Title: If you were coming in the Fall, I'd brush the Summer by

Disclaimer: not my characters; the song mentioned belongs to Pink; title from Dickinson

Warnings: mostly pre-series, mentions of child abuse

Pairings: pre-Kurt/Blaine

Rating: PG

Wordcount: 550

Point of view: third

Notes: Warbler David's pov prior to the story; I got his last name from the Glee wiki


His first semester at Dalton, Blaine Anderson didn't really make a splash. No one noticed him much; Dalton gets a lot of quiet boys, boys in the process of healing, scarred and scared boys. Blaine was one among many.

David Thompson didn't register anything special about the kid until the spring auditions. Blaine was clearly the best of the new talent and he sang Pink's 'Eventually' like it had been written specifically for him. In their first decision as the Council, David, Wes, and Thad all voted for Blaine as their lead soloist in the upcoming semester.

Over the summer, David didn't think any more about the kid.

The Blaine Anderson who walked into Dalton as a junior was a revelation. He was brilliant and kind and threw himself into everything he did. He embraced the Warblers and listened to criticism, always incorporating it into his performances. He was a natural showman; David delighted in watching him.

"Will your parents be coming to the concert?" Thad asked as he, David, and Blaine walked downstairs to prepare for their first performance of the semester.

"Ah, no," Blaine said. "Dad's away again and Mom—no." He hurried ahead, slightly, and Thad looked at David, who shrugged.

David paid more attention after that. Blaine never mentioned his parents, and he answered direct questions with 'yes' or 'no.' He didn't react like a stereotypically abused child, but he flinched when Wes handed him a lit candle.

A month into the school-year, Blaine was on the phone with his dad, nodding along while flipping through a magazine – Vogue, David saw. Blaine collected the issues; he had at least a year's worth in the corner of his dorm-room.

"Yes, Dad," Blaine was saying while David went over his history notes, trying to decide what trick Mr. Foster would put in the essay question of their next test. "Of course I'll come home this weekend." And then, out the corner of his eye, David saw Blaine's hands freeze, the page of the magazine fluttering down.

"No," Blaine said quietly. "I won't come if she's there." A pause, then just as quietly, "Goodbye, Dad."

He finished the call, turned off his phone, and set his clasped hands on the table, looking straight ahead. He sat still as a statue while David tried to think of something to say.

Finally, he just asked, "Blaine?"

"I won't be going home this weekend," Blaine said, going back to his magazine.

David stared at him for a few moments, until Blaine looked back up with a small, so very fake, smile. "Don't worry, David," he said. "My dad's going see my mom on Saturday." He shrugged. "It's not a big deal."

"Is your mom hospitalized somewhere?" David asked.

Blaine laughed. It sounded as bitter as his rendition of 'Eventually' had been. "Yes," he said. "She's hospitalized somewhere."

David turned back to his notes. Blaine flipped through Vogue. The whole thing bugged David, but he never did figure out how to bring it up over the next few months, as Blaine settled in as lead soloist and went home no weekends at all. He even talked about it with Wes and Thad once, as they compared notes on what they'd observed about Blaine.

And then Blaine serenaded an endearing spy and it didn't matter anymore.