Blaine hadn't gotten a wink of sleep that night. He stayed awake, tossing and turning, his mind never shutting off. Cooper had been awake too, laying on the other side of the mattress of his brother and hoping he hadn't put Blaine out by his suggestion. He really did love Blaine. He would do anything for the boy. He hadn't wanted Blaine to leave a few months ago and he still felt lonely every day without the overly excited cement haired boy. He had given Blaine the adoption offer to help the boy out with their father, but also because Coop couldn't help but fantasize about having the younger boy as a sort of son. Cooper already considered Blaine as a son, and when he'd overheard Blaine telling Rachel that he thought of Cooper as a dad, Coop had gone to Westerville’s City Hall the next day and started to look into the adoption process.

Finally, at three in the morning, Cooper rolled over and decided to speak up. "Can't sleep, huh?" Blaine sighed and rolled over to face him.

"Nah, too much going on up here," he said and tapped his forehead.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Blaine began chewing on his bottom lip and when a minute passed and he was still quiet, Cooper decided to start. "Look, I don't want you to feel like you have to, alright B? I just-I really want you to be happy. You deserve so much more than you're given." Blaine remained silent for so long that Cooper thought he'd finally fallen asleep. He was about to roll back over and try to sleep himself when he heard the other boy speak.

"What about Westerville? You left to get away from him, Coop; I can't just ask you to come back. It's not fair to you." Cooper reached out and took Blaine's hand in his.

"Blaine, I love you. But I'm not just doing this for you. I need you with me, Blaine. And whether you're my brother or not isn't going to change that. No matter what, I'm moving back down here. You need me and I need you." Blaine snorted indignantly.

"Why the hell would you need me?" Coop shook his head.

"Dad was right about one thing; you are brainwashed." Coop slipped his hand out of Blaine's before rolling over to turn on the bedside lamp. He then sat up on the bed and turned to face Blaine who propped himself on his elbow to see his brothers face better. "Blaine, you are worth so much more than you give yourself credit for. I need you because you make me feel important. Like I’m actually doing something with my life. I work a shitty job. I can't maintain a long term relationship. I don't have any friends. I just have you, Blaine. My job is to keep you safe and smiling. You're the only person who can stand being around me for more than 24 hours. You're the greatest friend I've ever had."

Blaine smiled up at his brother and waited patiently while Cooper took a slow breath before continuing. "I know that you came back to Lima to help me out, but honestly I've been banging my head against the wall trying to find out how to lure you back. I never wanted you to leave, Blaine. And I’m moving back to Lima whether you like it or not. You deserve to have someone who will love you unconditionally and support you no matter what.” Cooper sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not trying to force you into this. I know you’re a junior this year, and soon enough you’ll legally be an adult. It was just an idea. And it’s not a decision you have to make now. No matter what, I want you to know that I’ll always have a place for you. Okay?”

Blaine was unable to look at his brother anymore. This was, in a way, new to him. Sure, he’d lived with Cooper for a few years, and the older boy wasn’t shy to tell Blaine when he was proud of him or that he loved him, but it always seemed to take Blaine by surprise. His own father had stopped saying he loved him by the time Blaine was seven and hearing it since then always seemed very intimate.

Blaine knew his answer. He knew he wanted to live with Cooper. He knew that above all else, he would never feel unloved or deprived or unwelcome. Cooper would take care of him like he always had. Cooper would undoubtedly be the father Blaine had always wanted. But he still wished his real dad would change. No matter what, he still had a pinch of hope that his father would come to his senses and care. He knew it was useless, but he couldn’t help it.

Blaine broke away from his thoughts and blinked in the darkness. Cooper had apparently turned the lamp off once again and was laying down on his back staring up at the ceiling. Blaine laid his head back against the pillows and looked over at his brother. “So where do we start?”

Cooper’s blinding smile seemed to drench the dark hotel room in light.