We'd be so less fragile

If we're made from metal

And our hearts from iron

And our minds from steel

And if we built an army

For our tender bodies

Could we love each other?

Would we stop to feel?

            Kurt and Blaine sit on Kurt’s bed, facing each other.

            “Trust me Kurt, it’s the coolest trick you’ll ever see,” Blaine says, grinning. “Seriously, just take the quarter.”

            Kurt sighs and rolls his eyes at Blaine, but gives in.  He takes the coin from between Blaine’s fingers and places it heads up on his palm.

            “Okay,” Blaine says, reaching out to hold Kurt’s thumb in one hand and his pinky in the other.  “I’m going to close my eyes, but you have to keep yours open. I want you to count to one hundred, got it?”

            Kurt gave him an odd look, but Blaine just ignored him and shut his eyes. As Kurt begins to count, Blaine rubs Kurt’s thumb and pinky with his fingers.  When Kurt reaches fifty, Blaine slowly closes Kurt’s fingers into a fist, finger by finger until only his thumb is sticking out.  He continues to rub Kurt’s thumb.  When Kurt reaches eighty, Blaine curls his thumb in as well, and holds his now complete fist with both hands, running his thumbs over Kurt’s knuckles.  When Kurt reaches ninety-five, Blaine opens his eyes and turns Kurt’s fist to face down.

            “Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred,” Kurt breathes out.

            “Do you still feel the quarter there?” Blaine asks, staring into Kurt’s eyes.

            “Yeah,” Kurt whispers, his own eyes soaking in the hazel staring back.

            “Open your hand, Kurt.”

            He does.

            No coin falls out.

            Before Kurt gets a chance to react, the door to his room opens, and both of their heads turn to look.

            “Kurt, what are you doing?”

            It’s the nurse.  Kurt turns back to Blaine with an apologetic smile.  Blaine returns it.  They won’t get to hang out anymore for now.

            “Blaine was just showing me some cool tricks.  Wanna see?”  Kurt answers, turning back to the nurse.

            She sighs and opens her mouth to say something, but seems to think better of it.

            “No thanks, Kurt.  I’m not in the mood for Blaine’s tricks today,” she says tiredly, and Kurt turns back to roll his eyes and grin at Blaine, who smiles at him sadly in return.

            “C’mon, Kurt,” the nurse says after watching this exchange.  “It’s time for your meds.”

            “Okay,” Kurt says, moving off the bed.  The nurse steps back out into the hallway to give him room to get out.  He turns back once he’s reached the door.

            “See you later, Blaine,” he says.

            “Later, Kurt.”

            Kurt follows the nurse to the nurses’ station, and swallows his pills when she hands them to him.  He knows he won’t get to see Blaine again until later, but he thinks that’s okay, because he has arts and crafts now, and Kurt can make Blaine another present.  Blaine loves it when Kurt makes him things, especially out of pipe cleaners.

            Kurt spends the entire hour with the box of pipe cleaners in front of him, and by the time arts and crafts is over, he’s made an entire bouquet of flowers.  He smiles at his work.  The flowers are blue and purple, Blaine’s favorite colors, and Kurt can’t wait to show them to him.

            He tries not to shove his dinner down, taking smaller bites so as not to seem too eager, but he just wants the meal to be over already.  He wants to go back to his room to give Blaine his gift.

            Dinner finally comes to a close and Kurt waits impatiently for his nighttime meds.  When the nurse finally gets to him, he has to stop himself from grabbing the little cup of pills from her hand.

            She gives him the cup and he notices it’s a little heavier than usual.  He glances up at the nurse and she gives him a cautious, warm smile.

            “They want to try a higher dosage, Kurt,” she says, resting her hand on his shoulder.  “They don’t think the meds are working as well as they should be.  It’s just a trial run to see if it makes a difference.”

            Kurt shrugs as he throws back the pills and chases them down with the water she hands him.  He doesn’t care how many they make him take as long as he can get back to his room to see Blaine once more before he goes to sleep.

            “Can I go now?” he asks, trying not to be rude.

            The nurse gives him a searching look before smiling and nodding once.

            Kurt all but runs to his room and takes a second to catch his breath before pushing his door open.

            “Blaine?” Kurt says, smiling and looking around.

            But Blaine’s not there.

            Kurt’s smile fades slightly.  He knows this happens sometimes, Blaine going away.  It happened the last time they increased his meds too, but Blaine found his way back eventually.

            He walks over to his bed and flops down.  He feels something under his head on the pillow.  He reaches behind to grab it and pulls it in from of his face.  It’s a quarter, heads up.

            Kurt grins and places the coin on his bedside table.  He pulls out Blaine’s pipe cleaner flowers from his pocket and opens the bottom drawer.  He places them inside; they blend in with the many other presents he’s made for Blaine.

            He’s going to love them, Kurt thinks as he settles in to fall asleep.