On the first day of Mrs. Zach's kindergarten class, little Dave formed three opinions about Kurt Hummel. The first being that Kurt was pretty brave. He had never known any other boy his age that would openly admit that they liked to play with dolls. The second was that Kurt must not care about making friends with other little boys. He didn't want to do anything that the other little boys did, like wrestling or spitballing the girls. In fact, Dave got the impression that Kurt would rather play with the girls, which brought him to his third opinion of Kurt: he was girl-crazy.

He had heard his mom use that word before to describe another one of his friends, Trey. Trey did everything he could to make friends with girls and make them like him, not really caring about whether or not the other boys liked him. He just wanted to be able to say he had a girlfriend, and he always did. If you believed a word he said, he often had more than one.

So Dave thought that maybe Kurt was just girl crazy. Maybe he pretended to like the girly stuff so that girls would like him. He seemed to genuinely dislike the boy stuff, but you never could be too sure. Sometimes he looked a little interested in playing kickball, and boy could Kurt run, but the other boys said he was too little to play with them. Dave felt kinda bad about that, but he laughed with them and made fun of Kurt for being too little and too girly to play kickball with them.

It wasn't two weeks before Dave found out that maybe Kurt wasn't too small or girly to be a little mean or strong. They were playing dodgeball in gym, and Dave wasn't quite sure how it happened, but it had come down to just him and Kurt. He knew how Kurt had done it. Kurt was a fast little thing and was easily able to dodge the balls aimed at him. He also had terrific aim, and Dave had to wonder if maybe Kurt was in t-ball. He'd never seen him, but maybe they played at different parks. Still, compelled by the taunting of his own teammates, Dave began to pick on Kurt again for being too small and weak to beat him. He had turned to his teammates, smirking, and as he looked back at Kurt, he realized a little too late that you never take your eyes off of your opponent. He was on the ground, lying on his back as he held his hands over his nose, desperately trying not to cry from the sharp, stinging he felt.

His teammates hadn't run to his aid, being to upset over the fact that he'd managed to lose to Kurt. So, he was more than a little surprised when he looked to see Kurt knelt down beside him, apologizing again and again for hurting him. Why was Kurt apologizing? He should be the one apologizing, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he shoved Kurt away, angry that he'd been humiliated in front of all of his friends. Kurt looked hurt, but didn't say anything as he got to his feet and went back to his team. The whistle was blown for them to assemble on opposite sides of the gym, preparing for another game. It didn't matter. Dave's heart wasn't in it this time around.

A part of him felt terrible over the way he'd treated the smaller boy, but a much bigger part wanted to be liked by the other boys in his class. He'd heard the way that those boys had talked about Kurt, knew that they wouldn't hesitate to talk the same about him if he showed any compassion towards the other boy. So he continued to tease and taunt the other boy, laughing with the others as they picked on Kurt for playing dolls or dress-up with the other girls. It made him cool. It made him liked. By the other boys, anyway. The girls were a whole different story, but Dave was still in that stage where he girls had cooties, and so he just didn't care what they thought.

Most of the time, Dave could stick to the back of the group, going a little easier on Kurt than the others. It wasn't noticed because they were working as a team. The goal was always the same: reduce him to tears. They hadn't managed to do it just yet, but Dave had no doubt that Kurt would break down one of these days. Dave would never admit it, but he often thought that if the boys treated him that way, he would cry. He didn't know why it was so important that they like him, it just was.

Despite the popular opinion, Dave liked Kurt. He thought Kurt was cool, in his own way. He was awed by the courage that Kurt possessed, and amazed by the fact that Kurt could take the verbal – and sometime physical – abuse as well as he did. Of course, he could never know that when Kurt was alone in the privacy of his own home, he did cry. He couldn't know that Kurt desperately wanted to be liked by the boys, but he knew that he could never even begin to pretend to like all the things that the boys liked. Kurt knew that the boys would always think him too small or too weak to pick him for their team. And it broke Kurt's heart, but he hid it so well, and he took their abuse because he was sure that there was nothing he could do. He'd tried the teacher route, but she'd just "talked" to the boys and that had only made it all that much worse.

Kurt got along well with the girls in his class, but he wouldn't really call any of them "friends." Not in the let's-have-sleepovers-and-stay-up-all-night sense. He almost felt like he belonged in neither group. He wasn't boyish enough for the boys, and he was too much of a boy for the girls. There was no real place for him. So even if he played with people at school, he still felt rather lonely and almost relieved when the bell signaled the end of the school day. Almost.

He and Dave actually lived in the same neighborhood, though he was determined that Dave would never find that out. He often took a back way to avoid the other boy, even if it meant soiling his shoes. He'd actually taken to wearing old, worn shoes through the sometimes muddy alley-like way and across the big field. He switched out shoes just outside the windows to the art room, knowing that hardly anyone ever ventured out here.

All of this changed, however, when Dave had suddenly decided to find a new way to his house. Kurt wasn't entirely sure of the reasoning. He thought that he saw Dave kick another boy, Jimmy, on the playground earlier that day, and he knew that Dave and Jimmy walked together after school. But even if that was the case, Dave would never be afraid of Jimmy, so Kurt wasn't really sure why Dave did it, but Dave discovered his secret way to the school. Well, maybe it wasn't so secret, but no one else went that way, so it felt secret to him. It felt sacred to him, and Dave was violating that.

He thought that maybe if he walked fast enough, Dave wouldn't bother him. Instead, he found that Dave was running to catch up with him, shouting his name. Kurt tried to ignore him and walk faster, but Dave caught up with him before long, panting as he slowed his pace to match Kurt's.

"Didn't... you... hear me?" Dave asked, gasping between words as he struggled to catch his breath. Kurt felt a wave of concern for the other boy and slowed his pace a little bit. Then he remembered that this boy picked on him daily and frowned.

"What do you want?" Kurt asked stiffly.

"Do you live this way?" Dave questioned after he finally caught his breath, his eyes wide as he walked alongside Kurt.

"No." Kurt lied.

"Then why are you going this way?" Dave frowned, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion.

"Because I'm going to my friend's house today." Kurt said, biting his lip as he glanced over at Dave. He doubted Dave could see through the lie, but he still worried that Dave might realize that he did, in fact, live over in this area.

"One of your girlfriends?" Dave said, his tone teasing. Kurt wasn't sure why he suddenly bristled at the accusation, but he did know that he did not like it at all.

"No!" Kurt shouted and then broke out into a run, knowing that he could easily outrun Dave. He didn't want Dave to see where he went, and he didn't want to listen to the other boy tease him. He got enough of that at school, and he shouldn't have to deal with that now. His lungs were burning as he reached his front steps, quickly unlocking the door with the key around his neck. He quickly shut the door behind him, leaning back against it as he panted.

"Kurt?" His mother called from the kitchen, stepping into the living room to see if it was Kurt standing there. "Kurt, what's wrong?" Elizabeth asked, eyebrows raised.

"Nothing," Kurt managed, still panting as he bent over, putting his hands on his knees. "Dog."

"Did the neighbors rottweiler get out again?" Elizabeth sighed. They'd had a problem with this dog for months, mostly because it seemed to hate Kurt. Kurt knew that he could blame it on the dog and his mother would believe it. Why wouldn't he? Kurt never lied to her. As Elizabeth stepped back into the kitchen, Kurt used the opportunity to slip into his room unnoticed. Today had been a hard day.

Harder days were ahead, Kurt soon realized. Dave had been even more of a bully than usual the following day, during class. If Kurt was the violent type, he might have already hit Dave, but, alas, he wasn't. Besides, being so much smaller than Dave, that would be a dumb idea. As it was, he didn't dare even talking back to Dave. Or any of the other boys that picked on him. Another girl had said that her mother told her if she just ignored them, they would get bored and stop. Kurt tried this tactic day in and day out, but it never seemed to work. The boys never seemed to get bored.

Yesterday's encounter with Kurt after school had left Dave confused. On one hand, he had mostly tried to be friendly. On the other, he wasn't supposed to be friendly to Kurt. Then there was the fact that Kurt had just taken off running away from him, and try as he might, Dave could never catch up to Kurt. He was afraid that the other boys might find out that Dave had tried to be nice. He was afraid that Kurt would tell them. So, he decided that the only way to keep out of trouble with the other boys was to be even meaner to Kurt the following day. He didn't particularly like it, especially when he saw that, like him, Kurt was also really confused. He could also see that Kurt was scared, and Dave somehow hoped that this might be enough to keep Kurt quiet about the day before.

The day ended like the previous one, with Dave slipping out of the art room doors to take the back way home. He hadn't really realized it was here until he decided to find a new way home to avoid Jimmy. It wasn't that he was scared of Jimmy; he was just tired of his mouth. He was glad he kicked him, even if he lost recess because of it. Mrs. Zach had just gave him a warning, telling him that next time, his father would be called. Still, it had been worth it to see the look on Jimmy's face. He giggled to himself as he thought about it.

He heard the door to the art class click shut behind him. He turned to see Kurt trying to tiptoe the other way, no doubt having caught sight of Dave. He was going to his friend's house again, then. Dave wondered if he should call out something mean to Kurt, but without the other boys around, he felt like he didn't need to be mean to Kurt. He did, however, try to call out to the other boy again. Kurt froze, turning to look at him, and Dave saw that same terror in his eyes that he'd seen earlier that day when Dave and the other boys had cornered him in the boys bathroom.

He would make up for that.

He took a couple of tentative steps toward Kurt, afraid that if he moved too quickly, he might scare him off. Like a squirrel in a tree or a bird on the windowsill. He had to be slow and gentle. Kurt just stared at him, seemingly rooted to the spot he stood in. Dave shoved his hands in his pockets, saying, "I'm not going to hit you or anything."

"Yeah, right." Kurt said, rolling his eyes. Dave's eyes widened. He'd never heard Kurt talk back like that before. Kurt seemed to realize his error as he clamped his hand over his mouth, no longer paralyzed with fear.

"I'm not." Dave insisted.

"Why not?" Kurt asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion. Brave, Dave thought. Dave just shrugged and turned back towards the field, beginning the walk home. His answer hadn't been enough for Kurt, though, because Kurt was running up beside him, asking angrily, "Why not?"

"Are you mad?" Dave asked, surprised again.

"I'm mad because I want to know why you're mean to me in class but you're not being mean to me now." Kurt said, clenching his fists. Dave shoved his hands deeper in his pockets and kept his eyes on the ground, determined not to answer Kurt. How would even tell him the answer to that, anyway? Did he have the answer to that?

"Tell me!" Kurt cried, grabbing Dave's arm. Dave gasped in shock, and Kurt quickly dropped his arm and backed away, as though he were afraid of suddenly being struck. Dave took a step towards Kurt, and Kurt stumbled backwards, falling back onto the grass. He stared up at Dave in fear, and Dave stopped. He didn't like it when Kurt looked so scared, he realized. He didn't like it at all.

"I want to be your friend." Dave said quietly, holding his hand out to Kurt. Kurt flinched, squeezing his eyes shut. After a moment, he looked up at Dave, staring suspiciously at the other boy's extended hand.

"Then why are you so mean to me?" Kurt asked, not trusting Dave in the slightest.

"Because if I'm your friend, then the other boys won't be my friends. And I want to be their friend. So I have to be mean to you." Dave answered, looking down at the ground, ashamed.

"That's stupid." Kurt muttered, shaking his head as he got to his feet without Dave's help. He stared at Dave in disgust for a moment, and Dave realized he didn't like Kurt looking at him like that, either. He didn't have to see it for long, though, because Kurt took off running again. Dave didn't even bother to try and catch up with him this time. Why would he? Kurt thought he was stupid. And maybe he was, but at least he had friends.

To Kurt, it was weird to think that someone who bullied him endlessly might actually want to be his friend. Kind of like when he heard adults say that if a boy picked on a girl, it was because he liked them. Well, in that case it was like-like and Dave definitely didn't like-like Kurt. But still. Why would you be so cruel towards someone if you wanted to be their friend?

What was more puzzling was the fact that the meaner he was at school, the more friendly he seemed to be when they were alone. It was almost like hot and cold extremes, and Kurt wasn't quite sure what to make of any of it. Maybe this was why he wasn't really friends with boys. They didn't seem to make any sense.

So he had a decision to make, though he thought he already had made it. Did he want to be Dave's friend? And what exactly did a friendship with Dave Karofsky entail? No more picking on him? He doubted that was the case. Dave had said he wanted to be friends with the other boys, so he had to be mean to Kurt. So then how on earth could the two of them be friends? It just didn't make sense to Kurt at all. He didn't really think that they really could be friends as long as Dave was bullying him.

He did make a decision the following day, when he was at lunch. He watched the other boys more closely now, his eyes mostly on Dave. Several times, he caught Dave glancing over at him, and he wondered if that was a common occurrence. As far as he knew, the boys only ever acknowledged him when they were picking on him. After school, he gathered his things up much more slowly, taking his time because he knew that Dave could possibly be waiting outside. For a moment, he wondered if maybe this wasn't some kind of ambush type thing, but he wasn't really sure that Dave was smart enough for something like that.

When he pushed through the art doors, he found that he'd been right. Dave was sitting cross-legged against the wall, picking at the grass. Kurt paused, looking down at Dave, and Dave looked up at him, his mouth opening slightly. Kurt thought he heard him say hello, but it was mumbled so quietly that Dave could have been saying anything. Dave got to his feet, dusting off his jeans. He avoided looking Kurt in the eyes, and Kurt thought that was a little weird.

"If we're going to be friends, you can't ever hit me." Kurt told him, and Dave's head snapped up in surprise. Dave gave him a small smile, and Kurt got the feeling as though he'd somehow made Dave's day. He seemed to make him happy at least. As a boy who was friends with all the other boys, why would it matter if Kurt was his friend or not? Dave didn't make any sense at all.

"I won't." Dave promised eagerly. Kurt started forward, beginning the walk home, and Dave fell into step beside him.

"And you have to stop being so mean to me."

"I can't. The other boys will stop playing with me." Dave pressed. Kurt glanced over at Dave, frowning but gave a small nod.

"Fine. Okay. Not as mean." Kurt said, and Dave nodded. Kurt had a little logic behind all of this. It came to him while he'd been watching the boys at lunch. He knew that he might be able to make a couple of demands in the way of Dave's treatment of him, and Dave might agree. He also knew that if he ever told any of the other boys about any of this, Dave would have to go through everything he's had to endure. He didn't think he'd ever really tell, but it was nice to have something to hold over Dave, in case he ever needed it.

"You go to your friend's a lot." Dave commented.

"Actually..." Kurt mumbled, looking over at Dave. "I do live this way."

"You lied?" Dave asked, disbelief apparent in his voice. As if Kurt could never – would never – lie.

"Well, you're mean to me! I didn't want you to know where I live." Kurt reasoned. It sounded perfectly reasonable to him, but when he looked at the way Dave's face fell, he felt bad. He didn't mean to hurt Dave, but he had just been looking out for himself. It wasn't his job to make Dave feel good, he told himself.

They walked in silence, neither one really sure what to say. Kurt wondered if it would always be this quiet on their walks home from school. A thought occurred to him. If Dave walked home this way from school, then he probably also walked this way to school. Strange that he never seemed to see him on his way, but then, he tended to try to get to school a little later to avoid the other boys. He didn't say anything, but he found that he didn't have to. Dave had come to the same conclusion.

"Do you walk this way to school?" Dave asked.

"Yeah. Do you?"

"Uh-huh."

Silence again. This friend thing was going to be weird, Kurt decided. Really weird. They were approaching his house now, and he cursed the fact that he lived right off of the alley way. He stopped at the gate, toying with the lever. He wasn't really sure exactly why they had a fence. They didn't have a dog to keep in. Dave, realizing Kurt had stopped, stopped and looked up at Kurt's one story home with it's faded blue siding. His mom was always on his dad about repainting the house, but he always busy with the shop. Kurt wouldn't be too surprised if he came home to find his mom outside, repainting the house one day.

"Well, um, I'll see you tomorrow." Kurt said, fidgeting with the lever.

"Okay." Dave didn't say anything more, so Kurt slipped into the yard and started up to his house. He stopped and turned when Dave called out, "Hey Kurt?"

"Yeah?" Kurt asked.

"Want to walk to school together in the morning?" Dave asked, looking down at the ground.

"Sure." Kurt said, and Dave looked up at him, a smile on his face. Kurt found himself smiling back. It felt weird to be smiling at one of his bullies. He turned and started up the yard once again.

"Kurt?" Dave called again and Kurt looked back at Dave, not stopping.

"What?"

"What's your favorite color?" Dave asked.

"Blue! What's yours?" Kurt called, hand on the doorknob.

"Orange!" Dave grinned and took off running down the sidewalk. Kurt giggled a little and pushed the door open as he twisted the knob. His mom was at the window, and turned to raise an eyebrow at him.

"Who was your friend?" She asked.

"Oh, he's not my friend." Kurt answered quickly. "He's just a boy in my class. We walk the same way after school."

"Oh." Elizabeth said, taking Kurt's coat from him and hanging it up. "He lives nearby?"

"I think so. I don't really know where."

"What's his name?"

"Dave."

"Is he nice?" Kurt froze as he hung up his backpack. He could say that Dave was mean, but that would cause more problems for him, he was sure. Even so, he was realizing that Dave wasn't quite as mean as he had believed. When his friends weren't around, Dave was actually kind of nice. Maybe someday he and Dave would be real friends.

"Yeah, he's nice." Kurt answered, smiling.

Kurt and Dave continued this strange friendship of theirs throughout the year. They walked together to and from school, but while they were at school, Dave maintained his status with his other friends by helping them tear Kurt down. Dave often told Kurt during their walks that he never really meant anything that he said, but he could see that Kurt didn't really take it to heart. Everything that the boys said got to Kurt, and that bothered Dave. He didn't see what he could do to help Kurt, though. There was nothing he could do.

He didn't really spend any time with Kurt outside of their walks to and from school. It seemed almost forbidden, given the nature of their relationship. And going to the park or riding bikes with Kurt was almost guaranteeing getting shunned by his friends. He had no doubt that one of them might see and tell the others. So Kurt was his secret, but he also considered Kurt one of his best friends, even if they really only spent twenty minutes a day together.

Every day, when Dave left Kurt at his house, Dave would ask a question about Kurt to get some sort of detail that he hadn't known before. So far, he knew that Kurt's favorite color was blue, favorite movie was Casper, favorite food was cheese pizza, loved listening to his mom's music, and he was very particular about his clothes. In return, Kurt knew that Dave's favorite color was orange, favorite movie was Jumanji, favorite food was nachos, mostly listened to the music on the radio, and his favorite shoes were his light up sneakers. There was so much more that Dave had learned about Kurt, not just through the question game they seemed to be playing, but by paying attention to Kurt. At school, when they walked, the things Kurt talked about. He learned that Kurt had an affinity for history, and Kurt was actually kind of athletic, but wasn't a show-off about it.

"Hi honey! Hi there, Dave!" Kurt's mom called from the front door as the boys approached the gate one day. Dave's eyes widened in surprise, but he said hello anyway. He hadn't yet met Kurt's mom all of this time, or even seen her, but she was really pretty. From this distance, anyway.

"Hi mom!" Kurt called before turning back to Dave. "See you tomorrow?"

Kurt's mom was crossing the yard, heading towards them now. "Maybe you'd like to come in and play with Kurt for a while?"

"Um," Dave wasn't sure what to say as he looked between Kurt and Kurt's mom. Hey, their eyes looked the same. Actually, Kurt looked a lot like his mom. Well, not now, because while she was smiling and looked sweet, Kurt looked scared. "I-I'd have to ask my mom."

By Kurt's widened eyes, Dave could tell that Kurt was surprised. Did he want to play with Dave or didn't he? Dave wasn't sure.

"Of course. Come back and let us know, alright?" Kurt's mom said, pulling Kurt close to her side and gently rubbing his arm. Man, they really looked a lot alike. He had her eyes, her nose, and the little freckles across his nose like she did. She wasn't tall, either, and rather skinny. He'd never seen Kurt's dad, but he would guess that Kurt didn't look too much like his dad.

"Uh-huh." Dave nodded. He took off as they started for the house. Kurt's mom just invited him to play with Kurt. At Kurt's house. He would be playing with Kurt. For the first time ever. What would they do? Would they watch a movie? Would they play soldiers? No, he couldn't see Kurt playing soldiers. He burst through his front door, panting for breath as he slammed it shut behind him, dropping his backpack onto the floor and running through the house. She was never in the same place, it seemed.

"Mom!" He said, as he found her in the laundry room. She looked up at him from the towel she was folding, eyebrows drawn together in confusion. "Can I go to my friend's house?"

"Be back by dark." Dave didn't need any more of answer than that before he was out the door and racing back over to Kurt's house. He couldn't believe that he was going to play at Kurt Hummel's house. They were friends, sure, but they'd never done this before. This was the very first time he'd ever get to go in Kurt's house. He was thrilled, and maybe a little worried. What if Kurt's parents didn't like him? What if Kurt didn't really even want to play with Dave?

He knocked on the door, still trying to catch his breath. Kurt answered, tugging the door open and stepping back to let Dave in as he asked, "That was so fast! Did you run all that way?"

"Uh-huh." Dave nodded, gasping. Elizabeth came into the room, wiping her hands on a dishtowel.

"I've got snacks and drinks in here, boys. Come on."

"C'mon!" Kurt said, grabbing Dave's arm and dragging him into the kitchen. Dave was rather surprised, considering they usually avoided any sort of physical contact. He liked it, all the same. He was, quite literally, getting closer to Kurt.

The two of them munched on chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk in the kitchen,while Elizabeth asked Dave questions to try and get to know him. Dave was rather quiet, for the most part, but Elizabeth made him feel easy, and before he knew it, he was talking a mile a minute, laughing and giggling with Kurt and Elizabeth. Kurt seemed to have a close relationship with his mother, something Dave lacked with his own. It wasn't that he didn't love her, but she just always seemed more occupied with other things.

"So what are you boys going to do today?" Elizabeth asked, resting her chin on her hand.

"Can we play outside?" Kurt pleaded.

"Sure. Just make sure you have something warm on. It's getting pretty cold out there. I'll call you in." Elizabeth told him, ruffling his hair. He giggled as he straightened it out, getting to his feet.

Kurt tugged Dave along, and Dave got the feeling that Kurt was probably a little bossy, but it didn't bother him one bit. He found that he was usually pretty good at doing what others told him. Dave pulled on his coat as Kurt wrapped himself in a scarf. Elizabeth came in after them, taking Kurt's scarf and wrapping it so that it completely covered his face. He could hear Kurt's muffled giggle, and it made him feel all warm. He so rarely heard Kurt giggle like that. Kurt tugged the scarf down over his face, grinning up at Elizabeth as she kissed his forehead. Dave felt a pang of jealousy but suppressed it. He could have that with his mother if he tried.

Kurt had a swing and a sandbox in his backyard, as well as a treehouse. They decided to skip the sandbox, not wanting to get sand all through their clothes. Kurt decided to show Dave his treehouse,which Dave was genuinely interested in. He had one of his own, something that had taken a long time, because his dad worked so much. Still, he found that he liked Kurt's treehouse as well. It was very simple, and it didn't seem to house much of anything. A sleeping bag and a box of toys. Dave searched through the toys, pulling out a couple of plastic swords.

"Wanna play?" He asked Kurt, holding a sword out.

"Sure," Kurt said, grinning. He dug through the box, tugging out a couple more items. "You need these."

He handed Dave an eyepatch, and Dave couldn't help but giggle. He had gone as a pirate for Halloween the year before, and he wondered if Kurt had ever gone as a pirate. He must have, if he had these things laying around. Or maybe he just really liked pirates. He put the eyepatch on and looked at Kurt. Kurt grinned and placed a pirate hat on top of his head.

"Now all you need is a peg leg, a crutch, and a parrot and you could be Long John Silver. Except it was usually a gun for him." Kurt said, giggling. Dave wasn't sure why it surprised him so much that Kurt knew who Long John Silver was. The surprise must have shown on his face, because Kurt quickly explained. "My dad reads me stories before bed. Treasure Island is one of my favorites."

"So if I'm Long John Silver, does that make you Jim?" Dave asked.

"Hmm. We have to be on opposite sides or else this is no fun. So, yes. I'm Jim." Kurt answered. Dave grinned, taking a defensive stance as he wielded his sword. Kurt grinned as he backed away from Dave, holding his sword out as to block Dave's sudden thrust. Dave wondered if Kurt ever played pirates with anyone else. He had never met any girls who were interested in pirates, and he knew that Kurt didn't have many boy friends, so it only seemed logical that he hadn't. Perhaps his parents?

He did know one thing, though. If Kurt's squeals and giggles were any indication, he was having a good deal of fun playing with Dave. If you had asked Dave at the beginning of the year whether or not he'd ever play with the scrawny boy with the bright blue-green eyes, he'd have probably said no. But he couldn't really imagine not being friends with Kurt now, even if their friendship was rather limited. He liked Kurt a lot, and as long as Kurt was okay with keeping their friendship a secret, then he wanted to be friends with Kurt.

The sky was beginning to grow dark by the time Elizabeth called the boys in, and Dave suddenly remembered that he was supposed to be home before it got dark. All the same, he couldn't say no when Elizabeth offered the both of them hot chocolate to warm them up after playing in the cold for so long. Kurt talked excitedly about how they had played pirates, Dave as Long John and he as Jim Hawkins. Elizabeth had just giggled and ruffled their hair. Dave grinned into his mug of hot chocolate, trying not to make it so apparent that he really liked being treated so kindly by someone he barely knew.

Realizing that it was only growing darker, Dave reluctantly gulped down the rest of his hot chocolate and pulled on his coat once again. Kurt walked with Dave to the door, stepping outside without a jacket on. Dave frowned and said, "You're gonna freeze."

"Nuh uh."

"Whatever."

"Today was fun."

"Uh-huh." Dave nodded, smiling at Kurt. He didn't care what anyone else said; Kurt Hummel was fun to play with. And he didn't just like girl stuff, like everybody thought. Dave was glad to find that they at least had a little in common.

"You wanna come over again sometime?" Kurt asked, trying not to sound too hopeful. He didn't really have many friends, did he? The thought made Dave sad. If people would just take the time to get to know Kurt a little bit, they'd see how cool he was.

"Sure." Dave said, grinning. Kurt's face lit up, as though he really didn't believe that Dave would want to.

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye Kurt!" Dave said, running through Kurt's yard for home. Dave knew that he was probably going to get in a bit of trouble because the streetlights were already on, but he couldn't really bring himself to care. He had so much fun with Kurt and staying a little longer for the hot chocolate had just made the day even more awesome. He was going to have to spend more time with Kurt.

Dave did end up spending more time with Kurt outside of school. He went over to Kurt's house at least three times a week. Seeing Dave standing at his front door never failed to make Kurt smile. Kurt still didn't have much in the way of friends, but spending time with Dave made him feel less lonely. If he really had to be honest, he'd have to say that Dave was his best friend. It felt weird to call Dave his best friend. It was like they both led double lives. At school, they were enemies. Dave was the bully, Kurt was the victim. Outside of school, they were close friends, spending a great amount of time together. Dave and Kurt's parents had even gotten together a couple of times, seeing as their boys were spending so much time together.

The biggest problem that they had faced all year was in February, when it came time for Dave to have a birthday party. Kurt knew that he wouldn't be invited, but it still stung when he overheard other kids talking about going to Dave's. They'd fought for a few days about it, and then Kurt had given Dave the silent treatment. The worst part for Kurt was that he couldn't even explain to his mother why he hadn't been invited. He had just told her that he and Dave weren't friends anymore and he wasn't going.

Still, he bought Dave a birthday present and gave it to him when Dave came over the following week. A silly one, but Dave had loved it anyway. Or had seemed to. It was a little stuffed parrot, which Dave had immediately named "Captain Flint", just as Kurt had suspected he would. Dave had told him that of all the presents he got, Kurt's was the best. Kurt couldn't stop grinning after that.

When Kurt's birthday came about in the following April, he had decided that he really only wanted to spend it with his parents and Dave. He wasn't really good friends with the other kids, so it would just feel kind of awkward having them all over for his birthday. Instead, he opted to have the three people closest to him there. He decided to have the birthday party on the weekend, so that Dave could sleep over. It was a big deal for the both of them because even though they'd been spending so much time together, this would be the first time they'd ever had a sleepover together.

Kurt was beyond excited when that Friday finally rolled around. He didn't really have activities planned, because he and Dave usually just did whatever they felt like doing. His mom had even given him permission to stay up all night watching movies with Dave, if he wanted. She'd bought soda and popcorn, and she had even made some snacks for the occasion. That wasn't even counting the cake and ice cream that they'd all have earlier that evening.

Dave had brought his sleeping bag along with him, though both doubted that he'd use it. He was pretty sure that the two of them would pass out in his bed while watching Power Rangers or something. Still, it didn't hurt to have it just in case. Some boys didn't like sharing a bed, but Kurt was pretty sure he and Dave wouldn't really have a problem with it. They were just boys after all.

Kurt rushed to the door as soon as he heard the knock, hardly able to keep himself from bouncing around. His first sleepover! Burt had just grinned and rolled his eyes as he came up behind Kurt, inviting Dave inside. Dave had met Burt back in the winter, around Christmas when he had taken Kurt and Dave sledding. Kurt remembered Dave whispering to him that his dad was scary-looking. Kurt had only giggled, rolling his eyes. He'd never really thought his dad was scary-looking. He was jut kind of a big teddy bear, if anything.

"Kurt, take Dave's stuff back to your room, okay?" Burt said, pulling Dave toward the kitchen. Kurt nodded, picking up Dave's stuff and toting it back to his room. He set the bag down on his bed, smiling to himself. He actually had a friend over for his birthday. He had never realized just how lonely he was until he'd gotten into school. Even more so when he started spending time with Dave. He was kind of hungry for Dave's friendship, even if he had been so cautious in building it up. He had good reason to be hesitant, in his opinion.

Kurt headed back into the living room, and then remembered seeing his dad and Dave go back into the kitchen. In the kitchen, he just found his mom getting the cake out. Where had those two gone? He asked, "Where's dad and Dave?"

"Oh, out in the garage, I think." His mother said, waving a hand. Kurt's brows furrowed in confusion, but he turned and left the room, heading out into the garage. He gasped, freezing with his hand still on the doorknob.

"You got me a new bike!" He squealed as ran forward, gripping one of the handles. His mother chuckled from behind him, and Burt just laughed has he ruffled Kurt's hair. Kurt straightened his hair, looking over at Dave, who was just grinning. Dave had gotten a new bike for his birthday as well, and he wondered if maybe their parents had planned it.

"You like it, kid?" Burt asked.

"Yes! It's perfect!" Kurt cried, climbing onto the seat and testing it out. He was definitely going to have to convince Dave to go on a bike ride soon, though the excited look on Dave's face said that he wouldn't have much convincing to do.

"Your dad wanted to get you a red one, but I made him find a blue one." Elizabeth said from the doorway. Kurt grinned up at his mother, grateful. If it weren't for her, his dad would never know what to get him.

"Thanks dad." Kurt said, climbing off of his bike and wrapping his arms around his dad. Then he went to his mother, wrapping his arms around her tighter as he said, "Thanks mom." He looked up at her, resting his chin on her stomach as she smiled down at him, gently stroking her hair.

"Only the best for our little boy." His mom told him, and he gave her a squeeze before turning back to face his dad and Dave.

"Who's ready for cake?" Burt asked, rubbing his hands together. Dave and Kurt both gave excited yells, and Elizabeth laughed softly. Burt smiled widely at Elizabeth, his eyes sparkling with both laughter and love. She ushered the boys inside and gave Burt a kiss on the cheek before closing the door behind him. She followed the boys into the kitchen and found them standing over the cake, giggling about the icing spiderwebs. Kurt was in a bit of a Spiderman phase, and they were having one of their friendly arguments over whether or not Spiderman was better than Batman. Batman was Dave's favorite superhero.

"Alright boys," Elizabeth said, leaning over them to place the candles on the cake while Burt hunted in one of the drawers for a lighter.

"Aha! Can't hide from me..." Elizabeth rolled her eyes as the boys broke out into laughter. They found it funny whenever Burt talked to inanimate objects, which he assured they would probably do as well someday. Kurt often commented that he talked to his Playstation 2 when it wasn't working right for him. Elizabeth liked to say that he was going to grow up to be as strange as his father. Kurt didn't mind that. He loved his dad.

Kurt bounced on his heels as Burt lit the candles and Elizabeth shut off the kitchen lights. Dave slung an arm around Kurt's shoulders as he sang Happy Birthday to him, and Kurt could feel his mother's hand gently stroking his hair. As Kurt glanced around the kitchen at the people singing to him, Kurt felt like everything was right. Everything was perfect. He didn't hesitate as the song ended and it was time for him to make a wish. The wish was already there, something he didn't even think about. He wished that he and Dave would be best friends forever.

Later in the evening, after much sugar, soda, and jumping on furniture around the house as they pretended the floor was lava, Kurt and Dave were nestled under the covers on Kurt's bed, watching The Flinstones. They hadn't really wanted to watch any more movies, and when they'd turned to one of the cartoon channels, they found The Flinstones on. They were both fighting sleep, desperately trying to keep their drooping eyelids open. Neither of them wanted the night to end. Neither wanted to fall asleep.

"Hey Kurt?" Dave said quietly.

"Hmm?" Kurt asked sleepily, forcing his eyes open again.

"What did you wish for?" Dave asked. When Kurt didn't answer right away, he knew that Dave probaby thought he fell asleep. He wasn't sure if he should tell Dave. Firstly, telling wishes meant they wouldn't come true. Secondly, he didn't know if Dave would feel the same way about the wish as he did.

"Don't you know you're not supposed to tell or it won't come true?" Kurt finally answered.

"I don't believe in that stuff." Dave told him, turning on his side to face Kurt. Kurt raised an eyebrow and turned on his side so that he and Dave were almost nose to nose.

"Then why are you asking me what I wished for?" Kurt asked.

"I just wanna know." Dave answered, yawning.

"I wished that we would be friends forever." Kurt said, and Dave smiled sleepily. Kurt smiled back, taking Dave's reaction as a good thing. He hadn't expected Dave to shove him out of the bed and tell him to go away or anything. It wasn't like he could anyway, because Kurt was sleeping on the inside and there was a wall behind him.

"I hope we are." Dave said after a while. Kurt was half-asleep by that time, so he didn't bother opening his eyes, but he did smile. Maybe they would be.

The last couple of months of school went by more quickly than the boys wanted it to, and their kindergarten graduation was upon them in no time. They both felt relieved to know that they were continuing on to the first grade. They didn't yet know if they would be in the same class next year, but they'd find out sometime at the end of the summer. Neither of them were too worried about school, though.

Summer was finally here, which meant longer days and no school nights. It meant swimming trunks and sprinklers and water guns. It meant bike rides and playing at the park. Barbecues and roasting marshmallows. Camping with their parents. Sleeping in the treehouse. Playing on Dave's trampoline.

Summer was their favorite, and for most of it, they were nearly inseparable. Even when Dave's parents decided to take a vacation up to the dunes in Lake Michigan, Kurt was allowed to come along, and when Kurt's parents decided to take him to King's Island, they let Dave come along, figuring it might be more fun for him if he had a friend along. The best part about summer was that they didn't have to pretend to be enemies at school. There was less of a strain on their friendship, less fights, and they both were considerably happier. While they were looking forward to being first graders, they thoroughly enjoyed their summer.

Summer was their time.