Slam!

“Stupid!”

Bam!

“Losers!”

Whack!

“Is that your boyfriend?!”

Crash!                           

“Queers!”

Blaine Anderson stood on his tiptoes trying to reach the top shelf of his locker, one of the many disadvantages of being an eighth grader and still being the size of a ten year old. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a photo hanging on the inside of his locker door. A dazzling smile, auburn-chestnut hair falling slightly into two bright, shining blue eyes. It was a picture he and Kurt had taken on the last day of this past summer. They had decided to go to the beach on a local lake that day. Blaine remembered it like it was yesterday. The sun was shining, warm and inviting. Kurt had applied six pounds of SPF one billion sunscreen to his skin because he burned so easily. Blaine didn’t use any and ended up with a perfect-bronzed tan. He helped Kurt rub the lotion on his back, a deep blush high on his cheeks the whole time. After much coaxing, Blaine finally convinced Kurt to join him in the water. They raced across the swimming area and Kurt sulked when he lost. Blaine, trying to make amends, wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist, pulling him back to him. That of course turned into splash fight that escalated into a tickle fight, rolling around in the shallow water in a fit of giggles.

Finally grabbing the textbook he was reaching for, Blaine dropped down to his normal size, staring fondly at the photograph, a wide smile plastered on his face at the memory.

Blaine sighed, “I should just stop using that top shel-”

Bang!

Blaine fell face first into the wall of lockers, sending the heavy geometry book flying out of his hands. That was another disadvantage of being so small, easily shove-able. He spun around quickly to see Jeremy (or was it James?) Bubb retreating down the hallway.

“Fag!” he shouted over his shoulder.

Blaine winced. He hated that word more than anything and what’s more he hated being called it. He collected himself and inspected the damage. Just a cut on his hand from hitting the edge of the locker, nothing too serious. He fished a box of Band-aids out of his locker and stuck it to his bleeding palm. Turning to find his missing textbook, Blaine was met the book in question in a pair of pale hands.

“Kurt!” Blaine said, jumping back in surprise.

“You’re hurt.” Kurt practically whispered. He took a step forward, placing a soft hand on his cheek. Blaine blushed to his hairline at the tender touch. Gosh, Kurt had always had this effect on him. Just a simple touch of skin sent shivers down his spine. “Come on, you.”

Kurt took his hand and led him into the nearest bathroom. Kurt set him in front of the sink and went to the far wall to get some paper towels from the dispenser. Blaine hopped up on the sink and took the chance to look at himself in the mirror. His cheek was quickly turning purple from its collision with the locker. He sighed, yet another bruise he would have to make an excuse for to his parents. Kurt walked back to the row of sinks, wetting the towel, and turned back to Blaine.

“Come here,” He instructed. Kurt gingerly placed the towel on Blaine’s cheek. Despite Kurt’s attempt, the cold paper hurt against his burning skin. From such a short distance, Blaine couldn’t help but stare into Kurt’s eyes as he worked. They were like nothing Blaine had seen in his short life. They were such an intense aquamarine color that reflected like the ocean itself. One could drown in them. What worried Blaine was that he didn’t think he’s mind drowning as long as he was able to stare into those eyes forever. Kurt removed the now warm towel in exchange for a new one.

“Where have you been?” Blaine asked suddenly, “I haven’t seen you since lunch time.”

“Jeremy Bubb locked me inside a locker.” He said coldly.

Blaine blinked. “I- I didn’t know that could actually happen. I thought that only happened in the movies…?”

“Yeah, well, tell that to the bruise on my back from being slammed into the back of the locker,” Kurt snapped, moving away from Blaine. “And explain that to the one on my shoulder from trying to break out of it for the next hour and a half!”

Blaine followed after him but Kurt curled in on himself reflexively, stopping Blaine in his tracks. They stood in silence for what seemed like days to Blaine. This wasn’t how this year was supposed to go. They were in eighth grade, the top of the whole middle school. So why were they still the ones who were getting picked on?

The answer nagged at the back of Blaine’s mind for the millionth time. Because they were different. Because they were closer friends than anyone could possibly understand. Because people seemed to frown upon the kind of friendship he and Kurt shared, though Blaine couldn’t fathom why.

“How- how did you get out?” he asked murmured.

“A janitor came by and heard me pounding on the door.” Kurt replied, equally as quiet. Blaine watched him cautiously. He thought he had known Kurt long enough to know what to do when things got bad, but he still didn’t. One could never tell what Kurt wanted. Just when you thought he was going to zig, he zagged, throwing you off balance. But that was what Blaine liked the most about him.

“Kurt I-”

All of a sudden, Kurt launched himself at Blaine, burying his face in his shoulder. Blaine carefully wrapped his arms around the thin boy. He rocked them back and forth, whispering nonsense into his hair, trying to calm him.

“It’s alright, I’m here. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Blaine, I was so scared.” Kurt gasped out between sobs, “It was so dark, so small. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I-I thought I would never get out, Blaine. I was so scared.”

“I know, shhh, I know. It’s alright now. I’ve got you. It’s alright.”

“Why do they do this to us, Blaine? Why us? What did we do wrong?”

“Nothing. We have done nothing wrong, okay? They- they’re just jealous that they don’t have the kind of relationship that we have. We’re special, Kurt. I have a best friend who I can share anything with and so do you and they want it too. But they can’t because we’re special.” He pulled Kurt away from him, holding him at arms length. Blaine’s eyes burned with a new light. “But one day, they will. They’ll understand that it’s okay for us to be friends. That our friendship is something to be embraced, not shunned. And if that time takes one hundred years to get there, I’ll take that chance, just as long as I get to be with you.”

“Blaine,” Kurt hiccupped throwing his arms around him again. Blaine shivered that the action. Just hearing Kurt say his name that way gave him butterflies.

After a while, Kurt’s sobs grew softer and he knew he would be okay for now.

“Kurt, I’m so sorry,” Blaine started, “I should have been there. I should have come looking for you when I noticed you were missing.”

“No,” Kurt stopped him, pulling away slightly from the embrace. “It’s okay. You couldn’t have known-”

“No, it’s not okay. Kurt, you are my best friend. I should have been there for you and I wasn’t,” Blaine released his hold on Kurt and took his hands in his own. “Well never again, okay? You’ll always be my best friend. I’ll always be here for you, Kurt. Always.”

Kurt smiled, remembering their conversation for years before. He leaned his head forward down and rested it against Blaine’s as the tears threatened to fall again, “Me too. Forever, Blaine. Forever and always, no matter what.”

Blaine pulled away from Kurt with a small smile. He was suddenly reminded of a song from their childhood he had never understood until now. Unable to hold back, Blaine sang softly to Kurt:

I wish I knew you
Way back when
Before you were part of my plans
I think that we would have been friends

Kurt smiled, recognizing the song. He joined Blaine in the next verse, taking Blaine’s hand once more.

There's only time to live our lives
And you'll be the one who's by my side
And I can promise you then
You'll always be my best friend

Till the end when we part
I will give you my heart
And I'll promise to love you with all that it is
And I'll promise to be there whenever you need me
Because you'll always be my best friend

Blaine smiled widely at Kurt, singing the next line alone.

You'll always be my best friend

Kurt returned the grin, trying his hardest to keep the tears a bay.

You'll always be my best friend

You'll always be my best friend

Blaine pulled Kurt into a tight hug, “I’ll never say goodbye to you.”

Kurt yelped, “Me neither, not ever. But, Blaine?”

“Yeah?”

“Could you loosen the grip? Bruised back, remember?”

Blaine released Kurt like he was on fire, his own face flaming red. “Oh, yeah, geez, I’m sorry!”

Kurt laughed and punched him in the shoulder. “Come on, we’re going to be late for the bus.”

The following weekend Mrs. Hummel took the boys to Laser Tag, one last hurrah before final exams started.

“I cannot believe you’ve never been to Laser Tag before.” Kurt said as they waited for the doors of the arena to open.

“Well, they didn’t really have that sort of thing in New York City. And it was always for the older kids, so I never went.”

“The object of the game is to shoot the other team and get points, the smaller the spot you shoot, the more points you get. But don’t get shot yourself or you won’t be able to shoot for ten whole seconds! Also, each team, the red, the green, and the blue, has a home base. Our job is to find the blue and the green team’s base and shoot it until it breaks. Okay?”

“I-I think I’ve got it?”

“It’s okay, Blaine,” Kurt said, touching his shoulder, “I’ll try not to beat you too bad!”

Just then, the buzzer went off and Kurt took off running into the arena.

“Wha- hey! Kurt!”

“Come on!” he shouted over his shoulder, disappearing.

Blaine walked awkwardly into the course, holding his gun tightly against his chest. Suddenly, two bigger kids in blue ran past him. He turned a corner and pressed himself against a wall. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Blaine backed away from the boys and scurried down a small corridor. He ran into something solid, huge, and wearing green. Turning, Blaine squeaked at the much bigger boy towering over him. The monster took aim at Blaine. This was it. He was a goner.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Blaine opened his eyes to see that the boy’s vest was flashing. He had been shot!

“Blaine, lets go!” Kurt called, smirking at beast and grabbing Blaine’s hand, pulling him into a different alcove.

“Kurt! You saved me!”

Kurt only smiled at him.

“I-”

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Blaine spun around to see a girl in blue gawking at her vest. Kurt had shot her too.

“Kurt, you’re a dead eye!”

“Learn something new every day, huh?” He said with a smirk. “Come on, stick with me this time.”

Kurt took his hand again and pulled him into battle.

“Blaine, you weren’t that bad! You did pretty well for your first time!”

“I think you spent more time saving me than you did yourself.” Blaine sighed.

“That’s how it’s supposed to work. You’re my partner and I’m supposed to take care of you. Besides, you saved me from that one girl.”

“She was eight.”

Later that night, Kurt and Blaine were wrapped up in a blanket with a bowl of popcorn in the Hummel’s living room as Hercules played on the television.

“Oh stop being such a party pooper!” Kurt laughed, throwing a piece of popcorn at Blaine, “You were fine!”

“Hey, I’m no party pooper!” Blaine countered, chucking a piece back at Kurt. Kurt laughed, dodging it and throwing another piece back at him.

“Here you go, boys,” Kurt’s mother said, placing a plate of cookies and two cups of tea on the coffee table “Don’t spill.”

“Merci, mama.”

“You’re welcome, sweetheart. And Kurt?”

“Yeah?” he asked, flinching at the popcorn heading for his face.

“You’re father and I are going to bed so going to clean up that mess, right?” she said warningly.

“Yes, ma’am! Goodnight!”

“Goodnight, Mrs. Hummel.” Blaine giggled, blocking Kurt’s attack.

“Goodnight, mes beaux gar�ons.”

After cleaning their mess and calming down, Kurt and Blaine settled into the blanket. As Meg sang her song about not being in love, Kurt’s eyes started to get heavy. He rested his head on Blaine’s shoulder, snuggling into his warmth. Blaine’s heart doubled in its pace as he flushed to his hairline. He shifted his arm so he could wrap it around Kurt’s waist. Kurt sighed contently, making Blaine’s stomach flip. By the end of the movie, Kurt was fast asleep, ghosting slow breaths onto Blaine’s chest.

“Kurt?” he whispered.

No response.

“Kurt?” he said a bit louder, shaking him a bit.

“Mmmm.”

“Kurt, it’s late, we should go upstairs.”

“Mmmkay.”

Blaine slipped out from under Kurt, grabbing his hand and pulling him to his feet. He practically had to drag Kurt up the stairs and put him into the bed. Sliding onto the other side, Blaine pulled the covers over them.

“You know,” Blaine sighed, “I don’t think I could imagine a more perfect day.”

“Mme too.”

“Thank you, Kurt.”

“Fffor what?” he slurred.

“For being my best friend. For being the best friend a kid could ever ask for.”

“Mmm you too.”

“I’m just- I’m just so lucky to have you, Kurt. You’re so wonderful.”

“Whyy?” Kurt asked, his brow furrowing slightly.

“How can you ask that? There are so many things. The way you smile, how it makes your nose crinkle so adorably.”

At this, Kurt reflexively smiled the faintest of smiles, setting Blaine’s heart into over drive.

“Your laugh, the way it rings out and makes my heart warm. Your skin,” he said, touching Kurt’s cheek gently with back of fingers, “and how pale and perfect it is. And how pink your cheeks get when I make you blush. The way you’re always flipping your hair to get it just the way you want it. The way you dress the way you want to, no matter what other people think.

“Your eyes. Your eyes that are like nothing I’ve ever seen. Sometimes I look at them and I can’t believe how pretty they are. They’re so expressive and bright, like galaxies or something. The- the way you look so peaceful when you sleep…”

He raked his eyes over Kurt’s features, soft and calm in the veil of sleep. Blaine was beside himself. He’d never really noticed just how much about Kurt he liked. The thing was, Blaine had always thought Kurt was pretty. He had since the first day they met on the playground all those years ago. But now, as he laid here with Kurt, it was as if he was seeing him for the first time in a whole new light. He noticed how soft Kurt’s hair looked, and how much he wanted to run his fingers through it. And even now, he noticed how pink perfect his lips were.

“I- I don’t know what I would do without you, Kurt. I’ve never felt like that about anyone… Sometimes I look at you and I feel like I’m a better person for being with you. Sometimes I just think that you’re the most beautiful person I have ever seen.”

Kurt only sighs in response, fast asleep.

“Kurt, I- I think I love you.”

As if in cue, Kurt rolled over closer to Blaine, resting his head on his shoulder. Blaine felt as if his heart would explode at any moment. Any chance of Blaine sleeping was gone, he could only look at the perfect boy who lay beside him. He began to sing softly to him.

Close your eyes, and I will be swimming,
lullabies fill your room, and I will be singing
singing to only you.

Don’t forget ill hold your head.
Watch the night sky fading red.

But as you sleep, and no one is listening,
I will lift you off your feet, I’ll keep you from sinking.
Don't you wake up yet, cause soon I’ll be leaving you
soon I’ll be leaving you, but you won't be leaving me.

Kurt stirs slightly, snuggling into Blaine more tightly. He can’t help the rush of butterflies that fill his stomach.

In the car, the radio leaves me searching for your star
a constellation of frustration driving hard
singing my thoughts back to me, and watching heartache on TV

But as you sleep, and no one is listening,
I will lift you off your feet, I’ll keep you from sinking.
Don't you wake up yet, cause soon I’ll be leaving you
soon I’ll be leaving you, but you won't be leaving me.

As Blaine finished the song, be wraps his arm around Kurt’s shoulders, holding him close.

I’m going to do it, he thinks. I’m going to tell Kurt that I love him.