2 days later.

"Cooper, what are you doing tonight?" Jack Anderson sighed, fingers curled around a steaming mug of coffee. His eldest son simply shrugged, eyes focused on the photograph of Blaine clutched between his hands.

"Come on, son. I know seeing Blaine was heart breaking and exciting and confusing all at once but you can't shut down now, okay? Not when we all need to be at our strongest. We'll get him back, Cooper. I promise."

"'m goin' to a party," Cooper mumbled, setting the picture down with a frown. "An old friend of mine, Jason Smythe, is throwing a party with his little brother while their parents are away. It'll be kind of awkward chilling with high school students but it should take my mind of things, I think," he shrugged.

"Well, don't do anything stupid. Just have fun, okay? I love you."

"I love you too, dad."

"Blaine, Kurt's here!" Derek called, opening the door to allow Kurt to slide into their home, the pair instantly slipping into light, easy conversation. Blaine's heavy footsteps broke them apart.

"Kurt, you look great," Blaine grinned, pressing his plump lips to Kurt's blushing cheek.

"You too, loving the bowtie," the elder boy winked, interlacing their fingers.

"Blaine, Kurt, I want you to be sensible tonight, alright? You're sure it's alright for you to stay the night at Sebastian's house?" With a nod, he led them toward Blaine's car. "Do not get too drunk, do not go near the car when you're drunk, do not have unprotected sex and make sure to send me a text to let me know you're okay and have fun!" Derek winked.

"Dad! Oh my god!" Blaine cried, burying his mortified expression in his open palms.

"Love ya!" Derek chuckled; waving goodbye as Blaine's car slowly disappeared into the night.

By the time Cooper had arrived at the Smythe's residence, the party was in full swing. Each room seemed to be filtered with different coloured lights from the end of the path. The loud, obnoxious beat of the music swam outside and pulsed against his chest. Cars littered the streets and small clusters of teenagers sat against the hoods, sharing bottles of vodka and cigarettes.

With a grunt, Cooper stumbled forward, pushing open the door and gasping as the party pulled him inwards. Had parties always been this crazy when he was a teenager? Girls seemed to be in nothing more than their underwear, clung to boys and bottles of alcohol. The living room flashed bright colours like rainbows as a disco ball spun dangerously close to several pairs of discarded heels.

Cooper could see some of his old friends, lounging back with easy smiles and drunken girlfriends. He sighed, feeling slightly awkward and out of place. With intent to turn and leave, a warm hand steadied against his shoulder. He spun to see Jason's smiling face, offering him a pint.

"Drink up, the party is just getting started!"

Three drinks later and Cooper had finally felt comfortable enough to slide his jacket from his shoulders and prop himself in an arm chair before noticing he needed a new beer. The kitchen was full of horny, excited and slightly intoxicated teenagers. He expected a buzz of Dalton blazers and maybe the odd couple grinding and exchanging sweet kisses. However, he hadn't expected to find none other than Blaine, his baby brother Blaine, stood on top of the isle in the centre of the kitchen, one hand clutching a half drained bottle of Vodka and the other fiddling with Kurt's belt buckle as their hips slammed together in time with the music. The elder Anderson bit back a frown. A small crowd were laughing and cheering as the boys continued to grind and dance, taking swigs from the vodka bottle.

Thankfully, Blaine didn't seem too drunk. He wore a bright, innocent smile, his hair beginning to lose its grip on the gel it was usually drowning beneath. Finally, as the song ended, Blaine and Kurt jumped into the crowd.

"Jesus, Coop, see something you like?" Jason's voice joked.

"What?"

"You were practically undressing that Blaine kid with your eyes!"

"D-do you know him?" Cooper wondered.

"Yeah, he's friends with Sebastian. He's kind of weird sometimes but all in all, he's a good laugh and a good friend, I guess," Jason shrugged.

"What do you mean he's kind of weird?"

"Don't know, just sometimes he gets this weird look on his face and you can see something in his eyes, you know? Like, he's somewhere else. You just have to call his name and he'll snap right back. Daydreamer, I guess! Why, do you know him or do you want to know him?" the elder winked.

"Not in that way, don't be disgusting!"

"Hmm, sure! Anyway, Puck finally got the weed here so we'll be smoking it in the back garden in a minute, you in? Blaine will be there," Jason whispered.

Wait, what?

"Blaine smokes weed?" Cooper growled.

"Um, yeah? What's the big problem? He smokes at practically every party he goes to."

Not anymore.

Cooper near ran through the back door, falling into the warmth of the evening. A small circle of boys and girls sat to the right, several spliffs being shared around. He studied their faces, only recognising two women who were holding hands and sharing hot kisses in between pulls from their own spliff. His eyes finally fell upon Blaine and Kurt. Kurt seemed uninterested by the drugs, only laying his head against Blaine's shoulder and peering upwards through tired eyes as his boyfriend accepted the burning spliff from the boy opposite.

"I love you, Blaine," Kurt smiled.

"I love you too," Blaine giggled, placing the spliff between his pink lips and inhaling the toxins. Cooper bit back the sick burning his throat. It all seemed so natural to Blaine. The drinking, the dancing, the drugs. Blaine held the smoke inside as he past the spliff along, only exhaling when the girl had taken her drag.

It was only when Blaine was passed another spliff and began his pull did Cooper realise that holy shit, I'm watching my baby brother smoke weed. He paced forward, leaning over the circle and tugged the spliff from Blaine's lips. The curly haired boy slowly opened his eyes, the rest of the group seemingly not bothered by Cooper's appearance.

"If you wanted some weed, you could've just asked," Blaine joked, leaning back against Kurt.

"Blaine," Cooper groaned.

"Oh! You're a friend of my dad's, right? Cooper?"

"I-oh, y-yeah, I am."

"Oh, well, cool I guess. What's up?"

Cooper could tell Blaine wasn't too interested in his answer. His eyes were heavy with a cloud of relaxation and his grip on Kurt's fingers were telling him he'd rather be elsewhere doing something special.

"What's up? Does your father know you smoke weed, Blaine? In fact, Kurt, you're his boyfriend and you're perfectly okay with Blaine sitting here and getting baked?" he spat.

"Whoa, chill the fuck out, man!" Blaine growled, pushing himself up until he stood rigid, a snarl on his face. "You do not speak to him like that."

"Blaine, I just found you smoking weed! This is serious!"

"Oh my God, why are you so bothered by it? It's not like I'm shooting up with heroin or anything, Jesus! What gives you the right to give a fuck anyway, huh? Just because you're all buddy-buddy with my dad doesn't mean you can fuck with my social life and get all pissy when I smoke, okay? I'm not a kid and I can take care of myself."

No, you're not a kid anymore, Blaine. All because of what that horrible man did to you.

"Look, Blaine, I'm sorry but it's concerning that you'd turn to something like wee-"

"It's not like I'm using it to get through a hard time! It's a party, Cooper. Have you been to one before? People drink, sometimes smoke, have a good time? Jesus, you're acting like I tried to OD on ecstasy! Kurt, come on," Blaine growled, pulling his boyfriend up and holding him close. "Just leave me alone, alright? You're fucking creepy."

"No," Cooper whined quietly. This could've been a chance to bond with Blaine, make sure he was alright through the night and play the big brother role he'd been eager to do for so long.

"Uh, dude, if you're not going to smoke that, can we have it back?"

Cooper was growing concerned. Blaine was ruthless. He'd been slamming back shots and passionately kissing Kurt for longer than Cooper could recall. It was nearing one am when he found Jason again, outside rubbing Sebastian's back whilst he vomited into the gutter, who told him the party would be ending soon.

Several screams and a ruckus of laughter brought Cooper and Jason sprinting inside. Blaine was slumped over the broken coffee table, shards of broken glass scattered across the carpet.

"What the fuck happened?" Jason cried, bending down and shaking Blaine's shoulder, who only burst into a fit of giggles and grinned happily.

"He was jumping up and down on the table, I tried getting him down but before I could the glass smashed and Blaine fell right through," Kurt moaned, unshed tears visible in his eyes. Cooper stood frozen with fear, scared of what injuries Blaine could've suffered.

"T-that w-was awesome!" the younger boy cried, the crowd cheering him. He pushed himself from the metal frame despite Cooper and Jason's demands and fell against the glass with his palms. As the wounds began to bleed and Blaine didn't register any pain, Cooper helped him stand and ushered him toward the bathroom while Jason was desperately trying to make the people in the living room leave into the kitchen.

Blaine was slumped against the toilet, a tired smile on his lips.

"Blaine, can I roll up your pants a little? I just want to see if the glass cut you."

Blaine hmmed a response and Cooper gently began folding back the fabric of Blaine's pants, shocked to see there were no cuts.

"How do you fall through a glass table and not cut yourself?" Cooper inquired. Blaine simply showed his bleeding palms in reply and Cooper had to bite back a laugh.

"Is this not hurting?" Cooper wondered as he gently washed away the blood from Blaine's hands, picking out small shards of glass with a pair of tweezers Kurt insisted he carried around with him in case of emergency.

"Had worse," Blaine slurred, leaning his head against Cooper's arm. The elder nearly broke down right there and then. Worse? What type of injuries had Blaine sustained? He couldn't bear having Blaine's head against him, reminding him of all the years he'd missed.

"Like what?"

"Hmm," Blaine sighed. "C-Cooper, 'm sorry for c-calling you cr-creepy. You-you're not an' please, please forgive m-me!"

"Of course I forgive you, Blaine. I understand I was a little out of line, so I'm sorry. There, your hands should be okay when Kurt wraps them for you," Cooper nodded, letting go of Blaine's fingers, falling confused as Blaine collapsed to his knees in front of him.

"B-Blaine? What are you doing?"

"T-thanking you. I'm a liiiitle drunk s-so it might-might be a l-little sloppy b-but let-let me th-thank you!" the boy explained, reaching for Cooper's belt buckle.

"Blaine, no!" he cried, falling to his own knees and wrapping his arms around his brother's shoulders. "God, no Blaine, you don't need to do that, okay? For anyone, okay?"

"B-but Kurt likes i-it when I suck h-his dick," Blaine frowned. "D-doesn't he?"

"Has-has Kurt ever forced you to do that, Blaine?" Cooper whispered, still holding Blaine close.

"No! It's u-usually him sucking me but I-I'm super g-good at it, Cooper."

"Oh God, Blaine," Cooper whimpered into Blaine's now natural hair. He wasn't sure how long they stayed there but eventually Blaine drifted into a light slumber. Cooper carried him to the room Kurt and he would be sharing, tucking him beneath the duvet. Kurt stood waiting at the door.

"Thanks for looking after him, Cooper. I was a mess, I'm sorry. Can-can I ask a question?"

"It's not a problem and of course you can, Kurt, what's up?"

"Why is Blaine so important to you?"

"That's a story for another time, Kurt," Cooper sighed. "Now, go on, you get some sleep. I'm going to help Jason clear everything up. Night, Kurt."

"Night Cooper."