What Are Brothers For?
Title: What Are Brothers For?
Word count: 2724
Warnings: Underage drinking, minor non-con, fake andercest
Summary: Blaine is upset after Kurt tells him about the new man in his life, and Cooper makes it his brotherly mission to cheer him up.
Blaine stared at his phone, shaking. Deep breath in, deep breath out. He needed to talk to someone. Normally he’d turn to Kurt, but he couldn’t do that, not with this.
Before he could talk himself out of it, he pulled up another number in his contacts and hit send. It only rang once before it was picked up. “Hey, squirt, what’s up?”
He smiled at Cooper’s voice, so thankful that they’d gotten closer this past year or so. “Hey,” Blaine replied, voice cracking with the emotions he was just barely containing.
“Blaine,” Cooper replied. “Come on, talk to me.”
“I...I was just talking to Kurt.”
A pause. “I thought you two had worked things out.”
Blaine nodded. “Yeah, we did, we are. We’re friends.”
“Then why do you sound like I took your action figure again?”
“He just called...to tell me...he’s seeing someone.”
“Oh, squirt...”
“It’s stupid, we’re not together anymore. He’s allowed to date. He’s allowed to be happy. I want him to be happy.”
“You just wish he was being happy with you.”
“Yeah,” Blaine replied with a sigh. “It’s just...his voice Coop. The way he talked about the guy, Adam his name is. It’s how he used to talk about me,” he ended brokenly.
“Hey, listen to me, Blaine. I’m coming home this weekend. We are going to get you back in the game.”
“But Coop-”
“Look, I know Mom and Dad are going out of town this weekend and you have this annoying habit of moping like crazy. So I’m gonna come out and keep your mind off of everything.”
Blaine smiled, knowing he wasn’t going to have a choice in the matter. “Fine. But nothing too crazy.”
Cooper huffed indignantly. “What do you think I am, an idiot?”
Blaine decided it was best not to comment.
*#*#*#*#*#*#*
“So, are you finally going to tell me where we’re going Coop? And why did you ask if I had a fake ID?”
“Did you bring it?” his brother asked from the drivers seat, ignoring his question.
“Yeah, but-”
“Let me see,” Cooper demanded, making grabby hands in his direction as they stopped at a red light. Blaine handed it over and Cooper scoffed. “Really, Blaine? How much did you pay for this, five bucks? It doesn’t even look like you.”
Blaine shrugged uncomfortably as he took it back. “A friend got it for me. That time Kurt and I went to-” They pulled into a vaguely familiar parking lot. “Scandals. Coop, I’m not going in there.”
His brother frowned as he found a spot. “Why not?”
A night half spent dancing with another man. A drunken come on. A fight. Oh god, what if Sebastian showed up? He couldn’t handle him right now. “I’ve been here before. With Kurt. There’s history.”
Coop turned to him, looking surprisingly serious. “Then rewrite it. Kurt’s moving on, buddy. You gotta try to do the same.” He clapped Blaine on the shoulder soothingly. “Look, if you guys are really meant to be, dancing with a few guys and enjoying some drinks won’t stand in the way. But you can’t sit around waiting for him to come back like a sad puppy because, honestly Blaine, that’s pathetic.”
He hated to admit it, but Cooper was right. And there was a reason that they had ended up at Scandals; there wasn’t any other gay scene anywhere within miles of Lima. “Okay, fine, let’s do this.”
Cooper beamed. “This is gonna be awesome, you’re not going to regret this Blainers.”
“Call me Blainers or Squirt while we’re here and you will regret this, Coop.”
*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
The ID worked fine, just as it did last time. Blaine followed Cooper inside nervously, hands shoved in his pockets. "So, what's the game plan?"
"We get a little liquid luck in your veins, then go from there. Gotta loosen up a bit, bro!" He turned to the bartender. "Two shots of your finest vodka for me and my friend here."
Blaine shook his head vigorously. "Coop, no, I'm a total lightweight."
His brother shrugged. "Come on, just one. Just to take the edge off. They you can have whatever you'd like. I'll look out for you, I promise."
Knowing that he wasn't going to be able to get out of this, Blaine sighed as he begrudgingly took the drink, staring into the clear contents of the tiny glass. "Now what?"
"Throw it back, like this." Cooper instructed, his face screwing up at the burn. Blaine really did not see the appeal, but Cooper was really being great about this. He was trying in his own twisted way. And he was right; after the harsh burn of the alcohol down his throat, Blaine's heart didn't hurt one bit. Well, for a minute or two at least; his head couldn't really comprehend anything let alone heartache. "Come on!" Cooper shouted, grabbing his hand and dragging him along. "Let's dance!"
This was easy, Blaine found, dancing in a sea of men. Sure, most of them were much, much older, but it didn't matter. None of them looked like Kurt. Or Eli for that matter. He shuddered, closing his eyes, enjoying the feel of hands on his body and they moved in time to the rhythm, passing from partner to partner. All he had to do was focus on the way his body moved. It was easy. Nice.
He was just about to make his way over to the bar to get another drink (or at least take a breather) when his last dance partner grabbed his upper arm tightly. "Where do you think you're goin', pretty boy," he leered, quite obviously beyond wasted.
Blaine tried to pull out of his grasp, feeling uneasy. "Tired. Going to sit."
The guy grinned sickly, making Blaine's insides squirm. "Hm, bet I could make that little break more interesting for you, sugar."
Blaine tugged his arm back again, still to no avail. "No, thank you. Please, let me go!"
The man pulled him close, foul breath invading his nostrils. Blaine forced himself to look braver than he actually felt. "I'm not finished with you yet."
"Yes, I think you are," a familiar voice interrupted cooly, and Blaine had never been happier to see his brother. "This one is mine," he growled, yanking the hand off of Blaine and pulling him back.
Blaine frowned, rubbing his arm a bit where it had been held. The man scoffed. "I don't know who you think you are, but I have dibs. I saw him first."
Cooper scoffed, pulling Blaine close to his side, hand slipping into...his back pants pocket? Cooper gave him a squeeze that Blaine thought was supposed to be reassuring but was really just awkward. "There's where you're wrong. I've known this guy for years. Practically since he's been in diapers.” Cooper turned to him, smiling seductively. “Isn’t that right, Ben?”
Ben you're always running here and there (here and there). You feel you're not wanted anywhere (anywhere).
Blaine shook himself, finally realizing what Cooper was trying to do. “Of course, Connor,” he cooed.
The man looked at them skeptically. “Oh yeah? He don’t look like he’s with you.”
Blaine let out a giggle, thankful that the little alcohol he had earlier was enough to make it sound realistic. “It’s the drinks. I thought he looked like my brother for a minute!” He continued giggling, burying his head into Cooper’s shoulder.
Cooper pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “I think we need to get you something a little weaker, how’s that sound babe?” Blaine nodded silently. “Now I suggest that you get lost.” Cooper continued, voice turning steely again as he addressed the aggressor. “If I see you near my guy again, you’ll regret it.”
Blaine peaked out at the man, who leered at them. “Fine. This place blows anyways.”
“Good,” Cooper replied, steering Blaine back towards the bar. Once they had reached it and Cooper had tried to order him a Shirley Temple before Blaine changed it to a ginger beer-too many memories- Blaine rounded on his brother.
“What was that for?” he demanded, pulling away from Cooper slightly.
His brother shrugged. “What?” he asked, as if he didn’t know.
“You pretending that we were dating.”
Cooper shrugged defensively. “What, it got him off your back, didn’t it?”
Blaine rolled his eyes. “Yes, and I appreciate the save, I really do. But couldn’t you just have pulled the overprotective brother card or something?”
Cooper shook his head, thanking the bartender as she brought over another shot, which he downed immediately. “Look, Blaine...I’ve seen guys like that before. They don’t take no for an answer if they still feel they have any shot at all. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, but trust me, it’s better than the alternative. I said I was going to look out for you, didn’t I?”
Blaine smiled, clapping his brother on the back. “Yeah, yeah you did. I’m sorry, you’re right.”
Cooper grinned, whether trying to lighten the situation or from the alcohol Blaine couldn’t tell. “I think that’s the first time you’ve ever said I’m right!”
Laughing, Blaine took a sip of his ginger beer, eyes bulging at the surprisingly shocking kick for a non-alcoholic drink. “And it’ll probably be the last.”
Shrugging, Cooper stood. “I’m gonna talk to the bartender, let her know that he was giving you trouble.”
Blaine shifted uneasily. “But my ID...”
Cooper smirked, pulling something out of his pocket. Blaine’s jaw dropped when he saw what it was: a perfect fake Ohio license, complete with a slightly fish-eyed picture of himself which, while it looked awful, certainly seemed authentic. “I got you this, just in case.”
He couldn’t help but pull his brother in for a hug. “Thanks, Coop.”
His brother pulled back. “No worries. Now, finish your drink and then you and I are going to own that dance floor.” He winked before turning away, leaving Blaine shaking his head.
“Who’s that?” a vaguely familiar voice asked from his right. He’d been so focused on Cooper that he hadn’t noticed that anyone else was sitting there. Blaine started when he saw who it was.
“Karofsky?” he asked, though he knew it was him.
Karofsky nodded. “You can call me Dave if you want. It’s Blaine, right?” The questions were both formalities; Blaine knew that both of them knew exactly who the other was. He nodded anyways.
Dave took a careful sip of his beer, fidgeting with his baseball cap anxiously. “I’ve got to say, I’m surprised to see you here.”
Blaine frowned, looking into his own drink. “Oh?”
Dave shrugged. “I mean, since Kurt’s in New York, he’s obviously not here with you.”
Blaine shut his eyes. He really didn’t want to talk about Kurt tonight, let alone with Karofsky. “My brother dragged me here to try and ‘get back in the game’,” he muttered, shifting uncomfortably.
A frown. “What, you not with Kurt anymore?”
Blaine froze, remembering last Valentine’s Day. That this guy had the gall to approach his boyfriend, that he thought that Blaine’s presence in Kurt’s life meant nothing. But that didn’t matter now. He knew, rationally, that his behavior, while certainly misguided, was not malicious. He knew what happened just a week later. And he knew that Kurt had forgiven him, had tried to help as best he could. He figured he owed the guy at least the same courtesy. “No, we...I screwed up. And I lost him.”
The other man frowned. “Sorry to hear that.” He seemed sincere.
“Thanks.” Blaine took a sip of his drink. “How about you? I’d have thought that you’d have left this place in the dust by now, gone to college or something.”
Dave shrugged. “After...you know. Everything. I couldn’t go back to school, couldn’t graduate on time. Had to finish everything over the summer. I had gotten accepted to a few places, but I had to withdraw. But I reapplied for next year, I’m going to USC in the fall. I would have gone in January but they wanted me to start at the beginning of the year for football. Nothing like quarterback or anything, but I’ll be on the team.”
Blaine smiled. He had checked the school out in his own college search, though it was mostly to humor Cooper. USC was supposed to have a pretty good LGBT program as well as a good football team. It seemed like a good place for Karofsky. “That’s great.”
Dave nodded. “Yeah. Get the hell out of here. Not like there’s much left for me, well, other than my Dad.”
“Hey!” Cooper’s voice sliced through the din as he swooped over. “You’re talking! Great! See, told you it wouldn’t be too hard!” He started tugging on both of their arms and Dave shot him a what the fuck look.
“Dave, my brother Coop. Who had better let go of us if he ever wants to talk to me again.” He stared pointedly at his brother.
Cooper sighed. “Fine. I just thought you two should get on the dance floor! Why talk when you can dance!” Blaine rolled his eyes. Cooper was an idiot. A loveable idiot, but his idea of romance was screwing Flo from Progressive (like he ever needed or wanted to know that). “Come ooooon!”
Blaine was about to say no when Dave spoke. “What the hell, why not.” Blaine’s eyes practically bulged out of his head. Dave hesitated. “Unless...”
“It’s cool.” Blaine replied, and was kind of confused why it actually was. Maybe because this was safe. Neither of them were going to develope feelings for each other. Just two guys dancing and having a good time. They shuffled over to the dance floor, dancing awkwardly, not touching but that was okay. After a few songs they both relaxed, continuing their conversation from before though most of the awkwardness passed for the most part.
“Hey, man. I’m sorry that I shoved you around, you know, when you came to that talent show thingy your friends were doing. I shouldn’t have taken my crap out on you.”
Blaine shrugged. “It’s cool. Water under the bridge.”
Dave smiled, relief filling his face. “Cool. You know, I’m glad we ran into each other tonight. You’re alright.”
Blaine grinned. “Thanks?”
“It’s a good thing, I promise.”
“Ah. That’s good. Hey, would you wanna hang out sometime, watch a game or something?” Dave froze, as if unsure. Blaine shrugged. “We’re both stuck here until the fall, might as well have someone to share our misery with, you know?”
Dave nodded. “Like as friends, right?”
Blaine nodded. “Yeah.” Suddenly it hit him. “You thought....I’m sorry.”
Dave shook his head. “Nah, it’s fine. Would have been awkward anyways. I just...”
“Someday really soon. It’ll happen. You’re a good guy, Dave. Someone’s bound to see it sooner or later.”
Dave looked up at him optimistically. “You think?”
“Yeah. Totally.”
*#*#*#*#*#*
“You have fun?” Cooper asked from the passenger seat, slurring his words only a little bit.
Blaine smiled as he turned out of the parking lot and onto the road. “Yeah, I did. Thanks.”
Cooper smirked. “Told ya so.” Blaine rolled his eyes. You could not give Cooper an inch or he’d take a yard. “So, when are you going to see your new friend?”
Blaine sighed. “We’re just friends. That’s it. We sort of know each other through Kurt...” How could he explain this. “It would be awkward. But we might hang out, who knows.”
“Ah.” Cooper grinned. “You’re not the only one who made a friend tonight.”
“Wait, don’t tell me. You managed to find the one straight girl at the gay bar.”
Cooper’s grin grew. “Knew there was a reason we kept you around. Yep, the bartender. Roz. She thought it was sweet that I was looking after you.”
Blaine smirked. “And here I thought tonight was all about me.”
Cooper shook his head. “Nah, bro. It was about us. I know I haven’t always been around...”
Blaine shrugged. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. But I’m here now.”
Blaine nodded. “I know. You came when it counted.”
Cooper leaned back into his seat, closing his eyes. Blaine thought he had dozed off when he heard a mumbled, “You know, your dance moves could use a little work...”
“COOPER!”