“Kurt, wake up, I need to get ready for work.”

Kurt grunted and ignored Blaine for the moment.  He didn't want to get up.  He had been in the middle of a good dream and thought if he could get back to sleep he could back to it.  But… that never happened in the end.  Dreams would shift and change if there was an interruption in sleep to matter how hard one tried to hang on.

“Come on Kurt… rise and shine.”

“Fuuu….” Kurt groaned and acquiesced, rolling off of Blaine's chest to free him and instead finding a normal pillow that didn't have the warmth or beating heart he was able to fall asleep to.

“Thank you Kurt.” Blaine said softly and the bed shifted as he got up and went into the washroom.  Kurt could hear the shower start up, clothes being discarded, and the curtains being shuffled aside as Blaine climbed in.  Try as he might, now that Blaine wasn't there, Kurt couldn't fall back asleep so he sat up and rubbed his eyes and then shuffled out from under the blanket.

Another day, another set of hours he'd have to fill up with monotony until Blaine came back and he was able to relax again.  Another day he'd have to fight against going outside when everyone was pushing him to.  Another day of trying to distract himself so he didn't have to think about what had happened or how badly he wanted a fix or wondering what the hell he was supposed to do with his life when all he had was a spot in an apartment and two guys who cluelessly seemed to want to help him do… whatever it was he had to do.  It would've been nice if someone told him what exactly that was though.

The routine was always the same.  Wes came, Blaine left, Kurt watched TV, Wes took Romeo for a walk, Kurt and Wes ate, then played boardgames, Wes tried to convince Kurt to go to whatever daily appointment he had, Kurt refused, Wes grumbled, move TV, more games, Blaine would come home, Wes would leave, Kurt would nap on Blaine, Blaine would feed him supper, then more TV, then bed.

A lot of people wouldn't complain.  It was an easy life.  He was fed, he was entertained, and most of all, he was safe.  So long as he didn't go outside anyhow.

But Kurt was quickly getting bored, and more than that, he was getting itchy.  Just not physically, though that was a problem too, but mentally.  He needed to occupy himself with something more challenging and he knew it, but didn't know what.

They wanted him to maybe go to college or get a job - something to get him into the workforce.  Whatever support Blaine was getting for him, Kurt knew it couldn't last forever.  He needed to figure out what to do now, especially since now that he was sober and getting clean he knew he didn't want to go back to turning tricks.  

Sometimes it was like he had the memories of another person embedded within him.  He would remember something from the past couple years and thought for sure that couldn't have been him that did that.  But it was… and he was disgusted with himself for it.

When Blaine emerged from his room, Kurt was already slumped over the table eating his cereal blearily.  He was still in his pyjamas with disheveled hair that Wes kept saying needed a cut while Blaine was all dressed prim and proper with his hair gelled up to keep it in place and his stubble all shaved off.

They didn't look like they belonged at the table together.

“So… your tattoo…” Blaine started, once again trying to prompt Kurt into telling him the origins of the black lettering on his shoulder blade.

Kurt shook his head.  He definitely didn't want to talk about that.  He'd get it removed one day or have it redesigned so he never had to see it like it was again, but for now, he kept it covered with layers of clothing.  Of course, Blaine had seen him, tattoo included, when he had rescued Kurt from the bathroom the other day, so he had been asking about it less than subtly ever since.

Not every tattoo had a significant and meaningful origin.  That fact that Blaine didn't realize that just spoke to the kid's naivety.

Wes arrived and so Blaine left, beginning the cycle of the day.  Days blurred like this, until Kurt wasn't sure if he seen a particular movie that day or the day before or the day before that.  He didn't know when he had played certain games or refused certain appointments.  The social worker visited at some point and, given what had been reported to her by his shrink, gave Kurt a temporary leave on his appointments so Wes and Blaine would stop fighting him on it.

They didn't really fight all that hard to be honest.  They just grumbled when he refused.  Kurt knew they backed down because they didn't know what else they could do, and he was glad they didn't get more upset because there was no point in fighting.  He wasn't going out.  

In the meantime though, the social worker and Wes gathered endless pamphlets for him, describing different programs he could study in and suggested things he might be interested in.  Nothing sounded appealing.  He didn't want to go into child care or data entry or retail.  It wasn't that there was anything wrong with those things, it just wasn't that there was anything right either - at least not for him.  The closest thing they had suggested to what he might be fitting was auto mechanics - but that got shut down when he laughed so hard he cried once it was said aloud.  

Plus, it all required him to go outside.  They didn't seem to understand that that just wasn't an option anymore.  Not for him.

Days like this, maybe it was weeks - Kurt couldn't track the time.  He knew he was getting better though, as much as that could be measured.  He didn't want to sleep all the time, and his head felt clearer as bits of the fuzz in his brain seemed to dissipate.  He still needed Blaine to fall asleep at night, much to his own chagrin.  It would have been nice to be able to figure that out on his own.  Blaine did have a boyfriend after all, and once he got over his own insecurities, maybe that boyfriend would start making appearances over at the apartment and Kurt wouldn't be able to use Blaine as a living pillow.  

He was also putting on weight, and had begun to start his day with an aerobics show on TV to ensure that he didn't just put on fat, but muscle too.  Somehow, going from too skinny to too fat didn't seem like a good plan.

Kurt also made an effort over time to help out more.  While Blaine was gone and Wes began to plan his fall semester courses, Kurt would deal with dishes and sort laundry.  He even began to start suppers so Blaine wouldn't have to worry about it everyday when he got home.   

“Kurt.  Blaine's running late and I need to get to the university before it closes today.  Will you be alright by yourself for a bit?” Wes asked of him that day, whatever day that was, already with his messenger bag slung over his shoulder.

“Of course.  I'm not going to shit myself or throw a party.  Go on before that dissection lab gets full and I have to hear about it for weeks.”

Wes grinned and nodded, out the door within seconds.  Not having anyone else around aside Romeo was definitely odd, especially since he had gotten used to having constant companionship since he moved in.

It also gave him the opportunity to try something he'd been thinking about for awhile.

He crept, not knowing why he needed to creep in the first place, into the music room and sat down carefully on the piano bench, just staring at the keys in front of him for a solid minute before summoning up the nerve to place his fingers on them.  A chill went down him as nostalgia hit.  He used to sit with his mother all the time to play.  She taught piano, and he was her most eager student.  It had been years since he touched one though.

He pressed one key, sucking in a breath as the note came out loud and clear.  Another key, another breath, until he was breathing in sync with the keys he played.  There was no specific song he played - one tune segwayed into the next flawlessly and he couldn't help but be surprised at how easily it all came back to him.

His voice joined the keys, and as with the piano, sang no particular song but a medley of different tunes that fit the pieces he played.  Like the piano, it had been years sing he had truly sung more than a bit in the shower, and like the piano, he was amazed at how much he recalled without having to think about it.

“Wow.”

His fingers slammed the piano then as his head spun to find Blaine in the doorway of the room, staring at him.  Kurt hurriedly abandoned the piano and pushed past Blaine as he escaped the room, trying to make a break for his own room while Blaine called out after him.

“Why are you running?  That was brilliant!  Kurt!”

His door was slammed shut and he crawled up onto his bed, pulling the blanket over his head so he could hide in the darkness.  Stupid.  That was stupid.  Why did he do that?  

Blaine knocked on his door insistently, “Come on Kurt!  It's okay!  I don't mind you using the music room!”

Is that what Blaine thought was wrong?  God he was completely oblivious.  

A few more knocks, then an over dramatic sigh from behind the door, “Fine… just… it was nice Kurt.  You play and sing beautifully.”

That didn't matter either.  He just didn't want Blaine to know… know that there had been a point that Kurt was like him… creative, sweet, maybe even talented… He couldn't go back to that no matter how hard anyone hoped or tried - especially Kurt.  He kept his walls up for a reason.  He didn't want to disappoint anyone when he inevitably did something worthy of disappointment.

He stayed in his blanket tent for awhile longer before the beans from lunch caught up with him and he needed to escape not only the blanket, but his room altogether.  Blaine was setting the table, the casserole Kurt had put in sitting on the stove cooling.

“You know Wes and I met in glee club in school?” Blaine prompted, smiling at Kurt when he noticed him.

Kurt shrugged, “There was one at my school, but it got shut down in my sophomore year when the teacher was fired for creeping on a student.  No other teacher stepped up to run it so it went the way of the dinosaur.”

Blaine hummed thoughtfully, “That's a shame.  I'm sure you would have been a featured soloist if you had the opportunity.. your voice is gold.  The Warblers would have killed to have a countertenor in their ranks.”

Kurt snorted, “The Warblers?  Really?  Fuck that's lame.”

Blaine smirked, a bit of pride in his face, “Warbler pride.”

“What about your sister?  Wes said you two went to an all boys school and she went to an all girls school.”

Blaine nodded, “Rachel was the star of her group.  Won nationals after beating us in regionals in her senior year.  Still holds it over us.”

“Does she know I'm here Trust Fund?  I mean… she can't like it.”

Blaine shook his head and sat himself down at the table.  “No… but it's not her business and quite frankly she can't have an opinion over something since she hasn't been here since she moved out.  Hell… it's been a month since I've seen her and even then it was just in passing.  Unless I'm a Broadway stage I don't really have a chance of being a priority for my sister.”

“S'too bad.” Kurt huffed, sitting down across from Blaine.  “She's missing out.”

Blaine beamed, “You think so?”

Oblivious.  Naive.  Kurt shook his head in disbelief as he looked at Blaine, “Well, fuck… yeah.  You're like… the golden child every parent wants, the supportive friend everyone needs, the reliable employee, the A+ student… given the chance to be a brother, there's no doubt you'd kick ass at that too.”

Blaine grinned mischievously, “You forgot that I'm the hero this city needs, but not the one it deserves.”

Kurt didn't miss a beat, “And you're also an incredibly dorky dork.”

Blaine chuckled and went to retrieve dinner, setting it on the table between them.  “Thanks for cooking again.”

Kurt shrugged, “No problem.”

“Have you crossed chef off the list yet?”

“Long time ago… I don't like sweating and that's all they do in a hot kitchen.”

“You have a reason to cross off every potential thing you could get training for.” Blaine mused as he served them both.

Kurt shrugged, “I don't want to leave the apartment.”

“I know.”  Blaine said softly, somberly, “But even I can't promise that I'll live here forever Kurt… and who knows what'll happen… if there's a way I can help you get out of here, even for little periods of time you know I'll do it.”

Kurt stabbed a noodle on his plate.  Blaine would, he knew, but it was Kurt that needed to want it.

“What if I take you on a trip somewhere else?  Is it just this city that's scary for you?” Blaine offered.

Kurt shrugged.  He didn't know, especially since he'd never thought about it.  Even if they went on a trip though, that still meant going through the city.  The thought alone made him cringe.

“Well… something to think about anyway…”

“Hey… when you and Wes are at school in the fall, are you just leaving me alone here or am I getting a new babysitter?” Kurt looked up.

Blaine's brows lifted and he pursed his lips.  “Good question.  We kind of failed to think about it.  What do you think?”

Again Kurt rolled his shoulders up in a shrug, “I don't know.  If you trust me… I won't do anything stupid…. it's not like I want to leave here and I don't have any other friends anyhow.”

“What about doing some online courses Kurt?  There's lots available…”

God… school… his high school experience hadn't been special and he couldn't see the appeal of continuing on past that.  “They won't register me unless I give them more information.”

“About that…”  Blaine began, and Kurt could tell by his tone that he had some news, so he looked up warily, “.... your social worker said we could overcome that barrier by you taking on my last name and then we can get you a social security number and everything else….”

Well that was fucking weird.  Kurt Anderberry.  It did not flow well at all in his mind… granted… it's not like he could go back to Hummel.  At least not now.  “Sure.  Whatever….”

“And then you could take some online classes…”  Blaine continued with a wry smile.

“Only if you help me out.  It's been a long time since I actually put any effort into learning new shit.”

“You know I would.”

Kurt did.