"My Kurt, tum down!"
"I tan't!"
"Uh-huh. You c'n do it. Jus' ho'd on tight!"
"I-I tan't!"
"You jus' gottsa put you foot on dat yatter an' tum down."
"I tan't! Is too high!"
Blaine was standing at the bottom of a tree, looking up at Ms. Fairy's brand new treehouse. It wasn't very high off the ground. Only three steps on a ladder separated the treehouse from the ground. It seemed like a million miles to Kurt.
He and Blaine had climbed up to play in the treehouse. They were pretending to be pirates, and they were searching for gold. However, once Blaine had said they should get down and swim to the next island, Kurt had glanced over the edge of the treehouse wall and become completely terrified. His mouth had gone dry, and his knees and hands were trembling. Blaine hadn't even noticed until it was too late and he was already on the ground.
Blaine glanced around the play yard for a solution. Ms. Fairy was beside the building, handing out chalk to some of the other kids and talking to Rachel about how she wasn't allowed to get bossy and tell everyone what to do and then cry when they didn't listen to her ideas and plans. He didn't want to leave Kurt alone long enough to go get her himself because he didn't want his friend to be even more scared than he already was. He was going to need help to rescue Kurt.
Glancing around, Blaine spotted Elliot, Nick, and Jeff across the yard in the sandbox, and he yelled to them, "Ewwiot! Jeff! Nick! Tum 'ere, p'ease!"
The other three boys glanced up from what they were doing, looking around for the source of the voice.
"Jeff, Ewwiot, Nick!" Blaine called again, jumping up and down so they would notice him.
"My Bwainers, don' wan' no one else," Kurt said, terrified that he was about to be made fun of for being stuck in the treehouse. "Jus' get Ms. Faiwy."
"I not yeavin' you," Blaine insisted, calling to the three boys once more. "Nick! Jeff! Ewwiot!"
This time, they figured out the voice belonged to Blaine, and they came sprinting over, looks of concern on their faces.
"Yeah?" Nick asked. "Wha' you want?"
"I nee' you get Ms. Faiwy," Blaine explained. "My Kurt stuck in dat tweehouse, an' he tan't tum down acuz hims scareded."
"Bwainers," Kurt moaned, embarrassed.
"No one make fun you, my Kurt," Blaine assured him. "I not gonna yet 'em be mean you." He turned back to the boys, fixing them all with a meaningful glare. "Who gonna go get her?"
"I go," Nick volunteered. "I be wight back." Then he ran off in Ms. Fairy's direction.
"Kurt, you tan tum down," Jeff told him. "We be down here so you don' fall."
"I tan't!" There were tears of frustration and embarrassment leaking out of his eyes. "I tan't. Too taww."
"Um, so you jump?" Jeff suggested.
"Noooooo!"
"You p'ease don' say dat," Blaine told Jeff. "My Kurt is scareded, an' we wait for Ms. Faiwy he'p him. She know wha' do."
Jeff nodded. "Sowwy, Kurt."
Kurt was too upset to respond, so Blaine patted his back comfortingly. "Fanks."
"We waitin' wif you," Elliot told Kurt, giving him a smile. "Nick goed get Ms. Faiwy. You be 'kay."
Kurt merely nodded, hanging onto the railing for dear life.
A few moments later, Nick came sprinting back to the small group of boys, Ms. Fairy in tow. "I getted her," he informed them. "She save you, Kurt!"
"Are you afraid of heights, Kurt?" Ms. Fairy asked as she walked over, giving Kurt a soft, comforting smile. "That's okay. I can help you get down."
"How?" Kurt asked, not wanting to let go of the railing at all lest he fall.
"I'm going to wrap my arms around your legs, and once you feel me holding on nice and tightly, you can let go, and I'll lift you down," Ms. Fairy told him. "I promise that I won't drop you or let you fall. I just need you to be a brave boy and let go."
Kurt nodded, determined that he was going to do as she'd asked. He felt her strong arms wrap around his legs and squeeze just a little, letting him know she was holding on tightly. Except his fingers didn't want to let go of the railing. He was still so afraid that he didn't think he could let go at all. His grip was like iron that didn't want to be wiggled free.
"I've got you, Kurt," Ms. Fairy said softly. "You're not going to fall. As soon as you feel ready, just let go of the railing, and I'll lift you down."
"Pwomise?" he asked.
"I promise," Ms. Fairy answered.
"I give you hug, my Kurt," Blaine called up to him. Kurt had told him lots of times before that hugs made him feel lots better, and he knew Kurt would need one as soon as he got down.
Kurt nodded one more time, took a big breath, squeezed his eyes shut tightly, and let go. As soon as he did, he could feel Ms. Fairy moving, lowering him slowly to the ground. And, to his surprise, he didn't even feel like he was going to fall once.
Once his feet were firmly on the ground, Kurt opened his eyes and made a beeline for Blaine, falling into his hug. "Dat so scawy, my Bwainers," he whispered against his neck. "Don' wike tweehouses." He sniffled pitifully, wiping his tears onto the shoulder of Blaine's shirt as he clung to him for dear life.
"We don' gottsa pway up dere 'gain," Blaine told him sincerely. "We stay down here."
"Fank you," Kurt said, giving his friend an extra big squeeze before stepping back and wiping at his face with his arm.
"Wanna dwaw wif chalk?"
Kurt nodded, following Blaine and Ms. Fairy back to the sidewalk.
The two of them hadn't been drawing for very long when Kurt said, "Fank you for savin' me, my Bwainers. You a supahewo."
"I a'ways save you," Blaine promised. "Acuz I gottsa pa'tect my bestest fwiend supahewo."
"I nodda supahewo," Kurt replied. "I jus' getted scawed. Dats no' what hewoes do."
"You save me yots an' yots," Blaine replied confidently. "You he'p me tyin' my shoes an' dwawin' dis pwince castle. I fink you a good supahewo, my Kurt."
"Wha' you hewo's name is?" Kurt wanted to know.
"Um…" Blaine tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Uh, I be Nightbirb acuz I has hair for fevvers an' I yike to be 'wake at night."
"Otay. My Nightbirb."
"An' you be Bwackbirb acuz you… Um… You… I jus' wike dat name. You wike it, too?"
Kurt nodded. "Uh-huh. I c'n be Bwackbirb."
"Den dose names matches acuz we bof birbs," Blaine pointed out happily.
"We dwaw a birb onna castle?" Kurt asked, pointing to a spot he thought would be perfect for one.
"Yeah!" Blaine cheered. "Dwaw aww da birbs!"
Kurt smiled, getting to work, secretly wondering what or whom Nightbird and Blackbird were going to save next.
