I just watched "Michael" today, and I was SO FREAKING TICKED OFF AT THE WARBLERS! Argh! Just let me go all Auntie Snakes on their asses, please? I mean, how could they just leave their friend?

But then I remembered that Blaine left them first. And so I wrote this piece describing the Warblers' reasoning, mostly featuring Trent (the guy who asked if Blaine was okay after Santana confronted Sebastian). There is a slight deviance from canon based on a glee angst meme prompt I saw and will link to at the end. Namely, both of Blaine's eyes are covered instead of just one because a) he doesn't rock the pirate look very well, and this is coming from a girl who only started watching Glee because he was on it, and b) the slushie hit his entire face, why would it only affect one eye? But enough about physics. Let's get to the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own the song "It Ends Tonight" by the All-American Rejects.

Chapter I: Trent

Five and a Half Months Ago:

"This meeting of the Dalton Academy Warblers is now in session," Wes banged his gavel with more tenderness than most boys in the room imagined that he showed his mother. "As I am a senior who will be graduating come June, our first order of business, of course, is who will replace me in the council next year." He folded his hands, and in an effort to not whack Thad with his arm, his elbow brushed against his bulging pocket.

"We can't replace you, Wes," Blaine said warmly. "You're our dear friend."

Wes cleared his throat and blinked rapidly. The room was dusty, and it was getting into his eyes. "Still," he said with a barely-there tremble in his voice, "we need a third council member. Voting will be held from 4:00 to 7:00 today, and please write your name on the ballot. Don't worry, your results won't be announced to anyone else."

"Unless someone gives David Red Vines," Jeff hollered.

Wes made a half-hearted shushing motion as David and Jeff threw friendly insults.

He banged his gavel one last time, running his fingers down the back. "And our last order of business for the academic year 2010-2011, is to party!" He pulled a noisemaker out of his pocket and blew on it as David and Thad threw out bags of sweets and treats. Someone else turned on the rarely-used speakers and the music of Britney Spears blasted across the room.

"Why are we voting?" Nick asked above the noise. "We all know Blaine's going to be it."

"Guys, I'd be a junior next year," Blaine protested. "I don't have enough experience."

"That's bull, Blaine, and you know it," Thad argued.

"You're the best of us," Trent nodded. Half a dozen voices raised in agreement.

"I can't do it because," Blaine held up a hand, and everyone fell silent, "I won't be here next year."

The silence audibly changed.

"I've already put in the paperwork to transfer to McKinley."

Immediately, a cacophony of protests assaulted his ears.

"Why?" Nick asked.

"You're leaving us?" Thad couldn't believe this.

"You're choosing Kurt over us?" Trent looked hurt.

Blaine held up another hand, this time to no avail, so he raised his voice enough to be heard. "Look, Dalton has been my savior, and you guys especially. You came to me and accepted me for who I am, and even encouraged me, when I was at my lowest. But I can't stay here. I have to face the real world some time, and I can't possibly do that any better than beside my boyfriend."

"So you are leaving us for Kurt!" Jeff crossed his arms and refused to look at him.

Blaine sighed. "I still love you guys, and I promise to come visit, alright? But I can't stay here when my dreams and my heart is out there," he pointed to the window.

Trent took out a pair of scissors.

"So they shredded your uniforms?" Pearl asked. "Blaine, son, I'm sorry."

Blaine shrugged. "I wouldn't need them at McKinley anyway."

Pearl lifted the lid of the waffle maker and sighed at the smoking black concoction that lay within the squares. "Well, that's useless," she dumped it out before turning to her son and folding her hands over his. "Blaine, no matter how hard you try to deny it, I know how big of an influence that school's had on your life. Coming straight from being bullied to a place where people love you? That's not something people forget or stop missing. You wanted that blazer to remind yourself that there is a place where people are accepting when you go to a place where they aren't."

Blaine blinked away his tears as he nodded. His regret spilled over in his eyes and he buried his face in his mother's chest and cried like a baby.

Present Day:

"Guys, I have an announcement to make," Sebastian said. "It turns out that McKinley is doing Michael Jackson for Regionals."

"Oh, hell no!" Thad was incensed. "First, they take Blaine, now they take MJ?"

"No, actually, they don't," Sebastian smiled. "We're going to take it back. I've already submitted our set list to the judges, so if the Nude Erections continue with their plans, they're going to get a nasty surprise.

"Wait, but won't they—and Blaine—get into trouble?" Nick looked worried.

Trent snorted. "Who cares? If he leaves us, he doesn't get our concern, right guys?" he stood, gesturing for the rest of the Warblers to join him.

"Right," David stood, then Jeff, then the rest of the Warblers joined suit.

Trent smiled at Sebastian. "We're in. What do you want us to do?" he asked.

Sebastian smirked. "Buy the most outrageously-colored slushie you can find. I'm going to add a…special Sebastian twist to it, and we're going to toss it in Blaine's face."

"Guys, I don't feel good about doing this," said Thad.

Sebastian rolled his eyes and started a song.

Your subtleties, they strangle me. I can't explain myself at all.

Trent started to sing as well.

And all the wants, and all the needs, and I don't want to need at all.

The boys started to sing together.

The walls start breathing, my mind's unweaving. Maybe it's best you leave me alone.
A weight is lifted, on this evening, I give the final blow.

All the Warblers started to sing at once.

When darkness turns to light, it ends tonight, it ends tonight.

Thad started to sing now.

A falling star, least I fall alone. I can't explain what you can't explain.

Nick took over where he left off.

You're finding things that you didn't know. I look at you with such disdain.

The Warblers made guitar sounds behind Nick and Thad.

The walls start breathing, my mind's unweaving. Maybe it's best you leave me alone.
A weight is lifted, on this evening, I give the final blow.

Everyone harmonized together.

When darkness turns to light, it ends tonight, it ends tonight.
Just a little insight won't make this right.
It's too late to fight, it ends tonight, it ends tonight.

Jeff started to sing on his own.

Now I'm on my own side, it's better than being on your side.

David started to sing as well.

It's my fault when you're blind. It's better that I see it through your eyes.

Now it was Flint's turn to sing.

All these thoughts locked inside, now you're the first to know.

Now all the Warblers sang together.

When darkness turns to light, it ends tonight, it ends tonight.
Just a little insight won't make this right
It's too late to fight, it ends tonight, it ends.

Now Sebastian was left singing on his own.

When darkness turns to light, it ends tonight, it ends tonight.

The rest of the Warblers joined him as Trent came back with a slushie. Sebastian put it in a bag through which no one could see him add a secret ingredient.

Just a little insight won't make this right, it ends tonight.
It ends tonight, tonight, in sight.
When darkness turns to light, it ends tonight.

"What did you put in the slushie?" Santana demanded.

"That's not our fault," Sebastian replied with a shrug. "He was in the way. That slushie was meant for Kurt."

"And that makes it okay?" Santana screeched. "Blaine's in the hospital!"

Trent felt horribly guilty. He was the one who had supplied Sebastian with the slushie last night. "Is he okay?" he asked worriedly.

"No, Fatty McBurger," she sneered at him. "He has to have surgery, so I'm going to ask you one more time," she got right in Sebastian's face. "What did you put in the slushie?"

Sebastian sighed. "Rock salt," he said in a bored tone.

Trent felt his heart drop to his knees. If he had been able to focus on anything besides the rushing in his ears, he would have seen the Warblers match his expression as the room became deathly quiet.

"The doctors don't know if he'll ever see again," Santana whispered.

"That's okay," Sebastian said cavalierly.

"How the hell is that okay?" Santana demanded.

"Because I didn't put anything in this one." Too late, Trent remembered he was holding a slushie, which was taken out of his shocked hands and poured into Santana's face. She gasped and winced, and Trent couldn't stand it. He turned and ran as far away from the group as he could. Footsteps behind him told him that others also took his run of shame, leaving Sebastian alone to gloat.

The next day, no one showed up to the scheduled Warblers practice. It was likely that they would never have met again had they not all received an email to go to the McKinley auditorium at the same time.

Blaine swallowed as his mother led him around the house. "Okay, we're at the stairs now, so bring your foot up and out, okay, that's too far, that's good, now let it down."

Blaine hated this. He hated the dark, he hated being helpless, he hated the dark, he hated depending on his mother for the simplest things, he hated the dark, and he hated not being able to see, but most of all, he hated the dark. It made him feel alone, and if he didn't constantly remind himself that those were his mother's hands, every shift of the fingers on his arm and waist would scare him. Actually, every shift of the fingers on his arm and waist did scare him.

Blaine hated the dark.

As the Warblers entered, none of them could look the others—or the New Directions—in the eye, except for Sebastian, who continued walking brazenly toward the stage and making sarcastic comments.

When the New Directions sang, Trent felt a powerful pull. He had to make amends, and how better than to show the New Directions that he was one of them—a friend, not a foe? He got up on the stage. This time, the footsteps following him made him proud. This time, Sebastian's gloating was weak. This time, the bullying would end. It would end tonight.

I'm sorry if I didn't get the dialogue all right. I've only watched the episode once. Pearl is an OC I made to be Blaine's adoptive mother.

Next time, a longer version of the scene where Finn and Rachel visit Blaine, and Pearl tries to cook, the operative word being "tries."

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