Title: Pick Up the Pieces
Author: matchingbowties
Rating: PG / K+
Word Count: 3, 600+
Pairings: Blaine/Rachel as siblings; mentioned Kurt/Blaine
Warnings: none.
Spoilers: Season 1 & 2 relationships, but it's almost completely AU.
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, or anything else you recognise. The title is taken from Ed Sheeran's 'Lego House', which I also don't own.
Summary: Four times Blaine was there for Rachel, and one time she was there for him.
A/N: This is a Christmas present for Rhiannon (kindacravingshortcake). Anderberry, as it's been dubbed, which is basically Blaine and Rachel as siblings, is becoming a bit of a trend in the fandom and I thought I might as well join in – I hope you like it!
One
It's very early in the morning – way too early to be up, Blaine thinks; he can hear birds chirping outside where the sun hasn't even risen properly yet and when he rolls over to check his alarm clock, his fears are confirmed – it's just past 5 in the morning. He realises why he's woken up pretty soon, though: his sister Rachel's loud voice echoes around the house and he's almost certain people five blocks down have heard it by now.
"... and I hope you did it the way it was last time I won, did you use my lucky hair slide? Did you, mommy?"
His mommy murmurs something sleepily, and then he hears Rachel bounding down the landing and into his room.
"Blaaaaaaine."
"Yes, Rach?" he says, pretending he hasn't heard any of the previous racket, because even at six years old he knows exactly how to wind his big sister up.
"Blaine. It's my talent contest today."
"Oh! It is?"
He braces himself for the inevitable, and a couple of moments later his duvet is ripped back with a rather frightening amount of force for a seven-year-old girl. Chocolate brown eyes fiery with annoyance meet his, but he's long past the stage of being intimidated by his sister – her tantrums tend to get less effective over time, and he's had plenty of years to get used to her overbearing ways.
"Blaine William Anderson, get out of bed right now. I know you knew it was my contest today, stop being mean to me!"
This is accompanied by a foot-stamp that makes his Power Rangers rattle in their places on his desk, and he thinks that maybe he should get out of bed now before Rachel explodes, or something.
He drags himself out from the warm cocoon that he's built himself and walks sleepily over to his wardrobe to find something to wear; he looks up, though, when he realises that Rach hasn't spoken in a good minute, which has to be some sort of record. She's standing where she was before, watching him and although her posture is perfect, her eyes are wide with worry and he knows she would probably be chewing her nails if their mother hadn't forced her out of that habit last summer.
"Rach, what's the matter?"
"It's nothing – I'm being silly, B, don't worry about it."
"No, there's something wrong – what is it?"
"At the last contest everyone was better than me and they will be at this one too." she says in rush, and she really does look scared beneath her immaculate hair and pretty dress.
"But Rach, you're really really good! You shouldn't be scared!" he says earnestly, because his six-year-old mind can't really come up with a better way of describing the way that Rachel commands the whole stage, captivates the audience with her voice and agility and sheer enthusiasm.
"The thing is, there are other people who are even more good than I am, Blaine."
"Well I think you should win everything, Rach." says Blaine, and it's the truth, because he can't think of anyone else in the entire world quite like his sister.
He looks up and Rachel's smiling at him – not in that 'I'm older than you and I think you're adorable' way she does sometimes, but like she's really grateful for what he's said.
"Thanks, B."
Blaine smiles as well because Rachel's his best friend in the world, even if she can be annoying and a bit mean at times, and he hates seeing her sad.
"Good luck, Rach."
Later, as Rachel grasps her first-place trophy tightly and looks as though her smile is going to drop off of her face, she sees Blaine beaming and clapping in crowd and glows, truly glows, and Blaine couldn't be more proud to be her brother.
Two
"Why are you coming in here, Anderson?"
"Yeah, shouldn't you be in the men's changing room?"
Blaine's on his way to the changing rooms at the swimming pool when he hears the vicious words echoing around the corner; he wouldn't think anything of a couple of little girls saying mean things to each other normally, that's just the way girls are – but it's the name that catches him. Anderson, they'd said, and Blaine knows it's a common name but he's just left Rachel outside the girls' room down that corridor. It's when he hears sister's shaking voice replying "Leave me alone," that he wheels around and starts striding back where he came from. He rounds the corner to see Rach shrinking against the wall, surrounded by three girls who he vaguely recognises from school and knows are in high school now. Rachel sees him over the tallest girl's shoulder and her eyes widen slightly; it's this that draws attention to him and the bullies whip around, their eyes narrowed.
"What did you just say?" he asks, and his voice is quiet; measured, but with the promise of danger. Rachel tries to catch his eye and stop him, muttering "It's nothing, Blaine," – she knows how angry her brother can get when he's defending her. The bullies look delighted, though, a cruel glint appearing in their eyes.
"Who's this, Man-Hands? Your boyfriend?" taunts the girl in the middle, her laugh ringing maliciously through the hall and reverberating off the cheap linoleum floor.
"No, actually, I'm her brother and if you don't leave her alone –"
"You'll what, loser? Hit me?" jeers the girl to Rach's left, the one with the sharp nasal voice and a face like a rat. Now, Blaine is many things; stubborn, for one, he shares that with Rachel, and when he gets angry he gets really angry – but above all he is a gentleman, and his parents raised him to never hit a girl, even if that's what he'd like to do most of all right now.
"No, but I'll tell Dustin."
And at this, some sort of fear creeps onto the girls' faces; Dustin is the burly lifeguard; kind but fair, absolutely a force against bullying of any kind, and possibly one of the scariest people in the world to have angry with you.
"You wouldn't."
The tallest bully sounds like she's trying to convince herself of this, but Blaine is unfazed.
"Yes I would. So I suggest that you apologise to Rachel, and pick on someone your own size next time."
The girls turn tail and pound down the hallway, until Blaine is left breathing heavily and staring angrily after them, his fists clenched tightly.
"B..."
He feels a hand on his shoulder, quivering and unsure, but he grabs it and holds it tightly. However much of a calm image he may exude, he's still just a boy and bullies scare him too. He turns, though, and Rach's warm eyes are full of gratitude, and everything seems okay.
"Thank you."
Three
"Blaine, do you think I'm fat?"
Rachel is quick, to the point, and definitely doesn't beat about the bush – then again, that's exactly who she is. It comes just after Thanksgiving weekend, in the middle of one of their (scheduled) Broadway musical days, when they sit in Rachel's room and do nothing but listen to soundtracks and watch movie versions of all their favourite shows on repeat. It's a tradition, one of their only traditions that they've managed to stick to, and Blaine kind of loves it. As Idina Menzel belts out the last notes of "The Wizard and I" in the background, Blaine grabs Rachel's hands across her pink bedspread.
"Who told you that you're fat?"
"Just these, um – these girls at school. And I mean, they've been saying it for years and normally I wouldn't take notice but everyone in my class called me 'Turkey' all week and even Ms Edwards laughed and I just wondered –"
He looks at his sister, this girl who's a year older than him but that doesn't matter really, in the long run, because they've been together as long as they can remember and he just wants to hold her and make all the hurt go away. Rachel's a shining star, far too bright for this cow-town in the middle of nowhere, Ohio. She doesn't belong here and she isn't understood, and it hurts him to see the years of pain and name-calling and crumbling self-belief hidden behind her brave facade because he knows exactly what she's capable of and no-one here wants to see it. Instead she's left belting out show-tunes to her little brother on a Sunday night, "Defying Gravity" and "Tonight" against a backdrop of late homework and timetables; it's not what she's meant for and Blaine feels terrible because he can't do anything to change it.
"Rachel, you're not – you shouldn't listen to anything they say, you know that."
"I know, it's just –"
"No, listen to me, Rach. You're not fat, you're beautiful, they just can't see it – remember what we said before? People here don't get us, all they can see is that we dream big and it scares them. Just – we have to keep going, okay? We're going to get out of here one day, you're going to be on Broadway and I'll come see you and you just – you just have to keep believing Rachel."
Rachel looks up at him with wet eyes and a small smile, because really Blaine is one of the nicest people she knows and she has no idea what she'd do without him.
"You know, you're my favourite brother in the entire world."
"I'm your only brother," he returns, but he understands what she means anyway.
Four
Blaine is fifteen when Rachel meets Jesse St James. They're at different schools, now, after everything that happened at the Sadie Hawkins dance (and the house is only just returning to normal after all that), but they're as close as ever, Rachel is as important to him as ever. And the fact of the matter is, Blaine doesn't trust Jesse. He doesn't trust his charm and wit, his seemingly genuine smile and his 'coincidental' love for all of Rachel's favourite things. He doesn't like the way that Jesse consumes all of Rachel's time, doesn't like how Jesse's controlled laugh rings out alongside his parents' when he comes to pick Rach up for a date, doesn't like the knowing grins Jesse flashes him as he heads up the stairs to Rachel's room.
Most of all, he doesn't like the fact that he comes home one May evening to find Rachel sitting in his doorway, covered in egg (and God, she's vegan) and in tears, whispering Jesse's name over and over again like some sort of prayer. No, he does not like that at all.
He helps Rachel up gently, to the bathroom first to clean off the mess and then to the armchair in his bedroom, handing her tissues and blankets, running downstairs to grab a large bar of soya milk chocolate and her DVD of RENT. He's only had to do this kind of damage control once before, around the time of the incident involving Finn and a picnic blanket. He hates it, really, hates seeing his sister so broken over something he can't control. Last time, though, he kept it in because this Finn boy was at least two times his size and Rachel insisted that she could deal with it herself; this time seems worse and he wants to know exactly what it is Jesse St James has done to hurt his sister so badly.
"Rachel... do you want to tell me about it?"
"Okay."
Really, when he's heard the whole story, about how Jesse promised her the world and stole it away, about how he humiliated her in front of the enemy – what is he supposed to do? Anger is what he knows, what's expected of him as the brother of the dumped; it's certainly real enough, burning fiery and hot inside him, a desire to end every happy thing is Jesse St James' life. But more important than all that is his sister, Rachel who's sitting her with her heart cleaved clear in two and the smell of egg still hanging around her; Rachel who's clutching his hand like it's a lifeline and can't stop the tears streaming down her face.
"Rach, look at me."
He tilts her chin up towards him (and he's very proud of the few inches he has on her, thank you very much), and isn't surprised to see the hurricane of emotions written across her face, because you can't really expect Rachel Anderson after a particularly painful break-up to be anything but a hurricane of emotions.
"You know, I sometimes think that there must be something wrong with me, for no boy to want me for anything except my talent," she begins, and he knows that while this is partly her wallowing in the self-pity that should be expected at a time like this, it's also partly that Rachel honestly does think there's something the matter with her.
"There's nothing wrong with you, Rachel Barbra Anderson. One day you'll find the right guy, okay? It's just that no-one appreciates you in Ohio."
Rachel smiles at him, now, because this is safe ground for both of them; Blaine has spent countless afternoons listening to his sister rant about how little credit she is given, reminding her that one day she'll make it big and then the joke will be on all the Lima Losers who made fun of her.
"I'm so glad I have you, B."
And Rachel really is lucky, isn't she? Because even the brightest of stars lose themselves sometimes, but not all of them have the best brother in the world to remind them who they are.
And One
It's a sharp, fresh March evening, the kind that only comes with late spring, and Rachel arrives at home with a skip in her step. Mr Schue had finally listened to her idea for Regionals (which she thought was pretty wonderful if she said so herself), and surprisingly it was Quinn who stood up and supported her – Rachel's not entirely sure of this situation because Quinn almost always has an ulterior move but for now, she'll take it for what it is. On the whole, then, Rachel Anderson is happy. That is, until she opens the door to hear her father's raised voice from the living room.
"...and what about my job, Blaine? What am I supposed to say when people ask me if you've gotten a girlfriend yet?"
"Is that really all you care about, Dad? What people at work think?"
And this stops her – she knows about Blaine and Kurt, of course – how could she not? Kurt is pretty much all Blaine has talked about for the past three months; anyway, she and Kurt had become something bordering on close friends before he transferred to Dalton. And of course, she'll never forget the incredulously disbelieving look on Kurt's face when he realised that the 'wonderful, dreamy' Blaine he'd met when he went to spy was the same as the 'irritating, nosy little brother' Blaine that Rachel had been telling him about for years. She's incredibly happy for both of them, really. So she heads straight for the living room door, eyes widening a bit when she sees the way their father towers over Blaine.
"It's not – this is not what is best for you, Blaine, can't you see? All your life will be a struggle, not everywhere will be as safe for you as Dalton!"
"So let me get this right – you're totally fine with me being gay, but the minute I start to actually act on my feelings for a boy, it becomes a problem? You never said any of this before!"
Rachel winces at the hurt, confusion, pure pain in Blaine's voice at these words, because she knows just how much Blaine craves love and acceptance, after all the late-night talks they had right after he came out.
"I – Blaine, this is not about your, um, condition –" (Rachel bristles at this, because honestly?) " – it's about what's best for your future, and for the family. I just don't understand why you couldn't do all this after you've gotten your degree and settled down with a nice, secure job – you have to understand that I want what's best for you –"
"No, Dad, you don't – or you'd let me be with Kurt. You don't get it, do you? Kurt is what's best for me, and I'm not waiting until I get a job – I've made him wait long enough anyway. This is happening, Dad, this is real and right now and I'm sorry if you can't accept that but my relationship with Kurt isn't going to disappear no matter how many times we argue and yell about it. I just – we have to deal with so much crap from other people already, Dad, could you not just be supportive... just this once?"
Blaine's in tears by the end of his little speech, but from her spot by the door, Rachel can see the way her father's face closes up, any sign of emotion disappearing. She knows that Blaine and Kurt will be subject to this kind of prejudice for the rest of their lives, she's not stupid, and she'd seen the dirty looks thrown her brother's way that time that the three of them had gone to Breadstix. It just hurts that her own father (Daddy who she's looked up to for the longest time) can't find it in himself to accept Blaine.
Because right in this moment, really, all she can see is her brother, Blaine Anderson, who is always, always there for her, no matter what, who picks her up and puts her back together when she falls down and never asks for anything in return; who tries his best to make everyone happy and hardly gets much in return; who puts up with her rants and self-pity and ridiculous moods and will believe in her 'til the end of the world; that same little boy who gave her courage before her competitions and clapped so very loudly for her even when she didn't place. All she can see is her little brother who gives and gives and gives and never gets in return, who is asking for nothing but acceptance and isn't getting it, not even from his own father. And if there's one thing Rachel Anderson is, it's loyal. She will fight to the death for what she believes in and the people she cares for, and if Blaine isn't more important to her than Finn and Jesse and Puck then she doesn't know who is.
"No, Blaine, he can't." she says boldly, louder than she meant to because that's what happens when she's nervous, and she notices the way they both jump at her words.
"Rach –" Blaine begins, sounding pained, but she's set on delivering her piece now, so she ignores him.
"He can't be supportive because he can't find it in his heart to care more about you, and who you love, and who makes you happy, than his stupid company and what other people think of him. Dad," she says, turning to their father, "I always thought – you know, when I was a little girl – I always thought that you were the bravest, funniest, strongest, most wonderful Daddy in the world." Her voice cracks, but she continues anyway, "You told me once that you'd go to ends of the earth for me and for Blaine and for Mom. And when I grew up, I learned that no-one is perfect and I accepted that you had issues and problems and that was just a part of life. But I just – I never forgot you telling me that, never. 'I'd do anything for the three of you,', you said," and when she looks up her father's eyes are filling with tears (and she's never seen her Dad cry before), "I guess not, huh?"
"Rachel... Blaine." he says, and there's more honesty and emotion in his voice than she's heard yet. "I just – I just want to save you from all the hate and struggle that you'll have to go through... I just want to protect you, you have to know. This is really hard for me, and I just – could you... can we go slow with this? Just give me time, and maybe I can –"
There's a pause, where they all stare at each other, wondering how on earth things got to this point, and then, "Okay, Dad."
Blaine's voice surprises her, but then it shouldn't really, should it? Blaine's always been that guy, the one who'll try to accommodate everyone and give people what they need and of course he's the one telling Dad that it's okay, that he can take his time. She supposes that Blaine is thinking that it's progress that their Dad has at least agreed to try – it's some kind of step forward.
Rachel is left staring after their Dad as he leaves the room – at least, until she hears a kind of muffled gasp from behind her. Blaine looks utterly and completely drained where he stands across from her, a hand reaching out to grasp to sofa for support.
"I – Rach – I..."
"It's okay, B." she says, echoing his words, and that's when he breaks, running forward into her arms. It's then that she really, truly remembers that this is her little brother; it's so easy to forget what with all the times he's stood up for her. "It's okay."
And really, it is now; Rachel has finally done what she should have years ago and properly stood up for Blaine, they're making some kind of progress with their father and Blaine isn't alone anymore. He's happy, and that's all that matters to her in the end.
"It'll be alright."