Aug. 17, 2012, 1:16 p.m.
Searching in the Dark: Cooper
E - Words: 4,716 - Last Updated: Aug 17, 2012 Story: Complete - Chapters: 24/24 - Created: Jun 29, 2012 - Updated: Aug 17, 2012 587 0 3 0 0
Two weeks later, and Kurt was slowly getting better. He was still too skinny and he was irritated that Blaine wouldn't let him out of his sight during and after meals, but it was working. And Blaine was finally on his way. He could feel it. He was on his way to pure happiness. There was only one thing that he still needed to do. He dialed the number with shaking hands and put the phone to his ear.
"Cooper Anderson," said a strangely familiar voice. Blaine almost choked.
"C-Coop? Is that really you?" There was silence on the line for a few moments then.
"Squirt?" The confident voice was shaking a little.
"Ohmygod," Blaine sobbed out. "Coop..."
"Mom said she met you and gave you my number," Cooper whispered into the phone. "When you didn't call, I figured you didn't want to know me."
"N-No, please don't think that! It's just been a hard couple of weeks, Kurt's still sick and-"
"Kurt? Kurt who?" asked Cooper.
"Oh, eh... Kurt, my fiancé." Blaine grinned as he said the word. It still felt so unreal.
"Wow," Cooper murmured. "My baby brother's getting married. Can I meet this fiancé of yours? Grill him? Threaten him with death if he hurts you?" The older man couldn't help but smile, it was just like old times. Blaine giggled slightly.
"I'm sure he would love to meet you. Hey, come over for dinner on Friday?"
"Sounds perfect, text me your address. Do you want me to bring anything?"
"No, that's fine. But- Eh, there's something you need to know... Kurt had anorexia for a while so well, if he's not eating that much, you know why. We're increasing his food intake step by step." Cooper frowned into the phone.
"Jesus, Squirt... That can't be easy for you to deal with..."
"Well, he was blind when I met him and up until about two months ago. Not to mention all the other crap he's been dealing with. So I've been taking care of him a lot, but well, I don't mind it. I love him, I'd do anything for him."
"If you say so..." Cooper didn't sound certain. "I'll see you on Friday. I love you, Blaine." Blaine's heart made a small jump.
"I love you too, Coop." Kurt wandered into the room as Blaine hung up.
"You called your brother?"
"Y-Yeah... He told me he love me." Blaine looked up at Kurt with big, tear filled eyes. "He still loves me."
"Of course he loves you," Kurt smiled, kissing him. "You're prefect."
"I was scared he wouldn't," Blaine said quietly. "I was scared it had been too long."
"Two years isn't so long,” he soothed. "And he never wanted to stop seeing you in the first place... How much older than you is he?"
"He's twenty seven now, so, seven years older. I just- He seems like the same guy he was before. He's amazing." Blaine smiled. "I can't believe he's back in my life. I've missed him so much..."
"It sounds like he's missed you too," Kurt whispered, curling into Blaine's side where they were standing, leaning against the wall in the kitchen.
"I hope so..." Blaine smiled and wrapped an arm around Kurt's waist to pull him closer. His grin grew wider as he felt the flesh under his fingers. "You're getting better, Kurt. I told you that you could do this... I'm so proud of you." He nuzzled Kurt's neck and grinned.
"It's still hard,” Kurt admitted. "I think it'll always be a little difficult for me..."
"I know," said Blaine softly. "And I'll help you your entire life, okay?" Kurt nodded, kissing Blaine's cheek softly.
"I'll always help you too,” he said softly. Blaine walked them over to the couch and dropped them both down, snuggling closer to Kurt, enjoying the heat radiating from his body.
"Cooper is coming over for dinner on Friday. I hope that’s okay with you...?" Kurt hesitated.
"D-Dinner... Does he know about me?"
"I told him. He was... well, he was surprised, but he took it well," Blaine lied. He didn't think Cooper had taken it that well at all. It had seemed like he thought Blaine deserved more than an anorexic. But Blaine didn't need more than Kurt. Kurt was everything.
"As long as you're sure..." Blaine bit his lip and shook his head.
"I-I don't know," Blaine stuttered, unable to lie.
"Oh..." The younger man felt his chest tighten. "I... Okay. Are you sure you want me here?" he whispered shakily. "I can leave you to meet him alone if you'd like?"
"No," said Blaine firmly, shaking his head. "He's going to meet me with you or he's not meeting me at all. I just... He sounded like he thought I had a problem with you being anorexic. Like he thought you weren't worthy of me. Which, of course, is nonsense." Kurt shrugged.
"He's right. I love you and I'm so grateful that you've stuck by me, but you deserve more..."
"Don't say that, Kurt. I love you and only you." He looked deep into Kurt's eyes, trying to make him understand. "There is nothing any other guy can give me that you can't. You're my soul mate, remember? It can't really get much better than that."
"Okay. You're right... Sorry. And I am getting better, right?" he asked softly.
"Yes," said Blaine with a small smile. "You're doing so well. We didn't even have to go to a doctor. Plus, we can still move out of here as soon as possible. And then we can get married and have a bunch of kids and live out our dreams," he chuckled.
"As soon as we get the whole mess with Sebastian sorted,” Kurt sighed. “Can't we just drop the charges?" Blaine had thought about this. But no, they had to go through with it.
"I don't think that's a good idea. Sorry, baby." He kissed Kurt's forehead softly. "But the trial is next week. And we can still pack our stuff while it's going on. It'll all be okay in the end."
"You know his dad will probably get him off anyway..."
"Probably," Blaine shrugged. "But I think it's worth fighting for. We'll still get to New York in time. And I'll still go to law school and-" Blaine paused and suddenly remembered something. He jolted up from the couch, ran to the kitchen table and digged in today's mail. He found the letter he was looking for and held his breath. "Kurt... This is it. This is my future, right here." Blaine walked back to Kurt and sat down next to him. The envelope was marked with New York Law School. Kurt slipped quietly into Blaine's lap.
"Open it. I'm right here." Blaine was shaking violently when he started opening the letter. He stopped when the envelope was open.
"Kurt... What do we do if I don't get in?"
"We tear it up, because they don't know what they're talking about, and you apply somewhere else," Kurt said confidently, twisting in Blaine's lap to kiss him hard. Blaine was taken aback by the kiss, but accepted it happily.
"Okay," he whispered when he pulled back. He made himself and Kurt comfortable and took it the paper out of the envelope. He swallowed hard, then read:
Mr. Anderson. Congratulations! You have been accepted to...
The letter continued after that, but Blaine's mind had frozen. He got in. He got in! Kurt had been reading along with Blaine. He squealed, throwing his arms around Blaine's neck tightly.
"You did it!" he smiled, peppering Blaine with kisses all over his face. "I knew you could do it! I love you so much! I'm so proud of you!" Blaine was grinning widely and trying not to cry.
"I'm going to law school, Kurt! Oh my god!" He hugged Kurt back and giggled. "I'm going to be a lawyer and save people and help with justice and- Ohmygod!" Kurt giggled along with Blaine.
"You'll be amazing!" he smiled. Blaine laughed again. He couldn't believe it! Then he suddenly remembered the other letter. It had arrived yesterday and Blaine had opened it without Kurt knowing about it at all.
"Kurt... I have something for you." Kurt frowned, turning to look him in the eye.
"What is it?"
"Your dreams are just as important as mine, Kurt. I sent in applications a while back. For different schools, for you, and the letters came yesterday. You weren't accepted to two of them, but..." Blaine pulled out a letter from his pocket. It was from NYADA. He gave it to Kurt. "Read it," he whispered. Kurt's hands were shaking as he read over the letter.
"I... I have a provisional place?" he asked softly. "I just have to audition... But Blaine, we talked about this... we can't afford us both going to school."
"My mom pays for my tuition, and the apartment. We just need to pay for yours and we can afford that. We have some money saved up, plus we'll sell this apartment and then we can get jobs!" said Blaine happily. "It's worth it, baby. They want you in. I sent a tape of you singing. All they need is for you to do an acting audition and they want to hear you sing live. You'll nail it. And it seems like they really want you. I talked to a teacher on the phone yesterday, after I got the letter, and she said your voice is one of the most unique and amazing voices she's ever heard." Blaine pressed a soft kiss to Kurt's neck. "Are you okay?" he asked gently.
"I- They... They want me?" It wasn't a feeling he was used to. He was shaking slightly. "I love you, so much!"
"They want you," Blaine confirmed. "And I love you too, silly." Blaine kissed the same spot on his neck again. "NYADA should watch out, 'cause here comes Kurt Hummel!"
"I can't believe it..." Kurt whispered, eyes wide. Blaine turned him around in his arms so that Kurt was straddling his lap.
"You should." He leaned in to kiss Kurt's lips. "I told you you're amazing." Kurt kissed Blaine deeply.
“Thank you. Thank you so much!" Blaine laughed.
"It's nothing, babe. After everything you've been through, you really deserve it."
:)
Friday came quickly, and Kurt was sat on the kitchen work surface, watching Blaine cook for dinner that night.
"Do you want me to make cake?" he asked, watching Blaine cross to the fridge.
"Sure! Cooper shouldn't be here until..." Blaine watched the clock on the wall. "Shit, like right now! I don't think we have time for a cake, honey." Blaine ran around the kitchen, trying to fix the food as fast as possible. The doorbell rang and Blaine mentally cursed Kurt for being so sexy that Blaine couldn't resist a second round in bed. "Baby, could you open? I'll be done in a minute!" Kurt's eyes widened, but he nodded, hopping off the work surface and heading nervously towards the door. He bit his lip and opened it, taking a second to take in the tall, handsome man on the door step.
"Hi..." he whispered nervously. Knowing this man didn't completely approve of him made him more scary to meet.
"Hi," said Cooper with grin. "You must be Kurt, huh?" he asked. Cooper took in the man's looks slowly. He was skinny, but he had obviously been worse before. And he still managed to look pretty good. Cute eyes, well styled hair, not bad taste in clothes. Cooper's smile grew. "Glad to see my brother scored a handsome man. You're way out of his league." He winked playfully. He was really happy to see that Kurt wasn't as bad as he'd expected. Kurt relaxed a little, smiling softly.
"Just wait until you see Blaine... I've seen photos of him when he was younger. Puberty did its job well." Cooper's smile grew even wider when he saw Blaine.
"Squirt!" he squealed like a little girl and hugged his brother tightly.
"Coop! Shit, I missed you so much!" Cooper laughed, swinging Blaine around in a circle.
"I tried to find you," Cooper promised through tears. "I promise."
"I wanted to find you too," said Blaine through his tears. "I was just scared of falling back into my previous life. I-I'm sorry, Coop."
"It's okay," Cooper promised. "You're here. We can be brothers again, I've forgiven Mom and we never have to see Dad again." Blaine nodded. He let go of Cooper and grabbed Kurt's hand.
"I'm guessing you two already said hi, but well... Kurt, this is Cooper. Coop, this is my fiancé, Kurt." Cooper looked him over.
"You used to be blind, right?" he asked bluntly, he'd never had any tact.
"Coop," Blaine warned. "Yes, he used to be blind." Blaine answered calmly, gripping Kurt's hand tightly.
"Huh... What was it like?"
"Dark," Kurt dead-panned, before smiling cheekily at Blaine. Blaine leaned over to kiss Kurt lightly on the lips.
"Good thing you have a good taste in men without seeing." He had completely turned to Kurt and was looking at him with nothing but love in his eyes.
"Stop it!" Cooper whined loudly. "I don't want to see my baby brother making out with someone!" Blaine chuckled against Kurt's lips. He kissed him one more time and then let go of him partly, one arm still around his waist.
"You're going to have to watch us kiss at the wedding," he teased. "We'll make sure to kiss very long and slow, just for you."
"No fair," Cooper muttered. Kurt rolled his eyes and kissed Blaine harder this time, tugging him close. Blaine kissed Kurt back passionately while glancing at Cooper.
"So, how's your love life going, Coop?" he asked between the kisses.
"New girl every week, and proud of it,” he winked. "With a face like this, it's my duty to share it with as many women as possible."
"I think you're missing out on something," Blaine grinned as Kurt kept kissing him. "Mmm..." Cooper frowned, sitting at the kitchen table.
"What do you mean?" Blaine finally pulled back from Kurt and led him to the table.
"Love. You're missing out on love, Coop."
"I get love every night,” he winked again, smirking.
"Ew..." Blaine pulled a face at the thought of his brother having sex. It was weird. "Well, Kurt satisfies me more than enough, thank you." Kurt smiled, kissing Blaine's curls.
"So! What did you make me?" Cooper asked, looking towards the food. Kurt fidgeted nervously, he still didn't feel comfortable eating in front of people.
"We are eating lasagna à la Anderson and an imaginary-cake-that-we-didn't-have-time-to-make à la Hummel," Blaine grinned. He glanced over at Kurt, noticing how uncomfortable he looked. "Are you okay, baby?" he whispered. Cooper was already distracted by the food.
"I... I don't know if I can do this,” he whispered, clearly embarrassed.
"Can't do what?" asked Cooper, having overheard the conversation.
"Coop, please don't," Blaine pleaded. Kurt blushed even harder, looking down as a tear fell down his cheek.
"I haven't had to eat in front of anyone but Blaine since I got ill,” he whimpered softly. How could they not have thought of this before? Blaine nodded, understanding.
"Hey, I understand it's hard, alright. But this is just another step for you. I think you're ready to take it." Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand lightly. The younger man nodded shakily.
"I don't get it," Cooper said loudly, frowning. "What's the problem? Blaine sighed.
"Can I talk to you alone, Cooper?" he asked. His brother nodded and stood up to follow Blaine. "I'll be back in a minute, baby," he said, kissing Kurt's head. "You can start eating." Kurt nodded and cut himself a tiny piece of lasagna, much smaller than Blaine would have liked.
Cooper followed Blaine into the living room.
"What did I do?" he asked, folding his arms over his chest.
"You didn't do anything, I just- You have to be more careful with him and with what you say. He's been fragile his whole life and he still is. I really want him to like you, Coop. And I want you to like him." Blaine wasn't sure if Cooper liked Kurt at all. He had been acting weird. "Do you like him, Coop?"
"He seems like a nice enough kid,” he allowed. "I just wish you could have found yourself someone normal, he come with too much baggage. It doesn't seem fair on you." Blaine was so glad Kurt wasn't hearing this. It would have killed him. Blaine shook his head.
"You don't understand. He's perfect to me and as long as I get to have him, I'll carry that extra baggage with joy. He's the one, Coop. I know he is." Blaine had started crying softly during his rant. "I love him so much."
"I'm still not sure about him. And I don't get this whole anorexia thing, but I'll try and understand it for you,” he sighed. "Blaine... What would if he doesn't manage to beat it? What if he died like...." Cooper swallowed heavily, remembering their cousin. Blaine looked at Cooper like he just saw a ghost. He knew there was a possibility, of course, but he didn't like to think about it.
"N-No," said Blaine and shook his head, his whole body shaking and trembling.
"It could happen, Blaine," Cooper sighed. "And I think, if you're going to be with Kurt, then you have to accept it."
"I'm marrying him, Coop. And he's getting better. He's not dying." Blaine shook his head violently, denying he thought. "N-No."
"Okay. I think you’re in denial, but okay, let's go back through to him."
Kurt was still staring at his lasagna. He'd eaten maybe half of the tiny piece he'd served himself.
Blaine was still shaking badly when they returned. When he saw Kurt, he stopped in his tracks. Could the man be dying? Was death going to take the best thing in his life from him? Blaine didn't move an inch, he just stood there, shaking and trying to keep the tears from falling. Kurt looked up.
"Is everything okay?" he asked softly. Blaine tried to force a nod, but he couldn't.
"Are-" He swallowed thickly. "Are you feeling okay?" Kurt nodded.
"I guess. I'm sorry about before, you were right, I can do this. I won't let it beat me." He flashed a genuinely determined smile at Blaine. Blaine melted at the smile. He smiled back and sat down next to Kurt, taking his hand and kissing his lips lightly.
"I love you," he whispered, suddenly filled with affection for the man. Kurt blinked in surprise.
"I love you too, you know that. Now, both of you should eat before it gets cold."
"Yeah, okay." Blaine and Cooper started eating. Blaine noticed how little Kurt was eating, but he decided that he would eat again with him later. He didn't want to put him under pressure. Kurt did his best in front of Cooper, he really did, he managed to finish his tiny piece of lasagna and a small bowl of salad, which was more then he'd ever have been able to eat a couple of weeks earlier.
"Oh, Coop, you know what?" asked Blaine excitedly. He had dropped his depressed mood a little while into dinner. "I got into law school," he grinned. Cooper smiled.
"That's amazing, Squirt! But... I thought you wanted to sing? That's what you always said." Blaine shrugged.
"Well, first off, I'm not good enough to make it that far. But also, I want to do law. I've seen so many flaws with this world. I want to help make it right, at least some of it." He smiled and squeezed Kurt's hand. "Plus, it pays well," he chuckled.
"Well as long as you're sure." He cut himself another massive piece of lasagna. "I think you'll be amazing!"
"I hope so," he smiled. "And we have another person here who will most likely be going to NYADA next year," said Blaine as his smile grew even wider. Cooper looked at Kurt, his mouth wide open.
"You got into NYADA? Do they- do they know about...?" He gestured at Kurt's body. Kurt's eyes widened and he turned to Blaine.
"I... I don't know actually. Do they?"
"I don't think so, but that shouldn't matter. You're getting better and they probably won't even notice. It'll be fine," Blaine smiled at Kurt reassuringly. Kurt bit his lip and nodded, pushing away his empty plate.
"I think I'm going to go for a walk, let you two catch up." He smiled kindly.
"It's fine, Kurt, you can stay," said Blaine. Cooper secretly wanted Kurt to leave. He liked the kid, sure, but he really wanted to talk to Blaine alone. Kurt worried him, and he was scared what could happen to him. It would break Blaine's heart forever.
"Actually, Kurt..." Cooper said, smiling charmingly. "If you wouldn't mind going out for a bit? I haven't seen Blaine in years, I'd like to catch up with him." He knew Blaine would be mad, but he just wanted to spend time with his little brother. Kurt nodded and sped out of the apartment, taking Tony with him, before Blaine could argue. Blaine turned to his brother angrily as soon as Kurt was out.
"What the fuck was that all about!? I know you don't like him very much, alright, but that was just rude!" Cooper shrugged.
"I just want to spend some time with you, Squirt. He understood."
"Just to make things clear, that action will probably make him think you hate him forever." Blaine looked down at his plate sadly and sighed. "But maybe you actually do," he muttered.
"I don't hate him. I hate what he could do to you. And why on earth would that make him think I didn't like him?"
"He's been hated all of his life, Coop. Until I came around, that is. He interprets every comment he gets badly. He still thinks I'm too good for him. He thinks I deserve better." Blaine looked down and shook his head.
"I think so too," Cooper sighed softly. Blaine looked up at his brother with tears in his eyes.
"I-I need a moment," he said shakily and stumbled up on his feet and into the bathroom. He locked the door behind him and sunk down on the floor, enjoying the coolness of it running through his body. He stayed quiet, silent tears running down his cheeks. Cooper sighed, following Blaine.
"Come on, Squirt... I just love you. I'm worried. You understand, right?” Silence. "Blaine..." Cooper called softly through the door. "Please let me in? I'm sorry, I'll make more of an effort..." Blaine reached up to unlock the door, but made no move to get up on his feet. Cooper entered the room, crouched next to Blaine and wrapped his arms around him.
"I love you,” he whispered. Blaine took comfort in Cooper's arms, but didn't hug him back or say the words back.
"You say you understand, but you don't," he whispered after a moment, his voice thick with tears. "You just don't."
"You're right,” Cooper nodded. “I don't understand about love, and I don't understand why you'd make life harder for yourself. But I love you, and I'll try to understand. I want you in my life, Squirt."
"Kurt doesn't make my life harder," Blaine frowned. "He makes it livable. Breathable. I was-" Blaine sobbed at the thought of the day he had met Kurt. "I was going to kill myself. I had nothing. Nothing to live for. No one who cared. Nothing. I didn't see any reason to live. That day, when I was going to do it, I met Kurt. It was like the universe was trying to send me a message that there are good things in the world. Things worth living for. So I decided to wait for a few days at least and well, here I am now." Blaine smiled sadly. "You might think it's unfair that I take care of him so much, but it's not. I love him and he saved my life. I'm his hero and he is mine." There was silence for a few minutes before Cooper hugged him tighter.
"I guess I understand it a little more now,” he murmured. "But if he ever hurts you, I'll kill him. I mean it." Blaine chuckled a little and finally returned the hug.
"Just try and see our relationship like any other. We have everything that every other relationship has. Fights, cuddles, hard times, crying..." Blaine smirked. "Sex... Well, everything."
"I don't need to hear about you having sex," Cooper groaned.
"...Says the guy who trades love for sex. I heard about your sex life earlier. It's only fair!" Blaine pouted.
"Ah, but Blaine, my sex life is a work of art. I'm currently sleeping with sisters, they don't know," Cooper chuckled. Blaine pulled a disgusted face.
"You're seriously worse than Barney Stinson! At least my sex life has a point," Blaine argued.
"Mine has a point!" Cooper argued back. "It makes me feel amazing!
"By hurting girls’ feelings every night. Yeah, sure, Coop. At least when Kurt and I have sex it's..." Blaine let his mind be filled with amazing memories, the best one being Kurt sucking him off the other night. He was soon developing a small problem in his pants. He opened his eyes quickly and blushed. "It's just amazing."
"I don't hurt them," Cooper grumbled. "They enjoy it just as much as I do..."
"Mhm, I think so too," said Blaine with a wink.
"Shut up." Cooper pouted. He sighed and glanced at his watch. "I should probably get going, Squirt...."
"Okay," Blaine sighed. "But wait just a second, I wanted to ask you..." He looked into his brother's eyes. "Would you be my best man?" Cooper's eyes lit up, but then he hesitated.
"You're sure you want me?"
"Of course. Unless you're too poor to get yourself to New York," Blaine teased.
"Please. I make twice your tuition a month." He rolled his eyes. "Of course I'll be your best man,” he grinned, hugging Blaine as tightly as he could. Blaine returned the hug happily.
"Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you for trying. I really want you two to get along. He'll soon be my husband and you're still my brother. It'd be tough if you didn't like each other."
"I'll do my best, I promise," Cooper swore. Just as they pulled back from the hug, they heard Kurt step inside again. They exited the bathroom and Blaine greeted Kurt with a smile and a kiss. Kurt kissed back, eyeing Cooper a little nervously.
"I missed you," said Blaine with a cheesy grin against Kurt's lips.
"I was only gone ten minutes," Kurt laughed.
"I know," Blaine smiled and slid an arm around Kurt's waist. "You sure you don't want to stay for coffee, Coop?"
"No, I'm late for a date." He winked at Blaine. "It was nice meeting you, Kurt," Cooper smiled politely before hugging Blaine and heading for the door. Blaine let his brother out and then closed the door behind him.
"He hasn't changed one single bit."
Comments
Update soon! I loved that chapter! But please, I hope Kurt didn't do anything on that walk... Anyway, I love the story, keep it up and update quickly like always. <3
he s such an ass'
Sorry but I didn't actually like Cooper in this, he is selfish and can't see passed what is wrong with Kurt. I know Kurt will get better right? So he won't die and leave Blaine soo they should stop talking about that.