Blaine hadn’t visited Ohio in ages. He didn’t really enjoy it much when he lived there, and he liked it even less when he left. The few memories of the place worth cherishing all involved the disaster that began and ended with Kurt.

It was strange, really. Blaine hadn’t ever expected to fall in love, and certainly didn’t expect it to happen in high school. Yet, the moment that he’d seen that God forsaken angel on the staircase in Dalton, his whole world had been flipped upside down. He didn’t know then. He didn’t know that one day he’d be head over heels for the new kid; but he did know that something special had happened.

It had taken a long time for them to get together. Looking back, Blaine realised that it was longer than he would have liked. It wasn’t that he hadn’t been interested. Oh gosh, no. He’d most definitely been interested. It was just that Kurt had just been so fast paced, Blaine couldn’t keep up. He’d been born to live in New York with the bright lights and subtle glamour. One minute he could be prattling about Prada, the next, gushing over some fabulous sheet music that he’d gotten on sale—Blaine wasn’t used to it. But he loved it because it was part of what Kurt was. He loved it because it was Kurt expressing himself to the best of his ability; allowing himself to shine to his greatest potential. So he gave it a try. The kiss in the Dalton room, that speech that he’d made up on the spot; they were real, but he had no idea what he was doing. For all he had known, Kurt could have pushed him away and fled. But he didn’t. And the ecstatic feeling in Blaine’s stomach pushed itself up regardless of how much he tried to suppress it. That probably should have been the first signal; the warm, fuzziness that had pervaded his being. But Blaine was sixteen, just a sophomore. How was he supposed to know he was in love?

Time went on, but things didn’t seem exactly right. He’d joined the Warblers intending to have fun singing with friends. But with Kurt in his life, it seemed a little weird. It when Kurt finally told him what he was too blind to see; “I feel like we’re Blaine and the Pips”, that he realised exactly how predictable Warbler performances were. He loved his group. He did. They had been his support system through his parent issues. However, rehearsed, in-step choreography wasn’t quite the same as the impromptu performances that the New Directions put on every week.

Once Kurt transferred back to McKinley, Blaine just got hit by the emptiness even more. Kurt’s glee club was just having fun. Blaine had always been a little jealous of that, inside. He never mentioned it, but he envied the close knit group with all their petty drama. That combined with the adorable puppy-eyed look that Kurt had been wearing when he proposed that Blaine switch schools was enough. Blaine transferred schools in that instant, and he’d do it again and again; he’d do anything at all, if Kurt looked at him that way again.

And there was the second warning. This time, Blaine had realised it much quicker. He’d never dropped anything as important as his education just for a boyfriend. He knew that he was more out of his comfort zone than ever. He knew that things could end horribly, and that he could be left all alone to fend for himself in a fiercely homophobic school. But somehow, Kurt seemed so worth it.

His heart was completely shattered when he found out that it wasn’t.

And now look where he ended up. Heartbroken from when Kurt left him. Luckily, Blaine was a fighter, and had managed to find success from it all, as well as a feeling that was reminiscent of happiness. It was almost as if his life had had some semblance of normalcy. But of course, nothing ever went smoothly for him.

Kurt was back. The man who abruptly broke up with him had shown up again. Almost the way it was before, but not quite. It wouldn’t ever be the same. How could it? If their breakup had been a shock to Blaine, Kurt’s reappearance was similar to an apocalypse. All the walls that he’d built up over the years had come crashing down with one glance at Kurt. Every single day, Blaine’s mind spun and thoughts whirled.

Blaine needed space to think.

Ohio never changed. Not at all. For the first time, Blaine was okay with it. He never did like change, and at that moment more than ever, he needed something familiar to grasp onto.

The long winding road that led up to the Anderson household, dusted with a thin layer of snow, was exactly how Blaine remembered it. It had been months since he’d last visited, but yet everything was so familiar. The mansion had never been much of a home, but at that moment, it was the closest thing Blaine had. The driveway was almost empty; both of his parents’ cars were missing as they were most likely at work. But one familiar car was still there: Cooper’s. Blaine eyed it, slightly taken back. He stepped out of his car and heading towards the front door, running thoughts through his mind. Cooper was supposed to be in LA. He hardly ever came home to visit, so this was strange.

“Cooper?” Blaine called as he opened the door and stepped into his home, brushing the snow off of his boots and sliding them off. “You home?”

“Blaine? Is that you?” a voice replied from a few rooms over. A couple of seconds later, Cooper Anderson’s face appeared in the hallway, his eyes lighting up as he caught sight of Blaine. The two brothers stepped forward and enveloped each other in a tight hug. “If it isn’t my famous little baby brother, Blaine!”

Blaine smiled warmly as they pulled apart. “It’s good to see you, Coop.”

“You too, Blainey-boo.” Cooper’s face turned into a frown as he lead Blaine into the familiar living room, sitting him down on the sofa. “But I gotta admit, I wasn’t expecting to see you anytime soon. Aren’t you supposed to be on tour? New York City still, right?”

“Um, right. Some stuff came up and I... I needed some sort of escape. Figured I’d come home and talk to mum and dad.” Blaine shifted uncomfortably, unsure of exactly how much to reveal to Cooper. “Didn’t expect to see you here either, though. Aren’t you still living in LA?”

“Yeah. Well, I wrapped up a commercial last week and I decided to hang out in Ohio until after the holidays. Visit mum and dad, too. You know. Family stuff.” he shrugged.

“Oh. Well, cool...” Blaine trailed, a tad awkwardly.

“So, little bro, what exactly did you need an escape from? Seemed to be doing pretty damn fine from my perspective. I hear your little songs on the radio pretty much wherever I go.”

Blaine swallowed, looking down and away from Cooper as he prepared to delve into his story. “So do you... remember... remember Kurt? Kurt Hummel?”

Cooper laughed; a full out laugh, that took Blaine by surprise. That sound brought back so many childhood memories. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Um, no?”

“Of course I remember Kurt, you idiot. How can I forget? Considering the amount of songs you wrote about him. Songs that have sold bazillions of copies worldwide, might I add.” Cooper turned serious, eying Blaine skeptically, trying to get to Blaine’s story before the words left his lips, not with much success.

“Yeah, well... He came back.”

“He came back? To Ohio?” Cooper asked, puzzled.

“No, no. He’s actually my personal stylist now.”

“Oh ho ho. Curiouser and curiouser.” Cooper smirked, kicking his feet up and putting them on top of Blaine’s lap. Blaine was unfazed by this. It was normal in the Anderson household. “So, what, are you guys like... back together or something?”

“No. Well. I thought maybe we were? For a bit. It’s a long story.” Blaine sighed, confused even by his own thoughts. Cooper flashed him his signature grin, and he somehow felt more comfortable. Like maybe Cooper could help him. Maybe things were going to be okay.

“I got time.”

xxx

“And then I packed up a bag and drove all night to Ohio.” Blaine finished, exhaling loudly. Cooper blinked.

“Wow.”

“Yeah.” Blaine added, lamely, honestly hoping for a bit more of a response from his older brother.

“You kissed?”

“Well, yeah, but that’s not the point.”

“Are you sure?”

“Cooper! Seriously, what do you think?”

“Well first of all, I want to know why on earth did you drive all night when you’re a multimillionaire with a private jet?”

Blaine’s eyes widened and he smacked his smirking older brother with a pillow. “Shut up. I just needed to think. Now please, please be serious”

“Fine, fine.” Cooper said, throwing his hands up in surrender before thoughtfully running his them through his hair. “Honestly, Blaine, I think Kurt’s an idiot and not worth your time.”

Blaine’s eyes widened as he immediately fought to defend Kurt. “He’s not, though! He’s still Kurt. He’s still my Kurt and I still love him.”

“Do you?” Cooper questioned. “I mean, you guys haven’t spoken in over a year. I know for a fact you’ve changed, and I’m willing to bet he has, too.”

“I do. I love him.” Blaine said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Which to him, of course, it was.

“Well, at least you seem sure about it. But still, you shouldn’t just accept him. You can’t just let him come running back into your arms. You’re better than that, B.”

“But what if I want him to come running back into my arms?” Blaine whispered, just loud enough so Cooper could make out his words from where he was sitting on the other end of the sofa.

“Well, how are you to know he won’t break your heart again? Listen, I know you’re a good kid. And when I was your age, I was going through similar problems myself. One of my ex-girlfriends wanted me back, and do you know what I said to her? I said no. Because she obviously broke up with me for a reason. And listen, if Kurt and you were really meant to be together, you gotta let Kurt work for it. He’s the one who screwed up, he’s the one who should fix it.”

“I guess you’re right...” Blaine trailed off, sighing. Cooper beamed at him, reaching forward to clap his shoulder.

“I know I’m right.”