Hey everyone! So very sorry about the unscheduled break. Things should be back on track now! :) Thanks for your patience!
Someone asked if I plan to continue this for season 4... yes, I do! It'll be the same situation as with season 3; I'll start posting the season 4 episodes after the season 4 finale next spring. :)
Here comes Cooper Anderson... what a character! He loves Blaine, though, even if Blaine can't tell sometimes, and that's the most important thing!
Oh, and Kurt and Blaine's one year anniversary (March 15th - the one year anniversary of 'Original Song') happened in the hiatus between 'On My Way' and 'Big Brother', so I wanted to put a little something in here at the beginning to mark the occasion...
(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)
KURT
On their one year anniversary, Kurt and Blaine went to Dalton after school.
Blaine had set up a meeting with the Warblers ("They always ask about you," Blaine had reminded Kurt.) – without Sebastian, despite their truce.
"This is appropriate, I suppose," Kurt admitted as they climbed out of the car.
"Just admit it," Blaine teased, reaching out to hold Kurt's hand as they walked, "you miss it a little bit."
Kurt just squeezed Blaine's hand as they passed a group of uniformed students and a strong feeling of nostalgia settled into Kurt's chest.
This was their place. This is where they had met. Where they had fallen in love.
Kurt had never regretted transferring back to McKinley. It was where he belonged. But he had many fond memories of Dalton. Even after all the drama surrounding Dalton's lack of action against Sebastian, Kurt felt comfortable on the well-groomed campus. This place had been very good to him.
The Warblers greeted them enthusiastically as they rounded the corner into the room where Warbler practice was held after school. Kurt allowed his former classmates to pass him around for hugs and clasps on the shoulder, and, by the time he sat down on one of the couches beside Blaine, he had to remind himself that neither of them attended this school anymore.
"So, uh," Nick said casually, "how about a song?"
"For old times' sake," Trent added happily.
Kurt turned to look at Blaine, and Blaine's face said it all. He had planned this. Kurt whined happily as the Warblers began the music for the song and Blaine hopped to his feet and moved to the center of the room.
"No, oh god... no, please," Kurt buried his face in his hands as the Warblers formed up around Blaine. But his curiosity and delight overrode his embarrassment, and he sat up to watch and listen as Blaine started to sing.
You're just too good to be true
Can't take my eyes off of you
You'd be like Heaven to touch
I wanna hold you so much
Blaine stepped forward and offered Kurt his hand, and Kurt allowed Blaine to pull him off the couch.
At long last love has arrived
And I thank God I'm alive
You're just too good to be true
Can't take my eyes off of you
Blaine looked so happy and confident that Kurt couldn't resist trying to throw him off a little. As Blaine took a breath to sing the next verse, Kurt beat him to it.
Pardon the way that I stare
There's nothing else to compare
Kurt pulled out of Blaine's grip and strolled casually across the room as he sang. Blaine followed closely behind.
The sight of you leaves me weak
There are no words left to speak
Kurt raised a finger to shake it in Blaine's face, and Blaine grabbed his hand and interlaced their fingers again.
But if you feel like I feel
Please let me know that it's real
You're just too good to be true
Can't take my eyes off of you
Blaine released Kurt's hand and pushed Kurt back down onto the couch before returning to his place with the Warblers to sing again.
I love you, baby
And if it's quite alright
I need you, baby
To warm the lonely night
I love you, baby
Trust in me when I say
Oh, pretty baby
Don't bring me down, I pray
Oh, pretty baby, now that I found you, stay
And let me love you, baby
Let me love you
This time, Blaine motioned for Kurt to join them, and Kurt was happy to oblige. He took over the song again as he danced his way over to the group.
You're just too good to be true
Can't take my eyes off of you
You'd be like Heaven to touch
I wanna hold you so much
At long last love has arrived
And I thank God I'm alive
You're just too good to be true
Can't take my eyes off of you
As the Warblers provided a musical interlude, Blaine tried to help Kurt remember some of the Warblers' footwork, but it was a losing battle. Kurt was laughing so hard that he had to step out of the formation to watch Blaine and the Warblers finish the song.
I love you, baby
And if it's quite alright
I need you, baby
To warm the lonely night
I love you, baby
Trust in me when I say
Oh, pretty baby
Don't bring me down, I pray
Oh, pretty baby, now that I found you, stay
And let me love you, baby
Let me love you...
Kurt applauded as the song ended, and the Warblers cheered as Blaine stepped forward and pulled Kurt into a hug.
"You're insane," Kurt commented as he and Blaine stepped back out of the embrace.
"Happy anniversary, Kurt," Blaine breathed, closing the gap between them to kiss Kurt softly on the lips.
It felt like their first kiss – gentle and steady – and Kurt was happy to discover that his heart still fluttered in his chest when Blaine kissed him so tenderly. He forgot that the Warblers were still in the room until he pulled back from the kiss and his brain reminded him where they were. A blush spread across Kurt's face as the other boys cheered and whistled their approval.
"We miss you guys," Trent said as things started to quiet down.
Blaine wrapped an arm around Kurt's waist, and Kurt studied the group of Warblers. There were a few new students, but most were familiar faces.
"I miss you too," he admitted. "Sometimes."
Everyone laughed, and Kurt turned to look at Blaine. The other boy smiled brightly, and Kurt knew that he would always be grateful to Dalton for introducing him to the love of his life.
BLAINE
During the first week in April, Blaine was typing a paper at his desk when his phone rang.
He was expecting Kurt, so he was surprised when the number on the screen wasn't familiar. It wasn't someone in his contact list.
"Hello?" he answered.
"Blaine! Hey!"
Blaine's eyes widened at the sound of his older brother's voice. He hadn't spoken to Cooper since his brother's annual phone call to the Anderson home on Christmas.
Clearly, Cooper had gotten a new phone number since then.
"Uh," Blaine tried to concentrate, "hey Coop! How– how are you?"
"I'm great," Cooper answered automatically. "And guess what?"
"What?" Blaine asked.
"I'm coming home in a week!" Cooper announced.
Blaine laughed. "Very funny, Coop," he said.
There was a moment of silence, and Blaine reconsidered.
"I mean... that's great!" he said lamely. "But wh –"
"The first thing I'm doing is taking my little brother out for lunch," Cooper interrupted. "I'll come pick you up next Monday at lunchtime, okay?"
Blaine nodded, forgetting that Cooper couldn't see him, but Cooper didn't wait for an answer.
"See you then!" he said happily.
"Uh, bye," Blaine said as his brother hung up.
Blaine sat back in his chair and wondered if he had fallen asleep while working on his paper and had dreamed the short phone conversation.
There was a ten year age gap between them, so Blaine and Cooper had never really had a period where they had been into the same things. Cooper had sometimes made an effort to play with Blaine when Blaine was little, but what kind of sixteen year old wants to spend significant amounts of time with his six year old brother when he could be hanging out with his friends?
The age gap, more than any other factor, meant that Blaine didn't know Cooper very well. Cooper had gone off to college when Blaine was just eight years old, and he had dropped out and moved to California a year later. They hadn't seen each other more than once a year since then.
Blaine and Cooper did have things in common – they both loved music and acting – but, when coupled with the things that they didn't have in common, it sometimes felt like a superficial connection. Blaine doubted that Cooper's memories of their many duets were as fond as Blaine's... they were some of the happiest memories from his childhood. Times when Cooper had actually wanted to spend time with him.
Shaking his head to bring himself back to the present, Blaine considered the current situation. Since Cooper had landed the leading role in a series of popular free credit rating commercials, Blaine wanted more than ever for as few of his friends as possible to know that Cooper Anderson was his brother. Having a famous sibling – even a semi-famous one – wasn't something that Blaine was comfortable with. It brought attention. And scrutiny. And comparisons.
He had never even told Kurt about Cooper. He hadn't hidden the fact that he had an older brother who lived in California, but he tried to avoid specific conversations about Cooper at all costs. He had explained to Kurt that they didn't really talk and, to his relief, Kurt had taken the hint. He rarely asked about the older Anderson brother. Blaine and Cooper's parents weren't really into family portraits, either, so there were a few baby photographs of Cooper and Blaine in the house, but none recent enough that someone could recognize Cooper and make the connection.
Blaine had never imagined that a spontaneous visit would be the catalyst for Kurt finding out who his brother really was, but he knew he would have to tell the other boy. Soon.
Blaine sighed heavily and abandoned his paper in favor of flipping aimlessly through the channels on his television while his mind was lost in memories, anxiety, and excitement surrounding his brother's visit. Maybe this time would be different. Maybe, since they were both older, they could make the connection that Blaine had always dreamed that they could have.
BLAINE
On the day when Cooper was supposed to pick him up for lunch, Blaine was so nervous that he couldn't concentrate on anything. The first half of the day passed in a blur, and suddenly it was time for lunch.
"Are you okay?" Kurt asked as they walked down the hallway so Kurt could get something out of his locker. "You seem a little preoccupied."
Blaine still hadn't told Kurt about Cooper. He had been withholding the truth because he was nervous about how Kurt would react to his famous brother, but Blaine knew that had to tell Kurt now or risk a total surprise. Cooper could arrive at any moment.
"Ah, well, my brother's in town," Blaine tried to sound as casual as possible. "He's picking me up. Taking me out to lunch."
"Blaine, that's exciting!" Kurt said as he opened his locker. "I finally get to meet this mysterious brother of yours who you refuse to talk about. I'm dying to know what he looks like."
"Oh, trust me," Blaine replied, laughing nervously. "You... you already know what he looks like."
"Blainey?"
Blaine turned toward the familiar sound of his brother's voice, and it was both strange and exciting to see Cooper approaching. Blaine was happy to see that Cooper looked especially excited to see him.
"Hey, Coop!" Blaine said as they embraced. "Hey!"
"How are you, bud?" Cooper asked.
"I'm good! Good to see you, man," Blaine replied.
They stepped back from the hug, and Blaine watched as Cooper's gaze fell on Kurt.
"This your– this your boyfriend here?" Cooper asked.
Despite any differences between the two brothers, Blaine was grateful that Cooper didn't care about his little brother's sexuality. Blaine hadn't told him right away – after he had come out to his parents and they hadn't reacted particularly well, Blaine hadn't wanted to further alienate himself from his family – but after Blaine had been assaulted at the Sadie Hawkins dance, there was no hiding it.
Cooper had called the night after the dance and had demanded to talk to Blaine. His parents had handed Blaine the phone and had left him alone in his bedroom to talk to his brother.
"Blaine, what happened? Mom and Dad told me some kids beat you up... you broke your wrist?"
Blaine took a deep breath. He was not going to cry through this entire conversation.
"I broke it trying to catch myself when one of the guys shoved me over," Blaine clarified.
It still felt like a dream. Like he was telling someone else's story. But he had the broken wrist and the bruises and the split lip to remind him that it really had happened to him.
"Why?" Cooper asked.
"They, uh..." Blaine hated saying the words out loud. It was still so new.
"It's okay, Blaine," Cooper said. "Whatever happened, I know it wasn't your fault. You're a good kid."
Blaine looked at the cast on his wrist and prayed that Cooper wouldn't take the news as badly as his parents.
"I'm gay," Blaine said.
Silence.
Blaine regretted the confession immediately, but he knew the news would've made it to Cooper eventually. He was somewhat surprised that his parents hadn't told Cooper as soon as Blaine had come out.
"Huh," Cooper said.
Blaine couldn't speak.
"No wonder you were never into any of my girlfriends," Cooper mused after another moment of silence. "But hey, it's okay... Blaine, are you still there?"
"Yeah," Blaine replied.
"Okay. Well, anyway, that's cool. You're still Blaine, right? So who cares?"
Blaine only managed not to cry because he wanted so badly to hear every word Cooper was saying.
"Those boys beat you up for being gay?" Cooper asked.
"Yeah," Blaine answered.
"I'm so sorry, bud," Cooper answered sadly. "Do you want me to come home?"
That surprised Blaine.
"Come home?" he repeated back to Cooper.
"Well, who's gonna stay home with you and make sure you're okay during the day?" Cooper asked.
"No, Coop, no," Blaine refused. "You've got your life... I'm okay. I'm gonna... um, I think we're going to look for a new school for me."
"There's that Dalton Academy kinda nearby, right?" Cooper suggested.
"Dalton Academy?" Blaine repeated. He wasn't familiar with the name.
"A few of my friends went there. It's a private school. Kinda strict, but it's a quality place. And hey, it's an all-boys school, so..."
Blaine laughed, and the sound felt strange after everything that had happened.
"Mom and Dad can definitely afford it," Cooper continued. "Ask them."
"Dalton Academy," Blaine memorized the name.
"And Blaine?" Cooper said. "I think it's time to learn kung fu or something. So next time you can kick their asses."
Now, a couple years later, Cooper was casually asking Blaine about his boyfriend. In public. Blaine was excited to introduce them.
"Actu– Yes, it is," Blaine smiled. "Uh, Kurt, this is my brother, Cooper Anderson."
"Nice to meet you," Cooper said, extending his hand.
Blaine could see that Kurt recognized Cooper. And he was completely star struck.
"Oh my god, you're the guy from the Free Credit Rating Today Dot Com commercials!" Kurt exclaimed.
"Guilty as charged," Cooper confirmed.
"I love those commercials!" Kurt admitted. "The jingle's my ringtone!"
Blaine remembered the first time he had heard Kurt's phone blare out his brother's voice. It had been while they were on vacation in Washington DC to celebrate the New Year, and Blaine had nearly choked to death on nothing at all when Kurt's phone rang and it was Cooper's commercial jingle. Thankfully, Kurt texted more than he talked on the phone, so Blaine didn't have to hear the ringtone too often.
"Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt..." Sue interrupted the introduction, puling Cooper aside, and Blaine stepped over to stand beside Kurt.
"So, uh... that's Coop," Blaine said, motioning in Cooper's direction.
Kurt looked like he was in shock.
"He's, uh... he's a little out there," Blaine explained, "but, you know..."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Kurt asked. He didn't sound upset, just curious.
"I don't know," Blaine dodged. Kurt punched him gently in the shoulder.
"This is blowing my mind," Kurt admitted.
Blaine laughed. "I bet," he said as Sue turned to walk away.
"My commercial's on hiatus," Cooper explained, throwing an arm around Blaine's neck, "so I told my agent I was headed back to the heartland to press the flesh, do some character research. Next season's commercials have a lot more intense, gritty character stuff so I really want to explore my salt of the earth roots."
"Blaine, your brother is the best looking man in North America," Kurt said from behind the brothers.
Blaine did not want to do the whole "your brother is so hot" thing, so he tried to escape the situation.
"Um, Coop and I are going to head over– to head..."
His attempt to escape to lunch with Coop before things could get especially embarrassing was shut down by Sue, who interrupted again. As Sue led Cooper away down the hallway, leaving Blaine and Kurt behind, Blaine knew that he wouldn't be going out to lunch with Cooper today.
"Yeah..." Blaine fumbled over his words briefly. "That– that's why I never really talk about my brother."
Kurt stared after Cooper for a moment, and Blaine didn't know what to say.
"But, uh... surprise!" Blaine said lamely.
"Oh god," Kurt suddenly remembered, as if he hadn't heard Blaine at all, "I've gotta meet the rest of the seniors about senior ditch day."
Blaine nodded. "It's okay," he said, "I should go find Cooper anyway."
Kurt took a deep breath, as if he was trying to remind himself that this was real life.
"See you after school for glee?" Kurt asked.
"Yeah," Blaine confirmed.
Kurt smiled at him and hurried away, and Blaine turned and headed to Sue's office. As he reached the doorway, Cooper emerged, and they almost collided.
"Oh!" Cooper said. "Sorry, bud."
He glanced at a clock on the wall.
"Hey, I don't think we have time for the kind of brotherly lunch I had imagined, so what about dinner tonight?" Cooper suggested.
"Uh, yeah, sure," Blaine agreed.
"In the meantime," Cooper said, falling into step beside Blaine as they walked down the hallway, "Sue has asked me to come speak to your glee club this afternoon!"
Blaine opened his mouth to protest, but he realized that it wasn't worth it. The news of his famous brother had probably spread to all his friends by now, so there was no point in hiding it anymore.
Cooper Anderson was his big brother.
BLAINE
When glee club was about to start later that afternoon, Blaine had no idea what to expect. He never knew what Cooper might say or do.
"Lazy idiots," Sue addressed the group. "Your leader, Will Schuester, has informed me that my teaching methods are harsh and too extreme. So, I have decided to show you what a real artist looks and acts like."
Blaine took a deep breath. Maybe Cooper did have some useful information to share. Blaine hoped so.
"Ladies and gays," Sue continued, "as my gift to you – which you do not deserve – I give you Porcelain's famous brother –"
"Actually," Blaine tried to interrupt, "it's my brother."
"– Cooper Anderson," Sue finished.
Cooper walked to the center of the room. As he kissed Sue instead of shaking her hand, Blaine reminded himself that everyone else was really excited about this. Only Blaine felt uncertain.
"Guys," Cooper said, "it was just a few years ago that I was sitting in a sad, drab room like this with dreams like yours that I never thought would come true. But you know what? They did. So, tomorrow, at Sue's insistence, I will be teaching a master class in acting for anyone who's interested in becoming successful in the business. Like me."
Blaine applauded with his classmates, but he wasn't sure that this was a good idea. A master class in acting?
"Cooper, we can't thank you enough," Mr. Schu said. "This is so generous of you to share your time and expertise."
"Well," Rachel piped up, "it's very clear that the Anderson brothers are very talented. I'm sure that there were many a family holiday where the two of you maybe did a little duet by the piano..."
"Actually," Cooper said, "it's funny that you should mention that. Because Blaine and I were famous around the neighborhood –"
"We were not famous," Blaine disagreed.
"We were," Cooper argued happily. "We were pretty famous around the neighborhood for our dueling Simon Le Bon impressions."
"Oh, no, no, no, no," Blaine begged. "Please... please don't make me do that."
"Oh no, Blaine, you have to," Kurt insisted. "You're both so handsome and good."
Blaine knew that Kurt meant it as a compliment, but he hated being compared to Cooper.
"Oh, come on Blaine, whataya say?" Cooper asked. "How about a little Duran Duran?"
Cooper turned to Mr. Schu. "Is that okay?"
"Yeah!" Mr. Schu said.
"Great!" Cooper said, turning his attention back to Blaine. "Come on, get up here."
Blaine knew it was futile to resist. And, he reminded himself, he wanted to spend time with Cooper. And he loved performing. This could be fun.
"Okay," he agreed. "Okay!"
"Get a little eyeliner going on," Cooper teased, waving a hand in Blaine's face as he walked to the front of the room.
"Alright, okay," Blaine said, unbuttoning his cardigan and trying to psych himself up as he prepared for a duet he and Cooper hadn't sung together in years.
"Oh, the cardigan's coming off," Cooper teased, pulling off his own jacket and tossing it on the piano with Blaine's cardigan.
As Blaine stepped up to begin the song, he felt a surge of familiarity. He knew this song. He was going to get to sing with Cooper in front of all of his friends. They could nail this.
"Dark in the city, night is a wire. Steam on the subway, earth is afire. Do do dodo do dodo do dodo do dodo do do."
The performance was fun, but there was also a degree of competition. Blaine wanted to prove that he could keep up with Cooper, and Cooper wanted to be the center of attention.
But, for Blaine, it was mostly fun. He couldn't remember the last time he had enjoyed himself with Cooper like this.
When the song ended, everyone screamed and applauded, and Blaine was pleased. They sounded great together.
"Standing O," Cooper said happily, throwing an arm over Blaine's shoulders. "Wow, I was really great in that number."
He brushed his hand through Blaine's hair, and all of the joy from the performance drained out of Blaine in an instant.
Cooper was still the self-obsessed brother, using Blaine when it was convenient.
It was going to be a long week.
BLAINE
"This place is adorable," Cooper commented as he and Blaine were seated at Breadstix later that evening. "Thanks for bringing me here."
"We haven't even eaten yet," Blaine reminded him.
"Doesn't matter," Cooper explained, sitting sideways in the booth so he could stretch his legs out across the bench. "It's the atmosphere."
"Can I get a wee bit 'o cheese with that?" Cooper asked in a fake Irish accent as their waitress brought their salads out.
"What part of Scotland are you from?" she asked.
"Ireland," Cooper corrected kindly. "We're the Mcs. They're the Macs."
"I'll get you guys some free Cokes," the waitress said, delighted.
"Oh, cheers! Bless you," Cooper replied as she walked away.
"Why do you do that?" Blaine asked, simultaneously amused and embarrassed.
"The service industry is a great place to try out new accents," Cooper explained. "Keeps your instrument from getting rusty. Use everything."
"Yeah, will do," Blaine replied.
"So, nice job on the song today," Cooper said. "Really nice."
"Oh, thank you!" Blaine replied.
"You were a little pitchy on Rio and your moves lacked a theme, though," Cooper amended.
Blaine hated the way that every little correction from Cooper made him feel like he had done something wrong.
"Uh, my theme was... dancing, I guess," he explained.
"Yeah, but you have to give in to it," Cooper explained. "Stanislavski says that the fingers are the eyes of the body, but he never mentioned that the toes are the ears."
Blaine tossed his silverware down onto his plate in frustration.
"You're unbelievable," he scolded.
"What do you mean?" Cooper asked, looking genuinely confused.
"What are– what are you doing?" Blaine accused.
"What?"
"All you ever do is tell me what I'm doing wrong," Blaine explained. "You waste no opportunity to remind me how much I suck at, like, everything."
"And it's always been that way," Blaine added. "When I was four or five and you were trying to teach me that dance to MmmBop... you kept telling me that my dancing was terrible. I was a toddler..."
Blaine trailed off, knowing that it was ridiculous to hold a grudge for something Cooper had done more than a decade ago. But it was only one example in what was, in Blaine's mind, a long pattern of behavior.
"If that happened, I am so sorry," Cooper said. "But I don't– I don't remember it."
"Of course you don't," Blaine rolled his eyes.
"Hey!" Cooper said, shifting to sit properly in his seat. "Hey, little brother."
Blaine met his gaze.
"I know there is an age difference between us," Cooper said, "but I really want to be closer to you. I want to get to know you a little better. Right? That's why I'm here."
That was exactly what Blaine wanted. Behind all the annoying stuff, Blaine knew there was a big brother worth looking up to inside of Cooper. And Blaine wanted them to be friends. He wanted a brotherly relationship.
"Yeah, no, I– I would love that. I– I'd like that," Blaine admitted.
"Great, so you're gonna come to my master class tomorrow, right?" Cooper replied. "Right?"
"Yeah, sure," Blaine agreed.
"Great!" Cooper answered.
"Of course," Blaine added, almost as an afterthought.
The waitress brought them their drinks, interrupting the conversation.
"Cheers," Cooper thanked the waitress in his fake Irish accent.
Blaine rolled his eyes. "That accent," he mumbled.
"Top of the mornin'," Cooper added as the waitress walked away.
"I'm not coming to your class if you keep up that accent," Blaine told him.
"Too late," Cooper said. "She thinks I'm from Ireland. If I switch accents, she'll know I was faking it."
Blaine shrugged, and they spend the rest of the meal alternating between talking about Cooper and his acting and talking about things that were more interesting to Blaine. By the end of the night, Blaine was mentally exhausted, but he felt good about how dinner had turned out. Cooper had asked a little bit about Kurt. And about school. Cooper was interested. Blaine hoped that they could get past their differences, and Cooper's tendency to think that he was always right, so they could actually be brothers and not just strangers who had DNA in common.
BLAINE
"Whoo! Welcome, guys, to the Cooper Anderson acting master class."
Blaine had to force back a laugh as Cooper began his acting class the following afternoon during glee practice. How was everyone taking this so seriously?
"Thank you, yes," Cooper acknowledged the students' applause. "Buckle your seatbelts, kids. Buckle your seatbelts. Because I'm about to pour you a tall glass of 'this is how it is'."
Blaine tried to have an open mind. Maybe this would be helpful. Or, at least, not completely mortifying.
"First thing you're going to want to know... don't go to college," Cooper instructed. "College is a waste of time."
No, Blaine decided, this was going to be a disaster.
"Number two, don't go to New York," Cooper continued. "Theater is lame, and Broadway is dead. Real actors do TV and film, which means Hollywood is where it's at."
Blaine watched as Rachel twisted around and exchanged a worried and slightly annoyed glance with Kurt, and he was hopeful that they weren't taking Cooper too seriously.
"Now, let's talk headshots," Cooper said. "Always, without fail... turn into a pose. Again. And again. And one more time."
As he demonstrated, Blaine wanted to die of embarrassment.
"That is a dynamic headshot," Cooper explained. "and BAM! You just got your first callback! So now you've got your sides. Foot's in the door..."
As Cooper continued, Blaine looked around and noticed that everyone was paying very close attention. And writing everything down.
"Why are you writing this down?" Blaine asked Kurt. Kurt ignored the question, too intent on listening to Cooper to hear him.
Blaine felt a twinge of jealousy, and instantly hated himself for it. Kurt didn't want Cooper in that way. He was just smitten with Cooper's good looks. Just like any other attractive teacher.
The fact that his jealousy was completely unfounded just frustrated Blaine even more.
"Okay," Cooper asked, "what is the key to a dramatic scene?"
"Finding the emotion," Sam suggested.
"Connecting with your scene partner," Rachel answered.
"Oh no... no and no," Cooper disagreed. "The key to a dramatic scene... is pointing!"
He pointed in Blaine's direction, and Blaine tried not to look at him.
"When people are really emotional, they point their fingers," Cooper explained. "A lot."
"That's not true at all," Blaine retorted without really thinking. "That's– that's terrible advice."
"Excuse me, guys, I'm sorry," Cooper said, and the room fell silent as Cooper stepped forward to look at Blaine. "I'm sorry, Blaine, are you an internationally beloved spokesman for the Internet's fastest-growing credit score website?"
Everyone turned to look at Blaine, and he felt self-conscious and completely alone in the room full of people.
"No," Sugar commented.
"I didn't think so," Cooper said. "So let's focus in, okay? I'm here for you."
Blaine knew that, somehow, Cooper believed that. He believed that he was doing something nice. But, really, this was all about showing off. Everything Cooper did was to show off.
"I don't normally do this," Cooper said, "but, because you're my brother's class and you guys are so nice, I'm gonna give you some level two stuff."
As he continued with his lesson, Blaine tried to pretend that the whole thing was a dream. He imagined that he was home, but that only conjured up images of Cooper. He imagined that he was out with Kurt, but all he could think of was Kurt talking about how attractive Cooper was. And his stupid ringtone.
Blaine felt like Cooper had swept in and stolen his ability to be an individual. Suddenly he was just Cooper's little brother.
"... SCREAMING ALL MY LINES! Because I'm really intense AND THE THINGS I'M FEELING ARE REALLY INTENSE because I'M AN INTENSE ACTOR!" Cooper shouted, pulling Blaine out of his thoughts.
"Nicolas Cage, right?" Cooper suggested, "ARGH!"
Everyone applauded, and Blaine glanced around, looking for one skeptical face. He found none.
"Alright, guys," Cooper said, "I don't want you to go cray-cray, but I brought in sides – industry term – from a little show that I auditioned for last week... called NCIS."
That excited the group even more.
"My nana loves that show!" Puck commented.
"Okay..." Cooper said, "Blaine, why don't you read the male lead, and –"
"I'll do it!" Rachel's hand shot up.
Cooper pointed at her and called everyone up to the front of the room. Once Cooper had set the whole thing up – with Tina as their dead body, and with the other students gathered around to watch – he addressed Blaine and Rachel.
"Now, in this scene," Cooper explained, "Agent Sciuto has just discovered a dead body... who knows what will unfold? Don't look at each other... action!"
"Here's what we know," Rachel said, flinging her arm out to point in Blaine's face. "Sergeant Pembroke took a bullet a point-blank range. What we don't know is why he's wearing a dress."
"There's a rumor that Sergeant Pembroke was a transvestite," Blaine read his line.
"No, Blaine," Cooper interrupted immediately, "say that line again, but this time point your finger. Things are serious. A man in a dress is dead."
"I don't really feel like pointing, Coop," Blaine replied. "It just feels a little stupid."
"Well, when a choice feels wrong, it's actually a good sign," Cooper replied. "It means you're right on the edge, man."
"See, I don't know about that," Blaine argued, fighting against the resentment and embarrassment that was coursing through his veins. "I feel like when it feels wrong it means that I don't feel like –"
"Why don't you just take the note, man?" Cooper asked. "I'm working here –"
"Coop, you're my brother!" Blaine shouted.
The room was suddenly silent.
"Can't you just... support me?" Blaine blurted out.
"I'm sorry, are you talking to me right now?" Cooper asked. "Because I can't tell if you're talking to me if you don't point your finger."
The presence of his friends from New Directions was the only thing that kept Blaine from punching Cooper in the face.
"Right?" Cooper asked the other students, brushing over Blaine's outburst. "That is lesson number one, guys..."
"Scene. Scene, scene." Cooper closed the lesson, reaching out to pat Blaine's shoulder. "Good work, buddy. We'll get it next time... let's go, whoo!"
Blaine turned to leave the room, completely overwhelmed, but he hesitated. He couldn't just walk out of class. He was going to have to stay and face Cooper's criticism.
"Let's move on to a little acting exercise that I like to call the emotion tornado. Get your hands up to the sky..." Cooper instructed.
Blaine was glad that the emotion tornado was more of a physical action than a mental exercise. Once they had all spun around until they were dizzy and had to sit down, Cooper seemed ready to finish the lesson.
"Alright, kids, great job!" Cooper clapped his hands. "Really great stuff. Now, if anyone wants a little one-on-one advice, I'll be over here..."
Blaine was out the door before Cooper even finished the sentence.
He was mildly surprised when Kurt followed him instead of staying to talk to Cooper.
"Hey," Kurt nudged him as they walked. "Goin' somewhere?"
"Home," Blaine said, glancing at the other boy.
"Wanna skip with us tomorrow?" Kurt asked. "We're going to Six Flags."
"It's senior skip day," Blaine said sourly.
"A bunch of juniors and sophomores are coming," Kurt explained. "I think it's really more of an 'anyone who wants to skip' day."
"I don't want to," Blaine replied.
Kurt was silent, and Blaine turned to look at him.
"Are you sure?" Kurt asked.
"Yes," Blaine answered.
Kurt looked a little hurt, but he nodded. "Okay," Kurt said. He stopped walking, and Blaine stopped too. "Well, I'll see you Friday, then, okay?"
Blaine nodded.
Kurt turned to walk away, and Blaine reached out to catch his arm to stop him.
"Have fun," he said, offering a little smile.
Kurt smiled back at him and stepped back toward Blaine to hug him.
"I'll miss you," he said as he stepped back.
"See you Friday," Blaine nodded, hoping that he didn't look as unhappy as he felt.
Kurt turned and walked back to the choir room, and Blaine walked to his car so he could go home and shut himself into his bedroom and be alone.
BLAINE
"Ask me why I am so happy, Squirt," Cooper instructed the following day as Blaine approached him in the hallway.
"Don't call me that," Blaine said.
"My life just completely changed," Cooper explained. "I just got an audition for a Michael Bay movie."
"Oh, that's great," Blaine replied sourly.
"Hello, did you hear me?" Cooper asked. "Michael freakin' Bay. The movie's untitled, which you know is code for Transformers 4."
All Blaine could imagine was how much more he would have to live in Cooper's shadow if Cooper booked a role in a Transformers film.
"You don't seem very happy for me," Cooper observed.
"Oh, I'm thrilled," Blaine said bitterly.
"Well you've got a weird way of showing it," Cooper chided. "It wouldn't kill you to smile. It also wouldn't kill you to stop letting Kurt pick out your clothes."
"He d–does not," Blaine lied.
"Mmm, could'a fooled me," Cooper said.
Blaine just wanted Cooper to go away. At least Kurt didn't think every move Blaine made was ridiculous.
"Come on man," Cooper said excitedly, gently grabbing Blaine's arm so he would stop walking. "We'll have our own ditch day. You can help me run lines."
That was it.
All of the resentment and hurt that had been building up inside of him all week flooded into his brain, and Blaine was sure that there wasn't anything in the world he wanted less than to skip school to run lines with his self-absorbed brother.
"It's all about you, isn't it?" Blaine asked.
Cooper didn't disagree.
"You know what, big brother?" Blaine said. "I'm sick of it. And I'm not gonna take it anymore."
"What?" Cooper asked.
"I'm. done." Blaine said sharply. "I don't want to skip with you. I don't want to read lines with you."
He shoved past Cooper to walk away, but he turned back around to face his brother as more words bubbled out of him.
"I thought this time would be different," Blaine accused. "But you're just the same. Never thinking about anyone but yourself. Always ready to correct me at every opportunity. But you know what? I don't have to just take this crap from you. Because I'm smarter and stronger and more capable than you think I am. I'm done letting you treat me like your inferior baby brother."
He threw his hands in the air in agitation, turned, and walked away. He wasn't surprised when Cooper didn't call after him.
Blaine stormed into the locker room and quickly changed into his boxing outfit. He attacked the punching bag, trying to release all of his bitterness, but it wasn't helping as much as it usually did.
He felt like he was having an identity crisis. Cooper didn't care. His friends in New Directions didn't notice. Even Kurt didn't seem to want to be around him much this week. Blaine knew that it was his fault for saying no, but he was sad that Kurt hadn't pressed him harder to come along to Six Flags for senior skip day.
Nobody seemed to notice how miserable Blaine was, and it made Blaine feel horribly lonely.
He wanted to run away. Back to Dalton where he fit in.
But, as Blaine stood in the shower after boxing until his arms ached, he realized that he didn't actually want to run. He had run away once before, and he had regretted it. He had grown and matured since then. This was something he could handle.
He had underestimated the degree of Cooper's selfishness and how his brother's return to Lima would affect him. But he was still himself. Cooper didn't hold any power over him.
And there was one thing Blaine knew that he did well. Something that always made him feel better.
Once he re-dressed, Blaine rushed to the auditorium.
Boxing hadn't made him feel better because he didn't need to release physical anxiety. He needed to release his emotional turmoil.
He let it all out in a song, imagining the music and the lighting and everything that would make the performance amazing.
"I am a fighter and I, I ain't gonna stop. There is no turning back. I've had enough!"
Maybe Cooper was hard on him. Maybe Cooper was selfish. But Blaine didn't have to bow down to him. Or anyone.
"Made me learn a little bit faster. Made my skin a little bit thicker. Makes me that much smarter. So thanks for making me a fighter."
KURT
The next afternoon, Kurt grabbed the little stuffed dog he had brought back from Six Flags and hurried to catch Blaine at his locker before he left to go home.
And nearly collided with Cooper as he rounded the corner near Blaine's locker.
"Oh," Kurt gasped. "Uh, sorry, I–"
"Hey Kurt!" Cooper greeted him warmly. "I'm just here to see Blaine... do you know where he is?"
As Kurt's mouth opened to explain that Blaine would be at his locker, his brain engaged and forced him to say something else instead.
"He asked me to tell you that he'd like to meet in the auditorium to talk for a minute. It's just down the hall," Kurt motioned with his hand in the direction of the auditorium. As Cooper nodded, Kurt simultaneously mentally smacked himself and congratulated himself on so quickly orchestrating an opportunity for the brothers to talk.
The news that Blaine wanted to talk seemed to please Cooper, and he smiled. "Thanks, Kurt," he turned to walk away to the auditorium.
As soon as Cooper was far enough away that he wouldn't hear, Kurt turned and ran to Blaine's locker.
He was relieved to see the other boy standing there – Cooper must have just missed him.
BLAINE
As Blaine put some of his books into his locker after school, he was so lost in thought that a sudden voice and movement to his right startled him.
"Hello, I'm Margaret Thatcher dog," a voice said as a little stuffed dog appeared from behind his open locker door. "My relationship with the Queen was ruff!"
Kurt peeked out from behind the locker door, and Blaine let his head fall forward in relief and amusement.
"Ah, look what Finn won you playing skee ball," Kurt said lightly.
"Finn won this?" Blaine asked, confused.
"Yeah, well, Rachel kept making him win stuffed animals for her," Kurt explained. "And at the end of the day, out of the fourteen she had, I confiscated this little guy. To give to you. Since there was no convincing you coming with us."
Kurt made a pouty face, and Blaine wasn't sure if he would ever be able to articulate how much the simple gesture meant to him.
"Well, I would've just brought you guys down," Blaine explained sadly.
"Look, I get it," Kurt said as they started to walk down the hallway together. "Family stuff is hard. Especially between brothers. I mean, Finn and I aren't even real brothers and we pretty much disagree on everything. But I love the big lug!" Kurt shook the stuffed dog in Blaine's face. "And, at the end of the day, we're in each other's corners. You only get one brother, Blaine. Don't give up on that."
"He's the one leaving," Blaine scoffed. "Huge audition. You didn't hear about it?"
"Actually..." Kurt said cryptically, "he hasn't left yet."
Blaine waited for an explanation.
"He's in the auditorium, hoping that you come and talk to him," Kurt said.
"I've tried talking to him!" Blaine argued. "It doesn't... doesn't really work with him."
"Maybe talking's not the answer," Kurt agreed. "Maybe you need to show him how you really feel in the best, most honest way you know how."
Blaine thought about how good it had felt to sing out his feelings the day before. He glanced at Kurt, and was grateful not to see any pressure in Kurt's eyes. Just affection and encouragement.
Blaine knew the perfect song.
KURT
Kurt smiled as he watched Blaine walk away. The impromptu meeting would be beneficial for both brothers.
As Blaine turned the corner and disappeared from view, Kurt felt a strong desire to follow him. To watch Blaine sing out his feelings to his brother. But he knew that he shouldn't. Blaine and Cooper needed to work things out alone, and Kurt had done enough meddling to get them to this point.
But that didn't mean he had to leave entirely.
With a parting glance in the direction of the auditorium, Kurt turned and wandered away to find a place to wait until Blaine and Cooper were done talking.
BLAINE
"But you didn't have to cut me off! Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing. And I don't even need your love, but you treat me like a stranger and I feel so rough."
Blaine was glad that Cooper had decided to sing with him, rather than staying in the audience to watch Blaine sing alone. It felt good. Singing with his brother. Letting out his feelings.
"Now you're just somebody that I used to know."
"Best you've ever sounded," Cooper said immediately once the song was over.
Blaine waited for the clarification. But you're too emotional. You've gotta take your emotion and use it. Don't let it use you.
"I am tough on you," Cooper said instead. "This week, maybe a little tougher than I should've been. And... I need to apologize for that."
That surprised Blaine. He turned to look at Cooper.
"But it's only because I see – I've always seen – how insanely talented you are," Cooper said seriously. "I want you to be as successful as you can be, Blaine. And you will be. You're gonna do it all. Movies, concerts, Broadway."
Blaine's first instinct was to believe Cooper, so he gave in and just let himself feel good about the compliment.
"Even though it's dead?" Blaine remembered.
"You'll resurrect it!" Cooper encouraged, throwing an arm around Blaine's neck. "And when I'm in the audience watching you, I want to be able to say 'that's my kid brother up there... I helped him get there'."
"Thanks for saying that, Coop," Blaine said, unable to resist the urge to tease his brother a little. "And I know you really mean it, too, because you weren't pointing your finger at me or speaking REALLY LOUDLY to be intense!"
Cooper released him in mock protest, and they both laughed.
"I'm really glad we could sing together one last time before you left to be Mr. Hollywood," Blaine admitted.
"Actually, my audition got canceled," Cooper said.
"What?"
"Eh, I dunno. Apparently Michael Bay just decided to 'go in a different direction'," Cooper explained. "Which is industry speak for 'thanks, but we found somebody who's better and/or hotter."
"Okay, first of all," Blaine said, not willing to let Cooper just give up on his dreams because of one bump in the road, "you don't know that. And, second of all... screw Optimus Prime."
"Even though we don't live in the same town and, uh, we don't see each other all the time," Cooper said, turning to face Blaine, "we're not just brothers, right?"
Blaine didn't know what to say.
"We're friends, too," Cooper clarified.
Blaine felt tears flood into his eyes without his permission. He had always wanted to be Cooper's friend. Not his less talented, less important little brother, but an equal.
"That's... exactly what I've always wanted us to be, Coop," Blaine admitted.
He was surprised to see tears in Cooper's eyes as Cooper reached out and crushed him into a tight hug.
"Hold on a second," Cooper protested as Blaine moved to pull away. "I just... I want to remember this emotion so I can use it in a scene someday."
Blaine laughed. "You are ridiculous."
"You never know, right?" Cooper reminded him.
For the first time in a long time, Blaine felt nothing but amusement at Cooper's words. He knew that they would never have an effortless relationship, but Blaine felt so hopeful about the future that he couldn't stand the thought that Cooper might not get everything he ever wanted.
"Hey, I wanna help you," Blaine said as they stepped back from the hug. "I don't want you to give up on this audition. Come on, I've got an idea!"
"Where're we going?" Cooper asked.
"We," Blaine replied as he descended the stairs off the stage, "are gonna put you on tape so Michael Bay can see what real acting is."
"Pointing," Cooper noticed as he rushed to follow Blaine out of the auditorium. "Nice touch! See, I believed that! That's why it's lesson number one!"
They emerged into the hallway, and Blaine stopped abruptly.
"Hey Coop?"
Cooper turned to him and Blaine knew that he didn't really need to ask. But he wanted to anyway.
"Can Kurt come with us?"
Cooper threw his arms in the air. "God, it's about time you asked that question."
"What?" Blaine asked.
"We may not know each other as well as we should, little brother," Cooper said, "but I see the way you look at Kurt. And I see the way he looks at you. I need to know this kid better."
Blaine didn't know what to say to that.
"So, is he around?" Cooper asked, looking around the empty hallway. "I talked to him just before you came to the auditorium...
"Wha –?" Blaine started, but Cooper took a deep breath and drowned him out as he shouted.
"KURT?" he called. "KURT? KURT?"
"Shhhhhh!" Blaine gasped, but he couldn't hold back a smile at his brother's complete disregard for his surroundings.
"What?" Kurt came running around the corner. From his locker, Blaine guessed. "What's going on? Is everyone okay?"
"Yeah, everything's fine," Cooper said casually.
Blaine tried so hard not to laugh at the look on Kurt's face that the noise that escaped from his mouth was even more obvious than if he had just laughed normally.
Kurt's eyes landed on his, and Blaine bit his lip to keep from smiling like an idiot as Kurt approached.
"Are you laughing at me?" Kurt threatened.
Blaine nodded.
Kurt just rolled his eyes playfully as he stepped up to Blaine, and Blaine realized that he had really missed Kurt this week. Sure, they had seen each other at lunch and at glee club, but they hadn't really spent much time together outside of school all week.
Without thinking, Blaine closed the gap between them and pressed a warm kiss to Kurt's lips.
His brain registered his brother's presence almost immediately, and he quickly stepped back. He risked a bashful glance in Cooper's direction, only to feel his face burning with embarrassment as his brother raised an amused eyebrow at him.
He glanced at Kurt, and was pleased to see that Kurt's face was flushed, too.
"Well," Cooper said, "now that I've got that mental image..."
"Shut up," Blaine mumbled as Kurt burst into a fit of giggles.
"... Kurt can run the camera! Come on!"
KURT
"I can't believe you tricked us," Blaine laughed late that evening as he and Kurt sat in Blaine's car in the driveway at Kurt's house. They had dropped Cooper off at a friend's house, and he was catching an early flight back to Los Angeles the next day.
"Well," Kurt shrugged, "someone needed to give you both a little shove."
He reached out and grabbed Blaine's hand.
"I'm sorry, though," he said. "I could tell you were struggling this week, but –"
"It's okay," Blaine said quickly.
"No," Kurt countered, giving Blaine a stern look. "I could tell that you were hurting, but I let myself believe that it was none of my business what was going on between you and your brother."
"It is none of your business," Blaine teased. Kurt rolled his eyes.
"Fine, don't let me be serious," he pouted.
Blaine smiled at him and pulled their interlaced hands up so he could kiss the back of Kurt's hand.
"I missed you so much this week," he said softly.
"I was only gone for one day," Kurt protested.
"I miss you every second you're not with me," Blaine said, fluttering his eyelashes.
Kurt laughed and leaned over the center console to press a kiss to Blaine's lips.
Blaine whined unhappily as Kurt pulled away, and Kurt smiled at him.
"Goodnight," he winked, reaching for the door handle.
"Ugh," Blaine pouted.
Kurt opened the door, leaned over to kiss Blaine one more time, and climbed out of the car.
The song they sing at the beginning is 'Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You' by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons (youtube DOT com SLASH watch?v=R1j1RRWcYSg). Just something cute (and kinda fitting to the way their relationship started, right?)... and I wanted it to be with the Warblers because, hey, that's how they met! And I think the Warblers would love it... they've shipped Klaine from the beginning! ;)
And, let's just be honest, I miss Blaine and the Pips.
Thanks again for your patience with my random absence, guys. We're back on schedule now!
Up next... 'Saturday Night Glee-ver'!