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***** Chapter 3

“Dude. Dude! Why'd you sleep on the couch? You're still in your clothes and everything.”

“Hmm...”

“Kurt. HEY.” Rough hands shoved into his shoulder. “Kurt, wake up. We gotta meet my mom in the hospital in ten. Where exactly were you last night?”

Kurt blinked his eyes open. Sunlight washed over him and he cringed. Where the hell am I?

“I can't believe it. You slept on the couch. Dude, you didn't even go through all that make-up stuff that you do every night!”

“It's a moisturizing routine, Finn!” Kurt snapped out instinctively. He forced himself up, blinking against the light. “What time is it?”

Finn sighed impatiently, glancing at his watch. “Eight thirty. We gotta be at the hospital in ten minutes. Dude, did you party last night or something?”

Kurt ignored the ridiculous statement, sprinting into the kitchen to pour some coffee, accidentally catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Puffy eyes, ruffled hair, chapped lips. Damn.

“I need a minute, Finn. Just… go ahead to the hospital.”

“Kurt, man, I'm a little worried here.”

“I'll meet you there! Go.”

Finn stayed rooted to the ground. His face was contorted in a frown and his hands kept looking for something to do.

Awkward as ever.

“Listen, I'm just worried, okay? You haven't really been eating lately. You snap at me all the time and ever since Burt had a – you know – you just haven't been the same.”

Kurt didn't take the time to be touched.

“Oh, so you finally noticed that, huh?”

“Dude, just tell me where you went last night.”

“I don't remember,” Kurt said, frowning a little as he tried to make sense of the shreds of memory that remained from the previous night. “At least I don't remember which parts were in my dreams and which weren't.”

Finn's frown deepened, creating the perfect look of What the fuck, dude, I don't get it.

“Never mind, Finn, just go to the damn hospital. I'll be there in thirty minutes.”

Finn huffed and shuffled away, throwing Kurt one last puzzled look.

When he was gone, Kurt exhaled sharply, slumping to the cold kitchen floor and clutching his head. He felt completely lost. What did he do last night?

“Hey there, feeling better?”

Immediately, Kurt bolted up.

“Who said that?!”

A stabbing pain in his head made his knees buckle, forcing him back down.

“Whoa there. Don't get up too fast. Anyone ever tell you about head-rush?” A pair of hands steadied him, gently pulling him back to the couch. “Sit down. Take it easy.”

Kurt leaned back, taking deep breaths as his eyesight refocused.

A boy - lean, dark - sat cross-legged on the glass table in front of him. Black, ruffled hair. Golden-brown eyes. Silvery tan skin. White, feathery wings.

Oh God. Wings.

A tidal wave of memories crashed over Kurt, pulling him under and suspending him in images of trees and darkness and angels.

“Easy now. Take your time.”

Kurt gripped the couch, trying to control the hyperventilating. So it wasn't a dream.

“You're real,” he panted. “You're real and you can talk.”

A very non-angelic burst of laughter erupted from the boy's mouth. “Why wouldn't I talk? Come on, I know you were bordering on trauma yesterday, but I didn't think you'd forget that.”

“Your name,” Kurt choked out. “I remember your name.”

“Congratulations.”

“You're Blaine. You're Blaine, you're an angel, and you're real.”

“You get an A+.”

“And you're snarky.”

The laughter died on Blaine's lips. “Hey now.”

“Why the hell are you here? Tell me--”

Blaine grinned.

“Oh, I think we should get to know each other just a little bit better before you find out all these terrifying secrets about me.”

“I'm serious. Why are you here?”

Blaine sighed, scrunching his eyebrows together.

“I don't know how to put this. I'm here to be... here. I am a soul you can talk to, a place you can go to, and a fire that warms you when your mind starts to freeze.”

Kurt threw his head back, rubbing his eyes. He really needed his coffee.

“You okay?”

“You know… I actually am," Kurt said, a little surprised at truthfulness of the words. There was something about Blaine, something that told him he could trust him. As hard to believe as it all was, if Blaine was really here for Kurt, to help Kurt, Kurt wouldn't turn him away. Not now, not when none of his friends could be bothered to ask him how he was doing, let alone care. "I think it means something, you know, you being here. I just hope you won't be disappointed when you find out how much of a mess I am."

“Kurt.” Blaine leaned forward and put a hand on his, forcing Kurt to look at him. His eyes were understanding and full of worry. “I don't know much about you, but I promise I'll take care of you. If you think you're broken, I will piece you back together. I will.”

Kurt smiled softly, squeezing back.

“Thank you.”