"Rachel! Oh my god, can you hurry it up? I need to pee really badly!" Blaine knocked on the bathroom door frantically. His sister had been in there for the past three hours doing god knows what, and when he said he really needed to pee, he really needed to pee. Drinking two cans of soda was probably not his brightest idea.
Yelling from the other side of the door, Rachel responded, "Blaine, stop being annoying. I need to get ready. I have plans tonight!"
Blaine hit his head against the wall. "Rachel, please, I am begging you, hurry up. I have no idea how much longer I can hold it." He cried desperately, trying to think of anything other than the fact that his bladder was about to explode.
He heard his sister let out a frustrated sigh. "It's your fault if you pee yourself. I for one will not allow my usual routine to go unfinished because you were an idiot. You know how it goes, Blaine, I've only been doing this since we were five. Anything important, I need time to myself to mentally prepare. This is the only time I get. So stop disturbing my me-time and go away!"
"God, I wish I was an only child!" Blaine muttered.
"You don't mean that!" Rachel replied in a sing song voice. "You love me! I am your favorite person in the whole wide world."
"Yeah, whatever. Besides, what are your plans anyway? You and your boyfriend broke up." Blaine immediately cringed as soon as the words left bitterly from his mouth. When he was annoyed, his brain-to-mouth filter tended to disfunction and word vomit usually occurred. Actually, that tends to happen on a regular basis. It was an unfortunate flaw both Anderson-Berry siblings had.
"First of all, Finn and I are destined to be together. We are just two star-crossed lovers who have to go through much peril before we can be worthy for each other's love. Quinn is just a trial that we must overcome."
Blaine tried to resist the urge to roll his eyes at his sister's dramatics, and let out a slight smile. He would rather die than ever admit it, but his sister's determination was one of the many things he loved the most about her. Even when she gets knocked down, she stands right back up again fighting harder than before. Yeah, it sometimes led to disastrous consequences, (see: Shelby and sending a girl to a crack house to get rid of competition), but it was a quality he wished he had. Rachel was the one that fought, Blaine was the one that runs.
Shaking that thought out of his head, he continued to listen to his sister. "And tonight, I'm hanging with Kurt. I'm just, I'm a bit nervous." Rachel admitted. Her voice which was so filled with confidence before suddenly took a nosedive right into the self-conscious.
It was at times like this Blaine wished his sister had taken their dads' advice and enrolled in Crawford Country Day. Crawford was the sister school to Dalton, which was where Blaine went after the horrific night of the Sadie Hawkins' dance in ninth grade. Both schools prided themselves for having a zero-tolerance harassment policy. Everyone is treated equally regardless of what they are, simple as that. So him being gay was not a problem there like it was at his old high school. He knew why Rachel had declined. Crawford did not have a glee club, and despite the abysmal club that McKinley had, to Rachel that was all that mattered. That, and the fact that Rachel wanted to stick with public school. It did not matter to Rachel that she was always shunned and ridiculed, even by people who were supposed to be her friends.
Which was why Blaine was a bit apprehensive about her hanging out with two of her glee club members. He had never met anyone from Rachel's school, not even her asshole of a boyfriend, Finn. However, the amount of times he held his sister as she cried about how she was trying to be more agreeable and yet everyone still hated her, or the number of times he watched "Funny Girl" with her or sang with her just to see her smile again made him wary of everyone she talked about. Kurt was often at times described as being one of Rachel's "frenemies." From what he gathered, the two of them both had diva attitudes and type-A personalities. They both went for what they wanted with everything they got, and they never backed down from a fight. He did remember that there was a brief moment in time when Rachel had mentioned last year, while he was dorming at Dalton, that she had finally made a friend in Kurt. That Kurt was going to come and give her a makeover and hang out. She sounded so thrilled and excited that someone actually wanted to spend time with her that Blaine practically felt her giddiness seep out from the speaker of his phone. However, when he had asked how everything went the next day, she seemed withdrawn and said that there would be a time when the two of them could be friends, but now wasn't it. God does Blaine hope that the time was right now. He was sick and tired of having to watch his sister plaster a fake smile on her face every time she got hurt.
"Rach, just don't worry about it. He obviously wouldn't have asked you if he wasn't sure if he wanted to hang with him." Blaine said encouragingly. 'I hope,' he finished in his mind. "So just chill and make sure you have fun, that's the whole point okay?"
He waited a bit for an answer when finally, as the door opened, "Yeah, I got it. Thanks, Blaine. For an annoying, baby brother, you aren't so bad." Rachel replied with a bright smile.
"Well, I guess you aren't so bad yourself. And by the way, I am only ten months and two-and-a-half weeks younger than you. I hardly call that enough time between us to be called 'baby brother'" He called as he rushed past her to get inside the bathroom quick.
"That is still ten months and two-and-a-half weeks, Blainers!" A smirk spread across her face when she saw how Blaine shuddered at the old nickname she had given him when they were younger.
"Yeah, well, I'm still taller than you, Rachie!" And with that, Blaine stuck out his tongue at her and closed the door before she could come up with a comeback.
"What was that all about? Your dad and I heard some banging and shouting," asked Leroy Anderson-Berry as he saw his daughter step into the kitchen. His husband, Hiram Anderson-Berry, was sitting at the table with the day's newspaper opened to the crossword.
"Daddy, when it comes to me and Blaine, there will always be some commotion or another. We are siblings after all, and that is what siblings do." Rachel said sweetly, as she walked to the pantry to find a snack bar.
Both Leroy and Hiram shared a loving look over what Rachel said.
It was always in Leroy and Hiram Anderson-Berry's plan to have children. It was all they ever wanted really, a chance to be a normal family with children despite their sexual orientation. Unfortunately, society did not want the same.
Leroy and Hiram had tried countless times to adopt, only to have their hopes and dreams crash each time. Every time they found a child that they thought would fit into their family perfectly, social services would end up deciding it might be better for that child to be with another couple. More specifically, a straight couple.
After losing five potential children to other couples, the two men decided that they couldn't go through that heartbreak again. That was when they came to the conclusion that it might be better for them to use a surrogate.
The whole process was tedious, but keeping in mind that by the end they would be able to have the family they always wanted, they pushed forward. The first thing that they did was decide which one of them would be the biological father. It wasn't something that they thought would be a big issue, so they told the doctor that they'd leave it up to fate to decide.
Once coming to an agreement on that, they started interviewing potential mothers. In the end, it came down to two choices.
Shelby Corcoran was a twenty-one year old with aspirations to make it on Broadway. Since her dreams needed some funding, she was hoping to make use of the significant sum the two men were willing to pay to get her to New York and pay for her acting lessons.
The other woman was a twenty-three old Filipino immigrant who had come to America with her elderly mother and four younger brothers five years ago. Her hope was to use the money to take care of her family.
Ultimately, they chose Shelby and everything was going to be great.
However, two months after finding out that Shelby was expecting, they got a call from the other woman. She had called them out of desperation, hoping that they could use her to carry their baby. She really needed the money to make sure her brothers were able to go to college and get an education.
After having a serious discussion about it, Leroy and Hiram listened to her pleas. It was in their plans to have more than one child. Despite the fact that it was so sudden, they couldn't let the opportunity pass them by. What happens if they weren't able to find someone willing to be a surrogate in the future?
Thus, on January 14, 1993, their daughter, Rachel Barbara Anderson-Berry was born. And ten months and two-and-a-half weeks later, their son, Blaine Michael Anderson-Berry was born on December 1, 1993. Despite having two children so close together in age, the Anderson-Berry's got the perfect family they always dreamed of. Even though they had to deal with the scruples, the shouting, and the drama, they wouldn't change it for anything.
"I guess you are right, Darling. So what are your plans for tonight?" Leroy asked.
Taking a small bite from her snack bar and then swallowing quickly, Rachel answered, "I'm hanging out with my friend from glee club."
Hiram lifted his head from the crossword and looked at his daughter. "And do we know this friend?" He asked sternly.
"Of course you do, Dad. It's Kurt, you met them at Open House this year? And he also came over last year? You and Daddy met all the members of New Directions, remember?" She said exasperatedly.
"Did you just say 'nude erections,' Rach?" Blaine asked puzzled as he walked into the kitchen, bladder feeling much lighter after being relieved of its contents.
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Haha, funny. Like we haven't heard that joke so many times before. After all, glee at McKinley is also called 'Homo Explosion.'" She bitterly commented.
Blaine raised his hands to show that he meant no offense. "Sorry, I honestly thought that was what you said. We all know my hearing sucks. Calm down a bit, Rach."
Letting out a sigh, Rachel replied, "Sorry, you are right. All these gay jokes just get on my nerves. Especially now more than ever, you know since I'm so entrenched in the gay."
"Entrenched in the gay? Really?" Blaine lifted an eyebrow.
"Yes, brother dear," Seeing the bemused look on her brother's face and the slightly amused looks on her fathers' faces, Rachel continued. "I have two gay parents, a gay brother, and now a gay friend, Kurt. Kurt doesn't deserve having these jokes thrown around, and be left feeling like crap because of the ignorance of our peers."
"I'm glad you are taking a stand, Honey, but why just now? Weren't you and Kurt friends before?" Leroy asked confused.
"A year ago, the friendship was just one-sided on my part. Meaning, I wanted to be his friend, but he did not want to be mine. We have just recently come to an understanding that we are both extremely similar and could really benefit from being friends with each other. We won't be so alone anymore. After his father's heart attack, I guess it sort of just hit him how lonely he is." Rachel finished sadly.
"His dad had a heart attack?" Blaine asked curiously.
Rachel nodded her head. "Yeah, and it was just so sad. His dad had gone into a coma, and the doctors weren't sure he would make it. Everyone in glee wanted to be there for him, but I admit we didn't go about it the right way."
"What do you mean?" Hiram asked.
"Well, in our defense, we didn't know he didn't believe in God. We thought if we told him that his dad was in our thoughts and prayers, that he would find comfort in that. We were wrong, so wrong. We pushed our beliefs onto him when he didn't want them. We made it so much harder for him, since we were berating him for not believing in God when the only person he ever believed in was in the hospital. I mean, he only had his dad. His mother passed away when he was eight." Rachel sighed.
Blaine couldn't help but suddenly pity the boy that he had come to distrust without meeting him. Mother passes away at eight, he's gay, and because of that he gets taunted every single day for being so. And to top it all off, his father almost died. Yeah, no wonder he didn't believe in God. Never in his life had Blaine been more thankful for the fact that he had both his parents alive to love and care for him. "So what happened?" Blaine asked after a brief moment of silence, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Oh, his father woke up, thankfully. He's been taking care of him since he checked out of the hospital. Carole, Finn's mom, who is Burt's- that's Kurt's dad's- girlfriend, has been helping too. Finn as well. They all live together. I wouldn't be surprised if Burt asks Carole to marry him someday soon." She explained.
"That must be difficult on the poor boy. Having so much going on in his life." Leroy commented.
Rachel again nodded. "Yeah, and it doesn't help that he feels like he can't be himself without people judging him all the time. He's out and proud, but I seriously think that being a gay teenager in Ohio is really getting to him. With our duet assignment two weeks, he sang by himself. That was what really got me noticing how lonely he must be feeling. Even though our assignment was done, I asked him if he would like to sing a song with me. After that, he's been talking to me a lot more at school, and now we are hanging out outside of school. I think that's progress really. He may actually see me as friend, and God knows how much I need some of those" Rachel laughed, giving a slight shrug at the looks she was getting from both her fathers and brother.
"Well, I am proud of you, Baby Girl. The fact that you noticed him when he needed someone, well that just makes me really proud, Rachel." Hiram said, giving his daughter a hug.
"Aw, Dad, please don't. I hate myself for taking so long to realize. I want to help him, but he is one of those people that don't ask for help. Not to mention that he undeniably stubborn. I can only help him as much as he lets me." Rachel replied sadly.
"Either way, we are both glad you are doing something. With all the increase of gay, teenage suicide this year, as well as the usual gay-bashing, we are just happy you are there for him in whatever way you can." Leroy affirmed, as he gave his daughter a hug as well.
Blaine, who was for the most part quiet during this exchange, couldn't help but feel remorse for the teenagers he never knew personally but felt such a strong connection to. 'I could have been one of them,' that thought jolted through Blaine's body like lightning. He felt his left hand start spasming lightly, something that only happened now when he was getting anxious or overused it. A wonderful parting gift from his old high school. He closed his eyes, trying to get it to stop without drawing attention to it. He knew how his dads and Rachel got whenever it happened. They would end up babying him for hours, even after it stopped. He was suddenly pulled out of that train of thought when he felt a soft hand reach out to hold his. He felt Rachel discretely massage his left hand with her right, without bringing it to the awareness of their dads. Rachel may be a pain, but sometimes, she could be the best person in the whole wide world.
To change the topic for Blaine's benefit, Rachel told their parents that Kurt and her were going to go the mall, and that she would be home by curfew. Blaine gave Rachel a look of gratitude when she let go of his hand as soon as the spasms finally stopped.
"Well, then, I told Kurt that I would meet him at five. So I will see you guys later?" Rachel said as she put her jacket on and grabbed the keys.
"You have fun, Honey," her dad called out.
As Rachel was heading out the door, Blaine had asked the question that had been on his mind during the whole conversation about Kurt. "Hey Rachel, how could your friend, Kurt, do a duet by himself?"
At this Rachel laughed. "By pure talent. He may be the biggest competition I have in glee club, but even I have to concede that he is as amazing as me."
Blaine gave a mock-gasp. "Did Rachel Barbara Anderson-Berry just compliment someone else's talent besides hers? The end of the world, I am afraid, is near, ladies and gentlemen."
"Tell anyone, and I will unleash seventeen years of blackmail that I have gathered about you." Rachel threatened, as she punched Blaine in the shoulder.
Blaine mimed a zipping motion against his lips. If there was one thing that Blaine knew about his sister, she did not make idle threats. "Got it, sister dear. Go have fun." And with that, Blaine opened the front door for her and gave a slight bow.
"You are such a dork." She said as she shook her head.
"Ah, but you love me anyway." He cheekily replied.
"That I do, that I do." And with a quick hug and a kiss upon his cheek, Rachel left. As he saw the car pull out the driveway and drive down the street, Blaine felt the previous apprehension he had about Rachel's plans dissipate.
Maybe, just maybe, this would end up turning out okay after all.
AN: So, I jumped aboard the "Blaine-Rachel Sibling" AU. Tumblr has corrupted me so bad! As soon as I saw the photo sets, a story popped into my head. I know I have a few stories still going, but I am going to be on Winter break soon, I only have an exam on the 23, so I should have more time to write. I feel like I am getting better, and I appreciate everyone who has been reading my fiches. I am trying to improve and getting your feedback has been wonderful.
This is just the prologue of sorts, I guess. I changed some things around in the Glee timeline in order to fit my headcanon. First off, Rachel and Finn broke up before "Never Been Kissed." She did find out about Santana and him, but it was before "Duets," but after "Grilled Cheesus" (please tell me I got that episode name right, I really hope so). Other than that, it will branch off "Never Been Kissed," which is where I hope to start off the next chapter.
Anyways, I know this is a really long AN, and I really apologize for that. Please review, even if you think this is horrible. However, please tell me how I can improve what you find wrong. Also, just so you know, I don't have a beta. I should probably get one, but yeah. I am sorry. Anyways, any feedback would be wonderful! Have a wonderful morning, day, or night (whenever you read this)! :]