Maybe there’s the occasional advantage to being the closeted gay son of a conservative presidential candidate. But as Blaine Anderson stands between his parents at the end of tonight’s debate, he’s struggling to remember even one.

“I’m here to protect our way of life and protect what is good and right for our people.”

A portion of the room erupts in applause, as Senator Anderson’s voice booms down from the stage. The rest of the crowd simply shake their heads in obvious disapproval. Next to Senator Anderson, seventeen-year-old Blaine stands by his father, but he’s wishing now more than ever that he was part of the crowd that’s making a stand, allowed to voice his opinion, instead of being silenced by the opinions of his father.

It’s been a long night. Presidential Elections are still a good year or so away, but CNN had wanted to hold a friendly debate now, with the presidential candidates having been just recently chosen. It had meant that Blaine had to sit through his father once again expressing his views against marriage equality. Blaine would be lying if he said he wasn’t thrilled to see Senator Hummel, his father’s opponent from the opposing party, completely dominate the argument on that topic. So perhaps that was at least one perk in being Senator Anderson’s son that night.

Okay, maybe there’s another perk as well.

Blaine lets his eyes wander across the stage. Next to Senator Hummel stands his son Kurt. Beside the Senator, with his large frame and even slight belly, Kurt looks rather small in comparison, despite his height.  Small, but not weak, Blaine knows. The whole country knows of Kurt’s story.  Having a father in politics had done nothing to protect Kurt from being bullied throughout middle school for being openly gay. If anything, it had made things worse, having a father in such strong support of equal rights when your son was growing up in a homophobic town. But Senator Hummel had never backed down on his position. I refuse to let my family be bullied and manipulated, he had said, before moving his family to live with him in D.C.

And now, just barely 18, Kurt stands tall and proud, sandwiched between his father and his stepbrother, shaking his head in disapproval at the Senator’s words. Blaine takes him in. It’s the first time Blaine’s seen Kurt in person, and he feels the heat rising up his cheeks as he realises that Kurt is just as attractive in the flesh as he is on TV, if not more so. He looks smart, dressed in fitted suit pants and a grey shirt that accentuates his toned figure. His sun-streaked, golden-brown hair is pushed up in a quiff that somehow manages to stay in place while simultaneously looking so soft that it’s practically begging to have hands run through it…

“C’mon, Blaine.”

Senator Anderson claps his palm on Blaine’s shoulder, snapping Blaine out of his thoughts. The stage lights are dimmed and the cameras turned away from them. The broadcast had apparently finished.

“It’s a shame your brother couldn’t make it,” continues Mr Anderson casually.

As if that’s even a possibility. Cooper had distanced himself from the political side of the family as soon and as much as he could. It isn’t so much that he strongly opposes his family’s views, but rather that he simply doesn’t care. He doesn’t want to be involved in that life. Blaine has a feeling that Cooper only willingly mentions that side of his family if he thinks it’ll win him brownie points with a girl he has his eye on.

“Yeah,” said Blaine distractedly, his eyes following Kurt as he sits back down on what had been his seat during the debate. As Senator Hummel and his wife begin what appears to be an intense discussion, and Finn ducks backstage to take a call, Kurt calmly pulls out his iPod from his pocket and places the earphones in his ear. Blaine glances over to see that his father is already gone, off to the side of the stage as he whispers hurriedly into his phone. Blaine looks back at Kurt, biting his lip. Making up his mind, he shoves his hands into his pockets and walks over to close the distance between them.

“Hey,” says Blaine nervously, waving his hand at Kurt’s eyelevel.

 Kurt jumps a little at the movement, looking up at Blaine with a stony expression. He pulls out his earphones, looking irritated.

“What?” asks Kurt, raising his eyebrows expectantly.

“I-“ Blaine clears his throat. “I thought I’d come over and say hi. Blaine Anderson.”

Blaine sticks out his hand. Kurt simply stares at it.

“Have you come over to tell me I shouldn’t get married too?” asks Kurt harshly, not taking Blaine’s hand.

“Wha-” Blaine drops his hand, feeling the bitter sting of rejection, “no, I-”

“That’s a bit hard to believe after hearing some of the stuff that came out of your father’s mouth before,” Kurt spits out.  

“Look,” says Blaine. “I – I just figured that I need someone like you.”

 “What’s that supposed to mean?” asks Kurt, his eyebrows furrowed in suspicion.

Someone who’s gay. Someone who’s out and proud and in the spotlight. Someone whose dad supports him. Someone who’s managed to come out to his family and be accepted with nothing but love.  

The truth, the complete truth, is right on the tip of Blaine’s tongue, begging to be heard. But Blaine can’t say that. Not with his father. It’s just too much of a risk.

“Well, y’know, someone who gets this whole thing,” is what Blaine settles for instead, gesturing around at the stage. “I know your dad ran for vice last term, but this is all a bit of a step up for me. None of us were even expecting dad to be in the running for presidential candidate.”

“Well, then, I should send him a bottle of wine and a bouquet of flowers in congratulations,” sneers Kurt. “Oh wait, he’ll probably get scared I’m trying to hit on him.”

“Look, I’m not asking you to like my dad,” reasons Blaine. Heck, sometimes I don’t even like him. “I just… I want to keep in contact. There aren’t too many kids who can relate to what we’re going through. You might have Finn, but my brother’s AWOL from the whole political side of things. All I’m asking for is someone to talk to if things start stressing me out. Please?”

He’s pleading, practically begging at the feet of the son of his father’s greatest opponent, but he can’t help it. Blaine doesn’t have anyone. Not anyone who can understand what he’s going through. And he desperately just wants a friend

Kurt presses his lips together tightly, but he seems to be considering Blaine’s words. Blaine can’t help but sense that, despite Kurt’s defensive exterior, deep down he’s more caring and considerate than most of the boys he knows. Blaine’s eyes dart around, checking that no one’s nearby, before fixing his eyes back on Kurt’s.

“I promise I’m not like my father,” he says quietly. He gives Kurt what he hopes is a meaningful look. Admittedly, he’s not quite sure what Kurt will take it to mean, or even what he wants Kurt to take it to mean. But he doesn’t want Kurt to think he’s the same man as his father, especially when, in reality, he’s far from it.

“You boys alright over here?”

Blaine and Kurt both look up as Senator Hummel, a forced smile on his face, walks over to meet them.  But before either Blaine or Kurt can answer, another voice chimes in.

“Of course they are,” says Senator Anderson, from Blaine’s side. “Just two boys getting along, right?”

He throws an arm around Blaine’s back, squeezing Blaine’s shoulder with a little more force than the boy is comfortable with.

“Yeah,” says Blaine, wincing as he wriggles out of his father’s clasp. Kurt quirks an eyebrow, but Blaine ignores the judgement in his eyes. Instead, he pulls out a notepad from his pocket and scribbles down his name and number, before tearing off the piece of paper.  

“Here,” he says, shoving it into Kurt’s hand. “You know, if you feel like taking me up on my offer.”

Kurt looks at the piece of paper, pokerfaced, before shoving it in his pocket with his iPod.

Well, it’s something, thinks Blaine.

“Kid, you ready to get out of here?” says Senator Hummel, eyeing Blaine suspiciously - no doubt he would interrogate Kurt once they were in private.  

Kurt nods, standing up.

“See you around,” he says to Blaine, before following his family backstage.

Blaine can’t help but grin, giving Kurt a nod goodbye. But as soon as the Hudson-Hummels are out of earshot, Senator Anderson begins the questioning that Blaine had known was coming.

“What was that about?” asks Senator Anderson, attempting nonchalance, though his eyebrows furrow in worry.

“Just thought I’d make a few friends on the campaign trail while you’re out making enemies,” says Blaine casually.

Senator Anderson laughs, shaking his head and muttering about Blaine’s sense of humour. But the thing is that Blaine had been completely serious, about every word.