Author's Note:
Yes, I'm posting my Blaine Big Bang 2020 fic today! A huge big thank you to my beta hkvoyage for her invaluable feedback and never-flagging encouragement, and to my artist redheadgleek for the lovely cover art she made for this fic!
I hope you enjoy this story, and by all means, let me know what you think, I love hearing from you :-)
Chapter 1: Plus One
Between him and Darcy there was a very steady friendship, in spite of a great opposition of character. - Bingley was endeared to Darcy by the easiness, openness, ductility of his temper, though no disposition could offer a greater contrast to his own, and though with his own he never appeared dissatisfied.
(An excerpt from Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)
"What do you need a plus one for? A charity dinner?" Blaine asked, buttering a piece of baguette and taking a big bite. He'd been up and about since six that morning, and was too hungry to wait until his soup was heated up.
Cooper grinned. "A wedding. This Saturday."
"Oh no, no, no, not again! Remember that drunk old man the last time who kept groping me? I'm not coming with you. No way.
Cooper put his arm around Blaine's shoulder. "Now, Blainey, don't be like that. We've always had good times at these weddings together, haven't we? I love this new hobby of mine! Relieves more stress than a deep tissue massage. Touching ceremonies, good food, singing and dancing, and tons of people in the mood for some fun. Can't fathom why I ever turned down wedding invitations before. Why did I? Oh yeah, probably because I worked 24/7. Glad I'm past that stage now. It's way more fun spending money than making it. And everybody loves the gifts I show up with at weddings. Remember that time I bought the newlyweds a brand new Aston Martin? They were so happy!"
Well, it was certainly true that Cooper had worked his ass off to get where he was now. When Blaine was a child, his brother starred in so many ads that Blaine saw him more often on television than in real life. And then, Cooper had moved away to Los Angeles to start his own advertising business, and in a few years, his firm had become a household name. The flipside of that was that Cooper hardly ever came home for a visit anymore. He missed even Christmas, and though he sent amazing presents for Blaine's birthdays, he never once showed up.
Cooper HAD been there when it mattered, though. When Blaine ended up in hospital after the Sadie Hawkins dance, Coop had dropped everything and flown to Ohio immediately, where he'd spent the next weeks entertaining Blaine by reading to him and singing with him and telling funny stories about shoots he'd done.
And when Blaine graduated high school and his father refused to pay for college because he wanted to study music composition instead of something 'practical', Cooper had smoothed the way at once. He had relocated to New York, bought a brownstone close to the NYU campus and invited Blaine to come live with him, 'to keep him company', and had paid him handsomely to help him out with work, doing odd jobs. In no time, Blaine had learned how to build sets, apply make-up, spray long hair to make it look enticingly windswept, arrange food on a plate in the most appetizing way and produce all sorts of sound effects. He'd even written a jingle or two – which made him money every time it was played on the radio and on TV!
By the time school started, Blaine had found out that Cooper had paid his NYU attendance fees and bought all his course books for him.
Cooper had waved away Blaine's thanks. "You've worked hard this summer, and I know I'll be able to count on you again when I need you."
"Of course."
And in the years that followed, Cooper did call on him from time to time, but he made sure not to overtax his brother, and to leave him alone when he had too much school work.
Yes, all in all, Cooper was an amazing brother. Blaine just wished he'd get another hobby. He hated being tagged along to a wedding where he didn't know anybody.
Cooper shot Blaine a winning smile and turned his laptop in Blaine's direction. "And these two have such INTERESTING things on their wedding registry list. Look! They're asking for a Louis XV pet pavilion. And look at this Swarovski-studded cat flap! It's all cat stuff. I don't think there's one thing on the list that's for themselves. Isn't that FASCINATING? Oh, I want to go!"
"So take your secretary," Blaine suggested. "Or that leggy blonde that sneaked out of the house at five o'clock this morning."
"Ew, no! They'd both think I was serious about them if I took them to a wedding."
Blaine rolled his eyes at his brother. "Why don't you go stag, then?"
Cooper pouted. "But it's no fun turning up there all by my lonesome! I won't know anyone!"
"What do you mean you don't know anyone?" Blaine probed. "It's not the daughter of a business associate this time?"
"Nope."
"A friend from high school or a cousin twice removed who knows you're filthy rich now and wants a piece of that?"
Cooper shook his head. "Nope and nope."
"Ugh, don't tell me you're crashing a wedding you're not even invited to? Not again! One day, you're going to get in trouble for that, and you will only have yourself to blame!"
Cooper grinned and fanned himself with an ivory card. "Nope. Got the invitation right here!"
Blaine furrowed his eyebrows. "So what, you got a wedding invite from total strangers?"
"Weeell…" Cooper drawled, letting the sentence trail off with a shoulder wiggle.
"Well what?"
Cooper studied the photograph on the invitation and tilted his head to the side. "It's possible I slept with one of the brides. The blonde one looks kind of familiar."
Blaine side-eyed his brother. "Kind of? As in, you're not even sure?"
Cooper shrugged. "Hard to keep track of them all."
Blaine sniffed in disgust.
Cooper studied the card again. "But I'm 80% sure. And isn't it sporting of her to invite me to her wedding? I don't want to get married, but I'm all for other people tying the knot. And inviting me to the party."
The microwave pinged, and Blaine got his soup out and started to eat, paying no more attention to his ridiculous brother.
Cooper left him alone for a few minutes, scrolling through the wedding registry and occasionally exclaiming about another idiotic cat accessory. Then he wheedled, "Come with me? Pretty please? With cherries and cream on top? I really want to go!"
Blaine glared at Cooper. "No. Find someone else. I have essays to work on this weekend, and I have a gig Sunday evening. An actual paying gig this time, not just an open mic thing. So I have to be sober and well rested. I want them to ask me back."
Cooper pouted. "Ruin my fun."
"Oh, I'm all for you having fun," Blaine said, rinsing out his bowl and putting it in the dishwasher. "Just don't expect me to tag along."
He took his satchel and headed towards his room, but Cooper stopped him with a hand on his arm. "I'll buy you a vintage Martin guitar like that guy from across the street has. I've seen you looking, that time he invited us for a barbecue. More hungry for that guitar than for the ribs and sausages Ted was grilling."
"He doesn't even PLAY it!" Blaine whined. "It's hanging on the wall for show. Because it costs the earth. Why would you buy a guitar that sounds THAT good to just hang it on a wall?"
Coop nodded. "Exactly. You would never. That's settled then. I'll get you your guitar, and you'll come to the wedding with me. Thanks, squirt, I knew I could count on you!"
And off he was, taking the stairs two at a time, whistling.
Blaine stared after him, then shook his head and chuckled. Coop always knew how to get his way. All right then, where was his grey suit?