Cooper lands a big role in a blockbuster movie and enlists Blaine's help in training for his breakout role.
Author's Notes: Written for the Anderson Brothers Mini Bang 2013
Blaine blinks sleepily as he hears someone pounding on his front door. He flips over and tries to ignore whoever is outside at such an ungodly hour but the pounding does not stop. In fact it increases in tempo. He finally stumbles out of bed and drags himself into the living room. "Hold on!" he yells as he flings the door open to find Cooper standing in the hallway in full hunting gear.
"BLAINE! Quick get ready, I brought everything you will need for the trip," he quickly shoves a bag into Blaine's hand and pushes him towards the bedroom. "We have to hurry though, the jet leaves in two hours and we still have to get to the airport."
Blaine shakes his head because nothing seems to be penetrating his sleepy mind. "Coop, I work today. I can't go anywhere with you."
"Oh, no problem. I already called in sick for you. You have malaria in case your boss asks you about it later. I told him you were too ill and too contagious to come in for the next couple of days. You can thank me later we've got to get going."
"Where are we going? Better yet, why am I going?"
"Well ever since you and Kurt broke up you've been moping around your apartment wallowing in your depression over the loss of your own true love. Your soul mate is still not sure he can trust your cheating self so it's my job as your favorite brother to help you get over the crippling depression you are under."
"Crippling depression? Favorite brother? Kurt and I are just fine. True we are not back together yet, but I think we are slowly working our way back to each other and I only have one idiotic brother so I guess that does make you my favorite brother. Now can you please explain to me what the hell you are doing here?"
"Guess who just landed a major role in the next Steven Spielberg action movie? GUESS WHO?? GUESS WHO?? COME ON GUESS!!!!!" Blaine could see how excited Cooper was and not just because he almost blinded him with all that damn pointing but he could feel his eardrums starting to bleed from all that yelling reverberating through his skull!
"Ummm, you?"
"YES!!!" Blaine could barely breathe as Cooper grabbed him and almost squeezed the life out of him as he twirled him around the bedroom.
"So why exactly are you here though? Shouldn't you be getting ready for your role?"
"That's exactly what I'm doing here, Squirt! You are going to help me train for my role."
"What exactly is your role?"
"Let's hurry up and get ready and I'll tell you all about it on the way to the airport."
"Exactly how long will my bout with malaria last?"
"Huh?"
"How many days will I be gone Coop? I need to know so that I can pack a bag."
"Oh, I'll have you back in 3 days."
Blaine quickly grabbed a backpack and grabbed a few things and before long they were on their way to the airport. "So tell me everything and start at the beginning." Cooper had a tendency to blurt out whatever he wanted and sometime there was no rhyme or reason to his conversations.
"Ok – remember that audition I had in LA last week?" Blaine nodded so he continued, "well that was for the new Indiana Jones movie that Steven Spielberg is starting to film later on this year. Somehow my agent was able to get me an audition."
Blaine was suitably impressed. "What role did you audition for?"
"That's the kicker – I thought I was going for dead man #1 or bad guy #5 but I actually auditioned for the role of Henry Walton Jones!"
"Is that one of Indy's relatives?"
Cooper looked at Blaine, "DR. HENRY WALTON JONES is INDY!!!!!" Blaine totally lost it – he squealed like a teenage girl as he grabbed Cooper neck and squeezed tight.
"I am so EXCITED Coop! When do you start filming?"
"Filming starts next month. I have exactly one month to get in Indiana Jones shape and I'm scared," he whispered. Blaine could see the doubt creep into his eyes and he decided that no matter what he would do anything to make his brother's dream role come true.
"Ok, you can do this Coop. What is the first step? Where do we start?"
"Well, there is one scene in the movie where Indy is chasing a mystical buck in the forest and he needs to hunt it down. The antlers are the key to unlocking the ancient secrets of the lost continent of Atlantis. I need to learn how to hunt or at least look like I know how to hunt. Steven has booked me an instructor to work with me for the next three days."
"Wait, are you saying we are actually going hunting?"
"Yeah, we are flying to Wisconsin to hunt deer." Blaine breathed deeply. He wasn't sure if he could actually kill something but one look at Cooper's face was enough to make him swallow any misgiving he might have had about killing an innocent creature.
Blaine followed Cooper off the jet as soon as they landed. They were met by a man dressed in camouflage wearing a bright orange vest. The man looked at home in his outfit and Blaine felt a little uneasy about how "real" this hunting experience was going to get. Cooper had reassured him that they would not be actually hunting "live" prey. He figured that they would just practice shooting targets and learning how to act like they knew how to hunt. After all, acting was just playing make-believe wasn't it?
David Zilke, huntsman extraordinaire, managed to get Cooper and Blaine into the Land Rover and on their way to what looked like some god-forsaken forest in the middle of nowhere which he kept referring to as Wisconsin.
According to Cooper, David's job was to teach him the basics of hunting. He needed to make sure Cooper would look believable as a hunter on the big screen. He was given three whole days to accomplish this and he was in a hurry to start. After all, his reputation was on the line and Hollywood paid him a pretty penny to make sure the actors didn't look like idiots.
The first order of business was making sure Cooper and Blaine understood the rules of hunting and how to handle a weapon. Accidents happened all the time and it was imperative that they abide by all safety rules. After making sure they were appropriately dressed, which meant wearing the bright orange vests, David took them out to a shooting range so that they could familiarize themselves with their hunting rifles. Blaine enjoyed the range immensely and he could tell that Cooper was certainly a natural at shooting.
"Not too bad huh, Squirt?" asked Cooper.
"I'm actually enjoying the day, Coop. What's next on the agenda?"
"I think you two are ready to try your hand at actually trying to track and hunt down some live prey," replied David as he loaded up the Land Rover. "We need to go a bit further into the woods. Just follow my lead."
Cooper and Blaine looked at each other uneasily and finally shrugged and decided to follow along. They rode in silence for about 30 minutes before David parked the car and started grabbing bags, "We have about a 2 mile hike before we set up camp. Grab a bag and let's try to make it to the campsite before dark."
"What happens after dark?" inquired Blaine earning him a frown.
"The sun goes down?" smirked Cooper as he laughingly avoided the punch Blaine threw at him.
Two hours later Cooper cuddled up against his little brother and whispered, "You awake?"
"No."
"I hear noises."
Blaine tried to go back to sleep but couldn't as Cooper kept talking, "I think there's a bear outside. Is that possible? Are we that far away from civilization?"
Blaine couldn't resist, "That's just what happens when the sun goes down, Coop."
"I've got to go pee."
"Can't you hold it until the morning?"
"I've tried but those sounds make me nervous and all I can do it think about how much I don't want to go outside which just reminds me that I really have to pee. It's a vicious cycle."
"Indiana Jones is not afraid of the dark," muttered Blaine trying to snuggle into his sleeping bag.
"I'm not afraid of the dark - just the things that can be found in the dark right outside my tent waiting to pounce on me as I wander around looking for a nice spot to pee! Can you go with me?"
"WHAT?"
"Go with me!"
"You want me to go outside with you and hold your hand while you pee?"
"No, I need my hands but you can stand next to me and make sure nothing gets me while I tend to my business."
"Seriously, Cooper?" Blaine wiggled out of his sleeping bag, grabbed his flashlight and tried his best for a dramatic exit out of the tent to convey his disgust. Tripping on the edge of his sleeping bag and landing outside the tent on his ass kind of messed up his dramatic exit but he figured he made a statement with his body language which is what Cooper always insisted was what counted.
Blaine was a bit nervous standing out in the middle of the woods keeping an eye out for any nocturnal animal that might want fresh meat for dinner. No matter what happens no one would ever be able to say that the Anderson brother's didn't have each other's backs he thought to himself.
"Ok, I'm done – thanks little brother," Blaine followed Cooper back into the tent.
"Hey Coop?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think we will really have to shoot something?" He couldn't help but think he might not be able to actually shoot a living creature.
"I'm not sure but I don't think we will have to really kill anything. I just have to look like I'm in my element when the movie is shot. You'll be okay." Cooper knew his brother was a sensitive soul that would probably not be able to handle shooting anything. "Now get some sleep since we have to be up in a couple of hours."
David woke them up a few hours later and they grabbed some breakfast bars and headed out. He constantly stopped to make sure Cooper was mimicking his movements. He taught him how to walk, how to hold the weapon and how to listen for specific sounds that might indicate danger was nearby.
Blaine was actually enjoying himself and learning right along with his brother. "Hey Coop, do you think I could be an extra in the movie?"
"I don't see why not. I can ask and let you know. We are filming most of the movie in England but it's during the summer so maybe you can get away for a few weeks...," David interrupted him with a quick motion. He pointed into the distance and Cooper was seriously impressed by the way his pointing finger demanded immediate attention!
There was a buck standing in a small clearing. It seemed to just stand there and challenge them to try to take him down. David motioned for them to watch him as he slowly moved is rifle into position. Blaine's heart skipped a beat as he saw David slowly lift his rifle. He couldn't bear to watch so he closed his eyes and leaned into Cooper as he heard a shot. He was afraid to open his eyes and see whether or not the buck had been taken down. He felt Cooper's hand rub his back, "It's okay – it's okay."
Blaine finally opened his eyes and looked up to see his brother smiling like an idiot, "You are such a sensitive turtle! You retracted your whole body into yourself but there was no need. David wasn't aiming at the buck. He just wanted to demonstrate how to handle the weapon. Everything's alright." Cooper pointed into the clearing and Blaine followed his finger until he saw the buck running away. He sighed in relief and felt the tension roll right off of him.
"Oh thank God," sighed Blaine, "all I could think about was how I would explain shooting Bambi's father to Kurt. I don't think he has ever recovered from the fact that the hunters shot Bambi's mother!"
"You two are such a perfect pair! I don't see how anyone could doubt you two are soulmates," chuckled Cooper as he laughingly put Blaine into a chokehold and wrestled him into the ground.