Author's Note:

This chapter is from modern-day Kurt's point of view again. No angst this time, I promise.

Do let me know what you are thinking, I love hearing from you :-)

Chapter 10: All Too Easy

When Kurt woke up the next morning, he almost had a heart attack when a chipper voice wished him good morning.

Eyes bulging out of their sockets, he stared at Blaine's ghost, whose smile drooped and who started apologizing.

"No, no, it's okay, I'm just… not used to… having anyone around," Kurt hastened to say.

"Not even your parents?" Ghost Blaine asked.

Kurt shook his head. "They're both dead. Have been for a while."

"That's so sad. You're still so young. You can't be older than I am."

"Nearly 22."

"I'm 24. Well, I was."

"I know."

Ghost Blaine frowned. "I don't think I ever…"

Kurt groaned, not feeling in the mood to explain about modern-day Blaine and how he was related to his 1920s counterpart, and Ghost Blaine obligingly let it drop.

Kurt made a beeline to the kitchen to make coffee, Ghost Blaine trailing behind him and jumping out of his skin when the coffeemaker produced loud noises. "Wow, this makes coffee in just a minute? And it comes out of that small round thing? A pod, you say? That is amazing!"

When Kurt had drunk his first mug of coffee and busied himself making breakfast, he felt eyes on him, and turned to Ghost Blaine. "What?"

"Don't you have any other family? Brothers or sisters who come for a visit? Cousins? Aunts or uncles?"

Kurt shrugged. "My dad had a sister, I think. They weren't close. I only ever saw her twice. For my mother's funeral, and then my father's. Don't know if she ever had children. And on my mother's side, it's a total blank. She died when I was eight. I've no idea if I have any family left from that side. If I do, they've forgotten all about me. Never heard anything from them after my mother died. If I remember correctly, they cut her off for marrying my dad. Thought a small businessman a bad match for her."

Ghost Blaine didn't like that one bit, his face a mixture of distress and pity.

"Hey, it's fine, really," Kurt reassured him. "I'm used to being alone. I like my own company."

Ghost Blaine looked doubtful, as if being alone all the time couldn't possibly be fine, to him.

Kurt shrugged and focused on eating his breakfast.

When he slouched into the bathroom, still woolly-headed and bleary-eyed in spite of the coffee he'd drunk, he did a double take upon looking in the mirror. His face looked awful. His nose was swollen and had caked blood all around the nostrils, and he seemed to have bruises under his eyes as well.

Ugh, I look terrible!

He touched his nose gingerly. It hurt a lot, but apart from the swelling, it didn't seem to be crooked now. That was good. Might not be broken after all.

After freshening up and putting his clothes on, he snapped pictures of all the outfits he'd made for his collection, packed his satchel and hurried to the subway to keep his appointment with Professor Francis.

As soon as he entered her office, Professor Francis noticed his injuries and fussed over him. She even called in the school's occupational physician to examine them. As he'd hoped, it looked worse than it was, just a minor fracture. The doctor recommended treating it with an ice pack and sleeping on an extra pillow, and taking it easy the next few weeks.

Now that Professor Francis was reassured Kurt would be all right, she looked at the pictures he'd taken. She was enraptured with his designs and promised him he would get pride of place at the exhibit. The rest of their session was spent talking logistics – how would they get Kurt's collection to the exhibition room, did he need mannequin dolls, what sort of lighting did he have in mind? – and Kurt left Professor Francis' office with a spring in his step.

Nothing could dampen his spirits the rest of that day, not even a difficult exam on the history of fashion.

When he took the subway home again, he found himself humming under his breath, and by the time he reached the street where he lived, that had turned into singing.

"You have a lovely singing voice," someone said behind him, and Kurt whirled around, his eyes wide, to find Ghost Blaine there, with a smile that slipped when he realized he'd spooked Kurt again.

"Have you been following me around all day?" Kurt asked. It ended up sounding more accusatory than he meant it, and Ghost Blaine winced.

A passer-by gave Kurt a funny look, and Kurt hastened to get inside his apartment before everyone in the neighborhood started to think he was crazy.

"I can't really help following you," Ghost Blaine admitted. "It's like I'm tied to you, and I'm going wherever you go."

"Sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you. I was just… startled. I'm sure I'll get used to having you around."

Ghost Blaine gave him a tentative smile, like he wasn't sure that was a goal Kurt should strive for.

Over the following weeks, though, Kurt found that he was right. It was surprisingly easy to get used to this friendly ghost following him around.

All too easy to return Ghost Blaine's smile in the morning, even though Kurt wasn't a morning person in the least.

All too easy to chatter on and on about his studies, his designs, New York and why he loved it there, his hopes and dreams and ambitions for the future.

All too easy to hurry home after school and work now, eager to spend the evening with his new companion.

Ghost Blaine was fascinated by all the new technology he was discovering. "So you can use this 'smartphone' as a telephone and a camera?"

Kurt grinned. "And also as a calculator, an encyclopedia, a gramophone and tons of other things besides."

"Show me, please, show me!"

Kurt's tutorial included an introduction to Spotify, and he gave Ghost Blaine an old phone of his and a Bluetooth speaker, put Spotify on shuffle mode and let him discover modern music for hours on end.

The TV proved an endless source of wonder as well, and Kurt had never watched more Netflix than since Ghost Blaine had moved in with him. Ghost Blaine especially loved historical series, and would always beg for just one more episode when Kurt wanted to call it a day and go to bed.

Apart from his endearing wide-eyed wonder at everything Kurt took for granted ("You have a machine that washes your dishes? And another that washes your clothes?"), Ghost Blaine was just so easy to talk to. Always interested, whatever Kurt felt like talking about. Asking follow-up questions that showed he was truly listening. Kurt had dated quite a lot since arriving in New York, but no guy he'd been seeing so far had ever gotten him to the point Ghost Blaine did. Not even Mercedes understood Kurt that well.

It was fascinating to learn more about Ghost Blaine, too. His rivalry with his much older brother, his strong bond with his mother and his regret that he never got to say goodbye to her, his dream of one day becoming a big star instead of just being the evening entertainment at a hotel.

In the back of his mind, Kurt realized that it wasn't too healthy for him to get attached, but he couldn't help himself. This connection he was forging was everything he'd been looking for since he'd arrived in New York. Too bad it wasn't with a real person.

Sometimes Kurt wondered if Ghost Blaine was just a figment of his imagination, a perfect Prince Charming dreamed up as a result of years and years of loneliness. But then Ghost Blaine discovered disco music and spent weeks obsessing over the Bee Gees, and no, there was no way Kurt would have come up with that. He didn't mind the occasional disco song, but he preferred a healthy mix of music styles to this one-sided diet Ghost Blaine put him on.

Also, when they went walking in Central Park, Ghost Blaine knew the Latin names of every flower and tree there. Apparently, his mom was a keen gardener. Kurt, who could barely tell a tulip from a daisy, could never have dreamed that all up.

As they rambled through the park, Kurt sometimes wondered how Ghost Blaine would react if they ran into his great-grandnephew, but they never did.

That's why it came as a surprise when, on the opening night of Parsons Festival, as Isabelle was telling Kurt what she liked about his designs, a voice chimed in. "Oh yeah, I love the bowtie too. It's just the little detail that takes this outfit to the next level."

At first, Kurt thought it was Ghost Blaine talking, and pretended not to have heard a thing, but then Isabelle turned around, beaming, and said, "Exactly."

Surprised, Kurt turned around too, and saw modern-day popstar Blaine. "Blaine!"

"Hey Kurt! After having seen your sketches, I wanted to see the actual outfits, too," Blaine said. "You're very talented."

"Isn't he just?" Isabelle agreed. "How come you got to see Kurt's sketches, anyway? I didn't know you were on good terms, what with the stalking accusation the other day."

Blaine shrugged with a wry smile. "My fiancé is a bit paranoid. Don't pay him any mind. Kurt is the furthest thing from a stalker. He told me he's not even a fan."

Blaine grinned at Kurt, who rolled his eyes at him and retorted, "If anyone's a stalker, it's Blaine. I was sketching in Central Park the other day and he sat down on my bench and looked over my shoulder, chattering until I'd completely lost my inspiration."

"Harsh!" Blaine grimaced, but his eyes never lost their twinkle. "And here I thought you liked me at least a little, buying me a coffee and all. Thanks for that, by the way."

Kurt's mouth fell open. Had the barista blabbed after all?

Blaine winked. "I have my way of getting people to talk. Fiona didn't know your name, but when she described you as having a high voice, supermodel looks and piercing blue eyes, I knew enough. Seriously, thanks. It was very thoughtful of you, and it made my day."

"You're welcome," Kurt mumbled, feeling uncomfortable.

Blaine laughed. "I get it, I get it. Still not a fan, just a decent human being looking after other people. Well, it's appreciated. Congratulations on your great work. I'll remember your name, Kurt Hummel, and as soon as you're established as a designer, I'll have you design an outfit for me. Can't wait to see what you come up with."

Blaine strolled off after giving Kurt another wink.

"Weeeell…" Isabelle drew out the word with a teasing lilt, and Kurt just knew he'd never hear the end of it.

Behind him, he heard Ghost Blaine ask in a strangled whisper, "Uhm, Kurt, who was THAT?"