Disclaimer: Don't look at me. Just a fangirl playing in a sandbox made by others.

Cooper sat in the auditorium, feeling truly alone for the first time in days.

It was definitely a welcome change.

Cooper knew that his homecoming might be a bit hectic. His commercials had made him pretty well known, so while he expected that he would be recognized while visiting home, he had no idea that he would turn McKinley High on its head. He hadn't expected to be followed by gaggle of giggling girls every time he stepped through the doors, hadn't expected to be accosted for an autograph and a picture at the turn of every corner, and certainly hadn't expected to be asked to teach a master class, of all things.

No, he didn't come back to Lima and expect any of these things to happen to him.

But to deny that he hadn't hoped for such a grand homecoming would have been lying to himself.

He didn't mind the giggling girls, the autographs, and pedestal that these kids had put him on. No, he would gladly take that recognition and validation with every bit of charm and graciousness he could muster to his adoring fans. They deserved that much, and who was he to lie? All of the attention, it felt good. Especially after his agent called him earlier that morning to tell him that he lost the audition for the newest Michael Bay flick, yeah, he deserved this. He worked so hard on those commercials. He deserved to be idolized.

But as much as he loved being in the spotlight… he hated the price that came with it.

Blaine hadn't so much as spoken to him since their last conversation in the hallway two days ago. Cooper sensed he might have pushed just a little too hard, but he was only trying to help his brother – give him some advice, some words of wisdom. But Blaine had pushed back, and he had pushed back hard. Now his brother was effectively giving him the silent treatment, and Cooper was slowly starting to drown in his own guilt and frustration.

He knew he wasn't the best big brother, but he certainly felt like he could have done better than this.

Cooper heard the door open, but didn't bother turning around. The last thing he needed right now was a fan trying to hunt him down. More than anything he wanted to be alone with his thoughts and try to figure out how to make things right. Maybe if he shrunk a little lower in his seat, he could just—

"Cooper?"

Of course, he should have known better than to just think he could disappear whenever he wanted to. He was the Cooper Anderson. "Hey, Kurt," he began, plastering on a blinding (if forced) smile. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing really," Kurt replied, smiling widely. "It's my free period, so I came in here to practice my NYADA audition piece."

Cooper's brow furrowed. "NYADA?"

"New York Academy for Dramatic Arts. It's my first choice for college." Kurt dropped his gaze and let out a long breath. "Actually, my only choice…"

"I'm surprised at you, Kurt," Cooper began, his false bravado rearing its head once more. "After everything I taught you in my master class, did you even listen at all?"

Kurt cocked a brow in defiance, and Cooper found himself wanting to mirror the expression in front of him. "While I appreciate your opinions and advice, Cooper, I have my own dreams and plans that I have to follow, thank you very much."

Cooper couldn't help but smirk at Kurt's confidence. "Well one thing is for sure, you'll definitely get far in the business with that kind to attitude."

Kurt smiled. "Yes, I can just imagine my acceptance speech for the Tony awards now: 'I'd like to thank all the people who got me here today, namely those who said I couldn't do it in the first place. Screw you guys.'"

A chuckle fell from Cooper's lips. "No, but seriously, if you are even half as amazing as Blaine makes you out to be, you're going to go places Kurt." He sighed. "Trust me, I can tell."

"Thank you," Kurt replied quietly. He stood there for a moment, the silence heavy between them, before dropping his saddle bag down on the ground and taking the seat in front of Cooper. He turned in his chair to look up at the older Anderson. "What's going on, Cooper?"

Cooper sat back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest and squirming in his seat a bit. "What makes you think anything's going on?"

"For starters, the way you're sitting is a dead giveaway. That's the standard Anderson defense pose – it's the same way Blaine sits when he doesn't want to talk about something that's bothering him." Kurt tilted his head to the side, and Cooper suddenly felt like he was under intense scrutiny. "Come to think of it, it was probably something he picked up from you. You may be two completely different people, but you're still brothers. The resemblance is still there."

Cooper let out a sigh and leaned forward, clasping his hands together nervously and resting his elbows on his knees. "Even if there is something bothering me, what makes you think I would talk to my brother's boyfriend about it?" He inwardly winced at his tone; he knew he was being petulant but he couldn't bring himself to act otherwise.

So much for being the mature, older brother.

"Because I know what's bothering Blaine. Because I know that despite his frustrations he still loves you and looks up to you. Because deep down, I know all he wants is an ally, someone he can come to whenever he needs to. And because I'm pretty sure that you want that too."

Cooper held Kurt's gaze, blue battling blue, before leaning back again and settling into the seat again. He hesitated a moment, then began. "I love my little brother," Cooper started, "but… I think I'm just trying to come to terms with the fact that he's not so little anymore. He hasn't been for a while, and I just…"

As Cooper trailed off, Kurt placed his arms against the back of the chair and rested his head on them, his head tiling to the side once more. But this time, Cooper didn't feel like he was being watched, or studied. He felt like he was being listened to.

So he continued.

"I wouldn't trade anything Blaine for anything. He's an amazing person, and a wonderful brother." Cooper couldn't help but notice the small smile that pulled at Kurt's lips, and he felt himself smiling as well. "He's kind, and smart, and so talented – he's everything I ever hoped he would be. But… sometimes it feels like he's much better off without me."

Kurt started at this declaration and opened his mouth to speak, but Cooper held up his hand, a silent plea to let him continue. Kurt's mouth closed and rested his head once again on his arms. "I was the first person that Blaine came out to. I wasn't even around when he did – I was already in California at the time; he called me and did it over the phone. I was the one who encouraged him to be honest about his sexuality to our parents, and, as you know, that didn't exactly turn out so well. I couldn't be there for him, to stand up to Mom and Dad for him. He had to fight that on his own. He was only thirteen."

Cooper tried his best to ignore the sympathetic look in Kurt's eyes and continue, his voice rising. "Imagine how I felt six months later, when I get a phone call from Mom explaining how Blaine's in the hospital because some assholes from his school beat the shit out of him – for something he can't even control!" Cooper inhaled deeply, checking his emotions before they got out of control. "I caught a red-eye flight home that night, and when I got here… seeing him in that hospital bed… I felt like I failed him. I wasn't here to protect him. I was off in California, selfishly living my own dreams. What kind of older brother does that?"

Cooper paused. Kurt looked like he wanted to say something, but his lips had formed a thin line, as if he were trying very hard to keep his words from spilling out. Cooper decided to spare him and keep going. "I found out about Dalton, showed the option to my parents – they were all for it. So he went to Dalton, and I went back to California, and I thought things would be okay. But the phone calls became less frequent, and the conversations turned so trivial. And then I heard he was the lead soloist for the Warblers, that he was making friends, that he had this amazing boyfriend… but never from him. Always from Mom, or Dad, or Facebook, of all places."

Cooper found himself wringing his hands and staring at his feet. "I've been hard on Blaine these past few days – hell, these past few years– because I want to help him, somehow, any way that I can. And I've had success in my acting career; even if it's not monumental, it's something I can offer him. But it just… doesn't feel like he needs me anymore." A deep breath. "I've failed him."

Cooper's eyes were firmly planted to his feet on the ground, feeling more relieved but also thoroughly depressed after his lengthy confession. He looked up slowly when he felt Kurt rest a comforting hand on his forearm. "Cooper Anderson, you listen to me," he began seriously, "your brother is who he is today because of what you have done for him. Because of the amazing brother that you've been."

Cooper scoffed. Kurt swatted his arm. "Ouch," whined Cooper as he pulled back, rubbing his arm protectively.

"You have been a good brother to him," Kurt continued, ignoring Cooper's pout. "He came out to you first – that says something. And maybe coming out to his parents didn't go so well, but would there have ever been a perfect time? You can't change how they reacted – even if you had been there, you wouldn't have been able to change anything. You could have only been there for him, which you were in the best way you could. You told your parents to send him to Dalton after he was attacked. You may not feel like you did much, but you helped him put the pieces back together."

"But if I've done such a good job then why has he pulled away?" Cooper wanted to know. He just couldn't shake the feeling that he'd hurt his family, his own brother—

"Blaine… he keeps to himself a lot, you know. It's not just you. He puts on a polite enough front, and yes, he is generally a happy person, but when something upsets him he tends to cave in on himself, bottle it up until he can't keep it in anymore."

"But he wasn't always like that," Cooper muttered.

Kurt shrugged. "Well he's experienced enough to know that completely expressing himself can be dangerous. I'm not saying I necessarily agree with it, but his experiences have shaped him, affected him, whether he recognizes it or not. He doesn't try to intentionally hide things from you. It's just that sometimes getting him to actually talk about his emotions is like pulling teeth."

Cooper took a deep breath. That made sense. Blaine had definitely been more reserved ever since the incident, and while Dalton was a safe haven for Blaine and at the time exactly what he needed, he could see how the environment could be a bit stifling to some.

"As for trying to help him… Look, Cooper, I know you mean well but Blaine pushes himself enough as it is. He doesn't need someone else doing it for him. All you can do is—"

"—support him," Cooper finished, remembering Blaine's outburst during his master class. "You're right."

Kurt smiled at him for a moment before standing and grabbing his bag. "Look, why don't you just stay here, and I'll go get Blaine. That is, if you want to talk to him."

Cooper felt himself nodding. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Just make sure to give me a minute or two." He turned to stare up at the tall boy now standing beside him. "You sure you can get him to come in here and talk to me?"

Kurt smirked, and Cooper saw a glimpse of that trademark Hummel attitude seeping through. "Oh, I have my ways…"

Now it was Cooper's turn to smirk, because there was no way he could let his little brother's boyfriend get away with that kind of remark. "I feel like that was intended to be vaguely sexual in nature…"

Kurt flushed straight up to his ears, a column of red creeping up his neck. "No! No, I didn't mean it like—I just meant, I know how to make Blaine open up to me—"

"Oh, I bet you do," Cooper continued, having far too much fun teasing Kurt.

Kurt spluttered for a moment, causing Cooper to chuckle, before composing himself with a deep breath and walking up the stairs to the auditorium doors, head held high. Before he let Kurt leave, though, he called out to him once last time. Kurt paused, hand on the doorknob, before turning slightly, his blush still evident.

Cooper held his gaze for a moment, still smiling, before sincerely offering, "Thank you."

Kurt let a slow, kind smile find his features. "Anytime."

And then Cooper was alone once again.

Well, hopefully he wouldn't be for long. Hopefully Kurt would be able to convince Blaine into coming to see him, and hopefully they'd be able to talk this out, brother to brother, and finally see eye to eye. But Cooper didn't really need to hope. He was pretty sure Kurt was going to come through for him.

Cooper had to give Blaine props – he had impeccable taste when it came to boyfriends.

AN: Not completely sure how I feel about this fic. It's not bad but I don't feel like it's one of my better pieces. It might just be trying to write from a new character's POV. Either way, it was fun. And who knows, I may try writing from Cooper's POV again.

A special thanks to bowtiewearingowl for doing a quick beta read for me - especially while she was sick in bed. She's fantastic and you should all go love her.

Thanks for reading! Reviews and favs are love!