Puck grabbed a pile of papers from the backseat of his beat-up pickup truck, chucking the door open and stepping out into the road. The street was in a nice neighbourhood; posh houses with long driveways and big gates, basking in the California sunshine. Puck smirked behind his sunglasses, glancing up at the clear blue skies. Weather like this reminded Puck of why he really didn't miss Ohio.

He missed the people occasionally. Finn, in particular, was too far away to see regularly. Puck still had Sam, Santana and Brittany in the vicinity, and Artie was just across the border in Nevada, but there were others, like Quinn and Mercedes and Mike and Tina who Puck hadn't even spoken to since McKinley Graduation. Like Blaine.

It had happened mere weeks after Blaine had split up with Kurt. Blaine had been lonely, needy and beautiful, and he knew that Puck would have him, that Puck, as he was when he was 18, would have anyone if they asked. Puck was a friend, he'd stop if Blaine asked, and he was good at sex. Really, really good. So they'd slept together, and it had been as expected, and the next morning, they'd had a coffee in Blaine's fancy-ass kitchen and said their goodbyes.

Puck had moved to California days later, and hadn't seen Blaine since. Puck didn't have Facebook, and they hadn't exchanged emails, or phone numbers, and every glee event Puck had been to, Blaine had missed, and vice versa. It was for the best, really; the best relationships are the ones that go out on a high, after all, and the morning-after blowjobs had been spectacular.

His business was seasonal, only bringing in good money for 6 months of the year, but it kept him comfortable, and Puck supplemented it with bit-part acting jobs and small paid gigs.

However, in June 2016, the usual California heat-wave hadn't arrived, and business was looking low, so Puck whipped up a few fliers, taking to the streets to post them. It wasn't a task he particularly enjoyed, but it brought in business, and that was all that mattered.

As he went to post a flier through one of the posh houses in Beverly Hills, though, the door swung open, revealing a slightly familiar smiling face.

"Noah Puckerman!" The man was tall, and looked straight from an infomercial. "Cooper Anderson, we met at McKinley a few years ago." Ah. So he was straight from an infomercial.

"Yeah, of course." Puck nodded, offering his hand, which Cooper bypassed, dragging him in for a firm brotherly hug instead. Cooper wrapped an arm around Puck's shoulders, half ushering, half dragging him through to the living room. Puck glanced at the décor, his brow rising minimally at the high spec interior of Cooper's house. Putting on his best business voice, Puck smiled, sitting gingerly on the proffered couch and pushing his sunglasses onto his forehead. "Hello again, Mr Anderson, I'm surprised you remember me."

"Cooper, please. Mr Anderson is my Dad." Cooper joked, throwing himself down on the opposite couch and motioning at Puck's hair, or lack thereof. "You're hard to forget, even without the Mohawk." He shrugged. "Besides, you were friends with my brother, and a friend of Blaine's is a friend of mine." Cooper finished, smiling disarmingly at Puck. "So, Noah Puckerman, how can I be of service to you?"

"I'm offering a pool cleaning service, I was wondering if you were interested." Puck stated, back stiff on the posh lounger. "I've got recommendations from a couple of houses on the block, I do a good job."

"The pool is looking a little green." Cooper smiled, waving out of the window. "If you think you can get it back to a functioning state, be my guest." Puck stood and walked over to the window, grimacing slightly at the state of the pool. It was bad, but far from the worst Puck had encountered.

"I should be able to sort that out." Puck nodded. Cooper took him to the back door, sitting on one of the patio chairs as Puck circled the pool, taking a look at the damage. The lack of business meant that he had an hour free, so, after agreeing a fee, he went back to the truck and grabbed his supplies, setting to work immediately while Cooper lounged. The pool was dirty, but it quickly became apparent that it was only really surface grime, so wouldn't take all that long. By the time he was halfway through, the silence had grown slightly uncomfortable, with Cooper seeming to examine Puck pensively, and Puck coughed, looking for a question. "How's Blaine?"

"He's fine." Cooper answered, continuing to stare at Puck. "He used to have a crush on you." Puck stopped, glancing at Cooper questioningly. "Seriously, all I heard for months was Puck this and Noah that."

"He was a good guy." Puck replied, grasping at words.

"He lives in L.A. now, not too far from here." Cooper waggled his eyebrows, sipping at his coffee conspiratorially. "He's working as a journalist, but he's still doing stage work on the side. He's Billy Flynn in a local production of Chicago, you should check it out." Cooper paused, looking at Puck intently. "He's in a relationship, but from what Blaine told me, that never really stopped you."

"Maybe it's better that I keep my distance, then."

"Or maybe not." Cooper waggled his eyebrows, and Puck paused, leaning onto the net handle with a quirked brow. He flipped his sunglasses onto his head, examining the man before him.

"Are you seriously trying to turn your brother, Blaine Anderson, the most straight laced gentleman ever, into a cheater?"

"Maybe." Cooper shrugged, looking guilty for a shred of a second before he burst into life. "This guy is 45, seriously, 45, and the most boring man on the planet. Blaine's only with him because he has daddy issues and he's too much of a wuss to break up with him, and Cole – the boyfriend's name is Cole, by the way – Cole is never going to break up with him because as far as he's concerned, he's hit the jackpot." Cooper rolled his eyes, placing his coffee on the table. "They've been together 2 months and they're already practically an old married couple. Blaine is stuck in a sexless marriage and he's only 21, Noah. You need to go and fix him."

"I've not seen him in years, Cooper, I don't know what you want me to do."

"I want you to try and be his friend again. Maybe sleep with him a little bit, I don't know. I'm thinking you'd be a pretty cool brother-in-law." Cooper shrugged, and Puck blinked. "He doesn't seem happy."

"I'd be bad for him." Puck replied, collecting his equipment and removing his gloves. "Pool's done." Cooper nodded, going inside and emerging with the right money, plus a hearty tip.

"Just call him, Noah." He stated, handing over the cash. "That's all I ask."

"I'll think about it." Puck shrugged, knocking his sunglasses back down to shield his eyes. "And don't call me Noah."

Puck could hear the television the second he stepped out of the stairwell. Someone was in his flat. He rolled his eyes; Santana had this pissing annoying habit of turning up and abusing the fact he had cable when he wasn't home. He entered with annoyed glare, which dropped when he realised the person invading his home wasn't the Latina.

"Hey, Noah." Cooper smiled from the couch, munching contentedly on some popcorn.

"I thought we'd agreed you weren't going to call me that."

"And I thought we agreed you were going to call my brother." Puck shrugged, dumping his jacket over the back of the couch. "It's kind of important you do, what in the whole 'becoming my brother in law' process."

"How did you get my address?"

"There aren't all that many Noah Puckermans in the state of California." Cooper grinned, continuing to eat the popcorn. "But, listen, Noah –"

"And you got into my flat by…"

"Using the spare key. Under the doormat? So original, Noah." He rolled his eyes, patting the sofa beside him invitingly. "But I'd much rather talk about your love life. Are you seeing someone? Straight, gay or somewhere in between? I hope for the sake of the Puckerman-Anderson nieces and nephews I've been planning for you're not intending on trying to play straight." Puck perched on the arm of the couch, glaring a little at the Anderson beside him. "You're having three kids, by the way. One of each, boy and girl, and then the third will be a wildcard. Isn't that great?"

"Still doesn't really explain why you're in my flat, eating my food and watching my TV."

"Blaine's unhappy." Cooper sighed, throwing the popcorn in the air and catching it in his mouth. "And lonely. He's staying with the world's most boring man because he can't stand to be alone. The journalists he works with are all horrible people, and the closest friends he has – in terms of both location and intimacy – are Mike and Tina, and they're hours away." He waved in Puck's direction. "You're 20 minutes away. Why can't you just get a coffee with him, catch up?"

"That's not how I roll." Puck muttered in response, nabbing the popcorn from Cooper's lap and throwing himself down on the couch beside him. "You have until the end of this show, then I'm chucking you out."

They sat in near silence, watching the final few minutes of Jeopardy, until the credits rolled, and, true to his word, Puck pushed Cooper out of the apartment.

"See you round, bro." Cooper winked seconds before the door slammed shut in his face.

Puck finished his set at the Dirty Duck, plucking the final few strings and waiting for the lacklustre round of applause one expected in an establishment of this low calibre. However, what he was greeted with was the usual fare, plus one very over-exuberant clapper. Narrowing his eyes, Puck glanced across, shoulders dropping when he saw who it was. Throwing his guitar onto his back, he strode over, brows raised. "Stalking me now, Cooper?"

"I've decided that, as my future brother-in-law, I should get to know you." Cooper smiled. "You're a good singer. Should have known, you were in Glee after all."

"And how do you know I'm going to be your future brother-in-law?" Puck ignored his later statement, leaning against the wall and raising a brow.

"Chalk it up to brotherly intuition." Cooper smiled, before motioning to the woman beside him. "This is Susanna, she's my fiancé." Puck nodded at the pretty blonde beside Cooper, and she waved back, only her fingers moving. "Anyway, Noah, come on, we have a reservation to make!"

"Where exactly are 'we' going?" Puck asked, as Cooper stood, grabbing Puck's elbow and steering him out of the grimy pub.

"I made a dinner reservation for three at a little Italian restaurant, but Blaine's bailed in favour of reporting on a story downtown, so a space just opened up which you shall be filling."

Once Puck had stopped asking what on earth he was doing there, the dinner went surprisingly well; the food was good, the company was acceptable and the alcohol was cheap enough for Puck to blank out the fact that he really shouldn't have been there. In fact, at the end of the night, when Cooper dropped him outside his flat with a "stay safe, little bro", Puck decided, in his drunken haze, that Cooper Anderson really wasn't that bad a big brother after all.

"Hey Noah."

"You have got to be kidding me." Puck groaned, looking up from the short script in his hands. Landing a role in a film, even a minor role, was massive, and Puck couldn't be distracted by hyperactive wannabe big brothers.

"So I'm directing this movie, and they're like, what type of guy do you want to fill this small but vital role? And I say Noah Puckerman, he's a freaking visionary man. And bam, here you are!" Puck gaped at him for a moment, before noting the posh director's cap and full script in Cooper's hands. "I saw your work in Law and Order as a dead body, what can I say, you blew me away, man. So, let's get the ball rolling!" Cooper called out, clapping his hands and running back behind the camera.

"He's insane." Puck muttered to himself, pulling the swimming cap on his head and the flippers onto his feet. "He's genuinely insane."

Puck was damned good at his job. It's one of the reasons he was able to still live in L.A.; he kept customers by providing a high level of service, and ensuring his work lasted. So, three weeks after his initial clean of the Anderson's pool, he approached the house once more for a follow-up visit, free of charge. He knocked, smiling as Cooper answered with a full-blown grin on his face.

"Noah!" Cooper exclaimed, ushering Puck into the house. "Sus, Noah's come to visit us! I told you he didn't hate us!"

"Actually, I've just come to check –"

"Would you like nachos? I've just put some nachos in the oven to have with the game. Let me get you a beer." Cooper fluttered around the house, grinning widely at Puck every chance he got. "This is so awesome, Sus doesn't like MLB, she was just going to ask the rules five times a minute!" Puck tried to say something, say that he wasn't all that great an MLB fan himself, that he had work to do, but Cooper was bouncing round like it was Christmas, and he looked so god-damned happy that Puck didn't have it in him to say anything. "Come, sit down, get comfortable, the game starts in 15!" Cooper pushed Puck towards the couch as he balanced far too many drinks and dips on his forearms.

"Okay, okay." Puck laughed taking a seat. What harm could one afternoon off really do?

"Now, before this game starts, I'm going to take a moment to remind you that you should really phone Blaine." Cooper stated, clapping a hand on Puck's knee. "Okay?"

"I'll think about it." Puck grabbed one of the beers, flicking it open.

"Hey Puck." Sus smiled, walking in from one of the bedrooms. "What are you doing here?"

"I just... came to watch the game with Cooper." Puck shrugged, smiling. Sus glanced at his workboots quizzically, and had a clear view of his work gear on the porch, but said nothing, smiling at Puck and her fiance before wisely walking onto the veranda with some light reading.

"C'mon, really?" Puck muttered as he climbed off the stage at the Dirty Duck, making a beeline straight for the drunken mess that was cheering wildly at the bar.

"Noah! Hey, hey, Noah!" Cooper waved enthusiastically, his elbow balanced precariously on the edge of the bar. "You know what I like about you?"

"What do you like about me, Cooper?" Puck asked as he paid Cooper's tab, praying to every deity he could think of that there weren't too many paparazzi outside to catch the one and only Cooper Anderson falling out of the roughest bar in L.A.

"I like that you tell it to me straight." Cooper stated, punching Puck on the shoulder. "It's so hard to make friends when you have a famous face, because no one tells it to you straight. Do you know who else tells it straight? Blaine tells it straight, apart from in the bedroom, because Blaine is gay! Hah! Get it?" Cooper laughed, and Puck rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I've had a flawless, flawless plan to make you see my brother."

"And what is that?" Puck smirked, throwing Cooper's arm across his shoulders and maneuvering him towards the door.

"Get really drunk and leave my keys at home while Sus's away, so you have to take me to Blaine's house!" Cooper exclaimed, stumbling through the doorway. "I'm a genius."

"And let me guess, you're in the midst of performing this visionary ploy." Cooper nodded, eyes closed as he grinned disconcertingly at Puck. Puck flagged a cab, pushing Cooper in and jogging round to sit beside him. "If I bring you to Blaine like this, I'm pretty sure he'll blame me for the vomit-stains that would appear on his comforters." Puck continued, opening Cooper's window and putting him into a somewhat comfortable sitting position. "You can sleep on my couch."

"You're no fun."

"I'd sooner scoop my own eyes out with rusty pincers."

"C'mon, Santana, it's not that bad."

"A load of men wearing stupid outfits running round in circles for hours is not my idea of fun, Puckerman." Santana stated, and Puck rolled his eyes. "And don't try and say that there are cheerleaders to sweeten the deal, because it's Baseball, and anyway, there aren't enough gorgeous blondes in the world to make me sit through that drivel."

"I hate you sometimes."

"Love you too, sweetie." Santana cooed smarmily, hanging up immediately. Puck sighed at his phone, moving through the menu to look at the address book once more.

Never in a million years did Puck envisage it being this difficult to find someone to take a free ticket to see the LA Angels off his hands. Sam had scored two from some promotional work, but he was out of town, so had given both to Puck.

Puck scrolled through his contacts list hopefully, but it was fruitless. All the gleeks were either too far away or hated baseball, and there were only about 4 friends outside of the gleeks that he liked enough to invite, and they'd all said no. Puck kept scrolling, eventually pausing on the one name he hadn't tried that would actually be bearable.

"Hey, Cooper, it's Puck. I have a spare ticket to the LA Angel's game today. You want to come?"

"Hm, not sure if I'm free, give me a moment to check… Yes, that would actually be okay. When do you want to meet?" Cooper asked in a calm tone, almost nonchalant in his approach.

"Meet me in 3 hours at 1pm, in the Old Vic. You know it?"

"Yeah, I know it. Cool bro, see you there." Cooper finished. Puck heard him rustle the phone, but it didn't hang up, leaving him with the echo of a conversation. "Sus, it was Noah! He wants me to go to the baseball with him! I know, right? AWESOME!"

"Cooper, you haven't hung up." Puck shouted, and Cooper immediately put the phone back to his ear, sounding bashful.

"Woops, sorry, see you later little bro."

The crowds filtered from the stadium at a leisurely pace, the home fans happy with the outcome of the game. As loathe as Puck was to say it, watching the baseball with Cooper had been a really fun afternoon, and he readily agreed to grabbing a drink straight after.

There was something else, though. Something that had been baying on Puck's mind for the whole day, whole week. Cooper was fun, Cooper was chirpy and charismatic and everything Puck had wanted in a big brother when he was younger. But befriending him, spending this much time with him, it hurt; befriending Cooper was fun, but it hurt, as for all the ways Cooper was similar to Blaine, he wasn't Blaine, he was something different and funny and witty that was great brother-in-law material, but he wasn't Blaine, and Puck missed Blaine, he really, truly did.

It had been 4 years, and not one person in that time had enthralled him like Blaine did, had captured his imagination in the way Blaine had, and Puck didn't think anything could ever, ever top that one night they'd shared. Which is what made the prospect of meeting Blaine again terrifying. What if he'd changed, and that spark wasn't there anymore?

"Cooper?" Puck started, looking up from his beer. "Can I ask you a question?" Cooper nodded, tilting his head like a puppy. "You've known I've been in LA for almost a month. Why has Blaine never come and found me?"

"I never told him you were here." Cooper replied, studying Puck intently. "He is my little brother, he deserves someone to come and swoop him off his feet. I didn't want him to come chasing after you like a lost puppy, which he undoubtedly would have done." Cooper smiled, eyes lighting up. "You thinking of sweeping him off his feet?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I am."

"Good." Cooper nodded. "Because I told him to meet me by that statue about 2 minutes ago and I'm planning to make myself scarce pretty soon after and, oh, did I mention he's single now? Broke up with blond, blah and boring last weekend." Cooper practically bounced in his chair like the overexcited puppy he was. "So good timing with your epiphany, little bro!"

"What?" Puck hissed, but it was too late, Cooper having spotted Blaine seconds earlier.

"Blaine! Blaine!" Cooper waved enthusiastically, and Blaine span, beaming at his brother. "Look who I just bumped into!" Blaine looked across, eyes widening comically as he spotted Puck. "He recognised me from those acting classes I ran at McKinley all those years ago, would you believe; I knew I made an impression!"

Blaine looked good, Puck couldn't deny that. His hair was cut short, but not weighed down by gel, and his style had matured, but not changed. He looked different, but as attractive as always, and Puck struggled to contain a massive grin.

"Noah?" Puck rolled his eyes. The two brothers were more alike than they'd like to admit.

"Puck." He corrected, reaching forward and dragging Blaine into a tight hug.

"I didn't know you were still in California." Blaine stated, squeezing him a little tighter before leaning back, holding Puck's shoulders. "It's really good to see you."

"You too." Puck nodded, holding Blaine's eye contact for a minute longer.

"So," Cooper interrupted, sending a knowing grin at Puck. "Sus just text me to say her car has broken down!" He stated, shrugging his shoulders far too dramatically. "Mr Puckerman, would you be so kind as to look after my baby brother while I'm gone? I'll be an hour, tops."

"Sure…" Cooper dragged Puck in for a masculine handshake/back pat, whispering This improv will really hone my craft! into Puck's ear. The older brother made a speedy exit, waving at his two little brothers as he headed for his car.

The pair stared at each other for a moment, before Puck grinned, pulling at a lock of Blaine's hair. "You look good."

"Thanks, so do you." Blaine replied, glancing at his hair momentarily. "The Mohawk's gone."

"Yeah, I've changed."

"Not that much." Blaine countered, smiling anxiously at Puck. "At least, I hope not." Blaine reached forward - he always had been the brave one - and took Puck's hand, lacing their fingers together slowly. "It's really, really good to see you." He repeated, a little above a whisper, eyes bright and shining as Puck squeezed his hand lightly.

"Come on, I'll buy you a drink."

Funnily enough, Cooper never did reappear that night.

Four years later…

"Have you got your tie?"

"Yes."

"And a handkerchief for if he cries?"

"Yes."

"And lubrication for tonight?"

"For God's sake, Cooper, yes." Puck rolled his eyes, adjusting his cufflinks anxiously. "Have you got the rings?"

"The rings." Cooper hissed, patting his pockets anxiously. "Where did I put the rings?"

"You're, like, the worst best man ever."

"You're making an honest man of my baby brother, excuse me if I'm a little preoccupied." Cooper replied, glancing around the room until his movements finally stilled, and his shoulders sagged in thankfulness, pulling the two rings from his trouser pocket. "I have the rings!"

"Great." "Can I go and get married, now?"

"Wait, wait." Cooper stopped him, placing a hand on either shoulder and giving Puck a quick shake. "Noah, you're awesome. Of all the boyfriends Blaine has had, I think you're my second favourite – there's no beating Jimmy with the Ferrari, I'm afraid – and for that reason, I am glad we're here today. In a few minutes, you're going to walk out of this building an Anderson in all but name, and I couldn't be happier to call you my little brother." "Hurt him, and I'll break your face. Be nice to him, and you'll get an awesome Christmas present next year."

"Will it involve Baseball tickets?"

"Quite possibly."

"If you two ladies are quite done," The pair turned, spotting Santana in the doorway. She was wearing an exasperated glare, but it quickly fell away into a half smile, and she reached out a hand to Puck. "It's time for you to get married, Puckerman."