"I knew it!"

Carson's eyes flew open and he froze in the middle of a kiss, his lips still firmly attached to Kurt's. He stared in horror at Kurt, whose eyes were also wide open, as they exchanged mutual "Oh, shit!" looks before parting. Kurt's face was as red as a boiled beet, and Carson was sure his was the same. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he was never more grateful for the fact that he was off the heart monitor than he was right now, because the amount of beeping it would have been doing at the moment would have alerted nurses in Canada that there was something happening in the room. He really didn't want to turn around and see who their most unwelcome surprise visitor was, but he could tell by the look on Kurt's face as he stared at the intruder that they were probably so screwed.

"Oh my god, what the hell are you doing here?" Kurt exclaimed, and Carson caved and turned around. Sebastian Smythe was standing in the doorway, a sly grin on his face as he stared at the two of them on the bed. Of course, I should have fucking known, Carson thought. I knew that voice sounded familiar. It occurred to him that he was still clinging to Kurt, but since the damage, so to speak, had already been done, he didn't see the point in letting go now.

"Forget what I'm doing here," said Sebastian, still grinning at them like a Cheshire cat. "What about what you're doing? I've got to say, I suspected this all along. I just didn't think I'd be lucky enough to walk in on it in progress in the middle of a hospital bed."

"God, will you shut up?" Kurt hissed, glaring at Sebastian. "And close the door!" Sebastian did as he was asked, never tearing his eyes off of the twins as he closed the door and took a few more steps into the room, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed casually across his chest.

"Well, if this isn't just the cutest thing," Sebastian cooed, giving them a cheeky smile and shaking his head. "Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "brotherly love," wouldn't you agree?"

"This isn't what it looks like, ok?" Carson spoke up, looking Sebastian in the eye and trying his best to sound convincing. "It was...we were just..."

"Wait, don't tell me," Sebastian said, holding up one hand and chuckling. "Your lips were cold and Kurt was just warming them up for you? Or, no, wait...I know. You had a boo-boo on your lip and he was kissing it better. With his tongue." He snorted at his own joke, and Carson glared at him.

"My question still stands. What are you doing here?" Kurt snapped, his arms tightening protectively around Carson. "It's not visiting hours yet, and you're not family."

"You'd be surprised at what a good liar I am. The nurses think I'm your cousin. And relax, jeez. I come in peace," Sebastian replied. "Word on the internet was that Carson had a little accident, and since I did almost take his virginity and all, I thought it would be kind of appropriate to come and see how he's holding up. Although, I guess now I see that he's got you keeping him up, hmm? If you know what I mean?" Kurt scowled.

"So, what, you just hopped on a plane to New York to pay him a friendly visit?" he said fiercely, his eyes practically glowing with rage. If they weren't in such hot water right now, Carson would have been so turned on.

"No, actually, I hopped on a plane to New York a couple of days ago. To spend part of the summer with my aunt," said Sebastian calmly.

"Bullshit," retorted Kurt. "You've done nothing the entire time I've known you except cause me misery. You expect me to believe that you just happened to be in New York with no ulterior motive? When the last time I saw you, you were attempting to...to...to corrupt my brother?"

"You can always ask my aunt, if you don't believe me," said Sebastian. "Considering that you work for her."

Kurt froze for a second, and Carson watched his face as he worked out what Sebastian had said. "Your aunt is..."

"Isabelle Wright of Vogue fame?" supplied Sebastian. "Yep. And...come on, you're doing a much better job of corrupting your own brother than I ever could have, so..."

"But Isabelle never told me she had a nephew," mused Kurt.

"Well, did you ask?" asked Sebastian with an amused smile. Kurt glared at him.

"You know, Meerkat-"

"Ok, as weirdly hot as it is watching two guys fight over me, can we just cut all the bullshit?" asked Carson, who had been valiantly suppressing a rising panic in his chest ever since Sebastian had entered the room. Kurt's ever-tightening grip on him was keeping him calm, but just barely. "Sebastian, if you say anything to anyone about what you saw, I swear to god..."

"Once again, relax," said Sebastian, rolling his eyes heavenward and shaking his head. "Damn, can I do anything without everybody thinking I'm up to something? I'm not here to make anyone's life miserable. I promise. I mean, I know I've definitely been a dick in the past, to both of you. But honestly, I'm just here because I heard about what happened and wanted to show my support for a friend."

Carson exchanged a baffled look with Kurt before turning back to Sebastian. "Friend?"

"Ok, maybe not friend exactly," corrected Sebastian. "More like...casual acquaintance whom I almost had sex with once? Does that work?" Carson didn't know what to say to that. Kurt scowled next to him.

"Almost being the key word, there," said Kurt quickly. "You almost had sex with him, and fortunately, you didn't."

Sebastian's face broke back into a grin as he looked back and forth between the two of them. "Speaking of that, I totally suspected this. You two were about as subtle as a car crash, what with all your jealousy and eye-fucking. I'm surprised the whole state of Ohio didn't know. And as soon as Carson turned down sex with me, I knew something was definitely up. Nobody ever turns down sex with me. Not without a damn good reason."

"Mm-hmm. I'm so sure," said Kurt sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Actually, the only people who ever turn you down for sex do it because of me, so let's reflect on that for a minute."

"Oooh, sassy!" said Sebastian excitedly. "Love it. It's super hot."

"Bite me," snapped Kurt.

"I'd like to, but I think Carson has that covered," replied Sebastian casually. "And I'm a little over trying to steal other people's boyfriends."

"Carson frowned. The casual way Sebastian was treating the situation was a little bit of a relief, but he still wasn't quite sure he trusted him. "Aren't you...aren't you, like, grossed out or something?" he asked. He was still trying to figure out what Sebastian's angle was here, exactly. Sure, Santana had known and hadn't cared., but that wasn't generally the reaction Carson was expecting from anyone else, if anyone else were to ever find out. It was weird.

"Grossed out? No. Not at all," replied Sebastian with a shrug. "Granted, it's more than a little unusual, but if I'm being completely honest...and I am, because I'm an honest kind of guy...I think it's actually pretty hot."

Carson heard Kurt let out a scoff beside him, and his twin's grip on him got as tight as it could get without Kurt physically gluing their bodies together. "You are such a pervert," he muttered under his breath.

Sebastian snorted. "Me? I'm not the one screwing my own twin brother, Kurt."

"Shhhh," Kurt hissed, looking around wildly. "Keep your damn voice down, god!"

Carson narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the boy staring at them. "So you're not going to tell anyone, or...?"

Sebastian shook his head. "Nope. I could, of course. Maybe I even should. But right now...naw. I said I wasn't going to be a dick anymore, and I'm not. Much. I mean, I'm definitely going to be hoping like fuck from now on that I get a free show or two out of keeping my mouth shut, but-"

"In your dreams," snapped Carson. "There will be no free shows for you, ever. I don't care how silent you are. We're not going to be your fucking little pervert fantasy."

"Damn right," agreed Kurt. "I won't be exploiting my relationship with Carson for your sick twin fetish or whatever the hell it is you've got."

Sebastian sighed. "Well, it was worth a shot. Damn, I wish I hadn't said anything when I walked in on you kissing. I should have shut the fuck up and waited for you to go further. Just tell me one thing. Would there have been at least partial nudity if I had watched for a little bit longer?"

Kurt let out an indignant gasp. Carson glared at him. "Get the hell out of my room," he ordered, letting go of Kurt and pointing toward the door as fiercely as he could.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry," Sebastian said quickly, holding his hands up in surrender. "That was rude." He was silent for a minute before speaking again. "Would there at least have been tongues traveling places other than mouths, or...?"

Kurt opened his mouth, probably about to tell Sebastian where to shove it, but was interrupted by the arrival of their father, who entered the room looking curiously at Sebastian and then over at the twins.

"I'm back, boys," he announced, giving Sebastian another inquiring look. "This guy someone you know, Carson?" he asked.

"You could say that," replied Carson dryly, hoping he sounded casual and not at all like the panicked mess he was, worrying that Sebastian would break his promise right then and there and say something to Burt. Kurt looked at the wall, avoiding looking at Sebastian, and Carson could practically feel the rapid thumping of his twin's heart as he was probably panicking over the same thing.

If he says anything, I swear to fuck, I will fucking end him.

"We know each other from Lima," supplied Sebastian in an uncharacteristically friendly voice, sticking his hand out for Burt to shake. "Sebastian Smythe, sir," he introduced himself, and Carson breathed a slight sigh of relief as he felt Kurt squeeze at his hand. He wasn't sure what he would have done had Sebastian decided to shoot his mouth off, but he didn't even want to think about it. He focused on getting his breathing and heart rate back to normal.

"Burt Hummel," Burt replied, shaking Sebastian's hand and looking at him quizzically.

"Anyway, I'll be a senior at Dalton Academy this year. My aunt happens to be Kurt's boss," continued Sebastian. "So I was in town. And when I heard about what happened to Carson, well..."

"Yes, and now he's very sorry, but he has to be going," said Kurt in a syrupy sweet voice, giving Sebastian a pointed look. "Isn't that right, Sebastian?"

Sebastian raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't argue. "Right," he agreed. "Lots to do. I'll be stopping by again, Carson," he said with a mischievous gleam in his eye. "I'm glad you're feeling so good."

"Yes, yes, bye now," said Kurt, his plastered on grin not leaving his face as he waved at Sebastian exaggeratedly. Sebastian nodded.

"Nice to have met you, Mr. Hummel," he said politely before exiting the room, much to Carson's relief.

"Hmm," said Burt thoughtfully as he settled into one of the room's chairs. "He's an odd one, isn't he?"

"Yep," said the twins at the same time, and Carson couldn't help but grin at how in sync they were with each other. He just hoped that the day wasn't going to get any weirder than it had been already.

As it turned out, aside from the very weird, confusing, and panic inducing visit from Sebastian, the day turned out very well indeed. Dr. Banks paid his usual afternoon visit, causing Carson to inwardly groan, since every time the man entered the room it seemed he was only there to give Carson another piece of bad news, or add something else to the list of things that he wouldn't be able to do normally for a very long time, if ever again. Carson supposed he should probably feel bad for unleashing his furious inner bitch on the guy every time this happened, but the lightning must have also damaged his ability to give a fuck, because he didn't. To say the least, the sight of the doctor was usually a pretty discouraging one, and Carson was all set to let loose with the newest list of profanity-laden complaints he had stored up since the last time.

Which was why Carson was extremely surprised when the first words out of Dr. Banks' mouth this time were "Ok, Carson, before you yell at me, I have some good news."

"Good news?" Kurt asked hopefully, sitting up straighter in the chair he had been hunched in with a copy of Glamour stolen from a waiting room. He reached for Carson's hand and held it in his own, and all three Hummels looked at the doctor with rapt attention. "What good news?"

"Well," said Dr. Banks, opening up the folder he had carried into the room with him and looking over the papers contained within, "I'm happy to say that Carson's latest round of tests and scans show that he's exhibiting signs of improvement. He's slowly regaining his motor skills, and his latest brain scan shows significant improvement over the one we did when he first woke up."

"That's great, right?" asked Burt, taking Carson's other hand and looking pointedly at Dr. Banks. "That means he'll be back to normal soon?"

"Well, I wouldn't jump right to normal," cautioned Dr. Banks. "There's still a very long road to complete recovery ahead, and physical therapy sessions will have to be continued for quite a while before his motor skills are what they were before the lightning strike."

"Get to the point. When do I get to leave this shit heap of a hospital so I can go home and eat real food instead of reheated hippo balls?" asked Carson, and he could almost feel the embarrassment radiating off of Kurt and his father. Dr. Banks didn't even bat an eye.

"I'd say within the next few days, if all continues to go well," he answered brightly, probably secretly ecstatic at the prospect of being rid of Carson. "You can continue your treatment as an outpatient, but further hospitalization won't be necessary."

"Fuck yes!" Carson shouted, feeling happier than he'd felt in a long time. He really really fucking hated being in the hospital, and even worse, he hated that Kurt was wasting all his time sitting in the damn hospital because of him when he should have been going to work and living his life. The guilt over that had been steadily eating at Carson for a while now, and getting worse with every passing day. But if he could go home, Kurt wouldn't have to worry about him as much. He suddenly couldn't wait to leave.

"I'm glad to see you so excited about something," said Dr. Banks with a smile. "We're just going to keep an eye on you for a little bit longer, and then you can go. Think you can handle that?"

"He can handle it," Kurt answered for him before Carson could say anything. "I'll make sure he rests so that he'll in good shape to come home." He had the cutest little grin on his face, and Carson knew he was excited about the prospect of no more hospital. He was probably more excited than Carson.

"You get to come home with me, Carsey!" he exclaimed. "No more gross hospital food for you. I'll make sure you only have stuff you like when this is over, ok?" He's such an angel. I bet he hates spending all his time in here, though. If it wasn't for me, he could be living a normal life, working at Vogue and hanging out with Trollberry, and I wouldn't be getting in the way with my stupid lightning injuries and embarrassing him with my bitching about the food here. I'm sorry, Kurtsie. I'll work on getting better for you. Ok?

He did his best to be on good behavior for the next couple of days, although it was really very difficult. Every fiber of his being was screaming out to complain, especially now that he knew freedom (if one could call it that) was so close. He almost had a breakdown when he had a slight attack of what he called the "Tingles" the night before he was due to be discharged, making it necessary for Kurt to assist him in the bathroom again because he could barely feel his hands. He had hoped never to repeat that humiliating experience, and yet there he was, a useless blob of skin who couldn't even piss by himself. Again.

"I just want to be normal again," he said quietly as Kurt helped him back into bed. He was trying very hard not to cry out of frustration. "I just want things back the way they were. Or, you know, at least be able to do basic day to day shit like a fucking adult instead of a toddler." And not be such a burden on you, when you didn't ever ask for any of this. Ever since I've been born I've caused you more trouble than you deserve.

Kurt gave him a sympathetic smile and tucked him into bed, planting a soft kiss on his forehead. Lips were off limits, because Burt was sleeping in his chair, and Carson knew the risk of him waking up and seeing a kiss was too much. It was bad enough being caught by Sebastian, they definitely didn't need to add their dad to the list.

"I know, baby," Kurt replied, reaching up one hand to stroke Carson's hair gently. "But look at it this way. You must be improving a lot if they're ready to send you home, right? Otherwise they'd keep you here. You must be well enough that they think you can manage mostly on your own at home."

"I guess so," muttered Carson.

"And I'll be there. Every step of the way," assured Kurt. "I'm going to take such good care of you, and I'm sure you'll be back to your old self very soon."

"I hate that you have to take care of me," Carson mumbled as Kurt walked over to the other side of the bed and carefully climbed in beside him. "It's so wrong. I've always been the one taking care of you."

"Carsey, we've been over this," Kurt reminded him gently, wrapping his arms around him and giving him an affectionate squeeze. "I love you," he whispered into his ear, making Carson's stomach swoop pleasantly. "And when two people love each other, they do what they need to do in order to take care of each other. Ok? Now, I don't want you to worry about that anymore. I want you to focus on your recovery. Just think, this time tomorrow night, we'll be in our own bed." He gave Carson a big smile, and Carson couldn't help but smile back.

"That will be nice," he agreed. It really would be. It had been far too long, and the feeling of Kurt's smooth, high quality bed sheets would feel like heaven compared to the scratchy, shitty hospital sheets. Not to mention there would be far less risk of anyone walking in on them kissing at home. Sure, Rachel and their dad would be at the apartment, but there was always that privacy curtain. Bless that privacy curtain. We can kiss all we want. God, I can't wait to go home.

"Of course it will. Now, I want you to close your eyes and go to sleep, baby," whispered Kurt, hugging him close. "I know it's been a rough night, but things will look better in the morning. They always do."

"Unless Sebastian is standing in the doorway," Carson quipped. "He texted me last night, you know. I don't even know how he got my number."

"Oh, really?" said Kurt in a false bright tone of voice dripping with the barely concealed jealousy that Carson found so hot. "What did it say?"

"It just said "What's up?" replied Carson. "I texted back "None of your damn business," and that was the end of it."

"Oh," said Kurt, hugging Carson just a little bit tighter to himself as he spoke. "How nice. Why don't we go to sleep now, ok?" He kissed the top of Carson's head once more, and Carson grinned to himself. Jealous Kurt was one of his favorite kinds of Kurt.

"Good night, Kurtsie," he said quietly, snuggling into Kurt's arms comfortably and resting his head on his chest. "I love you."

"I love you, too," replied Kurt. "More than you know, baby. More than you know."

Carson was beyond excited the next morning when he woke up. The first thing he registered was the comforting feeling of Kurt's arms around him, and he basked in the pure bliss of that for a few minutes until it dawned on him what today was.

Holy fucking balls, I get to go home today! he thought excitedly, feeling much more awake and alert than he had a few seconds ago. Oh god, oh god, oh god, I can't even wait anymore. I wonder if I should wake up Kurt. Naw, he looks comfortable. But I really want to get going as soon as possible. But I don't want to wake him. But I want to go home. But he looks so peaceful. Fuck.

He was still debating a minute later when the door to the room slowly opened. Carson was half afraid that Sebastian was about to enter the room, but it was Burt, who had the biggest grin on his face when he saw that Carson was awake.

"Hey, buddy. Guess who gets to go home today?" he said brightly crossing over to the bed and giving Carson a small hug. "Hmm...your brother's still out like a light."

"I know," replied Carson. "Poor thing must be exhausted from taking care of me all day, every day. We should let him sleep a little bit longer."

"Mmmph," mumbled Kurt, slowly opening his eyes, his grip on Carson getting a little tighter automatically. "No...no, I'm up. I'm up." He reached one hand up to his face and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I just...wait...today's the day, isn't it?" His eyes opened wide and he sat up in bed, looking excitedly from Carson to their father and back again. "Today's the day," he repeated. "We can go home today, Carsey!" He hugged Carson, and Carson was secretly glad that Burt was so used to them hugging and being overly affectionate and didn't even bat an eye, because that hug felt so good. "We can go home," Kurt repeated, and Carson caught a glimpse of tears in his twin's eyes.

"Kurtsie, don't cry," he said, reaching up to try to wipe away the tears from Kurt's face with his thumb. His coordination still wasn't the best, though, so all he managed to really accomplish was spread the tears around. "Please? You know I hate when you cry."

"Yeah, kid, cheer up," added Burt, giving Kurt a pat on the shoulder. "Today's gonna be a good day. Your brother's finally out of prison," he joked.

Kurt smiled through his tears. "I know, I just...Carsey, I'm so happy. I hated every minute of you being in this hospital when we...I mean, you...should have been living your life, and I just...I'm just so happy that I get to take you home today."

"That's right, you do," said Dr. Banks, strolling into the room with his ever-present clipboard. "How are we feeling today, Carson?"

"Well, doc, once again, I really couldn't say how we are feeling, because I'm not you and therefore I have no idea, nor do I really give a shit, how you're feeling. However, I am feeling pretty excited about going home, so I swear to god if anything happens to prevent that, I'm not going to lie, I'm going to go totally psycho, and it's not going to be pretty," replied Carson calmly. Dr. Banks gave him a tight smile.

"Well, Carson, fortunately I can't see any reason why you shouldn't be able to go home today," he replied, and Carson thought he detected a slight hint of relief in his voice. "You're no longer critical enough to require hospitalization, so yes, you do get to go home. However, we will be scheduling some follow-up appointments in the near future, and you'll be continuing your physical therapy sessions. I understand that you're supposed to be starting college in Chicago in the fall, is that right?"

Carson blinked at him. Northwestern and Chicago seemed so very far away now, like the former dreams of someone else. He hadn't even thought about the fact that he was supposed to at least attend the fall semester there. How am I supposed to manage being so far away from Kurt now? Even for six months? I'm not sure either one of us can handle that now, after all of this.

"I...um..." Carson stammered, wondering what the hell to say in response. He honestly had no idea what his future held anymore, and it occurred to him that his dad still had no idea of his original plan to transfer to a college in New York. Kurt looked just as unsure as Carson felt as he too pondered the doctor's question.

"Ok, well, whatever you end up doing or wherever you end up going, let us know during one of your appointments, and we'll see about transferring your medical records to a facility closer to you," said Dr. Banks, saving Carson from having to say anything. "Now, I'm giving you a couple of prescriptions when you leave today. One is for your nerve damage, and the other is for your headaches. The one for your headaches should keep much of the pain at bay while you finish recovering. And if you have any questions or ever need anything, my contact number is in the information packet that they'll give to you when you're released. Ok?"

"Great, when can I go?" asked Carson, getting right to the point.

"We'll let you get dressed, and then we can start the discharge paperwork," answered Dr. Banks. "Or someone could get started on the paperwork while you get ready."

Carson cast his best pleading look in Burt's direction and pouted. "Daaaaad?" he asked. "Pleeeeeeeease?" Burt chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.

"Ok. Ok, buddy. I'm on it. Kurt, get him ready. I think he'll just about fly out the window if we don't get him out of here soon."

"Dad, don't be ridiculous. I can't fly. My coordination is shit. I'd fall and break my neck," said Carson, and although Burt winced at the language, he didn't admonish Carson.

"Right, well, I'll be back, boys," he said, following Dr. Banks out of the room and leaving the boys alone. They hadn't been gone and the door shut for more than five seconds before Carson suddenly found his lips being ambushed by Kurt's as his twin pulled him into a deep, tender kiss.

"God, I'm so glad you're coming home with me," Kurt whispered before kissing Carson again. "No doctors or nurses or stupid, beeping machines. Just you and me. In our bed. I'm gonna spoil you so much, baby. You don't even know."

Carson smiled against Kurt's mouth and ran his tongue across his twin's bottom lip the way Kurt liked. "Mmm, we can do a lot of this, too, right?"

"You know it," replied Kurt. "Now, let's get you ready and dressed, hmm? I had Dad pick up one of your hoodies and a pair of jeans from the apartment, so you could feel like you again."

Several hours later, after Kurt had helped Carson shower and get dressed, all the discharge and insurance paperwork had been filled out, and the room was cleared out, Carson found himself in a wheelchair, being pushed by Kurt through the hospital lobby on his way home.

"The wheelchair is stupid," Carson complained as Kurt pushed him toward the door to wait while Burt filled out some last minute papers. "I can walk. My coordination isn't that bad."

"It's the rules, Carsey," said Kurt brightly from behind him, reaching out one hand to ruffle his hair. "They don't want you to trip and fall on your way out and sue them for all they're worth, you know."

"Actually, that's not a bad idea," mused Carson. "If I sued them, then I would be rich as fuck, and then you know what I would do? I would buy you the biggest, grandest New York City apartment I could find. And then there would be plenty of money for you to go all out with decorating, because I know how much you like that. You could go nuts. Think of it, Kurtsie. You could wallpaper the place in gold, if you wanted. Or lay it down on the floor. Buy any furniture you wanted, especially a nice bed with nice sheets for us. You know, for science."

Kurt laughed and took the hand that Carson was lazily reaching backwards. He brought the hand up to his lips and planted a soft kiss on the knuckles, and Carson's stomach flipped happily. "That would be really nice, Carsey, and I love you for thinking of me, but think of how many people would have to be without good medical care because you took away all the hospital's money. You don't want to be the one responsible for that, do you?"

Carson sighed. "I guess not. Damn, why do you have to be so kind and caring and perfect?"

Kurt shrugged. "It's a gift. Now stay in your wheelchair."

"Ready to go, boys?" asked Burt, approaching them with a smile.

"God, yes, get me the hell out of this hell hole," answered Carson. Kurt snorted and began pushing him out the door that Burt was holding open for them.

"Oh god, fresh air!" exclaimed Carson, taking a deep breath of the muggy city air. "Feels so damn good. I've been breathing in gross hospital germs for so long, I almost forgot what the outdoors smells like." He sniffed again and made a face. "Actually, it smells kind of like old hot dogs. Gross. I take it back."

"You're too much, Carsey," said Kurt, hailing a cab like an old pro and beginning to help him inside. "Just hold on. In a few hours, you'll be smelling food, because you'll be happy to know that I called Rachel yesterday. She's not planning to be around today, but before she disappeared for the weekend, I made her go grocery shopping with a very specific list I texted to her. I wasn't kidding when I said I planned to spoil you."

"You made her do it?" repeated Carson happily. "As in, gave her a direct order? For me?"

Kurt nodded. "Yep."

Carson smiled hopefully. "Did you tell her to get-"

"Chocolate ice cream? Yes. I did. Even though it will give you a headache and I think it's a bad idea," replied Kurt, settling into the backseat of the cab beside Carson and squeezing his hand. Carson rested his head against Kurt's shoulder and snuggled close as they made room for their dad to join them.

"You're the best bo...brother ever," said Carson, correcting himself just in time. Kurt grinned and placed his arm around him, causing Carson's heart to start beating furiously in his chest. God, I love him so much.

"I try," said Kurt. "Come on. Let's go home."

Kurt really hadn't been kidding when he said he was going to spoil Carson. After they had arrived back at the apartment and Kurt had settled Carson on the couch (at Carson's insistence, because he desperately wanted a break from laying in a bed), he wasted no time placing himself into the kitchen and cooking...well...everything and anything. There were so many good smells attacking Carson's nose at once that he didn't know what to focus on. All he knew was that it all smelled delicious, and he wanted to eat all of it.

"You didn't have to spoil me this much, Kurtsie," said Carson after he had downed his fourth helping of his favorite chocolate chip pancakes that Kurt had made for him. "I'll be bursting out of my clothes if I eat much more, but...god it's so damn good." He swiped his finger through the pool of syrup on his plate and stuck it in his mouth, closing his eyes to savor the flavor.

"Glad you enjoyed it," said Kurt, who had been sitting and watching Carson eat for the better part of an hour with a huge grin on his face. "Much better than the yucky hospital food, huh?"

"Fuck, yes," replied Carson. "You have no idea. Just...food, Kurt. Food. I haven't actually had any in so long.

Kurt smiled "I know, sweetheart. This is just the beginning of the food odyssey I plan to take you on. Do you think you have room for ice cream?"

Carson patted his stomach, as if literally checking if he had room. "Actually, Kurtsie, I think I'm kind of full."

"Kind of full?" said Burt, emerging from where he had been talking on his phone on the rollaway bed Kurt had set up for him in the corner of the living area. "With how much food Kurt made, I'm surprised you haven't turned into a giant waffle."

"Mmm-hmm, but he hasn't," said Kurt, checking his watch and pulling out Carson's prescription bottles, which they had picked up at a pharmacy on the way home that day.

"I don't know," said Carson thoughtfully. "Being a giant waffle might be fun. I wouldn't have been struck by lightning if I was a waffle. Or maybe I would have, but waffles are pretty resilient. At most I would have just been toasted a little."

"Giant waffles may be resilient, but so are you," said Kurt, shaking out a pill from each bottle and pushing them toward Carson, along with a small cup of water. "And to stay resilient, you're going to take your medicine now. I'm gonna have to put you on a schedule with alarms, so that we don't end up missing any doses. Swallow those, please."

Carson did as he was told without argument, swallowing down both pills and chugging down the water afterwards. "Couldn't ask for a better nurse," he said, giving Kurt a smile as his twin took the waffle plate and the cup away to wash. He wished that his dad wasn't around right now so he could have added a hugely inappropriate sponge bath joke, but alas. He filed it away for later use and pulled himself up from his seat, walking unsteadily toward Kurt and reaching for the glass. "Here, Kurt, let...let me help you," he said, but Kurt shook his head vigorously and gently took the cup out of Carson's shaking hand.

"Carsey, please. Just let me take care of you, ok?" he said with a smile, stroking Carson's arm and leaning in to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "You've been through so much the past couple of weeks, and you deserve to just sit back and take it easy for a while. I don't want you overextending yourself. I want you to rest and get better. Ok?"

"It's just a glass, Kurt," Carson protested, but Kurt shook his head.

"Your only job around here right now is to recover," he insisted. "You'll need all your energy for that, so leave the dishes to me."

"And me," Burt chimed in, joining Kurt at the sink and grabbing a dirty plate. "Your brother's right, kid. Your body has been through an awful lot. Let it heal and leave the chores to us for a while. Ok?"

"Ok," agreed Carson, even though he didn't like feeling as though he was being lazy while his dad and Kurt did all the work. I'll make it up to him when I'm well enough, he decided. Then it will go back to the way it used to be, and Kurt can be spoiled again like the precious prince he is. "I'm kind of tired," he said. "I think I'll go lay down in bed. It's getting late, anyway."

"Yes," agreed Kurt. "Go lay down, Carsey. I'll be there in a few minutes and I'll lay with you, ok?" He winked at Carson, who smiled and nodded in understanding.

"Ok." He made his way into the bedroom and flopped down on the bed, gazing with a smile at the clean, comfortable pajamas that Kurt had already laid out on top of the bedspread. I really don't deserve him. He decided that he could at least dress himself, if Kurt would let him do nothing else. It took quite a while, but eventually he managed to get out of his street clothes and put the pajamas on. He folded up the clothes neatly and placed them on a chair before climbing into the bed and getting under the covers, and had just settled in when Kurt entered, shutting the privacy curtain all the way and smiling over at Carson.

"Dad said goodnight," he said. "He's tired and is going to bed. He thought you were probably already sleeping. I figured you weren't, but I didn't say anything."

"Oh?" said Carson, raising one eyebrow. "And why was that?"

"Well, for starters, so I could do this," said Kurt quietly, crossing over to him and taking his face in both hands before pressing their lips together in a tender, passionate kiss. Carson saw stars dancing behind his eyes even after Kurt finally pulled away, his heart beating fast and his stomach doing somersaults amid all the half digested waffles.

"Wow," he breathed out, finally opening his eyes and staring into Kurt's, which were looking at him intently. "That was worth being struck by lightning for."

"That's not funny, Carsey," said Kurt with a frown. "You...you could have died, you know. I was so scared that you would, and I don't know what I would have done. I just kept thinking about how there was no way I could go on if you died. That my own life wouldn't have been worth living anymore. And I just..." He sniffed and Carson reached for his hand, taking it in both of his own and holding it tight.

"Kurt, I'm fine. I'm ok. I'm right here," he said. "You haven't lost me, and you won't. Ok? Everything is going to be fine. Please don't cry. And don't talk like that. You're scaring me." He let go of Kurt's hand and reached his arms up in invitation, which Kurt readily accepted as he leaned down and hugged him tight.

"I'm sorry. I'm never letting you go, baby," he whispered in Carson's ear. "Never."

"Good," said Carson in return. "Because I'll never let you go, either. Not if I can help it."

Carson awoke in the middle of the night, a terrible feeling of dread filling his stomach and chest as he wondered what the hell had woken him up. The room was dark and everything appeared normal. He was wrapped up in Kurt's arms, the room was quiet, the rain was tapping at the window...

Rain. The rain. Carson's head was suddenly filled with a vision of a wet street, at night, in the rain. He was crossing the street to get to his rental car, and then...nothing. Nothing but blackness. He struggled to control his rapid breathing as he wondered if that had been the lightning strike. If he was finally starting to remember.

I don't want to remember, he thought miserably, trying to squash the rising panic in his chest. Oh god, please, no, I don't want to remember. I don't, I don't, I don't... He took several deep breaths and concentrated on happy things. You're ok, Carson. You're perfectly fine. Don't be an idiot. Just because it's raining doesn't mean anything is going to happen to you. It's not even thundering out. Just a little drizzle, that's all. And you're inside. Don't wake up Kurt. He'll just worry, and you don't want him stressing out and worrying about you, because you've put him through quite enough already, what with your inability to stay the fuck inside during storms. Oh god, my chest hurts so much. Good things, Carson. Let's think of good things. Happy things. Um...

Kurt. Kurt's face. Kurt's smile. Kurt watching you eat those waffles and looking so proud of himself. Kurt's lips and how beautiful and soft they are. Remember, he always says he gets them that soft by using that special lip balm of his. The strawberry flavored one that you like to lick off of his mouth when you kiss him.

Kurt's kisses. How excited Kurt gets when there's a sale at one of his favorite stores, and he gets that cute little gleam in his eye, and you know you're going to be dragged around for six hours while he tries on clothes and scarves and stuff, but you don't care. You don't, because shopping makes him so happy, and when he's happy, you're happy. And he's so damn adorable when he leaves the store all proud of himself for taking advantage of a sale and scoring a bargain.

Kurt.

He took another deep breath and let it out slowly, filled with relief as he felt the panic going away, leaving him sweaty and exhausted, but no longer scared of nothing. Kurt peacefully slept on, his breathing deep and even, and Carson smiled as he snuggled closer to him, relishing the strong, comforting feeling of his twin's arms around him.

Kurt. Kurt makes me happy.

Kurt spent the next few days completely throwing himself into caring for Carson. He was just so happy to finally have him home, and to have him alive at all, that even though he knew he was probably going a little overboard with spoiling him, he didn't care. As it was, he felt guilty as hell that it had ever happened at all, even if Carson couldn't remember how or why it happened. He may not have remembered, but Kurt sure as hell did. When he thought of all that Carson and his poor body had been through in the past couple of weeks, all because Kurt had been a little too late in growing a spine and telling Blaine to leave him alone, well...guilt didn't even begin to cover what he felt, really.

So, he made it his mission to make life as easy as possible for Carson now that he was home. He didn't go to work or leave the apartment very much. He just devoted himself completely to Carson's care; cooking, keeping up with Carson's medication schedule, and in general making sure that his twin was as comfortable and happy as possible became his life. He gave fair warning to Rachel before she came home that Carson was still recovering from some very serious injuries, and that she was under strict instructions not to upset him in any way.

"He may be a little bit...harsher with his criticism than he was before, but he can't help himself, so please, just...just give him a little leeway," he said to her in the hallway outside the apartment before she stepped inside.

"It's fine, Kurt," she assured him. "I took enough crap from him before the lightning, how much worse could he be now? Hi, Carson!" she greeted him as she entered. "I, um...I hope you're well."

"Hi, Trollberry," said Carson cheerfully from the kitchen table, where he was making impressive work, considering his coordination problems, of a huge bowl of chocolate ice cream. Kurt had no idea how he was able to eat that much without puking. "You know," he continued through a mouthful of ice cream, "Kurtsie told me something very interesting the other day."

Oh, god, Kurt thought, groaning inwardly. I shouldn't have told him what she said at the hospital, I really, really...

"What...what's that, Carson?" asked Rachel, her face looking wary of whatever it was that Carson was about to say.

"He told me that you," Carson said, pointing his spoon at her, "tried to comfort him in the hospital while I was in the coma, aaaaand he also said that you said I wouldn't die because then there would be nobody to call you Trollberry."

Rachel was silent for a second, clearly wondering what Carson was getting at. "Um...yeah. Yeah, I did say that. I knew you would pull through." Carson's face stretched into a diabolical grin.

"So, do you like it, Rachel? Do you like it when I call you Trollberry?" he asked, his grin growing wider by the second. "Because it sort of sounds to me as if you do."

Rachel looked trapped. "Uuum...I, uh..."

"Yeah, you like it," said Carson, working a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth before continuing. "And as such, I will make it my life's mission to make sure you hear it as much as possible. Trollberry."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Well, it's good to see you're just as sassy as ever."

"Oh, I'm much worse!" Carson said gleefully. "Just you wait."

Rachel looked to Kurt for help, and Kurt clasped his hands together. "How about we all try to get along, hmm?" he asked, not sure who he was pleading to more, Carson or Rachel. "Since we're all going to be together for a while."

"I'll try to be on my best behavior for Trollberry, but I promise nothing," said Carson, casually slurping his melting ice cream from the spoon. "By the way, how is your hooker friend? I trust he's well."

Rachel sighed and rolled her eyes again. "For god's sake, Carson, he is not a hooker. And lightning or not, I'm really kind of getting sick and tired of you implying that he is one."

"Mmm, I imply nothing," said Carson. "I have a sixth sense about this shit, trust me."

"He is not!" exclaimed Rachel.

"Is too."

"Shut up!"

"Rachel!" Kurt admonished her, placing his arms protectively around Carson's shoulders. "Brain injury, remember? No filter? Be nice."

"But he-" Rachel protested, but Kurt just narrowed his eyes at her.

"Ugh," she groaned, heading in the direction of her room. Kurt sighed and looked at Carson, who looked up at him innocently as he worked a bite of ice cream around his mouth.

"I was merely trying to make things as normal as possible," he said with a grin that made Kurt's heart melt.

"You're too much," he said, ruffling Carson's hair and kissing his forehead. Clearly, it was going to be a long recovery for all of them, not just Carson.

"Kurt, can we go out somewhere?" Carson asked one morning, snuggling up against Kurt's body and letting out a hot puff of breath against his neck, which ironically made Kurt shiver. "I'm bored."

"We'd better not," replied Kurt with a sigh. "I don't think you're much up to going out yet."

"That's not true, Kurt," Carson protested. "I've been out since I've been home. We went and picked up the newspaper together that one morning, remember?"

"Yes, and I also remember that you shoved your phone at me, saying "Kurtsie! Film this!" and then proceeded to use my key to the apartment to cut the string of a little boy's balloon," replied Kurt. "You are so lucky that I managed to rush us out of there in time before anyone realized what you did."

"Well, I have to entertain myself somehow," Carson whined. "I'm sick of movies and TV and everything. We haven't even been able to...you know...fool around much," he whispered. "What with Dad and Trollberry always being around." Kurt sighed. He missed fooling around too, although if he was being entirely honest with himself, it wasn't really for lack of opportunity that they hadn't done much besides kiss since Carson was released from the hospital. It was because Kurt was constantly thinking about how fragile he was, and he didn't want to do anything that would overexert Carson and land him back in the hospital. He knew this was silly, and that Carson was a lot sturdier than that, but he couldn't help it. He worried anyway.

"I'm going stir crazy, Kurtsie," Carson said. "Come on. Please? Can we go into the city for a few hours? I'm so bored!" He cuddled closer to Kurt and looked up at him with pleading eyes, and Kurt sighed again. Carson was getting awfully good at begging with his eyes. It almost wasn't fair. Besides, Kurt supposed it would be kind of fun to wander around the city for a while.

"I suppose so," he relented, and Carson gave him a huge grin and whispered "Yess!" under his breath. "But only for a few hours, and then we're coming straight back home. I don't want you exhausting yourself."

"Yes, yes," agreed Carson, locking his lips with Kurt's and kissing him sloppily. "You're the best."

"I know," said Kurt. "Let's get up, then."

Several hours later, they were on the subway heading into the city, and Kurt was nervously watching Carson like a hawk, looking out for the slightest sign of strain or tiredness. Carson seemed to be enjoying himself, though.

"Hey, Kurt," he said excitedly, turning to Kurt with a smile. "We should go to lunch while we're there. Anywhere you want. I'm not picky. Well, ok, I'm a little picky. I won't eat, like, snails or whatever. But anything else is fair game. Can we, Kurt? Can we go to lunch?"

Kurt snorted and nodded. "Yes, baby," he replied, taking Carson's hand in his. "Yeah, of course we can."

They spent a rather pleasant morning wandering around the city, ducking into various shops, making each other laugh, and generally just acting like the fun loving teenagers that they still were underneath all the hardship and drama they'd been through recently. Kurt stood back against a shop wall at one point, watching Carson try on a jester's hat for kicks, and smiled to himself as he thought about just how much he loved this man, and how very grateful he was that he still had him around to love. Screw you, lightning. You tried to take him from me, and you failed. Suck it.

"Hey, Kurtsie, come take a picture with me," said Carson, breaking into Kurt's thoughts as he thrust a second jester's hat into his hands. "Come on, I don't want to be the only one in the picture looking like a weirdo."

"Hmm, are you implying that I would also look like a weirdo?" asked Kurt as he threw caution to the wind and put the hat on, trying not to think about the havoc it was probably going to play with his hair.

"Mmmm, yes. But a very, very cute weirdo," replied Carson with a smile. Kurt smiled back and pulled out his phone, leaning in close so that his face was right next to Carson's.

"Say cheese!" he said as he snapped the photo. He had to admit, he thought they looked pretty adorable together in the picture. Even with the stupid hats.

"Well, well, well," said a familiar voice from behind them, and Kurt cringed as he recognized Sebastian's signature tone.

"Oh my god, you always turn up at the most inopportune times," he snapped, turning around to glare at the other boy. "Do you have some kind of radar or something?"

"No, but you two also weren't exactly easy to miss as I was walking past the window," replied Sebastian casually. "Not in those hats. What's the deal with those, anyway? Looking to add costumes into the bedroom mix? For your jester fetish?"

"You shut the hell up," Carson hissed, yanking the hat off his head and clumsily hanging it back on the rack it had come from. "That's none of your business."

"So it is a fetish?"

"Come on, Carson, let's go," said Kurt irritably, taking Carson's arm and starting to lead him away from Sebastian, who rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry," he said. "I know, I have issues with making inappropriate remarks. Come on. Don't leave."

"We were about to leave anyway," Kurt muttered. "It's just about time for lunch, so.."

"Kurt?" said another familiar voice, and Kurt turned around to see his boss, Isabelle, walking toward the three of them, a warm smile spreading across her face. "I thought I saw you talking to Sebastian. It's been so long!"

"Yeah," replied Kurt, returning Isabelle's smile and trying to make himself look like he hadn't just been mentally throwing darts at her nephew. "I know I haven't been to work in forever, I just...my brother..."

Isabelle nodded in understanding. "I know. That must have been so hard." Her gaze flicked over Carson and her eyes lit up in recognition as she held her hand out for him to shake. "You must be him!" she said excitedly. "Um...Carl?"

"Carson," Carson corrected her, taking the offered hand and shaking it as well as he could.

"Carson," she repeated, smiling at him. "I'm Kurt's boss, Isabelle Wright. And I guess you know my nephew," she added, indicating Sebastian. Carson's face tightened.

"Yeah, we know each other," he said in a surprisingly polite tone for him, Kurt thought. He must be trying to make a good impression because she's my boss. He's so sweet. "I, um...I hope you won't be too hard on Kurt for missing work so much. It's entirely my fault. He's been busy taking care of me."

"I'll bet," whispered Sebastian, low enough for the boys to hear but not Isabelle. Carson coughed. Kurt gritted his teeth and tried not to blush at the innuendo.

Isabelle shook her head. "Not at all. Don't even worry about it. His position isn't going anywhere." Sebastian gave the boys a cheeky grin and a raise of the eyebrows at the word "position" and Kurt valiantly did his best to ignore him.

"Thank you so much, Isabelle," Kurt said. "I really appreciate you being so understanding."

"No problem," she said. "How are you doing now, Carson?"

"Um, pretty good, I guess," he answered awkwardly. "Feeling better every day."

"Good," she replied. "Good. Well, it was nice running into you. Kurt, you let me know when you're ready to come back to work, ok?"

"Will do," Kurt replied, nodding as Sebastian grinned at him annoyingly.

"So, are you going to buy that lovely hat you're wearing, or...?" he asked, amused. Kurt groaned as he realized he was still wearing the damn jester hat and yanked it off, setting it to join its twin on the rack.

"You're insufferable," he said to Sebastian as Isabelle turned away from them to look at something. Sebastian shrugged.

"I prefer interesting," he said. "I'll be seeing you around. Don't do anything I wouldn't do until then."

"Doesn't narrow it down much, then, does it?" Kurt quipped, and Sebastian made an exaggerated gesture as though he had been stabbed in the heart.

"You wound me, Kurt," he said. "Carson, I sincerely hope you feel better soon."

"Thanks," Carson muttered as Sebastian turned to go join Isabelle. Kurt sighed and gently tugged at his arm.

"Let's go, before he thinks of anything else to say," said Kurt, leading him out of the store and onto the street outside. "I really don't get why he's so determined to be our best pal all of a sudden. It's creepy."

"Kurt?" asked Carson as they walked down the street. He sounded like he had something weighing on his mind, and Kurt was immediately concerned.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "Are you feeling ok? Is it your head? Your hands? Do you need to sit?"

"No, no, it's not that," said Carson quickly. "I'm fine. I was just wondering...when are you going back to work?"

Kurt breathed a sigh of relief and took Carson's hand in his. "When you're better," he replied. "When you don't need me as much. I don't want to leave you alone all day while I'm at Vogue."

"Well, right now I wouldn't be alone," Carson pointed out. "Dad is still here with us. Trollberry is around occasionally. And who knows how long it will be before I'm completely better? You can't throw your life away waiting for that to happen, Kurtsie. Like I've told you before, I'm not going to let you mess up your future at Vogue for me. And besides, what about college? As much as I really don't want to, I'm probably going to have to stick with our original plan of going back to Chicago for the fall."

Kurt let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding throughout Carson's speech and sighed. "I was afraid of that," he said sadly. "After all that's happened, I really don't want to be separated from you. Even just for a few months. I'm going to worry about you so much, and.."

"Shhh," said Carson, taking Kurt's other hand and stroking it gently. "I know, baby. It's going to be twice as hard now, but we really don't have any other choice. And since we don't, I can't let you just keep putting off going back to work just because of me. It's not fair to you, and it's not fair to me, because then I feel guilty as hell."

Kurt looked down at his feet and shuffled them around. "I guess you're right. I just...I want so much to protect you from anything bad ever happening to you again."

"I know, Kurtsie," said Carson, pressing his forehead to Kurt's and touching their noses together. "But I'll be fine. Ok?"

"People can see," whispered Kurt, swallowing as the butterflies in his stomach did a crazy dance.

"So what?" Carson whispered back. "None of them know us. Besides, we're twins. Twins in general are affectionate with each other. I dare anyone to prove a damn thing."

Kurt laughed. "You're right."

"Of course I am," said Carson with a grin. "Now, let's go to lunch, ok?"

"Ok, Carson, you have my cell phone number, right?" asked Kurt nervously as he checked his hair in the mirror.

"Yes, Kurt," Carson assured him.

"And the number of the Vogue office?"

"Yes, Kurt."

"Dr. Banks' number?"

"Yes, Kurt."

"All the other emergency numbers?"

"Oh my god, Kurt, you're going to only be gone for eight hours, and Dad is going to be here the entire time," said Carson exasperatedly. "You're not leaving me in a canoe in the middle of Niagara Falls, you know. I'll be perfectly fine."

"I know, I just worry," said Kurt, frowning at his reflection critically in the mirror.

"Well, don't," said Carson, smiling inwardly at the cute way Kurt's eyebrows furrowed together whenever he got himself ready to leave for work. "Worrying is my job. And you'll need all your energy to go grab Vogue by the balls, so go out there and...you know...grab it by the balls."

Kurt snorted and turned around, wrapping Carson up in a hug. "You call me if you need anything," he ordered. "And remember to take your meds. I set the alarms for you, just in case you forget. And don't let Dad eat anything fried. Or covered in bacon fat."

"You really have so little faith in my babysitting abilities?" came Burt's voice from the direction of the kitchen. "I'm hurt, Kurt. Who do you think is responsible for the fact that the both of you made it to adulthood relatively intact?"

"Sorry, Dad!" Kurt called as Carson giggled. He leaned in and caught Carson's lips in a quick kiss, applying just enough suction to make Carson dizzy with feelings. "I'll see you tonight, love. Stay in one piece for me."

"I'll try," said Carson. "Now go, or you'll be late. And call me when you get there so that I don't have to worry about you."

Kurt grinned. "I will. Love you," he said, kissing Carson quickly one more time before heading out of the bedroom. "Make sure he takes his meds, Dad," he heard his twin say before he slid the heavy door open and left the apartment. It would just be Carson and his dad today. Rachel was god knew where. She had been making herself scarce ever since Carson had been released from the hospital, which honestly was perfectly fine with him. He shuffled himself into the kitchen and sat down at the table across from his dad, who was eating a bowl of Corn Flakes and reading the morning paper thoughtfully.

"Your brother's slowly becoming much more of a worrier than you ever were about him," he said around a mouthful of cereal.

"I know," said Carson with a sigh. "I wish he wouldn't worry so much. I'm still alive and I plan to be for a very long time."

Burt gave him a small smile. "I understand where he's coming from, buddy. When you...when the lightning happened, we didn't know if you were going to make it. Kurt was hysterical when he called to tell me what happened. Said that he hadn't seen you for hours and that nobody had told him anything. And then..." he trailed off, clearly thinking twice about finishing his thought.

"What, Dad?" asked Carson, his heart pounding in his chest. He'd never actually thought much about how it must have been for Kurt after the accident. The hours of waiting, not knowing if Carson was alright...Carson knew that if it had been the other way around, he would have gone fucking insane with worry.

Burt sighed, his voice shaking as he recalled what happened. "You almost died, kid. While you were in the coma."

Carson felt an icy weight settle in his stomach. "What?"

Burt nodded seriously. "You went into cardiac arrest and they had to resuscitate you. They...they actually were about to pronounce you dead, and Kurt and I were both distraught, but Kurt...I mean, kid, he really lost it. You're the most important thing in the world to him, you know."

Carson said nothing. He couldn't. He didn't trust himself not to burst into tears if he tried. Oh god, Kurt...Kurt, I'm so sorry that I put you through that. I never would have left you. I wouldn't just die on you like that. Oh fuck, baby, I'm sorry! He could only imagine what had gone through Kurt's mind in that moment, and he didn't like it. Not one bit.

"Fortunately, you had a lot of fight in you, and you came back," Burt continued. "But I can see why Kurt has gone nuts trying to protect you since you woke up. He doesn't want to lose you."

Carson nodded, swallowing the lump forming in his throat. "I think I'm going to go back to bed for a while," he croaked, and Burt nodded.

"Ok, kid. Call me if you need anything, ok?"

"Ok." Carson made his way back into the bedroom and into bed, his thoughts an absolute mess. He felt so terrible for Kurt when he thought about what that must have been like, seeing Carson essentially die in front of him. He felt sick. Kurt, baby, I'm SO sorry.

He stayed in bed most of the day, only coming out to eat and take his meds. Kurt called every fifteen minutes or so, and Carson didn't even tease him about being such a worrywart. He couldn't, not now that he understood why. When Kurt finally came home that evening, Carson practically launched himself at him, hugging him so tight that he thought maybe they'd be stuck together like that from now on.

"What a welcome," said Kurt teasingly, returning the hug and stroking gently up and down Carson's back. "Did you make it through the day alright without me?"

"No," said Carson, burying his face in Kurt's neck. "But seeing you now makes it worth it."

He could barely wait until bedtime, because he just wanted to melt into Kurt and never separate from him ever again. It seemed like it took forever, but finally they found themselves snuggling against each other in bed as Kurt held Carson and Carson basked in how nice it felt to be held.

"I've missed you," he said quietly when he was sure Burt was sound asleep out in the living room. Kurt smiled and stroked his shoulder lazily.

"I know, baby. I missed you too. This was the longest work day ever, I swear."

"I didn't mean that," said Carson. "I mean, I've missed you. You know...us. Being together. In...in that way." Kurt finally got what he was getting at and his eyes widened.

"Oh...Carsey, I...I miss...that...too, but...I mean we can't...not right now," he whispered frantically. "Dad is out there, and...and you're still so fragile...I...I don't want to break you."

"Kurtsie, no," Carson protested. "I won't break. I promise. I...I need you," he whispered. "I need to feel you. I just...I just need to. Please?" He took Kurt's hand in his own and gently guided it onto his chest so that Kurt could feel his heartbeat. "See?" he whispered. "Still beating. Still alive. Please...make love to me again?"

He saw Kurt swallow in the dark and look at him intently. "What about Dad?"

"Dad sleeps like a log," Carson insisted. "Kurt, please. I'll...I'll understand if you don't want to do it, but I just..."

His words were cut off by Kurt's lips on his own, silencing him with a passionate, desperate kiss, his lips pressing earnestly against Carson's, almost as if he were trying to attach their mouths to one another.

"So...is this a yes?" asked Carson.

"Mmm," Kurt murmured in reply, pulling him into another kiss, this one much more messy than the last one. He nipped ever so gently at Carson's bottom lip, and Carson held back a moan, mindful that they didn't have the apartment to themselves. Which was a shame, because just as he was thinking this, he felt Kurt's tongue slip into his mouth and intertwine with his own. He forgot whose tongue was whose and just went joyfully along for the ride, letting Kurt do what he wanted and enjoying every second. His twin's lips eventually left his to travel down to Carson's neck, where he began placing the gentlest of feather-light kisses all over the exposed skin as Carson bit back a whimper.

"You're gonna have to stay quiet, baby," whispered Kurt as he reached for the hem of Carson's T-shirt. "Ok?"

Carson nodded, and Kurt slowly pulled his T-shirt up and off, tossing it aside before leaning his head back down to begin leaving a trail of kisses down Carson's chest. The burned skin on his torso from the lightning strike had mostly healed up by now, save for one large, feathery expanse across his chest and fading away into his stomach, which Carson always thought reminded him of a vine growing against a wall when he looked at it in the mirror. He'd done enough reading on lightning injuries to know it would fade with time, but for now he kind of thought it looked pretty badass. Like some kind of tattoo. He watched as Kurt raised his head and looked at it curiously, his eyebrows furrowing together. He'd seen it before. Carson knew he had, because he had helped Carson in the shower numerous times in the hospital, but for some reason now he was looking at it differently.

"Does it hurt much?" he asked Carson. Carson shook his head.

"Not really. It's a little tender, but not painful. And I'm hopped up on pain meds most of the time anyway." Kurt nodded and leaned down, kissing the scar gently and brushing his fingers across it.

"I hate that you have it," he said sadly.

"I don't," said Carson. "I think it looks pretty awesome."

Kurt snorted. "I love you."

"I love you too. Now please, can I have more kisses?" asked Carson, and Kurt smiled before continuing what he had started. He worshiped every inch of skin with his lips, taking his time, and Carson sighed happily as he lay back to enjoy it. He soon felt soft fingers brushing against the waistband of his pajama pants, and he eagerly nodded, proud of himself for holding in the moan of "Yes" that he had wanted to let out. Kurt carefully removed the pants, along with Carson's underwear, and worked his way down each of his legs in turn, lavishing them with the same attention he had paid to Carson's stomach and chest. He nipped the back of Carson's knee on his way back up, and Carson gasped.

"You're beautiful, Carsey," Kurt whispered. He caught Carson's lips back in his own, kissing him tenderly as he fumbled with his own clothes. It took him a while, because he didn't seem to want to stop kissing Carson, but eventually he was naked and settling himself gently half on top of Carson, taking care not to touch his scar too much, Carson noticed. Their hips rolled together as they shared a kiss, and Carson shivered at the feeling of Kurt's growing hardness brushing up against his own.

"God, Kurt," Carson moaned quietly, snaking his hands down Kurt's back until they reached his ass, which he only hesitated a second before giving an experimental squeeze. Kurt gasped and rutted against him as Carson felt his own hips bucking up into the contact.

"Kurt, please," Carson gasped into the kiss as their movements increased and he desperately clutched at Kurt's ass. "Please, baby, please."

"Do you want me, Carsey?" asked Kurt in between kisses. "Tell me, baby."

"Fuck, yes," Carson gasped. "I do. I want you. Just please..."

Kurt kissed him one more time and nodded, rolling off of him briefly to reach into the nightstand for lube and a condom. Carson thought about asking for Kurt's feelings about no condom, but decided that since this was going to have to be a very hushed, secret encounter, they were probably better off using one. Easier clean up and all.

"Hurry," Carson pleaded, and Kurt obliged, lubing up his fingers and beginning to gently prepare Carson, working fast but with care as he gradually made his way up to three fingers. It still felt like an eternity to Carson before Kurt was finally pulling his fingers out and tearing open the condom, slicking it onto himself and adding more lube as he gazed lovingly down at Carson.

"Are you ready, baby?" he asked as he lined himself up. Carson nodded.

"Yes," he replied. "I love you."

"I love you, too," said Kurt, before beginning to push inside. Carson bit his lip to keep from crying out, since even after all the preparation it still burned a little as Kurt entered him. He gripped Kurt's shoulders and waited for the burning to fade into a pleasant stretch, which thankfully happened relatively soon.

"Are you ok?" asked Kurt.

"Yeah," answered Carson with a smile. "I...you can move. Please, god, move." He desperately needed to feel Kurt moving in him right now, and Kurt certainly didn't disappoint. He started slowly, thrusting in and pulling back out with long, careful strokes as he looked into Carson's eyes, as though searching for any sign of distress.

"I'm fine, baby," Carson assured him, thrusting his hips up as well as he was able in order to match Kurt's pace. Kurt adjusted his hips ever so slightly, and Carson almost forgot that he was supposed to be quiet as the next thrust had him seeing stars.

"God! Oh fuck, Kurt, please, more," he hissed, gasping as Kurt thrust and hit that sweet spot inside of him again. Kurt responded by increasing the speed of his thrusts until Carson was practically drowning in pleasure.

"Kurt," he groaned out, his voice broken and wrecked as Kurt continued pounding into him, the blankets surrounding them masking the sound of skin slapping together. Carson felt a soft hand encircling his swollen dick and starting to stroke him, and he didn't think he would be able to handle the sensations without passing out.

"Kurt," he whined low in his throat as he felt himself tumbling over the edge, riding out a seemingly endless wave of bliss as Kurt's thrusts became erratic and he also came, his face flushed and his mouth hanging open as he lost himself in his own orgasm. He was gorgeous like this. Simply gorgeous.

"Oh my god," said Carson after they had laid there holding onto each other like that for several minutes, trying to catch their breath.

"I know," panted Kurt. "Wow." He pulled carefully out of Carson and placed a soft kiss to his scar.

"We...how are we going to clean up?" asked Carson, and Kurt chuckled.

"I still have all those damn moist towelettes from the hospital," he said with a grin. "Who knew they'd come in handy here at home? We can use those and get dressed again, and shower in the morning."

Carson snorted and pulled Kurt into a deep kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too."