Summer was finally here. Blaine loved school, loved talking to his teachers and singing in class but really he loved to explore and be out and about and there was only one person he could do that with that made him happy.

Kurt Hummel – a sweet boy with big glasses, pale skin and blue eyes. Blaine would look at him sometimes, worried about the sun on his skin and his nearly lazy eye and wonder why he was friends with him but then he would say something cute or funny and Blaine knew that he was the best of all his friends. And Blaine had a lot. He was popular, mainly because his mum was so hot and he liked to play pranks and sing songs for people to watch but he would sit with Kurt in his tree house or play card games or ride his bike and he would be completely free and happy. He was a friend for life he was sure.

He had known him ever since the Hummels had moved to the big house opposite Blaine's and Kurt had gone to the park with his mother, just as Blaine had ridden his bike to pick flowers when his own mum was ill in bed. He had spotted him as he was gathering the flowers and Kurt was being pushed on the swing. Blaine dropped the flowers and went to go on the swings too in the hope that this boy's mum would push him too.

"Can you push me too?" Blaine asked Elizabeth as he tried on his own for a while.

"Of course," Elizabeth had said smiling at the scruffy boy with muddy knees, wearing dungaree shorts. "What's your name?"

"Blaine," he said confidently, "Blaine Anderson."

"Very nice to meet you, Blaine Anderson," she had said, her eyes twinkling, "This here is Kurt," she said indicating her son on the swing.

"Kurt Hummel," the boy suddenly said and Blaine looked at him in surprise, his voice sweet and high, his eyes twinkling in the spring sunshine.

They had played happily together that day, until Blaine remembered he had been collecting flowers for his mum and he had to return.

"Where do you live?" Blaine had asked.

"Just there," Elizabeth said as they walked home and she pointed at her house.

"Great, I live there," Blaine said pointing at his own house opposite, "I'll knock for you later," he said talking to Kurt and although Kurt looked shyly at him, blushing slightly, he was secretly glad he had a new friend in this strange new neighbourhood.

The greatest thing about summer for Blaine was all the time he could spend in parks and by the lake, fishing and exploring. He loved pretending he was a famous inventor or scientist, discovering new things and searching for hidden treasures. Kurt was quieter but he soon followed Blaine in whatever he did, always wanted to spend time with his new friend and have adventures. He made him more confident and whenever he was around Blaine he felt like he could fly and try anything.

They were fishing by the lake and having set up their fishing rods so they could catch something, Kurt had decided to take his chances climbing a tree and hanging upside down. Blaine laughed at him as he continued to watch their fishing rods, checking to see if they would bite. Kurt's fishing rod suddenly twitched and he called Kurt down from the tree.

"Quick reel it in," Blaine said happily, putting his own rod down.

There it lay, flopping around with the hook still in its mouth and Kurt backed away.

"Let's free it," Blaine said, "Set it loose."

"I don't like touching fish," Kurt said squirming so Blaine picked up the fish and tried to get the hook off and pricked his finger in the process. He placed the fish in the lake.

"Ouch," he said, "Did it get away?"

Kurt looked at the lifeless body of the fish floating on the top of the lake and looked again at Blaine.

"Yeah, it got away," he said, checking Blaine wasn't hurt too much.

"Hey we can become blood brothers," Blaine suddenly said, the small nick on his finger now bleeding quite a bit after he had squeezed it. Blaine eyed the small cut on Kurt's arm.

"No I don't wanna," Kurt said, suddenly a little worried.

"You could pick that scab on your arm," Blaine said.

"It's a mosquito bite," Kurt said correcting him.

"It'll bleed, please?" Blaine asked and his brown green eyes twinkled as he begged and Kurt sighed, knowing he could never resist Blaine asking so sweetly.

"Ok," Kurt said as he picked the scab and squeezed it slightly. Blaine grabbed his arm gently, bringing it closer and rubbing the blood with his own finger, watching how their blood mingled together.

"Now we're blood brothers for life," Blaine said, smiling widely. Kurt nodded and smiled, realising the importance and completely forgetting the icky feeling on his arm.

Then Kurt's mum got ill and he couldn't play as often as Blaine would like. He would knock on the door but Burt would answer saying they were just going to the hospital or they were having family time and Blaine realised he missed his best friend. He didn't understand, surely when people were ill they got better? He was getting impatient and it wasn't so much fun fishing on your own or trying to swing yourself at the park but one day Kurt returned and they could go to the park together.

"Is your mum better now?" Blaine asked as they dangled their legs over the lake as they sat on the wooden beams. Kurt looked down at his feet as they swayed back and forth and Blaine realised he looked sad.

"No, she's in bed an awful lot," Kurt said, "Dad says she won't get better."

Blaine didn't understand, maybe Kurt and him could make something for her, help her to feel better. He was just about to suggest it when Kurt looked at him.

"What do you think heaven is like?" Kurt asked and Blaine's eyes widened. He knew what he meant, knew what he was saying and he felt a pang in his stomach for his friend. He couldn't imagine losing his own mum, having no one to make him pancakes and kiss him goodnight. Kurt continued to look at Blaine hoping he knew the answer and Blaine swallowed, really thinking about what heaven actually looked like.

"I think everyone gets their own white horse and all they do is ride and eat marshmallows all day," Blaine said continuing to look at Kurt as he explained it earnestly. Kurt looked in the distance picturing this wonderful place and smiling at the idea that you could have all the marshmallows you ever wanted. "And everyone's best friends with everyone else and you play sports but there are no teams so no one gets picked last." Kurt thought to his own school, he was always picked last unless Blaine was there.

"But what if you're afraid to ride horses?" Kurt asked.

"It doesn't matter," Blaine said, kindly, "Because they're not regular horses, they've got wings. It's no big deal if you fall; you just land in a cloud."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Kurt said, suddenly thinking of his mum, "But I'll miss her."

"I know," Blaine said, "But maybe she'll get better?" Kurt nodded. He hoped so.

She didn't get better. Blaine wasn't allowed to see Kurt for a week with the funeral but when they did finally meet again, Blaine knocked on their house door and cried to Burt, saying he was real sorry. Burt smiled kindly at the boy and let him through the house to their back garden.

"Kurt's been in his tree house for a while," Burt said, pointing to the little wooden hut, "I think he could use a friend right now."

Blaine swallowed as he tried to dry his eyes. He already felt panicked, what would he say to his best friend? How could he possibly make it all better? He looked at Burt who stood by his side and gently hugged around Blaine's shoulders. Nothing could make it better but he would be Kurt's friend and help him. He climbed up the rope ladder and knocked on the little wooden door and went in after hearing a muffled noise. Kurt was in the corner of the hut, his knees to his chest, old tears down his face and his normally rosy cheeks, pale. Blaine went instantly to him and enveloped him in his arms, kept him close. He could hear Kurt's breath hitch and then he relaxed and clung tighter, fresh tears starting again. Blaine didn't know what to do, had never seen his friend like this but he held on tight until Kurt's tears were muffled and eventually ceased.

"You can share my mum," Blaine said, as he sat next to Kurt, his knees drawn up to his chest and his hand in Kurt's. Kurt looked at Blaine and he wiped at his tears.

"Thanks Blaine," he whispered and he rested his head on Blaine's shoulder until he fell asleep slightly and Burt called them both in for dinner.

Blaine felt more and more protective of Kurt as time wore on. His other friends seemed to realise Kurt was different. When everyone wanted to play sports and climb trees, sometimes Kurt stayed in so he could have tea parties with his dad and make cupcakes like his mum taught him. He would only play with Blaine and although they had adventures, Kurt followed Blaine and watched. They would ride on their bike and sing songs by the lake and Kurt treasured his time with Blaine as the summer drew to a close. One cool summer day, a few days before school was to start again, Blaine was leaning against the tree while Kurt was making daisy chains on the grass.

"Have you ever kissed anyone?" Blaine said suddenly and Kurt looked at Blaine with wide eyes.

"Like they do on TV?" Kurt asked and Blaine nodded, "No." Blaine thought about it for a moment. All his friends had started to say how kissing a girl was supposed to be amazing and strange but Blaine looked at Kurt and realised he had never wanted to kiss anyone. Maybe Kurt felt the same way and he looked at Kurt's lips and noticed they were pink and sweet. Kurt had started to blush slightly.

"Maybe we should kiss?" Blaine said, "Just to see what the fuss is about?"

"But I don't know how," Kurt said, suddenly a little panicked.

"Here, practice on your arm like this," Blaine said and he started to kiss his wrist and make kissing noises. Kurt laughed and joined in, kissing his hand and puckering his lips. It seemed easy enough to Kurt and he looked at Blaine's lips and suddenly thought they would be quite nice to kiss, not too scary.

"Ok enough practice," Blaine said, suddenly getting impatient, "Close your eyes," he instructed.

"But then I won't be able to see anything," Kurt whined.

"Just do it," Blaine said chuckling and Kurt smiled.

"Ok, ok," he said, closing his eyes as instructed.

"Ok, one, two, two and a half.... Three."

Blaine leaned forward, watching carefully so Kurt didn't open his eyes and he placed his lips on Kurt's just for a moment and it was done. Kurt opened his eyes slowly and stared at Blaine in awe. It felt like magic. Blaine smiled shyly as he took in Kurt's face. His friends were right – it was amazing and strange.

They spoke no more of it but when they were pushing their bikes home and they said goodbye outside Blaine's house, Kurt looked shyly at his lips and Blaine smiled.

"Do you want to kiss again?" Blaine asked and Kurt could only nod, a deep blush creeping along his cheeks. Blaine leant in slowly and kissed Kurt quickly on the lips before rushing inside.

Then suddenly Kurt was moving away. They needed a smaller house Burt said, in a cheaper neighbourhood and Kurt would have to move schools. When Blaine found out he thought he might cry.

"But I won't be able to sit next to you at lunch or ride our bikes to the lake," Blaine said, tears pooling in his eyes and Kurt shook his head, knowing he didn't want to lose that either.

"We can write and keep in touch," Kurt said, "Dad said I could ring you sometimes and..."

Blaine knew it wouldn't be the same, knew he would be lonely. His parting gift to Blaine as he left was a simple green bow tie and Blaine looked up at him in awe.

"What's this?" he asked.

"It's a bow tie, you tie it like this," Kurt said and he showed Blaine how to tie it so he could do it on his own.

"I'll miss you Kurt," Blaine said as he hugged him goodbye and he was there to wave Burt and Kurt off as they went with the removal van. Kurt promised to write and they exchanged letters for a while but Blaine moved and life continued and soon the only memory he had of Kurt was the green bow tie he wore on occasions as he continued his collection.

"Excuse me can I ask you a question? I'm new here."

"My name's Blaine."

"Kurt."