Shop 'Til You Fall
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Shop 'Til You Fall: Chapter 11 - Missing You


T - Words: 6,959 - Last Updated: Jan 20, 2013
Story: Complete - Chapters: 12/12 - Created: Jan 20, 2013 - Updated: Jan 20, 2013
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Author's Notes:

A/N: Thank you for reading! Reviews welcome :) Warning: OC character death (sorry...)

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. (If I did, Blaine would have sung Mandy Moore's "Candy" by now.)

Other Disclaimer: I do not own "I wanna hold your hand" (lyrics were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney)

Kurt (Friday 3:45pm)

 

Musical got cancelled :/

 

He knew Blaine was supposed to be at fencing until 5:00, so he was surprised when his boyfriend's name flashed across his phone mere seconds later.

 

"Hey Blaine, I thought you were at practice. I just wanted to let you know that there is no musical for you to attend tomorrow, so if you still wanted to hang out, we could make other plans…"

 

"I can't. That's why I'm calling," Blaine responded quietly.

 

Kurt's eyebrows shot up and he had a feeling something was horribly awry. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" When a sniffle was his only response, he knew he was probably about to hear bad news. "Blaine?"

 

More sniffles. "My grandma… she's (hiccough) she's in the hospital again. It's bad, Kurt."

 

Kurt's heart broke and he started to tear up at the sound of his boyfriend crying over the phone, but he held himself together for Blaine's sake. "Where are you now, Blaine?"

 

"I'm waiting for my dad to pick me up from school to take me to the hospital. My mom (sniffle) my mom is there already." Blaine sounded lost. "Kurt."

 

Tears slid down Kurt's cheek as his boyfriend said his name as if he were begging for help. "I'm here, Blaine. I'm here."

 

"Can you stay on the line until my dad gets here? I don't want to be alone."

 

Kurt stayed on the line for another 18 minutes and pressed on through his own sadness while Blaine cried himself dry of tears. Not quite knowing what to say, Kurt tried to recount some funny stories from the week about Sam's costume being too short and Finn getting in trouble for walking around school in his boxers. Blaine chuckled lifelessly on the other end of the line, like he knew he was supposed to be laughing, but didn't have the heart or energy to commit to an actual feeling besides numbness.

 

By time Ethan pulled up to the sidewalk where his son was sitting on the ground, Blaine's tears had subsided, but the young boy looked destroyed. He parked the car and turned off the ignition, then got out and walked over to his son. Blaine's head was in his hands and he had his phone plastered to his ear as if it were a lifeline. He heard his son mumble into the phone, "My dad is here. I should, I should go." But Blaine didn't hang up. Instead, his face screwed up in confusion as he held up his phone to his dad. "It's Kurt. He, um, he wants to talk to you for a second?"

 

Ethan looked as confused as Blaine as he took the phone from his son. "Hello?"

 

"Hi Mr. Anderson, my name is Kurt Hummel," there was a sigh. "I'm dating your son."

 

"Hello Kurt. Yes, I was aware of your relationship. What can I do for you, son?"

 

"Nothing, sir. I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am about your wife's mother and let you know that if your family needs anything this weekend that I want to help in any way I can."

 

Ethan was taken aback by the generosity of this young man he never met, though he would surely like to. He looked down at his son and then walked a little bit away to give his son and himself some privacy. "Thank you, Kurt. I'm not sure if there is anything that can be done, but maybe you could check in on Blaine every now and then." He chuckled, "But I'm sure you were probably going to do that already."

 

"Yes sir, but I wanted to check with you first. I didn't want to disturb your family…"

 

"Kurt," Ethan started but then stopped and sighed. "Kurt, you've made my son the happiest I've ever seen him these past few months. Now, I don't know what's going to happen this weekend…" Ethan didn't want to say that Blaine's grandmother probably wouldn't survive this hospital stay, but Kurt knew it was implied.

 

"I understand, sir." Kurt was silent for a second. "I should let you get going, but… could you… could you give him a hug for me?"

 

A small smile spread across Ethan's face. "Of course." He looked over at his son and was glad that he had someone looking out for him. "You're a good man, Kurt. We'll have to have you over for dinner sometime soon, okay?"

 

"That sounds good, sir. Thank you. Have a safe trip to the hospital. Goodbye, Mr. Anderson."

 

"Goodbye, Kurt." Ethan clicked off Blaine's phone and walked back over to where Blaine was peeling himself off the sidewalk.

 

Blaine stood up went to brush the sidewalk dust off his pants and blazer when his father wrapped him in a tight hug. "This is from your boyfriend. He sounds like a nice guy, Blaine."

 

"He is," Blaine spoke into his father's shoulder. They separated briefly and then Ethan pulled Blaine into an even closer embrace. "Dad?"

 

"This one's from me, kid. I love you so much and I don't want you to ever forget that, okay?"

 

Blaine nodded into his dad's chest. Ethan felt damp spots appear on his dress shirt and hugged his son tighter.

 

.

 

Kurt had dinner waiting for his father when Burt awoke from his nap. He knew his dad was getting sick of soup, but it was the best thing for him so he kept making it. Burt knew better to complain, especially when he noticed how sad Kurt looked when he handed him his tray.

 

Burt set his tray down in front of him and grabbed Kurt's arm to stop him before he could go back into the kitchen.

 

"What's wrong, bud?"

 

Kurt looked his dad in the eye and weighed his options. He knew his dad would listen, but wasn't sure if he was ready to talk about relationship stuff quite yet. After a moment, he sighed in defeat and plopped down on the couch next to his dad.

 

"It's Blaine."

 

Burt didn't know what that meant but assumed it was bad. He wasn't sure he was ready to hear about his son's boyfriend, but seeing Kurt look so down made Burt push past his own insecurities about having a son in a high school relationship. "You wanna expand on that a little? You two didn't break up, did you?"

 

Kurt shook his head, "No, dad. We're fine." He sighed, "It's just that we were supposed to hang out this weekend but can't because he's visiting his grandma in the hospital." Burt went to comment, but Kurt cut him off, "And before you say it, I'm not upset that I can't see Blaine this weekend. I'm upset that he's upset and I can't do anything about it. You should have heard him on the phone earlier. He sounded… broken or something."

 

"Is it bad?," Burt asked, implying the status of Blaine's grandma.

 

Kurt nodded and started to tear up. "He was there for me the whole week you were in the hospital. I mean not 'there there,' but he would call and make sure I was okay. And that was before we were together. And you were okay. But now… with his grandma. It just really hurts, you know?"

 

Burt leaned over and wrapped his arms around his son. "I know, kid. I know." They stayed in their embrace for awhile while Burt rubbed soothing circles on his son's back.

 

.

 

By time Ethan and Blaine got to the hospital that night, Blaine's grandmother was asleep. Vanessa was dozing in a chair next to her mother's bed but awoke when she heard the door open. She stood just in time to catch her son who had launched himself at her for a tight hug. She squeezed the boy and looked over at her husband who was watching everything unfold. A wordless conversation was exchanged when Ethan nodded over to his mother-in-law's sleeping body and Vanessa shook her head. Ethan frowned and walked over to his family, circling his arms around his wife and son.

 

The Andersons spent the night in a hotel near the hospital with promise from the late shift nurse that he would phone them should Blaine's grandmother's health take a turn for the worse during non-visiting hours.

 

Though his parents managed to fall asleep, Blaine tossed and turned well past midnight. Not able to take it anymore, he quietly slid out of his bed, grabbed his phone, a pillow and a blanket, and snuck into the bathroom. He placed the blanket in the bottom of the tub and climbed in, setting his pillow near the back of the tub. After curling himself into the fetal position and wrapping half of the blanket around his body, Blaine brought his phone up to his face to check the time. 12:47am.

 

He sighed and ran his thumb across the bottom of the screen of his phone to unlock it to the main dashboard. There was a missed text message that he promptly read.

 

Kurt (Friday 10:48pm)

 

I'm here for you anytime. Call. Text. Smoke signals. xo

 

Blaine clenched his eyes shut and breathed through his nose as he clasped his phone against his chest. Though he knew it was late and didn't want to disturb his likely sleeping boyfriend, Blaine needed to feel something other than the pain that presently inhabited his heart. He went to his current contacts and hovered his thumb over Kurt's name. He held down on the call button until he heard the phone dial.

 

Kurt picked up before it finished even one ring.

 

"Blaine! Are you okay?"

 

The boy in the tub's body instantly relaxed at the sound of Kurt's voice. "Thank you for your text. I probably woke you up, didn't I? I'm sorry."

 

"How many times do I need to tell you to stop apologizing for everything?"

 

"Sorry… shit! Sorry. Ugh," Blaine moaned into the phone. He was beyond tired from lack of sleep and crying throughout the evening. His grandmother was sedated for the time being and he spent a lot of the night curled into his mom's side while she stroked his hair.

 

Kurt sighed softly over the phone and asked again, "Are you okay?"

 

"No."

 

"Do you want to talk about it?"

 

"No."

 

"Okay." Kurt didn't pry because he knew if Blaine wanted to tell him something he would eventually get around to it.

 

They stayed on the phone, listening to each other breathe. The silence was comforting instead of awkward, but eventually Blaine broke it.

 

"Kurt?"

 

"Hmmm?"

 

"Do you think I'm selfish?"

 

Though Blaine couldn't see Kurt, he swore he could hear a frown in his voice. "Blaine! Why would you ask something like that?"

 

There was a beat before Blaine whispered his response.

 

"Because I don't want my grandma to die."

 

Kurt's heart broke as he heard a choked back sob escape the throat of his boyfriend. "Oh, sweetheart." The boy in the tub curled in further on himself and buried his face in his pillow, desperately trying to smother his own cries. Kurt felt helpless, not knowing what to do or say to comfort Blaine. He looked around his room, searching for answers when his eyes fell upon a picture of his father teaching him how to ride a bike. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he started singing. His voice started out shaky, but evened out as he sang slowly:

 

Oh yeah, I´ll tell you something

 

I think you´ll understand

 

When I say that something

 

I wanna hold your hand

 

Blaine rolled his face out of his pillow and smashed his phone closer to his ear.

 

I wanna hold your hand

 

I wanna hold your hand

 

Kurt could hear Blaine sniffle loudly over the phone, but he kept singing.

 

Oh, please, say to me

 

You´ll let me be your man

 

and please, say to me

 

You´ll let me hold your hand

 

Now let me hold your hand

 

I wanna hold your hand

 

Blaine's crying subsided and Kurt listened to him breathing hard for a few moments before he continued.

 

And when I touch you I feel happy, inside

 

It´s such a feeling

 

That my love

 

I can't hide

 

I can't hide

 

I can't hide

 

Kurt stopped and swallowed, wondering if he was helping or hurting the cause. He heard some rustling on the other end of the phone and it sounded like Blaine was nestling down into some covers. He heard Blaine yawn but knew it wasn't out of boredom.

 

Yeah you, got that something

 

I think you´ll understand

 

When I say that something

 

I wanna hold your hand

 

I wanna hold your hand

 

I wanna hold your hand

 

And when I touch you I feel happy, inside

 

It´s such a feeling

 

That my love

 

I can't hide

 

I can't hide

 

I can't hide

 

Blaine rolled over onto his phone so that he could still hear Kurt but could fold his hands up under his head too. His eyes fluttered shut and he whimpered quietly as his body finally settled into sleep.

 

Yeah you, got that something

 

I think you´ll understand

 

When I feel that something

 

I wanna hold your hand

 

I wanna hold your hand

 

I wanna hold your hand.

 

"Goodnight, Blaine."

 

.

 

When Vanessa found her youngest son sleeping in the bathtub, she was reminded of when he was a little boy and she would find him napping underneath tables or on the floor of her closet. She didn't want to disturb him but at the same time knew he would want to spend as much time with his grandma as he could that day. Crouching next to the tub, Vanessa reached in and ran her fingers through her son's hair as she whispered, "Wake up, my little lion."

 

Blaine leaned into the touch but his eyes refused to open. "Mom?"

 

A small smile sprouted on Vanessa's face. "Hey B. You gotta wake up, okay? We're allowed back at the hospital in an hour and some of us need to use the shower."

 

The still sleepy boy nodded as he slowly sat up. His phone slid off his pillow and Vanessa noticed there was a rectangular indentation on the side of his face.

 

"Did you sleep on your phone, sweetie?" She reached over and rubbed one of the lines on his cheek.

 

"Yeah… I didn't mean to. I think I fell asleep while Kurt sang to me," Blaine said as he yawned.

 

Vanessa nodded, "Why don't you go get dressed and have some breakfast before we leave? I asked your dad to grab some of your clothes before he got you from school so you weren't stuck wearing your uniform."

 

Blaine climbed over the edge of the tub, grabbed his things, stood up and threw his arms around his mom. "Thanks, mom. I love you."

 

"I love you too, B."

 

.

 

Kurt was over at Mercedes house that afternoon working on homework. He kept checking his phone every few minutes even though there was nothing to check.

 

"I know that you said that he said he'd call later, Kurt, but you gotta put your phone away or you're going to drive yourself crazy," Mercedes said rolled her eyes and turned back to her history essay. "You're driving me crazy," she muttered under her breath so that he couldn't hear her.

 

"I know, I'm sorry," Kurt slid his phone in his pocket and flipped open his math book. "I'm just worried."

 

Mercedes looked up from her essay and shot Kurt a meaningful look. "I know. I am too, but there isn't really anything you can do right now. He's with his family and that's the best place for him."

 

Kurt nodded and went back to work.

 

They worked in silence; the only sound was that of pencils scratching paper. Every now and then Mercedes would sneak a peek at Kurt who had reluctantly thrown himself into his homework. She closed her eyes and prayed to God to look after Blaine and his family.

 

.

 

Blaine sat in the chair next to his grandmother's hospital bed ever since they were allowed to visit that day. She was sleeping when they arrived and had been resting the whole day. He watched as various doctors and nurses would come throughout the day and take readings and write down notes on charts. His mom and dad spent most of the time talking quietly as they sat in some chairs near a table in the corner of the room.

 

Around 4:00, Blaine noticed his grandma shifting around more so than she had earlier in the day. He thought maybe she was waking up. "Grandma?"

 

Blaine sat on the edge of his seat and heard his parents get up and cross the room, standing behind his chair to see if his grandmother was lucid.

 

"Mom?" Vanessa asked as she leaned over her son's shoulder and took her mother by the hand.

 

Blaine's grandmother turned her head toward the sound of her daughter's voice as her eyelids flickered open. It took a moment, but she was able to focus on her family looking down at her. She went to speak, but having not used her vocal chords in a couple days, her voice was raspy and dry. "Water, please."

 

Ethan grabbed her glass of water off the nightstand and gave it to his wife. She fixed the straw and held it to her mother's mouth. Blaine just watched in awe, not knowing what to say, or if he should say anything at all. Ethan gave his wife's shoulder a squeeze and then slipped out of the room to track down a nurse and let him or her know that his mother-in-law was awake.

 

Blaine and his parents were temporarily ushered out of the room while doctors and nurses checked on his grandmother. When they were finally given the all-clear that they could go back in, Blaine followed his mom and dad to his grandmother's bedside once more.

 

He was relived to see her smiling. She looked so frail, but at least there was a little twinkle in her eye upon seeing her daughter and family.

 

"Hi mom," Vanessa said as they approached the bed. "How are you feeling?"

 

"Oh, I'm sure I've felt better than this," she mused, "but I suppose it is what it is." Everyone gave a small smile, not wanting to acknowledge what was likely to come. "I was hoping I could speak to Blaine for a few minutes," she reached up and grabbed his hand, though addressed her comments to her daughter and son-in-law. "Maybe you could go get a cup of coffee or something, hmm?"

 

Vanessa nodded as Ethan slid one of his hands into hers. She leaned down and kissed her mother on the forehead and then exited the room with her husband.

 

"Come here, kid."

 

Blaine approached the bed and carefully sat down in the chair he had been sitting in most of the day.

 

She smiled, though it took some effort. "Let me take a look at you."

 

He scooted the chair closer to the bed and leaned in. "I'm here, grandma."

 

"There's my Bumble Bee." His grandma reached up and Blaine enclosed her small hand in both of his. "You look good, kid. Your mom says you've been doing good at your new school."

 

Blaine smiled and nodded his head. "Yeah. I made some friends. I sing in the show choir." His eyes were tearing up and he couldn't do a thing to stop them.

 

"I wish I could be there to see you shine, kid."

 

"Grandma." Blaine's voice broke and tears started sliding down his cheeks.

 

She brought her free hand over and clasped it on top of Blaine's hands. "You listen to me, Blaine. I love you very much." Blaine nodded. "And I am so, so proud of you." He offered her a watery smile. "You got a boyfriend yet?" He knew she was asking this to break the tension, but Blaine couldn't help but to laugh through his tears. His grandmother beamed as she watched his cheeks flush pink. "God, I hope that means yes." Blaine snuck one of his hands out of his grandmother's grasp to grab a tissue off her nightstand and wipe his eyes and nose. He nodded again and smiled as he thought of Kurt. "What's his name? Is he as handsome as you?"

 

Blaine sniffled as he tried to compose himself. "His name is Kurt, Grandma. And he's the most beautiful person, inside and out, that I've ever met." He looked at his grandma and squeezed her hand.

 

"Kurt." She smiled. "You boys treat each other right, you hear me?" Blaine smiled and nodded in promise to his grandmother. "I love you, Blaine. And I'm so, so sorry I pulled away these last few years…" Blaine's tears started back up as he watched his grandmother's face crumble with sadness. He quickly launched out of his chair and carefully wrapped both his arms around her shoulders.

 

"It's okay, grandma. I love you too." He closed his eyes and held on to her as if their lives depended on in. "I love you too."

 

Vanessa and Ethan watched from the hallway as their son embraced his grandmother. Ethan rubbed Vanessa's back and kissed her hair while she wrapped her arm around her husband's waist and slunk down into his side.

 

Once again the Andersons spent the night in their hotel, though they didn't fall asleep right away. Around 10:00, Ethan suggested they order pizza and watch a movie like they used to do on family road trips when Blaine and his older brother, Cooper, were little. Vanessa was grateful for the suggestion and the three of them piled onto one of the beds and ate greasy slices while they laughed at a premium cable showing of Animal House.

 

The call came around 1:30am. Vanessa took her phone and quickly walked into the bathroom, followed by her husband. They shut the door so they wouldn't disturb their son, as Blaine was asleep at the foot of his parents' bed, curled up cuddling a pillow. Though she managed to keep herself composed during the call, once she hung up, Vanessa dropped down onto the floor, unable to keep in her sadness any longer. Ethan sat down on the floor and held his wife, stroked her hair and rocked her back and forth as he whispered words of love and compassion into her ear.

 

.

 

On Sunday, Kurt swallowed hard as he pulled up to a house in Gahanna and double checked the address against the information he received from Ethan Anderson earlier that day to make sure he had the right number. He closed his eyes before he got out of the car, playing through that horrible conversation in his head. This call came around 9:00 am…

 

"Hello?" Kurt was confused because he didn't recognize the number and none of his friends, except for Blaine, ever called before noon.

 

"Kurt? This is Ethan Anderson, Blaine's dad. Um, I borrowed your number from his phone. He doesn't know. Um, how are you today?"

 

"Fine sir, thank you. Is Blaine okay? Did something happen?"

 

Kurt heard Ethan sigh on the other end of the phone and knew in an instant what was wrong. "As you know, Blaine's grandmother was admitted to the hospital on Friday. She, um… " Ethan swallowed to stall, wondering what was proper etiquette for telling your son's boyfriend that your son's grandmother just died and ask if he could come and console him.

 

"Sir?" Ethan snapped back to the conversation he was supposed to be leading. "What can I do to help?," Kurt asked calmly.

 

"I know it's a long drive, and I'll pay for your gas of course, but I was wondering if you might come visit Blaine? His mother and I have to take care of arrangements and I don't want to leave him alone right now. I didn't know who else to call." Ethan sounded helpless.

 

"What's your address?"

 

Kurt walked up to the door and took a deep breath before knocking.

 

Knock. Knock. Knock.

 

Ethan Anderson looked out the window by the door and saw a young, well-dressed boy about his son's age standing on the porch. Kurt saw him and gave a small (albeit nervous) wave. "Blaine?," Kurt heard Mr. Anderson shout. "Could you get the door?"

 

Kurt took a step back from the door and waited patiently. After a few seconds, the door creaked open and a teary-eyed Blaine, clad in sweatpants and an OSU hoodie did a double take when he saw his boyfriend. "Kurt?!" Blaine launched himself into the other boy's arms, almost knocking them both to the ground. "What are you doing here?"

 

"You're dad called me this morning and asked me to come over. I hope that's okay…" Kurt spoke into Blaine's neck as he wrapped his arms tightly around Blaine's back. Even though Blaine didn't say anything back right away, Kurt figured it was okay when he felt the collar of his shirt dampen from his boyfriend's tears. "Hey. Shh shh."

 

Ethan appeared in the still open doorway and saw his son latched onto Kurt as if he were a lifeline. "You must be Kurt. I'm Ethan. Thank you for coming. Please, come in."

 

Blaine peeled himself off of his boyfriend and turned to face his dad. Ethan motioned for Kurt to enter the house, but Blaine hung back on the porch for a second. Before entering the house, he gave his dad a hug and whispered into his chest, "Thank you."

 

When all three men were in the house, Kurt looked around in awe at the Anderson's living room. There was a grand piano in the corner, a large leather couch and an elaborate bookcase that covered an entire wall. There were hundreds of books, dozens of family pictures, and several shelves of sheet music. He noticed several expensive looking pieces of art hanging on the walls, as well as a giant flat screen television. Blaine's family was obviously well off, but it warmed Kurt's heart to see it still felt very much like a home instead of a museum.

 

"It's very nice to finally meet you, Kurt." Ethan stuck out his hand.

 

"It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Anderson," Kurt smiled as he shook the outstretched hand firmly.

 

"Please, call me Ethan. And I know you've already met Blaine's mom." Ethan turned his head toward the kitchen and called for his wife, "Vanessa, hon? Kurt's here."

 

Blaine blushed beet red as his mom walked in from the kitchen and immediately went over to hug Kurt. "Hello! It's so nice to see you again."

 

Kurt was surprised at the hug, but returned it with a tight squeeze. "Hello, Mrs. Anderson. I'm so sorry about your mother."

 

She pulled away and gave him a grateful but sad smile. "Thank you, sweetheart. And please, it's Vanessa."

 

Kurt offered her and her husband a smile, then looked back at Blaine who was taking it all in. He was so overwhelmed by the loss of his grandmother, the surprise visit of his boyfriend, and the fact that his dad was the one who orchestrated it. Kurt saw Blaine breathing heavy trying to wrap his mind around what was going on, so he reached back and opened his hand for his boyfriend to grab.

 

Blaine gave a quick, nervous look at his parents before he slid a free hand into Kurt's and stepped up next to his boyfriend. His mom gave them a meaningful smile as Ethan put an arm around her shoulder. Kurt squeezed his hand and Blaine felt a little less like shattering into a million pieces.

 

A few minutes later, Ethan and Vanessa left for the hospital to deal with paperwork and funeral arrangements. As Vanessa kissed both boys goodbye, she mentioned she left money on the kitchen counter if they wanted to order takeout for a late lunch or early dinner (Kurt was under strict orders from his dad that he could only stay until 7:00pm because he had school the next day). Ethan gave his son another hug and then shook Kurt's hand again as he headed for the door. Blaine was already walking up the steps, but Ethan grabbed Kurt's arm and stopped him before he could follow. Kurt immediately thought he was in trouble, but he was wrong.

 

"Thank you, Kurt. It means a lot to all of us that you could be with Blaine today."

 

"I would do anything for your son, sir," Kurt admitted honestly.

 

Ethan offered a small smile and nodded, "I trust you to keep an eye on our boy. See you two later."

 

Kurt closed the door behind Ethan and locked it before running up the stairs to catch up with his boyfriend. There were so many doors, he didn't know where to look.

 

"Blaine?," Kurt called out.

 

A soft reply came from a doorway about halfway down the hall, "In here."

 

Kurt made his was down the hall and turned into the room, stopping in the doorway. This wasn't just Blaine's room; it was his boyfriend's room. And they were home alone.

 

They already established that they were taking their relationship slow. Even if they were ready for something more intimate, which they weren't, now was definitely not the time for it – even with the empty house and hours of un-chaperoned/alone time ahead of them. Blaine was sitting on the edge of his bed, playing with the ear of what looked to be a much-loved teddy bear.

 

Kurt didn't move from the doorway. "What's his name?"

 

Blaine looked up and noticed Kurt motion to the bear in his hands. He smiled as he looked down at his toy. "Coop-bear." He patted the bed next to him so Kurt would know to come over and sit down. "I named him after my brother, Cooper. I've had him since I was 8, when Coop moved out. He told me if I ever needed a brother hug, that I could just snuggle my Coop-bear." Blaine sighed as he handed his bear over to Kurt who placed him gently on his lap. "As you can see, I needed a lot of brother hugs over the year."

 

Kurt frowned and wrapped an arm around his boyfriend. Blaine leaned into the embrace and buried his face in Kurt's neck as Kurt put his other arm around Blaine's back. He felt Blaine's body shudder and warm tears wet his neck as Blaine began to cry again. Kurt kissed his hair and rubbed his back, wishing he could do or say something to alleviate Blaine's pain. After a few minutes, Blaine's tears subsided and he sat up, rubbing his face as red as his eyes.

 

"I'm sorry I'm such a mess." Before Kurt could complain that Blaine was apologizing for no reason again, Blaine continued, "And I'm sorry I keep saying I'm sorry, but I'm just so glad you're here."

 

"I'm glad I'm here too," Kurt replied as he brushed a stray curl off of Blaine's forehead. "I'm sorry too, though. I'm sorry I'm not here under better circumstances. I know I can't make anything better, but is there something I can do?"

 

Blaine frowned as he looked at his boyfriend, weighing his options, then yawned. "Sorry." He smiled at his apology and then yawned again.

 

Kurt smiled and glanced down at the bed they were sitting on. "Why don't you lay down for a little bit?" Blaine scrunched up his face to argue but Kurt held up his hand. "Don't even tell me you're not tired because I know you are. Please?" Kurt got up and pulled down the blanket and motioned for Blaine to get under the covers. Blaine rolled onto his back and squirmed around until he was tucked in his bed. "Can I get you anything?"

 

"You." Kurt's eyebrows shot up as Blaine looked at him with hopeful eyes. "Will you lay with me? We don't – I mean, I don't – I just want you to lay with me. Like, can we take a nap together? I just don't want to be alone." His hazel eyes were wide in earnest. "Please"

 

Kurt's heart began to pound but he nodded. He slid off his shoes and lifted up the blankets to slide into bed next to Blaine. They were face to face, each boy on his own pillow. Blaine was clutching Coop-bear and sighing as his body settled itself into the mattress. Kurt watched as Blaine drifted off to sleep, following soon thereafter.

 

.

 

Kurt woke up a couple hours later and gasped loudly when he remembered he was in Blaine's room, in Blaine's bed. Somehow Blaine's arm had found itself draped across Kurt's chest with Coop-bear now smashed in between them. Blaine stirred moments later. He squinted over at his boyfriend and smiled, "Oh, hey."

 

"Hi," Kurt whispered. "Sorry I woke you up. I forgot where I was."

 

"I'm glad you're still here. I thought I dreamed you." Blaine wiggled closer to Kurt and rested his head on Kurt's chest. "Is this okay?" Kurt nodded quickly and knew his heart was beating just as fast. Blaine could hear Kurt's heartbeat and he chuckled.

 

They lied like that for a few minutes and eventually Kurt's breathing steadied out as he absentmindedly ran his hand through Blaine's hair. Their moment was ruined, however, when Blaine's stomach began to growl.

 

"Blaine… when was the last time you ate?"

 

"Ummmm… last night."

 

"You wanna get some food?"

 

Blaine's stomach growled again. "Yeah. Maybe we should."

 

.

 

Thirty minutes later, Kurt was paying the man at the front door who then handed over a giant bag filled with Chinese food cartons. He shut the door just as Blaine was carrying in a tray of plates, napkins and cans of Diet Coke from the kitchen. They both put their stuff down on the coffee table in front of the leather sofa and sank down into its comfy cushions.

 

"Blaine, are you sure we're allowed to eat in here?" Kurt looked around at all the nice things and was worried that they would get in trouble should anything spill. His boyfriend just laughed and handed Kurt a soda.

 

"You wouldn't be asking that if you knew how much stuff has been spilled on this couch over the past year alone. Trust me, my parents don't care. We eat in here all the time."

 

Kurt took out several cartons and opened them up to see what was inside. He handed Blaine the Sweet and Sour Chicken and a set of chopsticks while he grabbed the carton of vegetable low mein for himself.

 

Both boys unwrapped their chopsticks and snuck peeks at the other before they attempted to dive into their food. Neither boy was having success picking up anything with the chopsticks. Blaine started to laugh. "You know… they make this look so easy in the movies."

 

Kurt sighed with relief and set his carton back down on the table. "You can't use chopsticks either? Oh thank god, I thought I was the only one. I was going to try and use them to impress you, but I can never pick anything up with them."

 

Blaine cocked his head at his boyfriend and gave him an odd look. "Impress me? Kurt!" He shook his head while Kurt blushed. Blaine set his carton down too. "Forks?"

 

Kurt nodded. "Forks."

 

Both boys tucked hungrily into their meals after Blaine brought them each in a fork from the kitchen. Blaine moaned upon eating his first piece of chicken. "Ohmygod this is the best chicken ever."

 

"You're just saying that because you're starving." Kurt rolled his eyes and slurped up a piece of low mein.

 

"No, I swear. Best. Chicken. Ever," Blaine insisted. "Here, have a piece." He stabbed a large chunk of chicken, dipped it in the Sweet and Sour sauce and held the fork up to Kurt's face. Kurt's cheeks flushed pink as he leaned forward and bit half the piece of chicken off. It was good. He smiled as Blaine ate the rest of the chicken off his own fork. "Good right?" Kurt nodded.

 

They chatted while they ate too much food and sunk into the couch with full stomachs after awhile. Kurt noticed during their conversation that Blaine never once brought up his grandmother even though he knew she was on Blaine's mind. He reached over and took Blaine by the hand. "Are you doing okay?"

 

Blaine knew he was talking about his grandmother without Kurt actually having to bring her up. He sighed and nodded. "I miss her already, you know? I had just gotten her back and now she's gone." He closed his eyes, took a breath, and then opened them again to look into Kurt's eyes as he spoke. "But I know she loved me. Through everything, she loved me. I'll just need to remember that." Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand and offered him a small smile.

 

Kurt leaned further back into the couch and snuggled up closer to Blaine at the same time. "You're strong too, Blaine. Okay? You're so strong." Blaine nodded as leaned his head onto Kurt's shoulder. They stayed like that for awhile, intertwining their hands between their bodies and just being together. After a few minutes, Blaine suddenly bolted upright, scaring Kurt. "What is it, Blaine?"

 

"The fortune cookies, Kurt!" Blaine leaned forward and dug around in the almost empty takeaway bag.

 

"Blaaaaaine, I can't eat anything else or I'm going to pop the buttons on my pants," Kurt whined as his boyfriend threw a cookie onto his lap.

 

"But it's tradition, Kurt. At least in this house… you have to eat the whole cookie and then read your fortune. Please?" Blaine leaned back and gave Kurt the best puppy dog eyes he could muster.

 

There was no way that Kurt wasn't going to cave. Between those eyes, Blaine's hair sticking up everywhere and the fact that he looked like an oversized 5-year old with his too big hoodie, Kurt had no chance. He groaned and unwrapped his fortune cookie, broke it in half, took out the fortune and then shoved half of the cookie in his mouth. "You're lucky I like you so much," he said through labored chews.

 

Blaine had already eaten half his cookie and was working on the second part, "Awww. Thanks, Kurt." They chewed for a moment and swallowed the last of their cookies. "What does your fortune say?"

 

Kurt unfolded the tiny slip of paper, looked down and read, "Your dream will come true when you least expect it." He shrugged, "That's kind of lame, no offense. What about you?" He looked up to see Blaine leaning toward him. By time he figured out what was happening, Blaine's hand was cupping his cheek and there was no space left between their mouths as Blaine pressed a gentle kiss on his lips.

 

He pulled back as quickly as he had moved in and found Kurt's eyes were as wide as his own. Blaine was about to apologize when Kurt cut him off, "If you say you are sorry, I swear to God, I will never let you do that again." By time what Kurt said registered in his head, Blaine found himself the recipient of his boyfriend's lips on his own, this time for longer. His eyes fluttered shut and he allowed himself to just feel Kurt's lips sliding against his own. When they pulled away for a second time, both their cheeks were pink and smiles were dancing across their faces.

 

"So what did yours say?" Kurt asked as he gazed into Blaine's eyes.

 

"I-"

 

Blaine didn't get a chance to answer because there was a sound of a key unlocking the front door. The boys scooted apart and Kurt busied himself, cleaning up the food cartons while Blaine hopped off the couch to greet his parents with hugs as they walked into the living room. While Blaine was talking to his mom, Kurt piled trash onto the tray to bring to the kitchen and saw Blaine's fortune laying on the table:

 

If you feel like you've been looking for someone forever, just stop. They're probably right in front of you. Don't waste anymore time.


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Aaawww, the end of this chapter was so cute. Such a sad chapter with such a beautiful ending.