Friday couldn’t come fast enough for Blaine. 

He trudged home, still exhausted from the long day, but became energized as he began thinking about his date that night. Humming, he dug through his closet and pulled out an outfit he knew Kurt would like. 

Suppressing a shiver Blaine pulled on a jacket as he walked down the stairs, going through his texts as he went. 

“Hey squirt!” The suddenness of the shout startled him and he spun around to see Cooper grinning at him. “Long time no see!”

“Cooper!” Blaine laughed and hugged his brother tightly. “What are you doing here?”

“Mom’s birthday is on Wednesday,” Cooper shrugged. “Thought I’d come to spend time with the fam.”

“Who even says that?” Blaine laughed. 

“Anyway, wanna go do something? We can grab some food and go to a movie or something?” Cooper looked at him expectantly. 

“I’m actually on my way to a date with Kurt,” Blaine smiled. 

“Can’t you cancel? How often do we get to hang out?” Cooper’s grin faltered a bit and Blaine felt that familiar wave of anger. 

“Jesus Christ Coop. I can’t just drop everything for you,” He felt his lips curl up in a sneer. “Move. I’m running late.” 

“Fine Mr. Hyde,” Cooper rolled his eyes, pushing past his little brother and walking into the living room. With a scoff, Blaine grabbed his coat and walked out the door wincing as his shoes pinched his feet.

Being with Kurt always made him forget the troubles he had at home. The other boy was his everything. When he was with his boyfriend he felt safe, secure, and carefree. Basically the opposite of what he felt at home.

“So my brother is in town,” Blaine said as he took a bite of his pasta. 

“Oh?” Kurt grinned. “Maybe I can finally meet him.”

“He’s an asshole,” Blaine rolled his eyes. “I’d rather keep you and my family separate. I don’t want you to have to deal with them.”

Kurt nodded, remembering how angry Blaine got whenever he spoke about his family. The other boy’s jaw would clench, his eyes would flash darkly and he would snarl the most furious things about how horrible they were. 

“Okay,” Kurt shrugged slightly, not wanting to upset him. “So, what did you think about Rachel’s solo today?”

“Which one?” Instantly Blaine’s demeanor changed and he grinned brightly. 

The ended up going to a movie and then wandering around in a park for a bit before heading back to their houses with a goodbye kiss. Blaine walked quietly to his bedroom, smile still in place, and didn’t even bother to change into his pajamas before collapsing into bed and falling fast asleep. 

”Mother?” He called, walking up the stairs. His boots pinched his feet and his coat was far too stuffy but it was freezing. “Mother?”

The house was absolutely silent. 

Cooper blinked awake and sat up, rubbing his face blearily as he tried to remember what woke him up. 

Soft footsteps right outside his door made him jump and he turned on the light next to his bed to see Blaine walk past his room.

“Blaine?”

His steps made the stairs creak and his breathing sounded far too loud. 

When Blaine completely ignored him Cooper got out of bed and followed him, curious.

“Blaine?” He tried again. “Don’t tell me you’re sleepwalking.”

Blaine didn’t answer and Cooper sighed loudly. The younger boy had sleepwalked as a small child and Cooper always had to chase him down. He watched as Blaine walked slowly to the stairs and stopped at the top one, moving his arm. 

“Mother?” He whispered, mouth dry as he pushed open the bedroom door. 

Blood, brain matter, and bits of bone completely covered every square inch of the room. It coated the walls and carpeted the floor along with body parts. Part of his mother’s face stared up at him, frozen in horror. 

With a breathless cry, he stumbled back and grabbed onto the doorframe. As soon as the fear caught up with his brain he spun around to flee the house but ran right into a solid body. 

Cooper froze when Blaine stumbled back slightly, eyes wide. 

“William,” His father’s deep voice made him freeze.

“Father!” He gasped, desperate to leave the horror behind him. “Someone is in the house. We have to go!” 

“What?” Cooper asked, having missed Blaine’s mumbles. 

“Someone is in the house,” Blaine said dreamily, eyes still staring forward at nothing.

His father just stared at him and that’s when he noticed the blood soaked clothing and dripping axe he was holding. 

Blaine suddenly let out a horrible scream and all but took off running, tripping over the first step. Without thinking, Cooper leapt after him and grabbed him before he could fall down the stairs. 

The younger boy continued to scream and jerked them both so hard that Cooper stumbled down a few steps and landed on his back, still holding on to him tightly. 

Lights flicked on downstairs and Cooper had to fight to hold his thrashing brother.

“What’s going on?” His father shouted, holding a baseball bat. Their mother stayed close behind him, eyes huge. 

At their father’s voice, Blaine’s eyes were filled with sudden clarity and he gulped in a huge breath of air before breaking down sobbing in Cooper’s arms.

“God, god, god,” He chanted, sobs making his body shake. “Please no.”

“Hey,” Cooper held him close, pushing his hair away from his forehead. “Hush.”

With another scream, Blaine arched his back and scratched at Cooper’s arms. He kicked, bucked and even tried to bite him in his desperation to get away. 

“Blaine!” Cooper shouted and Blaine froze, eyes huge. “You’re alright. You had a bad dream. You are going to be okay.”

“What happened?” Their father had come up the stairs slowly, obviously not wanting to scare Blaine. Sobbing, their mother had stayed at the bottom of the staircase and just stared up at them in horror. 

“He was sleepwalking,” Cooper answered, still keeping a arm tight around Blaine’s chest. “He got to the top of the stairs and just screamed. Then he tried to jump off the top.”

“I didn’t,” Blaine whispered tearfully. “I swear. I didn’t.”

“It’s alright,” His father reached out a hand and rested it on his leg. “You’re okay Blaine.”

“I don’t remember what happened,” Blaine slurred, head falling back. “Why am I here?”

Cooper just shushed him again and looked worriedly at his parents.

“Son,” His father smiled. “We’re going to take you to the hospital okay? You’re going to be okay.”

Without another word, Cooper scooped him up in his arms and carried him back to the car. Blaine still moved sluggishly, almost looking drunk in his movements. 

“Coop?” He asked quietly as his older brother climbed into the back seat with him.

“Yeah bud?”

“What’s goin’ on,” He reached hands out and whimpered as they got tangled in his pajama top. “Are we in my room? I don’t wanna be in my room.”

“You’re in the car,” Cooper soothed, watching helplessly as Blaine began to cry softly. 

“Please, don’t turn off the light,” He sniffled. 

“I won’t. I promise,” Cooper leaned forward and kissed his forehead. “Just go to sleep. I’ll be here.”

“Don’t wanna see the blood,” He whimpered as he finally fell asleep. 

“Drive faster Charles,” His mother snapped, looking back at Blaine who was laying in Cooper’s lap. 

In a few moments they got to the hospital and Cooper carried his brother in. With one look at the pale, shaking boy the doctors brought him back to the emergency room and made the family wait outside. 

“I can’t believe this,” His mother sniffed, wiping her eyes. 

“He’ll be okay,” Charles soothed, rubbed her back. “Tricia, our boy will be okay.”

Cooper sat silently in the hard plastic chair, fighting back tears and staring at the doors. The look of horror on Blaine’s face was still seared into his mind. 

“Mr. and Mrs. Anderson?” A thin woman with large glasses called out. She gave them a tired smile and pulled them into a small room off to the side of the waiting room. “I’m Dr. Erin Stone. I am the doctor in charge of your son.”

“Is Blaine alright?” Tricia asked tearfully. 

“He was badly shaken when he first came in and was having a panic attack. We had to administer valium for him to calm down enough to get him to talk to us. When he told us about the hallucinations and nightmares we ran a few tests. I ran a EEG and a MRI. He doesn’t have a brain tumor or anything of the sort but I think he might have had a seizure.”

“Seizures?” Tricia sounded faint. 

“Sometimes seizures manifest themselves with auditory and visual hallucinations. It could also explain the time loss he’s been experiencing. Has he had any behavioral changes?” She glanced at them over her glasses.

“He’s had these fits of rage,” Charles explained. “He’ll get violent or cruel to us for no reason.”

“That’s another symptom. Now, nothing showed up on the EEG but a lot of the time it has no cause or show up on any tests. I think epilepsy might be what is affecting Blaine. However, he could also be showing early symptoms of schizophrenia or another mental illness.”

“What do we do?” Cooper asked.

“We’ll start him on an anti-seizure medication and monitor him. He should be able to go home tomorrow depending on how his vitals look but maybe he should take a few days off of school just to keep down his stress levels,” Dr. Stone smiled at them warmly. “I think he should be okay with proper treatment and rest.”

“Can we see him?” Tricia sniffed and they followed the doctor back into a room in the ER. 

Blaine was fast asleep on the bed, looking far too pale and hooked up to far too many machines. The family surrounded the bed and watched over the youngest as he slept. 

“Where ‘m I?” The barely whispered question startled Cooper awake the next morning and he sat up to see his brother looking blearily at him. 

“You’re in the hospital bud,” Tricia was by his side in a heartbeat and Charles hovered by the foot of the bed. “You had a seizure.”

“Hmm?” Blaine turned his head side from side. “No. No I didn’t.”

“You’ve been put on some medications and you’re going to be alright,” Charles explained as a doctor hurried into the room, checking on the vital signs. 

Blaine still seemed out of it enough for the doctors to run a few more tests and scans so the Andersons were left to wait in the empty hospital room. Charles and Tricia went to get some breakfast from a nearby café and Cooper just relaxed on one of the uncomfortable chairs.

“Blackbird singing in the dead of night,” The sudden ring made Cooper jump and glance over at Blaine’s cell phone that had lit up with a smiling picture of Kurt. In the rush to leave the night before Cooper hadn’t noticed that Blaine left his phone in his pajama pocket. “Take this broke wings and learn to fly.”

After a moment of hesitation he answered.

“Hello?”

“Blaine?” Kurt asked, sounding unsure. 

“No sorry this is Cooper, Blaine’s brother,” He leaned back further. 

“Oh…well can I talk to Blaine?” The other boy asked. “I’d like to find out why he abandoned me for our lunch date.”

“Kurt…we’re at the hospital,” He winced at the gasp. “Blaine had a seizure last night and he’s getting some tests done. He’ll be fine, he just needs some rest for now.”

“I’m coming! What hospital are you at? Where are you?” Kurt asked in a rush, sounding terrified. 

“Listen we’ll be back home later today. Why don’t I give you a call a bit later,” He heart the other boy stop rusting through something and pause. “He’s almost done and I’ll call when we get home okay?” 

“Please call if he gets any worse,” Kurt sounded scared. 

“Of course,” Cooper paused. “It was nice to finally talk to you Kurt. I wish it was under better circumstances.”

“Me too,” Kurt sighed. “Keep me updated.”

A few moments after he hung up Blaine was wheeled back into the room. The younger boy still looked dazed and drugged. His body was limp and he was slightly slumped over. 

“Nothing,” Dr. Stone walked back in. “Nothing showed up on the tests. I think that once he gets back in his own bed he’ll be just fine. Make sure he takes his medication and eats properly.”

The Anderson’s walked back into the room and smiled in relief at the news. They quickly signed the paperwork and soon Blaine was bundled up in blankets in the backseat of the car. 

“No,” He jerked away when Cooper tried to help him into his room. 

“You’re just going to go to sleep Blaine,” Cooper tried to pull him forward. 

“No please,” Blaine whimpered softly and slumped down in his arms. “Don’t put me in that room.”

“Okay,” Cooper frowned and quickly led his brother to his own room. He helped Blaine under the covers and watched as the boy quickly fell asleep.

He sent a quick text off to Kurt and waited. 

Unsurprisingly, Kurt got to their house in minutes. The teenager burst through the front door and met Cooper on the stairs. 

“Where is he?” He panted. 

“He’s asleep in my room,” Cooper tried to calm down the boy. “He’s still got some drugs in his system that are making him a little drowsy and he’s really out of it. The doctor thinks he’s had epilepsy his entire life and that it’s just now beginning to really show.”

“What happened exactly?” Kurt’s voice dropped to a whisper. 

“He sleepwalked to the stairs and jumped from the top one,” Cooper found himself rubbing at his arm as Kurt’s eyes flickered to the top of the stairs. “He was completely delirious and had no idea where he was. He’s still been kind of jumpy ever since so be aware.”

“Thank you Cooper,” Kurt muttered distractedly as he hurried up the stairs and into Cooper’s room.

“Kurt?” Blaine muttered sleepily and blinked up at him.

“Hi baby,” Kurt sat on the bed and positioned them so he was sitting against the headboard with Blaine laying against his chest. “How are you feeling?”

“Had a seizure,” Blaine muttered, closing his eyes. “Med’cine makes me sleepy.”

“Go to sleep then,” Kurt ran his fingers through Blaine’s curly hair making him shiver and straighten his body out. 

“Don’t wanna close my eyes,” Blaine tightened his fingers on Kurt’s arm. “But also scared when they’re open. Scared all the time.”

“You don’t need to be scared,” Kurt felt him shiver and frowned, looking up at Cooper who was standing outside the door. 

The older man sighed softly and slowly made his way to Blaine’s room, shivering a little at the chill.

The covers on the bed were thrown halfway across the room and the lamp was knocked off. It looked like their had been a struggle but Cooper knew there had been no one in the room but Blaine last night. 

Across his desk there were several scattered pieces of paper. He frowned as he looked at the hastily drawn horses. They looked like a child had scribbled them and several were disjointed or missing body parts. Cooper’s heart clenched when he saw the word ‘Hush’ written again and again on the paper in messy handwriting. It covered the paper, back and front and was written on several more of the scattered pages. 

“Fuck,” Cooper whispered as he pushed away the papers to see what was scratched into the desk.

Hush.