AN- This is a sequel/prequel/sister fic to Enchilada Boy. Basically, I used my OCs to explain my headcanon for Blaine's life before Dalton.
When I wrote this, I knew I wanted to focus on Blaine's family. But I didn't want to use the same characters from my 'Rocky Friendships' universe because they only exist in a world where Blaine's been around since season one. So, I invented a new family! I will use them whenever I do fics in the actual Glee universe.
Also, Kurt is character tagged so that more people will find this...he's mentioned though!
Once upon a time, Blaine had a best friend.
His name was Greg Sommers and they'd grown up together. A childhood of playing video games and running around in the mud, not a care in the world about differences in anything; eyes, hair, sexuality.
They were children and everything was sunshine and rainbows.
Then they entered high school.
Right away, Greg drifted into the jock clique, football being a hobby for him more than anything. He tried to drag Blaine along with him, invite him to the table at lunch, parties on the weekend. But Blaine was the weird kid who sat in the back of the room and wrote song lyrics on his hands.
Slowly but surely, the friendship disappears, shrinking into nothing but acknowledging nods in the hallways and polite hellos if they find each other outside of school.
Blaine meets Cameron Allman in English class.
He doesn't remember Cameron from either elementary school or middle school but he's seen him around school, hanging out with Becca Ericson, a girl he does remember.
Because 'Allman' and 'Anderson' are close in the alphabet, so they're seated right by each other. Blaine's never had a hard time making friends.
"Hi, I'm Blaine."
"Cameron," he smiles stiffly and turns back to the front of the room.
They're paired together a couple weeks later in a group assignment and Blaine makes the effort to coax Cameron out of his shell.
"So, do you like books?" he asks.
Cameron shrugs. "I-uh-I like to write…"
"Yeah?" Blaine perks up. "Me too. I write song lyrics."
"Poetry," Cameron says quietly, flushing.
"That's pretty cool. We both have mad rhyme skills then,"
Cameron chuckles at this and Blaine feels it's mission accomplished. They chat for the rest of class and, when the bell rings, slip out the door together.
Becca is waiting for Cameron. Her eyes narrow when she sees Blaine. He ignores her as he bids Cameron goodbye.
Cameron starts talking more.
They'll hang out at his locker after school and compare their favorite bands. Blaine will convince Cameron to read Harry Potter and Cameron will convince Blaine to read Emily Dickinson.
Becca will glare at them whenever she walks by and Cameron will finally admit that she's scared.
"She doesn't trust many people to be my friend."
"Why?"
Cameron bites his lip, blonde hair flopping in his face as he looks down. "Because some people have a problem with me…"
"Well, whoever has a problem with you is stupid," Blaine announces.
Cameron's head snaps up and a genuine smile forms on his face, accompanied by a light blush.
"Thank you, Blaine."
"You need to stop hanging around Allman."
Blaine raises his eyebrows at Greg, his hand itching to slam the front door shut.
"Why?"
"There are rumors, about the two of you. I'm just looking out for you, man."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Allman's a fairy. And now everyone thinks you are too."
Blaine's not surprised; he's known Cameron was gay since he mentioned an actor they saw was cute, then stared at Blaine wide-eyed and scared. But when Blaine grinned and agreed, all the tension left his body and that was it.
What surprises Blaine is the way Greg says it; like there's something wrong with being gay.
"Thanks but I really don't care," Blaine tells him.
Then he closes the door.
See, the thing is, Blaine's wondered about his own sexuality forever.
He never liked girls. And it was fine when he was younger because none of the boys liked girls. But then he reached middle school and there was locker room talk and he just didn't really care.
And his budding friendship with Cameron is something he's so thankful for. Because the first time Cameron mumbles something about an actor he likes, Blaine latches on. And from then on, they're okay to discuss cute guys.
The more he talks to Cameron, the more he stares at his band posters, the more he thinks about it, the more sure he is that he's gay too.
One day at school, Cameron's books get slammed onto the floor and he gets shoved into a locker.
Blaine walks up to the jocks that did it, eyes narrowed. "Pick on someone your own size."
"Like you, maybe?" one of them sneers, slapping Blaine's books out of his hands.
They walk away, exchanging high-fives as the boys they left behind glare angrily. As Blaine reaches for a book, a hand grabs it before he can and offers it out. He looks up at Becca Ericson.
"You're helping me now?"
She bites her lower lip. "I'm…sorry. About before."
Blaine grins. "It's fine. I get it. Really."
Cameron walks up to them. "Becca, stop being mean."
"She's not," Blaine quickly assures. "We're cool."
Becca smiles at him and Blaine thinks he's gotten another friend.
See, Blaine's the youngest Anderson boy.
The oldest would be Parker, the clone of their father. He did everything he was supposed to in high school, joined the debate team, and got good grades. Then he went off to Harvard and became a lawyer. Got married to his high school sweetheart and is the father to twins, a boy and girl.
Drake is the golden boy. Put him on a field or on the ice and he becomes a God, punting, kicking, hitting, batting, everything with absolute ease. Flirts around with girls and dates a different one every week.
And then there's Blaine; he likes to write song lyrics on his hand and strum his guitar quietly in his room. He likes boys, not girls, and he does moderate in school. He's too much of a klutz to play sports but he loves to watch.
Drake is a senior when Blaine is a freshman.
"You're friends with that Cameron kid, right?"
Blaine freezes, glances over his shoulder and nods once. "Why?"
Drake searches him carefully. "If anyone says anything, you let me know, alright?"
But Blaine doesn't need his big brother to fight his battles for him.
"Sure," he lies easily.
Cameron's teasing gets worse.
He shows up in class, bruises on his arms and a cut on his forehead. Blaine sees red.
"Who did this?" he demands.
Cameron shakes his head. "Don't worry about it."
"Cam."
"Blaine. This is just the way it's going to be," he chuckles bitterly, "I never even came out."
Blaine bites his lip and thinks hard.
They're walking down the hallway when Cameron is shoved yet again.
Becca quickly helps him up and checks him for damage while Blaine rushes after the jocks, shoving one of them. He turns and Blaine recognizes him as one of Drake's friends.
"Anderson. I'm going to pretend you didn't just do that."
"Okay," Blaine nods. Then he shoves him again. "How about that?"
"Watch it."
"Or what? You'll shove me against the lockers too?"
"That's a punishment for fairies only," one of the other jocks sneers.
"Well, then you might as well shove me."
There's silence after this; Blaine's suddenly aware that there are more students in the hall than he originally thought. But he doesn't take it back. If he comes out, maybe they'll lay off Cameron.
Blaine's treated to his first ever locker shove.
The principal nods politely as Blaine explains what happened. He's able to name the kids who shoved him and another student and tell exactly what happened.
"We'll try to take strict action against this, Mr. Anderson. But, without a witness…"
"I'm a witness. So is Cameron," Blaine points out.
The principal smiles. "We'll see what we can do."
Blaine isn't surprised when nothing happens.
One day, Blaine volunteers at a Multicultural Fair for extra credit.
He meets a boy whose name he never learns and he invites his best friend to a dance because he's sick of people looking down on them.
It's a statement and it's going to be wonderful.
They meet at Cameron's house to practice dancing.
His parents are really cool about the gay thing and Blaine sort of longs for that kind of acceptance. Becca meets with them and laughs at their failed attempts.
"One of you needs to lead!" she calls unhelpfully from the couch.
Cameron blushes as Blaine takes his hand and places his other on the blonde's waist. "I hope you don't mind if I do," he winks.
"You're the one who asked me," Cameron answers, "Shouldn't I lead?"
Blaine contemplates it. "Nah."
Cameron laughs and suddenly they're waltzing (or something similar to it) around the living room. Blaine is chuckling and Cameron is watching their feet until Blaine tells him to look up. Their eyes lock and Blaine doesn't understand the sudden feeling in his stomach- like he missed a step.
"Careful!" Becca calls.
But it's too late; someone trips on the other and down they go. It's Blaine's turn to blush at their close proximity and Cameron laughs it off. He helps Blaine up.
"Let's just wing it at the dance, yeah?"
"Good plan," Blaine agrees.
He doesn't want to like Cameron.
It's not because he's a boy, Blaine has long come to terms with his sexuality. It's the fact that Cameron is his best friend and he doesn't want to ruin that.
He goes to sleep that night and tries not to think about what it would be like to kiss him, lips pressed hesitantly together. Maybe tongue.
He fails.
The dance is boring.
The decorations suck and the music is much to be desired. It's not all a loss though; Becca and her boyfriend, Mike, hang out with them for most of it. And whenever they're on the floor, Cameron and Blaine stay at the table and crack jokes.
Until a song comes on that they both like and Blaine asks him to dance. And everyone stares as they move to the music together. They try to ignore the looks and the comments and it's easy when their eyes meet and they grin at one another.
It's easier when Becca slides next to them with her boyfriend and they're all dancing and Cameron grabs Blaine's hand to twirl him and then Becca is in Blaine's arm and then Cameron and Mike are doing the hokey pokey and it's fun.
After, they wait for Cameron's dad.
Blaine shuffles his dress shoes and he feels the tension in the air. A part of him wants to lean over, just kiss him already, make these feelings disappear.
"This was fun," Cameron whispers. "Thank you for asking."
Blaine grins. "You're welcome. Thanks for saying yes. It was fun."
Cameron smiles at him, a true smile, wide and bright and so very Cameron that Blaine just sort of leans over and kisses him. Quickly, lips barely pressed. But it's enough.
Cameron stares and Blaine stares and their eyes dart to their lips and they both lean in again.
"Hey faggots! Get a room!"
Blaine whips around as a group of teenage boys walk up to them. He feels Cameron start to shake next to him and prays that his dad arrives soon.
"Leave us alone," Blaine says quietly. "We're not hurting anyone."
"It's disgusting, what you're doing. And we're going to make you stop."
Suddenly, the boys are everywhere and Blaine gets shoved onto the pavement and he hears Cameron cry out in pain. He jumps to his feet and his head is knocked back by a fist. Two of them grab his arms and hold him in place as a third continues to hit him. Then they throw him to the ground and kick at him; his stomach, his legs, his face, everywhere they can reach.
He can see Cameron through the sea of legs, curled up in a ball as they kick at him too. It wouldn't do any good, crying for help. One of them steps on Blaine's arms and he hears the crack before he feels it, screaming out in pain.
"Shut up, fag," one of them shouts, kicking at his face again.
It goes on for a while, explosions of pain all along his body. Blaine finally makes the decision to curl up like Cameron, just take it, because it's never going to stop.
"Hey!"
Lights pour into the night and their assailants scatter. Blaine coughs and spits blood onto the ground. Everything aches ever. Then, hands gently pulling him over. Greg Sommers is staring down at him.
"Holy shit," he whispers, "Blaine, can you hear me? Blink if you can hear me."
Blaine does so, and Greg lets out a sigh of relief.
"Okay, I'm calling 911 and your brother. Don't worry, dude."
"Cameron?" Blaine whispers.
Greg glances over at the blonde. "He's breathing but I think he's unconscious."
"S'my fault," Blaine mumbles. "My fault…"
Then he passes out.
When he wakes up, he's in a hospital bed.
His mother is sitting on a chair right next to him, glancing at her phone. Drake is asleep on a small couch in the corner. He doesn't see his dad or Parker. He tries to sit up and his mother's eyes dart to him. She drops her phone.
"Blaine! Sweetheart, oh, I'm so glad you're awake."
Drake sits up with a start. He rubs his eyes then stumbles over to Blaine's bed, grinning wearily at him.
"Hey, little bro. Welcome back to the land of the living."
"Go get your father and brother," Blaine's mother commands smoothing down Blaine's curls.
"What happened?" Blaine asks as his brother slips out the door.
"You were attacked at that dance," his mother whispers. "Oh, honey, we were so worried when the police called. Your friend Greg was the one who called the ambulance, then he went and got Drake and your brother rode with you to the hospital."
"How's Cameron?"
His mother purses her lips. "He's fine. His injuries were worse than yours but he'll make a full recovery."
"I want to see him," Blaine says.
His father and Parker walk into the room then and his oldest brother is immediately at his bedside, grinning down at him.
"Hey, Blainey. Good to see you,"
"You too, Parks," Blaine whispers. "Where's Emily? And the kids?"
"They're at your place. She'll be here first thing in the morning, I promise."
Blaine nods, then his eyes seek out his father. The older man nods once at Blaine, his mouth twitching into a sort of smile before he slips out of the room.
"He'll be finding the doctor. I should go with him," his mother says, kissing his forehead.
Drake steps closer to the bed when their parents leave.
"What happened?" Blaine asks. "Really."
"You were jumped because you went with Cameron," Drake says. "Greg came out as you were getting your ass beat, he called the cops and then me. Mom and dad flipped their shit when they found out you went to the dance with a guy."
"So…I guess my secret's out," Blaine whispers.
Drake shrugs. "Love and let love. Don't really care, little bro, just happy you're okay."
"Parks?" Blaine asks.
Parker sighs; he looks so much like their father it's ridiculous. "I'm glad you're okay, Blaine."
Emily comes to see him the next day.
His favorite baby-sitter ever as a kid, the girl with blonde hair and the kindest blue eyes you'd ever see, she eventually won Parker's heart and married him right after college.
"Hey, you," she whispers. "I'm so happy you're up."
"You didn't have to come all this way," Blaine says.
"You kidding? The second your mom called, Parker was booking flights. You're family, this is what we do."
"I went to the dance with a guy, Emily. I don't regret it. I kissed him after. That's why they jumped us."
Emily nods. "I know. I mean about you, not about why."
"And you don't care?"
"Why should I?"
Blaine cries then, tears of relief because yeah, Drake's acceptance was nice but he's adored Emily since he was six and this is just…just what he needed to hear.
She kisses his forehead softly and wipes away the tears.
The night he entered the hospital, he had three cracked ribs, a broken arm and several bruises.
He leaves the hospital with his arm in a sling and strict orders to take it easy. His mom sets up the couch so he doesn't have to climb any stairs and he spends the days with his niece and nephew watching cartoons and eating cereal.
He overhears conversations of different schools, safer schools, actions to be taken. His father doesn't want to go to court and neither does Blaine. He doesn't want anyone else to know who doesn't have to know. He wants to pretend this never happened.
Becca comes to see him a few days after he's released. She hugs him, mindful of his injuries.
"How's the school handling everything?"
Blaine snorts. "Like it never happened. The assholes didn't get in trouble. The beating happened "off school grounds" so there was nothing they could do."
"Outside the gym doesn't quality as school grounds?" Becca demands.
"Guess not. It doesn't matter, I'm not going back. My parents are sending me to a private school."
Becca nods sadly. "That's probably best."
"How's…how's Cam?"
"He's good. He doesn't blame you, no one does, Blaine."
"I kissed him."
"I know. But those guys were itching to start something since you got there. He doesn't hate you, and I don't either, okay?"
Blaine nods and Becca stays with him until dinnertime. They watch cartoons and don't talk and it's perfect.
That night is the first time he hears about Dalton Academy.
"It's a private school with a zero tolerance policy. There won't be any bullying," his mother says.
"When can I start?" Blaine asks.
His parents share a relieved glance and his mother smiles at him.
"Next week, honey."
Blaine nods. It's Parker and Emily's last night in town, so they have a big family dinner and spill the news in time for desert.
"Blaine, don't worry, you can totally rock the private school look," Emily assures him.
"You're going to have to cut your hair," Drake says around a mouth full of cake.
"Dalton has great teachers. It will look wonderful on your applications," Parker tells him.
His father says nothing; Blaine hates that he cares.
Drake takes him to get his haircut.
Blaine looks at himself in the mirror and stick out his tongue. He misses his shaggy, curly mess of hair.
"You look good, little bro. Stop fretting," Drake says.
Blaine leans back and stares out the window. "Can…can you drive me somewhere before we go home?"
"Sure."
He gives him Cameron's address and takes a deep breath before slipping out of the car. Cameron answers on the first knock and they just stare. Blaine winces at the black-eye and Cameron eyes his sling with pity.
"Come on in."
They stand in the hallway because this has to be quick. Blaine notices the boxes, turning to Cameron with a raised eyebrow.
"We're moving back to New York," Cameron answers. "It's funny; we moved here because mom wanted to stay in the suburbs. She thought it would be safer for me. Now we're moving back to the city because it will be safer for me."
"I'm sorry," Blaine blurts out. "I'm so, so sorry. If I hadn't kissed you-"
"Stop. I'm glad you kissed me. I wanted you to kiss me. I'm just sorry about what happened after."
"Me too," Blaine whispers.
"You cut your hair," Cameron notes suddenly.
"I transferred. To, uh, a private school and they have rules and my hair was too crazy," Blaine forces a chuckle. "They have a zero tolerance bullying policy."
Cameron nods. "Good. I, uh, I guess this is goodbye."
They hug carefully and Blaine closes his eyes and just lets himself enjoy this.
"Bye, Blaine."
"Bye, Cam."
Three weeks after he woke up in the hospital, Blaine stands in front of Dalton Academy.
He's wearing a crisp, white dress shirt and standard gray slacks. A blue blazer buttoned nicely and a red and blue striped tie tucked inside it.
He takes a deep breath and walks inside.
AN- Thinking about a third one where Blaine meets up with Becca and Cameron again.