The look on Kurts face had been getting darker and darker since theyd arrived at the ridiculous party. At first, it had been going well. Kurt was wearing one of his amazing designer pieces hed found at a mixture of places, including two online auctions and a vintage shop hidden away just outside of Columbus. He looked fancy and sexy and Blaine was quite happy to tote him around.

Theyd met up with Wes first, who had happily shaken Kurts hand and introduced the boys to his girlfriend, Vanessa, who was starting at Columbia with him the next year. The two would be moving into their dorm rooms in August. Blaine was happy to see that Wes and Kurt really hit it off, then they called David over, who was there alone and already snagged a flute of champagne without being noticed. "These things are so dreadful," he muttered in greeting, giving Kurt a half hug and slapping his back.

Yes, that had gone very well. Kurt got along swimmingly with Wes and David, two people who meant quite a lot to Blaine. It was when another person their age sauntered over, single as David at this shindig, and with a swagger that spoke volumes, that the darkness started creeping up on Kurts features.

"Gentlemen!" Sebastian spoke haughtily, nose slightly upturned, hand held out to greet Wes, David, and finally Vanessa, whose hand he gave a kiss with a slightly upturned lip. "So nice to see you again, Blainers," he said, kissing Blaines hand as he had Vanessas. Finally, Sebastian looked at Kurt. And laughed.

Blaine stiffened while Wes and David looked quite confused. Kurt quirked a slender brow and tilted his head slightly. "Yes? Is something funny, Meerkat?" he questioned innocently, though his eyes flared with malice. Kurt hated the boy, and Sebastian seemed to share the opinion.

"Please, tell me you arent so desperate that youd work at an event your boyfriend was attending!" Sebastian demanded, still laughing. Kurt and Blaine both did not look amused. Vanessa sniffed, making her opinion of Sebastian obvious. "Thats the only way the likes of you could be at such a party, Gay-face. I mean, lets be honest, your family probably couldnt even afford one of my shoes!"

Sebastian was still laughing, but no one else in the group was. Wes grit his teeth and David looked like he wanted to hit the pompous boy. Instead, the dark-skinned Dalton graduate plucked a fresh champagne flute from a passing waiter and downed it in one swallow. "Im going to get some fresh air," he muttered, excusing himself, closely followed by Wes and his girlfriend.

It looked like the tallest of the trio was about to say something more to or about Kurt when Cooper slid between him and the couple, hips swaying to music that only he seemed able to hear. "Hey, boys! Having fun yet?" He seemed oblivious to the tension between the three boys, but at least hed broken it up. Sebastian was simply glaring at Cooper now, and Kurt actually grinned at the older male, though his eyes still swam with pure rage.

"Hey, Coop. Fun would be an… interesting term for it. Bored of pretending to be an adult already?" Kurt teased, falling into the brother role easily. Blaine smiled at his brother and boyfriend. They got along so well and so… naturally. They both snarked. All the time. So they just fit. Once they got used to each other the flow was just natural. At least half the alone time Blaine had with Cooper before their parents returned had been spent with Kurt as well, so the two had really bonded.

Cooper was all toothy smile and pointing fingers. "Cant help it, Kurt. Ive got a Peter Pan complex! I tried to explain this to you. I swear, youre as bad as Blaine. Never listen to me…" He pouted dramatically at them, taking one boy under each arm and steering them off and away from Sebastian. It seemed there was some potential to save the night, at least until they were all intercepted by Blaines parents.

"Heres our Blaine now," his fathers voice called, pulling him and subsequently Kurt over to one of the wealthy couples at the party. "Hard to believe how grown up he is. Starting his last year of high school in just a couple months." Blaine forced a smile to his face, though he knew his father wasnt pleased with his plans for post-high school.

Of course, the question of his future plans came up, as did the question of who exactly Kurt was. Blaine held his boyfriends hand and Kurt stared with wide blue eyes, completely out of his element. "Im going to NYU, or, well, I hope to. As long as I get in. Kurt and I are going to move to New York together," he gazed lovingly at his boyfriend, laying a sweet kiss on the boys hand.

The hiss of disdain that escaped his fathers lips only made Blaine hold Kurt closer to himself as he smiled at the vaguely familiar couple. Their name was something with an R. Rogers? Rodeckers? Rowans? Eh, it didnt really matter. They were looking at him with a mix of what appeared to be judgement and admiration. At the same time, Blaines father glared at them with obvious disapproval.

"Blaine, do not be silly. You will go to Brown and study the fine art of business as your father and my father and his father before him. All this talk of music and arts and New York is just ridiculous. I only allowed you to go on that silly trip because the ticket had already been purchased and a bit of travel is healthy for a well-rounded young man," his fathers tone was so… condescending. So self-riotous. Blaine had never felt like he might seriously haul off and punch the smug look off his fathers face, but now he was very close to doing so. The only thing stopping him from completely losing it was the soothing hand at the small of his back and the soft whispers from his boyfriend.

Kurt was being completely dismissed by this man, yet he was still keeping his cool and calming Blaine down. He was such an amazing boyfriend. Blaine felt his heart beating ever faster at that thought and the thought that the countertenor was his. Oh, he was one lucky man. "Im being far from silly, father," Blaine said, voice much calmer than he felt. He heard Kurt take in a harsh breath, but he continued. "Im going to study music at NYU. Im moving to New York next summer. With Kurt. My boyfriend, Kurt Hummel. Future fashion designer. His name will be all over the world in a few years."

That was about when Mr. Anderson lost it and Blaine almost found himself with a black eye or a split lip. Luckily, his mother noticed the twitch in her husbands jaw just as Blaine did, and removed them from the situation before the elder Anderson could backhand his son. Cooper came over within seconds, and the other couple had left with concerned glances between the Anderson males.

"Blainers, what the hell just happened?" Coop looked rather concerned and grabbed Blaines face as if to make sure he hadnt been hit before their father had been dragged off for more mingling without his younger son. A look of great concern was etched on Kurts face, and Blaine didnt really know what to say. How could he explain that this was normal? That if hed stuck around that night when his father had made his immediate dislike for Kurt known, Mr. Anderson probably would have lost it then as well?

He and Coop both knew that their dad had a temper. If they got out of the house for a while and let him calm down, theyd be fine. If they didnt… well, theyd both tasted the backhand before. Cooper had actually had his nose broken when he informed their father that he was moving to LA to be an actor. He was still better than Blaine, since he wasnt bringing home special friends instead of girlfriends, but that was beside the point.

The brothers glanced at Kurt and Blaine simply shook his head before speaking softly. "Not everyone has Burt Hummel for a dad…" The pain in his voice was thick and he had to wipe at his eyes a few times before he found himself capable of rejoining the party, though he definitely avoided his father for the rest of the evening.

_________________________________________________

It was late that night, long after Kurt had gone home and Blaines parents had retired to bed, that the curly-haired boy found himself in the spare room that used to be his brothers, perched on the bed with said brother and a cup of hot cocoa with way too many marshmallows. The two boys both looked much younger than they were, and they looked very tired. Too tired for their ages, honestly.

"So I guess Kurts dad is pretty great based on that comment at the party…" Coopers tone wasnt one of question, but Blaine still nodded and muttered something about Burt being a great guy. The two of them were used to coming across men who made their own fathers inadequacy all the more obvious. That didnt make it any easier to deal with.

Plucking a marshmallow from his mug, Blaine sighed and let his shoulders fall in a defeated sort of way. "Coop, I dont know what to do. I mean… I really care about him. I… I really think Im in love with Kurt. And dad just… he just keeps trying to ruin it all. Hes so damn against everything I want. I dont want to go to Brown. I dont want to study business. I want to play and write music, Coop! I want to be with Kurt. I want to go to New York and I just dont care what he thinks."

Blaines eyes were full of pain. Obviously he still cared what his father thought, even though he desperately wanted not to. Cooper would understand that better than anyone, so Blaine knew he wouldnt call him out on it. Just as Blaine would never call Coop out on the same thing. Theyd let each other pretend to be unaffected by their father, and theyd lean on each other when the weight of it got to be too much.

"Im sorry, Blainers," Cooper said softly, reaching a hand out and resting it on his little brothers shoulder. Blaine looked into his brothers blue eyes, much like Kurts, and found the love of family there. They might not have the best relationship, and they might not see each other often at all, but when it came down to it, they were all the real family each other had, and theyd always be there. Blaine swallowed thickly. "I wish I could make him see what hes missing in writing you off. You know our fathers a fool though. God, Blaine, Im so damn proud of you. You know that, right?"

The lump in his throat wasnt going away, no matter how many times Blaine tried to swallow it away. He couldnt speak, and Cooper just kept going. "Youre a smart kid with real goals and you wont let anyone keep you down. Youve got a great guy by your side, and its cause youre such a catch, baby brother. Dont ever forget that." The look in Coopers eyes was pure admiration, and Blaine felt himself blushing even as he teared up. "But, Blainers, dont let dad of all people take any of that away from you. You cant listen to him. Look at what Ive done for myself. He didnt want me going to LA, but I did it. You can go to New York. Study music. Become a great composer if thats what you want. Do what makes you happy and kick ass at it."

Blaine found himself grinning at Cooper while he wiped the streams of tears from his cheeks. "Then we can both rub our success and happiness in his face, huh?" he asked, voice thick but jovial all the same. Coop shot him a winning grin then, nodding and pulling Blaine into a head-lock so he could rub his curls with a fist, Blaine barely keeping his mug of cocoa from spilling. "Jesus, Coop, quit it!"

No, their relationship wasnt perfect- far from it, but it was something. It was solid and it was constant and even if they didnt talk for months, both brothers would drop everything in a second if the other needed them. No matter how unconventional they might be, the Anderson brothers were exactly what each other needed, and they each knew that. It was how they survived with the parents and family they had. It was how they knew theyd forever land on their feet. Because with each other for parachutes, there was no other way to land and hardly a chance to fall.