A week passed in the same routine: coffee at seven in the morning, school during the day, date night every third night and longer coffee dates on the weekend. Kurt and I spent almost every minute together possible. And I loved it. I couldn’t complain. Every second I spent with Kurt was worth it. He was my boyfriend. He was all mine.
Exams were looming, though, and assignment due dates were creeping up too. Dalton had a habit of scheduling everything around the same time. It meant that every student was out of their mind with stress and anxiety, worrying about equations, sentence structure for essays, font sizes and many other tiny details that can easily fail you.
Kurt and I were no exceptions to this rule.
After a few weeks of beautiful, couple-land bliss, we knew we had to concentrate on school. We’d both been neglecting our studies, and we weren’t behind, but we really needed to focus to pass with good grades.
Kurt, being outstanding student he is, decided that we’d keep our coffee dates, but we’d postpone all nighttime dates until after all of our exams and assignments were through with. He also suggested only having one coffee date every three days, but the thought of that drove me insane. I had to buy him coffee and breakfast every morning. I had to. Kurt brightened my day. I needed to see him in the mornings.
It was the Monday when exam block began, meaning that if you didn’t have exams, you didn’t have to come to school. It was a policy introduced in order to ‘maximise study sessions’ when really, most of the Dalton guys used it to hook up with the girlfriends from Dobry, our sister school.
Kurt and I were to have our usual coffee date, since we hadn’t been able to catch up over the weekend (he forced me to ignore him and work on my assignments). And so the day began in its usual way, with Jeff singing KURTIEBEAR CUDDLE TIME at a VERY loud volume (complete with a new rap verse) as I got ready and left, and with the walk to the coffee shop lasting for what felt like an eternity.
At last, I made it inside the coffee shop and saw that Kurt was nowhere to be found. Excellent, I thought, I can beat him to it yet again. Get his breakfast and make him swoon. I love it when he’s swooning.
I went through the usual steps of ordering, collecting sugars, napkins and lids, and collecting the order and taking it to our usual table. I sat there for half an hour before suspecting something was wrong.
Sometimes, Kurt would take just that little bit longer to get ready. He’d been late before. It was usually a hair emergency, seeing as Dalton’s uniform didn’t usually leave him in a fashion crisis (though, as Kurt often pointed out, the Dalton uniform was a fashion crisis). But he usually called or sent me a text to let me know when he’d be late, especially if it’d been more than fifteen minutes. He’d said before that although I’m ‘cute’ when I’m worrying, it’s also not something he ever wants me to do.
I thought I’d give him a call and see what was going on, not in a pushy ‘you-must-come-and-see-me-now’ kinda way, but just so that he knew I cared and that I was thinking of him.
I dialled Kurt’s number and smiled as his beautiful grin appeared on my screen. I lifted the phone to my ear and listened carefully, hoping that Kurt would answer.
“Hey... Blaine...” he answered after the twelfth ring, sounded hoarse and exhausted.
“Hey... are you okay? You don’t sound well.”
“I’m hanging in there...” he trailed off as he erupted into a serious coughing fit.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
“I...” Kurt couldn’t help but cough in the middle of his sentences.
“I don’t know exactly,” he said, “I just feel like crap.”
“Talk to me.”
“I have this cough... and this migraine... and I spent last night in my bathroom puking, which gave me awful bathmat hair.”
I chuckled at Kurt’s concern for his hair rather than his health. It’s the little things like that that made him so incredibly adorable.
“Have you taken anything for it? Aspirin?”
“No... no-one’s been here for the past few days, I’ve been here on my own,” he said in between coughing fits, gasping for air.
“What do you mean? Where’s Finn? Burt? Carole?”
“Finn was invited to look at football scholarships or something at some university miles away, so they all went together.”
“And they left you here?”
“Yeah.”
I couldn’t believe that Kurt was left on his own, without any support or help when he was in such pain. It hurt me to think that he was unwell and unhappy. I had to do something.
“Kurt?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m coming to look after you today, okay?”
“Blaine... you can’t. Exams. Assignments. Warblers.”
“They don’t mean half as much to me as you do.”
“You can’t do that Blaine, I won’t let you.”
“What do you want me to pick up on my way?”
“Nothing. Blaine, you’re going to school,” Kurt complained, bursting into a coughing fit at the end of his sentence.
“See? Kurt, you need looking after. I’m coming over. What do you want me to get?”
“Nothing, go to school, Blaine.”
“What do you want me to get, Kurt?”
“Go to school, Anderson.”
“Tylenol?”
“...fine. But then you have to go to school.”
“Sure, sure,” I agreed, knowing full well that I wouldn’t be returning to school once I’d reached him. I needed to look out for him.
“But... don’t get into trouble, okay?”
“I won’t, I promise. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“ Blaine?”
“Yeah?”
“Thankyou.”
“I know,” I said, hanging up the phone and shoving it into my pocket.
I then approached the lady at the counter and asked for a bag for the food and for two fresh coffees. I handed over the cash, loaded up the goods, and headed straight for my car, running into Wes and Jason on the way.
“Blaine, you know the apocalypse isn’t happening until 2012, right?” Jason teased, noticing the massive parcel in my hands.
“Ha-ha, very funny, Jason. What are you doing here?”
“Jason and I are strolling around, conversing in regards to the next piece of repertoire the Warblers will perform. Any thoughts, Blaine?” Wes answered for them both.
“Just... nothing top 100, okay guys?”
“But you love Katy Perry...?” Jason asked in confusion.
“Yeah, but... Look, choose whatever you want, really. I’m cool with whatever’s good for the team.”
“...why are you so... antsy?”
“Uh... I really need to pee... so can I please just run past you guys? I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Sure, man. PEE AND BE FREE!” Jason shouted, catching the attention of several students and teachers passing by.
“Thanks! See you later!” I shouted over my shoulder as I sprinted towards the parking lot, which was conveniently located near the restrooms.
I rushed to my car so fast, in retrospect, it felt like a blur. All I knew is that Kurt needed me, and God help me, I was going to get to him and look after him as well as I could.
I probably broke a few laws, but I made it to the drugstore, bought Tylenol, all the cough drops on offer and some lavender oil, because I remembered Kurt mentioning that his mom would sprinkle it through his sheets to make him feel better, and I raced to the grocery store to pick up an eight-pack of Diet Coke too, seeing as Kurt would love it when he felt better. I also bought a small bunch of carnations, since I knew that he would appreciate having his room brightened a bit, and even though it all set me back around $150 and my card was linked to my parent’s account, I didn’t care. Kurt was my priority.
Again, breaking more laws, I raced to Kurt’s house and hastily parked my car in his driveway. I loaded all of the shopping bags onto one arm and carried the coffee/breakfast tray/bag combination in my free hand, awkwardly pushing the doorbell with my elbow.
“It’s open!” I heard Kurt call out.
Shit, I thought, How the fuck am I going to do this gracefully! I’M SUPPOSED TO BE DAPPER, DAMMIT!
I somehow managed to weave my hand through the shopping bags enough to twist the doorknob and shove it forwards. I kicked it closed with my foot and proceeded straight upstairs to Kurt’s room, vaguely remembering the first time I stepped foot in there, ie. The Rachel Berry Party Drunkeness Night. Eugh. Poor Kurt.
The minute I reached the top of the staircase, I saw Kurt’s bedroom door. I was excited to see him, yet worried as to what state I’d find him in. Was he down-playing it so I wouldn’t get worried?
I twisted the doorknob, again, awkwardly, with my hand and let myself in, again kicking the door shut behind me.
“Hey,” Kurt greeted me groggily, shifting in his place on his bed.
“Don’t move, baby. I’ve got everything for you.”
“Wow, Blaine. What is all this?”
I grinned, dumped everything on the vacant side of Kurt’s bed and walked over to his side to kiss him on the forehead, kneeling down beside him.
“I bought everything you’ll possibly need. I have Tylenol, tissues, cough drops... I bought you some Lavender Oil, because I know that’s what your Mom used to do for you, and I bought you some flowers to make the room a little brighter for you...” I trailed off, taking his hand in mine and kissing his forehead once more.
“ Blaine... this is too much. You’re too good for me. I don’t deserve this,” Kurt started, before having yet another coughing fit.
I circled his back with my hand, pulling him in nice and close to comfort him as he suffered through a heavy coughing fit that was definitely doing some damage.
“Shh, I’ve got it. You need to get better,” I said, kissing his forehead again when he stopped coughing and leaping up to organise the pills.
I refilled the cup beside his bed with water and placed the Tylenol into his palm, holding his hand for a fraction of a second, before tucking his blankets in tightly.
“Thank you, Blaine.”
“It’s okay. I’d do anything for you, you know that.”
Kurt smiled sadly at me as he began coughing again, though thankfully not as viciously as he had been previously. When he’d calmed down, he took the Tylenol along with some of the cough drops I’d brought him as I ducked downstairs to make him some hot tea. When I returned, I found Kurt in yet another coughing fit, which made me really worry about him. That amount of coughing couldn’t be good. It had to be extremely painful.
I walked over to him and rubbed his back as he painfully coughed his way through. Seeing him experience that much difficulty nearly made me cry. I couldn’t stand to see him in pain. I really do love him, I thought.
“Here, drink this, it’ll help,” I said, offering him the tea once his coughs had subsided.
He took the mug in both hands and took a sip, looking at me gratefully.
“Thankyou. You’re an angel.”
“I know. Have you had anything to eat?”
“No, I haven’t been able to get up since I stopped puking and came in here.”
“Well then, you need some breakfast!”
I practically jumped over Kurt to the other side of the bed, where I sat and organised the different bags so I could find the breakfast foods.
“Would you like a croissant, a bagel or a breakfast muffin?”
“....bagel, please.”
I handed Kurt the bagel, along with some plastic cutlery and a small plastic plate (which was also conveniently loaded with different condiments for Kurt to choose from).
“Have I told you how perfect you are lately?”
“Uhm... Not to my recollection. Couldn’t hurt to say it out loud, though.”
“You’re perfect,” Kurt said, looking me right in the eyes as if he was about to kiss me.
“Yeah. I am. That must be why I....” I trailed off while I dug into one of the bags to find the flowers and hand them to him, “bought you these.”
Kurt’s face lit up, as if he was completely healthy for just a second.
“Holy shit, Blaine. This is all way too much!”
“No, it’s not. It’s what you deserve. You’re my boyfriend, I’m supposed to look after you.”
“Thank you. You have no idea how much I love these. Thank you.”
“It’s okay. You deserve it.”
“If I wasn’t all sickly and disgusting, I’d kiss you right now.”
“I don’t think you’re disgusting, Kurt. You’re still so goddamn beautiful.”
“I think you’re hallucinating. I’m even paler than normal, I’ve got baggy, purple eyes and don’t even get me started on my hair.”
“You’re perfect. Now eat your breakfast.”
“But-“
“No buts!
We ate our breakfast in silence, though neither of us minded: it was one of those moments where it didn’t really matter if we didn’t say anything. We were together, with each other, and that’s all that mattered.
I continued to look after Kurt, showering him with cough drops, cups of tea and back rubs where necessary. I’d even brought my laptop with me so we could watch Breakfast at Tiffany’s in bed.
I held him close to me as he coughed, though his fits weren’t as severe with the addition of hot tea and cough drops. He must have been exhausted, because he fell asleep halfway through one of his favourite movies of all time – with Audrey Hepburn, none the less – and I found him sleeping peacefully with his head rested against my chest and his arm tight around me like a teddy bear.
I continued to watch the movie, trying to ignore the inner Jeff in my head singing KURTIEBEAR CUDDLE TIME like a lunatic. It was hard, because that tune was just SO DAMN CATCHY, but soon enough I found myself just stroking Kurt’s hair, watching him sleep.
I never knew he talked in his sleep.
He mumbled a few times, something incomprehensible, and then gripped me tighter.
He kept mumbling nonsensical sentences that just confused me, until I heard a familiar word.
“Blaine...” he said softly, his grip tightening even more so and his leg wrapping around mine.
“I love you.... Blaine... I love you, Blaine...”