It was flu season and the virus was making its rounds at Dalton. Cameron had been out for a couple of days as he was the first Warbler to succumb to the illness. Over the next week, Blaine became the second.

Kurt had been getting dressed for school when his phone buzzed, the sound reverberating around the room. His face brightened as he saw it was a text from Blaine but it quickly turned confused as he tried to decipher the text message.

Im not feedlign ll thst wekk – B x

"Oh Blaine," Kurt sighed, unable to understand anything from the message, deciding to call him instead. Kurt waited five rings before Blaine picked up.

"'Lo?" He coughed on the other end and Kurt winced.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked. "Are you OK?"

"Not really," Blaine moaned on the other end, curling up into ball. "Feel sick."

"Oh baby," Kurt sighed in sympathy. "I'm sorry."

"Stupid Cameron," Blaine coughed again and Kurt cringed.

"Get some rest," Kurt soothed softly. "I'll come by after school."

"No, don't want you to get sick," Blaine groaned.

"Shh," Kurt hushed. "Get some sleep. I'll see you later." Kurt hung up before Blaine could protest and finished getting dressed. He picked his bag and was walking down the stairs when reality sunk in. He was going to school alone, with no Blaine by his side. Kurt steeled himself and continued downstairs to where Burt was waiting for him.

Kurt walked into Dalton alone, clutching his satchel strap tightly in his good hand. He kept his head high but avoided everyone's gaze – the way he used to at Westerville High – as he walked to his locker. He reached it and spun the dial on the lock, entering the combination and opening it up.

"Hey Kurt," Nick greeted him warmly and Kurt flinched, stumbling backwards slightly in surprise until he caught sight of who was talking to him.

"Oh, hi Nick," Kurt smiled, relaxing.

"Sorry for sneaking up on you," Nick apologized.

"It's OK," Kurt assured him, grabbing out his books of his locker.

"No Blaine today?" Nick frowned, looking around.

"He's out with the flu," Kurt said mournfully.

"That sucks," Nick winced. "You'll tell him we say get better, yeah?"

"Of course," Kurt smiled. Nick beamed and Kurt shut his locker door gently.

"What do we have first?" Nick asked.

"Art," Kurt answered and the boy beamed at him.

"My favourite subject," Nick noticed that Kurt was quieter and kept his face perfectly blank, not allowing his emotions to creep through. It bore stark contrast to the way Kurt looked when Blaine was around. When he was near his boyfriend, he came to life. "You and Blaine," Nick said as they walked from art class to their next one. "It's weird seeing one without the other."

Kurt chuckled. "My dad calls Blaine his son in-law."

Nick laughed and took notice of the dreamy smile on Kurt's lips. "Do both your parents get along?" He asked, curious to learn more about Kurt's life outside of Dalton. Even after a month they still hadn't learnt much about the boys' lives.

"Oh yeah," Kurt beamed. "Blaine's dad and mine are great friends."

"And your mothers?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, they were best friends," Kurt said quietly, ducking his head.

"Oh sorry," Nick apologized. "I didn't mean to pry."

"No, it's OK," Kurt assured him.

"Are they not friends anymore?" Nick asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"I'm sure they would be," Kurt murmured and gave Nick a sad smile. "My mum passed away when I was eight."

Nick face fell with horror. "Shit Kurt, I'm so sorry."

"You didn't know," Kurt shrugged. "It was some time ago."

Nick bit his lip but felt honoured that Kurt had shared this with him. "Thanks for telling me," Nick said quietly, smiling at Kurt.

"You're my friend," Kurt said shyly and Nick beamed.

"Yeah, I am."

As they were walking to English they met up with Wes, David and Jeff, the blonde boy immediately throwing an arm around Nick who grinned in response. Wes and David rolled their eyes at the two boys, wondering when on earth they would get their acts together and admit they liked each other.

"Where's Blaine?" David frowned as Kurt approached. "He wasn't in history."

"He's got the flu," Kurt told them. "Got it off Cameron."

"Damn," David muttered and pulled out his phone.

"What are you doing?" Kurt asked, looking over his shoulder curiously.

"Sending Blaine a get well message," David grinned, fingers flying across the keypad. He missed the bright smile Kurt gave him but it didn't go unnoticed by the others.

Blaine groaned as he slowly broke through his haze of sleep. He squinted and found that the room was darker than he expected. He glanced around and saw that the curtains were drawn and there was a figure hunched over his desk.

"Kurt?" Blaine rasped out, knowing his boyfriend's slender figure anywhere.

Kurt turned and smiled at Blaine, abandoning his homework and moving to sit on the edge of the bed. "Hey. How are you feeling?" Kurt asked softly. Blaine just grunted and buried himself further under the covers. Kurt soothed Blaine's curly hair, running it through his fingers and Blaine made a sound of content.

"How was school?" Blaine coughed and Kurt rubbed his back.

"It was OK," Kurt shrugged and he ducked his head. "I missed you."

Blaine rolled over and smiled at Kurt through hazy eyes. "I missed you too," Blaine wheezed. "Sucks being sick."

"Can I get you anything?" Kurt asked.

"No, m'k," Blaine yawned, snuggling into the mountain of pillows that lay beneath him.

"Did you get your messages from the Warblers?" Kurt murmured, trailing his fingertips along Blaine's hairline.

"Been asleep all day," Blaine coughed and Kurt reached for his phone.

"All the Warblers sent you get well soon messages," Kurt smiled, looking through them.

"They did?" Blaine asked, squinting at Kurt through the curls that were flopping over his forehead.

"Hmm," Kurt hummed. "Want me to read them to you?" Blaine nodded and settled back down. Kurt read the messages out to him, his voice lulling him into relaxation. Kurt noticed this and smiled softly. He put Blaine's phone back on his bed side table and stood up.

"Where you going?" Blaine mumbled, eyes closed, on the verge of sleep.

"Letting you get some sleep," Kurt said quietly.

"Stay," Blaine sighed and Kurt smiled.

"OK," Kurt promised and sat back down at Blaine's desk as Blaine slipped into unconsciousness.

Kurt finished his homework and pulled out a spare sketch book that he kept at the Anderson's home. He opened a clean page and started sketching, humming softly under his breath as he worked.

When Blaine woke up next it was much darker and he felt a little better. He hauled himself up into the sitting position and rubbed his face with the palm of his hand. Kurt wasn't there and Blaine swung himself out of bed, shivering. He grabbed a jumper, pulling it on and padded out of his room. He made his way downstairs slowly, following the sound of voices.

"Kurt, it's beautiful," Annie's voice drifted from the kitchen. "Is this something you want to pursue?"

"I'd like to take a fashion course in college," Kurt answered, "or an art course."

"You have the eye for fashion," Blaine rasped as he entered the kitchen and Kurt whipped around, smiling.

"Hey you," Annie smiled. "How you feeling?"

"Little bit better," Blaine shrugged.

"Are you hungry?" Annie asked.

"I could eat something plain," Blaine nodded.

"I'll get you some crackers," she told him, flitting across the kitchen.

"Come on, you," Kurt said, taking Blaine's hand and leading him out of the kitchen and to the living room. Blaine collapsed on to the couch and Kurt draped a blanket over him clumsily with his one arm.

His cast would be coming off in two weeks and he was counting down the seconds. He had never been one for relying on other people and he couldn't wait to be fully independent once more. He curled up at Blaine's feet, smiling softly at the ill boy.

"You were doing more design work?" Blaine asked and Kurt nodded. Blaine was the only one who knew of Kurt passion for design and that he wanted to be a designer after school.

"Just dabbling," Kurt shrugged.

"You'll show me later yeah?" Blaine asked hopefully.

"Yeah, of course," Kurt smiled. Blaine coughed and Kurt winced. "Dad will be here to pick me up soon," he said sadly.

"Sorry, I'm not much company at the moment," Blaine sniffed and Kurt chuckled softly.

"You looked pretty adorable while you were sleeping," Kurt teased and Blaine chuckled. The door bell rang and Kurt sighed. "That will be Dad," he said, getting to his feet. "I'll message you later, OK?"

"I'll be waiting," Blaine smiled. Kurt hesitated before swooping down and kissing Blaine's forehead. He beamed and called a goodbye to Annie as he grabbed his bag.

Blaine sighed as he heard the door open and close and in an instant, Kurt was gone. Blaine settled back on the sofa, closing his eyes and willing sleep to find him again. Being sick sucked.