Reviews:

tomdarryecs: Glad you liked the Hummelberry moment! We figured he needed a diva to diva chat lol. Yes, Mr. Shue is always in their business! Buckle up because he just gets worse haha. Someone had to knock some sense into Kurt! Thank you so much for reading! Glad you liked it!

Iris7124: we are getting there! We are very grateful everyone had been patient lol

Title: Twist me, licorice

"The turkey looks lovely dear!" Blaine's grandmother said to his mother.

"Thank you! It turned out nice."

Blaine scratched at his neck where the sweater he was wearing made him itchy. Mom said he looked handsome and Dad said not to upset Mom since it was her turn to host Thanksgiving She was nervous, so he would do anything to help smooth things over. However, even though things had been stressful helping his mother clean and cook and have a few breakdowns, he knew this would be the best Thanksgiving ever. Why? Because this was the first one Cooper wouldn't attend since he was away at college.

Now, he knew he sounded terrible, but he had good reason. Cooper had to be the center of attention and there was usually no room left for Blaine. He didn't think Cooper was like that to be mean, he was just naturally self-centered. But this year it would be his turn. He was going to pretend to be an only child and get all the attention without Cooper's antics.

"Now, Blaine." His grandmother turned to him. "Tell us all how school is going! Any special someone's?" She tickled his arm teasingly.

Blaine blushed a little at her questions. "No. I… I don't have a boyfriend."

His grandmother smiled and patted his hand. "Well, you're only fourteen. Plenty of time for all that later."

He grinned back at her. "School is going well. I got the lead in choir! We are doing all Disney songs. You can come to the winter concert if you want." It made him thrill knowing the night would be all about him only.

"Oh how delightful!" She turned to her husband. "Did you hear that Joe? Blaine is singing lead in his choir!"

"What?" His grandfather leaned in closer. "Speak up! I can't hear like I used to! War injury, wouldn't you know. I can tell you the story if you want!"

His grandmother wrinkled her nose and pushed him back. "You're yelling, Joe!" she yelled. "I said that Blaine is singing the lead in his choir!"

"Blaine set something on fire?"

"NO! BLAINE IS SINGING IN HIS CHOIR!"

"I know Blaine sings in his choir. No need to yell in my face, woman."

Blaine had to stifle his giggles even as his mother hid her face behind her wineglass. Blaine's father cleared his throat. It just made the day even better that his dad happened to be off this holiday. All together. All peaceful. No having to compete for attention.

"So why don't you tell your grandparents about camp?" He directed this towards Blaine who preened happily when all the focus fell on him.

"Well, there's this theater camp I get to go to next summer—"

The door opening pulled everyone's attention away from Blaine and to none other than his older brother Cooper.

"Surprise!" He grinned, arms spread wide and a duffel back slung over one shoulder.

There was a shocked delay and then everyone started screaming and jumping up to go hug Cooper.

Blaine sighed and tossed his napkin aside. Looked like this year would be no different than any other. The rest of the day was spent with Cooper stealing the show. He regaled them about his college life, his auditions, and his girlfriend's. Blaine felt forgotten. Suddenly his news about getting to go to theater camp was boring compared to Cooper's shenanigans.

That was how it always was. How it always would be.

Present - Next day

Where in the world have you been hiding?

Really, you were perfect only wish I knew your secret

Who is your great tutor?

Quinn sung to Rachel who sat in front of a trick mirror. Kurt was behind the mirror although the couldn't be seen yet. Rachel turned to her, eyes big and innocent.

Father once spoke of an angel, I used to dream he'd appear

Now, as I sing, I can sense him and I know he's here

Blaine watched from the chairs as it was Kurt's turn to rehearse on stage. That was fine by him. He was too busy pouting.

Cooper was off to the side, stopping the scenes every few minutes to dispense horrible advice. Blaine had never rolled his eyes harder. The Thanksgiving replayed in his mind. It was the perfect example of why he couldn't stand his brother. If Cooper was around, there was no room for anyone else.

"Ladies! That was great!" Cooper clapped his hands together. "But have you tried singing in an accent? I've found accents tend to impress people especially when they find out you're not actually Irish!"

Blaine looked to the ceiling for the strength to not murder his brother. After he made Kurt leave yesterday, Blaine took some time to sulk. He wanted nothing more than to sink into Kurt's arms and let him comfort him. He had been so close to confessing his feelings lately, had almost done so several times. But the previous morning while Artie was talking to Kurt, Sam had taken him to breakfast alone so they could talk.

"Are you and Kurt sneaking around?" Sam asked bluntly as they walked the path to the cafeteria.

Blaine missed a step and stumbled a little. "Uhhh…" he said intelligently.

"I was awake last night." Sam frowned. "I can't believe you would do that to Kent."

"Whoa, hang on!" Blaine grabbed his arm. "Kurt isn't cheating on Kent. We aren't— It's not like that…"

"Then why we're you sneaking out?"

"I can't say. It's not my secret to tell. But it's not for… that."

Sam considered this and finally sighed. "I'm sorry. The way you guys were acting, I assumed you and Kurt were sneaking around. But if you say you don't like him that way and you're both only friends, I'll believe you."

Blaine planned to say that, yes, they were only friends and he appreciated Sam being a good enough friend to call him out, but that's not what came out.

"I am in love with Kurt."

Sam stopped in the middle of the path, allowing some other campers headed to breakfast to move past them. He stared at Blaine who felt like he was going to die from embarrassment. Why could he not stop himself from blurting? He had never been good at lying and this was why.

Once they were alone, Sam pulled him off to the side. "Dude, what the hell? You just said—"

"I said that nothing is going on, and that's true. Kurt is with Kent and that's never going to change." He couldn't keep the pain from bleeding into his voice. "But I fell in love with him before I knew what was happening and he was already with Kent and I've been slowly dying inside, collapsing upon myself like a star, and I've been trying to get over these feelings this whole time because I know it's just awful. It's terrible and selfish and then I found out Kurt had a crush on me like since forever, but now he's over me and I just wish I hadn't been so focused on myself and fucking noticed! But it's too late to change and I keep trying to get over him, but I just can't and I don't know what to do!" Blaine was out of breath and tears had filled his eyes by the end of it. Sam's eyes had gone wide like he had no idea what to do. Blaine threw himself into Sam's arms. "You have to help me!"

"Um…" Sam hugged him back, trying to soothe him. "Wow, that's a lot to process. Um, dude, I'm so sorry. I remember when Mercedes was dating that football guy and I was super jealous, so I get it. But, I screwed up in that situation and I don't want that to happen to you. You've gotta leave him alone."

Blaine sniffled. "I know. I'm trying."

"I'm here for you if you need to talk. I won't say anything."

And now Cooper was there and making everything a billion times worse. Blaine sighed as Cooper explained to the girls that they should yodel their lines and Mr. Shue stepped in finally to disagree. Everyone on stage swiveled their heads from Cooper to Will except for Kurt. Kurt stared sadly at Blaine.

He felt guilty about shutting Kurt out, but he didn't trust himself in his vulnerable state to not say something he couldn't take back. It was better this way.

His phone ringing had him getting up and hurrying out to the foyer to answer a call from his mother. Good. She could explain this.

"Hey." He went to a window and leaned on the sill. His eyes traced the line of the trees outside.

"Hi, sweetie. How's things going?" By the tone of her voice, Blaine was pretty sure Cooper had called to tattle.

"I think you know," he said glumly.

"Blaine. I do not understand this thing you two have. I know you are pretty far apart, but I thought you were old enough to be mature about this?" He knew it was a little petty and that he was kind of putting her in the middle, but he couldn't help how he felt.

Blaine laughed bitterly. "Mature and Cooper don't really belong in the same sentence."

"Blaine Devon." She was stern now and her voice was getting dangerously quiet. "Your brother wanted to surprise you and try to help at your camp. Can't you see how much he cares about you?"

"By always overshadowing me?" Blaine snapped. He knew he shouldn't speak to his mother that way, but he was so emotionally drained he couldn't help it. "By embarrassing me? It's always been this way. When Cooper is around, I don't exist!"

"Honey! You know that's not true! You are just as important as Cooper!"

"It doesn't feel like it." He knew he was being petulant. He knew how much his parents loved him and supported him. In fact, most of his family was supportive. But he just couldn't let it go.

"Blaine. You listen to me." Her tone had softened a bit, but he could tell she was still tense "I love you. Your father loves you. And Cooper loves you. Just because Cooper draws a lot of attention doesn't mean you don't exist. You are so beautifully different and I couldn't be more proud of both of you, equally. If I haven't done my job showing you that, I've very sorry. That's a failing on my part. But don't hold it against Cooper. You've got to let this thing go."

And now Blaine was crying again. He wiped his face with the hem on his shirt. "I know you love me. I just wish I was an only child sometimes."

"And that's normal with siblings. But you need to figure out a way to get along with your brother. You're stuck with him. Just give him a chance."

"I know."

"I'm going to let you go because I know you are busy, but please try. And remember I love you equally and individually. You think I could have handled raising two Cooper's?" There was a smile in her voice.

Blaine laughed wetly. "The world isn't ready." He turned around. Cooper was standing in the doorway, watching him with a sad expression. Uh oh. Had he heard? "Okay. Love you."

"Love you. Be good and be nice to your brother. I'll see you soon!"

"I'll try."

He hung up and tried to figure out what to say. He was still angry with Cooper, but he had told his mother he would try to get along with him.

"Hey…"

"Can we talk?" Cooper asked, indicating they go outside.

Blaine nodded and soon they were slowly walking together down the hill. He decided to just go for it.

"So how much of that did you hear?"

Cooper shrugged. "Enough. I'm sorry I upset you."

Blaine sighed. "You did, but can I ask you a question?"

Cooper nodded, his eyes so wide and sincere that Blaine felt even worse. "You can tell me anything, Blainey."

"Okay, first of all, quit with the nicknames. I'm not a child anymore. Second, why did you even come here?"

Cooper pulled the zipper up and down on his jacket a few times while Blaine spoke. He looked to his brother. "I came because I wanted to. For you."

Blaine stopped. That was unexpected. "What do you mean?"

"I know I'm selfish. I don't try to be, but I just get so caught up in the attention sometimes that I forget about everything… and everyone else.

"It's not an excuse and I'm trying to do better. Which was why I came when they asked. I wanted to do something unselfish and spend some time with my little brother…"

Blaine's resolve crumbled at the honesty written plain across Cooper's face. Blaine could tell when he was bullshitting. "Cooper…"

"No, I heard what you told Mom. You feel overshadowed and embarrassed and like you don't exist."

Blaine winced. He never intended for Cooper to hear that. "I never meant to hurt your feelings."

"I know, but we need to be honest. And you have to believe me when I say I never wanted to make you feel that way. And I'm going to try harder to be the brother you need me to be."

"That's… Well, that's really nice." Blaine toed at the dirt. "I'm sorry I said all that stuff. Yesterday too. I just feel like anywhere I go I'm not Blaine, I'm Cooper's little brother, you know? Like camp was my one place for just me."

"I guess that makes sense. I'm pretty unforgettable." He grinned at Blaine and the younger rolled his eyes fondly.

"You know, you need to work on your low self esteem."

They laughed, but then Cooper sobered. "Blaine, you are just as amazing as I am. You might not feel like you compare, you shine just as bright. I can't wait to see what amazing things you do."

It wasn't the best compliment in the world, but Blaine knew he meant it and that's all that mattered. "Thank you."

Cooper clapped his hands together and rubbed them. "Okay, I'll try to be a little more sensitive, you be a little less sensitive—"

"Hey!"

"—and we will make this work." Cooper playfully batted at his shoulder. "Unless there is something else going on in Blaine World that's bothering you." The way he wiggled his eyebrows let Blaine indicated he knew about Kurt. Did everyone know at this point?

"Mom told you, didn't she?"

"Dad. To be fair, he tried to keep the secret, but I grilled him and he cracked like an egg. He's just as bad of a liar as you."

"Shut up."

"I will when you tell me about… Kent was it?" He poked Blaine in the ribs and he smacked Cooper's hand away.

Blaine glanced up and down the path to make sure they were alone. "It's not Kent. It's Kurt. My best friend?"

Realization dawned when Cooper remembered the boy Blaine had numerous pictures with in his bedroom. "Ah. Gotcha. Well, good news, he likes you too!"

Blaine snorted in disbelief.

"You don't believe me? Okay, look at me. I'm really sexy."

"Um, ew."

Cooper thumped him on his forehead and Blaine shoved him away. "I have girls and boys wanting to get all up on this, so I know when someone likes someone else. Let me pour you a tall glass of that's the way it is, B. The boy likes you."

"He doesn't. He's dating Kent," Blaine grumbled as he kicked a rock into the bushes.

"Kent… Kent… the one who follows me everywhere and keeps trying to touch my arms?"

"That's Trent. Kent's the big guy playing Raoul." Blaine sighed at Cooper's blank expression. "The male lead? Opposite Rachel?"

"Ooooh. Wow, he's a hottie. Stiff competish little bro."

Blaine huffed. "Gee, thanks."

"But you can do it because you're the amazing Blaine!" Cooper smiled and showed off all his stupidly perfect teeth.

Blaine couldn't help but smile back. "I should probably head back in there. Rehearsal."

"Of course." Cooper threw an arm around Blaine's shoulders. "Hey… Even though we don't live in the same town or see each other all the time, we're more than just brothers right? We're friends?"

Blaine's eyes shone with tears at the hope and uncertainty on Cooper's face. Like he was scared Blaine hated him. "That's all I've ever wanted to be, Coop."

They hugged right there on the path and Blaine reveled in the feeling. Today had started out not so great, but things were looking up a little. Cooper said Blaine's name again and he hummed in reply.

"Hey, can you yell at me and say you want to be an only child again? I want to memorize the feeling for a scene one day."

"You're just ridiculous, you know that?"

"Blaine!" Sam came jogging up, but hesitated when he saw the brothers embracing.

"What's up?" They both faced him, smiles on their faces.

"It's your turn. Just come when you're ready!"

They immediately followed him back to the auditorium, but Cooper held him back. He was looking at Kurt. "Don't worry about Kurt either. I totally have a plan." He patted Blaine's shoulder and swaggered back to the stage.

"Cooper! Don't!"

Cooper turned around, walking backwards. "Support! That's my middle name! I got you!"

Blaine rubbed at his temples, concerned over what the hell was rattling around in Cooper's brain. "That's what I'm afraid of."

He found himself alone with Kurt back stage who was turning the half mask over in his hands. It was easy to tell Kurt wanted to talk to him at the way he opened his mouth and snapped it closed. He looked tired, like he hadn't slept. After he had banished him the day before, Kurt had disappeared and only come back at dinner with Kent where they both ate quietly together at the end of the table. Blaine snuck a few looks at them, but they only spoke to each other. No one else seemed to notice since all anyone could talk about was Cooper. Blaine had refused to talk about him and eventually everyone just left him alone. He didn't say anything when they went to bed either and Kurt didn't even ask him to go spy on Rachel and Quinn. He rolled over and went to sleep. Or that's what Blaine thought at the time, but with the bags under his eyes, now he wasn't so certain.

"Hey."

Kurt looked up sharply at Blaine's voice, like he couldn't believe he was speaking to him. "Hey."

"I… I'm really sorry," Blaine began.

Kurt shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you. And I should have left you alone when you said."

"No, you are always there for me and normally you would be right, but… Well, this time I needed to work some stuff out. You know how it is with Cooper."

Kurt smiled, just a little. "I do. No one gets on my nerves like Finn, but I love him."

"Exactly." He glanced out to where Cooper talking to Kent. They looked like they were comparing biceps. Oh god. That wasn't concerning at all. "Listen, I shouldn't have told you that you were the problem."

Kurt looked down at the mask in his hands, crestfallen. "But I am the problem."

It made Blaine's heart break thinking he was the one making Kurt feel look like that. "No, I'm just jealous. You aren't the problem. Trust me, it's me. Will you forgive me?" He took Kurt's hand gently.

Kurt's breath hitched. "Of course. Do you forgive me? Can we be friends again?"

"We never stopped." Blaine squeezed his hand once and let go. "Oreo party later tonight?"

"Only if you have peanut butter."

"You're a weirdo."

"It's delicious," Kurt said defensively.

"It's weird."

Kurt laughed and pushed him a little. "It's peanut butter and chocolate. Lots of people like that."

"No, it's an Oreo dipped in peanut butter. It's different."

Kurt waved him away, his eyes sparkling with laughter. "Whatever. Your loss." He handed the mask off to Blaine. "Get out there."

The rest of rehearsal went smoothly other than Cooper interjecting a few times to give really awful tips. Mr. Shue seemed to be understanding he had made a mistake. Cooper would wink at Blaine every chance he got, which was unsettling. Any time it was Kurt's turn, Blaine would watch proudly as his best friend killed it. He felt better now, but still sad. Sam was right though; he had to leave Kurt alone. He needed to work through these feelings for Kurt and learn to be his friend again. This happened, right? People caught feelings for their friends and got over it. Well he could too. Kurt and Kent were happy together and he needed to be happy for them, no matter how it might hurt.

After rehearsal was over, Cooper had somehow charmed Coach Sylvester into letting him have her workout time so he could do another acting exercise with the campers. He had them gather in the auditorium again before picking a handful of kids to do a scene that just became more and more bizarre as they went on. He had Quinn, Artie, and Sam pretend to go to the zoo with Sam being the mom, Quinn being the dad, and Artie being their child. It actually turned out to be kind of funny and Blaine considered that Cooper actually did know what he was doing. Next came Rachel, Trent, and Kent. Rachel was a customer trying to return an item without a receipt and she was supposed to convince Kent, a store cashier, to take it. But Kent was trying to figure out if Rachel was a thief that had stolen that particular item. Trent was the actual thief and was trying to steal something throughout the whole scene. It ended up being really funny as well because Rachel was trying so hard while Kent was his goofy self, but it somehow worked. And Trent didn't even have to speak, his face conveyed his every emotion. Santana and Brittany went next as a nurse and a patient who needed a shot, but Santana as the nurse was afraid of touching anyone's bare skin and Brittany as the patient was afraid of needles and kept trying to hug Santana. They were hilarious too, Santana screaming every time Brittany tried to touch her. Blaine was struck how talented they all were and proud of his brother for bringing that out in them.

His warm fuzzy feelings lasted until the last scene.

"Okay! Great work kids! Now, for the last scene I will randomly pick two people… how about Blaine and Kurt!"

The two friends ascended the stage and waited for Cooper to give them their prompt. Blaine was actually kind of excited to try this improv type exercise and thought it would be fun with Kurt.

Cooper winked obnoxiously where only Blaine could see and rubbed his hands together. "So, your prompt is… hmm, let me think of a purely hypothetical situation that is definitely not rooted in reality whatsoever… Ooh! Okay, you are both best friends who are in love with each other!"

A few titters echoed through the auditorium in the silence. Blaine nearly fell off the stage and Kurt had lost all color in his face. He looked towards Kent nervously who just watched the proceedings calmly. Of course it would be weird for him to act out being in love with someone who was his best friend that he used to have a crush on in front of his boyfriend. He wanted to throttle his brother.

"Hey, we don't have to do this," Blaine whispered to Kurt.

"Now, you two are at… basketball camp!" Cooper looked incredibly pleased with himself. He grinned widely at the two embarrassed boys. "Yes, and you are both trying to confess your love for each other but you can't say the word love, feelings, or crush. Might be a good time to use some physical acting, am I right? Action!"

"Cooper," Blaine hissed. "Why are you like this?"

Kurt stared at the floor.

"Hey, if they don't want to do this scene, they don't have to," Mr. Shue said as he looked between the teens.

"No, I agree with the very sexy man," Sue said as she held Will back. "They should definitely kiss."

"Sue, that is extremely inappropriate."

"I'm fine with doing the scene," Kurt said quietly. He finally looked at Blaine. "If you want to."

Did he want to? He could finally say all the things in his heart under the guise of a scene, see the way Kurt reacted to it. Sweat dripped down his back under the lights and the stares of all his peers. Most of his friends already knew anyway. It would be so easy to just say it, finally say it. But he didn't want to do it in front of all these people, their friends, and Kurt's boyfriend. He only wanted to say the words if it was real and he wasn't being forced by a creepy cheer coach and his well-meaning but idiotic brother.

Blaine shook his head. "No. We are not doing it." He glared at Cooper. "Give us another prompt."

"That's a bit unprofessional of you," Coach Sylvester said before Mr. Shue pulled her aside to argue with her.

"Blaine, this is your opportunity," Cooper sang through his teeth as he smiled at the campers.

"No!" His shout pulled all the attention to himself. Kurt had stepped back, arms wrapped around himself with a far away look in his eyes. "We are both uncomfortable with that scene. Now, you just said how you want to support me, so give us a different prompt!"

Cooper huffed. "Fine. You try to help a guy out." Cooper tapped his chin for a few seconds. "Aha! Okay, you're at camp playing capture the flag and one of the counsellors has turned into a murderer, slaughtering all your friends. You and Kurt are hiding together and in what might be your last moments, decide to confess your love for each other! Now don't be afraid to— Hey! Blaine? Where are you going?"

The younger Anderson brother stomped away down the stage and towards the door. "I'm leaving before I attack you in front of all these witnesses!" He did nothing to hide the rage in his voice. Kent gave him a little smile as he passed by. Blaine wasn't really sure what that meant, but he was too upset with Cooper to question it. He had gotten to the door when he turned around once more. "And I'm telling mom!"

The slam of the door was satisfying against whispers of all his fellow campers. He was so mad at Cooper for pulling a stunt like that. They had just had a great talk about their feelings and he did that. He thought he understood!

"Blaine!"

He ignored his brother calling out to him and kept stomping in the direction of his cabin.

"Blaine, you can't ignore me! Hey! I was just trying to help!"

Blaine wheeled on his brother. They were actually in the same place where they hugged earlier after their heart-to-heart. "Actually, I can ignore you! It goes like this!" He turned on his heel and kept speed-walking away.

Cooper followed, finally catching up with him. "Wow, you're fast for a little guy! Hey, I wasn't trying to be a dick! I seriously just want to help!"

"But you aren't! You're making things worse!"

"You have to tell him," Cooper said as he matched Blaine's stride. Curse his long legs. "You can't keep this bottled inside. It's not healthy."

Blaine grit his teeth "Cooper, he has a boyfriend. Even in some wild universe where he loved me back, he's still with someone and it's disrespectful to confess your feelings to someone who's with someone else. He said himself that he's over me. It would just screw everything up."

"Okay, I messed up. Again." Cooper stood in front of him so he couldn't run away. Blaine tried to go around him, but he blocked the way.

"Move."

"No. Let me explain."

Blaine shoved Cooper in the chest. "I don't care to hear it. Now move or I will punch you!"

Cooper didn't even fight back. "You can punch me. It would make us even. Go ahead."

And Blaine thought very, very seriously about it. But he just groaned in frustration through his teeth and put his hands on his hips.

Cooper let his chin drop to his chest. "I'm sorry that I upset you. I thought it would help you if it was pretend, but I'm getting now why that was a dumb move. But Blaine, you've got to let it out, man. You know how you get. You stuff things inside until it builds and builds and then you explode. It's not healthy."

"Well, sorry I don't say whatever stupid thing that pops into my head like you."

"Ow. But fair." Cooper pulled Blaine into the closest building. It happened to be the cafeteria. "Okay, you don't want to tell Kurt? Tell me. Get it all out."

Blaine was still so mad. There really wasn't anything to tell that Cooper didn't know or that he wanted Cooper to know. But here was his brother who loved him even if he made terrible choices sometimes, willing to hear Blaine out. He was right. He had been stuffing his feelings down. He let himself feel it, all the stuff he had been burying. He crumpled and fell into Cooper's arms. "It hurts, Coop. It really hurts." He began to sob, burying his face in his brother's shoulder while he just held him. Blaine clung to his shoulders and released all his pent up emotion, crying in waves.

He had no idea how long they stood there, but finally he pulled back and wiped his face on his shirt. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You've been like that since you were a toddler. You just have to get it all out. Feel better?"

Blaine nodded. "Thanks. I guess I didn't realize how upset I was."

"It's okay. I meant what I said earlier. I want to be a good brother to you, but I want to be a good friend too. Which is why I'm leaving."

Blaine jerked his head up at that. "What? Really?"

Cooper nodded. "Yeah. You don't need me here. I'll just get in the way. Plus, I did what I came to do. I think you guys are on your way to becoming fantastic actors."

"Well, even though I was mad at you for most of your visit, I'm actually glad you came in the end. The only thing is, how will we know when to point? Like how will I know you're being serious if you aren't pointing?"

He said it so seriously that it took Cooper a few seconds to process and it surprised a laugh out of him. He wrapped an arm around Blaine and squeezed him, ignoring his protests. "I'm gonna miss you, squirt. Let's not go so long without seeing each other, okay?"

Blaine smiled as he pushed Cooper off. "Okay. Hey, before you go I think you owe Kurt an apology too for that stunt you tried to pull in there."

"Yeah, you're probably right." He looked to the door. "You aren't really going to tell Mom, are you?"

Blaine laughed. "Oh, definitely. Be expecting a call."

"Damnit. Even worse is she will tell Dad and he will make up some sort of terrible pun to punish me."

This made Blaine laugh even harder. "Yeah. They really are. You know he told me 'plays before baes' when I told him about Kurt?"

Cooper snorted. "Jesus. That's awful. Remember when he gave us the sex talk and he said to 'be careful with your hearts and your parts?'"

"Oh my god, I had blocked that out, but thanks for traumatizing me again."

They giggled together for a few more minutes before the door opened and Kurt stepped inside. He looked relived when he saw Blaine looking calm and happy again. "There you are. I've been looking for you forever," he said quietly. Blaine's heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. He definitely felt better now that he had a good cry, but the ache in his chest hadn't lessened.

Cooper squeezed Blaine's shoulder once and went to Kurt. Fear flitted in his best friend's eyes, but he stuck up his chin and held his ground. Blaine didn't really blame him. Cooper was unpredictable.

"Kurt, I'm sorry I tried to make you and Blaine do a scene you weren't comfortable with. It was over the line and I apologize."

Kurt blinked, surprised at the direct apology. "Um, thank you. I accept your apology."

Cooper fist bumped him. "Cool. You're a great performer and best friend to Blaine. Maybe think about why you didn't want to act out a love scene with Blaine. Just a thought."

"Cooper," Blaine warned.

"Anyway, gotta go! Blaine, if Mom and Dad ask where I am, I'm in Antarctica where they can't get me. Peace out!"

Cooper blew out the door like the tornado he was, leaving Kurt and Blaine alone together.

He knew he should say something to Kurt. He figured he would start out easy. "I'm really sorry about Cooper."

Kurt shrugged. "It's not your fault. And he apologized."

"Yeah, but he's my brother. And I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

Kurt stepped closer to him. "I'm okay. It was uncomfortable, but I'm not upset."

Blaine sighed in relief. "Good. I'll apologize to Kent. Was he mad?"

"He's fine." Kurt didn't look at him, but chewed on his lip. "So you were uncomfortable?" He finally met Blaine's eyes, his searching for something.

Blaine swallowed against his suddenly dry throat. "I… yes."

"I think we need to talk about why that is," Kurt replied, determination in his eyes.

Sorrryyy to end it there lol. Until next week!

Also, the "Be careful with your hearts and your parts" was a line from Schitt's Creek. Highly recommend watching for something hilarious and heartwarming. We Johnny saying that and couldn't resist having the AnderDad say it lol.

Songs used:

Angel of Music from Phantom of the Opera

We do not own songs used.