Love The Stranger (Glee)

Useless or Just Lost?

(I'm gonna start adding word counts to these btw)... By no means do I own any song used in this chapter!

Songs:

Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran

In My Dreams - REO Speedwagon

Enjoy, and please don't hate me for adding JBI to the mix. I love him as a friend for Rachel and you'll learn to love him, too.

Word count: 3302
------------------------------------------------------

"You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching, love like you'll never be hurt, sing like there's nobody listening, and live like it's heaven on earth."

- William W. Purkey

~B~

As he reads, the words stick to his brain. All he can see is the made up world he had once dreamt up out of thin air. Cries within are muffled, because there's no sadness inside these walls. This fantasy induced, coma-like dream is just what Blaine needs right now.

It's a humid mess of sweat under these blankets where Blaine sits, nose deep into a novel, with his flashlight pointing downwards. The adrenaline of staying up half the night subsided hours ago, as he began to fall deep into the pages of his next book.

Inkheart.

Blaine has the book on his knees, his head straining to see the words. The book itself is intoxicating enough, but the new world around him makes him come back for more. It's a world full of dreams and Blaine just can't get enough of it. The trees outside rustle at his window, the wind picking up speed as the night gets darker.

"Hey, squirt."

It's a whisper but enough to make Blaine flinch, sending his flashlight and book off the side of his mattress. With a grunt, Blaine pulls the blanket over his head, revealing his brother standing next to him. Blaine can't stop him when he bends down to grab Blaine's book and flashlight off the floor. Blaine reaches, but Cooper is already reading the title of the novel.

Cooper tosses the flashlight on Blaine's lap, before looking up at the other with a confused look on his face.

"Inkheart? What kind of book is that?"

"One you wouldn't read." Blaine, again, reaches to grab the book from his brother, but Cooper keeps it at a length. It's almost like they're kids again, but more dumb and unnecessary. Cooper smirks at his brother and Blaine can faintly see the outline of that annoying smirk through the darkness in his room.

"How do you know I wouldn't? I read a lot."

Blaine scoffs, his back hitting the wooden headboard, "Yeah, sure." Blaine mumbles.

Cooper sighs, "Fine. Here," he throws the book on Blaine's lap in a similar way as when he did the flashlight. Blaine quickly stuffs the book in his nightstand drawer, not caring when Cooper steps aside so he can. "I still don't get you-"

"Why are you in here?" Blaine snaps. He wants to know exactly why his brother has decided now's the time to talk to him. Cooper shrugs, but Blaine knows it's all a gimmick. "Seriously Cooper, I don't have all night."