As a White Knight on His Steed - Klaine Edition

I'm Afraid I'm Losing You

Chapter 4 – I'm Afraid I'm Losing You

Summer 2005

Although Kurt sometimes felt that he and Blaine had spent the previous summer more focused on Harry Potter than on horses, they had both managed to pass all of the intermediate tests by the end of their sixth week. Now, they would be in the advanced riding group, and, what was even better, they were both signed up for the entire 9-week summer camp session.

The first week of camp, Kurt recognized most of the boys in their riding group from previous summers, even if he wasn't actually friends with any of them. If he was being honest with himself, Kurt couldn't say he had made any real friends at camp, other than Blaine.

It wasn't that he didn't like the other boys, or that they didn't like him. Everyone was friendly and accepting, and Kurt felt more comfortable being himself at camp than he ever did around his peers at school. It was just that everything Kurt needed in a friend – emotional support, physical closeness, interesting conversation, someone to laugh and goof around with – he had found in Blaine. Kurt had never felt the need to look any further.

Blaine was naturally more outgoing than Kurt. He seemed to form an easy, almost instant friendship with everyone he met. This had never bothered Kurt, because Blaine always made it perfectly clear that Kurt was his best friend. While Blaine might talk and laugh with the other boys, he had never shown any interest in sharing the same closeness with anyone else that he had with Kurt.

That all changed when Harry showed up in their riding group.

Harry was a year older than Kurt and Blaine. He had been around during a few of the same weeks as they had in previous summers, but this was the first time the three of them were in the same group. Kurt vaguely remembered him as an easy-going, friendly boy.

Harry had already spent three weeks in the advanced group the previous summer, and so it made sense that he was able to do things that the other boys could not. During their first riding lesson, Kurt noticed that Blaine couldn't take his eyes off of Harry, watching in awe as the older boy effortlessly guided his horse through flying lead changes. Kurt was impressed as well, of course, but something bothered him about the way Blaine was looking at Harry.

Later, as they un-tacked their horses, Blaine gushed to Kurt, "Isn't Harry amazing? It's so awesome how he makes everything look so easy. I wonder if he could give us any pointers?"

Kurt grunted as he heaved his saddle onto the rack with a little more force than necessary. "Yeah, he's a really good rider," he said flatly.

Blaine didn't seem to notice Kurt's lack of interest in discussing the older boy. He went on and on, praising Harry's skill, his confidence, even commenting on how good he looked in the saddle, with his long legs and graceful posture.

Kurt tried to respond appropriately to everything Blaine was saying, but inside he was feeling smaller and smaller. Harry was a more experienced rider, Harry was older, Harry was taller, and all Kurt heard coming out of Blaine's mouth was that Harry was better in every way than Kurt.

He thought back to when he and Blaine had first met. Then, it had been Kurt who was the more experienced one. It had been Kurt who Blaine looked up to. Was that why Blaine had chosen him as a best friend? And would Blaine now transfer that friendship to Harry?

Lost in his own unhappy thoughts, Kurt almost didn't notice when Harry came up and joined them as they walked toward the pavilion for their Horse Sense class. Blaine certainly noticed, however. He immediately gave Harry a warm greeting, and began complimenting him on his riding skills.