Part 2

The following day Dwight found himself pacing back and forth in front of Blaine's dorm room, clutching tightly onto his Hunters journal. "This is stupid…so stupid…even if he does understand…no way he's going to be able to help…I should just forget about it…no point dragging other people into this…"

Dwight stopped his pitiful monologue, sighed and turned to face the door. You don't get anything in life without asking… He swallowed hard and raised his fist to knock, but before he could the door opened and he was suddenly staring at Blaine, who stopped shrugging on his jacket when Dwight made a rather undignified noise.

"Dwight! Hi! I didn't hear you knock." Blaine said, surprised to see him outside his door. He paused for a moment, considering his next moves. "Do you…um…do you want to come in?" he asked, moving aside to let Dwight past.

Dwight nodded briefly and slipped inside, noting Blaine's appearance as he did. Not in uniform, he must be busy. Probably a date? I knew this was a bad idea... "Thanks. But if you're busy Blaine I can…I can come back later. It's not that important, anyway. Really." Dwight said, gesturing to Blaine's jeans and polo shirt.

Blaine shrugged a little, "It's nothing that can't be rescheduled. Plus, it's nice to see you. Sit down, make yourself at home. Tell me what I can do for you." He smiled charmingly and sat on his couch, clearing space for Dwight to sit by him.

While Dwight got settled Blaine pulled out his phone and sent off a quick text to Kurt: Sorry, going to have to cancel lunch :( Dwight appeared at my door and he looks like he wants to talk. Keep the boys amused for a bit? I'll make it up to you. Promise. Love xo". He slipped it back into his pocket just as Dwight glanced at him nervously.

"I wondered if…if I could talk to you about something." Blaine nodded and he continued, "It's about…Alan. My little brother." Dwight avoided eye contact as he spoke.

Although a little surprised, Blaine didn't let it show. He toed off his shoes and sat cross-legged on the couch, hoping he could make Dwight a little more comfortable using his body language. He smiled softly and ducked his head to look at Dwight, unsure how to breach the topic. Dwight met his eyes and the glint of hope within them made Blaine's heart tighten a little as he watched Dwight struggle to find a place to start.

"You know…" Blaine said, hoping to ease Dwight's discomfort, "I still have that little bag of rock salt you gave me when we first met. I keep it in my bedside drawer. In case of emergencies, stuff like that. You're good at helping to protect us."

Dwight nodded in agreement, but said nothing. He hated how nervous he was sitting here. He didn't know what to say or how to start a conversation he wasn't really sure they should be having, but something made him stay in Blaine's room. Something within Dwight was prompting him to talk. His leg bounced and his hands clung tightly onto his journal, but he licked his dry lips and started talking about things he hadn't said out loud for years. Blaine simply listened, as it seemed that once Dwight started talking he wasn't going to stop.

"It's his birthday this week you know," he said, still not looking at Blaine, "He would have been thirteen. A teenager. Can you imagine the crowds of girls chasing after this cute little fella? I know I can." Dwight opened his journal and passed a photo to Blaine.

Blaine smiled softly as he looked at it, taking in the happy expressions of two young boys, clearly brothers, who looked so alike regardless of their age difference. Blaine knew which one was Dwight - he thought that he would recognise those sparkling brown eyes anywhere. The other boy, a miniature version of Dwight, had sea blue eyes and a freckled nose and hugged onto the taller boy tightly. They both wore identical grins and proudly held matching pendants up for the camera to see.

"That was his seventh birthday. I got him a pendant the same as mine seeing as he was constantly asking to wear it. It made him so happy." Dwight sighed as he took the photo back, "At least, until…That was his last birthday party." He tucked the photo back into the worn pages.

Blaine was surprised when Dwight looked right at him when he spoke next, "I miss him every day Blaine. I wonder, if he were still here would he be proud of the person I am? Would he still look up to me? And honestly Blaine, I'm not sure he would. I carry around so much…so much anger about what happened to him. And it wasn't fair what happened, it still isn't, but it's exhausting. I can't keep going on like this."

Blaine could hear the pain in Dwight's voice as he spoke but he kept a soft, neutral expression on his face, nodding sombrely. When he spoke next, Dwight's eyes glimmered with determination, "I want to celebrate Alan's birthday this year. And I don't want to be…like this, when I do." He gestured aimlessly to himself, "I want to celebrate the life he had, not the life he's missing."

He opened his journal to a specific page and handed it to Blaine after a little hesitation. Blaine glanced over the page, skimming Dwight's cursive handwriting, and frowned when he thought he realised what it was. "Dwight, are these..?"

"Potential song lyrics? Yes. I wanted to put my feelings to good use for a change and try expressing them in a semi-normal way, like you guys do or something. Anyway, I've been working on this for a while and although I finally have the words down, I'm no good at playing music and I'm certainly not able to write it. But I'd like to be able to finish this, for Alan. Almost like…like a birthday present…for him. A tribute." Dwight trailed off, looking embarrassed.

Blaine's smile broadened as he put the pieces together and began to read the lyrics. He nodded slightly, impressed at the verses and looked at Dwight again, gesturing to the pages, "Are you asking me to help you write the music for this, Dwight?"

"No. I'm asking if you will write the music for it." Dwight said sheepishly, "But if you can't I get it. I know you're busy with Warblers and classes and Kurt and other important stuff." He dismissed the task quickly, moving to take back his journal, but Blaine retracted it a little.

"Don't be so quick to dismiss things, Dwight." He smiled at his friend and fixed him with a meaningful look, "I would love to write the music for you. What kind of melody are you thinking?" When Dwight looked puzzled, Blaine chuckled and rephrased, "When you hear the song in your head, what kind of music is with it?"

Dwight shrugged a little, looking contemplative for a moment before he spoke, "It's a soft tune, on an acoustic guitar. Nothing massive or loud. And maybe a little piano?"

Blaine hummed curiously, sounds already forming in his head, "Can I hang onto the journal? Your words are…" he struggled to find an adequate word, so settled for a sweeping statement, "I really like it."

Dwight looked at Blaine with slightly raised eyebrows, a little surprised that he was so willing to help and definitely surprised that he liked Dwight's work. "Sure. Just, um, keep it safe? There are important things inside it."

"Of course I will." Blaine said as he stood, moving to his desk and placing the journal inside a drawer – conveniently next to his bag of rock salt.

Dwight stood to leave at the same time, but as he reached the door Blaine called to him, "Dwight…thank you. For talking to me, I mean. We were all worried about you and why you wouldn't talk. I understand obviously, but I'm glad you're not trying to deal with this alone." Dwight shrugged a little and both boys smiled as he left, each feeling a strange sense of warmth.

From inside the safety of his room Blaine had to chuckle as a Nerf war broke out down the corridor, the sounds of Evan and Ethan yelling to Dwight for back up as Wes and David's almighty battle cry roared through the house. He was glad to hear Dwight join in, demanding that the Twins gear up as their voices drifted away. Blaine sighed, exasperated at the madness of Windsor house and headed to the desk, picking up his guitar in the process – he had work to do.

Kurt knocked lightly on Blaine's door and waited a moment before he pushed it open, peeking past it to see if his boyfriend was inside. He saw Blaine sitting at his desk, guitar in his lap and surrounded by sheet music. He didn't seem to hear Kurt come in as he jumped slightly when Kurt wrapped his arms around his shoulders.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I did knock." He said as he gave Blaine a soft kiss on the cheek.

"No I'm sorry, I didn't hear you." He smiled and nuzzled against Kurt a little, enjoying the embrace.

Kurt eyed the papers surrounding Blaine, curious to know what he had been so engrossed in, "What are you working on anyway? You've been awfully quiet. No more surprise Top 40 I hope." He smirked as Blaine pouted.

"My talents reach much further than that thank you very much. Top 40 is just for fun. Besides, who doesn't love Katy Perry?!" Blaine replied, hastily covering up Dwight's journal and the sheet music he had been writing on. He put down his guitar and turned to face Kurt properly, smiling and pulling him down to sit on his lap. "I haven't meant to be distant, just been busy. How are things? I haven't heard any explosions yet, which must be a good sign."

Kurt laughed, "Well, how about we go for a walk and I update you on the madness you've missed since being holed up in here? I'm concerned that you're avoiding daylight. We can't have you turning into a vampire – that will do nothing for Dwight's mind-set." He stood and offered Blaine his hands, hauling the smaller boy to his feet.

Blaine laughed casually, the mere mention of Dwight's name bringing up his guilty feelings. It had been two days since their conversation, and Blaine was no further forward in developing music for Dwight. Blaine wasn't actively avoiding him, but he didn't want to have to admit that he hadn't made any progress. Part of him was relieved to be spending time with Kurt, away from sheet music, however it also increased the guilt that he hadn't told his boyfriend about his project. Even though Dwight hadn't sworn him to secrecy, Blaine felt it wasn't his place to share the story quite yet.

But for now, Blaine would take a break and enjoy some much-needed time with Kurt. Who knew, maybe the fresh air would do him good after all.