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Chapter 25

The next few days were much the same; Blaine remained in his hospital bed, resting comfortably and recovering with Kurt close by his side.

The two boys quickly became VIP-like members of the acute care unit at the hospital.

Doctors and nurses were almost constantly popping their heads into the doorway and checking on them, asking if there was anything they needed and ensuring that Blaine's pain levels were manageable.

The hospital administration staff had even bent the rules slightly and allowed Kurt to remain with Blaine past visiting hours, bringing a small cot into the room for him to sleep on at night.

He didn't use it.

After being away from Blaine for so long, Kurt couldn't pry himself away from the weakened boy in the bed next to him. He spent much of his time sitting propped up by pillows next to Blaine on the bed, holding his hand or twisting his fingers through the boy's tangled black curls.

Even though the nursing staff had fully washed Blaine and shaved his face during the days when Blaine remained unconscious, a new layer of coarse dark hair had grown onto his face, making him appear older and much more unkempt than Kurt had ever seen him.

He was pleased to see a middle-aged RN with curly red hair bring in a mint green plastic basin with shaving supplies one morning while they laid on Blaine's bed watching Saturday morning cartoons on the tiny TV screen fixed on the wall.

While Kurt was excited at the idea of seeing Blaine clean-shaven once again, Blaine immediately tensed up when his brain put the pieces of the puzzle together. He became visibly upset and starting trembling beside Kurt at the prospect of allowing someone to touch his face.

Kurt rested his hands gently on Blaine's shoulders, maintaining constant eye contact until his trembling subsided before slowly and quietly speaking with him until Blaine had silently agreed with a nod that he would allow Kurt to help him.

Since Blaine was finally able to sit up on the fluffy bed for short increments of time without being in significant discomfort, Kurt reached over and pressed the button to raise the head of the bed up to make the process slightly easier.

The bed creaked up slowly and Kurt watched Blaine's face carefully, monitoring for any sign of discomfort. At the first wince, Kurt immediately stopped and lowered the bed back down a few inches, keeping most of the pressure off Blaine's still-tender backside.

"Are you okay?" He whispered, running a gentle hand over Blaine's upper right arm.

Blaine's eyes remained closed and he was breathing heavily through his nose, as he and Kurt had been practicing, but he nodded slowly.

The nurse left the basin of shaving supplies on the bed, and gave Kurt a stern 'keep an eye on him' look, before she nodded and left the room, leaving the boys alone.

Blaine initially took the razor in his own hand, but when he looked into the small round mirror that Kurt was holding up for him, his face scrunched up in repulsion and he immediately turned his head off to the side and away from Kurt.

Kurt immediately recognized Blaine's inability to look at himself in the mirror.

He was completely disgusted by his own reflection.

With a heavy pang in his chest, Kurt set the mirror facedown on the bed next to Blaine, stroked his arm and spoke softly, barely above a whisper.

"You've probably done this so many times that you could do it in your sleep. We don't even need that silly little mirror."

The pained expression remained heavy on Blaine's face as he slowly turned his eyes back towards Kurt and nodded sadly.

Blaine was shaking so violently when he brought the shaver back up to his face that Kurt cautiously stepped in once again. He carefully placed his hand on top of Blaine's and gently pulled the plastic razor from his trembling fingers.

He dropped the razor back into the basin and squirted some shaving gel onto his fingers.

While maintaining his constant eye contact with Blaine, he pressed his fingers gently against the growth of prickly dark hair on the boy's jawline, leaving behind a trail of thick white foam.

Blaine eventually closed his eyes and leaned into Kurt's tender touch, the strong smell of the shaving cream satisfying his olfactory senses and creating an essence of comfort and familiarity.

Kurt continued to gently massage Blaine's face with only the lightest touch of his fingertips until the shorter teen was left with a thick coat of white foam on his face.

Blaine suddenly flinched away from Kurt's touch and he quickly clenched his eyes closed tighter as Kurt's fingers had found their way onto his neck while he was gently spreading the foam.

Blaine's right hand shot up and he instinctively swatted Kurt's fingers away.

"Shhh Blaine, it's just me. Open your eyes." Kurt whispered softly, reaching back and clasping his fingers gently around Blaine's. "It's just me."

Blaine's eyes remained closed and his breathing grew deep, as though he was silently trying to calm himself.

'That's it, sweetie." Kurt encouraged. "Just relax."

Several seconds later, Kurt felt the teenager relax next to him and Blaine slowly reopened his eyes.

"Hi." Kurt whispered with a half smile. "You okay?"

Blaine took another deep breath, centering himself, before nodding hesitantly.

Kurt pressed his lips gently to the top of Blaine's forehead before slowly continuing to apply the thick foam to Blaine's neck; keeping constant eye contact and using the most feather-light touch he could manage.

Once the foam was equally distributed, Kurt reached back over and pulled the small blue plastic razor out of the basin.

He looked at Blaine, silently asking for permission to continue, but was met by hesitant eyes.

"Blaine?" He asked softly. "May I help you shave?"

Blaine paused momentarily, looking deep into Kurt's eyes before he offered the slightest of nods.

Kurt smiled.

"I promise to do a good job. It may not look like it, but I do have to shave every now and again, you know."

Blaine remained silent.

"It takes practice and mad skills to look this stunning." Kurt added with a wink.

He couldn't be sure, but Kurt thought he might have seen a tiny glimmer of life flash from behind Blaine's eyes for the first time since the pair had been sitting in the Hummel's living room eating peanut butter toast, so many weeks before.

Kurt's heart soared.

Progress.

He gently laid Blaine's head back against the pillow and lifted his chin up and towards his own, effectively tightening Blaine's skin, while allowing them to maintain the all-important eye contact.

Kurt lifted the razor to Blaine's eye level slowly, and watched as the teen swallowed a lump of fear, causing his now-prominent Adam's apple to bob noticeably.

"Try and keep still okay?" Kurt instructed tenderly.

Blaine nodded.

I trust you.

Kurt used the fingers on his opposite hand to pull the skin on Blaine's face taut before he carefully dragged the blade of the razor across his jawline.

After the first swipe was complete, he returned his gaze back to Blaine, who'd pressed his eyes closed once again.

"Are you still okay with this?"

Blaine nodded deliberately without opening his eyes, so Kurt carried on with the intricately intimate process using such gentle and caring touches that Blaine eventually relaxed enough to nearly enjoy the experience.

When he was finished, Kurt fetched a white hand towel from the bathroom and pressed it to Blaine's freshly shaven face, dabbing and removing the few remaining specks of white shaving cream.

"There." Kurt announced proudly. "You look like a new man!"

Blaine glanced up at Kurt with what was undoubtedly a look of deep appreciation.

"I bet that feels much better, doesn't it?"

Blaine nodded but still no words fell from his lips.

Blaine's newly softened features, combined with his small stature and timid appearance made him look young.

Really young.

He actually looked like Blaine again.

Blaine still hadn't spoken to anyone aside from the few words he'd said to Kurt the afternoon when he'd first awoken.

The ongoing silence worried Kurt.

The still empty and hollow look behind Blaine's eyes worried Kurt.

But it was the gut wrenching whimpers that escaped Blaine's lips while he laid in a restless slumber that worried Kurt the most.

He had convinced his father to let him to stay with Blaine at the hospital, under the strict agreement that he would have his homework delivered to him so he could work on it while Blaine was resting.

Kurt was sitting up propped up reading his French book in Blaine's bed with the smaller boy cuddled into his side when Burt tiptoed into the room later that afternoon.

Kurt looked up when he heard his father enter the room and smiled.

"How is he?" Burt whispered.

Kurt shrugged.

'About the same.' He mouthed silently.

Burt nodded and took his place in the white plastic chair next to the bed. He hadn't been spending as much time at the hospital as he had in the beginning of Blaine's stay, but he still stopped in before work each morning and then after he'd finished up at the shop each afternoon.

Even though Blaine wouldn't talk, Burt knew that it meant a lot to the boy each time he or Carole would stop in and see him.

There hadn't been much progress in getting him to speak either. The hospital had sent in a special sexual-assault therapist to talk to him, but Blaine completely shut down and refused to even look at anyone.

Including Kurt.

Burt had quickly sent the woman away from the room that day. They didn't need Blaine regressing any further.

Burt wasn't blind. He could clearly see that Kurt was literally the only person that seemed to be able to get through to the deeply damaged boy.

He looked over to his son, sitting up on the bed holding his textbook up on his knees and his pen held gracefully in the fingers of his right hand.

He was so proud of him.

Kurt had obviously been through a lot as well, but he was holding himself up so high, being so strong for Blaine.

Just like his mother.

Even in the last few days before her passing, Elizabeth had been constantly fussing about Kurt and her beloved husband, making sure everything was in order so they wouldn't have to deal with anything after she was gone.

Heaven-sent.

Burt sighed as he remembered the angelic face of his late wife.

The same angelic face that now stared lovingly at the boy lying next to him on the hospital bed.

Kurt had returned his gaze to the textbook in front of him when suddenly Blaine started trembling slightly and a whimper escaped his lips.

Burt was just about to stand up and walk over to the bed to comfort the boy when something happened that made the hairs on the back his arms stand on end and sent a shiver streaking directly up his spine.

Without even removing his gaze from his textbook, Kurt wordlessly repositioned his hand over to where he subconsciously knew Blaine's hand lay on the bed next to him and gently laid his own fingers on top of the wrist of the trembling boy.

The effect was immediate.

Blaine's breathing seemed to hitch momentarily, but then return to the deep rhythmic pattern of a restful sleep. His body became relaxed once again, and the whimpers stopped immediately.

Burt's eyes widened as he took in the scene before him.

He'd noticed that Kurt had been maintaining the almost constant reassuring touches on Blaine's skin, but he'd never seen relief flood into the other boy so quickly.

It was as though that single point of contact had… healed him.

Burt's heart fluttered as he considered how important these two boys obviously were to each other.

Every seemingly insignificant touch from Kurt seemed almost therapeutic to the damaged boy.

How did they ever manage in this world for so long without each other?

Blaine began to stir about forty minutes later, and woke up to find Burt Hummel sitting next to him in the familiar white plastic chair. Blaine glanced over to where Kurt had been perched next to him, only to realize that he was nowhere to be seen.

He pushed himself up into a sitting position on the bed, with several pillows supporting his back and looked over at Burt questioningly.

"He just went to stretch his legs kiddo." Burt answered, quietly standing up from his position in the chair, ignoring the popping sounds that emanated from his knees. "He'll be right back."

Burt walked the few steps over to Blaine's bedside and placed his hands on the metal rail.

"How are you feeling today?"

Burt wasn't expecting Blaine to answer him, so he wasn't exactly surprised when the boy just shrugged.

"Are you in any pain right now?"

Blaine shook his head.

Burt sighed, unknowing what to say next. He was satisfied that Blaine had at least acknowledged his presence today.

Progress.

"Can I get you anything? Are you thirsty?"

Blaine turned his head towards the maroon plastic mug of water on his bedside table.

Burt could tell the boy wanted it, and for a second, he really considered making Blaine ask him for it.

Anything to get him talking.

But he couldn't. He didn't want to make Blaine uncomfortable.

At this point, I'll give this kid anything he wants.

Burt reached over, grabbed the mug and presented it to Blaine with a smile.

"Need any help?"

Blaine looked at the older man and shook his head. He accepted the mug with his right hand and flashed his eyes up to Burt's for a brief moment before taking a sip from the white plastic straw that stuck out from the lid of the mug.

Thank you.

About that time Kurt walked back into the room with a bouquet of brightly colored red and yellow roses. When he saw that Blaine was awake and sitting up, his face immediately brightened and he flashed a wide, toothless grin.

"Well good morning sleepyhead!" He chimed. "Good to see you awake again."

Blaine turned towards Kurt's voice and his eyes immediately fell to the flowers.

When the teen's gaze returned to meet his own, Kurt was certain that he'd seen a glimpse of life in them this time.

Yes, we're definitely making progress.

"These are for you!" Kurt smiled, walking up and squeezing between Burt and the bed.

He exchanged the mug of water in Blaine's hand for the flowers and his stomach did backflips when he saw the other teen bring the bouquet up to his nose and inhale the floral scent.

Blaine looked back up at Kurt and tilted his head slightly to the side. He furrowed his brows slightly, as though in deep concentration before he parted his lips.

"T-thank you."

Both Kurt and his father's eyes widened at the unexpected whisper. He'd said it so quietly that had they not been looking directly at Blaine when he'd spoken they'd likely not have heard him speak at all.

"Of course" Kurt quickly replied, trying not to appear too over-excited at Blaine's progress. "Can I set them on your table for you?"

Blaine nodded.

Kurt would be lying if he said that his heart didn't break slightly at the silence. He'd hoped for another verbal answer.

One step at a time.

As he was putting the flowers into a glass vase on Blaine's table, Burt crept back up to the hospital bed and rested his arms on the railing once again.

"Blaine, I… uh… got you something too."

The look on Blaine's face clearly read 'you didn't have to' but the tiny shimmer of anticipation that appeared in the boy's eyes was enough to make Burt's heart fill with warmth and pride.

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a shiny black iPhone.

Blaine's eyes widened in disbelief as Burt handed him the expensive device.

I don't deserve this.

"I don't really know how the damn thing works. There's only one button." Burt said gruffly.

Blaine pushed he phone back towards Burt and shook his head.

I can't accept this.

"Hey buddy," Burt chuckled softly, turning Blaine's hand away kindly. "It's okay. I got it for you. Kurt told me a while ago that he didn't think you had one."

Blaine was shocked, he opened up his mouth to speak, and his face fell when no words would come out.

"Please Blaine, just take it." Burt reassured. "It's all prepaid. Carole put in everyone's numbers. The house number, the garage, and our cell numbers too. Kurt's is speed dial number one, okay?"

Blaine hesitantly pulled the phone back towards his chest and looked at himself in the reflection of the shiny black screen.

He didn't see the terrified teenager with a thick growth of facial hair and messy curls.

He didn't see the sad boy with a broken soul.

He saw… Blaine.

A boy that needed help.

And that help was standing right next to him in the form of Burt Hummel.

He took a deep breath and looked back to where Burt remained standing patiently.

Blaine ran his tongue hesitantly over his bottom lip as he swallowed the lump in his throat and opened his mouth to speak.

His lips faltered for several seconds as he concentrated with all his might, and when the words finally came, they stumbled out clumsily, but each syllable warmed Burt's heart to the core nevertheless.

"T-thank you s-sir."

Burt's face broke into a million watt smile and he looked over at Kurt with wide eyes as if to say 'He talked to me! He talked to me!'

Kurt grinned at the obvious excitement in his father's eyes.

"Oh Blaine!" Burt said happily, "You don't have to call me sir. That makes me sound old!"

Blaine didn't reply, he just looked down at the new prized possession in his hand and sighed.

They care.

I'm safe now.

"I had Kurt program it and stuff. And he filled it up with lots of music and movies." Burt said proudly. "Though, I don't know who the hell would want to watch a movie on that teeny little thing."

Blaine averted his gaze over to Kurt who stood off to his right with a pride-filled grin and wordlessly nodded his appreciation.

Kurt winked back at him.

The trio sat comfortably for the next half hour, with Burt occupying the white plastic chair as he watched the two boys sit up on the bed playing with Blaine's new phone.

Kurt showed him all of the new playlists he'd created for him and Burt couldn't help but allow a single tear of happiness to fall down his cheek when he saw a hint of life return in Blaine's eyes for the first time in weeks as the boy listened enthusiastically to Kurt rambling on about showtunes.

We're gonna get through this.

"Kurt, why don't you go home for a little bit and get showered? I'm sure you are due for some new clothes, and Finn has your homework from this week."

Both Kurt and Blaine turned their heads towards Burt simultaneously at his sudden suggestion.

"But…" Kurt started, but he was interrupted as Burt spoke up once again.

"I have a couple of things that I'd like to talk to Blaine about, so I'll stay with him until you get back, okay?"

Kurt hesitated for a moment but the look on his father's face told him that he wasn't asking.

Kurt glanced back over at Blaine with an expression that read, 'Are you okay with this?'

Blaine acknowledged the look and nodded slowly, although he was apprehensive about why Burt would need to talk to him.

Kurt ran the backs of his fingers down the still-smooth skin on Blaine's face and gave him a smile before he shuffled his way off the end of the bed and walked over to gather his school books in his messenger bag.

"I'll be back in no time." He whispered to Blaine, leaving a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"You can text me if you need me for anything, okay?"

Blaine nodded slowly, still reveling in the warmth that Kurt's lips had left against his skin.

Kurt flashed his father a look that said either 'keep an eye on him' or 'don't make me regret this' before he slipped out the door, leaving Blaine and Burt in a somewhat awkward silence.

Burt stood up from his chair and pulled it closer to Blaine's bed. The boy stayed in a half-sitting, half-leaning position on his right side. Blaine's left shoulder remained in the blue fabric sling, but he held his new phone firmly in fingers of his left hand.

"Do you want me to turn the TV back on?" Burt offered, effectively breaking the ice.

Blaine shrugged, and then shook his head.

Let's just get this over with.

"Buddy, there are a few things I need to talk with you about, okay?" Burt said, in a more serious tone.

Blaine gulped and nodded reluctantly.

"Okay," Burt said with a deep breath.

He wasn't looking forward to this any more than Blaine was.

"I know you've been through… a lot Blaine. I can't even imagine the things that are going through your head right now. Part of me thinks that you did what you did to protect my Kurt, and that means more to me than anything else. But I want you to know that you're safe now too. You don't have to protect anyone anymore because no one can hurt you now Blaine."

Silence.

"You get that, right buddy?" Burt asked. "You know I'm watching out for you now, don't you? You're not alone anymore."

Blaine furrowed his eyebrows and turned away from Burt. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths before nodding.

"Good." Burt said with a relieved sigh. He sat back down in his chair and looked at Blaine.

"Blaine, I asked Kurt not to tell you this yet, but I think it's important that you know what happened…" Burt started hesitantly. "The…man… that did this to you…"

The sound that escaped Blaine's lips sent chills up Burt's spine.

This is not going to be an easy conversation.

"Blaine… He's… gone." Burt leaned in and placed his hand on Blaine's trembling shoulder. "He's dead, Blaine."

Blaine's eyes fell closed and he began taking quick breaths in and out of his nose. He lowered his chin to his chest and clenched his fingers together tightly.

"Do you remember what happened the night that Kurt found you?"

More quick breaths followed by a quick shake of Blaine's head.

"That's okay, buddy. You were pretty sick." Burt reassured. He was almost thankful that Blaine hadn't remembered everything from that night. He had a feeling that the boy would be guilt-ridden if he'd known Kurt had come close to…

No. I can't think about that now.

This is about Blaine.

"The police came, Blaine. They shot him before he could hurt you or Kurt anymore, alright?"

No response.

"He's gone now. Forever."

Blaine opened his eyes, which had tears gathering at the corners, but none of them had managed to sneak down his cheeks yet. He looked at Burt and nodded slowly.

"H-he won't… hurt me anymore?"

Burt's heart shattered at the youth and vulnerability that highlighted Blaine's feeble voice.

"No, buddy. He can't hurt anyone anymore. He's gone."

Blaine sucked in a deep, ragged breath and once again allowed his eyes to flutter closed.

His face scrunched up in anguish, before he gulped audibly and nodded.

"Would you like to talk about it Blaine? The hospital has a therapist that would like to come and speak with you, if that's okay? She understands what happened to you and has talked with kids that have been through similar…. things."

Blaine shook his head adamantly.

"Alright." Burt agreed, clapping the boy on the shoulder gently. "We don't have to do anything you don't want to, okay?"

Blaine nodded silently.

"Just know that you can talk to me, or Carole… or even Kurt anytime you need to, okay? About anything." Burt assured. "And if you don't feel like talking out loud, then you can use that silly phone and text us okay? Sometimes it's easier to put things into words rather than speak them out loud."

Blaine looked at the man beside him in wonder.

It was like Burt just… got it.

Burt forced a smile to his face, though it was mixed with pity and sorrow for the poor boy in front of him.

He couldn't believe how strong this kid was. After all he'd been through…

Burt sighed as he considered his next item of discussion.

This one was going to be almost as hard.

"So… about your parents…"

Blaine's eyes widened and he whipped his head around to face Burt once again.

"They… ummm… haven't exactly been around much, have they?"

Burt asked the question, but he already knew the answer. Now he just had to break it to the boy that his parents hadn't showed up at the hospital at all.

Not even once.

Blaine's face fell and his shoulders hunched significantly.

He looked… depressed all of a sudden.

Burt didn't have the heart to go into detail about it, but as it turned out, the Andersons had apparently told the hospital staff that they wanted nothing to do with Blaine.

They'd basically disowned him.

They refused to pay any of his medical bills and according to the administrative staff; his Medicare account had been mysteriously cut off earlier in the week.

The bills were piling up.

Burt did his best to pay them down, but Blaine's hospital stay was costing him a small fortune. Carole had started taking extra shifts at the hospital, and Burt was almost always at the tire shop when he wasn't visiting Blaine or home sleeping for a few hours each night.

It was tough.

And it certainly wasn't going to be easy.

But after everything Blaine had been through, Burt wasn't taking any chances of him getting himself into trouble again.

Blaine lowered his eyes back down and stared at his left wrist, which was still clutching his new cell phone, snuggled tightly away in his sling. He mindlessly spun the plastic hospital bracelet that encircled his wrist.

Anderson, Blaine Devon.

Blaine almost scoffed at the thought. His last name was a representation of his family.

What family?

"I just wanted to let you know…" Burt started, "I've talked to the hospital people and even though I'm not legally allowed to sign anything for you, they are going to release you into my care. Does that make sense?"

Blaine looked up at Burt hesitantly. His eyebrows were furrowed, indicating to Burt that the teenager didn't completely understand what he was telling him.

"It means Blaine, that when you get out of here… I want you to come and stay with us."

Burt didn't miss the tiny gasp that escaped Blaine's lips.

"Only if you want to, of course, but they said it's going to be a while before you're… completely healed, and I'd like you to stay with us for that duration."

Blaine's eyes widened in disbelief.

After all I've done…

They want me back?

"I haven't told Kurt yet." Burt smiled. "I thought I'd leave that up to you. I know he'll be pretty happy."

Blaine opened his mouth to speak, but was once again met by only silence.

"You mean a lot to him, Blaine." Burt explained. "I've never seen him care for anyone the way he cares about you."

This time a single tear did find its way down Blaine's cheek.

Kurt.

"Another thing that I wanted to ask you about Blaine…" Burt started.

Blaine redirected his attention to the man sitting next to him.

"We haven't told any of your friends from school what happened." Burt explained. "As far as they know, you're just away sick."

Blaine didn't answer.

What friends?

"Carole and I told Finn that he is forbidden to say anything to the rest of the football guys, until you say otherwise, okay?"

Finn.

Blaine's eyes widened once again at the new information that he'd just been given.

Finn knew what happened?

"Finn doesn't know… everything." Burt corrected unknowingly. "Just that you were… hurt and ended up in here."

After how Finn had reacted when Blaine was 'outed', he didn't expect to ever talk to the lanky teenager again.

So much for being friends.

"Blaine?" Burt asked, tilting his head slightly to the side. "Are you okay buddy?"

Blaine turned his head towards the voice and nodded numbly.

Burt sighed. He had one last thing that he needed to talk with Blaine about.

This one was the worst.

He'd convinced himself not to even bother the traumatized teenager with the information yet, but Blaine's doctor had suggested that he know, so he could better prepare himself.

"Blaine?" Burt had to clear his throat after the first word came out far too high-pitched.

The look on the boy's face indicated that he could sense something bad was coming.

He paled visibly when he saw how much difficulty Burt was having articulating his words.

This isn't going to be good.

"Blaine, there's something else."

The tone of Burt's voice sent chills up Blaine's spine.

He tried his best to be brave and look directly at the elder Hummel, but he found himself trembling violently.

"After everything that… happened, the doctors had to do some blood tests." Burt spoke slowly and clearly, choosing his words carefully.

Blaine tensed up immediately.

"They found some abnormalities Blaine."

The words hit Blaine full force, sending him into an instant state of panic.

His breathing became dramatically more forced and his fingers clenched tightly around the sheets of his hospital bed.

Blaine broke eye contact with Burt almost immediately.

"Blaine?" Burt sounded incredibly worried. "You still with me, buddy?"

Blaine squeezed the phone in his fingers.

I need Kurt.

Burt immediately realized that the boy was in trouble. His breathing rate had picked up significantly and his chest had started to heave.

Shit. I shouldn't have tried to tell him so many things at once.

I should have…

Burt's thoughts were interrupted when a delicate sounding chime filled the air. He looked around for the source of the sound but came up empty.

Then he realized that the 'ding' had come from Blaine's phone.

It took Blaine a moment to realize where the sound had come from as well. He turned the phone over in his trembling hand and looked at the screen.

It was a text message.

From Kurt.

A single word.

But a word with so much emotion, strength, love and inspiration attached to it.

Courage.

Blaine's breath caught when he read the message.

It was as though Kurt had… felt his fear and desperation.

Like he knew Blaine had needed him at that very moment.

Blaine took several consecutive deep breaths and imagined Kurt's delicate fingers lightly touching his own, or his softer-than-silk lips gracing the top of his forehead.

It's okay.

I can do this.

I'm okay.

Burt watched in amazement at Blaine's sudden change in disposition. His shoulders relaxed visibly and his breathing returned to a normal, effective rhythm.

Blaine's eyes fluttered closed as he focused on maintaining the steady pattern of inhalations and exhalations until he felt confident enough to open his eyes and look up at Burt.

Burt Hummel was speechless.

There was no doubt in his mind that it had been Kurt who'd sent Blaine the message.

Whatever he'd said, his son had been completely able to relax the boy and prevent him from having a panic attack with only mere words.

It took Burt a couple of seconds to shake himself from his astounded stupor and realize that Blaine was still looking at him.

"A-are you alright Blaine?"

Blaine nodded.

Burt was still in a state of astonishment.

The terrified, panic-riddled boy that had been sitting next to him moments ago was gone.

Replaced by a semi-confident looking Blaine Anderson.

What the hell is up with these two?

Burt shook himself again, gathering the strength to carry on with his conversation.

"The doctors said it may be nothing, they are going to re-do the tests, but they wanted me to tell you that there is a possibility that you were infected with something."

Blaine tried diligently to maintain his steady composure, but Burt could easily identify the shame and fear that filled his honey-brown eyes.

The boy nodded slowly.

"Let's not think about that now, okay?" Burt said, squeezing his shoulder. "Not until we know for sure."

Blaine nodded numbly.

"And… if something comes up later, we'll deal with it then." Burt added. "Together."

Another nod, albeit a weak and unconvincing one.

Blaine reached out his hand, attempting to press the button to lower the head of the hospital bed. Burt recognized his efforts and intervened.

"Can I help?"

Blaine hung his head in defeat and nodded once again.

As the bed began to descend, Burt could see Blaine's level of pain increase.

As hard as the boy tried to maintain a neutral disposition, a pained gasp followed by a sharp intake of breath indicated that he was truly hurting.

"Can I help you roll onto your side again, Blaine?"

The boy looked over at Burt with tears filling his eyes and nodded helplessly.

Burt couldn't say for sure if the tears were caused by pain, or the events of the past forty minutes, but it was obvious that Blaine was losing the battle of acting strong.

He placed a gentle arm around Blaine's torso and assisted the boy into his preferred position on the bed, but the process wasn't an easy one. Blaine gasped several times and clenched his eyes tightly before he found himself curled onto his side, twisting his right hand into the pillow underneath his head.

"I'll go get a nurse, you need some pain medicine, Blaine."

"No!" Blaine's voice was sharp and filled with agony, but it halted Burt in his tracks.

"No more drugs."

Burt sighed and placed his hand gently on the boy's forehead, brushing off several sweat-soaked curls. "Blaine, you are in a lot of pain right now, they can help you with that."

Blaine shook his head adamantly between pained gasps.

Burt was suddenly hit with the realization of why Blaine would refuse the medication.

The doctors had told him that when Blaine was brought in, he was heavily drugged with a concoction of sleeping medications, illegal street drugs… and… Viagra.

No wonder he's hesitant to allow any more chemicals to be pumped into his veins.

Burt sighed and pulled his chair closer to the trembling boy and laid a hand on his arm, much like he'd seen both Carole and Kurt do.

He gently traced careful patterns into the boy's skin with his large callused fingers for several minutes until Blaine's breathing became less jagged and he seemed to relax.

He could feel the boy sink further into the bed and it wasn't long until he heard gentle snores emanating from the exhausted teenager in front of him.

Burt sighed and let his chin fall to his chest in relief.

He took a deep breath in before raising his chin again and watched the gentle rise and fall of Blaine's chest as he slept, with his new phone held tightly in his fingers.

Okay Kurt, you can come back now.

Kurt returned about thirty minutes later, dressed to the nines with his hair in its usual perfect coif and looking fresh and re-energized.

He stepped into the room carrying several shopping bags as well as his messenger tote.

When he peeked over and saw Blaine resting peacefully, he sighed a breath of relief and looked towards his father, who was sitting in the same plastic chair watching a hockey game on the television.

"How is he?" Kurt asked, setting the bags down on the floor next to Blaine's side table.

"He needs you Kurt."

A wave of panic rushed through his veins and Kurt turned back to look closer at the sleeping teenager. He then noticed for the first time, the tear tracks on his cheeks and how tightly his fingers were twisted into the pillow beneath his head.

"What happened?" Kurt whispered, his eyes not leaving Blaine's face.

"Nothing really." Burt replied with a shrug. "We just… talked. But he got pretty upset."

"Did he say anything?"

Burt shook his head.

Kurt titled his own head in pity for the broken boy on the bed, wishing he could do something to help him.

"Can't you just… like… touch him… and make him feel better… or something?" Burt stumbled to find the words he was looking for.

Kurt whipped his head around to face his father, a look of exasperation and confusion written into his delicate features.

"What?" He asked with a laugh.

Burt's face turned a deep crimson when he considered how outlandish his words had sounded.

"Uhhh… never mind."

Even though it had only been barely over an hour since Kurt had left the room, it looked as though Blaine was emotionally and physically drained as he lay on the hospital bed unmoving.

He wasn't even snoring anymore.

Kurt crawled up the end of the bed, careful not to get tangled in the IV line or the catheter tubing until he was nestled in his familiar spot next to Blaine's side.

He laid his head down on the pillow so he was facing Blaine after placing the most gentle of kisses on the boy's left temple.

Blaine stirred lightly for a moment before his eyes drifted open lazily.

"Hi." Kurt whispered, looking directly into the exhausted honey-brown orbs in front of him.

Their faces were so close together that Blaine could feel the lightest puff of breath produced by Kurt's single word.

A hint of spearmint mixed with vanilla and the floral scent of Kurt's bodywash filled the remaining air between them and Blaine breathed in the intoxicating aroma deeply.

It smelled like…Kurt.

Blaine opened his lips to reply, but all that came out was a near-silent whisper as he mouthed 'Hi'.

Kurt lifted his hand and gently ran his thumb under Blaine's eye and down his cheek, removing the salt-encrusted tearstains as he went.

"Are you okay?" He whispered, so softly that Blaine barely heard the words, but he still felt Kurt's gentle breath tickle his nose.

Blaine's eyes softened and he nodded.

I am now.

Burt watched the exchange from only feet away, feeling almost guilty for imposing on what was so obviously a tender, intimate moment between the two boys.

Yet, there was nothing remotely sexual about the soothing touches and gentle whispers.

It wasn't the skin on skin contact that the boys craved.

No, it wasn't about that at all.

This was far more than just a physical exchange.

Burt couldn't help but think that it was almost like an energy exchange happened between them that caused the desired effect.

As if the simple loving caress of Kurt's fingertips was enough to refuel Blaine, leaving him looking more… alive than he had looked all day.

He left the two boys to rest peacefully for several more minutes until a plump nurse with short black hair entered the room.

"Hello fellas." She said, eyeing up the boys cuddling closely on the bed.

"Hi Patty." Burt said, sitting up straighter in his chair. "Busy day today?"

She nodded, "Always, Mr. Hummel. Always."

Burt smiled politely as she stepped past him towards the bed.

"Blaine, How are you feeling this afternoon?"

Blaine looked up from his place beside Kurt and shrugged.

"Are you in any pain?"

Blaine's eyes widened only slightly as he looked past Patty, momentarily connecting with Burt's compassionate stare.

The elder Hummel shrugged and flashed him a look that said, 'your call buddy.'

Blaine returned his eyes to Patty and shook his head.

The nurse nodded, knowing full well that the boy hadn't been truthful, but decided not to push it. If it got worse later, they would deal with it then.

"Okay Blaine." She said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small envelope. She pulled off the end of it and sprinkled several tiny pills into her palm. "Here are your medications for this afternoon, okay?"

Blaine glanced down at the multi-colored tablets in the woman's palm hesitantly.

Patty sighed and pointed towards each of the pills, explaining once again, what each was for.

"This white one and this green one are your antibiotics, Blaine. And this little pink one is to help the nausea. The other white one is an anti-inflammatory. It's going to help your shoulder feel better."

Blaine's eyebrows furrowed, but he reached over and took each of the four pills into his fingers and gently placed them onto his tongue. Patty handed him his maroon mug of water and he sipped from the straw until the pills were gone.

They left an acidic taste in his mouth, which made his face scrunch up in disgust as he handed the mug back to the nurse.

He felt a tiny squeeze of his hand and remembered that Kurt was there with him. When he glanced back down at the other teenager, the look of pride in his eyes filled Blaine with hope and love, rather than fear and despair.

"Okay Blaine." Patty said cheerfully, leaning onto the railing of the bed. "I have some good news for you."

All three of the men in the room sat up a little straighter.

Burt actually stood up from his chair and stepped closer to the bed.

Had they got the blood test results back? Was Blaine going to be okay after all?

"You seem to be doing much better now, so I'm going to take out your IV and your urinary catheter, okay?"

Blaine looked at Kurt at the same time that Kurt looked at Blaine.

Words flowed between them without either of them opening their mouths.

Kurt sat up in the bed next to Blaine and looked up at Patty.

"Is it going to hurt him?"

Patty shrugged noncommittally. "Discontinuing the IV won't hurt, but the de-catheterization is not going to be comfortable, I won't lie."

Blaine flinched slightly at her words.

"We were thinking about sedating Blaine for that part actually." Patty admitted. "So he won't feel a thing."

Blaine's eyes widened.

"Of course, you will have to leave the room for the duration, Kurt."

Blaine's hand squeezed tightly around Kurt's fingers.

"I'm not leaving him."

Patty sighed and whispered gently into Kurt's ear. "He'll be okay Kurt. He will be sedated, so he won't even know that you're not here."

"He'll know." Kurt didn't even try to disguise his voice with a whisper.

He looked back at Blaine with a genuine look of trust and love.

"I'm not going anywhere, okay?"

Blaine nodded, but he still looked extremely anxious.

Patty looked at Burt, desperate for his help.

"I don't think Blaine is going to want to be sedated." Burt stated cautiously. He didn't want to upset the nurse, but after his realization earlier, he knew that he spoke the truth.

He pulled Patty aside and explained this theory to her quietly.

She nodded in agreement, but still looked wary.

"Mr. Hummel, this… procedure… was done on him when he was under anesthetic for his surgeries. It could be extremely traumatizing for him to go through it while he's awake."

Burt nodded, taking a deep breath. "I understand that, but I think we need to give him the choice. He needs to be in control of what happens to him now."

Patty nodded again silently. She looked at Burt and sighed. "I'll ask him."

Burt swallowed an imaginary lump of discomfort in his throat. "Let me."

He quietly stepped back over to the bed and leaned on the rail, addressing both Kurt and Blaine.

"Hey buddy." He started, grasping Blaine's shoulder lightly. "There are a couple of options okay?"

Blaine gulped, but nodded warily.

"They can give you some medicine for you to go to sleep and you won't feel anything okay?" Burt hesitated before continuing. "Or, they can just do it while you're awake. It's gonna hurt and it's gonna be a little scary, but we'll be right here beside you the whole time, alright?"

Blaine's grip tightened on Kurt's hand and his lower lip began to quiver slightly. He gulped again and glanced around the room with wild, fearful eyes as though he was looking for a way to escape either option.

Kurt lifted Blaine's hand up to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss onto his knuckles, which seemed to calm him enough to regain his composure.

Blaine returned his eyes back to the teenager beside him and gave him a fearful look.

What do I do?

"You get to decide, Blaine." Kurt said encouragingly. "Then, it will be over soon then we won't have to worry about it anymore."

Blaine nodded.

"Blaine?" Patty broke in again. "Do you want us to put you to sleep?"

Several tears leaked out of Blaine's eyes and fell down his cheeks.

He sniffled, pressed the back of his hand to his face to wipe away the tears, then he breathed in a ragged breath before shaking his head.

"Okay." Patty said softly. "I'll try and do my best to make it as pain free as I can, alright?"

Blaine nodded.

Several minutes later, Blaine was positioned on the hospital bed on his back, with Kurt standing on the floor next to him, holding his right hand through the metal rail.

Burt was standing next to him on the opposite side of the bed, with a gentle hand pressed onto his left shoulder.

A green surgical drape had been hung across his torso, creating a makeshift curtain between them and Patty, who was positioned at the opposite end of the bed.

"Okay Blaine, you are going to feel me touch you now, okay?" She spoke quietly but effectively. "Just know that it's only me, and it will be over soon."

Blaine pulled his upper lip into his mouth and bit down firmly on it with his teeth. The coppery sensation that soon hit his taste buds told him that he'd bitten down too hard.

"Blaine, sweetie… can you look at me?"

He hadn't even realized that he'd clenched his eyes closed.

It took all of his courage to open them once again and turn his head to face Kurt, who was standing next to him, holding his hand and offering him the most courageous smile he'd ever seen.

"We can do this, okay?" Kurt whispered. "I've got you."

Blaine was about to nod when he felt something cold touch him… down there… and he flinched violently.

"Blaine, you have to try and hold still sweetheart." He heard Patty say from behind the curtain. "I'm sorry if my hands are cold."

Blaine squeezed his eyes shut once again as he felt her touch the end of his…

"Blaine… look at me… open your eyes and look at me." Kurt's voice suddenly sounded distant.

The monster.

The monster is touching me.

Blaine's breathing rate quickened and his heart began to race.

"Blaine… sweetie… please open your eyes."

He could feel the monster's cold, unforgiving hands grabbing him and squeezing him and he tried desperately to pull his legs away.

"Damn it." A voice spoke loudly. "Can you hold him down?"

When Blaine felt the extra heaviness lean onto his legs his mind began to race.

He's holding me down.

He's going to…

"Blaine…" The voice next to him sounded desperate. "Please just open your eyes. It's me… it's…"

Kurt.

Why is Kurt here?

He took Kurt?

Oh god… Kurt!

"Blaine… I'm here. You're okay now. You're at the hospital. We're safe."

Safe?

We're not safe.

He's here.

He's touching me.

Please don't let him touch me anymore.

Blaine suddenly felt the bed move before feeling a warm embrace fill up the space next to him.

A warm breath blew gently over his nose and he felt something press against his forehead.

The room suddenly felt warmer.

And brighter.

The darkness was gone.

The cage was gone.

The monster… was gone.

Another warm breath tickled his cheek, and his ears filled with reassuring words.

Strength.

Trust.

Love.

Courage.

His forehead felt warm.

He was warm.

And safe.

Kurt.

Blaine's breathing became less ragged and he suddenly stopped fighting and relaxed into the bed.

It took him several deep breaths before he felt strong enough to open his eyes.

Kurt stared back at him with tears falling freely down his cheeks.

"Hi." Kurt sobbed. He wanted to be brave, but Blaine… oh, Blaine.

Blaine tensed up once again when he felt a burning sensation below his waist.

"Look at me." Kurt whispered, desperately pressing his hands onto the sides of Blaine's face and kneading his thumbs into his temples lightly. "I'm here. Stay with me."

A pained gasp escaped Blaine's lips and his face scrunched up in discomfort.

He opened his eyes again and forced himself to stare into the endless blue beauty that was Kurt's eyes.

They were filled with strength.

And love.

And courage.

"Almost done sweetheart." He vaguely heard Patty say. "I'm so sorry Blaine."

Burt's hand pressed harder into his shoulder after the next whimper tumbled out of his lips.

"Hang in there, buddy. You're doing so good."

Blaine remained focused on Kurt's face, listening intently to his continuous affirmations for several more minutes until the discomfort below his waist disappeared.

He took in a slow, ragged breath, too afraid to move.

He didn't have the strength to convince himself that it was over.

What if his mind was playing tricks on him? What if there was more?

"I'm all done sweetheart." He heard Patty say and Blaine released the breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

Several more tears slipped down his cheeks.

"It's over Blaine." Kurt cooed next to him, pressing his lips softly onto his forehead, and then again onto his temple. "It's all over. You did it."

Patty finished up with her procedure and removed the IV from Blaine's arm before pressing a hand gently onto his knee.

"You did so good, Blaine." She whispered. "Now you should get some rest so you can go home tomorrow, okay?"

Blaine's eyes fluttered closed.

It's over.

I'm okay.

Kurt is here.

Wait. What?

His eyes shot back open and he looked at Kurt for confirmation of what he thought he'd just heard.

Go home?

"You heard her right, Blaine." Kurt smiled excitedly. "You get to come home with us tomorrow!"

Burt and Patty both smiled fondly at the two boys in front of them.

For the first time since… Burt wasn't even sure how long… he definitely noticed a flash of life behind Blaine's honey-brown eyes.

Progress.

"I stopped and picked up a few things on my way back here." Kurt said, leaning over and picking up the shopping bags.

Blaine was once again turned onto his side and was resting comfortably in the hospital bed, watching Kurt's every move with softened eyes.

Burt had bid the boys farewell and headed home for the evening, after promising to return first thing in the morning to bring Blaine home.

Kurt pulled up the bags, set them in the white plastic chair and began rummaging through them. He pulled out a pair of grey sweat pants.

"I know they're not very fashionable, but Patty said I should bring you comfortable clothes to wear home." He explained, presenting Blaine with the soft fabric. "So I stopped and grabbed a few things that would be in your size."

Blaine's eyes widened in disbelief as he ran his fingers over the soft material.

He raised his head until his eyes met Kurt's and he flashed his friend a hesitant look that undoubtedly said, 'Kurt, you shouldn't have.'

Kurt smiled, understanding exactly what Blaine was silently trying to tell him.

"Blaine. Don't even try and convince me that I shouldn't have bought these for you. You know how much I love shopping and this was a great excuse for me to go!" He smiled, pulling a plain grey T-shirt out of the bag. "Plus, I found some great Black Friday sales."

Blaine's bushy triangular eyebrows knit in confusion and he sat up in the bed in alarm.

Black Friday?

"Oh my god, Blaine. No one told you what day it is? It's almost December!"

Blaine's eyes widened when he realized what Kurt was telling him.

"Thanksgiving was like… days ago!"

December?

I've been… gone for… weeks?

The discovery hit him hard.

He'd figured he had been gone for a week, maybe a week and a half, but apparently he'd blanked out for almost a month.

Kurt understood immediately why Blaine had grown so distant.

"Blaine… Are you alright?"

No response.

"It's okay, Blaine. I know you were… gone for a little while, but you're back now. You're safe."

"H-how long was I there?"

Kurt was surprised at Blaine's sudden question, but tried to hide his astonishment by answering right away.

"Thirteen days."

The shocked gasp that fell from Blaine's lips shattered Kurt's heart.

"This is day ten that you've been here in the hospital." He added, knowing that it would be Blaine's next question.

Blaine's lips parted like he wanted to say something, but all that came from his mouth were confused, shocked breaths.

Kurt set down the clothes and walked over to him, gently laying a hand on his right arm.

"It's okay, Blaine. It took you a little while to get healed up." He whispered soothingly.

"You were pretty… sick…when we first found you."

Blaine still couldn't believe that he'd missed almost a full month of his life. He recalled back to two years ago when he'd spent months in the hospital recovering from the attack.

Why does this always happen to me?

Why can't I just be… safe?

As if Kurt had read his mind, he gently rubbed soothing circles into the flesh on Blaine's arm.

"You don't have to worry now Blaine." He said softly. "You're safe. And you're almost completely healed."

Kurt's gentle touch calmed Blaine and he was suddenly reminded about Patty's promise.

I get to go home tomorrow.

Home with the Hummels.

Home with Kurt.

He looked back up at Kurt, tried his best to look appreciative, and nodded.

Kurt smiled before pulling his arm away gently and pressing another kiss to Blaine's right temple.

He went back over to the chair, grabbed both bags and set them on the bed next to Blaine.

"Wanna see what else I found for you?" Kurt asked with a devious grin.

Blaine nodded.

Kurt showed Blaine the numerous items he'd bought for him, everything from a new comb and toothbrush, to several pairs of socks and boxer shorts and a grey hooded sweatshirt.

Then, Kurt pulled out a black polo shirt and a pair of red jeans.

"I know you won't want to wear these just yet, but I thought you'd look amazing in them when you're ready." He announced proudly.

Blaine's eyes widened at the colored fabric. He ran his fingers down the denim and could feel that the garments were of high quality.

Kurt pulled out a white belt and a pair of yellow sunglasses from the shopping bag.

Blaine's left eyebrow arched in uncertainty.

"Accessories!" Kurt announced excitedly. "You have to have accessories!"

Blaine's eyes glittered slightly, sending waves of exhilaration through Kurt's chest.

He reached into the bag once again and pulled out a large velvet box.

"I don't know if you're going to like this or not, but I saw it and thought it would match your new outfit perfectly."

Kurt's delicate fingers pried open the box and when Blaine saw what was inside, his jaw dropped and his eyes became wide.

It was a bow tie.

A red, white, grey and black-striped bow tie.

Kurt noticed Blaine's hesitance to reach out and touch it and temporarily felt as though he'd misjudged his intuition.

I thought Blaine would love it.

I hoped that it would…

Kurt's thoughts were interrupted when his eyes returned to Blaine's face and he saw something that made his heart pound heavily in his chest.

Blaine was smiling.

It wasn't much, but the corners of his mouth were lifted slightly.

He was definitely smiling.

Kurt almost fainted.

That was the smile he'd been missing for so long.

The smile he wasn't sure he'd ever see again.

"It's perfect."

Kurt beamed at Blaine's choice of words.

He leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss on the tip of Blaine's nose.

"Just like you, Blaine. Just like you."

"Oh!" Kurt said suddenly, several minutes later. "I almost forgot!"

He walked back over and rummaged to the bottom of the shopping bag before pulling out a much smaller forest green paper bag and handing it to Blaine.

"This was actually what I went shopping for, but in typical 'Kurt-like fashion', I got a little side-tracked and ended up getting all the rest of this stuff too!"

Blaine accepted the bag, surprised when it weighed more than he'd expected and brought it down onto his lap. He held the bag with the fingers of his left hand, which remained secured in its sling and reached inside with his right hand and pulled out the contents.

A book.

No… not just a book.

A journal.

The cover was made of soft chocolate brown leather, which felt impossibly smooth under Blaine's fingertips. He ran his pointer finger down the edge of the cover, feeling the softness of the underside of the leather.

The flawless leather covered the pages in their entirety, overlapping in the front, and was held closed by a thin, matching string of the same leather, no thicker than the width of a shoelace, and was beautifully entwined into the binding of the pages to keep them secure.

With a shaky breath, Blaine unwound the long, thin piece of leather that had been wrapped around the outside of the book several times.

He gently pulled back the leather cover and gasped softly when he opened it up to expose the inside of the journal.

The very first page was inscribed with a quote, handwritten in Kurt's elegant cursive.

"If music be the food of love, play on."

– William Shakespeare

Once Blaine had caught his breath, he flipped through the book slowly. The blank pages were made of thick, smooth paper of the finest quality and were slightly off-white in color.

Blaine once again lifted his fingers and ran them down the pages slowly, marveling at the softness of the paper. There were no lines printed on the blank pages, designed specifically to avoid creating boundaries, which would enslave the writer's creativity.

He flipped through the identical pages until he came to the back cover before flipping the journal back over in his hands and wrapping the leather back around it, securely closing it once again.

Again, Blaine ran his fingers down the front of the journal, gently tracing over the same indented letters that had stolen his breath the moment he'd seen them embossed elegantly into the leather.

Courage.

The one word that held so much power.

Gave him so much strength.

"I hope you don't mind that I took it to a leather shop and had that stamped into the cover."

Blaine was brought out of his trance at Kurt's gently spoken words.

He'd been so engulfed in the beauty of the book in his hands, that he'd almost forgotten that Kurt was still standing next to him.

"I know that you are having a hard time talking right now, Blaine." Kurt whispered, gently caressing his fingers down Blaine's forearm. "So I thought it might be easier for you to write down your thoughts."

As much as he'd wanted to reply, Blaine was held completely speechless. His throat felt constricted and he could feel moisture gathering at the corners of his eyes.

"No one will ever read it, so you can write whatever you want to. It's yours."

Blaine's fingers trembled lightly against the soft leather of the journal and he pulled it up into his chest, tightly securing it to his body with the palm of his right hand.

When he finally gathered the strength to look up at Kurt, he couldn't help but allow several tears to stream down his cheeks.

"T-thank you, Kurt." He whispered. "It's beautiful."

Kurt's insides warmed at Blaine's heartfelt words. He reached further into the green paper bag and pulled out an expensive looking case filled with fine-tipped fountain pens of several different colors.

"You're going to need some nice pens to write with Blaine." Kurt said matter-of-factly, handing him the case. "It's always much easier to find inspiration when you're working with something beautiful."

Blaine's eyes filled with more love and emotion than they'd had in ages.

It looked to Kurt as though Blaine wanted to say something, but he remained completely silent.

"I also think that the different colors will inspire different feelings too." Kurt added.

"And I thought that maybe you'd like to use music as your inspiration when you're writing as well, hence the quote on the first page."

Blaine looked at Kurt again, unsure of what he meant.

"When I listen to music, it's not just the beat, or even the lyrics of the song that I relate to… it's the combination of everything. You know when you hear that 'one song' and you just know that it's… perfect?" Kurt sounded dreamy as he spoke.

"Music inspires me to believe, Blaine. It inspires me to dream, to love, and to have courage. It gives me the strength to love myself and to never back down. But it also keeps me grounded; constantly reminding me about what's important and what worth fighting for."

"You're worth fighting for, Blaine… And I want to help you find your courage again."