Kurt didnt recover from almost losing his soulmate easily, he developed a bad habit of checking the numbers on his timer obsessively. But the numbers on his wrist stayed strong. 

In the days and weeks that followed he was hit with phantom pains from time to time. He knew his soulmate must be recovering from whatever hed gone through. Still, every time the pain would hit hed grab for his wrist, heart pounding in his ears until he saw the number confirming his soulmate was alive. 

Kurt started to sing to his timer every night. Part of him knew that him talking to his timer couldnt have saved his soulmates life, but still another part thought that maybe, just maybe his soulmate could feel Kurt pulling for him. And if his soulmate was recovering as Kurt suspected, he just wanted to be able to comfort him somehow. 

Kurt curled up on his side under his covers and held his timer close. He closed his eyes as a dull ache started to throb in his temples, he knew it was pain from his soulmate. He sighed and started a song. "Blackbird singing in the dead of night." Kurt sang to his soulmate, wherever he was. "Take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise."

Kurts Junior year of High School started off normal enough. He was still in Glee club. Still getting bullied. Still singing to his soulmate, if not every night, most nights. Especially the nights when Kurt had gone through a particularly hard day. Kurt could admit that he did it as much for himself as for his soulmate. 

"Maybe someday youll sing to me." Kurt said to his timer one evening in bed. "Even if you cant carry a tune at all, I wont mind. Well, I might mind. But I could teach you to sing." 

Once the days on his timer finally got down to double digits his soulmate was really the only thing Kurt could think about. He knew that his friends must be getting tired of him talking about him all the time, or starring longingly at his timer, but he couldnt make himself care. 

"Gross Hummel. Are you going to make out with that thing?" Santana asked at Glee club once when Kurt was cought looking at his timer and day-dreaming about his soulmate. 

"Youre one to talk." He said as Brittany walked up and sat in Santanas lap and the girls started making out. Both Brittany and Santanas timers had been blank since Kurt met them. Apparently they counted down and started beeping at recess when the girls were 11. 

Kurt knew that, as much as he had a one track mind these days, he couldnt possibly be as annoying and Rachel and Finn. They went on and on about the joys of being with your one true love. Though secretly he was happy for them. 

Everything in his life was going fairly well, bullying excluded, when tragedy struck again. Kurt was sitting in French class one afternoon, not paying much attention, he was acing this class, when something big enough happened to make him stop thinking about his soulmate. 

He was looking down and tracing the number 36 on his wrist when Mr. Shue and Ms. Pillsbury walked into the class. Kurt knew something was wrong just looking at their faces. 

"Kurt. Could we talk to you outside?" 

The doctor said his dad had a heart-attack brought on by an arrhythmia. Kurt didnt really understand or hear the rest. All he knew was that his dad was in a coma, and he might not wake up. 

"Please dad, just squeeze my hand." All thoughts of his soulmate fled Kurts mind as his dad laid motionless on the hospital bed. 

"Im right here, just squeeze my hand." His dad didnt move. 

Glee club tried to be there for him, but mostly Kurt just felt preached too. Carole, his dads girlfriend, was there for him as well, looking out for Kurt while his dad was in the hospital. But Kurt didnt want Carole. He wanted his dad. Kurt would curl up in a chair by his dads bed and hold his hand, his heart aching and his mind numb. He felt so alone. 

Sometimes the feeling of loneliness would ease when he was asleep. Kurt would dream of warm, strong arms holding and comforting him, golden hazel eyes looking at him with love and compassion, and he almost thought he heard a rich tenor vice singing to him at times. 

Then he would wake up, and all he could think about was his dad and the steady beeping of the heart monitor near his bed. Kurt glanced down at his wrist. 31 days left. 

"I could really use you now." He said to his soulmate. "I could really use you too." Kurt said looking up at his dad. He didnt want to met his soulmate and not have his father to celebrate with. 

When Kurts dad finally woke up Kurt felt like all encompassing weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He would hardly leave his dads side and became dogmatic about his dad eating healthy and taking it easy. In the span of a year Kurt had almost lost the two people most important to him. He wasnt going to take any chances.

It was a little under a week before Kurt was going to meet his soulmate and all he wanted was just to be happy and excited, but it was hard.

Things were awkward with the Glee club after his dads heart attack. Only Mercedes had really been there for him through his dads coma, and he still didnt really see eye-to-eye with her.

On top of it all, Mr. Schue was having another boys vs. girls tournament. Kurt was stuck with the boys who only wanted to talk about classic rock and drum solos. Plus, the bulling was getting worse, one of the jocks, Karofsky, was relentless in his attacks on Kurt.

Every time he got in a fight with a Glee club member or Mr. Schue, or a jock would locker check him Kurt would hold his timer and remind himself of how close he was to meeting his soulmate.

"Only 8 days left."

It became a ritual.

"Only 7 days left."

"Only 5 days left."

"Only 3 days left!"

Once his timer got down to a few days the numbers changed from days to hours. Kurt was an anxious, excited mess watching the minutes tick down.

The morning of the day Kurt was going to meet him he was dizzy with excitement. He rushed around the house gathering things for Glee club and getting ready for the day. He made sure he looked amazing and his bedroom floor was littered with disguarded outfits that were "just not right".

"Whoa!" His dad said as Kurt ran around the kitchen making coffee and eating his breakfast on the go. "Slow down kiddo."

"Dad! Kurt said spinning on his heel to face him. "Today. I meet him today. After waiting all this time and almost..." Kurt closed his eyes at the painful memory. "Almost losing him last year. Today we finally get to meet!"

"I could come up to school around that time if you want." His dad suggested.

"No dad." Kurt smiled. "I dont think meeting my soulmate with you awkwardly hanging around sounds ideal."

"Who said Id be awkward?"

Kurt gave his dad a look, who in return just chuckled. "Okay, okay. I get it. Just remember Kurt. You matter. This soulmate of yours, you are meant to be with him, but you dont even know each other yet. Dont throw yourself around like you dont matter."

"Dad." Kurt said cheeks coloring, knowing exactly what his dad was implying.

"Im just saying..."

"I know! Besides, according to my timer Im still going to be in school when... when it happens. I doubt well be jumping each others bones in the hallways of McKinley."

Kurt felt vindicated when his dad choked on his coffee a little.

At school Kurt had to throw himself into planning for the girls vs. boys challenge just to keep himself functioning and not constantly thinking about his soulmate. As it turned out Glee ended up being a huge frustration and distraction.

None of the guys liked his ideas.

"Go see the Garglers." Puck suggested after the guys tore down Kurts well thought out plans.

"The Warblers." Kurt corrected.

"Whatever. Go see what theyre up to. You can wear all the feathers you want. Youll blend right in."

Kurt felt his blood boil, and none of the other guys stood up for him. Once again he realized that he didnt feel like he belonged here.

"Fine." he said. He didnt have the energy to fight anymore. He was so upset that when he stormed out to his car and went home to slip in to a disguise to go infiltrate the Dalton Academy Warblers that he wasnt even thinking about how today was the day hed meet his soulmate.

It wasnt until he drove up Dalton, a big brick building covered in ivy, that his heart started palpitating in his chest. He looked down and his hands were shaking. He thought he might be sick. Why was he so nervous? Then he glanced at his wrist.

Kurt gulped. He had only minutes before he would meet him, his soulmate.

It all made since now. He didnt understand how he was meant to meet his soulmate at McKinley anyway, but had accepted it for what it was. Now as he looked out his windshield at Dalton he understood. His soulmate wasnt coming to him, he was going to his soulmate.

Kurt swallowed and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. He realized it wasnt just his anxiety he was feeling, his soulmate was so nervous Kurt could hardly sit still.

This was it. "Oh my god." Kurt groaned his nerves getting the best of him, he felt frozen to his sit. "Oh my god, oh my god."

He finally had to force himself to move. He checked his hair in the mirror to make sure it was perfect, took in a deep shuttering breath and got out of the car.

The halls of Dalton were packed and noisy. Young men in uniform flooded the school, laughing and talking. Kurt started to just move in the direction everyone else seemed to be going. His soulmate was here, but Kurt had no idea where to go. Following the crowd seem as good of an idea as any.

He started down a sleek staircase and forced himself not to look at his timer. It would happen when it happened.

No, never mind. He couldnt help it. Kurt glanced down at his timer. He was merely moments away from meeting his soulmate.

"This is it." He whispered to himself.

He stood on the staircase as boy after boy ran past him, anyone of these could be his soulmate, how was he suppose to know? Then a dark haired young man hurried past him and stopped at the bottom of the stairs. Kurt could only see part of the boys profile, but he looked distracted and more than a little nervous, as he worried his bottom lip and looked around with anxious eyes.

Kurts heart fluttered in his chest.

This was him.

Kurt knew it, he could feel it all the way down to his bones. He took a deep breath as the last few seconds on his timer ticked down. He walked up behind the boy and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, can I ask you a question? Im new here." Kurt said, his heart beating against his rib cage.

He watched the part of the boys profile that he could see. The boy closed his eyes and a smile formed on his lips. Then he slowly turned around, opening bright golden hazel eyes that sparkled as his smiled at Kurt.

He was breathtaking.

They both blinked at each other for a moment. Kurt couldnt find his voice, but his whole body felt warm and happy and his heart felt like it was expanding.

"My name is Blaine." The boy managed to say in a hushed, awed sounding voice. He held out his hand.

Kurt looked at if for a moment feeling light headed and giddy.

"Kurt." He answered and took the boys hand.

Electricity sparked under Kurts skin and for the first time in his life he felt complete, like a puzzle piece fitting just right.

Two timers started to beep.