I Know You've Got Hands of Stone

They stay in the farmhouse for another day, mapping out their route to Kansas and gathering supplies and gas for the cars, after finding quite a few five gallon containers in the garage. By about noon on their third day in Indiana, Cooper and Blaine get in their car and follow the red truck back down the street and out of the small town that they had made home.

Unlike Cooper and Blaine, Emily and her group are not scared to travel down the normally busy highways. They find themselves on westbound I-70 early in the day and both brothers are surprised to see how many abandoned and overturned cars are on the side of the highway. "It looks like it's been a year…" Blaine comments, staring out the window.

"Not just a few days," Cooper finishes, nodding his head in agreement. In fact, he finds it quite terrifying.

Blaine, needing a distraction, reaches down and grabs Cooper's iPhone out of the pocket of his duffel bag and plugs it into the car's speakers. He turns the volume down, so as not to make too much noise, but puts the phone on shuffle as they drive, the music giving him something new to think about. It's as if just a couple of songs – even if they're not his favorites – can make Blaine feel like he's at home again and he belts along with the songs he knows, smiling at Cooper as he does so.

Thankfully, the larger group is smart enough to avoid big cities, and after about seven hours or so of driving, they find themselves nearing a small town in Missouri. The truck in front of them slows to a stop and before Cooper can question why, Emily hops out to inform them that they're going to search for a place to stay for the night. Agreeing that it's a good idea, Cooper continues to follow them through the lush, green countryside.

"I bet there's a river nearby," Blaine comments as he stares out the window, "I brought my water filter from camping… We can get more water for the road while we're here."

"Good idea," Cooper agrees, nodding.

Blaine shuts off the music as they near the town, afraid to attract any unwanted attention, and the cars slow down, creeping along the road as they survey the area. The boys are sure that there are some zombies (the word is still weird to say) around somewhere, but they're glad when they make it through the majority of the town's main street with encountering one.

That is, until they get to the middle school. They don't think anything of it, because it's the middle of the summer and there's no way anybody would be there, but as they drive slowly by, Cooper notices someone standing behind the fence, their gaze fixed on the cars – their half missing arm a dead giveaway that they're, well… dead. As they drive, they spot another, and another, and as they near the top of the hill, they see the group, about thirty – if not more – corpses gripping tight onto the chain link fence, growling and snarling at the cars as they creep slowly by.

"But…" Cooper starts, confused as to why it seems like the majority of the population of the town, not just children, are contained behind the fence. He's sure there's even more of them that he can't see, inside the school or on the other side of the building, but he tries not to think about it.

"Maybe they thought it was safe there," Blaine offers, "Either way, I'm glad they're in there and not out here…"

Cooper gulps and nods his head in agreement and is glad when they move on, leaving the school behind. It's about another twenty minutes before they come across a small house, much like the one back in Indiana, on the side of the road. It's first one they've seen in a few miles and they decide that it's a good place to start.

They inspect the property, just like they had at the other house, and when they don't find anything – no little girls upstairs – they decide that it's a good place to stay for the night and begin unloading their things into the house. Blaine and Cooper take a room to themselves again, and when Cooper finds a smaller bed than the one from the night before, he gulps. He's been able to hold back – to keep holding those feelings down – but this is pushing it. He doesn't say anything, though, as he and Blaine load their things into the room.

"I don't know about you guys," Emily is saying as the brothers join the rest of the group downstairs a few minutes later, "But I am dying for a shower." Cooper nods in agreement with everyone else and runs his fingers through his oily hair. It's been almost ninety degrees every day and he feels sticky with dirt and sweat. "There was a river not far back," She continues, "I say we go down in groups and get clean. I brought some soap and stuff…"

"So did we," Cooper chimes in, glad that he had grabbed basically everything from the bathroom when they had left their house.

"Great!" Emily replies smiling, "How about me, Ivory, Derek and Shane go, and then you Blaine, and Cody and go after us?"

The boys agree and spend their time wandering around the property, collecting whatever supplies they can while the others are gone. When they return, towels from the bathroom wrapped around them and smiling, Cooper, Blaine and Cody head in the same direction.

They reach the river within five minutes, toting shampoo and soap and a couple of weapons – just in case – and without warning, Blaine practically cannonballs into the cool water. Cooper wants to be a big brother – wants to yell at him for jumping in with his clothes on because now they're going to be soaked, Blaine – but he can't seem to care when his little brother emerges from the water, gray tank top clinging to his skin before he pulls it off and tosses it into the grass. "Come on in," Blaine calls playfully, splashing at Cooper and Cody, "Water's fine." Cooper and the other boy glance at eachother quickly before pulling their own shirts over their heads, kicking their jeans to the side, and joining Blaine in the water.

Cody is done quickly, and doesn't say much once they're in the water except for when he asks if they'll be okay alone. Cooper and Blaine share a look before shrugging and telling him to be careful heading back. And then they're alone, and suddenly Cooper thinks that maybe it's not the best idea. Not because of the threat of any zombies, but because of his little brother.

Blaine is much more toned than he remembers. His stomach is tight from boxing and his arms… When he lifts his arms over his head to scrub the shampoo in, Cooper can't help but gape at the way his muscles flex.

When did your baby brother turn into this?

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," Blaine quips, shaking Cooper out of his thoughts and immediately causing a blush to creep up his neck.

"Oh shut up," Cooper replies, splashing some water onto Blaine. It's not his best comeback but he's feeling flustered and Blaine seems to listen as he continues quietly rinsing the suds out of his hair.

It isn't long before the brothers are clean and their teeth are brushed, and they're making their way back to camp, towels wrapped around their waists, and Cooper has to physically stop himself from looking at Blaine as they walk side by side.

"Coop?" Blaine's voice breaks the silence between them.

"Hmm?" Cooper replies, still looking forward for fear that if he looks at him he won't be able to stop staring.

"What are the chances that we get to Colorado and find mom and dad?" His voice sounds small, like a child and Cooper is quickly reminded of a day when Blaine was just in middle school, looking down at his feet as he squeaked out Cooper, I think I like boys... is that bad?

"I don't know, B…" Cooper replies, looking down, "Honestly? Probably not that good."

Blaine is quiet for a second, taking it in before, "Can we still go?"

Finally, Cooper stops walking to look at him. Blaine looks scared, as if Cooper's decision will determine his entire future. He smiles slightly, "Of course."

Blaine nods, mostly to himself before he continues walking, "Good, cause if – when this blows over, I want somewhere new to start over…" The conversation ends before Cooper can open his mouth to reply because then Emily is waving at them as they approach the house, smiling and explaining how they found a fire pit and want to have a fire tonight. The conversation is over, but Cooper can't help but linger on Blaine's words, wondering what things would be like if and when they started over.

Blaine changes first, then Cooper finds his way up the stairs and into the room to find clean clothes. He pulls on a pair of clean jeans before walking over the bedroom window and looking outside. From his angle, he can see the entire backyard, which is actually pretty nice. He can also see Blaine, who is talking with Ivory and Shane as they walk around the yard, gathering branches and pieces of wood to build the fire with. He suddenly seems to sense Cooper's stare and glances up at the house, smiling when he catches his eyes before looking back down.

The look makes Cooper's heart leap and he hurries to pull his shirt over his head, then puts his shoes on, so he can head downstairs with everyone else. When he gets downstairs and into the yard, though, Emily pulls him to the side, leading him toward the cars. "We found a grill over on the other side of the house and it looks like there's even some charcoal left," She explains, "We brought a cooler with some meat and refrigerated stuff, which was probably stupid and a waste of space, but these burgers need to be cooked and I was wondering if you could do us the honors?" She opens the cooler for Cooper, smiling as nods and agrees to make something to eat.

So that's how Cooper finds himself cooking dinner for everyone else instead of spending time with Blaine, like he wants to, but he decides that it can wait until they start over. He hears Blaine call to him at one point, telling him that he's going to go gather firewood with Cody and Shane, and he waves the spatula over his shoulder in response, too busy cooking to turn around.

About twenty minutes later, as Cooper starts putting the food on paper plates and grabbing waters for everyone, he notices that the three boys aren't back yet. When Emily sees the worried look on his face though, she just smiles reassuringly, "They're fine. I saw them not too far away about five minutes ago. They took my gun with them, too." Cooper sighs out in relief and starts handing out food.

When Cody and Shane return without Blaine, though, he begins to panic. "Where's my brother?" He asks, striding quickly over from the grill to the two boys.

Shane shrugs, "He wandered off a few minutes ago and said he'd be right back but then we couldn't find him… That's why we came back."

"What?" Cooper's eyes widen comically and he drops the spatula before storming toward the woods calling Blaine.

"Cooper, not so loud," Emily warns, "We'll find him."

He just shakes his head though, and keeps walking until he's in the trees, ignoring Emily's voice. He pulls his gun from the waistband of his jeans, holding onto it tightly as he storms through the trees, heart pounding. "Blaine!" He calls, causing a couple of nearby birds to take flight loudly. When he doesn't hear anything in response, he starts walking faster, more frantically.

There's no way he's gone. He can't be. He's the only thing you have.

"Blaine!" Cooper yells again, his heart is loud in his ears now, practically screaming at him, and his hands are shaking as he stands alone in the forest. He feels like his entire world is crashing down.

"Blaine please tell me you're out there," He pleads, quieter. He feels his lip quiver and knows that the tears welling up in his eyes are about to spill over. All of the tears he's held back from the beginning – the ones for their parents, the ones for Blaine, the ones for himself – are threatening to spill over his eyes. All it will take is one blink and-

Cooper's body spins around when he hears something moving in the thick woods behind him and he raises his gun, hands shaking. He blinks his eyes to rid himself of the tears obscuring his vision and they spill down his cheeks but he can't bring himself to care. Instead, he stares intently at the trees, the noise getting louder.

Cooper isn't sure if he feels the weight of the world lifted off of his shoulders when Blaine steps out into the clearing or if he feels incredibly stupid because here he is crying when his brother is obviously fine. Blaine is holding large chunks of wood in his hands along with Cooper's axe, but when he sees the look on his brother's face, he drops it all. "Cooper?"

"What the fuck, Blaine?" He spits out, unaware of how mad he is until Blaine speaks.

"W-what?" Blaine asks, cocking his head to the side.

It only takes a few seconds before Cooper is shoving the weapon back into the waistband of his jeans and closing the gap between him and Blaine in a few short strides. "What the fuck were you thinking?" He asks through gritted teeth.

"I-I was just getting some firewood," Blaine explains, glancing down at the pile at his feet.

"Yeah, with Shane and Cody. What the fuck happened to that?"

"Woah, calm down, Coop," Blaine says holding his hands up defensively, "I figured it would be better if we split up."

"Do you know what happens to people when they split up?" Cooper asks, feeling very much like a parent scolding a little kid for running off in the grocery store, "They die."

At that, Blaine's eyes narrow and he seems to have had enough with Cooper yelling at him. "Well I'm alive, aren't I?"

"Yeah, this time," Cooper spits back, his face inches from Blaine's, "Don't let this shit happen again."

"Jesus, you sound just like dad," Blaine snaps.

"I'm sorry that I want you safe," Cooper returns just as fast, his heart racing.

"I am safe," Blaine argues, "Calm down."

Cooper rolls his eyes and throws his hands up in the air, frustrated, "You don't get it, do you, Blaine?"

"No, obviously I don't, so why don't you explain it to me," Blaine shoots back, crossing his arms.

"You are the only person I have left, Blaine. No mom, no dad. Yeah, those are my friends out there, but I don't care about any of them half as much as I care about you, okay? So when you wander off like that, it scares the shit out of me because I can't bear the thought of losing you, too," His words are fast, rushed, but by the look on Blaine's face, he got his point across.

"Cooper…" Blaine breaths out, his body relaxing as he realizes why he was so worked up, "I-"

Blaine doesn't have a chance to say anything else though, because suddenly Cooper is surging forward, catching his parted lips with his own. He doesn't know why he does it – maybe it's the adrenilane already pumping through his body that pushes him over the edge or maybe it's because he just practically spilled his guts to his brother, but either way, they're suddenly kissing and he doesn't want it to stop.

It catches Blaine off guard at first, the all too familiar feeling of someone's lips pressed against his own, but when he realizes that they're Cooper's, his heart lurches. He wants to push him away, to ask what the fuck, Cooper, but he can't. It's not that he physically can't, but it's that he can't bring himself to do it. Something inside of him just clicks when he realizes that it's Cooper that he's kissing and suddenly he's snaking his arm around his brother's middle to pull them closer. It's in that that moment that Cooper pulls his lips away, breathing heavily and staring at Blaine for a moment, looking for a disgusted reaction, a protest, anything, but when he doesn't receive one, he dives back in.

It doesn't take long before Blaine feels his brother's mouth parting and his tongue sliding against his lips and he opens his own mouth, allowing him in. He tastes so Cooper, despite the faint taste of toothpaste, and if Blaine had ever thought about what Cooper would taste like, it was everything like that and more. Cooper's tongue slides against his own as if they were made for eachother and he whimpers quietly into his mouth and woah, that's new.

They don't pull apart until they hear Emily and Derek's voices calling them, and when they do, Cooper is off of Blaine in an instant, staring at him with wide eyes. "Over here," He calls back over his shoulder, still staring at Blaine, who returns the look, mouth parted, still panting from the kiss.

"There you guys are…" Emily breaths, relieved as they enter the clearing.

"Yeah," Cooper replies shortly, eyes never leaving Blaine, "Lets head back."

At that, he turns on his heel to leave the forest; Blaine, Emily and Derek close behind.

That night, Blaine sits across from Cooper at the campfire, practically staring holes into him while the older boy pretends not to notice. In reality he's internally panicking because he kissed Blaine and he shouldn't have. He shouldn't have, because they have much more important things to be worrying about besides his fucked up feelings. Yet there he sits, staring down at the dirt in the dim light of the setting sun, pretending that he doesn't feel his little brother's gaze from across the fire.

Blaine on the other hand, is confused. He's confused because up until now, he never thought about Cooper that way. In fact, if a few hours ago, someone asked him what he thought about his brother, he'd say that he's an amazing brother and his best friend, but now… Now he's not sure what he'd say. He stares across the fire at Cooper, who avoids his eyes and Blaine fights the urge to stand up and get his attention – to stand and scream why won't you look at me?

Instead, Blaine sits quietly on his side of the fire, studying Cooper's face. The light flickers across his cheeks, making long shadows out of his eyelashes and Blaine can't help but admire the curves of his cheekbones and the way that he can see a bit of stubble on his chin from not shaving for a few days. Normally, he wouldn't be studying his brother like this, but after what happened in the woods – after that kiss – he can't help it. He's not sure if it's because he's confused about it or because maybe it made him realize his feelings (the thought is still odd for him to even think) for his brother.

When Cooper leaves the fire to head to bed before anybody else, Blaine waits for a few minutes, toying with the idea, before getting up and saying goodnight as well. He takes a flashlight with, lighting his way along the eerily dark house, as he follows Cooper up the stairs. When he gets to their room, he pushes the door open slightly to reveal Cooper, pulling his shirt over his head and climbing into bed, illuminated by his own flashlight.

"Coop?" Blaine breaks the silence, speaking to him for the first time since they kissed.

"Hmm?" Cooper replies, laying on his back and closing his eyes, hoping that that Blaine will leave if he wills it enough. He knows that his little brother is going to want to talk about things, and he wants to avoid that as much as possible because frankly, he has no idea what is going on in his own head. And he definitely doesn't know what to say to make things better.

You're supposed to be protecting him. Not fucking making out with him.

Instead, Blaine doesn't push. He knows his brother well enough that if he asks about it now, he'll never get an answer, so instead he sticks with a vague question, "Are we okay?"

Cooper doesn't answer right away, but he opens his eyes to glance at his little brother, standing in the doorway. "Yeah. We're okay."

"I didn't mean to freak you out earlier," Blaine continues, trying to make him feel better. Maybe if they talk about something other than the kiss, it'll be easier to get him to talk about it later.

"It's fine, Blaine, really," Cooper says shortly, looking back up at the ceiling. When the younger boy just stands there, silent, he sighs, "Come here." Blaine obeys and crosses the room to stand next to the bed. When he doesn't lay down, Cooper pats the spot next to him, hoping he'll take the hint.

He apparently does, and lays down next to his brother after slipping his shoes off and tossing his shirt across the room. The silence between them is tense, both boys trying not to be the one to break first – neither of them wanting to be the one who brings the kiss up. They don't want to say anything, but when the silence is too much, Blaine finally takes a deep breath. "I'm not going to ask what happened back there," He says quietly, "But… I wouldn't mind if it happened again."

The confession takes Cooper by surprise and as much as he wishes he hadn't, he turns his head quickly to face Blaine. His flashlight is still sitting upright on the nightstand, giving him enough light to see his brother's face in the dim room. "What?" He finally manages, trying to grasp what he means.

"I mean… I know we'll have to talk about it eventually…" Blaine starts again, heart pounding. He can't believe what he's saying, but he knows it's what he's feeling. "But until then, I wouldn't mind if it happened again."

"You want me to kiss you," Cooper says. It's not a question because he knows what Blaine is trying to get at now, but he needs to make sure.

"Only if you want to," Blaine replies, finally turning to look at him as well.

Cooper doesn't have to be told twice. It's only a split second after the words leave Blaine's mouth before he's leaning up on one elbow, his other hand bringing his brother's face to his own. And then they're kissing again, just as heated and needy as they were earlier. At first it's all teeth and tongues, but as they kiss it becomes slower, deeper, more passionate. When Cooper pulls Blaine's bottom lip into his mouth, the younger boy lets out a strangled moan and involuntarily thrusts into him.

Though Cooper knows they shouldn't be doing this-

Because Blaine has no idea what he's getting himself into. You're going to wreck him…

-he presses down onto his brother's shoulders and flips them so Blaine is on his back and he's on top of him, straddling his hips.

Wow, this escalated quickly.

He stares down at Blaine with hungry eyes before catching his parted lips in another kiss. Blaine immediately groans up into his mouth, unsure of where all of this is coming from, but he doesn't dare stop it. Not now.

Cooper's hands are on either side of his face, holding it as they kiss before they begin to travel downwards, lightly playing over his ribs and back up. At one point he registers – in the back of his mind – that maybe they shouldn't be doing this. It's basically the end of the world and the last thing he needs to be worrying about is his own emotions, but he's been waiting for this for so long and when Blaine's hips buck up into his own, any thought of stopping goes right out the window.

Cooper's hands naturally find the button of Blaine's jeans and when there's no protest from the younger boy – in fact, he thrusts his hips up when he feels Cooper's hands on his jeans – he undoes them and slides them and his boxers quickly off. His hands are then immediately all over Blaine as he kisses down his neck and chest, taking everything in.

It isn't until Blaine leans up on his own accord, grabbing Cooper's own jeans by the belt loops and looking up at him that Cooper breaks the kiss to look at him. It's the first time they've had proper eye contact since they started kissing and when he looks into Blaine's half lidded eyes, it feels as though his heart triples in speed.

He doesn't even wait for Blaine to do it, and undoes his own jeans with shaky hands before pushing them and his boxers down as well, leaving them both completely naked. It only takes a second after Cooper is undressed that he's positioning himself in between Blaine's legs, as if he's belonged there his entire life.

"I'm sorry," Cooper breaths out, ragged and needy as he spits into his palm instead of using lube – because who really thinks of packing lube of all things, at the end of the world – and Blaine actually chuckles in response. It's dark and soft, but it's definitely a chuckle, and it sends a shiver down Cooper's spine.

He makes quick work of preparing Blaine, intoxicated by the heat around his fingers at first. It only takes a few thrusts of them before Blaine is bucking up and groaning out, "Fuck, fuck Cooper… Right there…" and Cooper has to lean forward and kiss him to silence him.

"Quiet," He whispers, his voice still completely wrecked, before kissing Blaine's neck wetly and slipping his fingers out.

He's not as prepared as Cooper would like him to be, but in a split second it doesn't matter because Blaine is whimpering his name again, thrusting his hips up into the air and he can't take it. He bites down on his brother's neck as he pushes in and is immediately overwhelmed by the heat.

When the dragging, burning sensation of Cooper's initial thrust in is over, Blaine's legs immediately wrap around his waist, pulling him in closer. He's not sure where it's coming from, but he knows there's nothing he wants more now, than to feel Cooper thrusting into him-

Faster, deeper…

"Cooper, move," Blaine chokes out, burying his faces into his brother's neck as he pulls slowly out before thrusting back in.

It isn't long before Cooper's hips set up an erratic pace, fucking into Blaine, who is practically turned into a quivering mess under him. The bed creaks with his thrusts and he hopes to God that nobody is downstairs yet, where they could more than likely hear it, but he can't bring himself to stop; not with the way Blaine's head is thrown back, his mouth open in a silent scream. He can feel the heat building in the pit of his stomach and bites down on Blaine's neck again, muffling his groan as his hips snap forward yet again, almost pushing him over the edge.

He's not sure when he starts pumping Blaine's cock in time with his own thrusts, but it isn't long before he feels the younger boy tightening impossibly around him before both of their chests are coated in white. The sight and the feeling and the tightness pushes Cooper over the edge as well, and he lets out a strangled moan as he comes deep inside his brother before collapsing on his chest, spent.

When the older of the two regains his strength, he stands and digs around the bedroom until he can find one of the towels they used earlier to bathe, and tosses it wordlessly to his brother to clean himself off. For the first time since that afternoon when he kissed Blaine in the woods, Cooper suddenly feels a sinking feeling in his chest and can't help but think maybe we shouldn't have done that. It's not that he didn't want to – quite the opposite – but the thought of what must be going through Blaine's head scares him. They hadn't discussed things before jumping into it, and he can only hope that his brother hadn't felt pressured or pushed into things.

As if he can read his thoughts, Blaine sits up on his elbows, staring up at his older brother. He narrows his eyes, hoping that if he stares long enough, he can figure out what's going on inside of Cooper's head, but looks down when the other boy glances his way. He's scared to say anything – not because of what just happened – but because he doesn't want to be let down.

And wow, that's new, too.

His heart flutters as he watches his own brother pull his boxers back on and can't help but want to stand and pull him into his arms and kiss him. It's not the first time that day he's thought it, and he's starting to wonder if it's going to become a regular thing.

And he kind of hopes it does.

"Blaine, I-" Cooper starts, finally breaking the silence between them to explain himself, but he's immediately cut off by a piercing scream outside the window. Both boys' eyes widen at the noise and before they have the chance to rush to the window, they hear a gunshot, then another. "Fuck," Cooper mutters, reaching down to pull his jeans on. He's at the bedside table in two steps, grabbing the flashlight and his gun as Blaine scurries to pull his own clothes on. Blaine is just grabbing his own flashlight when Cooper dashes out of the room and quickly down the stairs, preparing for the worst.

Sure enough, when he bursts out the door, he's met by two dead eyes staring hungrily at him and he immediately raises his weapon and fires, the close proximity of the kill splattering blood onto his naked torso. He doesn't have time to think about it before he's hopping over the lifeless body, and sprinting toward the back yard, where he can hear what he assumes is Ivory screaming. He also doesn't have time to think about the fact that it's the second one he's killed without a second thought or hesitation.

The scene in the backyard is gruesome, to say the least. There are at least a dozen zombies still wandering out of the woods, groaning and making disgusting noises as they descend upon his friends. Emily is on one side of the fire, gun raised and shooting at the monsters, missing every other shot. If they were in any situation, Cooper would tease her on being an awful shot, but now is not the time. Instead, he surveys his surroundings. Ivory isn't far behind Emily, clutching Cooper's axe close to her chest as she stares wide eyed at the monsters. Derek is on the other side of the fire, shooting away into the woods where Cooper assumes there are more corpses, and for a split second, he wonders where Shane and Cody are before running toward his friends.

He's not far from Ivory when he raises his gun, pointing it at a nearby zombie and – taking a deep breath like his father taught him when they'd go shooting – pulling the trigger. The body drops immediately and Emily glances over her shoulder, "Thank God... Cooper."

Instead of replying, he leans down to Ivory, grabbing her by the shoulders, "Run inside, okay? Blaine is by the door," he hopes, "And he'll keep you safe, okay?" Ivory nods quickly before making a run for it, quickly rounding the corner of the house.

After that, it's relatively easy. Cooper takes a spot next to Emily, firing off into the trees as more corpses come, and when he runs out of ammo, he picks up the axe from the ground and begins swinging. His mind is numb as he feels the thunk of his weapon hitting skulls. His mind his numb when he kills his fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh...

He's not sure how long it is before Emily calls his name, asking if they've gotten all of them. It's only then, when Cooper is no longer seeing red and can process things clearly. From what he can tell, there's no longer any movement in the trees. He turns around to see Emily, her eyes wide as she stares back at him. "I think that's all of them," He calls back. It's then that he notices that he still hasn't seen Cody or Shane and he strides quickly over to Emily, "The others?"

"Cody went to go to the bathroom," She says looking down, "It was stupid of us not to send him with someone. I- it was his scream we heard first…"

"Shane?" Cooper asks, and as if on cue, they hear someone coughing in the distance.

They both turn in time to see Derek dropping his weapon and running toward the trees. In an instant, he's dropping to his knees and Cooper feels his heart sink for him. He doesn't run forward like Emily does, but he follows her to where Derek is crouching, and from a far distance, his worries are confirmed when he realizes why. On the ground is Derek's little brother, clutching at what looks like a large bite wound on his neck and struggling to breathe.

Maybe it's selfish, but it isn't until he see's Shane that his thoughts go to his own brother, whom he hasn't seen since he ran down the stairs. And though he feels rude doing so, Cooper immediately picks up his axe and dashes toward the house, hoping that his brother and Ivory are safe inside. "Blaine?" He calls quietly once he's inside.

"Over here," Blaine half whispers back, and Cooper glances toward the voice. He sees Blaine's flashlight in the living room and he shakily walks towards him. Ivory is huddled up on the couch next to Blaine and he looks up at Cooper apologetically when he's within view. "I'm sorry I wasn't out there… She needed someone…"

Cooper nods in response, "I know."

"Is my sister okay?" Ivory asks suddenly, looking hopefully up at Cooper.

"Yeah," He replies, smiling slightly at her, and before he can warn her or stop her, she's standing and running out the front door.

Blaine stands as well and studies Cooper's face for a moment before speaking. "Is everyone…?"

"No," Cooper replies coldly, "Cody is… and Shane…" He can't finish his sentence before his own voice cracks and he looks down, avoiding his brother's eyes because Blaine isn't supposed to see him like this. He's not supposed to witness him breaking down like this. And Cooper doesn't want to break down like this, but he can't help it.

In an instant, Blaine is wrapping his arms around Cooper and holding him, much like Cooper had done for him before, and whispering, "It's okay" to him, over and over. Cooper doesn't reply. Instead, he's silent as he hugs Blaine back, the events of the day running wild through his head.

Kissing Blaine.

Sleeping with Blaine.

Killing those monsters - those things that used to be people who used to have families and friends who loved them too. People who probably loved them like he loves Blaine.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Blaine finally breaths out, "I-I don't know what I'd do without you."

The title of this chapter is from the song "Stonehands" by Balance and Composure. (the acoustic version, because the acoustic version is beautiful.) You should go listen to it.