Kurt Hummel was waiting. He was sitting on a bench, his designer jacket wrapped tightly around his delicate form, the autumn wind playing with his styled hair. He was looking impatiently around, his blue eyes searching for a familiar face. He hadn’t seen the Doctor in six months. The last time they were together, Kurt had got really hurt and the Gallifreyan actually got scared for his human companion. After they saved another planet, which Kurt couldn’t even recall the name of, and then the time they spent in an intergalactic hospital, the Doctor dropped him off, telling him to take care of Burt and that they’d surely meet again. He winked and got inside the Tardis, disappearing who knows where in the universe.

Kurt couldn’t lie, he missed the adventures he’d had when he was the Doctors companion, he’d felt special, like he mattered. And here he was now – stuck in Lima, he was the freaky gay kid who sang like a girl. He quit Glee club because it was irrelevant. It didn’t matter; he was way beyond the drama of the previous years. Not to mention how sick he was of fighting with Rachel Berry over solos. All that was important was the Doctor now that Burt was okay (he also had Carole so Kurt knew there was someone to take care of his father).

He was used to waiting for his Doctor. Sometimes he would get hopeless, but he would remember the alien’s warm eyes, smiling lovingly at him, his words of praise and the way the Gallifreyan would hug him sometimes. Yes, okay, Kurt missed him more than he could handle.

That was the main reason that he was sitting on the bench in the park, freezing his ass off. This was where the Doctor had left him, the last place he’d seen the Tardis land. His hope was that it’d be the place where their paths would cross once again. He sighed and looked at his watch. It’s been three hours already and it was starting to get dark and even colder. Shivering, the boy stood up and headed home. Another fruitless day.

xxxxxx

A week passed and Kurt had decided to stop waiting and go back to his life, if it was even possible. He was in the middle of tidying his closet when he found the little model of the Tardis, which he had buried six months ago because it made him want to break down and cry and that would only make Burt worried and he wouldn’t do that to his father.

Kurt took it in his hands, just feeling it. Memories flooded his mind and he squeezed the little blue box in his pale hand. The boy looked away, blinking quickly, throwing it inside the closet, kicking clothes over it. He closed the doors and climbed under the reassuring warmth of the covers of his bed. His closet could wait.

xxxxxx

After the little accident, getting the Doctor out of his mind was not achievable. Kurt started going to the park for a couple of hours each day, doing homework or sitting there, looking at the pedestrians passing him, expecting to see the Doctor’s face.

He was sitting on his usual spot, one day. He had already finished his homework when he stood up and started walking. Then he bumped into…something. Only, there was nothing. The boy put his hand in the air, hitting the invisible thing’s wall. His heartbeat sped up to the point where Kurt thought that it was going to burst right out of his ribcage and leave a big gap in his chest.

It was the Tardis, he had never been so sure of anything in his life. The Doctor must be walking the streets of Lima now, people must be seeing his face without knowing who he was; he must be under the same sky as Kurt. It was so hard to wrap his mind around all of this new and exciting information that he felt dizzy with the knowledge. The boy walked back to the bench and sat down. He’d wait for his Doctor all night long if he had to.

xxxxxx

It was dark and freezing, but Kurt hadn’t even moved since he walked into the Tardis. He texted Burt, telling him he was at Mercedes’ place, helping her redecorate her bedroom so that his father wouldn’t wait for him.

After some time, he heard a familiar buzzing sound. The Doctor’s sonic screwdriver, he thought, his chest filling with excitement. And then there he was – the Doctor. Looking exactly as he did six months ago – his hair was slicked back so that his curls didn’t stray; he was pointing with the screwdriver towards something, its green glow was the only source of light. Kurt’s breath hitched and he stood up quickly. The alien noticed him and when their eyes met, it felt like a scene from those romantic comedies Kurt sometimes liked to watch with Carole – it felt as if the universe ceased to exist, the Earth stopped turning and Kurt couldn’t care less if an army of Daleks or Cybermen or whatever attacked them right now, because he was looking straight into the Doctor’s hazel eyes.

“Kurt?” the Gallifreyan muttered the hand, which was holding the sonic screwdriver dropped to his side, and he started walking towards his former companion.

There was a little, almost private smile, gracing his lips and all Kurt could do was smile back at him, letting a small breathy laugh escape his dry throat.

“I knew it. You came back, Doctor! All this time, I just had the feeling that you wouldn’t leave me here…God, I’ve missed you so much!” Kurt almost sobbed with relief when their bodies met halfway in a tight embrace. Neither one wanted to let go for a while, so they stood there, hugged together in the middle of the deserted park and breathed.
“Come on, Kurt. Let’s get inside the Tardis. I don’t want you to freeze to death.” the Doctor grabbed his hand and they got inside the wooden blue box.

Stepping inside the spaceship for the first time in a little over six months was like taking a breath after you’ve stayed underwater more than you could handle. The interior didn’t look like before, which surprised Kurt.
“What happened, everything is so new…” Kurt asked, while he was looking around.

The Doctor was sitting on one of the chairs, his Converse-clad feet were resting on the control panel; he looked incredibly calm, which was considered weird for him.

“Oh, that! There was a little accident while I was trying to escape Barcelona, the planet where dogs don’t have noses, remember, Kurt? I’ve always wanted to take you there, it’s such a fantastic place, I’m sure that you’d love it!” he was talking quickly, his eyes shining brightly. “But uh…when I went there, there was some serious business going on, I stuck around to help the Barcelonians and when I though the whole problem was solved, I was banished. The Tardis kind of…couldn’t take all of the pressure and it got badly damaged. I had to spend some time fixing this ol’ girl.” he smiled fondly and stood up.

Kurt grabbed his hand. “Take me somewhere, Doctor. Please, one last adventure. I see you haven’t found a new companion. You must be lonely and I know what it feels like. I’ve been lonely for the last six months.” the last part was barely whispered. When he looked at the Doctor, his blue eyes were soft with a sadness the Gallifreyan knew too well.

He was tempted to never let go of the human’s warm hand, not look back at the time they’d spent apart and the emptiness that had possessed him after he dropped Kurt back at his house. Reality hit him hard, though. A lethal mixture of realism and guilt was eating at his insides. He remembered vividly what had happened to Kurt. He remembered it all – Kurt’s blood all over his hands, burning him. The human was whispering to him that it’d be okay, Kurt was tough, he’s had worse; his fading smile was gentle, eyes fond. The Doctor couldn’t understand how this boy could not blame him after he had selfishly taken him from his home, from his loving father and his ordinary life.

The alien sighed and let go of Kurt’s hand.

“No. That’s a…well, terrible, extremely horrible idea, Kurt. You do realize that if I gave in now, I wouldn’t be able to let you go, right?” he was walking around, pulling on his gelled curls and playing with his tie. The boy could almost hear him thinking.

“Then do it. I want to be by your side, I would do anything, please, Doctor! I can’t go out of this door once again, not knowing whether you’re dead or alive or what if you’re hurt on some faraway planet? Who would take care of you? You’re more important to the universe. I’m just a nobody.” Kurt was tearing up, but his voice was firm. He knew he was right and he was ready to fight and shout if he had to.

“Don’t you ever say that, do you hear me? You are important, Kurt Hummel – beautiful, brave Kurt. The boy who doesn’t even flinch in the face of the nightmares we’ve seen,” the Doctor was holding the boy’s face in between his warm palms, his eyes were fiery. “You are important to me…And what about Burt? Your father needs you, you can’t just leave him.”

Yes, the Gallifreyan had a point.

“I’d do anything for you, Doctor. You know that, don’t you?” he didn’t even need to say the words that have been haunting him all those months.

“I know. That’s the scary part…You got hurt. I can’t let that ever happen to you again. I want you to live a long and beautiful life where death is not waiting for you at every corner.” the Doctor confessed, swallowing his selfishness and loneliness for the sake of his former companion. He had to do this right.

“So, go, please. Don’t look back.” he squeezed the boy’s hand again, brushing a quick kiss to his soft cheek. “I’ll visit you, I promise. Look around for the Tardis, read the newspapers. Our paths will always cross, Kurt Hummel. Always.” the alien smiled a sad smile and let go of his companion’s hand.

The human was having a hard time breathing, he was sure that he was about to choke because his throat just wouldn’t work. He nodded, unsure of how to say goodbye one more time, unsure of how to turn his back on the one person he felt so strongly about. His hands went automatically to the Doctor’s shoulders, straightening his blazer, and then fixing his tie, sliding down to his chest to button the clothing up. He tried to smile and mumbled a silent okay.

The path towards the door looked so short. When he reached it, he put his palm over the wood, feeling it for the last time.

“Don’t forget me.” he asked finally and went out of the Tardis before the Doctor could reply. He didn’t see the way the Gallifreyan was staring at the door here he stood seconds ago, his eyes filled with the glimmer of past decades full of pain and loss.

The alien promised to visit, of course he did. He knew that he wouldn’t, though. It would just break their hearts piece by painful piece every time they saw each other, making them hurt instead of heal. He wished that Kurt remembered rule number one: The Doctor lies.