Author's Note:
From now on, we're staying in modern times. This chapter is from our Kurt's point of view. Some angst again, and definitely exciting stuff.
I hope you'll enjoy this meaty installment. By all means, let me know what you think. I love hearing from my readers :-)
Chapter 12: If You Love Someone Set Them Free2016
Now that Ghost Blaine had seen his great-grandnephew, there was no more avoiding that conversation, so Kurt explained how the two Blaines were related.
"But… But he has my name!" Ghost Blaine spluttered. "And he looks EXACTLY like me!"
"Believe me, I know," Kurt said. "Threw me for a loop the first time I bumped into him. I couldn't figure out how you'd suddenly ended up in my time."
"It's so WEIRD!" Ghost Blaine wailed.
Well, there was no denying that. This whole situation was weird in the extreme. Still, there was nothing Kurt could do about that, so he just shrugged.
"So… Are you two… involved?" was Ghost Blaine's follow-up question.
Clearly, he'd noticed the other Blaine's flirting too. Ugh.
"No," Kurt said flatly. "The guy has a fiancé. You heard him."
"Engagements have been broken off before," Ghost Blaine said gently.
Kurt threw him an unimpressed glare. "I barely know him. And he's a celebrity. They don't mix with ordinary people like me."
"There is NOTHING ordinary about you, Kurt Hummel," said Ghost Blaine, with so much conviction that it made Kurt's heart leap.
Then he remembered the topic of their conversation, and his improved mood worsened again. "Well, the answer's still no. Not involved. I've talked to the guy. That's all."
"He seems to like you," Ghost Blaine insisted.
Kurt suppressed an irritated groan, and said through gritted teeth, "He has a fiancé. Case closed. Now I'm going to make myself dinner and I don't want to hear one more word about your namesake. Understood?"
Ghost Blaine obediently shut up and didn't broach the subject again.
At work, Kurt wasn't so lucky.
Isabelle never stopped bringing up Blaine, whether it suited the conversation or not, and she failed to notice Kurt's discomfort and irritation. She was just as convinced as Ghost Blaine that Kurt was either secretly dating the guy or would be soon, and kept teasing him about it.
Every morning, she asked Kurt how he'd spent his evening, and when he told her quite truthfully that he'd watched Real Housewives or Downton Abbey, she never once seemed to believe him.
Kurt was glad he didn't bump into Blaine anymore in Central Park. That would feel even more awkward now, so he was relieved that Blaine's schedule kept him elsewhere.
After a few weeks, Isabelle's interest tapered off, busy as she was organising a charity dinner. Kurt helped her with every detail before and during the event. It went off without a hitch, and afterwards, Kurt whistled happily as he walked from the Condé Nast building to the nearest subway station.
Then he heard something that made his blood freeze. "Take that, faggot! Serves you right for being so disgusting!"
The slurred words were accompanied by sickening cracks that sounded all too familiar.
Before Kurt knew it, he'd stepped into the alley where the fight was taking place, paying no heed to Ghost Blaine's warning to be careful.
Kurt saw four people in the alley. One already lying down and being kicked and hit by two others. The fourth was fleeing, zipping past Kurt with wild eyes. It looked like… Wasn't that the prat Blaine was engaged to?
Dread filled Kurt's stomach with lead, and yes, when Kurt came closer, he saw that it was Blaine on the ground. Swallowing the bile that rose up in his throat, he yelled, "Hey! Stop that!"
The two homophobic drunks turned to him, fists at the ready, but Kurt had taken self-defence lessons for years. Two guys whose balance was already off before he dealt with them were no match for him. In a few fast moves, he floored them and knocked their heads against each other. That scared the fight out of them. They scrambled upright and ran away from Kurt, cursing.
As soon as they were gone, Kurt hurried to check on Blaine, who lay there motionless and silent, for all the world as if he were dead.
"Blaine? Blaine?!"
Kurt knew he sounded shrill and hysterical, but he really didn't care. He fumbled for his phone and called the emergency number, stumbling through his explanation about what had happened.
He stayed with Blaine until the ambulance came, and was then at a loss what to do. He was worried about Blaine and wanted to stay with him, but he wasn't family, so the EMTs might not want him to come along.
Luckily, though, one of the EMTs mistook him for Blaine's fiancé, and Ghost Blaine urged Kurt not to set them straight and to just roll with it. "Go with him. He needs you, now more than ever."
Dazed and upset, Kurt climbed aboard the ambulance without further ado.
A few hours later, he sat next to Blaine, who was in a hospital bed, one arm and one leg in a cast, his head bandaged and IV drips and whatnot sprouting from his good arm. The machines beeping behind him proved that he was still alive. He had to be. Only he'd never so much as opened his eyes since Kurt had rounded the corner of that alley.
Kurt hesitated, and then took Blaine's hand in his. "Blaine?"
Blaine's lashes made the tiniest movement, but Kurt caught it.
"Blaine, it's me, Kurt. You're going to be okay. I promise. They've stitched you back together and patched you up everywhere they needed to. You'll be just fine. Just fine."
Kurt had no idea if what he was saying was true. At this point, he was trying to convince himself as much as Blaine, but damn it, he refused to lose this Blaine as well! He'd already been too late to save the other Blaine, a fact that he still regretted every day. Ghost Blaine was wonderful to have around, but he should have been able to live on instead of being doomed to this horrible half-life.
He couldn't fail this Blaine as well, he just couldn't, okay?
Blaine's lashes fluttered again, and then his eyes opened the tiniest bit.
"Blaine?"
"It's okay," Blaine whispered. "Dying will be a relief. I've been dreading every new day for years now. I'm quite ready to go. Goodbye, Kurt."
He closed his eyes and smiled.
"Blaine. Blaine! You can't do this!" Kurt protested. He turned to Ghost Blaine in a wordless plea.
Ghost Blaine shook his head slowly. "Kurt… He can't even see me. He can't hear me. What on earth can I do to help? He's lost his will to live."
"He's your family! You can't just let him slip away! There must be a way for you to get through to him. Try! Please?"
Ghost Blaine moved closer to the bed, looking over his shoulder at Kurt for encouragement before sitting down on it. "Blaine? Please don't give up on life. You'd break Kurt's heart, and mine too. I'd give anything, ANYTHING, for another shot at life. Please don't feel like there's no other option to escape your troubles than dying. There must be. We can help you. I promise we can, and we will."
He looked back at Kurt again, and Kurt nodded emphatically. Yes, of course, whatever it took.
Ghost Blaine sent him a sweet smile and turned to his namesake again, gearing himself up for more pep talk.
As he turned around, though, his see-through hand touched Blaine's thigh, and for a moment, Ghost Blaine flared up as if he was being electrocuted.
Before Kurt could so much as ask if he was okay, the ghost vanished into thin air as if sucked up by a vacuum cleaner.
Kurt fell onto his knees beside the bed. "Blaine! Oh no no no no no! This cannot be happening! Please come back, please!"
His screams must have alerted one of the medical staff, because a moment later, Kurt felt a hand on his shoulder and heard a motherly voice say, "There, there, chikno, no need to get so upset."
He looked up and saw a woman with white hair and dark eyes smile at him. She wasn't wearing hospital scrubs, and seemed too old to be working there, regardless.
She gently stroked his hair. "You did well, chikno, so well. Such a brave young man you are, and so handsome. You remind me of my husband."
"Uhm, who are you?" Kurt asked. "And how did you get in here?"
The woman's smile widened, and for a moment there, she looked rather like Kurt's father had when he'd beamed at his son. "I'm your Nana Miri. I promised to watch over the family until one of you broke the curse, and you just did, you wonderful boy!"
Kurt gaped at her, the familiar-looking smile tugging at his heartstrings, and then muttered to himself, "Okay, you're officially insane now. Not just seeing ghosts but hallucinating about other stuff as well."
Nana Miri laughed. "You're not crazy, chikno. Don't doubt what you're seeing. It's wind magic, because you and I are children of the wind."
Wind? That made Kurt think of the sudden breezes that had sprung up every time he'd travelled to the past and back home again. Maybe that had been part of the magic too. But what had been the point? He'd ended up losing Blaine anyway.
"Don't be sad now," Nana Miri told him. "You broke the curse, so from now on, your life will be filled with happiness."
Kurt swallowed with difficulty. "I don't think… I'm not sure I can be happy without Blaine."
As he said the words, he knew that they were true. The weeks he'd spent with Ghost Blaine had been among the happiest of his life, and had provided him with a companionship that he'd have a hard time doing without.
He'd told Ghost Blaine that he was used to being alone, and at the time, that had been true. Now, though, he realized that he'd gotten used to having company, and that it wouldn't be easy to adjust to a lonely existence again.
Nana Miri patted his arm. "Then keep your sweetheart around, chikno. I like him, he's a good match for you. There, he's waking up now, you take care of him, okay?"
Kurt gasped and looked at Blaine, who, yes, was moving his fingers and fluttering his eyelashes and groaning a little.
"Blaine?"
Blaine's eyes opened, and he whispered, "Kurt."
"You can't die, please don't die," Kurt implored him.
Was that a laugh coming from Blaine or was he choking?
Between gasps, Blaine told Kurt. "I've… already died… Not planning… on doing that again!"
Kurt frowned. "Uhm, what?"
Blaine stopped laughing and looked at Kurt with wide eyes. "Kurt, I don't know how. But I'm in the other Blaine's body. When I touched him, it was like… he welcomed me. Like, here you go, you get to take over. I could feel his presence only for a moment more, and then he faded away."
Kurt's mouth fell open again. How was that possible? Did Nana Miri do this?
He whipped his head around, but Nana Miri had vanished as mysteriously as she had come.
"I've missed having a body," he heard Blaine say, "but I can't say I've missed feeling this much pain. Ouch."
He turned to face Blaine again, and saw him grimace. "Are you all right? Should I call a nurse?"
"No, it's okay. Or it will be, I'm sure. This isn't anywhere near as bad as last time."
"It's not?"
Kurt's response came out high and squeaky with emotion.
Blaine's eyes softened, and he held out the hand that wasn't in a cast to Kurt. Kurt took it, and felt a comforting squeeze from Blaine.
"Kurt… Somehow, thanks to you, I've gotten a second chance at life. Believe me, I'm not going to waste it. I'm here to stay. And I promise you I am never saying goodbye to you."
Kurt felt a knot unfurl in his stomach, and smiled at Blaine hesitantly.
Kurt stayed with Blaine until the nurses shooed him off and told him to go get some sleep. "He'll still be there in the morning, love, we'll take good care of him!"
As he made his way home, painfully aware of the absence of Ghost Blaine, he still couldn't make sense of what had happened. How was it possible that both Blaines had now fused into one person?
K&B
The next day, Kurt was allowed back into Blaine's room without any trouble. He felt conflicted about posing as Blaine's fiancé, but he figured his intentions were pure. He only wanted to help Blaine, after all. Also, chances were small that the real fiancé would ever turn up, seeing as the coward had hightailed it out of the alley without so much as a backwards glance at Blaine.
He proved to be wrong on that last count, though.
Sebastian arrived just when Blaine was telling Kurt that he seemed to have all the memories of current-day Blaine – "And ugh, now I understand why he didn't want to live anymore. That fiancé of his treated him horribly, and he was under immense pressure from all his work obligations. The only bright light in his life was you. He liked you. I told you so. He's been contemplating breaking up with Sebastian and giving up his celebrity status to be with you. He's been thinking about it for months. He just didn't dare act on it."
Kurt stared at Blaine, not knowing what to say, and then heard a disturbance in the hallway, and a loud voice proclaiming, "I am Blaine Anderson's fiancé, and I want to be brought straight to his room, or else I'll make sure you get fired!"
Footsteps hurried into the direction of Blaine's room, and seconds later, two people came in: Blaine's day nurse and Sebastian.
Instead of saying hello to Blaine, Sebastian zoomed in on Kurt immediately. "Hey, isn't this the stalker from Central Park? What's he doing here?"
"Kurt?" Blaine swivelled his head towards Kurt and smiled at him. "He saved my life. He has every right to be here, in my book. The real question is, what are YOU doing here?"
Sebastian sputtered. "I'm your fiancé! I belong here, right by your side."
Sebastian tugged Kurt off his chair next to Blaine's bed with a "Move it!", sat down, smiled at Blaine, all charm, and tried to take his hand, but Blaine shook him off and yelled, "Go away!"
Sebastian's eyes showed a flicker of unease before he managed to smoothen his expression again. "Blaine, what's wrong with you? Do you have brain damage? Don't you remember me? It's me, Sebastian. The love of your life. You love me, Blaine, you would never send me away."
Blaine's expression hardened. "I did love you. For far too long. I wasted so many years on you. In a way, I'm glad this happened, because it shook me awake. It showed me you never cared for me after all."
"What? Blaine! How can you say that?"
Blaine let out a humourless chuckle. "How can I say that? Let's see… Oh yes… You left me to die! You taunted those idiots on purpose, and when they grabbed and hurt me, instead of helping me, you ran away. And now that I've survived, no thanks to you, you come waltzing in here, expecting to pick up things right where you left them? You're delusional. But, since you need me to spell it out for you: we're OVER. I don't want to see you ever again. You have until the end of the week to move out of my penthouse. Then I'm changing the locks."
Sebastian stared at Blaine, speechless for a moment. But all too soon, he regained his composure. With a smirk, he said, "You'll never go through with that. You know you need me. My name opens doors for you, gets you job opportunities. You're nothing without me."
Blaine cocked his head to the side. "I think you've got that wrong. I almost was nothing, because of you. I only just escaped an early grave. And it's funny how such an experience changes one's entire outlook on life. It's made me realise that time is precious, and that I don't want to waste even a moment on people or things that aren't worth it. Do I love performing? Yes, absolutely. Is performing in big venues or on television worth putting up with you for a second longer? I don't think so. I'd be just as happy singing for tips in a hole-in-the-wall. After all, I've made plenty of money already. I could just retire right now and never work again. So no, I don't need you. It's you who needs me, I think. Your parents shoved you off on me because they were sick and tired of dealing with your scandals. You're an embarrassment to them, so they offered to make me a big star in return for keeping you out of trouble. And I've done so to the best of my ability, for over ten years. Even when you cheated on me left, right and centre. Even when you belittled and humiliated me every chance you got. But this was the last straw. I don't want anything to do with you anymore. Get out!"
Sebastian gaped at Blaine, and then said, "Who are you and what have you done to the real Blaine? He would never talk to me like that."
Blaine shrugged. "I never have, but I've always wanted to. You wouldn't believe how freeing it is to almost die. I'm not scared of speaking my mind anymore. You know what? When I thought I was going to die, at first I was like, 'Okay then, I'll die, death can't be worse than the life I've been living.' Isn't that sad? So when it looked like I was going to pull through after all, I decided I'd get rid of everything that burdens me and makes me unhappy. And you're the first to go. Goodbye and good luck."
Sebastian's eyes narrowed. "Get rid of me? The nerve! I'd like to see you try. I have dirt on you, you know I have!"
Blaine cocked an eyebrow. "If you mean the videos, it's not a good idea to post those. The fans don't know about your rape fetish, do they? They're going to see you forcing me, and they'll want to kill you for it."
Sebastian shook his head and wanted to retort, but Blaine didn't let him say a word. "And I don't think I'm exaggerating. Remember Monique, who leaked nude pictures of me? They drove her to suicide!"
That shut Sebastian up for a second. Then he let out a feral growl and stomped out of the room, presumably to go pack his things and move out of Blaine's place.
"Let's hope he won't trash everything," Kurt murmured.
It didn't take long, though, for them to realise Sebastian had a far more devious revenge on his mind. Blaine's phone rang, and the name flashing onto the screen was "Jessica PR", no doubt Blaine's PR manager.
Jessica called saying Sebastian was on the news, declaring that Blaine was of unsound mind since his 'accident' and that he would be applying to court for a conservatorship.
Apparently, as soon as he'd left the hospital, he'd called the press for an impromptu press conference.
"Bastard!" Kurt hissed as they turned on the television and saw Sebastian explain that Blaine needed to be placed under his care because Blaine himself was unable to make sound judgements 'as a result of his head injury'.
"Blaine? You need to refute this before it comes to court!" Jessica insisted.
Blaine sighed. "I know. But how?"
"I'll drop by and we can hash out a plan together," Jessica promised, and she rang off.
Blaine dropped the phone onto his lap with another sigh. "What can I do? I'm doomed!"
They heard a knock on the door of Blaine's hospital room. The door always stayed open, and none of the hospital staff ever knocked, so who could this be?
The man who came in was short and pale and had a wild shock of hair. He seemed nervous.
"Uhm, hey!" he said, with a dorky wave. "I'm Jacob. Jacob Ben Israel."
"Pleased to meet you, Jacob," said Blaine politely, while Kurt just said "Hey".
Somehow, that made Jacob even more jittery.
"Please, have a seat," Kurt offered, surmising that this was probably a fan of Blaine's, and he led Jacob to the chair next to the bed.
"How can I help you?" Blaine asked, with a kind smile. "I'm afraid an autograph will have to wait until my hand is out of this cast."
Jacob shook his head. "Uhm… No. I don't need an autograph. Thank you. And… It's me that can help you. I think. But… Please don't be angry."
Blaine frowned, but didn't say anything.
"I'm… I'm a reporter. Celebrity news." Jacob's eyes flitted to Blaine's for a second, as if he feared being thrown out without further ado, but Blaine just nodded.
"I… I've been following you around. For quite a while."
Now Jacob winced and ducked his head.
Still Blaine said nothing.
"Go on," Kurt encouraged Jacob.
Jacob swallowed. "Wow. You guys are nicer about this than I thought you would be."
Blaine gestured to his casts. "Not the worst thing that's happened to me lately."
Jacob giggled, then seemed to realise that was insensitive and composed himself. "Uhm, so, I was here just now. Followed Sebastian Smythe in when he came to see you and taped your whole convo. He's… kind of my bread and butter. Been for years now. His parents pay big money to keep his exploits out of the press. And there have been many."
Blaine sighed. "Believe me, I know. I was there for a lot of them."
"Oh, what he does when you're around is tame compared to the stuff he gets up to without you," Jacob assured him.
Blaine winced. "Do I even want to know?"
"Probably not. But the guy's trying to take control over your life, so I want to help you avoid that."
"Why would you help me?" Blaine asked. "I can't offer you the kind of money Seb's parents can afford."
"Because this isn't right," Jacob hissed. "I've seen what conservatorships do to people. People that my mates and I followed around, always trying to get that perfect shot or soundbite, until they snapped, and were declared crazy."
"So you'd help Blaine to ease your conscience?" Kurt asked.
"Yes. It would make me sleep better at night. I can stop this. I've got lots of dirt on Sebastian Smythe. Stuff that I haven't even shown his parents, so they can't trace it back to me."
"Smart!" said a woman's voice, and they all turned their heads in that direction.
"Jessica!" said Blaine.
She grinned at him. "I came as fast as I could, but I see you've got it all figured out already."
She held out her hand for Jacob to shake. "Jessica Summers. Blaine's PR manager. So glad to have you on our side, you're a godsend."
Jacob shook her hand. "Jacob Ben Israel. Paparazzo, but I'm thinking of mending my ways."
"Perfect timing, Jacob. Welcome aboard, and let's get this show on the road!"
K&B
Blaine looked straight into the camera, his expression solemn and intent. "You may have heard statements about me by my former fiancé, Sebastian Smythe. I must ask you to dismiss those as lies. I am in hospital, yes, recovering after a hate crime. Not an accident. Mr. Smythe knows this, because he was there, provoking those men into attacking us, and then running away, leaving me to face them alone. Thankfully, someone else came along and saved my life. My injuries are extensive, but as you can tell my brain is still in perfect working order."
Blaine leaned in a bit, his voice conspiratorial. "Why then, would Mr. Smythe make it out like I'm a half-wit who needs to be guided for his own good, do you think? Well, the truth is, the Smythe family has been running my life ever since I was fourteen and got my first television role. They are very influential, and at the time, I was thankful for their support, and willing to do whatever they asked of me in return. And they asked me to become Sebastian Smythe's official boyfriend. Later I learned that was meant to clean up his image, because even at the age of fourteen, he was already involved in several scandals that they wanted hushed up. But I was young and naïve. I looked at Sebastian, saw a handsome prince, and fell in love on the spot. So I said yes."
Blaine ran a hand over his eyes and sighed. "In the years that followed, I've regretted that decision more than I can say. I loved him at first, yes. A fool's love. Sebastian could be charming enough when he wanted to. But bit by bit, I discovered what was behind the charm, and it wasn't pretty. He told lie after lie, and got violent when I confronted him about it. He drank and took drugs and crashed cars and had sex with many other men, and I was supposed to just pretend none of that had ever happened. And I did. For many, many years, I did. But it weighed on me, more and more each day. I've been battling depression. I've seen you comment on me having lost my spark lately, well, that would be why. I'm so sick of all the lies and deceit. I've been thinking of breaking with the Smythe family for quite some time, but I never dared. Until now. When I thought I was going to die at the hands of those homophobes, I felt nothing but relief. That was an eye-opener. So when it looked like I was going to live a while longer after all, I knew that I had to make a clean break and start over."
Blaine looked up again at the camera, his eyes pleading. "So this is goodbye. I have no illusions on that score. Any job opportunity I might have had will dry up now that I no longer have the Smythes backing me. They will blackball me and blacken my name and make sure my celebrity days are over. But please, I beg of you, remember me the way I am. You know me. All I want to do, all I've ever wanted to do is make art and help people. That's what I was born to do, and I will continue it, on my own, on a small and modest scale. So… We may meet again. I hope so, and I hope that when we do, you will be kind. I apologise for deceiving you about my private life, but I hope you see that I didn't have much choice in the matter. Thank you for supporting me for so many years. I love you all. Goodbye."
He ended his message with an a cappella version of I Dreamed A Dream.
As the last note ebbed away, Jessica nodded in satisfaction. "That should do it. Well done, Blaine."
"Should you even be helping me with this?" Blaine asked her. "It could hurt your career too."
She waved that away. "I heard that from Smythe too, just now, when I went to your place to pick up some clothes for you. And it's nonsense, honestly. Plenty of other jobs I could do. Don't you worry about me, honey, worry about yourself."
With Jacob's help, and a guy he knew, they compiled footage from Sebastian's misdeeds to prove that Blaine was telling the truth, and then Jessica used her connections at a few news stations to get their version of the story out there.
As predicted, the backlash from the Smythes was instant and severe, and they did all they could to discredit and silence Blaine.
His fans rose to the occasion, though, and proved that they were worth every bit of love Blaine had poured into them and every minute he had spent with them. They campaigned against Sebastian's conservatorship plans so successfully that the case never even made it to court.
Both Jessica and Jacob dropped in for a visit every few days to keep Blaine in the loop. Kurt wasn't always there during those visits, seeing as he had a full-time job at Vogue now ever since he'd graduated, but when he was, he felt their eyes on him more often than he was comfortable with.
And when after a few more weeks, the doctor told them that Blaine would be ready to go home by the weekend, Jessica and Jacob confronted Kurt when they'd all left Blaine's room.
"Kurt, I need to know," Jessica began," are you Blaine's new boyfriend, then?"
Kurt gaped at her for a few seconds before he managed to string words together for an answer. "No. No, I'm not."
Jessica tilted her head to the side. "Honey, I'm not judging either of you. I think Blaine deserves the love of a good man after all the crap he's had to deal with. So you don't need to lie to me. I'm in your corner, I promise you."
"I'm not lying," Kurt said flatly. "He's in love with some other guy. Not me."
He felt his shoulders attempt to sag and straightened them again.
"You sure, man?" said Jacob. "Cause he looks at you like…"
"He does," Jessica agreed.
Kurt bit his lip, and then forced out the truth. "The guy he fancies looks a lot like me. That's why."
This time, he didn't try to stop his shoulders from sagging.
"Oh."
It sounded disappointed, and that made Kurt look up at Jessica again.
"The thing is, Blaine can't go back to his penthouse," Jessica explained. "Sebastian is still there, and doesn't mean to ever leave, by the looks of it. And also, it's full of paparazzi there. Just waiting for Blaine to arrive."
Jacob nodded. "They're hoping there will be a big fight between Blaine and Sebastian, and they want it all on camera."
"So it would have been handy if you could have taken Blaine home with you instead, when he leaves the hospital. Nobody knows where you live, and nobody follows you around."
"I can still do that," Kurt offered. "We're friends, we get along well. He can crash at my place until his life is in order again. That's absolutely fine with me."
Jessica hesitated and looked at Jacob.
"Thing is," Jacob said, "it will get ugly the minute they find him. And they will find him, I'm telling you. They won't believe your 'Just friends' spiel. If I know the Smythes, they'll make you out as the homewrecker. Who ruined everything for their son."
"So I need to know," Jessica added, "if you're ready and willing to deal with that."
Kurt looked at their serious faces and thought it over. Well, he'd have to tell Isabelle. If ever he got into a media storm, it might hit Isabelle as well, and she deserved a heads-up.
Also, he'd probably have to lie low and not contact or meet up with Mercedes until the hubbub died down, so as not to hurt her career.
Apart from that, though, he saw no problems with the situation. People were welcome to think whatever they pleased of him. They always had, and Kurt had always let that roll off him.
Anyway, Blaine wouldn't stay with him forever, and as soon as he left, Kurt would be old news.
"Sure," said Kurt, "he can stay with me for as long as he needs to. No problem."
That Saturday, Blaine was discharged from hospital. Jessica had picked up some more of his belongings at the penthouse, carefully waiting until Sebastian had exited the building this time around. She'd asked Blaine what he wanted most. It was all music stuff – his guitar, his keyboard, his laptop, the sheet music folder with the songs he was working on.
"What about your clothes and shoes?" she had asked, frowning. "Your photographs of family and friends, your awards you've won, your art collection, your books, your LPs…"
Blaine had shrugged. "If you're going to take too much in one go, Sebastian will realise I'm out of the hospital and alert the paps. I'd rather have some more peace and quiet at Kurt's place than be thrown right back at the wolves the moment I leave the hospital."
"I work at Vogue," Kurt had told Jessica. "I can get Blaine all the clothes and shoes he wants."
Blaine had grinned. "Or make them yourself. He's a designer, Jess, a really good one."
Jess had given him a piercing look and said nothing, but she had dropped off at Kurt's place all the things Blaine had asked for, and nothing more.
They managed to get Blaine into a cab without any reporters discovering them, and all was quiet when they arrived at Kurt's building too.
"Welcome home," Kurt said softly, closing the door of his apartment as soon as Blaine had hopped over the threshold on his crutches, and helping him take his coat off.
Blaine beamed at him. "You know, after all the time I've spent here with you, it DOES feel like home. Thank you, Kurt, for offering me a place to stay. And for so much more besides."
Kurt shrugged, feeling uncomfortable.
"No, really, you've SAVED me!" Blaine insisted. "If not for you, I would be gone. Both versions of me, seeing as my namesake was just going to give up and die. But thanks to you, I get to have a second chance. And you better believe I'm going to grab it with both hands!"
Kurt bit his lip.
"What?"
"You won't get to be famous, like you wanted," Kurt said. "Sebastian has ruined that for you."
Blaine nodded. "True. The thing is, though, now that I've been inside a celebrity's head, I don't think I want to be famous anymore. It leads to nothing but trouble and unhappiness. It was never like this in the 1920s. At most, you'd appear in a magazine every now and then. Your 'social media' and paparazzi have made it so much more intense. And not in a good way."
"Then what chance were you talking about just now?"
Blaine's eyes lit up. "The chance to live life to the fullest. To try out everything I've always wanted to try. To enjoy every little thing – flowers blooming in Central Park, a dog wagging his tail at me to say hello, a new flavour of ice cream, just… everything! To fall in love and live happily ever after. That wasn't possible in my time, but here it is. Isn't that glorious?"
Kurt didn't like how his heart started beating a little faster when Blaine mentioned falling in love, and hurried to the kitchen to get started on dinner.
He'd only just started chopping up onions when he felt Blaine hovering behind him, close enough that Kurt could feel Blaine's warm breath on his neck. It gave him goose-bumps.
"Can I help?"
Kurt turned around and gently but firmly steered Blaine towards the nearest chair. "You can sit down and let that leg rest for a bit. It needs to heal!"
Blaine, a smile playing about his lips, obediently sat down at the tiny kitchen table, and offered again, "I can help just as well sitting as standing. Give me something to do."
A minute later, they were both chopping vegetables for a quick stir fry, Blaine humming as he worked, his movements neat and precise. His injured arm had healed well, thankfully, quicker than some of his internal injuries.
Every now and then, Blaine's hand brushed against Kurt's, and each time, the casual touch sent a shiver down Kurt's spine.
Kurt berated himself to remember that this was a temporary arrangement, and that they were nothing more than friends, but that was hard to remember when this all felt so perfect. They were so at ease with each other already, and totally in synch, as if they'd been cooking together for years, and would continue to do so for the rest of their lives.
"I love all the music I've discovered since I've been here," Blaine remarked casually. "And your Blaine knew so many songs, too. Now they're all in my head."
"Not my Blaine," Kurt mumbled as he rummaged in the freezer looking for some meat or fish to add to the stir fry, thinking that the only Blaine he wanted to be his was the one he had right there with him.
"Hmm, I don't know about that…" Blaine teased him. "I think he would very much have liked to be, and I can't blame him. You are truly one of a kind, Kurt Hummel."
Kurt gave him a deadpan look. "Clearly not, seeing as I'm the spitting image of my great-grandfather."
Blaine's eyes softened. "I'm not talking about your looks, Kurt, but about your personality. You may look like your great-grandfather, but the two of you are very different people. I don't think you'd have promised me to run and hide if we were attacked."
"Of course not… Wait, what?" Kurt turned to Blaine. "You made him promise to run away and let you get beaten to death?"
Blaine looked sheepish. "Uhm, yes? I didn't want us both to die, I wanted Kurt to be safe."
"And eaten up by guilt for the rest of his life. Wow."
Blaine cocked his head to the side. "I never thought of it like that. And I did tell him he was not to blame."
"But he will blame himself anyway. Ah well, nothing to be done about it. But you can bet I will never promise you anything of the kind."
Blaine laughed. "Trust me, I figured that out for myself when you ran into that alley without so much as a second thought. Quite the hero, aren't you?"
Kurt passed a hand over his neck and mumbled that he was just doing what any decent person would have done in that situation. He never meant to play the hero.
Blaine ducked his head and looked at Kurt from under his eyelashes. "Well, you're my hero."
After dinner, they migrated to the sofa to watch television. Kurt's choice this time, so it was Real Housewives. By now, Kurt was used to bickering with Blaine about what programme they were going to watch. Once again, it felt so familiar and so right. The only difference was that Blaine no longer hung above the sofa as a ghostly apparition, but sat down next to Kurt, sharing his throw blanket, heat seeping into Kurt where their thighs touched. Kurt had insisted on Blaine elevating his broken leg, putting a spare pillow on the coffee table so that Blaine could use it as a footstool.
Right in the middle of a housewifely rant, Blaine suddenly asked, "You won't get into trouble with your landlord for letting me stay here, will you?"
Kurt grinned. "No, I won't, seeing as I'm the landlord."
Blaine looked so incredulous that Kurt elaborated. "I inherited money from my mother, and then my father's house and store when he died. Those were both in Ohio, and I didn't want to stay there. I'd just graduated high school and was hell-bent on coming to New York. So I asked the notary if he could help me sell the house and store and find a property to buy here in New York City. And he sent his son to find a decent apartment for me and buy it in my name. Blew most of my inheritance on it, but hey, I have a place of my own. And I still had enough money left for four years at Parsons. The pay-check I get at Vogue is small, but enough to make ends meet if you don't have to pay rent."
After all those weeks of having Ghost Blaine around, Kurt's new house guest felt more like an old roommate that was moving back in.
The only awkward moment came when it was time for bed, and Kurt was confronted once more with the fact that Blaine was very much a living, breathing human being now, who needed a place to sleep.
"Oh. I hadn't thought that far yet, sorry, but I don't have a spare room. So… Either you sleep on the sofa, or you kip in with me. I have a double bed. And I don't snore – that I know of."
Blaine opted for the bed without even needing a moment to think it over, so a bit later, they were both lying side by side in bed and wishing each other good night.
Kurt had a hard time falling asleep. Apart from the occasional sleep-over with Mercedes, he'd always slept alone, and it was quite an adjustment to hear someone else's slow breathing beside him, and to feel someone else tug at the covers and move around.
And this wasn't just anybody, either. It was Blaine, whom he was head over heels in love with. He could play it cool towards Jacob and Jessica, but he couldn't lie to himself.
He suppressed a sigh and turned on his side. He had to admit it, he'd been a goner ever since he'd clapped eyes on Blaine, even knowing from the start that Blaine loved his great-grandfather and not him.
He thought back to the conversation he'd had with Nana Miri. She'd seemed convinced there was happiness in store for him, with Blaine. Was it possible she was right? Could Blaine grow to care for Kurt if he gave him enough time?
With Nana Miri's smile and reassuring words in mind, he finally nodded off, hoping with all his might that the happily-ever-after Blaine was looking for would include him.