Presidential Race Heats Up In L.A
Saturday 17 March 2012 4:52pm

Senators Hummel and Anderson arrived in Los Angeles last night in preparation for the final presidential debate of the race to the White House. With just weeks until the election, both candidates were out and about with their wives today, talking to locals and campaigning. Notably, the sons of neither candidate were seen in public, despite having travelled with their parents to L.A. There has of course been recent focus on Blaine Anderson, who was spotted at a gay bar just a fortnight ago. Sources from within Dalton Catholic, where Blaine goes to school, report that Blaine has in fact confirmed he is gay more than once to his peers, but there has been no public statement from either Senator Anderson or Blaine himself....

The ride to the debate is mostly quiet, except for Cooper going on animatedly about a gig he recently landed in another commercial series. Senator Anderson isn't listening, however. Instead, he's talking into his phone in hushed tones. Blaine doesn't hear much of the conversation, but he does catch a "Are you sure this isn't going to make us look bad?" that has him curious, but he knows better than to ask.

When they get to the UCLA campus, their car is swarmed by cameras. Senator Anderson steps out of the vehicle first, giving a smile and a wave to the cameras before going around to help Mrs Anderson out of the car. She diverts her gaze from the cameras, but gives a small nod in acknowledgement. Next, Cooper steps out, flashing his wide grin at the cameras, before Blaine follows him, smiling politely. Security ushers the Andersons into a nearby building. It's a large theatre, with rows of cushioned seats leading to a raised stage, upon which stand two podiums. The room is mostly empty apart from the camera crew setting up, a few officials, and the Hudson-Hummels standing by the stage. Blaine's eyes are instantly drawn to Kurt. His suit itself is the green of their party colours, the hunter-shaded fabric looking soft and rich against his skin. He's talking to Finn, looking mirthful and carefree. It's been months since the first time that Blaine saw Kurt at one of these events, and still he admires how relaxed Kurt is at these things, taking everything in his stride. Kurt spots Blaine across the room and flashes him a smile, but they don't have time to talk. Senator Anderson is whisked away backstage where, no doubt, Senator Hummel is already, and the Anderson family is guided to their seats in the front row, on the opposite side of the room to where the Hudson-Hummels will be seated.

As Blaine takes his seat beside Cooper on the very edge of the row, his phone buzzes in his pocket.

Kurt; 5:52pm: You look really cute by the way. After the election's over, I'm going to have to find excuses for you to keep wearing suits

Blaine; 5:55pm: I could say the same about yourself ;)

"Phones off, Blaine," scolds Mrs Anderson from Cooper's other side. "I love you, but I'm not having your phone go off in the middle of the debate."

Blaine complies, hoping that he'll be at least able to tune out most of the debate going on before him. He already knows who he's voting for, after all, and it isn't his father.

His plan works fairly well, until he hears his own name mentioned, followed soon after by that of the boy that he's secretly dating....

"What Blaine or Cooper or even Kurt or Finn do in their private lives has no business being discussed in a political debate," Senator Anderson is saying.

"With all due respect, Senator Anderson, that wasn't the question that was asked," says the moderator. "The question, which I will repeat now, was, how can you continue to deny marital rights to same-sex couples when your own son is a member of the LGBT community-"

"Yes and for me to answer that question, with the way that it has been worded, would require me to discuss my son's personal life in a public forum, and that's something that I'm not going to do."

"If I may," Senator Hummel interjects. "I think, Moderator, there are certain things that should be kept private even when it comes to debates like these."

"And there are other things that should be revealed," says Senator Anderson, a grinch-like smile spreading across his lips. "Don't you think the citizens of the United States deserve to know exactly what kind of man you are?"

"Of course," says Senator Hummel, but his eyes are narrowed in suspicion.

"So when exactly was it that you were going to tell them that you used to use homophobic slurs on a regular basis?" says Senator Anderson.

Blaine feels like he can't breathe. It's like all of the air has been sucked out of his lungs. No. This can't be happening.

Just metres in front of him, Senator Hummel gazes, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, across at Senator Anderson, having been rendered speechless for the first time tonight. A murmur travels across the room. Senator Anderson simply continues to look at his opponent, waiting for an answer, as Senator Hummel's gaze drops to the audience, to the front row, and Blaine knows immediately who he's searching for.

It's all real and it's all happening, right in front of Blaine. And not only can he not do anything about it, but it's also his fault. After all, Blaine had been the one to tell his father about Senator Hummel's past - a trivial fact that had slipped out in a heated argument. Except nothing is trivial when you're running an election campaign, especially when you're weeks away from election day and your personal character is being stripped apart and analysed by every reputable media outlet. Blaine should have known that.

And because he deserves it, Blaine forces himself to do what he knows is only going to make him feel worse. He looks across the room and finds Kurt. And Kurt's eyes, staring back at him, are filled with as much indignation as they had been when he and Blaine had first met.

Not only does this have the potential to ruin Senator Hummel's campaign, but Blaine may also lose everything that he and Kurt had been building up for months now.

"You're not going to deny it, then?" Mr Anderson presses on, and Blaine can't believe this is still going, that time hasn't somehow stopped - and surely this isn't within the rules of the debate?

"I can't stand in front of the nation and lie, Senator," says Senator Hummel, and despite attempting to remain polite, his voice comes out unsteady, though whether because of nerves or anger Blaine cannot tell. "I did, yes... a long time ago, I used words I wouldn't even dare say today."

"And I think you also associated with a lot of hateful people during that time," says Senator Anderson, "including people who very much made it their mission to make the lives of your homosexual peers a living hell."

Blaine feels his stomach churn at this new information. He looks across at Kurt to find him staring up at his father, the boy's face now drained of colour. Kurt hadn't known either.

"And yet you stand here today, promising certain minorities certain rights," Senator Anderson continues, "as if you respect them and consider them equal. Why don't you just tell the American public that you're really only making all these promises so you can get into office?"

"Senator Anderson that is enough," the moderator finally interjects.

It's too late. The audience has erupted into conversation. Meanwhile, Blaine's blood is boiling. The sheer illogicalness of his father's argument - not to mention the fact that the mob of journalists the row behind the Andersons seem to be eating out of the Senator's hand, scribbling furiously on their notepads.

And in that moment, Blaine is grateful that he's seated at the end of the row, because he manages to slink out of the auditorium mostly unnoticed, reaching a bin in the hall just in time to throw up into it.

"Blaine?"

It's Cooper that they had finally sent after him, although Blaine, now leaning over the sink in the bathroom, had been hoping that he'd get a chance to see Kurt before the end of the debate. A half a dozen texts pleading with Kurt to just let him explain had been answered by a simple I can't see you right now, Blaine. I need to be with my family

"You want to tell me what's going on?" Cooper asks, putting a hand on Blaine's shoulder.

At the touch, Blaine immediately turns towards Cooper, and begins to explain. About how Kurt had opened up to him, even before Blaine had come out to Kurt, about how they trusted each other, how Blaine had been able to trust Senator Hummel, and now...now they'd never trust him again.

"Hey, it wasn't like you could have known," says Cooper, giving a comforting squeeze to Blaine's shoulder.

Blaine raises his eyebrows at his brother.

"With our father? I think I could have," says Blaine, holding back a sniffle.

"Well, that doesn't mean it's your fault," says Cooper. "And you didn't even know about that second bit - about who Hummel 'associated with' or whatever. That they found out entirely on their own."

"Yes, but they wouldn't have even known to look for something like that if it weren't for me," Blaine moans. "And it's so close to the election and it's just so wrong and-"

The bathroom door opens behind them and both Blaine and Cooper turn to look as Kurt steps into the room, looking determined. He stops short on spotting Cooper, looking between him and Blaine as if unsure if he should say anything.

"It's okay, I told Cooper everything," says Blaine, stepping towards Kurt. "Kurt, I-"

"Don't," says Kurt, holding his hands up in a defensive gesture. Blaine stops in his tracks, confusion washing over him.

"My dad is furious, Blaine," says Kurt, arms crossing across his chest. "He's going on and on about how we shouldn't have ever trusted you. How we kept your secrets and you couldn't keep ours."

"I didn't know - Kurt, it slipped out while I was arguing with my dad, I swear. I never meant for it to get out like this," Blaine pleads.

"But it did, and you know what this is going to do. People will take anything at this point. And the people who believe in Dad, they're not the type of people who usually take this stuff lightly," says Kurt.

"It's not like any of it's fabricated or anything," Blaine reasons.

"Which makes it even worse!" Kurt throws back. "Blaine, you should have heard my dad. He thinks you're just as bad as the rest of them, except for the fact that you happen to be gay but that that's no excuse."

Blaine feels empty. To have lost the trust of Senator Hummel, so completely, just like that.

"And what do you think?" Blaine asks, voice soft and broken. He's afraid of the answer, but he knows he needs to know it.

"I - I don't know how to be around you anymore," says Kurt sadly. "I don't know how much I can tell you without worrying about it somehow affecting the campaign."

"Kurt," whispers Blaine, because it's all he can say.

"You don't get it, Blaine," says Kurt, shaking his head. "You know how none of this election stuff means anything to you because you don't like your dad's policies and you're only really here because you have to be? Well I'm here because I want to be - because I give a shit about what my dad's doing and I want him to lead our country. So I - I just really need to be with my family right now and see if I can help my dad sort through this. Because he may not be perfect, but he sure as hell is a better man than anyone else running. And tonight, when your dad tried to pull his crap and distract from what's really going on - that just proved it even more for me."

Without another word, Kurt is gone. And Blaine has no idea when he'll next see him.