Kurt was caught once again between a nightmare and consciousness the next morning, when a muffled sound and a mumble woke him. He pushed away the last vestiges of his bad dream – to push his hands away, to push him away – and found himself slightly less disoriented than the previous morning, because he immediately recognized the room. His eyes fell on Blaine, retrieving some keys from the carpeted floor where he had obviously dropped them accidentally.

Sitting up, face scrunched up against the bright glow coming from the window, he glanced at Blaine in dismay. “Where the hell are you going so early? You're not leaving me to have breakfast alone with your mother again.”

Blaine startled, not having noticed that Kurt was awake. He was fully dressed in nice thigh-hugging jeans and a maroon cardigan that looked great with his skin tone. Kurt approved, even half asleep as he was. “Oh hey. Good morning. I wasn't sure if you'd like to come with me and you looked so tired, even in your sleep, so I thought…” He cut off his babbling at Kurt's continuing glare. “I have to meet my brother at the airport.”

“I'm coming with you,” Kurt muttered, kicking the blankets off.

Blaine looked annoyed, even though he tried to hide it. “You don't have to come with me…”

“I repeat, you're not leaving me alone with your mother again,” Kurt dropped his bag onto the bed to look for some clothes to wear.

“I can drop you off at a coffee shop or something,” Blaine sounded a little desperate. Kurt looked up at him with an arched eyebrow, wondering what his problem was. “I'm sort of really looking forward to seeing my brother. It's been a while.”

“Well, you can see him with me by your side,” Kurt replied stubbornly. “You brought me here for a reason, Blaine. I'm not here to entertain your mother while you go out with your brother. I'm here as your goddamn boyfriend.”

Blaine crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Kurt in silence for a little while. “Well, someone's extremely bitchy this morning.”

Kurt grabbed his clothes with a vice grip. “Do not test me, Anderson.”

Without another word, Kurt marched into the bathroom to get ready and Blaine let himself fall onto the couch, resigned to wait for Kurt.

*

When they arrived at the airport, Blaine was relieved that Cooper's flight was delayed, because Kurt had taken forever to get dressed. However, he couldn't help but groan in frustration, since this also meant that he was stuck killing time with Kurt.

And there was nothing worse than trying to kill time with someone who refused to speak to you.

Kurt completely ignored him, looking at shop windows and at the constant flow of people coming and going, while Blaine trailed behind him helplessly, until he suggested grabbing some late breakfast at one of the cafés. Kurt shrugged his agreement and thats how they found themselves sitting at a table so tiny that their legs bumped under it.

Blaine picked listlessly at his bagel. He was divided between excitement about seeing his brother soon and the uncomfortable awkwardness of being around Kurt. He supposed he would never understand the other man, never learn how to approach him without setting him off. Just a few more days and Kurt and he would part ways, and Blaine would try for the rest of his life to forget that he had been pathetic enough to ever do this.

Kurt sipped his coffee with his usual detached air, as if nothing happening around him was worthy of his interest. Blaine hated when Kurt did that - it made him feel terribly insignificant. He couldnt grasp why Kurt acted like that, but it was one more thing about him to add to the list of what he would never, ever understand.

"Is there anything I should know about your brother?" Kurt asked once his coffee was gone, apparently bored enough to speak to him again. "You know, besides the whole acting thing."

Blaine took a bite of his bagel, thoughtfully. "No, I dont think so. Im sure hell tell you everything you need to know himself. Cooper loves talking about himself," he said, a trace of fondness in his voice, with perhaps just a tad of underlying irritation.

Kurt nodded. "What about a date? Is he bringing one? Is he married? Please tell me he doesnt have kids, because adding kids to this disaster would just add another level to my personal hell."

Blaine rolled his eyes. He couldnt understand people who didnt like kids. Children represented all the good in the world. There was nothing more comforting and beautiful than seeing a smile in a kids face. "Nope. No wife or kids. And I dont know about the date. Cooper is never serious when it comes to relationships. He likes his freedom and he likes to keep his options open. Or so he says," Blaine added with a little shrug.

That was just one of the many things that made the Anderson brothers so different from each other. Cooper claimed to be a free spirit who couldnt be tamed, who would never settle with just one woman when there were so many others still out there. Blaine was sure his brother would be an amazing father - if he wasnt so terrified of compromise and commitment.

"Good," Kurt relaxed and sat back in his chair. Then he frowned, studying Blaine with curiosity. "So... if its okay for your brother to show up without a date, why isnt it okay for you?"

Blaine stopped pretending to eat his bagel. He pushed it away, and tried to explain. "My parents have accepted that Cooper isnt going to get married any time soon, or ever even have a real relationship. Thats how he insists he wants it. But thats not me. I like being in a relationship and I love the idea of being married to one man for the rest of my life. Even if none of my ex-boyfriends seemed to be interested enough to stick around and give it a shot." He hadnt meant to sound so bitter, but he couldnt help it. It stung, being alone again, being rejected and unloved. "Theyve asked to meet my boyfriend a million times, but… Paul never had time because of school and his job, so we never managed to come here and do the whole meet-the-parents thing. This anniversary party was the perfect opportunity to introduce him, but he must have already known he was leaving, when he said he'd go. They were so excited that I was bringing Paul, so I couldn't show up without him, without explaining that he dumped me. I just can't face what would happen at that party if they knew, constantly pitying me and comforting me, when all I want to do is to get over him so it stops hurting..."

Kurt was watching him intently, so with Blaines last words still hanging in the air, he leaned over the table. "Are you fucking kidding me right now?" He asked him incredulously.

Blaines eyes widened in surprise.

"You make all of this sound so goddamn tragic, as if not being able to bring your boyfriend home to meet your parents is the worst thing that could ever happen to you. Why dont you grow the fuck up?"

"I..." Blaine mumbled, shocked. He definitely hadnt been expecting that. But before he could react, Kurt pushed his chair back and stood up, looking like this was more than he could handle. "Where are you going?"

"Bathroom," Kurt answered in a sharp tone and was out of the café in three long strides.

Blaine sat there dumbfounded, not exactly sure what had just happened.

*

When Kurt returned, they both had apparently decided not to say another word about the subject. Coopers flight had landed while Kurt was in the bathroom, so they stood next to each other at the gate waiting for him to emerge, silent and tense. Blaine wondered if he should avoid going to coffee places with Kurt, because it seemed like they always ended up clashing and arguing.

Cooper saw Blaine before Blaine saw him. He stood in the middle of the sea of people, smiled his award-winning smile (Coopers words, not Blaines) and opened his arms. "Little brother!"

Blaine snorted at Coopers constant need to make a spectacle out of everything, always looking for attention, as he pushed through the crowd to get to him. Cooper hugged him tightly as soon as they were within reach, Blaines nose buried in his brothers shoulder. He crossed his fingers, hoping he would resist making height jokes.

"Hi B," Cooper muttered as he squeezed him.

"Hi, Coop. Its nice to see you."

"Same, little brother, same." Cooper pulled away enough to take a good look at him. "How are you? You look a little stressed."

Blaine was amazed by his brothers ability to sense when something was wrong and hoped he could hide the guilt eating at him. "Im good, dont worry. I had a rough week at work, but the breaks going to help."

"Dont let the little bastards make you old before your time, Blaine," Cooper said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. He looked around the airport. "Well. I was hoping for a better welcome, to be honest. No paparazzi? No screaming fans? What the hell is this?"

"The show hasnt even aired yet, Coop. Maybe next time you come to Ohio there will be paps," Blaine laughed at his brothers crestfallen look. But Coopers face lit up just a few seconds after that.

"Oh! You must be the boyfriend! Hi!"

Blaine had completely forgotten about Kurt, focusing on how good it was to see his brother. He felt his stomach sinking as he turned to make the proper introductions, but Cooper didnt give him the time.

"Paul, right?" Cooper said, his most charming smile in place. "Ive heard so much about you. Im sure you could say the same thing about me."

"Uhm," Kurts eyes shifted between the brothers and he seemed a little unsure. Blaine understood - Cooper was a lot to take in the first time you met him. But he gave Kurt a meaningful look anyway. "Yes. Of course. Blaine talks so much about you. Nice to meet you, Cooper."

Blaine decided to intervene before anything else went wrong. “So, Coop. You must be tired from the flight. If you have all of your stuff, can we go now? I think Mom was making something special for lunch to welcome you.”

“Yeah, yeah, let's go. But you can walk ahead of me and pretend to take pictures on your phone if you want. You know, it makes me look good…” Cooper grinned, sort of, kind of, not really kidding.

Blaine ignored him, rolling his eyes, but gosh, he had really missed his brother, gigantic ego and all.

*

The first few minutes of the car ride back to the Andersons' house was filled with Cooper telling them about his job. Blaine knew their parents would ask him about it, too, but Cooper would gladly tell the story a million times over, so he allowed his brother to fill what otherwise could become a very awkward silence. And Blaine was tired of awkward silences.

Eventually Cooper turned to Kurt, who was riding in the backseat, apparently glad to be off the radar for a while. Blaine could see him from the rearview mirror, bracing himself for whatever Cooper was about to say.

“So, Paul.”

“Cooper.” Kurt said, arching a perfectly shaped eyebrow.

“I've heard a lot of extremely admirable things about you from Blaine, but he tends to be a biased idiot when he's in love, so… tell me something about yourself.”

Blaine glanced in his mirror at Kurt again, and could see panic rising in his eyes. “Cooper…” He mumbled quietly. “Don't be a dickhead.”

“I'm not being a dickhead. I'm entitled to inquire about the man who has the power to build or destroy my little brother's happiness,” Cooper replied, his face completely serious.

“First of all, I'm twenty seven, so stop talking like I'm five. And second, you're being a drama queen again,” Blaine shared a quick, meaningful look with his brother, who rolled his eyes.

“Fine, fine. But there's nothing wrong with making sure he's the right man for you,” Cooper stage-whispered, as if Kurt wasn't there at all. “I don't want to see you heartbroken again.”

Blaine was unable to stop his face falling a little.

“Well, you can run a background check if that makes you feel better,” Kurt commented lightly from the backseat, quickly coming to his rescue. Blaine wished he could turn and thank him, but Cooper was right there. “Or you can trust that your brother is an adult who can make the right choices for himself.”

Cooper's eyes narrowed a little. “So does that mean you have nothing good to say in your favor? You're not even going to try selling me with the whole I love your brother so much I'd die for him speech?”

Blaine knew Cooper's intentions were good, but he was certainly pushing all of Kurt's buttons, and he had no interest in seeing him explode. “Cooper, cut it out. I mean it.”

Cooper grumbled and crossed his arms over his chest, staring out of the window.

Blaine suddenly wanted to put him back onto a plane and send him back to Los Angeles.

*

It was a very, very long day. Cooper asked Kurt prying questions at every opportunity. It seemed he wanted to know everything about Blaine's boyfriend –his job, his relationship with Blaine, his aspirations for the future. He tried to disguise the questions with a soft voice and an innocent smile, but he wasn't fooling them. He was clearly interrogating Kurt – Paul – and it was only a matter of time until something went off the rails and Blaine didn't want to stand there and watch the trainwreck as it happened.

No matter what he said, though, Cooper was unstoppable.

Kurt managed to reply to most of his questions with grace, but Blaine could tell he was getting extremely annoyed. His knuckles actually turned white as he gripped the fork and knife during dinner that evening and the smile on his face was so forced that even their parents were starting to realize something was going on.

Blaine distracted Cooper by asking about filming his new show, his character, anything that would put Cooper off track. It worked, for the most part, and at least it gave Kurt enough time to calm down, and not throw his knife at Cooper's face.

Once dinner was over, Kurt quickly offered to help Grace with the dishes, desperate to avoid Cooper. Blaine watched him go into the kitchen with his mother and felt bad for him. Kurt had nothing to lose here – if things went downhill, Blaine was the one who would look like an idiot in front of his family, and Kurt would walk away with the money he'd been promised – but he still felt bad about putting him through this. Everyone had a limit. He sure as hell didn't want to find out what happened when Kurt reached his.

He glared at Cooper pointedly, not wanting to say anything in front of their father, but making a mental note to give him a piece of his mind later, when their parents weren't around.

*

“Hey Paul.”

Kurt closed his eyes without turning around, rinsing one of the last dishes. Cooper must have seen Grace leave the room to answer her cell phone. He should've known Blaine's asshole brother would use it as one more chance to make this night even worse.

Cooper appeared next to him, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt and picking a kitchen towel to dry. Kurt kept his mouth shut, feeling his jaw so tense it hurt, and didn't even acknowledge the other man's presence.

It only lasted for a few more seconds until Cooper sighed and leaned his hip against the sink, facing Kurt.

“Listen, I know I've been nothing but a dick to you today…”

“Oh, so now you're admitting it…” Kurt mumbled, unable to stop himself.

Cooper rolled his stunningly blue eyes. “Yes. I knew what I was doing all along, and I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm actually not.”

Kurt arched his eyebrow and passed him another dish. “I'm not sure I understand the point of this conversation, then.”

Cooper put the dish and the cloth down and ran his fingers through his (also stunning) wavy dark hair. “It doesn't have anything to do with you, I promise. You seem like a good guy. I know you are, because Blaine has told me so a million times and my parents obviously adore you.” He waved a hand in the vague direction of the dining room. “But you have to understand… at the end of the day, the only thing I really care about is Blaine's happiness.”

“I don't think that's up to you to decide…” Kurt said, turning the water off once he was done, and also leaning against the sink to look at Cooper.

“No. But if I can stop him from getting his heart broken, then I will,” Cooper shrugged. “He's my little brother. I love him and I hate seeing him upset because of assholes who don't appreciate what a great guy he is.”

“You can't choose for him who he falls in love with,” Kurt crossed his arms over his chest, feeling defensive, and desperately wished someone would walk in and save him from this conversation.

“I know I can't,” Cooper seemed genuinely sad. “But I can't help worrying about him. I can't help feeling like I have a responsibility to do something to keep him from getting hurt.” Cooper glanced at the doorway, as if making sure no one could eavesdrop. “You know how he is. You know how hard he falls, how big his heart is. I'm tired of jerks walking all over that heart. I'm tired of seeing his hopes and dreams crushed. He's not like me; he doesn't do well on his own and he definitely doesn't appreciate the perks of being an attractive, single man. He wants someone to love him, and he wants to love them back. He dreams of a family of his own.” At this point, Cooper's eyes seemed to glaze, seeing something that wasn't there. “When he was a little boy, he would run into my room with a crayon drawing he'd made. It was always the same picture, different variations of the same theme. It was him, his husband and their children. Sometimes they were on a beach, sometimes they were at a fair, sometimes at their own place. He always looked so excited talking about it. He knew what he wanted when he was five years old. And he still wants those things.” Cooper took a deep breath and his eyes returned to Kurt. “So I don't know if this means the same for both of you. I don't know how you really feel about Blaine. I look at you and I want to believe you love him, but I just don't see it, and that scares the shit out of me, because it means Blaine's heart could get broken again.”

Kurt was silent. He had no idea what to say. On one hand, he couldn't stop thinking that Paul – the real Paul – had already broken Blaine's heart, had already walked away, and Cooper's words of warning were too late now, even though he didn't know it. And on the other hand… it sent a pang of nostalgia all over him, listening to Cooper talk about his brother like this. It reminded him of that sensation, that feeling of family that he had lost so long ago and that he had almost forgotten completely by now.

“I won't break his heart,” he finally said to Cooper, and it really did sound like a promise. A promise Kurt knew he would be able to keep, because to break someone's heart you have to mean something to them.

And Kurt hadn't meant anything to anyone in a very long time.

*

The next morning, Cooper woke up feeling like he was ready to stop being a douche to Paul. He had already been honest with him, told him not to mess with Blaine, but now there was no reason to keep things tense and awkward any more. Blaine would never forgive him if he ruined this week for all of them.

As he stretched his arms over his head, Cooper admitted to himself that he still didn't trust Paul a hundred percent, but he was willing to give him a chance for Blaine's sake. There was something about him that made him doubt this guy. Paul was right, though. He couldn't make that decision for Blaine. His brother was a grown up and he could freely choose who to be with.

Cooper figured the best thing for him to do was spend time with Blaine and his boyfriend, to see them interact together. He wanted to see with his own eyes that happiness Blaine had talked about in all of his phone calls since he met Paul. He needed to see it so he could believe it and feel reassured. And he really needed to get to know his brother's man, because everything Blaine had said during those phone calls had led Cooper to believe he would soon be his best man.

Cooper really wanted to be Blaine's best man. It was the most important person at a wedding, the one who got all the attention. Well, after the grooms, of course.

Since there was no better time than the present, Cooper slipped quietly out his bedroom, still wearing his snug blue boxers and white t-shirt. He padded down the hall towards his brother's room and grinned mischievously as he stopped at his door. He wondered if he would find them having a morning quickie or maybe even sleeping naked after getting dirty the previous night. Either way, this was an ideal chance to embarrass Blaine. And what were big brothers for, if not to embarrass their little brothers?

So Cooper carefully turned the doorknob, delighted to find it was unlocked, pushed the door open and yelled, “Good morning, lovebirds!”

But then he stopped, and his grin was replaced by a frown as he took in Blaine and Paul, who had woken up abruptly with his entrance, but they weren't naked or tangled in each other's arms or doing anything remotely normal for a young couple in love.

They were actually sleeping across the room from each other, completely separate.

Paul was sitting up in bed with his hair disheveled, exasperation and annoyance darkening his face. Blaine, previously sleeping on the couch, had rolled to the floor with Cooper's yell. Now he was scrambling back to his feet, wide-eyed with fright.

“Cooper! What the hell are you doing?” He exclaimed, pissed off.

Cooper ignored his brother's question, his brow crinkled in bewilderment. “What exactly is going on here?”

“Nothing's going on! Get out of my room!” Blaine yelled.

“Why aren't you two sleeping together?” Cooper scowled at Paul. Had he forgotten their conversation already? What the hell had he done to his little brother? “Did you two have a fight?”

“No, we're not fighting,” Blaine said tiredly, rubbing a hand down his face. “Cooper, please, can you just…”

“No. I want to know what's wrong,” Cooper said with his arms crossed stubbornly, trying to look menacing as he stood in the doorway in his underwear.

Paul groaned in frustration. “I have nightmares, okay?” He snapped, sounding incredibly upset. “And when I do, I tend to kick and hit, so Blaine had to move to the couch last night to avoid getting kneed on the groin.”

Blaine turned to look at Paul. Cooper let his arms fall to his sides, once again feeling like a dick.

“Really? That sucks, man,” He muttered in an apologetic tone, then stared at Paul curiously. “What kind of nightmares?”

“That's none of your damn business,” Paul answered, teeth clenched and eyes flaming dangerously.

Cooper put his hands up defensively. “Just asking. I didn't mean to startle you, guys.” (Which was a complete lie. That was exactly his plan). He looked between the two men. Blaine was still looking at Paul, and Paul was avoiding both of their eyes. He seemed a little embarrassed, maybe. Cooper was curious about these nightmares, wondering if there was some kind of story there, but realized it would be rude to insist. “I'll go downstairs and start on breakfast, okay? You guys can join me whenever you want.”

Blaine simply nodded and Paul stayed quiet. Cooper closed the door softly behind him, determined to find out exactly what was going on with those two.

*

As soon as the door was closed behind Cooper, Blaine buried his fingers in his messy curls, shaking his head from side to side, desperately. “Fuck, fuck, shit,” he muttered.

Kurt fell back against the pillows. “That's a really nice vocabulary for a kindergarten teacher.”

“Shut up,” Blaine turned to him, instantly irritated with him again. “Don't you realize how close he was to…?”

“To nothing,” Kurt interrupted impatiently, waving a hand in dismissal. “He bought it.”

“You don't know Cooper like I do,” Blaine scoffed. He dropped on the edge of the bed and looked at Kurt. “He's stubborn. If he thinks something's off, he won't leave us alone until he finds out what it is.”

“Your annoying brother is your problem, not mine,” Kurt said, stretching. “I had to deal with him yesterday. Now it's your turn.”

Blaine sighed, feeling trapped. What was he going to do to calm his idiot brother's suspicions? Then he looked at Kurt, who had his arms over his head and his back to stretch the muscles on his long lean body.

“Thank you,” he whispered. Kurt tilted his head to the side to look at him, questioningly. “For saying that, about the nightmares. I panicked and had no idea what to say.”

“It was the first thing that came to my mind,” Kurt admitted with a slight shrug. “I'm glad it worked.”

Blaine continued to watch him, considering what he had said. He knew Kurt actually did have nightmares. He had seen him, thrashing around in bed, making faintly distressed noises. He wanted to ask about it, but knew he would meet nothing but hostility if he did intrude into his personal issues.

And then he got distracted with a slow realization.

“We're gonna have to act more in love,” Blaine said in a revelation, making Kurt's head snap up to face him.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Kurt asked warily.

“They have to see that we're in love when they look at us or Cooper is going to be convinced we're fighting, no matter what we say,” Blaine felt frustrated. Why was everything so difficult? Why did he keep messing up his own life? “We should probably sit close together, look at each other more fondly, talk in whispers? Hold hands?”

Kurt rolled his eyes, looking a bit revolted and uncomfortable. “This just keeps getting worse and worse.”

“What other choice do we have?” Blaine asked him, lips curled in a sad smile.

“Well, you could try being honest. If you weren't such a coward, that is,” Kurt said icily, without an ounce of compassion. “But since I don't see that happening, then I guess I'll have to pretend I actually like you …”

They sat there in silence for a few more minutes, both delaying the moment they had to face Blaine's family again and start showing more affection.

Neither of them was exactly looking forward to it.

*

While they had breakfast with Cooper and their mother – Henry had already left for work – Kurt and Blaine sat close together, thighs almost glued to each other under the table. Blaine spread jam on a piece of toast and handed it to Kurt, and Kurt refilled Blaine's coffee cup. To others' eyes, it might have looked like an effortless routine – a morning dance they did together every day, one more thing they shared in their life as a couple. But the two of them knew better.

Blaine was not only lying to his family – the most important people he had in his life – but he was also pushing the boundaries of this man he was paying to be here. He could see the discomfort in Kurt's eyes as their hands brushed or when Blaine leaned close enough to nudge their shoulders. He hid it well, but Blaine could tell nonetheless. He felt disgusted with himself, knowing he was using Kurt, making him do things he didn't want to do because he needed the money.

He disguised his self-disgust with what he hoped looked like a lovesick smile at his fake boyfriend.

*

After breakfast, Grace said she was going to take a shower and then go out to run some errands. Cooper had brought audition videos with him, and was bugging Blaine to watch them with him. Kurt found himself being tugged into the living room by the hand.

“I can't believe you've never seen any of my commercials, Paul,” Cooper said, pouting. “They're on national television. They show them on every commercial break during the Super Bowl!”

Kurt shrugged. “I don't watch that much television. I don't really have the time.”

“Still. I'm shocked that Blaine never showed you one,” Cooper glared at his brother. “You're supposed to be my number one fan, Blaine.”

“You're lucky I even like you half of the time,” Blaine chuckled, as he sat down on the couch and pulled Kurt down beside him.

Kurt suddenly found Blaine pressed against his side. Within two more of Cooper auditions, Blaine was actually cuddling him, head on his shoulder and arm wrapped around his waist, grateful Blaine ignored his unwilling tension. Cooper kept turning to look at them with a twitchy smile, so Kurt struggled to look relaxed and contented in Blaine's arms, even though he felt a little nauseous.

When was the last time someone had held him like that? No one ever bothered caressing his arm or his cheek, or looking for warmth in his embrace. Kurt closed his eyes for a second, remembering the very last gesture of affection he had received: the morning his father died. Burt had squeezed Kurt's shoulder, and said goodbye, as they parted ways to go to work and school respectively. If Kurt had known that would be the last time he'd seen him alive, he would've clung to him and never let go of his father with every last bit of strength he'd had in his body.

Kurt opened his eyes again, eyes falling unseeing on the television screen where Cooper was delivering a line in a commercial as if it was a Shakespearean monologue. He swallowed, hoping no one had noticed his moment of weakness.

Still, he found himself feeling more vulnerable than he had felt in years, so he allowed himself to burrow a little more into Blaine's arms, reveling in how nice it was to simply be held without any ulterior motives.

He could tell Blaine was taken off guard, but he merely tightened his arms around Kurt a little bit more. Kurt broke every rule in his book when he allowed himself to briefly fantasize, how amazing it would be if someone considered him worth holding. He imagined a pair of loving arms wrapping around him, keeping him safe and warm, and never letting go.

He imagined it wasn't all fake. He imagined it was real.

Just for a little bit.