It was one thing to know Blaine was the favorite, but another thing entirely to have to sit there and watch as his parents blatantly flaunted that fact in his face.

Why was it that no matter what Cooper accomplished, it could never compare to Blaine?

He'd graduated high school in the top quarter; sure, it wasn't the top 10 percent, but it was pretty good. He'd gone on and attended college; sure, he graduated with a degree in theatre performance, which wouldn't get him anywhere in the real world but got him crucial training for his acting career, but at least he was a college graduate. That was a lot more than a lot of parents could say about their children.

And geez, Blaine was only 15 years old. What did he have to be proud of?

Hey, Mom, Dad! I got a 110 on my physics test today!

Dad, today at school, I got voted class president!

Guess what, Mom! I got the lead in the song we performed today, and I'm only a sophomore! That never happens!

"I'm going upstairs," Cooper grumbled, rising from his seat and heading to his room.

He could hear his parents continuing conversation at the table as if he'd never been there in the first place; they were cooing over Blaine's most recent achievement of getting all A's on his report card. He was a fucking sophomore in high school, why did it even matter? It never even mattered when Cooper pulled all A's in college.

The second Cooper reached his room, he slammed his door, hoping to get the point across that he was pissed. Otherwise, his parents wouldn't even notice. Although, he always had been the rebel child, so they probably just rolled their eyes at him and kept building Blaine up with amazing words of encouragement.

Cooper was really starting to resent Blaine. And that wasn't fair to his younger brother.

Blaine had never really encouraged their parents in their favoritism. Actually, most of the time, he tried to change the conversation to something Cooper had done. Really, his brother tried to help him; he really did. They had a pretty good relationship, and Cooper could tell that Blaine really wished their parents would play fair just as much as he did. But that didn't mean he couldn't still blame Blaine for it every now and then.

There was a soft knock at his door before it opened to reveal Blaine in the doorway.

"Could I come in?" he asked tentatively.

Cooper studied his younger brother, noting the way his shoulders were tense and his eyes seemed to shift around the room. Blaine was nervous about something.

"Sure," Cooper shrugged.

He scooted over from where he was lying on his back in the middle of the bed to make room for Blaine beside him. That was their customary position when one of them had something they wanted to talk about. They'd lie on whoever's bed on their backs, side by side, arms folded behind their head, staring up at the ceiling.

Blaine lay down beside him but didn't say anything. He figured that was normal, if it made Blaine this nervous, so he'd keep quiet and just let Blaine tell him in his own time. But then 10 minutes passed with neither of them saying anything, so finally Cooper spoke.

"Sorry I left the dinner table. It wasn't you. I just…"

"I know."

The silence returned. Cooper turned his head and gazed at his brother, who was staring at the ceiling like it held all of life's answers.

"You know I'm proud of you, right, Blaine?"

His little brother looked over at him then, and Cooper was shocked to find tears in his eyes. "You really mean that?"

The hope in Blaine's voice struck a chord in Cooper. Did his little brother really not know he was proud of him? Was his jealousy of the attention his brother got from their parents really so out of control that it was eating away at their relationship?

"Of course."

Blaine took a shaky breath, breaking eye contact momentarily before looking back up into Cooper's eyes. "Coop, I need to tell you something."

Cooper immediately nodded. "Okay."

"It might change what you just said."

His heart was racing. What could Blaine have possibly done that wouldn't make him proud? Blaine was the golden boy. And this time, he didn't mean it in the bitter, sarcastic way he normally did. He really meant it in a genuine way, that Blaine was a great kid.

"Nothing could ever change that, Squirtle."

Blaine offered a watery smile at the childhood nickname. The moment passed quickly, though, as Blaine started sobbing into his hands. Cooper instantly sat up and pulled Blaine up along with him, wrapping him in his arms.

There were a lot of things Cooper hated in the world; women's basketball, banana flavored candy, undercooked pancakes, his parents. But there was nothing he hated more than having to watch his little brother cry.

"It's gonna be okay, Blaine. Whatever you did, it's going to be okay. We can fix it."

"This isn't something you can fix," Blaine mumbled against Cooper's chest.

"Okay…then I'll help you make it right again."

Everything he was saying just made Blaine cry harder, and he was at a loss. What was he supposed to say? He was trying to offer support but it just seemed to make everything worse.

"I don't know what to tell you, Squirtle. You gotta tell me what you did or what happened, otherwise I have nothing to go on. Just tell me what it is."

"I…I don't know if I can…I don't know…if I'm strong enough to."

"Sure you are. Who's given you boxing lessons since you were 8 years old?"

"You."

"Exactly. And I'm the strongest person I know."

For the next few minutes, he just waited as Blaine's crying subsided a bit, at least enough for him to talk. After another 5 to 10 minutes of silence between the two of them, Blaine whispered something against his chest. It was so low, he couldn't hear what he said, and the only reason he even knew Blaine said something at all was because he felt his mouth move against his shirt.

"What? I didn't hear you."

Blaine mumbled it again, a little louder this time, but still Cooper couldn't hear him. So he pulled away a bit to meet Blaine's eyes.

"I can't hear you when you're telling it to my shirt. You have to say it to my face."

"I'm gay."

There it was. Out in the open.

Finally.

Before he could even consider what he was doing, Cooper was pulling Blaine into another hug. "Oh, I'm so proud of you, Squirtle! I'm so, so proud of you." Cooper was smiling, petting Blaine's hair, hugging him tightly. Really, he was enjoying the moment.

But Blaine pushed him away, staring at him like he'd just offered to give him a llama dressed in drag. "What?"

"You finally came out to me. That took a lot of courage, B. I'm proud of you for telling me."

"You…You knew?"

"Well, yeah. You're kind of obvious."

The color drained from his brother's face. "How so?"

"Blaine, come on. Every time I try to talk to you about hot girls, you give noncommittal shrugs or say something like, 'Yeah, that sweater really flatters her figure.' You've never once brought home a girlfriend. A few months back, when we were getting coffee, I saw the way that guy barista flirted with you, and the way you blushed and melted like a little school girl. Plus, I found your hidden stash of Vogue and GQ in the bottom of your dresser drawer."

"You were going through my things?"

"I was looking for that red cardigan you have. I wanted to wear it to an audition next week."

"We're not even remotely the same size, Coop."

Busted. "Okay, so I was snooping. Sue me. I was curious after your reaction to that guy at the coffee shop."

Blaine dropped his gaze and picked at an invisible thread in the seam of his jeans. "So you're not mad at me?"

"How could I be mad at you?"

"You're not disappointed in me?"

"How could I be disappointed in you?"

"You still love me?" he whispered.

Four simple words, but Cooper's heart broke.

"Of course I still love you, Squirtle. I will always love you. You're my baby brother. The fact that you'll be bringing home a boyfriend at family gatherings instead of a girlfriend is completely irrelevant to me, okay?"

Blaine only nodded, but Cooper could see he didn't really believe him. He heaved a big sigh before saying, "What should I do, Coop?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I can't tell Mom and Dad. You know their views on gay people. But I can't…I can't be straight…I tried. I tried so hard to be straight, but I just…I can't."

"Hey, hey," Cooper said, pulling his brother back into his arms. "No one's saying you have to be straight. Your job is to just be you. If that means you like boys, then that's what it means. It's no different than you having that ridiculous curly hair." The vibrations of Blaine's laughter had Cooper mentally fist-pumping. "Let me handle Mom and Dad."

"No." Blaine pushed away and gave Cooper a long look before lying back in his previous position on the bed. Cooper followed suit, glancing over at Blaine before focusing on the ceiling. "I have to come out to Mom and Dad on my own. This is my secret to tell. And I will, tell them I mean, when the time is right. I just…"

Blaine trailed off, so Cooper prompted him, "Just what?"

"…I don't want to make you feel bad."

"You coming out isn't going to make me feel bad, Blaine."

"No, that's not what I was going to say. I just…Mom and Dad really like me, you know? I'm doing great at Dalton and they're really proud of me right now, and I don't wanna lose that. I see the way they treat you just because you want to be an actor, and that sucks. And I've been thinking lately of going into doing something with music when I graduate, and they'll be as unsupportive of that as they are of you. I don't want to lose what I have with them yet. And if they find out I'm gay, it'll be even worse for me than it is for you."

Cooper sighed. His brother was right. As much as it pained him to admit it, he was right. Their parents were awful, shallow people. They were also extremely conservative and believed in the traditional family. The second Blaine came out to their parents, his relationship with them would be ruined.

"You're not saying anything because you know I'm right," Blaine said into the silence.

"I wish I wasn't."

"Me too."

…

The next time Cooper comes home is two months later, for a week over Christmas break. It was hard to take off that much time from work, but he knew Blaine would need him. From the sounds of things over the phone and Skype, their parents were getting more and more vocal with their anti-gay views. Whether it was because they were catching on or they were just obliviously being rude, either way, Blaine was in hell.

Pun not intended.

That was how he found himself seated at their ginormous dining room table, in their oversized mansion full of decorations that they paid other people to hang and place around the house, as his parents sang Blaine's praises once more.

"…even met a nice girl."

Cooper shook his head and checked back into the conversation. "I'm sorry, what?"

His mom rolled her eyes. "Cooper, it's poor manners to tune people out at the dinner table."

"I said sorry."

"We were just discussing the nice girl Blaine has met," his father said pointedly, giving him a look that clearly said So why can't you?

Ignoring his stupid parents, Cooper looked across the table to his brother to try to raise his eyebrows in question, but Blaine was avoiding his gaze. "Really?"

Blaine shifted uncomfortably.

"Yes, he won't tell us much, but you can tell by the look in his eyes that he's absolutely smitten," his mother answered, looking absolutely pleased with herself.

Gross. His parents were far too excited about the prospect of Blaine being in a relationship with a girl. Which could only mean one thing: they'd figured out Blaine is gay and were trying to encourage him to be straight.

He suddenly lost his appetite.

"May I be excused?" It wasn't even really a question, and Cooper was already leaving the table before his parents could even excuse him. Whatever. He was a full-grown man, for chrissake; twenty-five years old. He didn't need to ask to be excused from the dinner table like he did when he was Blaine's age.

Just like that night Blaine came out to him a couple months ago, there was a knock on the door before Blaine was gently pushing it open. "Can I come in?"

"Sure."

Blaine took his normal spot beside Cooper on the bed and sighed. Cooper took the signal and asked, "So you met a girl, huh?"

His brother sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Mom and Dad wouldn't get off my back. I think they know and I just…I'm still not ready."

"So you lied and said you met a girl?"

When Blaine didn't answer right away, Cooper turned his head to make sure his brother wasn't crying; what he saw was quite the opposite. For the first time in a long time, Blaine was smiling. It wasn't even just any regular smile, it was a dreamy, lovesick smile.

"It…It wasn't a total lie. I did…I did meet someone. His name is Kurt. I uh…," Blaine laughed, a wonderful, melodic sound that Cooper had no idea he was missing until he heard it again. "I met him on a stairwell on the way to class. He was trying to spy on our show choir, the Warblers."

"How do you know he was spying?"

"Because he was the worst and cutest spy in the world. I called him out on it, after I serenaded him with Teenage Dream in front of the whole school. We had coffee, and he opened up about being bullied at his school for being gay. So I told him that I was gay too, and if he ever needed someone to talk to, he should call me. I gave him my number."

"Has he called you yet?"

"This was months ago. Actually, I met him the day I came out to you. We've been texting nonstop since that day, which gradually turned into phone calls, which turned into Skyping, which turned into hanging out. Somehow, we became best friends. The bullying got to be too much at his own school, so he transferred to Dalton and we've been hanging out 24/7 ever since. The last day of school before break, I tricked him into singing 'Baby It's Cold Outside' with me, and I almost fainted I wanted to kiss him so badly."

Hearing Blaine gush about a boy was unfamiliar, but not unwelcome. It was great to finally see Blaine so…happy. And if this Kurt guy could make him happy in only 2 months when Cooper hadn't been able to make him this genuinely happy in years, then Cooper would love nothing more than to hear all about him.

"So why didn't you? He's gay too, you said so yourself. Why not kiss him?"

"I can't…I'm not ready for that yet. Kurt, he's great. He's exactly my type before I even knew I had a type. But I'm not even out to my parents yet, and Kurt's out to the entire world. I'm not anywhere near being on his level. He deserves someone as brave as he is."

Cooper reached a hand down and held Blaine's. "You're brave, Blaine. You are. You just aren't ready yet, and that's okay. How are Kurt's parents?"

"His mom died when he was 8 years old and his dad is…well, everything our dad isn't."

"See? It's not hard being brave when everyone already loves you."

Suddenly Blaine shot up and glared down at Cooper hard. "Kurt hasn't had it easy, okay? Everyone doesn't already love him. Did you not hear anything I just said? He was bullied so bad he had to transfer schools. He was pushed into lockers and thrown around like a piece of garbage and no one even noticed. Yet he still showed up to school every day, looked them all in the eye and kept his head up and never let them get to him or change him. Not a lot of people can say that."

Without really knowing what to say, Cooper just stared back at Blaine, stunned. It had been a long time since he'd seen his brother get so animated and invested in something. He'd gotten so apathetic about everything in his life lately it was almost disconcerting, but here he was vehemently defending a guy he'd only known for 2 months. Blaine definitely was head over heels for this guy.

"I'm sorry. You're right. That's not what I meant, but you're right. You'll come out when you're ready, Blaine. Don't try to rush it just to impress this guy. If Kurt is as great as you say he is, he likes you just the same."

Blaine gave into that smitten smirk again and sighed happily. "He is, and he does."

"Good. Then let's start Operation: GIKP."

"What's Operation: GIKP?"

"Operation: Get In Kurt's Pants."

…

Turns out, Operation: GIKP was a no-go. Blaine was more emotionally invested than sexually, although that was definitely something he had admitted to thinking about after much coaxing from Cooper.

It was fun to finally be able to discuss things like that with his brother. For a long time, Blaine was too young to talk about sex. Then, in the recent years it had been more acceptable, but Blaine had been so closed off about it Cooper just backed off. It was easy to see why Blaine evaded the subject now, but seeing as how Cooper knew Blaine was gay now, it was more of a possibility to open that subject up.

Another two months or so later, and Cooper was visiting after a frantic phone call from Blaine on Valentine's Day. Specifics weren't given, but it was obvious that his brother needed him, so he flew from LA to Ohio on his parents' dime for the weekend to figure out exactly what had gone wrong.

This time, instead of lying on Cooper's bed, they were out to coffee in the mid-afternoon. There was a new place Blaine loved called the Lima Bean out by where Kurt lived that Blaine had been dying to show Cooper.

"How's your macchiato?" Blaine asked, taking a sip of his own medium drip.

"Very nice for a small town coffee shop."

"I know, right? Kurt knows all the best places. He has very specific tastes in…well…everything."

"Including men?" Cooper raised his eyebrows suggestively, expecting Blaine to laugh and hit his arm and tell him to shut up. Instead, Blaine's expression darkened and he looked down at his cup. "Blaine? I was just kidding."

"It's okay, it's just…that's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Kurt's taste in men?"

"Yes."

"Why does Kurt's taste in men matter?"

"Because apparently his taste in men is me."

Cooper raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

"He likes me. Kurt likes me." Based on everything Cooper had heard so far, he'd assumed that when Blaine told him this, he'd be more happy about it.

"Did you tell him you like him back?"

"I can't do that, Coop."

"Why not? We can get Operation: GIKP back on."

"Cooper, I'm trying to be serious," Blaine hissed. "On Valentine's Day, the guy I'm absolutely enamored with confessed his feelings for me, and I couldn't do anything. Because I'm not out. Even if we were to get together, it would have to be a secret. And I don't want to do that to him. Kurt is not the type of person you hide away. He's someone to be proud of, to be proud to be with. If we're ever together, I want to be able to tell everyone; including Mom and Dad."

Cooper took the lid off of his coffee cup and swirled the liquid around, watching it make a whirlpool.

"Then there's really only one option here, Squirtle."

"And what's that?"

"You're going to come out to Mom and Dad."

"Cooper—"

"Blaine!"

Cooper and Blaine both swiveled in their chairs to see a pretty man walking towards their table with a glowing expression. Yes, a pretty man. Because Cooper was secure in his heterosexuality and he could appreciate when a man was pretty.

He turned around back to Blaine to ask how he knew Pretty, but his jaw dropped the second he saw his brother's face. He knew exactly who Pretty was.

He stood up and offered a hand. "I'm Cooper Anderson, Blaine's older brother. It's nice to finally meet you, Kurt."

Kurt smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Cooper. I've heard great things about you from Blaine. He thinks very highly of you."

"Such a coincidence," Cooper smirked, "I was just about to say the same thing about you."

At Kurt and Blaine's twin blushes Cooper did a victory dance in his head. He was so going to help Blaine accomplish Operation: GIKP whether he liked it or not.

"Why don't you join us?" Cooper suggested.

Before either of them could protest, he stole a chair from the table next to theirs. The girl sitting there opened her mouth to protest, but Cooper winked and flashed her a wide smile and all was forgiven. She smiled and waved, winking back. Since he now had the chair, though, her services were no longer required so he just turned back to Kurt and Blaine, who were now seated next to each other and openly gaping at him.

"What?" he demanded.

"You just charmed the pants off of that girl in less than 2 seconds," Kurt said.

Cooper shrugged. "I wouldn't say charmed the pants off. If I invited her over to my place tonight it might take more coaxing than just a wink and a smile. Though, if you gave me, say, 20 minutes, then yes; I could definitely charm her pants off."

Kurt's jaw dropped. "Oh, my God."

"I told you," Blaine said.

"I just—"

"I know."

"But he—"

"Happens all the time."

"And she—"

"Every time."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"As cute as this half-conversation is," Cooper cut in, smirking, "I'd really love to have a conversation we can all take part in. Because I'd really love to get to know the guy my little brother never shuts up about—OW! Blaine!"

Cooper leaned down to rub his shin where Blaine had just kicked him while Blaine gave him a very pointed look.

"What would you like to know?" Kurt asked with a polite smile.

He took one last sip of his coffee before leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms, sizing up his brother and said brother's soon-to-be-boyfriend across the table. This was going to be fun.

A couple hours of easy conversation later, Kurt reminded Blaine of the time, saying he usually had to be home soon. Realizing the time, Cooper cursed like a sailor, then apologized for his poor language in front of a teenager, but cursed again when he declared they had to go when they just stood at Kurt's car making googly eyes at each other.

Now, they were at the dinner table again, and Cooper was once again listening to how great Blaine was doing in school and why could Cooper have done better when he was in Blaine's grade.

It was really starting to grate on his nerves, but every time he shot Blaine a look to make sure he was okay if he threw a big fit, Blaine looked like he was about to shit himself. Cooper had a good idea why Blaine looked like that, but he was hoping he was wrong, so he just kept eating. Besides, he'd been listening to this for years, he could keep listening to it for 20 more minutes if it meant he could make sure Blaine didn't do anything stupid.

"Blaine, your father and I were talking today while you boys were out, and we thought it might be nice if you brought that girl over."

Cooper's head shot up almost as quickly as Blaine's. The sound of his neck popping reverberated around the room, and he reached up to rub the back of his neck as Blaine asked, "What?"

"That girl you've started seeing. Goodness, we don't even know her name. What did you say her name was, dear?"

"I didn't," Blaine answered through a tight jaw.

He was staring at Cooper, giving him a deer-in-the-headlights look. But really, what could Cooper do? He knew that tone of voice his mother had taken on better than anything; his parents were out for blood. They were going to back Blaine into a corner until he either admitted he was gay or said the name of a random girl friend of his and forced her to pretend to date him.

"Well?"

"Well what?" Cooper asked.

His mother sighed. "I wasn't talking to you, Cooper."

"You never are," he shot back.

"Oh, Cooper, don't make this about you. We're trying to get involved and show an interest in your brother's life," his dad replied.

"Sure, because you're not nearly interested enough as it is. It's not like he's all you talk about or anything."

"What's that supposed to mean?" his dad asked, voice at that dangerously low key it got to when he was going to get himself into deep shit if he didn't start digging his way out right now.

So, naturally, he did the opposite. "It means you haven't taken any sort of interest in me since Blaine was born. It's always Blaine this and Blaine that. He's in fucking high school, what could he possibly do that's groundbreaking? I went to college, I got a degree. Does that mean nothing to either of you?"

"You got a degree in theatre, Cooper. That hardly counts."

"And really, with your enthusiasm for theatre, your father and I have often wondered about you."

"And just what would you mean by that, Mother?"

"Your mom is only trying to say that…well, Coop, you haven't brought a girl home in a long time."

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Cooper muttered, rubbing his forehead. Really? They were accusing the straight kid of being gay.

Really, he should have expected this. It was probably just another ploy to get Blaine to come out, and if it annoyed Cooper in the process, that just got them bonus points.

"Don't use that kind of language in this house. You were raised better than that."

"Really? And who the fuck do you think raised me? Because it sure as shit wasn't either of you two."

"Cooper!"

"Kurt."

The entire table fell silent and stared at Blaine. Cooper met his eyes and shook his head, willing him to stop. Blaine was only doing this to stop him from fighting with his parents; this wasn't right, he wasn't ready.

"Blaine, don't," Cooper warned.

"What was that, honey?" their mother asked sweetly.

"You asked me about the person I was seeing, what their name was. I'm not seeing anyone, but I am interested. And his name is Kurt."

For one painful moment, neither parent said anything. Then, his mother turned on that icy tone she usually reserved for Cooper. "What are you trying to tell us, Blaine?"

"You know exactly what I'm telling you."

"Blaine, stop," Cooper tried again.

Blaine met his eyes and shook his head. "It's time, Coop. Watching you and Kurt today made me realize just how much I want to be with him. And I don't want to hide that."

"Just stop, Blaine." This time it was their father. "We don't want to hear this."

"But you need to. Because I like a boy named Kurt and he likes me back and I really want to be with him."

"Blaine—"

"Don't, Mom. Okay? I'm gay. Is that clear enough for you? I'm gay. And I'm not going to say I'm sorry, because I'm not. I'm not sorry that I'm gay, or that this might be hard for you to hear, or that you probably don't like it. I'm not sorry at all. I'm proud of who I am and it's because of Kurt."

"You will not say that name in this house anymore," his father warned.

"Why? Don't you want to hear about the boy I'm going to ask to be my boyfriend—"

"That's enough!"

Their father's shout physically made the chandelier above their table shake. Cooper was honestly frightened for what his dad might do, and he generally wasn't the praying type, but he silently thanked whatever entity was listening that he was able to be here when Blaine came out, and prayed that his parents would calm down a little about it.

"This discussion is over."

With that, both of their parents stood and left the room.

Cooper immediately threw his chair back and ushered Blaine up to his room, knowing full well the waterworks were about to start. Instead of lying back on the bed, he sat them down and pulled Blaine to his chest like he had the night Blaine had come out to him.

"I'm so sorry, Blaine."

Blaine only sobbed into his chest, clutching onto his shirt like he would disappear without that physical attachment to this realm. So for the next hour, Cooper just held Blaine while he cried, and tried to murmur reassuring things. It'll be alright. They'll come around. We'll give them time to cool off, and then we can talk to them again. They can't ignore this forever. The thing was, they could. They'd been doing it to Cooper for years and it didn't seem like they'd be stopping anytime soon. Instead, they were just going to add Blaine to their list of People We Don't Talk To Because Of Failure At Being Perfect.

After the hour had passed, and Blaine's cries had quieted, they laid back in their customary position, holding hands between them.

"They're going to come around, Blaine. They will."

Blaine didn't say anything.

"I'll help. I'll do whatever I can."

Still, Blaine didn't say anything.

Ten silent minutes later, Cooper asked the question that had been nagging at his mind the second he closed the door behind them. "Do you regret it?"

"No," Blaine murmured. "It was the right thing to do. I didn't want to hide anymore."

"What are you going to tell Kurt?"

"I'm going to tell him that I came out to my parents, and it was because of him. Because he moves me."

"What do you think he'll say to that?"

"He'll probably be too stunned to say anything. So I'll go on to say that watching the way he lives his life, so out and proud, made me realize that I should have been that way all along, and made me have this…this epiphany, where I just said to myself, 'Oh, hey, there you are. I've been looking for you forever.'"

"Then what?"

"Then I'll kiss him."

"Sounds like a nice plan," Cooper said.

Blaine nodded. "I hope so. Do you think he'll say something equally as sweet, or ask me to be his boyfriend, or something like that?"

"Oh, I think his mouth will be too occupied to say much of anything, Squirtle."

"I sure hope so."

Cooper smirked. "Operation: GIKP is officially a go."