"Have you two noticed that Kurt has been rather run down and out of sorts lately? I've been dropping some fairly broad hints that I'm happy to listen if he needs to talk, but so far nothing. He just tells me I'm sweet to worry about him, then usually changes the subject."

Adam's comment provoked concerned looks from Rachel and Santana. He had run into them at NYADA's campus coffee shop, where Santana had dropped by to have lunch with her roommate, and been invited to join them. Kurt's friends had been making more of an effort lately to get to know Adam since it appeared that the two were beginning to grow serious.

"He seems fine to me," Rachel said at the same moment Santana offered, "Yeah, he's been super stressed out lately."

The two girls exchanged a startled look as they pieced through their comingled words.

"Kurt is stressed?" Rachel said, her eyes wide. "Are you sure? What does he have to be stressed about?"

"What does-" Santana cut herself off, unable to even complete the sentence as exasperation overtook her. She and Kurt had recently been bonding over their newly discovered mutual love for '80s sitcoms and, as a result, had started talking more. "For God's sake, Berry! Try turning off The Rachel Show for five minutes and paying attention to the other people in the room. Kurt's taking six classes a week to your four and also working part time, while you remain the only one of us who's never worked a day in her life."

"My dads want me to be able to focus on my career!" Rachel cried, flushing with irritation that she was unable to deny the comment.

Santana waved away the protest. "Whatever. We're not talking about you, we're talking about Kurt. The classes and work hours would be enough to stress out most people, but then you throw in the fact that he's trying to navigate a new relationship while doubting his appeal at every turn thanks to the shitty way the walking oil-slick treated him, and then just for kicks, throw in spending at least part of every day worried to death about his dad. And it surprises you that he's not all puppies and rainbow glitter? If I was in his place, I'd have strangled somebody by now. Probably you."

Alarm and a measure of hurt filled Rachel's eyes. "Wait. Is Burt having heart problems again? Why would Kurt tell you and not me?"

Unable to resist the temptation, Santana's hand shot out and slapped Rachel upside the back of her head, drawing forth an indignant, "Ow!"

Santana calmly took a sip of her mocha."You don't want to risk the wrath of Snix? Don't say stupid things. And may I add that your personal spy network? Could seriously use some improvement. Don't you have Gigantor on speed-dial for things like this?"

"We haven't been talking as often lately," Rachel muttered. "He told me some girl in his Intro to English Lit class was hot."

Santana rolled her eyes and mumbled something in Spanish that had neither of her companions feeling safe enough to ask for a translation.

"Anyway, to get back to the relevant part of this conversation, it's not Mr. Hummel's heart. And no, Kurt didn't tell me anything. Not that I didn't ask, but you know as well as I do that getting personal information out of him when he's brooding is about as easy as getting you to give up the Streisand addiction." She glanced at Adam, seeing the distressed look on his face, and gave his forearm a pat. "Don't sweat it, Gordon Ramsey. You're new here. We've had four years to figure out what makes Lady Hummel tick."

Properly chastised, Rachel asked, "So, what's going on?"

"Well, according to Brittany, who heard it from Lady Lips, who heard it from the hobbit . . . who, by the way has apparently turned full-on stalker when it comes to Kurt and his family . . . Mr. Hummel has been fighting cancer since around Christmas. He's been on chemo and he's going to be having surgery soon to remove the tumor."

Rachel and Adam both gasped and for once Santana did not look triumphant over having ferretted out information ahead of everyone else. She just looked sad. "I know. It sucks balls, doesn't it? Burt Hummel is the coolest parental I've ever met in my life and he means the absolute world to Kurt. The two of them are like a weird two-man army, ready and able to take on the world as long they each know the other one has go his back."

"Kurt told me that when he was 17 his father had a severe heart attack," Adam said softly. "I could tell that he's still completely terrified of losing him. He mentioned that his dad had been sick recently, but the way he said it made it sound as if we were talking a bout of the flu."

"Hey, be happy. The fact that he said that much is a damn good sign. It means he's starting to trust you with the big things," Santana told him, a hint of approval in her tone. "You must be doing something right. Probably more than one something if all the noises I've heard floating from his bedroom when you stay over are any indication."

As Adam flushed an uncomfortable shade of crimson, Rachel shook her head, still stuck on the bombshell she had received. "I just can't believe that Burt has been sick for months and nobody told me! Not even Finn! He had plenty of opportunities to talk about it on Valentine's Day and there's no way he didn't know. Burt is his step-father!"

Santana shrugged. "My guess is that his parents asked him to keep it on the down-low. It's not like you guys are together anymore, so he's obliged to keep you in the loop. I wouldn't know either if it hadn't turned out that Golem is as bad about keeping his mouth shut as he is about keeping his dick in his pants. As for Kurt, he'll be mad that we butted into his business, but then hopefully he'll be too relieved that he doesn't have to go through this alone any more to hold a grudge."

"Do you really think so?" Adam said hopefully.

"I do," Rachel agreed with a nod. "He plays things close to the vest, but it must have been killing him to have to hide his feelings from me all this time. God, poor Kurt!"

The other two sighed at their friend's self-absorption, but nodded.

"There's nothing we can do to change what's happening, especially if he doesn't feel like discussing it," Adam said, frowning into the distance, "but perhaps we could do something to help release a measure of Kurt's stress."

"Oh, no. I am not into two-boys-one-girl threesomes . . . anymore."

Rachel's nose wrinkled. "Santana, that's disgusting!"

Adam chuckled. He was growing used to Santana's blunt, heavily sexualized manner of speaking. "Well, that wasn't quite what I had in mind. And before you suggest it, I also wasn't considering two-girls-one-boy, or any other variation of a collegiate orgy. Although I suppose if Kurt were interested, we could at least give it proper consideration."

As Rachel made incoherent noises of protest, a grin of approval lit Santana's face. "I'm starting to take a liking to you, James Bond. You're not nearly as prissy as I assumed you'd be."

"Thank you, I think. What I was going to suggest," Adam continued, having discovered that plunging forward was the best way to get through any conversation with these two, "is that I've heard Kurt mention more than once how much he enjoys makeovers and spa services, and that he's given those treatments to his assorted girlfriends since early high school days."

"He does give a great manicure," Rachel sighed longingly, fingertips twitching in memory.

Santana all but moaned, "And the neck massages? Oh. My. God. He used to sell five-minute massages to the Cheerio girls for ten bucks a pop. You'd think that would be a rip-off, but nobody who tried one ever failed to go back for more. I think we supplied his wardrobe budget for two years over the six months he was on the squad. Freaking paradise."

"So, why don't we three all return the favor, then?" Adam went on, grinning brightly. "For free, in this case. We can't take away the cause of Kurt's anxiety, but a little personal pampering might help alleviate the effects. And if we're honest with him about how much we know concerning Kurt's personal situation, perhaps he'll return the favor and be more willing to talk about it."

"Or he'll murder us in our beds for butting in again after we promised not to," Santana sighed gloomily. Then she perked back up. "But either way, we won't be forced to watch him mope anymore!"

Rachel chose to ignore her roommate's optimism (?) in favor of excitedly bouncing in her seat and saying, "I still remember how to make Kurt's favorite oatmeal and aloe facial mask. It does wonders for your skin. Oh, and I still have some of that imported shampoo and deep conditioning rinse that he got me for my birthday last year!"

"I'll handle the mani/pedi," Santana declared, extending her left hand and examining her own neatly shaped and polished nails with evident satisfaction. "My auntie Christina has worked in a nail salon for over twenty years and she taught me all the tricks. She gave me a full set of tools and a whirlpool foot bath for graduation last year. His highness is going to be my willing slave forever once I get through giving him the full Lopez special."

Noting that she seemed just a little too happy with that idea, Adam shook his head. "Face, hair, hands, feet . . . I guess that leaves the body for me then."

"And don't you just hate that idea," Santana chortled. "Just try to keep it family-friendly while we're in the room, will you? You two boys can play massage-parlor all you like once you're in the Hummel harem. Just don't go rubbing Kurt's magic lamp in front of us. I really don't need to see his genie popping out to grant you your favorite wishes."

Laughter burst from Adam's lips as the metaphor became increasingly absurd and innuendo laden. "I'll do my best," he chuckled. "I do happen to have some very nicely scented massage oil and two talented hands, however. What that may lead to, I can't be responsible for. Though in all honesty, I'm hoping it leads to a good restful sleep. I feel sure he could use one."

The tenderness in Adam's voice and expression killed off any remaining desire to tease him. Whether they made it for the long haul or not, Adam was a good man who cared immensely for their friend, and Kurt showed every sign of returning that regard. That was enough for now.

TBC