"Blaine.... Are you ok?" The line stayed silent and the three of us looked at each other waiting for him to say something. We had stopped filling him in half an hour ago and he was yet to do anything.

"Blaine please say something..." Santana begged voice trembling.

"Guys I'm just going to...I....I'll talk to you later Kay?" Blaine voice sounded void of any emotion.

"Blaine just-"

"No Kurt! Just don't okay? I have to go..." And before any of us could argue he had hung up the phone.

"Fuck! Maybe we should have waited to tell him" Santana mumbled face staring down at the covers.

"No guys you did the right thing... If it was just a job no big deal but this..... He couldn't not know! "Dale assured us resting a hand on each of our shoulders.

"I know.....but I just didn't want to do this over the phone....it would be easier if he was here to look after." I huff slightly leaning against Santana gently.

"Baby I know but just give him some space.... The tour will distract him and then we can be there as best we can when he decides he wants to talk about it! Okay?" Dale gently placed a kiss on both our heads. "Now let's try and get some sleep it's been a long night!" And he pulls the covers over the top of us all and we try to drift into a fitful sleep.

****************************

Happy birthday my little floppy! See you tonight! Love you xxx

Happy birthday peachy love you long time! See you at school <3

Happy bday scarecrow! See you tonight! Tell papa bear to make extra food I'm just coming out of a crazy fasting diet xx

I sighed putting my phone back down on the dresser and tried to get ready for school. The last two months had passed quickly; Blaine was still distancing himself from us and refused to talk about what happened. Sebastian had turned up at school several times asking us to listen to his side of things, which resulted in Santana receiving as many detentions for her hands on responses, funny that principal Figgins didn't think letting air out of tyres was acceptable. But everything was about to turn around Blaine was due to get home on Saturday (two more days!) meaning we could have constant eyes on him. Cooper was coming home for a few days and more importantly it was my 18th birthday, lots of things to distract us before worrying about hearing from our colleges and the rapidly approaching regionals. I finished off my outfit with a new scarf from my dad (leaving the latest vogue lying around with circles around things I liked really worked) and headed out the door.

Walking to my locker kind of hit home for me there was no yellow rose in my locker or birthday treasure hunt or anything Blain-esque. I hadn't received a text or phone call yet either but he was living the tour life and probably still snoring wherever he was. It was as I stood here thinking about where my best friend was that Santana came up beside me pulling me into a tight hug. Very uncharacteristic of her but she had been a lot more emotional recently.....well to me, Rachel still got verbally bitch slapped at every available opportunity.

"Ok so I got you something.... I know Blaine normally does the present so if you don't like it just..."she fiddled with the small box in her hand, chewing her bottom lip as she spoke.

"Tan your rambling! And I'm sure I'll love it!" I assure her as I begin to peel the paper away and lift the lid. Inside is a treble clef broach with three stones set into it one blue and two clear ones. I stood staring at it for a while not quite knowing how to speak.

"The stones are meant to represent you, me and Blaine.... I know its stupid so..." She shrugged not really enjoying the attention.

"Tan! Shut up! It's perfect!" I pin it gently to my blazers lapel.

"Really?" She smiles shyly.

"Really!! Thank you!" I hug her tightly and then link her arm in mine. "Let's go see the gang...."

"Ewww next you're going to be dry humping Berry! You don't have to be so cheery..." She screws her face up in disgust.

"With a best friend like you, I can't help it..." I kiss her as she retches.

"Come on guys!" Mr Schue shouts from the choir room door and we hurry into our seats. Blaine's sits with a giant bow tie around the back so everyone knows who it belongs to. "Ok let's get started! This week as you all know is the last week before Blaine comes back...." Murmured cheers go up around the room and ma and Santana link pinkies. "Exactly! So what I think we should focus on is welcome back songs.... To encourage positivity! We all know that he has had a rough few months personally...." Ok so I feel a bit bad about that! Finn over heard me tell dad about Sebastian and told Rachel who, surprise - surprise told everyone else.... Mike had told me he heard that Sebastian was a mutant lizard from another country.... I wish I was joking!

"Mr Schue! Can I ask about some specifics?"

"Oh god! Berry as always no, the world doesn't revolve around you... And no Mr Schuesters' ass is not a hat, so please stop sticking your head up there!" Ha-ha I have to admit that was a good one. "Actually while I'm telling a few home truths...Finn that T-shirt does make you look like Robin Williams co-star flubber, Quinn yes people do know about you and Joe so stop hiding it, teen Jesus only if you have the second name Marley can you pull off that look, trouty your smile is so big it blinds children across the land...." She folds her arms over her body as everyone glares at her.

"God who put extra bitch in your morning coffee?" Finn moaned and Mr Schue cleared his throat loudly.

"Tubs the clown! Two words Fingers and throat....... put two and two together and try to become an average weight?! There's a good boy!"

"I'm not a dog Santana!"

"The way you follow TV's blossom like she has a delicious Scooby snack says otherwise...."

"Hey!!!" Rachel squeals but still trying to ask questions about solos.

"Listen just because you miss Blaine doesn't mean you can be a bitch!"

"Ok guys! Enough of the fighting please! Have your song options ready for tomorrow best ones get sung on Monday to Blaine!" I was going to make sure that I got to sing to him, Tana too.

**********************

"Ok ok!" My dad shouts out across the table as I fight Cooper to stop telling an embarrassing story to Dale-I was six how was I supposed to know that 911 wasn't for losing your friend during hide and seek? - while Santana giggled remembering and Finn sat mouth open, silencing us all to look at him as Carole came back in with plates for desert. "Now! We all know why we are here....my boy has turned eighteen today!" I roll my eyes as Santana nods along and Cooper digs his hand into my leg hard.

"He has for all intent and purposes become a man! And I just want to say that I couldn't be more proud of you....all of you! I've watched you grow up into incredibly courageous, courteous, thoughtful, talented and truly unique people.... I know it's going to be graduation before I know it and I just want to say thank you for being the best son and acquaintances - I'm looking at you Sweetie- that a man could ask for and I can't wait to see where the next steps take you all!" my dad roughly wipes his eyes before continuing while Santana and cooper argue over who was being called sweetie. "To Kurt and my rag tag little family!"

"To Kurt!" everyone chorus along raising their glasses and Dale leans over to place a kiss to my cheek making be duck my head and blush.

"Ok now that papa bear has finished I would like to make a toast...."

"God cooper please don't!" I wail pretending to slide under the table in embarrassment,

"Now scarecrow what kind of brother would I be if I didn't embarrass you a little on your birthday?" it was rhetorical but I still shot out a sarcastic reply about him being a non-existent one. "As I was saying the first time I ever met Kurt he's was three years old and throwing up on a pair of mums designer heels.......he had eaten to much cake and was going to town on all nearest surfaces.....but I will never forget the day I fell in brotherly love with him....and that was when the same little boy turned four and declared Cinderella dress up shoes as 'the best pair of sensible heels he had ever owned' and then gave them to mom as payment for her ruined ones! That was when I realised he was a simpleton and needed to learn the ways of a master for future girl or boyfriends....and if that hickey on Dales neck is anything to go by I have done myself proud CHEERS!" everyone roared with laughter and I couldn't help but join in.

"So much game after kissing one girl who looked like she stepped out of a pizza hut oven might I ad....." Santana winked at me remembering how spotty cooper's first girlfriend was.

"Puh-lease! You're just jealous it wasn't you babe....."

"I wouldn't touch that with a barbed wire pole....."

"Yeah who knows what you would catch...." I join in enjoying making cooper feel uncomfortable.

"I'm all clean thank you! Don't hate the player....hate the game!" he blew out smoke from his imaginary hand guns before pretending to holster them.

"Cooper that is disgusting!" my dad tried to scold mid laugh.

"Sorry papa bear!"

"We could always have him sectioned for addiction? Surely the female population would thank us?!" Santana stage whispered to my dad earning a hurt look from cooper. "Just kidding rico suave! Don't act hurt you love us really isn't that why you came back to see us YET again?"

"Actually no! I came to see scarecrow.....Who I actually like!"

"Why does he call you scarecrow?" Dale asked looking confused across the table. "Is he your favourite from Wizard of Oz?" Oh shit! Everyone has stopped to look at him.

"You mean...."

".....peachy never told you!"

"Hahaha Dale this is a very important thing to remember...."

"Shut up guys no more embarrassing stories!" I scream slamming my glass onto the table as soda slops over the side.

"No chance lady lips!"

"Little bro I'm just initiating your boyfriend officially!"

"Not everyone needs to know this story cooper..."

"True! But they do need to see the video..." Cooper starts to run out of the room before I can grab him "Follow me Dale... I'll take you to the dark side!" and then Dales out of reach as him and Santana follow him to the living room leaving me staring at Finn in shock.

"Sorry Kurt I have to see this again!" and he bolts from his chair without another glance in my direction.

"There your friend's kiddo!" is all my dad says as I drag myself out of the chair and slowly trail through after them stopping every so often to bang my head onto walls.

******************************

"Kurt please come out!!" Cooper is banging hard on my bathroom door. I sit staring at my blood shot eyes in the mirror from my perch on the toilet. "Kurt I'm sorry ok!?! Just come out? It's only me I promise!" After hearing his footsteps cross the room to my bed I know he's not going anywhere and decide I might as well face the humiliation now. 18 is a good age right? Dying of embarrassment won't be such a tragedy, who needs to have sex or get married or debut on Broadway? I stand up and slide out into my room seeing cooper cross-legged on my bed. He pats the space beside him and I hesitantly sit down.

"Cooper I can't believe you showed my boyfriend THAT-"

"Scarecrow! You know that it's all in fun! It happened years ago!" Cooper furrowed his brows in a similar way to Blaine and I felt my heart melt slightly.

"It's still not a need to see thing!" I huff folding my arms into my lap.

"Listen if you had a video of me punching out a scarecrow in a haunted house and then wetting myself would you show people?" he slung his arm across my shoulder.

"Probably because you're a 27 year old man....." I hiccup slightly and try to force down my smile.

"EXACTLY!" he throws his arms above his head.

"But I was eight cooper and YOU forced me on that ride! You told me it was all statues!" I punch him in the ribs and he winces slightly.

"Ouch when did you get strong?"

"When I became a real man!" I smirk and give him a hug, when we try to pull apart he reaches up to touch my broach.

"This is nice....Dale get you it?" he raises his eyebrow at me questioningly.

"No! Santana picked it out for me! It's nice huh?" I touch the broach to make sure it was still in position.

"You're not joking! How come Tan picked out the present though? Blaine's too obsessive to let control go...." And I couldn't help but laugh Blaine was very organised when it came to presents, he had systems not to be messed with.

"Just with everything going on I suppose..... She never said!" I shrug it off knowing what he is going to ask me next and wondering how I can change the subject.

"So what song did he sing to you?" I stayed silent for a minute before making sure my voice wouldn't give me away.

"Come on let's go upstairs before dad and Finn subject Dale to a football game...." I stand up and brush down my trousers to straighten out the creases.

"Dales fine! What did he sing you Kurt?" his hand grabs my collar as I try to start up the stairs and pulls me back.

"Hedidntsinganything" I rush out in one breath so he can't hear me.

"Can you repeat that in a language I can understand?" he held me tight in place as I tried to squirm out.

"I said..." I cough slightly before mumbling out just as fast "he didn't sing me anything..." I try not to look at what I can only describe as a catching flies expression he's wearing on his face.

"Why not was he embarrassed in front of the band?" I shook my head silently as I let his head come up with an answer for our broken tradition. "What did he say then?" I attempt a nonchalant shrug to encourage him to drop the conversation but it doesn't work. "Kurt Elisabeth Hummel........have you spoken to my brother today?" I think about lying but that would mean an excuse about the song I have received every year as a present from Blaine.

"Don't middle name me!" I stomp my foot - an actual diva foot stomp - as I glared him down.

"Well don't avoid the question!" he imitates my stomp and flicks my forehead making me yelp. "What's the matter Kurt?" he flicked my again harder and I jumped back out of his way but he followed me "trying to avoid the question huh?" another flick was aimed at my arm and as I tried to hit him back he moved out my way "maybe I'll just phone Blainers to ask-"

"DON'T!" I scream stopping cooper in his tracks as he waits for a follow up to my outburst. When he doesn't receive one he pulls out his phone and over exaggerates looking for Blaine's number I leap on to his back and try to grab the phone bringing us both to the floor with a loud thump, cooper tries to squirm out from under me and I pin down his arms to stop him squirming. "Quits?" I breathlessly ask.

"You going to tell me why- owww!" he yells as I pull his ear a little bit rougher than I meant. "Okay quits just let go of my ear, that's my best one!" I can't help but laugh at the statement.

"Ok what I'm about to say cannot leave this room got it?" he tries to get up again and I push his face onto the floor and I hear a soft fine mumbled from underneath me. Letting cooper turn around to face me I watch his confused face before taking a long draw out breath "Blaine didn't sing me a song because he didn't call me today...." Cooper stills for a moment and I watch the cogs practically turn in his head as confusion spreads across his face.

"Maybe he's busy and will phone you later....what did his text say?" I see a small hope spring in to his eyes.

"He hasn't text me either....I haven't heard from him at all today..." the statement just hangs in the air between us for several minutes before cooper tries to get his phone back.

"What do you think you're doing?" I ask holding it above my head as my weight keeps him pinned down.

"Calling the hospitals...because he better be laying in a bed comatose or so help me god I will kick his ass to timbucktoo!" he makes to grab the phone again as I throw it on to my bed out of reach. "Kurt come on! Someone needs to sort him out.....This is his best friend's birthday and I am not letting him get away with this-" I put my hand over his mouth to cut him off so all he can do is listen to me.

"No you're going to act like nothing has happened! You promised it wouldn't leave this room, I...I don't want him to realise and feel bad he has enough going on, so neither of us are going to mention it ok? Not even to each other got it? It can be your present to me!" I try to give him a confident smile to show I'm ok, even if I'm not. When he seems to be calm I move my hand away from his mouth.

"I guess I can take back that massage voucher then?" he smirked at me half-heartedly.

"Not a chance! Deal?" I look at him with my best pout to make him cave.

"I just want to go on record as saying I'm not happy about this!" I nod silently waiting to hear his decision. "And if I say deal I want a really good present for my birthday....like strip club good!" I roll my eyes at how much of a boy he is but nod anyway; I could bear it for one night if I had to. "Fine it's a deal scarecrow!" I'm about to hug him when I hear Finn stomping down the stairs and freeze when he sees us.

"Daaaaaaaad! Kurt and coop are fighting again!" he hollers as he runs back upstairs. We both gulp loudly and start to clamber back onto out feet.

"Boys what did I tell you? I thought you learned your lesson after 4th of July! Get up here now!" my dad screams at the top of his lungs and we both lunge up the stairs two at a time. We hurtle into the living room where everyone is sitting watching my dad as his face turns puce. Sliding to a stop cooper bumps into the back of me and we both stumble to keep upright.

"Ok boys what was going on?" my dad looks between us and we both start at once.

"Dad it was just cooper-"

"Kurt started it-"my dad held his hands up to us both.

"Let's try this again..... Why were you fighting? Kurt?" I looked at cooper with a warning glare then back to my dad.

"It was nothing really.... Just a disagreement!" I mumble out as quickly as I can looking over at dale who seems to be highly amused by the whole situation.

"Do I need to remind you what happened the last time you too had a disagreement?"

"We broke the car window...." I groan feeling mortified at being punished like a child in front of my grown up boyfriend my dad raises his eyebrows at me and I sigh folding my arms across my chest "and the kitchen window......" my dad coughs joining his hands together and leans back inviting me to continue "and the garage door....and the pylon out the front...."

"Hahahaha!" cooper bursts out laughing clearly remembering the incident.

"Don't get me started on you cooper! You're nearing thirty! It's time to act like it!" I can't help but bark out a laugh as cooper ducks his head down to his chest.

"Kurt!" my dad yells and then cooper laughs again. "Cooper! My god what will I do with you two?!" He wails rubbing his balding head as he moves around his cap. "Just don't do it again ok? We don't need any more disasters in this house OR outside of it." He sighed getting up out of his chair and heading out the door. "I'm going to bed got a tonne of work to do tomorrow and Carole is an early shift. Night guys! Dale-"

"If I'm staying over it is on the couch!" Dale droned knowing my dad well enough by now to not fight the rules.

"Yeah or at least use the car lord knows that Kurt is probably a screamer..." cooper chuckles and I push him on to the couch hard making my dad sigh loudly before leaving I'm pretty sure I heard him mutter about at least aiming for the ugly vase before carol tapped his shoulder. Cooper just stared up at me indignantly and I was about to react when my phone began to ring, it was Blaine's ringtone and cooper just motioned his head for me to go take it in private. I rushed out on to the porch and pulled my jumper tighter against the cold before hitting the accept button.