Can't You Hear the Roaring Fire?

September 17, 2001

i love glee with my entire heart
i wish so very much that i owned it
but i don't
so there's no need to sue me;)

-

It was 5:45 at night.

His new ASL class started at 6:00, and he was sitting in his car outside of the building.

Blaine was so nervous. Not only was he learning an entirely new language, but now he can't hear. How is he supposed to know what sign means what? What if the teacher is an asshole?

There were too many what-ifs in the scenario, and he didn't like it.

As a firefighter, you had one job. Save lives. No matter the danger to yourself, your job is to get the others out. Sure, there were always uncertainties, but the core principles remained the same. Blaine felt safe by knowing what was expected of him, and knowing that he could deliver. Now, walking into the unknown terrified him.

His phone dinged, and the former firefighter jumped from the sudden vibration in his hand. He looked down and saw that Cooper had texted.

Annoying Anderson

you got this lil bro

Blaine smiled a little bit, then looked down. This was the first time since the accident that he was alone. Cooper wasn't there to help guide him or translate for him. The older tried to get out of work again, but his boss told him that if he wanted to keep his job, he had to work tonight.

Blaine assured his brother that he would be fine, but sitting in front of the class itself, all of his confidence melted away.

He adjusted his hearing aides. They had come in yesterday, and they did help to some extent. He still couldn't hear fully, but at least the world wasn't just an uncontrollable murmur. At this point, he was just fidgeting in order to buy time.

6:00 hit, and Blaine's breath sped up. He was more afraid to walk into this non-burning-building than he ever was to run into a fire.

Come on Blaine... He thought to himself, Get your ass up. You can do this. You're tough.

Only half believing himself, he took a breath and brought himself to stand up. Closing the car door and locking it felt like one fluid motion that went way to fast. Swallowing, he started to walk in.

The class wasn't a big one. It was in a small room with around thirty chairs, and only fifteen were filled.

Due to buying time in the parking lot, it was now 6:05 and the class had already started. When he opened the door, all eyes turned to him. His ears grew hot from all of the attention, and he scanned the room for the teacher so he could apologize for being late. Blaine's eyes landed on the person standing in front of the board, and pales when he makes eye contact.

Kurt.

The guy he had hooked up with.

The guy he had a connection with, but never got to know anything about.

Kurt was standing in front of his class, introducing himself and the course. He had been handing out the syllabi, and when he heard a latecomer he turned. His eyes landed on the charming boy who he had been with days before 9/11. His breath was caught in his throat, and he wasn't sure what to say.

"Um..." Blaine mumbled, "Sorry..." He looked down and sat in the nearest chair, not even sure if what came out of his mouth was right. Closing his eyes, he internally chastised himself. Why had he hoped that they could somehow get together? Now he's just the late student.

-

After class, Blaine began to collect his items. He had been taking very tentative notes, for he was really motivated to learn this, and fast. He put his notebook in his backpack, and when he stood up he found himself nose to nose with his teacher.

Kurt blushed softly and took a step back. His hands started moving quickly, saying "I'm sorry to have startled you. I just wanted to say hi."

Blaine's eyes narrowed as he tried to interpret what his signs meant.

Kurt examined his face, and realized the boy had no idea what he had just said.

Blaine shakes his head and mumbles, "Lost hearing."

Kurt bit his lip and sat next to Blaine's seat. He pulled out a slice of paper and wrote,

I'm so sorry to hear that. I hope that my class helps you communicate better

Blaine smiles a little, writing

Yeah, I'm studying really hard. I really wanna get this.

May I ask how you lost your hearing? The last time we...saw each other, you didn't need ASL.

Blaine hesitated before writing his response. He took a breath, and wrote

I'm a firefighter. I worked at the twin towers during the attack, and lost my hearing there.

Kurt gasped softly, and looked at Blaine. He grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze.

Thank you so much for your service. Things are awful nowadays, and you are so brave. I'm so sorry that this happened to you.

Blaine shrugged and stood up. He didn't want to continue to talk about this. "Thank you for the class..." He said slowly.

Kurt nodded kindly, and signed goodbye. One of the basic signs Blaine had learned.

Blaine signed back, and left for his car.

-

Copper didn't make it home until 3:00. Blaine was up, drinking a beer. When the older Anderson walked in, he was surprised to see him up.

"Oh hey-" Cooper frowned, realizing Blaine couldn't hear him. His eyes lit up as he got an idea. He ran to his room, and at that Blaine looked up. He felt the pounding of Cooper's feet on the floor, and he laughed gently as he watched his tall brother sprint with his limbs flying.

He sped back into the room, and held up a dry erase board. Blaine laughed loudly as his brother scribbled on the board. He turned it around proudly,

COOPER CAPTIONS!!!!!!!

Blaine rolled his eyes, "Genius, Coop."

I KNOW!

Blaine got a piece of paper, and wrote that he thought Cooper should come to class tomorrow. He agrees happily, and Blaine gave him a look.

You'll never guess who the teacher is. Blaine wrote.

WHO?

My one night stand.

OH SHIT.