Blaine couldn't have been further from okay if he was in another universe. Cooper had given him exactly twenty seven hours and forty three minutes before he launched into lectures and consequences and what would people think of the great Cooper Anderson if he had to miss his master classes and evening teachings because he had to take his baby brother to all 'those natal classes, you know Blainey, post, pre, I'm sure there's one I'm missing…'
Cooper had started the evening with a very calm 'take a chair, Squirt, we need to talk this out' and everything had just plummeted downward from there. Cooper didn't want a conversation with Blaine; he wanted Blaine to listen to him. Blaine sat there in silence for almost an hour whilst Cooper listed everything that was wrong with the situation and how nothing was going to be the same again, for which Anderson brother Blaine wasn't sure, and after a while all Blaine heard was Cooper saying, in five different ways, 'what did I do to deserve this!?'
Cooper had been there for Blaine when he needed him, when his parents didn't want him anymore, couldn't deal with him and 'the way he was' and Blaine had let it slip from his memory that Cooper was a selfish person. He might not always mean it but if a situation arose that was unexpected or new they always concentrated on how it affected Cooper and then they either touched on everyone else or just stayed silent and hope everything would fall in to place around them.
Cooper didn't offer Blaine any sympathy, nope; he had apparently done that all the previous day. There was just a lot of finger pointing and Cooper's booming voice and when Blaine had begun to cry and not offer any other answers Cooper just got more frustrated, sat on the sofa with his head in his hands and asked Blaine, quietly, to just go into his room and stay there for a while.
Blaine went toward his room and stood by the open door, wiping the tears from his face, he had cried in their home enough. He closed the door, gently, and slipped out of the back door to their home. He had gotten used to seeing that door as an escape when Cooper had been fighting for him, for them, a few years back and his parents were always calling and sending letters and there always seemed to be a man in a suit in their dining room. Blaine decided that he would just go for a walk tonight, just aimlessly, try and find some kind of answers in the dark night.
He kicked a stone across the street and wondered what it would be like going back to school tomorrow. He had missed today, just needing to curl up, be alone for a while and wanting to be there when Cooper got home from his day classes at the community college. Blaine sighed when he remembered Monday, falling asleep in Mr Hummel's class and then practically vomiting on his, ridiculously tight, pants. I bet that would have gotten me a few more days off school though…
Blaine moved through the empty street before coming to a stop outside the Lima Bean. He pouted a little when he realised his days of medium drips would be gone for a while. He went inside and ordered a decaf tea and a soft cookie. He had learnt today that anything doughy actually stopped his nausea for a while so he was eternally thankful when he saw the cookies sitting in the cabinet. He took a seat outside the shop, not wanting to get in the way of the staff cleaning up before closing and, to enjoy the fresh air.
Oh baby, how are we going to tell Sebastian? Blaine looked down at his stomach, as if expecting a little answer; he remained silent listening to random snippets of conversations as people passed the shop. Hey, Baz. Remember we were going to have a weekend alone, mind a third joining? Urgh, no. That wasn't going to work. Sebastian, we need to talk. No, no. That sounded too much like a parent lecturing their child about breaking curfew. Seb, you lived in Paris for a while. Can you remember what 'enceinte' means? Shit. Dude! I'm knocked up. Preggo teen!
Blaine was unaware he'd been mumbling to himself, clutching his hot tea between two hands, shaking his head so he was startled to find that he had an audience.
"Mr Anderson? It's a bit late for you to be out isn't it?" Blaine looked up from his hands to see Mr Hummel standing in front of him, wearing a puzzled look. Mr Hummel always dressed so crisply, layer upon layer hair carefully styled. Whoever this man was, he didn't look like Mr Hummel at all. He had messy, coiffed, hair and a short sleeved, plain, t-shirt with tight denim, faded, jeans.
Blaine continued to stare up at him, mind drawing a blank, for almost seven months he'd thought this man was angelic and perfect and now he was discovering he was even more attractive after dark than he was at school, on a day to day basis. Blaine could feel his heart thumping away inside his chest. He couldn't tear his eyes away from Mr Hummel's gaze.
"Mr Hummel?"
"Yes?"
"Oh, um…" Talk. Blaine, just talk! Why is he so darn attractive, why couldn't he look more like a troll!?
"Why are you out this late?" Kurt hadn't missed the low slope of the young boy's shoulder as he seemed to be talking to his drink. He hadn't thought twice before calling out to him but after he looked up Kurt saw his reddened eyes and realised he had been crying as well and it tore at Kurt's heart.
"I, um, came out for a walk. I argued a little with Coop- er, my brother. So I just, y'know. Felt like not being… there." Blaine picked his feet up from the floor in front of him and crossed his legs on his chair, almost trying to make himself smaller.
Kurt tugged on the leashes he held to make the dogs sit by Blaine's table. "Did you want to talk about it?"
"Not much to say. I think my brother's regretting taking me on and that I'm a screw up." Blaine refused to look back up at him, choosing instead to play with the hem of his pants by his ankles.
"You aren't a screw up, Blaine; you're smart, funny and cute. You'll do well in College and make him proud. Don't think any less of yourself."
"Mr Hummel… I'm," Blaine hesitated and took a deep breath before saying, "I'm not going to college. Not after graduation."
Kurt sat down, suddenly, on the chair opposite Blaine, both dogs following his path until they were lying together almost under the table, "Why not?"
"I'm pregnant." There. That makes two people I've told now. "And I'm keeping the baby."
It wasn't like Kurt didn't have his suspicions yesterday, he hadn't grown up under a rock and he had a lot of gay friends in New York that had ended up in the same boat. "Is that why you and your brother…?"
"Why we were arguing, yes" Blaine sighed, fingers returning to his hem. "Coop… He likes controlling things, situations, and people. He doesn't quite understand that this is my decision at the end of it all."
"It is your decision, Blaine, but you're only seventeen. He's probably only trying to help."
"I'll be eighteen in January." Blaine mumbled defensively.
"Right. So, it's November now. How far along are you?"
Blaine flushed, suddenly embarrassed to be talking about this with his teacher of all people.
"About eight weeks. That's what the doctor said. Coop made me go this morning if I wasn't going to go to school."
Kurt reached across the table to touch Blaine's arm, noting how uncomfortable the boy appeared to be. "Hey, I said this stays between us and I promised it. I won't be telling anyone else."
"Thank you." Blaine whispered, not wanting to break the moment of Kurt's hand on his forearm. "I'm not sure what to do." Blaine stood up, tossing his still full drink in the trash, "All Coop and I did was argue. There was nothing planned."
Kurt stood up just after Blaine following him on his slow walk down the path, letting the dogs walk at the side of him that Blaine wasn't. "I can imagine this is very taxing on you Blaine. Have you told anyone else? Does, um…" Kurt hesitates slightly, not wanting to offend Blaine by assuming anything but knowing he needed to finish his question, "does the baby's father know?"
Blaine blew out a breath of laughter. "Oh, no. I haven't found the courage for that one yet. I guess I haven't found the right words yet."
"He should know." Kurt watched Blaine's face fall into a frown. He really was cute, Kurt found himself wanting to smooth out those wrinkles that marred his face and kiss away all his worries. Kurt, himself, began to furrow his eyebrows determined to remind himself not to think of Blaine that way. He was young, so young, and so troubled right now. He didn't need his teacher perving on him added to that list. "Have you thought of anything, how to tell him?"
"I've thought a lot… But I haven't got an idea." Blaine turned his head to face his teacher, "any ideas?"
"I've never been in a situation like this so unfortunately, no."
They lapsed into a comfortable silence, as they continued their walk, neither of them wanting to shatter the quiet. Blaine was trying his very hardest to not squeal like a thirteen year old, wanting to remain as mature as possible around him whereas Kurt was trying equally as hard to remind himself that this wasn't any kind of a date and that Blaine was still only seventeen.
"Any particular reason you went to the Lima Bean?"
"Halfway between my house and the school, it's just familiarity."
"Oh." Blaine sounded slightly disappointed with Kurt's answer.
"Thursday night's they open a little later, they do an open mic night. I was just coming past to make sure it was still on. They cancelled last week."
"Open mic. So you… sing?"
"Yes, I do."
"Wow. Why have I never heard you sing?"
Kurt shyly looked down at the floor. "I'm not a fan of singing at school. It attracts a lot attention that I don't really need."
"Darn. I was hoping I could convince you to come along to Glee club some time."
Kurt laughed politely at Blaine's pouting face. "I hear you guys some times. You sound like you're all having fun. It's good that you have that support."
Blaine felt a bit embarrassed to be asking but he really wanted to know. "So, what do you think of my voice?
Kurt thought for a minute, knowing he had picked out Blaine's smooth tones the first time he had walked past the choir room last year but, wanting to give Blaine an honest answer. "You're very talented Blaine. You have a very smooth voice, a crooner's voice. Like Sinatra."
"So you like it." Blaine was adorable, it was clear he just wanted Kurt's approval.
"Yes, Blaine. I like your voice."
"I'd like to hear you sing."
If Kurt didn't know better he would swear Blaine was trying to flirt with him, and a large part of him was enjoying it. "Errrr, I don't know."
"Oh, please, Mr Hummel. You've heard me!"
When Kurt looked back on this conversation he would know that he went against all his better judgement but the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. "You don't have to call me Mr Hummel outside of school, Blaine, I'm fine with Kurt."
The blush that bloomed across Blaine's cheeks was beautiful and Kurt felt ridiculously proud of the fact that he had been the one to cause it.
"So… Kurt, will you sing for me?"
Kurt hesitated again and Blaine pulled a little on his arm, trying to convince him, "Okay, okay. But then I'm getting you home. Right?"
Blaine looked slightly crestfallen but after a moment's thought he agreed. "Okay, I'm prepared. Dazzle me."
Kurt voice was even more angelic, if possible, when he began to sing. It was high, higher than Blaine could ever hope to reach, but it suited him. It flowed out of him and made Blaine's eyes glaze over. If he thought Kurt couldn't get any more beautiful, he had just been proven wrong. Blaine listened intently to Kurt as he finished the first verse of 'Blackbird' by The Beatles. His voice held so much emotion and Blaine couldn't help but be mesmerised.
"Wow" Blaine was clearly impressed. "And, after that, you think I'm good!?
"You're young, Blaine, I've had a lot more time to train my voice to do what I want it to do."
"Geeze, you make it sound like you're a relic."
Kurt laughed along with Blaine. "Ten years makes all the difference when you're almost thirty."
"You're not over the hill or anything."
Kurt threw back his head, showing off small white teeth, "No, I'm nowhere near that hill, thank you!"
Before too long they were standing outside Blaine's house and Blaine's feet felt like lead, he didn't want to go in and not for the simple fact he didn't want to face Cooper, he didn't want to leave Kurt. Kurt looked down at Blaine and smiled lightly. "See you in class tomorrow?"
Kurt knew he was pushing it but when Blaine was silent he needed to know that Blaine would be okay before letting him go into the house. "Blaine, you will be in school tomorrow?"
"There's no way Coop is going to let me stay at home again…" Abruptly everything came crashing back down to Blaine again and tears filled his eyes once more. "I need to tell Sebastian. I just don't know how."
"Blaine, you know I'm here if you need to talk. About anything." Kurt ran his, free, hand down Blaine's arm, preventing him from running away and into the house. His two dogs sat on the pavement next to them, staring up at their master stroking the stranger.
Blaine smiled back at Kurt, before leaning in and quickly pressing his lips to Kurt's warm cheek, whispering his thanks before disappearing around the back of the house. Leaving Kurt with a permanent imprint of how screwed he was searing into his cheek.
See you all next week! :)
