It had also been the weirdest.

After their little Wicked trio, Blaine had found himself caught up in a full-on re-enactment of the show, interrupted only to take the cheesecake out of the oven and to start on the main course. Sunny had insisted on playing Galinda, which left Kurt to play Elphaba and Blaine found himself as Fiero, which, he told himself, wasn't awkward at all, and it hadn't been, on the outside, but he had been freaking out inside the entire time. And then to find himself pulled into a family dinner once Rachel and Brittany returned, and Blaine couldn't keep up with the chatter, and the jokes, and the sight of Kurt sharing his food with his daughter across from him had left him breathless for half the night.

He couldn't deny that Kurt having a child had thrown him for a loop. It had shattered him, to be honest, when the tiny blonde had run up to Kurt and the two embraced, and it had taken all his self-control not to bolt at the sight. He had already been feeling a bit ridiculous with the crush on the guy who ran out on a conversation because of his girlfriend, and Sunny had pretty much been the stick to break the camel's back. Except Kurt had practically begged him to stay, and Blaine had always been something of a masochist, is he was honest, so he had stayed.

And learned that, despite all appearances, he and Kurt were a lot more alike than he had thought.

Except he had a kid.

Was he over-thinking this? he wondered and fell back onto his bed in self-disgust. His brother had always told him that he thought too much.

Blaine blinked and reached to the bedside table for his phone and pressed speed-dial one.

And then laughed at the ringback tone.

"I'm the greatest star, I am by far, but no one knows it--"

"You're reached McDreamy, how can I help you?"

He grinned at the familiar, cocky voice, and said, "Cooper, I know you have caller id. Why do you answer your phone like that to your little brother?"

"I answered that way because it's you, Squirt."

"Don't call me that."

"Grow a few inches and I'll think about it."

Blaine rolled his eyes rather than argue further with his brother, as he knew he could go on forever and ever if he let him.

"How's it going, Coop?"

"Not bad. I had an audition for a new Spielberg script yesterday."

"No kidding? How'd that go?"

"Amazing, of course. Remember who you're talking to, Blainey."

"Yeah, yeah," he sighed, smiling without really wanting to. There was just something about his big brother that always seemed to make him feel better, even when he was being obnoxious like now. "So what's the script about?"

"Ah, that's top-secret intel, little brother."

"Of course."

"So what's the occasion, Blaine? You never call on school nights," he teased. "Something big happen?"

It took a millisecond for him to realize that he hadn't planned out what he was going to say, and another millisecond for him to blurt out, "Kurt's gay."

He flinched then and pulled at his hair in frustration. Although Cooper did make him feel better, he also tended to make him lose any sort of filter.

"Who?" He started to repeat himself when Cooper started talking over him, "Wait a minute, this is the laundry singer?"

"Don't call him that."

"It is," Cooper crowed and Blaine groaned. He really needed to have a script before he talked to his big brother.

"Coop..."

"So the beautiful songstress is gay, huh?"

"Geez. His name is Kurt, okay? Just Kurt."

"Okay, okay," Cooper laughed. "So, is this call to tell me you're dating, then? Or did you move past that and you're engaged? Obviously I expect to be best man at the big event--"

"Cooper, no," Blaine laughed, shaking his head. "Just...no."

"Okay, fine, that's too soon. so you're just dating then."

"Um, no."

There was a moment of silence, and then "Well, fuck, Blainey, why not?"

He winced a little, before saying, "It's complicated."

"Complicated how? Wait, this is about the girlfriend you mentioned last time, right? So what, is he not out of the closet, then?"

"No, no. I mean, yes it's kind of about Brittany, but no, he is definitely out of the closet."

"So what's up, then?"

"Do you think I'd be a good father?"

Blaine slapped his hand across his mouth, but the damage was done. Why had he said that?

"Um, Blainey, something you need to tell me?"

It took him a minute to figure out what Cooper meant, and then he laughed.

"Oh, Coop, no. I am so gay. Just...wow, you really think--?"

"Okay, no, you're right, that's ridiculous. I just thought for a minute you had been experimenting or...something."

"Experimenting? Wow, Coop. You're ridiculous."

"I'm amazing," he countered and Blaine rolled his eyes. "So why the good father question?"

Blaine could feel himself blushing, and he hesitated before saying, "Kurt's got a kid."

"Whoa."

"Uh, yeah."

"I think that's more than just complicated, Blaine."

"I know," he groaned and turned onto his side. "And he's living with Brittany, she's the mother. But I just...I don't..."

"Blaine, this is really serious. You can't just jump into this kind of relationship. A guy with a kid is not going to be looking for a little fling."

"Maybe I don't want a fling," he muttered, and then blinked. What?

"What?"

"Um, well..." He laughed a little, and admitted, "I really like him, Coop. I mean, I swear, I thought my heart stopped when I first saw him."

"Don't remind me. That was the longest, most pointless conversation we've ever had."

"It wasn't pointless!"

"'Oh, Coop, his eyes! They were the color of the ocean! No, not the ocean, the sky! No, not the sky, they were--'"

"You can shut up now," Blaine cut him off, flushing as he remembered how he had tried to describe those beautiful eyes but failed spectacularly. "The point is, Coop, that I felt an almost instant connection. And I really like him. And Sunny, too."

"Sunny?"

"His daughter."

"A little girl, huh?"

"Yeah. She's three and a half, and she's amazing. She can sing all the lyrics to Wicked and she dances and--"

"Okay, hold up. Just how old is this Kurt anyway?"

"Twenty-one. He had her in high school."

"Ah. Identity crisis?"

Blaine couldn't help a laugh as his own earlier question to Kurt was repeated by his brother, and he sighed.

"No, just a drunken mistake." He could hear his brother tutting on the other end, and he sighed again. "Don't do that, Coop. Just because you've got eight years on me doesn't mean I don't remember all those illicit parties you had back in high school. Or how many times you freaked out when you thought you'd gotten a girl pregnant."

"Please. Cooper Anderson does not freak out," he scoffed, and Blaine grinned.

"Yeah, well, unlike you, Kurt wasn't so lucky, and so we have Sunny."

"And you want to have her, too, huh?"

He flushed at the implications but nodded, before remembering he was on the phone and he cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do, Coop. Only..."

"Only?"

"I don't know how. I mean," he went on before Cooper could ask what he meant, "I don't know how to go about courting him."

He didn't know what he expected, but it certainly wasn't the loud burst of laughter he got. Blaine held the phone back from his ear and frowned.

"Uh, Coop?"

"Oh, little brother. You are priceless. Nobody 'courts' anybody these days."

"Well, maybe they should," he argued, but he added, "So help me do whatever it is people do these days."

"Oh, Blainey. I've been waiting so long for you to ask me for help in your love life."

"Cooper, help me or shut up," he warned, and Cooper laughed.

"Okay, sorry. I'll be serious."

"Like that's even possible," Blaine muttered, and then focused as Cooper began to talk in earnest.