Blaine was worried.

It had been several weeks since the last time hed spoken to Kurt and worry had settled in the bottom of his gut in a heavyweight he carried around with him each day. He wouldnt be worrying if he hadnt shared any dreams with Kurt in that time, but he had done; hed shared three dreams with him in the last few weeks, yet he hadnt been able to speak to him. For some reason, in all three of those dreams Kurt had vanished within seconds of Blaine arriving in the dream. One time Blaine had called out Kurts name and started running towards him, but before he could reach him Kurt had looked over his shoulder at him and then vanished without saying a word. Blaine didnt understand it.

At first he worried that hed done something wrong, something to upset Kurt. He spent hours one Sunday thinking back over all the dreams they had shared, trying to remember if hed said or done something that could possibly have upset Kurt. To his frustration and mild relief, hed been unable to think of anything. This quickly resolved into fear that their connection was fading. Feeling frantic, hed searched through the Internet for any record of this, scrolling through countless web pages and reading dozens of articles, finding nothing to suggest this could happen. According to all of the articles, once you travelled with someone multiple, successive times it was guaranteed you would travel with them again, even if it was months down the line or if you travelled with someone else in between. According to recent evidence, oneironautics travelled with their first dream partner for life, and the chances of your first partner being the sole person you shared dreams with was greatly increased if you shared your first three or four travelling dreams with them. Though Blaine was mostly convinced by this, he couldnt help a lingering doubt from seeding in the back of his mind: the slim chance that he and Kurt were an exception.

It was only after exhausting both of these concerns that he considered Kurts health as a potential cause. He then felt horribly guilty that it had taken him so long to think of this. Kurt might have been sick or really struggling with something in his personal life while Blaine had spent days worrying about petty, selfish reasons for their lack of communication. Of course, there were many reasons behind why Kurt could keep waking up from their shared dreams, one of which could be that he was on some new treatment that was actually effective. Blaine knew Kurt had said that his parents were more than accepting of his decision to not seek a cure, but that didnt mean that he hadnt changed his mind or decided to give in to his familys requests. He had dismissed this theory quickly: if there was a new treatment that was even remotely effective his own parents would have heard about it and would be trying to talk him into taking it. There had to be some other reason behind it.

As the days went by, Blaine started sleeping poorly. He woke often through the night, jerking awake whenever Kurt disappeared from a dream or he became aware of his absence. His lucid dreams also became more tiring and strenuous to be in, some of them more like nightmares than dreams. In them he found himself in stressful or confusing situations, making him feel strained or under pressure until he woke with a pounding heart and gasping for breath. Most nights it felt like hed barely slept at all and he found it increasingly difficult to keep a smile on his face and be his usual self.

It didnt take long for his parents to pick up on his increased tiredness. He went through a dinner one night under complete scrutiny and then he was questioned as soon as the plates were cleared away. There had been no arguing with them that he wasnt any more tired than normal, all of his protests fell on deaf ears. They brought out the old argument again, accusing him of being irresponsible and deliberately harming his own health.

"How do you expect to succeed in life if you keep going like this, Blaine?" his dad asked, his voice raised in indignation, like he couldnt believe a son of his could be so stupid. "How can you get into a good college and get a good job when youre walking around half asleep?"

His mom nodded along in agreement to her husbands words. "This is why you should be on trials and testing treatments. You need to find something that works as soon as possible so you can get your life back on track."

Now it was Blaines turn to be indignant. He screwed up his face in annoyance. "Get my life back on track? When has it been off-track?" He counted points off on his fingers. "My grades are perfect, I do several extra-curricular activities, I ace all of my piano exams, and I do volunteer work. What else should I be doing?"

His dads stern, disappointed expression didnt ease any. "This is only high school, Blaine; it only gets harder from here."

"And youre struggling as it is," his mom added.

Blaines indignant frown deepened. "Since when was I-"

"We dont want to see you miss out on your potential on a silly act of rebellion," his mom interrupted.

Blaine gritted his teeth, his lower jaw jutting forwards as he fought the urge to scream. "This is not rebellion. I just want a break from all of this treatment stuff. It takes more out of me than the dreams do!" Folding his arms across his chest, Blaine held his stubborn stance, glaring at his parents. He knew he was being difficult, but he wasnt going to back down on this.

His parents exchanged a look, both of them looking annoyed and frustrated. After a moment, his dad turned to face him.

"Just think about what youre doing here, about the decision youve made. Think about how it will affect your future, not just the present. You might be managing now, but itll be a different story when youre in college. You could miss out on being part of a clinical trial that finds an effective treatment - and you know how long it takes drugs to become freely available in such a situation." He shook his head. "I dont know why youve had a sudden change of heart about this, but youre making a big mistake, Blaine."

After one last stern look at Blaine, his dad left the kitchen, heading through to the adjoining living room. His mom watched him go, before turning her gaze back on Blaine.

"I know we cant force you to go back on treatment, but we will keep trying to make you see sense. I wont stand by and watch you ruin your life."

With that his mom followed his dad into the living room, leaving Blaine standing in the middle of the kitchen, wishing that, for once in his life, his parents would listen to what he wanted. He hoped Kurt would come back soon so there wouldnt be such a bright spotlight shining on his condition.

Almost one month after their last conversation, Blaines wish was granted. He was standing on a hillside in amongst tall, swaying grasses and weeds, the ground uneven in some places and the occasional rabbit hole visible. The hill looked out over a thick canopy of trees, their dark green foliage only allowing the roofs of a few buildings to peek through. Strikingly, in an area straight ahead of him where the trees thinned slightly, the top of a Ferris wheel rose above the vegetation, shining in the sun coming through the patchy clouds.

He sensed Kurts presence immediately and hope flooded him, making his senses extra sensitive to any sign of another person. His muscles tensed with anticipation, readying him to run should Kurt try to disappear again. He searched the hillside frantically and spotted Kurt sitting on the edge of the slope, looking out over the view.

Heart pounding, Blaine walked over to join him, saying nothing as he lowered himself down on the thick grass beside him.

For a moment Kurt didnt speak either and they sat in silence staring out over the trees, watching the Ferris wheel light up and grow dull as the sun appeared and disappeared behind the swiftly moving clouds.

"Im sorry," Kurt said eventually. He didnt look at Blaine, not shifting his gaze from the view before them. Blaine looked over at him, admiring the way the patchy sunlight intermittently lit up his profile and the swoop of his hair with a stunning golden glow and cast his features in a study of contrasting shadows.

"I know you kept trying to talk to me and I kept leaving," Kurt continued, his hands fidgeting with a stalk of grass hed plucked from nearby. "I must have made you worry - Im sorry."

Blaine waited, wanting to hear Kurts explanation. Kurts behavior and demeanor was worrying him and the feeling that something was wrong settled in his stomach in a cold, hard lump.

Kurt inhaled deeply. "My dad had a heart attack."

Blaine felt as though hed been punched in the stomach. The air left his lungs in a whoosh and his belly filled with a painful hollowness. All that time hed been fretting over what hed done wrong and whether they were getting different dream partners, when Kurt had been going through something as horrific as that. He felt sick with guilt.

"Im so sorry, Kurt; thats awful," he said sincerely. He wished he could lay a comforting hand on Kurts arm, but he wasnt sure it would be welcome. Kurt still hadnt looked at him. He hesitated, not wanting to ask, but needing to know. "Is he-"

"Hes fine now," Kurt replied, knowing what Blaine had been asking. "Hes perfectly healthy again; it was just a scare." He swallowed, the bump of his Adams apple bobbing. "I havent been able to sleep properly since it happened. At first I was scared he wouldnt recover as well as everyone kept telling me he would, and then when he got home from the hospital I was constantly on tenterhooks, waiting for it to happen again." He paused to take a settling breath. "I planned a healthy diet for him to follow, made sure he was doing the exercise the doctor recommended, took on extra shifts at the garage to stop my dad from working too much and overexerting himself, and I became stressed, I guess. I went to bed each night with my head buzzing with everything I had to do next day and how to fit caring for my dad around school. I know Carole was more than capable of doing most of it, but I needed to be the one doing it all. I had to be sure my dad was being healthy and taking care of himself, otherwise I would worry.

"I couldnt sleep because I was worrying so much and when I did eventually fall asleep I would wake soon afterwards to worry some more. Its only recently that its gotten easier."

Blaines eyes ran over Kurt again and this time he noticed the exhausted slump to his shoulders, the smudged dark rings beneath his eyes, and the dull, pale tinge to his skin. Yet even though it was affecting him so, Blaine had to admire Kurts strength and commitment to his family; it wasnt just anyone who could manage everything Kurt had been through. The resilience was incredible.

"Im so sorry, Kurt," Blaine said softly. "I cant imagine how hard that must have been for you, especially since your mom-" He cut himself off abruptly, hoping he hadnt crossed a line and made things worse. He wanted to kick himself for being so careless.

Finally, Kurt turned to look at him. To Blaines relief, he didnt look angry or distraught, but grateful, smiling at Blaine through his weariness. He placed his hand on top of Blaines where it rested on his knee and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Thank you. These past few weeks have been hard, but Ive had Carole and my friends for support."

"I wish I could have helped," Blaine whispered, lowering his gaze to their hands. He twisted his hand around so he could return Kurts soft grip. "I worried about you when you kept disappearing before we could talk." He looked up at Kurt from under his lashes, watching as he licked his lips, his gaze also trained on their joined hands.

"Maybe- Maybe we could keep in contact instead of waiting until we meet again," Kurt suggested hesitantly.

Blaine snapped his head up to look at him. "You mean like, swap phone numbers?"

Kurt shrugged. "Well, yeah..." He met Blaines eyes. "If thats something youd want..."

"Oh, it is," Blaine assured him hastily. He did really want to be able to talk to Kurt whenever he wanted to, but it was something hed never considered before; he had just never thought it would be possible for them to communicate outside of this space they met in.

Kurt smiled, suddenly looking more cheerful and alert. "Great!"

He recited his phone number and Blaine relayed his own, before realising something and looking around in dismay. "I havent got anything to write your number down on."

Kurts face fell for the briefest second. "Me either... Well just have to remember them."

With a soft smile, Blaine asked Kurt about his Glee club and from there they caught up on everything that had happened in the last month. Blaine didnt share the latest spat hed had with his parents, not wanting to draw sympathy to himself after what Kurt had been through - was still going through. As Kurt talked about his increased involvement at his dads garage, Blaine realised that they were still holding hands. Warmth spilled through his veins at the reminder and he smiled as he glanced down at their joined hands. The comfort of Kurts hand in his own was like that of a well-worn, warm sweater on a cold day: it was easy to become used to it and forget what it was like without it, but every now and then, like a flurry of cold air, he was reminded and it sent a buzz of comfort and gentle heat through him. He was too at peace to wonder about their clasped hands, to question why they had not let go when the difficult conversation had ended. He just held Kurts hand.

Blaine laughed as Kurt imitated his dads reaction to a salad they had for dinner one night, feeling an extra spark of happiness that Kurt was talking about his dad with a more light-hearted attitude. He went to say something in response when he felt a tugging sensation somewhere deep inside his body and the next thing he knew Kurt was gone and he was lying in his bed with his empty hand stretched out across the cool sheets, a phone number lingering in his head.

Kurt received his first text from Blaine the morning after theyd exchanged phone numbers in a dream.

He was on his way to his second period class, weaving his way through swarms of people, none of them courteous enough to change their path for him, when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. His immediate reaction was fear, the feeling slipping down his spine like someone had dropped an ice cube down the back of his shirt, until the more rational side of his brain reminded him that if something had happened to his dad he wouldnt be informed through a text message.

He ducked out of the streams of student traffic heading down the hall and stood against the wall, taking a second or two to calm himself down. Hed been on edge since Miss. Pillsbury had called him out of class last month and he couldnt seem to shake the feeling, despite watching his dad get healthier every day. Every phone call could be bringing bad news, every arrival home could lead to him finding his worst nightmare - he needed to stop imagining the worst all the time, but it was proving difficult to do.

With his hands only slightly shaking he pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen, expecting to see some inane text from Rachel. His heart skipped a beat, something in his belly squirmed pleasurably, and his face lit up in a delighted smile at the name on the screen.

Blaine.

Hed entered Blaines number into his phone that morning having woken with it flashing like a beacon in his head. Being in contact with Blaine wasnt something he was hesitant about; he was sure other travellers contacted and even met with each other outside of their dreams. His only uncertainty had been over whether Blaine wanted this as well, and knowing he did left him feeling only excitement.

He opened the text with his heart pounding somewhere in the region of his throat.

‘So I woke up this morning with your number in my head - hows that for a crazy dream?

A large, unabashed grin spread across Kurts face. A passing jock in his trademark letterman jacket sneered at him, but Kurt didnt even notice, too wrapped up in that little message on his phone. He imagined Blaine writing it, a small smile tugging at one corner of his mouth as he tapped the message into his phone. Maybe he had been in school, leaning against his locker or walking along a hall; maybe he had still been at home, still in his sleep clothes and with his hair free from the gel he used to slick it down with. Not knowing where Blaine lived he couldnt know which was more probable.

‘Thats odd; I got your number the same way! We must have had the same dream, Kurt texted back.

He felt a small rush of nervous excitement when he sent the text and he resisted the urge to stand and stare at his phone until Blaine replied. Instead, he pocketed his phone and continued to class, rushing a little to make it on time.

Blaine texted him back not long after his class started. He fought the temptation to read the reply, knowing this teacher was particularly strict about cell phone use during class. With his mind on the message sitting in his phone in his pocket, he found it hard to stay focussed during the lesson and spent a lot of time checking the clock and counting down the minutes until class ended. The moment class ended he threw all of his things into his bag and all but sprinted out the door, grabbing his phone as he went.

‘They say great minds think alike - perhaps that encompasses dreams as well? Also, I dont know what time zone youre in, but I hope youre not texting me in class, mister.

A giddy, fizzing happiness made Kurts hands tremble slightly as he tapped out a reply. He could get used to speaking to Blaine like this. He didnt know how he could have ever been content with only talking to him in dreams.

‘I dont particularly want to dance around the subject, so Ill just say it. Im from Ohio - Lima to be exact.

‘Barnstable, Massachusetts. So we are in the same time zone then! Why did it take us texting each other to say where we live? We must have talked about everything but that.

Kurt texted back and forth with Blaine throughout the rest of the day, sending his replies mostly during the walk between classes but occasionally hiding his phone beneath the desk.

It wasnt until he was sitting in the choir room for Glee club at the end of the day that someone remarked on his texting. Rachel shot him several pointed looks as he texted instead of giving his full, undivided attention to what their choir director, Mr. Schuester, was saying. Once he started passing sheet music out Rachel turned to scowl at Kurt.

"You know, this is the reason we didnt win Nationals. Im the only one who listens to Mr. Schue! I know Im talented, but unfortunately our performance cant consist entirely of my stellar solos," she said loudly, earning her an eye roll from Quinn, who was sitting in the row in front of them.

Kurt chose not to respond to her; replying would only entice her to continue ranting and bragging. He put his phone back in his pocket and accepted the pile of music from Sam. Rachel sniffed in huffy annoyance as he passed her the music.

"Who are you texting anyway?"

Kurt hesitated, trying to weigh up whether it would be better to just tell her or to leave her guessing. It didnt take him long to decide the insistent pestering to know who it was would annoy him. Besides, it wasnt like he had anything to hide.

"Its Blaine." He shifted in his chair as the intensity of her gaze increased. "You know, the guy I share dreams with."

Rachel bit her lip, her glare dissolving into a worried frown. "Is that something you should be doing? Is there not some kind of rule about it? Like, what happens in your dreams stays in your dreams?"

Kurt had suspected she may react this way; it would either have been this or her wanting to know all of the details of his and Blaines dreams and text messages. He understood where her concern was coming from, but her worry was caused by a lack of understanding and insight into oneironautics. If she had the condition, he knew she would want to learn all she could about her dream partner and would most definitely want to contact them outside of dreams. In fact, knowing Rachel, she would probably take it another step and stalk them on social media.

He shook his head jerkily, like a dog getting rid of a fly. "No, people do it all the time. Some people meet up and become friends with their dream partners."

"Is that what you want with Blaine?" Rachel asked shrewdly, lowering her voice as Mr. Schuester started speaking again.

A warm flush spilled down Kurts neck and up across his cheeks. He hastily looked away from Rachel and stared determinedly at Mr. Schuester, who was gesturing to the sheet of music he was holding as he spoke.

"Maybe - I dont know," he said as nonchalantly as he could. Feeling Rachels gaze back on him, he glanced sideways at her and huffed at her raised eyebrow. "I dont even know where he lives!" he blurted weakly, his lie as obvious as the choir rooms grand piano.

Rachel shook her head almost sadly at him, disappointed in his pathetic attempt at lying. "Even if that wasnt a blatant lie, we both know that distance wouldnt be too much of an issue - isnt it, like, impossible to share dreams with someone who is too far away?"

"I wouldnt say impossible..." Kurt muttered. There had been extensive research on the distance between dream partners and although it looked as though you couldnt be too far away from someone you shared dreams with, no maximum distance of separation had been determined. "But, no, Blaine lives in Massachusetts, so its not too far, I guess."

Mr. Schuester had them singing some of the song hed passed out the music for then and Rachel didnt get a chance to respond until Glee was over.

"Just be careful, okay?" she said as they stood up and followed the others out of the door. "Its all fair enough seeing Blaine in your dreams and texting him, but if you decide to meet him-"

Realising where she was going, Kurt had to hold back a derisive snort. "Rachel, its not like hes someone Ive only communicated with online. I dont have to worry Blaines actually some sixty year-old or a mass-murderer, its not like that."

Hitching her bag strap further up her shoulder, Rachel huffed, looking a little annoyed that shed been snubbed. "Whatever. You still have to be careful."

"I am, Rachel," Kurt assured her. "I always am."

Three nights later, Kurt wasnt as careful as he should have been.

He had one of his bad dreams; a horrifying experience that he didnt manage to break free of quickly enough. It was the first one hed had since meeting Blaine; all of his other lucid dreams since then had been pleasant and easy to wake up from, not the nightmare this had been.

It was almost midday when he woke, and not only was he panting and sweating like hed just run a marathon, but he was late for school, so late that he wasnt even sure if it was actually worth going. When his heart had slowed to a more normal rate and the tremoring in his limbs had ceased, he sat up in bed and reached for his phone, swiping it off of his nightstand.

Hed received two texts while hed been asleep as well as notifications that hed missed his alarm going off. Clearing the latter, he clicked through his messages and paused, his thumb hovering over the two unread messages: one from his dad and one from Blaine. Making the decision to save Blaines message for last, he opened the one from his dad.

‘Let me know when you wake up. I tried to wake you this morning before I left for work, but couldnt. I guess you were dreaming. Just call me when you read this so I know youre okay.

Kurt rubbed wearily at his forehead. He hated that his dad was most likely worrying about him right now - the extra stress was the last thing his dad needed. The fear that there was always a chance Kurt could fall asleep and not wake up for a long time was the worst part of his condition. He obeyed his dads request and called him quickly, letting him know he was awake and all was well. The relief in his dads voice was palpable.

After ending his call with his dad, Kurt felt even worse than he had done when hed first woken up. Heaving a deep sigh, he opened Blaines text.

‘Good morning! I hope you slept well :)

With his mind still partially in the weird, disorienting state of dreaming, his body still recovering from the nightmare, and concern for his dad gnawing at him, Kurt tapped out a reply to Blaine.

‘Or not such a good morning... Awful dream - took too long to wake up from it and now Ive missed most of school. On top of that, my dad has been worrying about me since he couldnt wake me this morning. I wish you had been there, then this whole situation wouldnt seem so bad; it would be brighter, somehow. Its a pity we dont share all of our dreams...

He hit send - and regretted it almost immediately.

Groaning at his own stupidity, he threw his phone aside and buried his face in his hands. He hoped Blaine would recognise the text for what it was: a rashly sent message from someone disoriented and frustrated by a dream, and not the confessions of someone who was possibly, maybe, developing a crush on him.