(Untitled)

[priorlives]

Prior always faced the change in weather with dread. One of the blessings of the island was that the climate was overall good for his immune system. He'd had bronchitis on the island once, and pneumonia another time, both during that small window of winter.

And as soon as he saw the real change that the island had undergone - the time period in

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[highf]

Perhaps it shouldn't have been surprising that the health struggles of a loved one had made Kurt all the more aware of the fragility of humankind. When he heard someone coughing in the near distance, his first reaction was to hold his breath, less any germs be spread- but upon watching the man's top hat jar and fall to the ground, Kurt found that he couldn't keep himself away for long. He was young, his immune system presumably strong, and the end point was that the guy looked so miserable that he couldn't help wanting to offer a hand in aid. Brows furrowing in concern, he rushed to the man's side, tentatively reaching out with a hand to steady him.

"Hey," he said, hand moving to rub over the man's back in steady circles. Sensing that there was more than a cold going on, Kurt let out a slow breath and steeled himself. "Breathe."

[priorlives]

Right around the time that the strange began rubbing his back, Prior managed to pull himself together. He found himself doing as told, taking a deep breath, and though it wheezed a bit, he didn't start coughing again.

He straightened up, and turned to see who had helped him, a little surprised to see that it was a young man, probably about Marshall's age.

"Thanks," he managed, taking one more wheezing breath.

[highf]

Breathing slightly easier himself for the way that the man was able to stand up fully, not looking too much worse for wear, Kurt offered a watery smile and continued to have his hand circle around the man's back for a few seconds longer, in case it stood any chance of helping to stave off the coughs for a while longer. "My pleasure," he replied, even if it didn't seem entirely like the right thing to say, although the sentiment was meant kindly, laced with concern.

Of course, a closer look at the man's face just had to reveal that it was none other than Justin Kirk. Or, presumably, one of his roles.

Or just someone sharing his face.

"You okay?" he asked nonetheless, paying the fact no mind. More important than trying to work out his identity was just making sure that the man felt okay.

[priorlives]

"I'll be fine, honey," Prior said, because if anyone was a honey at first sight, it was this sweet, concerned kid. "The change in the weather, I think I might have... gotten a cold." Or pneumonia. It was coming, he just knew it. Freddie was going to lock him in his room until Spring.

"I'm Prior," he added, and held out white glove covered hand as he slid the top hat back on his head with the other.

[highf]

Prior Walter.

Kurt found it hard to recover his voice for a few seconds, although he did his best to take the other man's hand in a firm shake, a tight-lipped smile on his face. No wonder, then. He felt fear drain the color from his cheeks and a lurch in his chest, before tilting his head at last in the direction of the Compound. The pollution couldn't have been helping anything. The temperature. Kurt simply couldn't...

"Kurt," he replied, trying for bright and not quite making it there. "Kurt Hummel. And, well, then we should be getting you inside, shouldn't we? I'd expect anyone to get sick, between the weather and the rather lowered standards for cleanliness in some of these parts."

[priorlives]

Prior saw the wavering smile, and it made his own waver for a split second himself, but then he just said, "Maybe you're right. Ah... where were you headed, Kurt? I could do for a hot drink, maybe. Not that you have to join me, I'll really be fine."

[highf]

Relaxing as best as he could, Kurt shook his head and offered a faint shrug. "Honestly, I was just wandering around the area, I'm not sure that I had any goal in particular," he laughed, breath fogging in the air with a light shiver. "I've never been overseas, and I've certainly never time traveled, so it's just been a lot of ducking down alleys and into clothing shops, restaurants, and the like. I was a bit reticent about all of this at first, but I figure there's really no point looking a gift horse in the mouth for too long."

He tilted his head down the block, towards a cafe he'd spotted earlier on the street. "I know this nice place that serves cocoa. Or coffee. Whichever you prefer. Join me?" he suggested.

[priorlives]

"Sure," said Prior, smiling again. "It's all very good samaritan of you." He waved his cane a little. "You think there's a boy scout badge for that? Help a queen across the street?"

[highf]

"Oh, I'm pretty sure the Boy Scouts of America wouldn't be all too happy to include someone like me in their ranks to begin with," Kurt replied, momentarily losing track of all else as his voice took on a sharper edge. Not that his life had ever circled around the desire to offer himself up to a camping community- it hadn't- and Kurt could certainly see the merit in bringing children together to toil and work for their spoils. But with the various controversies which arose at the thought of certain minority groups, those counter to the religious base of the association, Kurt knew that the Boy Scouts was simply one group that would never be held in his favor. "If being atheist isn't bad enough, I'm sure they wouldn't want a homosexual in their ranks any more than they'd feel especially inclined to help one across the street."

His lips quirked in a wry grin.

[priorlives]

"You're probably right," Prior said. "I always wanted to be a girl scout but that was just because I liked the knee socks. Trust me, you're better off. The badges are way too busy for accessorizing."

He put his hand up to his mouth and coughed briefly again. "But I've always depended on the kindness of strangers. And hot cocoa sounds divine."

[highf]

"I was always more curious about the baking, myself. If you'd believe it, I actually managed to pull together a decent batch of Thin Mints, once. I was working on perfecting the recipe, in fact, when I suddenly realized that doing so required eating a few more boxes of the cookies than I was honestly willing to," Kurt sighed, patting his stomach gingerly. "And while I'm not the type to limit what I eat, the nutritional value still matters, of course. Chocolate is only good up to a point. And not a very generous one."

Ignoring the thought of what relying on the kindness of others would have meant for Kurt in his life, he simply offered an arm out to Prior, still concerned about the man's coughing. "That being said, I think a mug of cocoa could do all of us good in this chill and with all the walking through sleet we've had to do."