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“Talk to you later.”
Kurt watched, his breath held until the door to Breadstix clicked close behind Dave. Watching the boy’s blurry silhouette fade into the parking lot, he let out a small sigh, his heart aching. He felt a familiar pull, as if he were standing on the creaky floorboards of the gymnasium, alone for a second time.
Turning his attention back to the table in front of him, back to -- Nick, was it? -- Kurt frowned, almost in a grimace. The other boy stared back at him, his eyebrows raised in mock, and a shit-eating grin pulling at the corner of his mouth. This only caused Kurt’s heart to spike with an internalized rage, so he blatantly ignored Nick, instead focusing his attention to his date, who was looking between them awkwardly.
“I can assure you, you can do a lot better than bigotry,” Kurt snapped, gesturing to Nick.
She remained silent, yet Nick scoffed in amusement. “You got a problem, buddy?”
Kurt whipped his head around, glaring at the boy. “I’ve dealt with a lot of bullies my life, buddy,” he said, already turning to head back to his own booth. Looking over at the date one last time, who sat awkwardly in her seat, he nodded. “Do yourself a favor, and reconsider.”
Not caring for the impression he left, or the possibility of only confirming this boy’s suspicions, Kurt made his way back to his table, pulling his bag from his seat. Quickly, he fumbled in his wallet for a handful of bills to leave their waitress, and hesitated for a moment before laying them down on the table, then sliding the box of chocolates into the bag. Throwing the strap over his shoulder and tucking his coat under his arm, Kurt hurried towards the exit, not even bothering to give Nick or his date (who had seemingly remained silent) a second look.
As soon as Kurt opened the door, he was hit with the chill of a February night, instantly sending goosebumps up along his arm. Pulling his jacket closer to his chest, he squinted, searching the parking lot. He had assumed Dave had hightailed out of the area, but let out a small sigh of relief when he caught sight of the boy’s truck, still dark for all but a single inside light, just a few rows down.
Crossing the lot, Kurt cautiously walked towards the truck, eyeing it for any sign of sudden ignition. The air around him was still, likely the calm before whatever storm Sugar’s party was sure to bring. The thought of running into one of his friends in the next few moments led to Kurt picking up his feet a bit more, hoping to reach the boy’s car before any other issue arose.
Eventually Kurt made it to the back of the truck, and walked around the bed towards the passenger door. His eyes scanned through the windows as he moved closer, barely making out the shape of Dave in the front seat, slumped over his steering wheel. Kurt realized the boy was unaware of his presence, and gently tapped at the passenger window.
Dave sat up suddenly, his eyes wide as he turned to look at where Kurt was looking back at him. Kurt offered a small, sad smile, which was met with a visible sigh from Dave. Dave hit the lock on his door, unlocking Kurt’s. Kurt paused for a moment, unsure of what he was about to enter into, but he eventually pulled on the handle, opening the door. Slowly, Kurt slid up into the seat, pulling the door closed behind him, leaving the pair in an even more deafening silence than the outside world.
They sat silently for a few moments, Kurt watching only Dave’s hands as they returned to the steering wheel, gripping just a little too hard. Kurt dropped his graze, crossing his own hands in his lap, and licked his lips nervously.
“I didn’t thank you,” he started, fumbling with his fingers.
A beat. “For what?” Dave asked, his voice cracking ever so slightly. The ache returned to Kurt’s heart.
Kurt pulled his hands apart, instead reaching for his bag, where he pulled out the decorative box. “For this,” he said, playing with the satin bow. Turning his head, he offered a shrug, which hung heavy on his shoulders. “For this week.”
Dave huffed, almost in some sort of melancholy, quiet laugh. “You shouldn’t. It was stupid-”
“It wasn’t stupid,” Kurt quickly replied, but was talked over.
“- You have a boyfriend.”
The last word hit Kurt’s ears like a bolt of lightning. They were sharp, and held such a strong emotion in both Dave’s voice, but also in Kurt’s entire body. His stomach dropped, realizing the word had not been a good feeling for either of them.
Taken aback by his own sudden reaction, Kurt had to pause and recollect, planning his response carefully, yet he struggled to shake the feeling of… dread? Regret?
Letting out a sigh, and unsure of what was the right thing to say, Kurt stilled his hands, and turned his head to look at Dave. Dave’s eyes were locked on the wheel in front of him, his knuckles tense and white as his thumbs nervously trailed along the textured material. Kurt could see a glimmer of anger in his eyes, but it was more of pure misery than hate. Unfortunately, it was something Kurt had grown familiar with in the last year and a half.
As Kurt fought back his own emotions, Dave just shook his head. “Like I said, it was stupid. I don’t know what I was thinking, even if-” he stopped, letting his grip loosen before letting out his own sigh. “I don’t know,” he finished, his eyes dropping to his lap.
Kurt, without thinking, reached out to lay his hand on one of Dave’s. “David, stop.”
Immediately, Dave’s body tensed, causing Kurt to draw his hand away slightly, now only his fingertips grazing the boy’s knuckles. But after a moment, Dave’s shoulders drooped, and Kurt could feel the slight raise below his hand as Dave silently asked for the return of contact. Kurt’s entire chest now clenched at the realization, and he instinctively lowered his hand, pulling Dave’s down with it. His fingers clutched gently around Dave’s palm, which was eventually returned with a soft squeeze.
The tension in the silence broke, and instead was filmed with a familiar melancholy yet comfortable air. They sat silent for a few moments, Dave’s thumb lightly brushing along Kurt’s knuckles, clearly without a conscious thought.
It took a few more seconds for Kurt to speak, but he eventually swallowed, watching Dave’s hand mindlessly play with his.
“This was an incredible week,” he started, careful with his words. “Really. I was spoiled. And it wasn’t because of my b…” he trailed off suddenly, the word still ringing in his ears. “It wasn’t from Blaine. This week was from you.”
Dave’s hand stilled, suddenly aware of his movements, yet the soft grip remained.
Kurt continued, though suddenly missing the more intimate touch along his hand. “The thought, and the effort you put into all of this… it really made me feel special. And loved,” he said, almost choking on the last word. He could hear Dave’s breath still on it as well, somehow making it through his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. “And I know what I said inside, but I also know what I felt every time I opened my locker, or when I was handed something from an underclassman, or what I thought of before I went to bed every night.”
Dave had lifted his head throughout Kurt’s monologuing, turning to search Kurt’s face for something. Kurt could practically feel the other’s eyes burning paths across his skin. Kurt waited, then finally lifting his own head to match Dave’s gaze, which instantly locked on his. Another moment of silence hung between them, Kurt watching Dave’s emotions swirl throughout his eyes.
“I need some time,” he finally said, watching as Dave’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Kurt shook his head softly, dropping his eyes back to the pair’s clasped hands. “I need to figure out how to deal with things that have been building up for a while. So I don’t… I want to come back to this. I don’t want this to go away without being at least talked about.” He looked back up at Dave, hoping the other would understand.
Dave’s brow remained pulled tight, but as Kurt looked back up, he could see his mind working to piece Kurt’s words together. Eventually, his expression broke, and slowly morphed into one of slight shock, but the confusion lingered still. Kurt could see his point was made, but remained unexpected to Dave.
Realizing Dave was not about to speak, Kurt’s mouth parted slightly as he prepared to continue. “And I know you need some time to work out your own things. So can we… can we just wait and see?”
After what felt like years had passed, Dave nodded slowly, yet his eyes still searched Kurt’s face for any hidden emotion. In an act of reassurance, Kurt pulled their hands apart, only for a moment before lacing his fingers between Dave’s larger ones. Only then did Dave’s anxieties fade from his face, every muscle on his face relaxing. He nodded again, this time genuinely understanding and agreeing.
And when Kurt gave a small smile, he was finally met with one in return.