The morning is dawning, and Kurt awakes

Kurt awoke with a start. Haze billowed in his brain, obscuring an intense sex dream that left him with that throbbing pain the morning often brings. Tasting the salty sweat on his lips, he plied a hand through mussed hair, and immediately regretted it.

Damn, what the hell? His body roared. Scraped with heat and stabbed with pinpricks, not one inch was evidently spared. He wasn't simply drained of energy, but his tissues were scoured clean of any trace, and Kurt felt every single, rough scrub mark. Even his blood complained about that racket of thought in his brain as it sluggishly oozed through, and that he should keep it down even though the clock by the bed informed it that the world had been awake for hours.

Unfortunately for his humors, Kurt realized something worse than his pain. His morning wood tented the bed covers before any underwear, and blurred vision confirmed that he was completely naked with a pile of clothes by the door. He winced, pinching his nose. He knew last night implicitly, it had happened so many times. Fuck. He was supposed to fixing himself, damnit, not obviously getting blind drunk and banging a potential friend.

"I'm not looking forward to explaining this to Heather," he sniffed.

"Explaining what?"

The bathroom door had swung open. The dull rush of the shower folded into the white noise of his thoughts so well he never heard it. The haze of his mind dispersed like the steam before him, and Heather, to his horror, materialized from both.

And her towel, bunched her at chest and failing to blanket her crotch, wasn't helping any part of this. Kurt found uncomfortable bemusement across a tight-lipped smile.

"I can understand what you're feeling right now." She flicked her wrist inside the room and summoned a hairbrush. "Realizing that you slept with your cousin last night is a bizarre feeling. Trust me, I should know." With her hair manageable, she returned the brush to its realm and replaced it with a tub of lotion. "You mind? My skin can get dry after a vigorous shower."

Kurt, still not comprehending words just yet, rattled his head. She raised a calf and rested its foot at the bed's foot, further rendering the towel useless. A dew clung to her dark bush, and Kurt wondered whether it was from the shower, or herself.

She greased her palm, then her leg in long, slow strokes. Her skin drank the lotion, absorbing its creaminess into her tan and leaving a thin, enticing shine. Kurt quivered, then pulsed beneath the covers.

"Stop."

Her grin cracked her face. "Stop what?" She switched legs, slowly, deliberately, fluidly. Kurt fought back the pooling saliva on his tongue.

"This," he swallowed. "Whatever, whatever this is. Whatever last night was."

"I don't think it was me who carried you to bed."

"That was..." His head throbbed. "Fuck, I don't know what it was, but we need to figure this out."

Heather paused in mid-stroke. Mechanically, she wiped her palms on her towel, spun the lotion cap into place, and stood staring at Kurt. Though firm in body, his soul gulped at her sudden, emotionless gaze.

"We've already done that." Heather slipped onto the bed. "Just because you don't want to admit it doesn't make it any less true."

Kurt inhaled. "Heather, we were under the influence of something. You can't deny that."

"So, then, everything last night, just some weird hypersexed frenzy?"

He opened his mouth, but his voice broke. A speechless Kurt Johnson was a rare and confusing sight, but Heather just nodded gravely.

"Thought so. You can't answer that." Her eyes flitted down to the pitched blanket. "Because you know it's not true."

A lump swelled in his throat, metastasizing over his vocal chords. His lips moved, but the sound never arrived. He strained until his eyes stung with tears, but to no avail. What the hell is wrong?! I haven't felt like this since...

"The question is how, Kurt, not why. We know why. Don't lie to me." Heather became fascinated with her fingernails. "This is hard enough on me as it is, I would like it if you met me at least halfway on this."

Kurt looked away and gagged. He felt clear again. God damnit. "I'm sorry, Heather."

"It wasn't lust last night. That's not what I felt and that's not what I got from the words you used for me."

"'Beautiful'?" Kurt raised his eyes again, relieved to see happy ones from his cousin.

"Yeah, that's one of them..."

From where he didn't know, he summoned the strength to start closing the gulf between them. His pain must've been blatantly obvious though, because she placed a steady hand on his chest and finished the job.

"I was like that too, don't move too much. I was in the shower for a while." Her hand lowered with her body into his lap, resting snugly against his warmth. Contagiously, they smiled as Kurt laid her head on his shoulder.

"I feel like I'm being selfish." Kurt groaned with content has Heather gently worked his back muscles. "I'm coming between you and Zack, and I'm your cousin."

Heather sighed, meeting Kurt's concern. "Why do you think this is hard for me? But I can't deny... us."

Kurt nearly protested, but reality quelled his voice again. Heather smiled weakly at his struggle. So, he just relaxed, and the words tumbled out.

"Heather, we've always gotten along, and even as an asshat, I still respected you. I need you Heather, I'm sorry, I just can't be me without you. You made me realize how horrible I was really being, and who knows where that could've gone. You're apart of me, Heather, I--"

"Shhh." Heather laid a finger to his lips, smiling. "I know how that ends. That's what I want. Don't hold back, don't try to spare my feelings. You're just prolonging that pain, and I already took one source away from you. I don't want you to be like that again."

Kurt roared to her lips, capturing them with long snares of his own. Gorgeously wet hair slathered his hand as he gripped her head. Her smell inflamed his nose, of that wonderful lotion and scented shampoo, over the waft of her own nectar. Her nails lost their gentleness and stabbed his back, and the rumble of a low moan poured into his mouth. If he broke contact, she sought him out, refusing to let go. He jerked his hips, and she writhed, searching for that familiar want.

"Fuck," he coughed, finally breathing.

Heather slid down her peak, but still moved across him. "That's my Kurt." Heather pecked his forehead. "Now... we can move on."

As much as she loathed it, she disentangled herself, smiling at Kurt's arms following her. His soreness reasserted itself, but in milder registers. At least he felt like he could leave the bed.

"So," he groaned. "What now?"

Heather disappeared into the bathroom. "Well, first thing's first, we need to find everyone else. I get the feeling it wasn't just us."

"Me neither." Kurt fumbled with his discarded pants. "Think Gavin might have an idea? He's the closest thing we have to an expert on... anything, really."

"Maybe, because I sure as hell don't know anything about neurology or whatever." The sink splashed, and soon Heather reemerged in a shirt and shorts. Her legs still shone. She grinned at his gawking. "Later, later, dear."

"Can't help it I'm afraid." Somehow, while buttoning his shirt, he managed to snake a hand around her waist.

"Damn, I think I unleashed a monster."

"One only on you."

She shook her head and backed away. "Honestly, Kurt, gotta focus here." She twisted the knob. "Shall we?"

Kurt extended a hand, and she took it, catching his gaze. As they held it with confidence, they strode out into the cabin.

Unfortunately, they didn't get very far.

"What the fuck?" They belched in unison.