“So Kurt seemed nice,” Cooper said through a mouthful of cheeseburger. 

“Uh huh,” Blaine stared at him in undisguised disgust. “He’s great.”

“So…how come you’ve never introduced us before?” He picked a piece of tomato off his shirt and popped it in his mouth. “I mean…that’s a big brother thing right? Meeting the boyfriend? I never even got to give him my If You Hurt Him I Will End You speech.”

“And that’s bad?” Blaine grinned, sipping at his hot tea. His fast food Cooper had brought was sitting untouched in front of him.

“It was beautiful!” Cooper sighed, flopping back dramatically. “It rhymed and everything. But seriously…why never introduce us?”

“I…I don’t know,” Blaine frowned, head aching. “I didn’t think you would like him.”

Cooper sat up, looking at his brother. Three days had passed since his seizure and he still spent all his time in Cooper’s room. The state of Blaine’s bedroom made the older man so uneasy that he insisted he sleep in Cooper’s bed, much to Blaine's relief. 

“You know I don’t care that you’re gay right?” He said softly. “I love you Blaine and if you love Kurt then I would want to get to know him. He might be my brother in law one day.”

“I know it’s just,” Blaine shifted uncomfortably, headache pounding even harder. “I just..don’t…”

“Blaine?” Cooper frowned and sat up as Blaine’s eyes lost focus and sweat beaded on his forehead. 

“I’m gonna be sick,” He gasped out and Cooper barely had enough time to snatch up the empty fast food bag and hold it under Blaine’s chin. The younger boy shook as he vomited what little he had eaten, tears stinging his eyes. 

Without a word, Cooper threw away the bag, grabbed a bottle of water and his pills. He helped Blaine take a few gulps of water and take some of his medication.

“Sorry,” Blaine muttered hoarsely, wincing at the chalky taste of the pill.

“No problem,” Cooper smiled and shrugged. 

“These meds just make me sick,” Blaine sighed and snuggled further back in the warm blankets.

“You puking is better than you having a seizure,” Cooper sat back down on the bed. 

“What were we talking about?” Blaine asked dazedly. 

“It’s nothing,” Cooper smiled warmly. “Just go to sleep.”

“I don’t want to go to sleep,” Blaine shook his head, looking like a small child refusing bedtime. “I need to tell you something first. Can I tell you something? Promise you’ll listen with an open mind?”

“Is this when you come out to me? Because I kind of figured it out when I talked to your boyfriend earlier,” Cooper chucked, making Blaine grin for a moment before he went back to staring at his hands. “What’s going on?”

“I think something weird is going on with me,” Blaine started wringing his hands. 

Worried, Cooper sat up more to see him better. 

“I just…see things,” Blaine’s voice grew small and he winced. “I know it’s stupid and silly but Cooper I swear to God that I see and hear things.”

“I know. The doctor said that seizures can cause hallucinations.” 

“It's not the seizures. I've been seeing it for years. I see this woman. She wears this old fashioned green dress and has long hair that is in this braided updo,” Blaine began, visualizing the woman he saw almost every night. “Since I was a kid she would come to me at night and run her fingers through my hair.”

“So…a ghost lady sings to you?”

“Don’t be an asshole Cooper,” Blaine snapped, feeling himself blush. “I swear she’s there. I see her as clearly as I see you. I see her in my dreams too but she’s always dead and in…many pieces.” 

Cooper just stared blankly. 

“I know it’s weird,” Blaine let out in a rush. “I know I used to always sneak into your room when I was a kid because she scared me but she never left!” 

“So you come into my room because a ghost lady sings lullabies to you?” Cooper tried to hold back a smile. 

“How did you know what kind of song it was?” Blaine asked with huge eyes. The smile slid off Cooper’s face and he blinked, trying to remember how he knew that. 

“Lucky guess,” Cooper shrugged. “Listen Blaine, ghosts aren’t real.”

“I know!” Tears rose in his eyes. “But I see them and I dream about them. I dream about a man hacking his family to bits with an axe and I can’t sleep. Fuck Coop, I’m so tired.”

Cooper winced at the disturbing image and rubbed his brother’s shoulder to keep him calm. 

“Then go to sleep.” 

Without another word Blaine burrowed under the covers and Cooper slipped out to catch up on some grading downstairs. As much as he loved teaching fifth grade he regretted giving the kids massive book reports due right before winter break. Now he was stuck grading for the three weeks.

Soft singing made him glance up from the truly horrendous report on The Giver and glanced over to the stairs. 

“When you wake, you shall have all the pretty little horses,” Cooper frowned and sat up. “Blacks and bays, dapples and grays. All the pretty little horses.”

“Blaine?” Cooper called out. 

“Blacks and bays, dapples and grays, coach and six white horses,” The singing continued and Cooper pushed himself off the couch, making his way up the stairs. 

“Hey Blaine?” He tried to ignore how his heart pounded slightly. 

“Way down yonder, down in the meadow, lies a poor little child,” Blaine was standing in his doorway, looking into his room. “The bees and the flies are pickin’ out its eyes. The poor little child crying out for its mother. Oh, crying for its mother.”

Cooper walked closer, skin crawling and fear clawing at his throat. 

“Hush a bye, don’t you cry,” Blaine had a strange dreamy look on his face and was swaying to the music. 

“Blaine!” Cooper snapped, grabbing onto his shoulder and looking into the room. 

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 scream, Cooper yanked Blaine away and slammed them both into the floor. To his complete horror, blood was soaking through his brother’s t-shirt, pooling on the floor. 

“Blaine!” He shouted, putting pressure on the wound.

“Hey! Let go of me!” Blaine struggled to get away, scrambling backwards. 

When Cooper blinked, the blood was gone and Blaine just stared back at him, shirt clinging to his chest as he panted. 

“Are you okay?” He asked, lifting Blaine’s shirt to find smooth, unblemished skin underneath. 

“I’m fine! What the hell are you doing?” Blaine swatted away his hands until he caught Cooper’s horror stricken face. “Did you see it? Did you see the room?”

“Fuck, I don’t know what I saw,” Cooper shuddered, still smelling the blood and feeling it coat his hands. 

“You did!” Tears filled Blaine’s eyes. “I knew it! I’m not going crazy!”

“We just saw something, a trick of the light,” Cooper argued back as he scrambled to his feet. 

“We hallucinated the same thing at the same time?” Blaine raised both of his eyebrows. “Because that makes sense.”

“Makes more sense than bloody, gore filled ghost visions,” Cooper shuddered. “Seriously Blaine I come upstairs because you’re singing the fucking creepiest song of all time and then there’s just blood everywhere but there’s not and I’m so confused.”

“I’ve been seeing this since I was a kid,” Blaine felt an immense relief rush through him. 

“Come on, you’re sleeping in my room,” Cooper dragged Blaine into his room as the younger boy struggled. “Should I call a doctor? Fuck Blaine you had another seizure!”

“No I didn’t!” Blaine suddenly howled. “It wasn’t a seizure. I swear.”

“Losing time, zoning out like that is a seizure,” Cooper struggled to keep his hold on Blaine who was snarling and glaring at him. “You’ll be alright.”

“Fuck you!” The rage in Blaine’s voice made his heart jump. “Get off of me! I fucking hate you!”

“I’m going to get your meds,” Cooper tried to reach the orange bottle but Blaine knocked it off with his foot and they went scattering across the floor. “I’m not going to hurt you! Just hold still!”

“No!” Blaine bit down hard on Cooper’s hand between his pointer finger and thumb, breaking the skin. With a cry of pain, Cooper was able to yank his hand out of his brother’s grip. 

“Jesus Christ,” He hissed, holding his bleeding hand to his chest. “What is wrong with you?”

“Don’t talk to me like that boy,” Blaine snarled, blood staining his mouth. “Or I swear I will whip you within an inch of your life.”

Cooper slowly lifted his hands up and stared at his brother. 

“Blaine,” He whispered and Blaine shook his head slightly, looking confused.

“Coop?” He murmured, legs feeling weak. 

Cooper jumped up and pulled him to the bed, helping the trembling boy lay down. With a sharp jerk, Blaine leaned over the edge and threw up.

“I’m sorry,” He gasped. 

“It’s fine,” Cooper gave him a worried smile. “Are you okay?”

“What happened?” Blaine looked around the room, eyes glazed. “What happened to your hand? Are you hurt?”

“I’m okay,” Cooper shrugged, ignoring his stinging hand. “What’s the last thing you remember?” 

“Um…” Blaine bit his lip. “Lunch? And…that’s it.”

“You had another seizure,” Cooper soothed as Blaine’s eyes drooped. “Sleep it off. I’m gonna call mom and dad.”

“Okay,” Blaine’s eyes closed slowly. 

After waiting for a moment, Cooper grabbed a wet cloth and started cleaning the room. He paused when Blaine whimpered in his sleep and jerked slightly. 

“You shall have, all the pretty little horses,” Cooper let out a yelp and jumped at the woman’s soft voice. 

Heart pounding, he spun around to find himself alone in the room. He ran a trembling hand through his hair and closed his eyes. 

He was just beyond stressed.

He didn’t see anything. 

He was sleep deprived. 

Ghosts aren’t real.