Don't Keep Your Distance: Comfort

Blaine wasn't sure how long he lay on the cold bathroom floor, drifting in and out of consciousness. His dreams were bizarre and disjointed, filled with pain and desire and fear. He was vaguely aware of the fact that his body was shivering uncontrollably, but he had neither the strength nor the motivation to move anywhere more comfortable. He just wanted to sleep.

After what felt like days of agony, Blaine vaguely heard the sound of the front door closing. A few seconds later, someone called his name. The high, melodic tone was unmistakeable. Kurt.

"I'm in here," Blaine called, his voice soft and weak. He heard footsteps heading in his direction, followed by pounding at the bathroom door.

"Blaine!" Kurt said. "Blaine, open the door." Blaine groaned and summoned all the strength in his aching body, before pulling himself into a slumped sitting position against the wall and turning the lock on the door.

The door was yanked open immediately, and Kurt gasped as he entered the room, eyes wide with concern. Blaine felt another wave of sudden nausea sweep over him, and he turned to lean over the toilet bowl, vomiting once again. He only brought up bile, but his stomach continued to convulse as he gagged violently. He was vaguely aware of a couple of hands running through his hair, pushing the sweat-drenched locks off his forehead.

Once he had finally stopped retching, Blaine collapsed to the floor again, exhausted. Kurt was kneeling on the floor next to him, and he looked terrified.

"Blaine," Kurt said, and Blaine heard the quiver in the boy's voice, "Oh my god. You're so pale. Should I call my dad? I can get him to come home from work early and we can take you to the hospital -"

Blaine shook his head, groaning when it resulted in a burst of pain. "I'll be fine," he rasped. "It's just…withdrawals. I can't go to the hospital…the media…"

Kurt pressed his hand against Blaine's forehead and gasped. "Blaine, you have a really high temperature," he said, his voice shaking.

"Carole's a nurse," Blaine said, his teeth chattering. "She can take a look at me when she gets home."

Kurt bit his lip nervously. "I don't know what to do."

"It's okay," Blaine said. "Just…can you maybe help me get upstairs? I'd rather lie in bed than on the floor."

Kurt nodded, and Blaine winced, bracing himself against the wall as he attempted to stand on shaky legs. Kurt's arm immediately encircled his waist to support him. With Kurt's help, he managed to get to his feet. They slowly made their way out of the room and up the stairs, and Blaine felt bad about the fact that Kurt was practically carrying him.

"You're stronger than you look," he mumbled, and the corner of Kurt's mouth twitched.

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

After an arduous climb, they finally reached Blaine's bedroom. Kurt gingerly lowered Blaine onto the bed.

"I'll be right back," Kurt said, leaving the room for a few minutes before returning with several more pillows, a bucket, and a bottle of water. He placed the bucket next to the bed, in case Blaine was sick again. He then proceeded to pile the pillows onto the bed, building somewhat of a pillow nest.

"Have you unpacked your clothes?" Kurt asked, and Blaine nodded, gesturing towards the chest of drawers. Kurt rummaged around for a minute before returning with a baggy t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

"Here," Kurt said, handing the clothes to Blaine. "You're drenched in sweat and you've been lying on the bathroom floor for hours, you need to change."

Kurt turned his back while Blaine fumbled with the zipper on his pants, but his hands were shaking so much that he couldn't get the button undone. He let out a cry of frustration, and Kurt turned around.

"Oh," Kurt said, blushing slightly as he realised Blaine's predicament. "Here, let me help."

Kurt came over and began working on the button of Blaine's pants. Blaine felt his own face heat up in embarrassment, partly due to the fact that Kurt was undoing his pants, but more from the fact that he actually needed help getting his own pants off. He wasn't used to having to rely on people, for anything. He hadn't depended on another person in a very long time.

Eventually, Blaine managed to wriggle out of his pants, and Kurt asked Blaine to lift his arms so he could pull his shirt off too. Blaine was left in just a pair of black boxer-briefs, and Kurt's face was bright red as he helped Blaine put on the new set of clothes while desperately trying to ignore his state of undress.

Once Blaine was finally dressed in the fresh set of clothes, Kurt pulled back the blankets on the bed so that Blaine could crawl between the sheets. He immediately pulled the blankets up to his chin, his teeth chattering with the force of his fever.

"Here," Kurt said softly, holding a water bottle to Blaine's lips. "Drink. You don't want to get dehydrated."

Blaine obediently took a few sips of the water, and Kurt handed him some aspirin. He swallowed the pills and hoped that he could keep them down long enough for them to work. When he had finished drinking, Kurt offered him a stick of gum which he gratefully accepted, his mouth still thick with the sour taste of vomit.

"I'll be right back," Kurt said, leaving the room for a moment and returning shortly with his laptop and a few Vogue magazines. Blaine looked at him questioningly as he dumped them on the bed.

"I had to find something to keep us entertained, now that you're stuck in bed," Kurt explained.

"Us?" Blaine asked, fidgeting in discomfort.

Kurt responded by pulling back the blankets on the other side of the bed and climbing in next to Blaine. Blaine looked over at him in surprise.

"Kurt, you don't have to stay with me," he said. "I'll be okay on my own."

"Shush," Kurt said, fluffing up the pillows to make himself more comfortable. "I'm not leaving you alone when you're sick." His voice sounded thick and choked, as if he were trying to hold back tears.

Blaine stared at the boy, endlessly grateful for his willingness to help despite the fact that Blaine had brought this upon himself, and sure as hell didn't deserve any pity. "Thank you," he whispered.

Kurt's lower lip trembled, and his eyes began to fill with tears. Blaine's eyes widened in surprise. "Kurt," he said, reaching out to grab Kurt's hand, "what's wrong?"

"I'm so sorry," Kurt said, and a tear fell from his eye onto his cheek. "I feel terrible for leaving you here alone today. I knew that you'd go through withdrawals soon, I should have had the sense to realise that you shouldn't be left alone."

Blaine's heart ached. After everything he had done in the past – after all the hurt that he had caused Kurt – the boy somehow still managed to feel guilty for going out with his friends.

"You're unbelievable," Blaine whispered incredulously. Kurt looked up at him with wide eyes.

"What?"

"My God, Kurt. After everything I've done to you, you're telling me you're blaming yourself for the fact that I'm sick?"

"I'm not blaming myself, but you shouldn't have had to be alone for that. I should have been there to make sure you were alright -"

"Kurt," Blaine interjected, "Listen to me." Kurt stopped talking immediately.

"Kurt," Blaine continued, "You did nothing wrong. I lied to you today. I knew that I was about to get really sick, but I told you to go out with your friends because I didn't want you to see me in this state. I knew it would upset you. The fact that you feel guilty about it… God, Kurt. You have to be the most wonderful, kind, forgiving person I've ever known."

Kurt was staring at Blaine with wet eyes, teardrops clinging to the ends of his long lashes. "Forgiving?" He sniffled. "I'm not that forgiving. I told you this morning that I haven't forgiven you yet."

"And yet you still carried me up the stairs, dressed me, helped me into bed and climbed in after me to keep me company."

"Well, I don't want you to suffer," Kurt defended. "I'm just being a decent human being."

"No," Blaine responded simply. "You're being Kurt."

Kurt stared at Blaine for a long moment in silence, before his lips finally twitched up in a small smile. "Am I really the most wonderful person you've ever known?" He asked, wiping the remnants of his tears from his face.

"Absolutely."

Kurt laughed lightly. "Well," he said, "I'm about to become even more wonderful."

"How so?"

"I have The Lion King 2 on my laptop."

Blaine perked up immediately. "The Lion King 2? I've never seen it. I've always wanted to, but…" But I had no one to watch it with.

Kurt grinned. "I thought we could continue our tradition. It's one that we haven't had the chance to watch together before, but it's one of my favourites. And I've always had a bit of a crush on Kovu."

"Who's Kovu?"

"Kiara's love interest."

"And Kiara is Simba's daughter, right?"

"That is correct."

"So what you're saying is, you had a crush on animated lion?"

Kurt glared at Blaine. "Shut up. You have yet to see this animated lion."

Blaine burst into laughter, regretting it a moment later when his muscles screamed in protest. A soft whimper escaped his lips, and Kurt bit his lip nervously.

"You know," Kurt said, "I've always found that when I'm sick, it helps to have someone to cuddle with."

Blaine's eyes widened, and Kurt blushed as he shuffled closer on the bed. Blaine immediately opened his trembling arms in invitation, and Kurt smiled softly as he crawled between them to snuggle against Blaine's chest, his head resting against Blaine's shoulder. Blaine curled his arm around Kurt's waist. Kurt let out a hum of contentment, and Blaine smiled, grabbing Kurt's laptop from the bed and propping it open on their laps.

As the movie started, Blaine became very aware of just how much he was trembling when the computer started shaking on their laps.

"I'm sorry," he said, frowning at the screen.

Kurt shook his head. "Don't apologise, you can't help it." He moved the computer to his own lap and angled it slightly so that Blaine could see the screen. "Better?"

"Yeah."

"Are you comfortable?"

Blaine shrugged. "I'm about as comfortable as I can get."

Kurt frowned in concern.

"You're right, though," Blaine quickly amended, "it totally helps to have a cuddle buddy."

That made Kurt smile, his eyes crinkling adorably. Blaine felt his stomach swoop.

As they watched the movie, Blaine found it somewhat difficult to concentrate on the storyline due to the fact that he could feel Kurt's chest rise and fall every time he took a breath, and his hair smelled like coconut, and every time he laughed at something that happened on the screen it was like the sound of tinkling chimes and it made Blaine feel inexplicably happy.

A couple of times, however, Blaine was distracted by less pleasant things. At one point, he was hit with another strong wave of nausea that had him scrambling to reach the bucket next to the bed. He didn't vomit again, but he did spend a few minutes dry-heaving over the bucket while Kurt rubbed his back soothingly.

At another point, his shaking got so bad that Kurt paused the movie and clung to Blaine extra-tightly until it subsided. Blaine didn't mind that one so much.

When Blaine actually managed to concentrate on the movie, he found that he really enjoyed it. When the adult version of Kovu appeared, Blaine gasped in shock. "Holy shit, that lion is sexy," he said, and Kurt burst into laughter.

"I told you so!"

"It's an animated lion! How do they do that?"

"I don't know, but it freaks me out every time."

When the music started for Kovu and Kiara's duet, Blaine perked up in excitement. "Hey, I know this song! I had a friend, Jessica, who used to sing it all the time." He paused for a moment, a sad frown on his face. "I haven't talked to Jessica in a while. I haven't really talked to any of my friends in a while. Except Sebastian."

Kurt glanced at Blaine sympathetically. "Well, if you know this song," he said, "maybe you can sing it with me? It'll be like old times. And then when you next see Jessica, you can sing it with her, too."

Blaine smiled. "Okay."

Kiara's part of the song was first, and when Kurt began to sing, Blaine's heart skipped a beat.

In a perfect world

One we've never known

We would never need to face the world alone.

Blaine stared at Kurt, open-mouthed. His voice was beautiful. His voice had always been beautiful, but over the years it had become more refined. It was the purest, most melodic sound Blaine had ever heard. He sounded like an angel, and Blaine only hoped he could get through the song without crying.

They can have the world

We'll create our own

I may not be brave or strong or smart

But somewhere in my secret heart

I know

Love will find a way

Anywhere I go

I'm home

If you are there beside me

Like dark turning into day

Somehow we'll come through

Now that I've found you

Love will find a way.

Then it was Blaine's turn to sing. His voice was weak, but he knew that Kurt wouldn't mind. The boy was looking into his eyes and smiling encouragingly, and Blaine took a deep, shaky breath before he began to sing.

I was so afraid

Now I realize

Love is never wrong

And so it never dies

There's a perfect world

Shining in your eyes

Kurt joined Blaine for the final part of the song. Their eyes were trained on each other, rather than the screen. Blaine was sure that Kovu and Kiara's reunion must be beautiful, but it was no match for what he was seeing at that moment.

And if only they could feel it too

The happiness I feel with you

They'd know

Love will find a way

Anywhere we go

We're home

If we are there together

Like dark turning into day

Somehow we'll come through

Now that I've found you

Love will find a way

I know love will find a way.

It hit Blaine like a freight train. Oh, there you are, he thought, as he stared into Kurt's eyes. I've been looking for you forever.

Blaine's heart was pounding in his chest as he stared at the beautiful boy in front of him. There were so many thoughts rushing through his head, so many feelings – it was too much. He pushed them all away for now, promising himself that he'd deal with them later. Right now, Kurt was still looking at him with compassion and caring in his eyes, and that was all that mattered.

"You have a beautiful voice," Blaine whispered.

Kurt smiled. "Not as beautiful as yours."

"Don't be ridiculous, I could never compare."

Kurt blushed and turned back to face the screen, a smile on his face. They watched the rest of the movie in a comfortable silence, and when it was finished, Kurt gushed about how much he loved it.

"I don't usually like sequels," he said, "but I've always really loved this one." Blaine nodded in agreement.

"Do you want to look through the magazines now?" Kurt asked. "It's fine if you don't, it's just that I remember looking through them with you when I was a kid." He shrugged. "I guess I'm feeling kind of nostalgic today."

"I'd love to look through them with you," Blaine said with a smile. "Did I spot the Marion Cotillard cover? It's my favourite."

Kurt squeaked excitedly. "Oh my god! Mine, too! So you still read Vogue, then?"

"I like to read it sometimes. When I…have the time." When I'm sober enough to make out the words.

Kurt nodded and grabbed the magazine, opening it to read aloud. Blaine remembered all the times in the past he and Kurt had sat on the living room couch together, Kurt perched on Blaine's knee while Blaine read the magazine aloud to him. Even at the age of 5 Kurt had always critiqued every outfit he saw, letting Blaine know exactly how it could be improved. Blaine smiled fondly at the memory.

As Kurt continued to read, Blaine allowed himself to be soothed by the sound of Kurt's voice and the warmth of his body. For a moment, it was almost possible to forget about everything. The pain, the guilt, the fear – at that moment, it all faded into the background.

Blaine felt his eyelids beginning to droop, and for the first time in 6 years, he fell asleep with a smile on his face.