"... Are we going to fall?"

Blaine rolled his eyes for what felt like the hundredth time that afternoon. He looked over to his friend who was clinging to the thickest branch of the tree he could reach. Blaine had a strong urge to laugh, but he looked so frightened.

"Kurt, it's safe, I swear. I come up here all the time," he sighed, keeping his face straight but his voice suggested he was suppressing a giggle.

Hearing the smile in his voice, Kurt shot his eyes over to his friend.

"It's not funny, you know, Blaine! ... I can't believe I let you talk me into this..." He grumbled under his breath, arms still fixed tightly around the tree branch.

Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson had been best friends for as long as they could remember, and in their nine year old youth, that was all that mattered; each other and their friendship. They would have play dates almost every day and had formed such a strong connection over the years, one they were even sometimes teased about at school. Though the name calling and teasing rolled right off their backs, seeing as they always had one another to lean on when they were having particularly bad days.

Blaine had a leg on either side of the tree branch they were sitting on, and looked completely at ease up there, while Kurt looked down nervously every few seconds, trying to gulp down his fears.

"Kurt," Blaine looked at him. "Kurt, look at me."

Kurt didn't look up.

"Kurt, do you trust me?"

Surprised at the unexpected question, Kurt raised his bright blue eyes to his friend. "Of course I do, Blaine. You know that already."

"Then you know you're safe," He grins reassuringly, his smiling eyes locked on Kurt's wide, anxious ones.

"O-Okay..." Eyes flickering from his friend back to the tree he was desperately clinging to; he shakily extracted one arm from around the tree, but continued hugging the branch with his other arm. His free hand found Blaine's and he took it for more support, clutching at it firmly.

Blaine smiled gently at him, his eyes lighting up happily and he squeezed his friend's hand comfortingly, "See?" He enquired with a great smile, "It's not so bad!"

Kurt glowered at him, but seeing his best friend's eyes light up so brilliantly in a firework smile had his glare disappear, only to be replaced by his own small smile.

"Yeah... Well... You promised that when we get down from this... this thing, then we can have our tea party..."

Blaine laughed softly in the way that made Kurt's tummy feel full with butterflies.

"Of course! Well, we can have the tea party now, if you'd like?"

"If I'd like," Kurt repeated and stared at his friend with wide, incredulous eyes. "Blaine, of course I'd like to! I've been waiting forever to have our tea party!"

"We had one yesterday..." Blaine pointed out.

"Yes. Well... I-I didn't get to dress up as Ariel yesterday!" Kurt huffed, his eyes locked on the tree as he tried to slowly move away from the branch.

Blaine watched him for a moment before swinging off his own branch and landing gracefully back on the ground, his hands out to steady himself before turning and grinning back towards Kurt.

Kurt closed his mouth, which had fallen open at the impressive landing of his friend, with a snap. "Show off..." He grumbled to himself, eyes still searching for a way down from the damned tree. "Uh, Blaine?" He called out to him, biting his lip nervously.

Dusting himself off, Blaine raised his eyes to Kurt, who was looking around apprehensively toward the ground, "Mm?"

"I... I think I'm stuck..."

"Stuck?" Blaine frowned. "How are you stuck? Just jump down!"

"Unfortunately not all of us are able to master the true tree climbing skills of one Blaine Anderson and do back flips and whatnot off branches," he pouted before adding. "Also I'll rip my clothes."

Blaine sighed, walking a little closer toward the tree, trying to reason with him. "Kurt, you can't stay up there all day... You're going to have to jump down if you want this tea party!"

"But... I'm scared..." Kurt fret, looking on the verge of tears. He bit his lip painfully hard, not wanting the tears to spill down onto his cheeks. What was that word Blaine had taught him? It was only the other day... Oh yes. Courage. That was the one. He hadn't known what it had meant at the time, but Blaine had done a good job of explaining it to him. He supposed this is what he had meant about using courage.

Kurt squeezed his eyes shut, trying to channel as much courage as he could into him, gripping the sides of the tree branch. He blinked one eye open, staring down at Blaine fearfully, "I'll fall!" He whimpered, his voice coming out much shakier than he would have preferred and tears falling freely down his slightly flushed cheeks.

Blaine took another ready step forward, holding out his arms and gazing up at Kurt with wide, earnest eyes, "I'm here! I'll catch you! I promise."

Kurt watched him, his face twisted in worry and fear before he closed his eyes once more and let himself fall from the tree. He fell with a thump into Blaine's strong, little arms, relief washing over him that he hadn't broken a bone, or god forbid, gotten a tear in his new designer jacket.

Alas, Blaine's little knees couldn't hold both of their weight and they fell to the ground in a tangle of arms, legs and unruly curls. Blaine having broken the fall for him, Kurt shot up, looking down at Blaine underneath him with wide, startled eyes.

"Blaine! Are you—," he cut himself off when he saw Blaine shaking with giggles and his face lit with a grin.

"And Anderson takes the fall, but he claims he's fine and is—oh, he's sitting up!" Blaine yells in a mock commentator's voice, his face splitting into a wide grin.

Now it was Kurt's turn to roll his eyes. Blaine could be so boyish sometimes, but... Kurt liked that about him. He turned his eyes back to his friend whom he was still sitting on and smiled softly.

"Are you okay?" Blaine asked him, all traces of joking vanished from his face; instead there was an unusually sincere tone to his voice that Kurt knew Blaine could take on in a matter of seconds if he wanted to.

"I'm fine," Kurt replied simply, dusting off his jacket and standing up, offering a hand to Blaine to help him up off the dirty ground as well. Blaine took it gratefully, standing up and gazing at Kurt with that smile he knew so well.

Blaine kept a tight hold to Kurt's hand as they begun walking towards the house, "At the tea party, I want to be Eric!" Blaine informed him.

Kurt giggled, "Blaine, you're Eric every time!" He shrugged lightly, "But alright, as long as I get to be Ariel like I said."

Blaine nodded in agreement as they reached the back door of the Anderson household, though he stopped in his tracks, one foot already in the door. He leaned over and kissed Kurt quickly on the cheek. His cheeks were a little warm and he mumbled, "You're my best friend, Kurt."

Astonished by this surprising gesture, Kurt's hand immediately flew to his cheek, a pink blush creeping up on his own face. Blaine had never done that before.

"You're my best friend too, Blaine," he said with a genuine smile, gazing up at his friend as he turned and entered the house.

Kurt smiled to himself as they walked through the house. He didn't know if there was a God up there, but just in case there was, he sent a quick 'thank you' up to Him.

Thank you for giving me my best friend in the whole wide world - someone who will catch me when I fall.