Blaine took it, leaning on her shoulder once more, and as she jiggled the lock he kept crying, harder and harder, an unrelentless stream of tears. She guided him into the living room, thankful it was easy to navigate his house, Tina deposited him on the couch and sat down next to him, putting her arm back around him and cradling his head on her shoulder. Five minutes earlier than Cooper had guessed, he walked through the door to see Blaine crying into Tina’s sweater. He smiled apologetically at Tina and sat down on the other side of Blaine. “Hey squirt,” Cooper tried, all he got was another round of sobs. Tina sighed and patted his hair, “Shh....sh...honey you’re alright.” Cooper sighed, and wrapped both arms securely around Blaine, and lifted, easily pulling Blaine’s small frame into his lap. Which really just made him sob harder, because Kurt did that. That was his and Kurt’s thing. Cooper let Blaine tuck his head into his shoulder and sob a little more, and said over Blaine’s head, “Thanks for doing this Tina.” She smiled sympathetically, “It’s okay, he’s been there for me a lot this year when I needed to cry, it’s the least I could do. Tell him I’ll pick him up in the morning, we left his car at school.” Cooper nodded and started to pet Blaine again.

Cooper held Blaine like that for a good two hours, and Cooper reached out to the coffee table where he’d laid the ice cream when Blaine finally began to let up. Cooper handed Blaine a spoon, “Spill.” Blaine didn’t say anything at first, just poked his spoon into the softened ice cream, and sucked on it. Cooper sighed, “Any particular reason you picked strawberry this time? You always want chocolate when it’s a guy thing.” Blaine licked his spoon before going for another bite, “Kurt. His cheeks are always so nice and rosy, like the color of the ice cream.” Cooper sighed inwardly, “Do you wanna tell me what triggered this little break down?” Blaine look affronted, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Cooper lifted an eyebrow, “Blaine, you do realize that you’re a legally grown man, sitting in your brother’s lap, and have been crying for three hours straight.” Blaine sighed, “I just....just....I thought....I could do it,” he took another bite of ice cream, “I thought I could stand to be without him....and I just...I-I-I c-can’t.”

Blaine’s voice broke on the last word and he began to cry again, in even more earnest than before. Cooper closed his eyes in a show of slight exasperation, he patted Blaine’s thigh and sat him down on the couch, “I gotta go to the bathroom. Hold on.” Cooper went to the medicine cabinet and found a package of NyQuil liquid gels. If mom were here to see me now, he thought dryly then, but she isn’t. Once again she has failed as a mother. He walked back to the living room, two pills and a dixie cup of water in one hand, with his free hand he helped Blaine up, gently guiding him up the stairs, to his bedroom. When he finally tucked a still sobbing Blaine into bed, he handed him the NyQuil and the water. Blaine looked at him curiously through more tears and another hiccup, Cooper gave him a helpless look, “It’ll help you sleep, and trust me, that’s what you need right now more than anything. A brief respite if you will.”

Blaine nodded and took the pills, choking a little as he sobbed. Cooper kneeled by his bed, smoothing out his hair as he cried himself to sleep. When the sobs had finally been replaced by light snores, Cooper stood up and exited quietly from the room. He headed downstairs to hear an obnoxious buzzing, and when he found the source, it was a text from Kurt on Blaine’s phone. Cooper sighed, but opened it anyway, “Hey, finished my homework. Skype in ten, kay?” Cooper hastily typed back, “Kay” knowing he should probably inform Kurt that Blaine was asleep, but kind of wanting to talk to Kurt. Ten minutes later, he signed on to skype as Blaine, thanking God that Blaine had his password taped to the laptop (kHummel4ever though, really?) When he got a call request, he accepted and Kurt’s face popped up on his screen, “Hey Bl----Cooper?” Cooper smiled, “Hey Kurt.” Kurt looked a little disappointed, “Um, hi Coop. Where’s Blaine?” Cooper looked apologetic, “He’s, he’s asleep.” Kurt frowned, “What? Why? It’s barely seven o’clock.” Cooper sighed, “Yeah, I know. I sort of drugged him.”

Kurt raised an eyebrow in alarm, “You did what?!” Cooper made a surrendering motion with his hands, “Chill. Chill. He was kind of hysterical so I gave him some NyQuil.” Kurt’s face rapidly changed from I’m-going-to-kill-my-boyfriend’s-brother to Oh-my-gosh-Blaine-oh-God-what-did-they-do, “Why? What happened? Did someone die? Is he alright? Is someone bothering him at school? Dammit tell me Cooper!” Cooper made the same surrendering motion with his hands, “Chill. Chill. I think, I think he just finally broke. He’s been trying to hold it together, and I guess today it got to be too much. He misses you Kurt.” Kurt wiped away a stray tear, “I miss him too. I miss him so much.” When Cooper saw another tear run down Kurt’s cheek he frowned, “Oh no, not you too. God, please don’t cry Kurt. At least not yet. Wait till this weekend when you come down so I don’t have to try to hold you over a webcam.” Kurt cracked a weak smile and wiped away all of his tears, “Hold me over a webcam?” Cooper rolled his eyes, “Your boyfriend spent three hours in my lap. Three Kurt Hummel. Three. He was nuts. You know he asked for strawberry ice cream because it reminded him of the color of your cheeks?!”

Kurt’s face dropped, “You know Coop, you telling me that isn’t really helping.” Cooper sighed, “I know. I’m sorry. It’s just that I hate seeing him so torn up about it.” Kurt nodded, “It sucks. It really does.” Cooper studied his mousepad, “I’m kind of glad in a way though, that he has someone to be that upset about.” Kurt smiled, “Me too. And Coop?” Cooper looked up, “Yeah Kurt?” Kurt gave a very broken, but beautiful smile, “Blaine’s not the only Anderson brother that I miss.” Cooper smiled, “Well he’s not the only Anderson brother that misses you. So tell ya what, get all of your homework finished early, and head out asap Friday. Don’t drive at night though, if you make it halfway and it gets dark, call me and I’ll come get you. Kay?” Kurt rolled his eyes, “Okay dad.” Cooper rolled his eyes in return, “Whatever Kurt. Talk to you tomorrow. I’m sure Blaine would want you to know he loves you, and that he wants you to have good dreams.” Kurt smiled and nodded, giving a little wave and blowing Cooper a kiss. With that they signed off.