the invitation.

“Okay, I have a date tonight, so I need to be on my way. Everything good here?” Cooper asked and both boys nodded. “And Blaine, keep a close eye on him. Call if you need me. Have a good night,” and Cooper was gone. It wasnt until Kurt had finished the sandwich that he realized Cooper had called him Kurt.