Nailed Shut

Chapter 6

Blaine is stunned to silence. She was familiar to him because Kurt looks just like her. He sees that now. The hair, the eyes, the smile…

”I’m sorry. You didn’t realize I’m a ghost, huh?” she chuckles, and Blaine thinks that Kurt sounds just like her too. ”He can’t see me?” she asks, but it’s more of a statement than a question, Blaine thinks. “He couldn’t see me while he was alive either.”

”Blaine!” Kurt hisses.

“Tell him to calm down.”

Blaine looks away from the woman, and to Kurt.

“What is HAPPENING?” Kurt asks, seeming to be both annoyed and a little scared.

“Calm down, Kurt.” Blaine says and tries to smile. “There is another ghost here.”

“WHAT? Where? Who?” Kurt asks suspiciously, looking around.

“The woman I asked you about earlier. She says that you couldn’t see her when you were alive either.” Blaine explains.

“Who IS she?”

“She- Her name- It’s your mother.”

My- my mother? My mom? “Mommy?” Well, he hadn’t expected to say that last part out loud. “She’s- you’re here?” Kurt being dead, being a ghost, had just started to sink in. And now this? He hadn’t thought once that there’d probably be other ghosts in the world. And not even in his wildest dreams would he have imagined being able to talk to his mother again. Even though as of now, it was only through Blaine.

Blaine doesn’t look at him. He’s looking out into empty space, where Kurt assumes his mother’s ghost is standing.

“She says that she’s been with you and Burt for years, hoping that one day you’d be able to see her.” Blaine says, looking back at Kurt. “She couldn’t see other ghosts at first either.”

“So I will be able to do that too, in time?”

Blaine looks back at the empty space. “Yes, with some practice.” He then looks back at Kurt abruptly. “We should go see my grandmother Lily!”

Blaine looks back to the woman’s ocean eyes. “She has the gift too. She might be able to help me and Kurt see other ghosts.”

“Right now?” Kurt asks.

“If you want.” Blaine smiles at Kurt. Kurt nods. “Okay. We’ll go now. I just have to do something first.”

Blaine runs to Burt’s car and opens the door. “I’m so sorry to keep you waiting.” Blaine apologizes to Kurt’s family, holding up the flower he bought earlier. “I’ll be right back. I just have to put this by the headstone.” He runs back to the grave and finds Kurt and his mother standing close together, though Kurt has no idea. Anette is looking lovingly at her son. When Blaine approaches they both look up. “I got this for you.” Blaine says to Kurt and walks up to the newly re-engraved headstone. It now reads:

Anette Hummel
Born 14th of January 1970
Died 4th of May 2002

And beside it:

Kurt Hummel
Born 27th of May 1994
Died 21st of October 2011

Blaine leaves the flower right in front of the marble stone. It’s a single sunflower with a yellow ribbon around the stem.

“I’ll go back to Burt’s house. Good luck.” Anette says when Blaine turns around to face the two spirits. She walks in the direction of the small parking lot, before suddenly disappearing into thin air.

“She left.” Blaine states, staring at the spot where she stopped being visible.

“Sunflower is my favorite flower.” Kurt whispers.

Blaine turns to him and smiles. “I guessed as much.”

“How?” Kurt has a peculiar look on his face, one that Blaine can’t read.

“I saw that your dad had sunflowers in a vase next to a picture of you in the living room.”

“What’s your favorite flower?”

“Forget-me-not.”

“Why?”

Blaine chuckles. “They’re pretty. I especially like the pink ones. Also, Aimee likes them. Why is sunflower your favorite?”

“My mother always planted them in the garden when I was a child. And when I got a little older I was kind of amazed by their strength.”

“That’s a bit deeper than “they’re pretty”…” Blaine said, not knowing if it was okay to make jokes and smile this soon.

He didn’t have to think about it for long, because Kurt chuckles. “Let’s go.” Kurt starts walking toward the car, and Blaine follows.

The drive to the Hummel household is quiet, except for some sniffling from Carole who decided to drive. Finn goes straight into the house without a word when they arrive. Blaine receives an unexpected hug from Kurt’s stepmother. “I’m sorry for your loss.” Blaine says softly to the woman when she lets go of him. She smiles weakly at him before going into the house too. Blaine shakes hands with a red-eyed Burt before getting into his own car with Kurt.

Blaine drives himself and Kurt past Dalton and toward his grandmother’s house.

“This is a cute house.” Kurt quips as Blaine knocks on the door.

“Come in!” a woman calls from within the house.

Kurt follows Blaine into a living room with hideous wallpaper and strange things lined along the walls. He and Blaine sit down in one of the two couches, the one facing the staircase. “Who is that?” Kurt asks Blaine and points to a painting of a red-haired man.

“I’ll be right out. I’m just making some tea.” the woman calls from what Kurt assumes is the kitchen.

“That’s my grandfather Rolf. He died twenty-five years ago. My grandmother Lily can see spirits, just like me. And he has been with her pretty much since he died.”

Blaine rises out of the sofa and takes a silver tray with two mugs from a woman with Blaine’s curls (though they are gray unlike Blaine’s). Blaine sets the tray down cautiously on the table between the couches and sits back down. The woman seats herself on the other couch, facing them and taking one of the tea mugs. Blaine takes the other one and Kurt watches as he wraps his hands around it and leans back in the sofa.

“Good afternoon boys.” the woman says and looks between them. She can see me?! “Rolf tells me you saw another ghost at Kurt’s funeral today. And you both want some help to see more spirits.” The woman – oh wait, Kurt knows her name – Lily states and looks at Blaine.

“You can see me?” Kurt asks before he can stop himself.

“Of course I can, dear.” Lily turns her warm gaze to Kurt.

“I saw Kurt’s mother Anette. But Kurt couldn’t see her.” Blaine explains.

“I see. Well, there are a couple of things we can try, but I have to get some… supplies first.” Lily puts her mug back on the table.

“Anette said she couldn’t see other ghosts at first, so maybe we’ll both be able to?” Blaine leans forward. “Wait… How come I saw her but I still can’t see grandpa?”

“Well… I don’t know exactly, but funerals are special. Perhaps you were more open because of the mood.” Lily says and turns to Kurt to change the topic. “I assume you are having to concentrate really hard for your spirit-body to be solid?”

Kurt seems as surprised the second time Lily speaks to him as he did the first. “I- yeah…”

“That will get easier. It took Rolf about a year before he could stop concentrating while still being solid. If you pick something up while concentrating and then stop, you drop it, correct?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Kurt tilts his head slightly to the side, and Blaine thinks that it must be something he does unconsciously.

“Rolf could after a lot of work choose to be solid, or not. Imagine it as… pressing a mental button.” Lily explains, and Blaine smiles to himself because of his grandmother’s fancy to use metaphors.

“So he would be un-solid, “press the mental button” and then he was solid until he turned it off again?” Kurt gestures with his hands at the button-part and Blaine holds back a giggle as he sets his mug back on the table.

“Yes, Kurt. Pretty much like that.”

Blaine’s stomach surprises all of them when it grumbles loudly. Kurt chuckles and looks at Blaine. “I guess we should head back to Dalton and get some food in you?”

Lily stands. “Blaine honey, you know you can call if the two of you have any questions at all. Have a safe trip.”

The old woman ushers them out of the house and Blaine and Kurt are quiet most of the trip back to Dalton.

After Blaine has eaten dinner, he and Kurt go upstairs to the dorm rooms. When they enter the corridor they hear a horror movie-scream coming from one of the rooms, a few boys squealing in terror and a few laughing hysterically right after. Kurt follows Blaine into his room and sits in the armchair, facing Blaine who seats himself on the bed.

“So… How did you handle everything today?” Kurt asks.

When Blaine stares at him he just looks at his knees. “I handled it fine. I have never seen a dead person before, but it felt kind of distant. It was just a shell, because to me you’re here, alive.” Kurt smiles a little, but continues to look at his own knees. “I could feel that you had a rough time.” Kurt nods so Blaine pats the bed beside him. “C’mere.”

Kurt looks up with his eyes wide. He stands and walks over slowly, hesitating before sitting down next to Blaine. He rests his palms on the bed beside where he is sitting, so Blaine sees his chance to do the same. Kurt shuts his eyes and sighs, almost unnoticeable, as Blaine’s fingers land on top of his. Blaine assumes it’s a happy sigh, or a relieved one at least.

“Let’s sing something together.” Blaine suggest, moving his thumb lightly over Kurt’s pinky.

Kurt opens his eyes back up and moves his whole torso to look at Blaine. “Sing what?”

“Somewhere Only We Know?”

“As a duet?” Kurt raises an eyebrow.

“Yes. I think singing might make you feel a little better.” Blaine says before clearing his throat and beginning to sing softly. “I walked across an empty land; I knew the pathway like the back of my hand.”

Kurt smiles faintly, and continues the song, just as soft. “I felt the earth, beneath my feet. Sat by the river, and it made me complete.”

Blaine uses a bit more force behind his words as he continues. “Oh simple thing, where have you gone? I’m getting old and I need something to rely on.”

Kurt does the same. “So tell me when you’re gonna let me in. I’m getting tired and I need somewhere to begin.”

They go back to singing softly during the next verse, before singing the chorus together. “And if you have a minute why don’t we go, talk about it somewhere only we know. This could be the end of everything. So why don’t we go, somewhere only we know?”

When they finish the song they are both grinning widely at each other. But none of them noticed David opening the door just an inch to listen, about a minute ago.

“That did make me feel better. Thank you, Blaine. I-” Kurt begins, but he gets interrupted by a knock on the door.

David peeks his head into the room. “Blaine? Are you on the phone?”

Blaine doesn’t move his hand away from Kurt’s, but he shakes his head as David walks into the room. There is more screaming from Nick and Jeff’s room, so David closes the door behind him. “What were you singing?”

“Um… I- Somewhere Only We Know.” Blaine swallows.

“As a duet, by yourself?” David puts a book down on Blaine’s desk before seating himself in the desk chair.

“Yes! I was practicing.” Blaine exclaims, so enthusiastically that Kurt doubts David will believe it. “For later, when I will be on the phone. Yeah!”

“Okay…” David rolls his eyes, probably giving up on trying to get Blaine to talk about it. “I brought your homework.” He points to the book he left on the desk. “Math. Page forty-three to fifty-one.”

“Thank you, David.”

“How did it go today?” David asks shyly after a moment of silence.

“As good as it can, I suppose. Though funerals are never fun.”

“Yeah, I can imagine. I’ve never been to one myself however.” David rises from the chair. “I’ll leave you. You probably had a hard day, and they are waiting for me in Jeff and Nick’s room. Goodnight, Blaine.”

“Goodnight David.”

Blaine rings the doorbell to his parents’ house at five sharp on Thursday evening.

“Sir Blaine. Welcome.” Charles greets when he opens the door.

“Hey Charles. Where’s Aimee?” Blaine asks.

But the butler has no chance to answer before Aimee comes barreling down the hallway, throwing herself at Blaine’s legs. Blaine chuckles and bends down to hug her and kiss her forehead. “Hi baby. How was your day?”

Aimee tells Blaine about her day while dragging him by the hand into her room. They sit on the floor and she hands him a paper with a list written in bright pink crayon. Blaine chuckles fondly at it. “Are these the things you want for your birthday?” Aimee nods enthusiastically so Blaine starts reading aloud from the list. “A pony, horsies, a tiara, a princess dress, see Blainey’s x-mas show, sparkly pens and a puppy.” Blaine smiles at his little sister who is watching him with bright eyes. “Did Charles tell you about my Christmas-show?” Aimee nods. “Well, I think most of these things are good wishes. But you know what I said about a puppy.”

“I know, Blainey.” Aimee says with that adorable defeated-little-girl voice.

“Same goes for a pony.” Blaine tries to be a bit stern, but has to bite his lip to not giggle at her expression. “And with horsies you mean those colorful ones with glitter and stuff, right?”

“Yes! Those! Mom gave me one when I goed with her to the store. But there are so many!”

“We’ll see what I can do. So, what do you have planned for us today?”

Kurt can’t help but spend his afternoon reading Blaine’s marked poems while curled up in the armchair in his room. But Blaine is going to be gone for about three or four hours so eventually Kurt has read all of them and heads out of the room.

He wonders what Blaine is like with his little sister. And how he will be when she gets older. If he’ll be the overprotective type of brother to chase away boys or the one that takes her shopping for shoes. Or both.

Kurt decides to go for a walk on the huge grounds of the school. It’s probably freezing outside, but he feels completely comfortable in just his knitted yellow cardigan. He finds a tree on the edge of the property and sits down against the thick tree trunk. He thinks this must be a beautiful spot during summer.

Aimee is eager to show Blaine her new crayons, so they draw for a while. Aimee draws a yellow dinosaur with short legs and a long neck for Blaine, and he promises her that he will put it up in his room at school. In return Blaine draws a princess with long brown hair and a purple dress. He then helps Aimee pin it to the wall above her bed. “What do you wanna do now?”

“Can we watch Ariel?”

“Sure, honey!” Blaine says and lifts Aimee up to carry her on his hip to the living room. He sets her down on the couch. She jumps up and down on it while he turns the TV on and puts the movie in the DVD-player. He then sits down next to her and she snuggles up to him, snaking her arms around his much thicker arm and hugging it as the movie begins.

“You have to sing the songs, Blainey!”

“Don’t I always?” he smiles at the top of her head before returning his eyes to the TV.

Kurt listens to the creaking of the branches and watches the sky between them. He sings to himself for a while, until he hears voices. He returns his eyes to the school grounds and sees Wes hiding behind a building, with a girl. They are standing really close together, foreheads leaned against one another. Kurt sighs and returns his eyes to the sky.

Aimee’s head falls to Blaine’s arm in the middle of the movie, about a minute after Blaine finishes singing along loudly to one of the songs. “Baby, you awake?” he whispers and strokes a curl from her face with his free hand.

“Uh-huh.” she mumbles.

“Come on.” Blaine says and scoops her up into her arms. He clutches her to his chest as she links her legs behind his back and leans her head on his shoulder. Blaine turns the movie and TV off with some difficulty but eventually walks back toward Aimee’s room.

Charles smiles at them as they pass him in the hallway. Blaine sets Aimee down on her feet in her bedroom and she whines in protest.

“Aimee. If you get into your pajamas and brush your teeth I’ll read a story for you and then sing a song, okay?”

“Only if I get to sit on your lap.”

“You always do.” Blaine smiles and ushers her into her tiny baby-pink and white bathroom. He chooses a book from her bookshelf and settles on the bed just as she walks back out from the bathroom.

Aimee climbs onto the bed and they settle under the covers, Blaine leaning against the headboard and Aimee against his chest. He reads her a short story, complete with silly voice-changes that always make her giggle. When he’s done he puts the book on her nightstand and turns the lamp off.

“What do you want me to sing?” Blaine asks and brushes his fingers through her hair.

“Anythin’.” she mumbles against his t-shirt.

Blaine sings her a song that he often sang to her when she was a baby, and she is snoring softly before he ends it. He leans his head down and smiles into her hair. “Goodnight baby.” he whispers and takes a deep breath, smelling her strawberry shampoo. He carefully gets of the bed and lays her down. He pulls the covers up to her chin and kisses her forehead. “I love you, Aimee.”

She sighs contently and he straightens, smiling at the photo of the two of them on her nightstand. Blaine takes the book and places it back in the shelf before tiptoeing out of the room.

“Is she asleep?” Charles asks as Blaine steps into his shoes.

“She is. I’ll pick her up on her birthday. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson don’t have anything planned for that day, right?”

“They do not. They will have a birthday-party for her the weekend after.” Charles helps Blaine put his coat on.

“Thank you, Charles. I will see you then.”

“Bye, Sir Blaine.”