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Dave was watching several attendants look at the displays, making sure nobody touched them or tried to steal them.
He smiled at a family that was explaining the display to their children. The kids stared at the display in awe and amazement at the display. Dave giggled and went back to his job.
At break time, Dave was sitting with Jacob Rose and Sam Turner. They were eating lunch and talking.
"And that's how Ellie and I got in trouble with our parents for flooding the house," Jacob said proudly.
Sam and Dave laughed, "Oh my gosh. If it were my parents, I would not be here," Sam laughed.
"Luckily, I never done that when I was a kid," Dave said as he ate his sandwich.
"Well, my sister and I were terrors when we were kids," Jacob took a drink of his water while the other two kept eating.
"And there was this one with Ellie," Jacob continued, Dave listened as Sam contributed to the conversation.
Dave finished his sandwich as his phone buzzed. He checked his phone, and he blushed. Sam and Jacob noticed this. They leaned into him and gave him a sly smile.
"Is that your boyfriend?" Jacob teased.
Dave's face was burning, "No! He's just a friend that I used to work with..." he looked down at his phone, "A friend that I have a crush on,"
Sam and Jacob said "Ooooooh," in unison.
"Who is this friend?" Sam asked.
"His name is Rupert Price," Dave replied, "We used to be coworkers on the police force,"
"Oh I heard about him from my sister," Jacob said, "She told me that he is prickly and prone to anger issues,"
Sam and Dave cringed. He wasn't wrong though. For as long as Dave knew him, Rupert Price isn't exactly the most friendly person. He was prickly, cocky, grumpy, and sometimes a bragger. Rupert is an asshole with a hidden heart of gold. But... Rupert does have violent outbursts and it's hard to control his anger. Dave figured Rupert didn't grow up properly and didn't have a good childhood.
"I know he has anger issues," Dave defended, "He's working on it,"
"Hey, Dave calm down," Sam said as they put a hand on his shoulder, "We're not making fun of him. We want to make you're ok,"
"Yeah," Jacob added, "We're looking out for you,"
"I know," Dave said, smiling. He's glad that he has friends who care about him.
"Tsk,"
Everyone turned their heads to find Kurt Dietrich leaning against the open door to the breakroom. He did not look happy.
"What are you guys talking about?" Kurt asked as he stepped inside the breakroom, he went to the refrigerator to get his lunch.
"About Dave's crush," Jacob answered, smirking. Dave was blushing.
"Ugh," Kurt replied, annoyed.
Kurt didn't say anything as he sat at a table a few feet away from Dave and the others. He ate in silence while Dave and the others watched him. Dave frowned. On Dave's first day on the job, every security guard warned him about Kurt Dietrich. Kurt Dietrich is known to be a grumpy coworker who prefers to be alone. Of course, Dave was assigned to Kurt as his partner.
Kurt hates his job and will grumble when someone, e.g., Dave talks too much. Kurt also has a reputation for being a prickly character, which reminds Dave of a certain onyx, bushy-haired soldier. Kurt was also a jerk—a bigger jerk than any other. Dave made a mental note when Rupert visited the museum to keep him and Kurt away from each other.
"Hey, you know how he is," Sam said.
"Just ignore him," Jacob added.
"Okay," Dave said.
The rest of the day went like usual for Dave. Telling patrons where to go, stopping rowdy kids, making sure no one steals anything, and taking breaks. Once the museum was closed every security guard was at their post for the night shift. Dave and Kurt were at their usual post, the WW2 section.
Dave and Kurt were talking while guarding the WW2 section. Well... Dave was talking and Kurt was listening or contributing little to the conversation. Dave knew Kurt wasn't a bug talker and knew Kurt found him annoying.
Kurt grumbled as Dave kept talking, "Does he ever stop talking?" he thought as he heard Dave talk about the other coworkers.
"Hey, Kurt?" Dave said tentatively, "I will be right back,"
"Ja," Kurt said in his German accent. He breathed a mental sigh of relief, "Finally,"
Dave was gone for a few minutes which made Kurt happy. Dave came back after those few minutes, he was carrying a pink box. He opened the box to reveal there were donuts. He grabbed a donut and held it out.
"Do you want a donut, Kurt?" Dave asked politely.
Kurt crossed his arms and grumbled, "I don't like sweets," he answered, annoyed.
"Oh no! This awkward," Dave thought.
"I'm sorry," Dave apologized, "Back at my old workplace, my friends and I enjoyed eating donuts. You remind me of my best friend, Rupert Price,"
Kurt took note that Dave's face was red when he mentioned Rupert Price, "Rupert is like you except he loves sweets, especially donuts," Dave continued face still red.
"Tsk, whatever," Kurt said, "Do you have feelings for Rupert?"
Dave nearly choked on the donut he was eating, he glanced at Kurt with wide. He swallowed and laughed sheepishly, "How do you know?"
"Your face was red when you mentioned his name, genius,"
"Oh...right,"
"Does he know about your feelings toward him?" Kurt questioned seriously.
Dave bowed his head but brought it back up, "No... I haven't told him yet,"
Kurt sighed, and he closed his eyes. "When are you going to tell him?"
"I'm not sure," Dave was wondering why Kurt cared so much about this.
"If you tell him you guys will get together right?" Kurt said, uncrossing his arms to stand in front of Dave.
Dave blinked as his face went bright red, "Uh...yeah," he replied.
"What if he doesn't return your feelings?"
"What?" Dave asked, his mind blank when hearing the question.
"I said what if he doesn't return your feelings?" Kurt asked, exasperated, "What if he only sees you as a friend? Not everything can be like those romance movies, Dave. You have to be realistic about this,"
Dave's eyes widened in anger, "Wha- What are you talking about?!"
Dave went up to Kurt who seemed surprised to see Dave was angry, "T-That's not true! I know life isn't like a romance book but I'm being realistic about this!"
Kurt was about to say something but Dave wouldn't let him, "We have been close friends for a while so I know I won't get rejected. He cares about me as much I care about him!"
Kurt's eyes widened at Dave's ranting, "He's being realistic? I don't think so," he thought.
"The only reason you're saying that is because no one wants you!" Dave continued, "You're a jerk and a grumpy person is mad at everything for no dang reason! Do yourself a favor and mind your business!"
Dave left a stunned Kurt alone. Kurt's face was red and he clenched his fists in anger.
"That brat... that fucking brat!" Kurt raged internally, "Who the hell does he think he is?! Shouting at me like! I was telling him to be realistic, he didn't need to get so angry at me. He's a dummkopf,"
Dave and Kurt didn't speak to each other for the rest of the night.
The next few days were tense for Dave and Kurt. Dave was still mad at Kurt and Kurt was mad at Dave. Sam, Jacob, and the other guards noticed their anger and made sure to keep them apart.
Dave was walking to meet Rupert and his friends at a cafe. He had the day off and he wanted to hang out with Rupert. Rupert invited him to hang out with his friends. Dave was wearing casual clothing. He found the cafe and went inside. He looked around to find Rupert. He spotted Rupert sitting near the window. Rupert saw him and waved at him. Blushing, Dave went over to him.
When he got to the table, he saw a pilot with red headphones, a red-haired girl, and a familiar thief. He sat down next to the open seat next to Rupert.
"Hi, Dave," Rupert said, "Glad you came to make it,"
He pointed to the other three sitting at the table, "Let me introduce you to my friends here; The one with the red headphones is Charles Calvin and he's a pilot. The red-haired one is Ellie Rose and she used to be a former criminal. And you know Henry Stickmin,"
Dave saw Henry waving at him nervously, he couldn't blame Henry for being nervous. Henry Stickmin had an infamous reputation for being a thief. He tried to steal the Tunisian Diamond from the museum where he works. Dave was wondering what's he doing with Rupert Price. Rupert Price was a cop and so was he. They've both arrested Henry many times. Henry even indirectly escaped from jail because of Dave which Dave got fired from. That's how he came to work at the museum.
"Hi, Dave!" Charles and Ellie said in unison.
"Hello," Dave said happily.
"So what's been going on with you, Dave?" Rupert asked.
"Uh same old same old with the security job," Dave replied, still blushing.
"That's good,"
"Hey, Dave. Do you have any stories of when Rupert worked in the police force?" Ellie asked, smirking making Rupert's face go pink.
"Uh I do," Dave answered.
"Oh, I have something to say to Dave," Henry signed.
"What is it?"
"Dave, I'm so sorry for costing your job and stuff," Henry apologized.
Dave blinked, "Oh... it's okay. I forgive you. I got a new job so everything worked out," he replied.
Henry smiled.
Everyone got their drinks and food, and they happily chatted away while eating their food. While Rupert was talking, Dave was becoming enamored with him. He was falling harder and harder for Rupert. However, Dave was so busy paying attention to Rupert that he didn't notice Henry's annoyed look at him. What Dave doesn't know is that Rupert and Henry are in a relationship. Charles and Ellie know about their relationship, but Dave doesn't.
A few days later, Dave and Kurt had the night shift again.
They still weren't speaking to each other. Usually, Kurt would be overjoyed to have silence from Dave but not this time. He missed Dave talking to him. They stood a few feet from each other in silence. Kurt kept staring at Dave while Dave blatantly ignored him. After a few minutes of staring at Dave, he inhaled and exhaled. He swallowed his pride.
"Dave, I need to talk to you," Kurt said.
Dave stared at Kurt with a hard look, "About what?" he said coldly.
"I want to apologize,"
"..."
Dave went up to him and crossed his arms.
"I'm sorry for making you mad," Kurt apologized, "I know that was mean and I was being a jerk,"
Dave's eyes widened, he was in shock. He never heard Kurt apologize for being a jerk.
Kurt waited for Dave's response, he looked everywhere but Dave.
Dave looked down, "I... I'm sorry too,"
Kurt glanced at Dave quickly, "What?" he said, did he misheard him?
"I'm sorry for calling you a jerk," Dave repeated, "I know I shouldn't have,"
Oh.
He did hear him correctly.
Dave apologizing to him?
Kurt's face went red and rubbed his head awkwardly, "It's okay, I deserved to be called that,"
"Yeah, you did,"
Kurt and Dave started to laugh. They laughed for a few seconds, then went quiet. Kurt cleared his throat, "Sooo... did you tell him yet?"
Dave blinked in confusion, "Nope," he bowed his head down.
"Tsk. You better do or else somebody might make a move on him,"
"Yeah..."
Kurt was about to say something else when their boss called them to their office. They went to the office full of anxiety. They had a million thoughts on what the boss wanted them for, all of which were full of bad scenarios. However, their overthinking was messing with them. The boss wanted to tell them to take the rest of the night off. They left the museum and started walking.
"That's nice of him to give us the rest of the night off," Dave commented.
"Ja," Kurt replied.
They kept walking till they to the busy part of the town. The town was bustling with its residents and stores were open to customers looking for clothes, food, or other necessities. Kurt and Dave kept walking till Dave spotted a store filled with sweets. He stopped to look at the display window in awe, Kurt noticed Dave was by his side. He searched for Dave when he spotted him at a store, looking at a display window.
He went up to him, he saw that Dave was looking at sweets. He shook his head and sighed.
"Whatcha doing?" Kurt questioned, though he knew the answer.
"I'm thinking of getting a gift for Rupert and I can confess my feelings for him," Dave replied.
Dave headed inside while Kurt followed him. Dave was looking for what kind of sweets he should buy for Rupert as Kurt watched him. He stumbled upon chocolates, he smiled as he picked up the box. "Perfect," he said as he walked to the counter to pay for the chocolates.
The cashier rang up his item and Dave and Kurt left the shop.
"Do you think he will like it?" Dave asked. They were at a park.
"I don't know," Kurt replied, "Does he like chocolate?"
"If he loves sweets, especially donuts, then he will love chocolate,"
"Hmm,"
"It also doesn't matter if he does or doesn't," Dave explained, "When I tell him how I feel, it will be all worth it,"
Kurt looked around while Dave was on cloud nine, Kurt spotted several people in the park. Couples on a date, people biking, people jogging, etc. His gaze landed on one particular couple but the couple seemed familiar to Kurt. Kurt was trying to figure out where he had seen this couple before, and then he remembered the photos and the thief who tried to rob the museum.
He saw Rupert Price and Henry Stickmin sitting on a bench. Looking at the sky. They were sitting close. Sitting way too close to be friends or acquaintances. Dave noticed Kurt wasn't paying attention to him.
"Kurt?" Dave said, Kurt glanced over at Dave, his eyes were wide in shock. Dave was confused and looked where Kurt was looking at.
"Mein Gott! No, Dave, you shouldn't loo-" Kurt tried to stop Dave but it was too late, Dave saw Rupert and Henry leaning in for a kiss and he saw them kissed.
Dave felt his heart shatter into a million pieces and his face went red in embarrassment. He stood in shock and numbness. Kurt quietly went up to him, he put his hands on his shoulders.
"Dave?" Kurt said tentatively, "Dave, are you-"
"Congratulations! You were r-right," Dave exclaimed, shoving the chocolates into Kurt's chest. Kurt grabbed the chocolates as Dave started crying, Kurt threw them on the floor to comfort him.
"Oi... let's go, Dave," Kurt said softly as he led them out of the park, leaving the chocolates on the ground.
The next couple of days were hard for Dave and Kurt. Dave was hurting and Kurt had to watch a heartbroken Dave be miserable. Dave kept working to try to forget about his pain, but Kurt had to make sure he was okay. Sam and Jacob noticed that their shy friend was acting depressed. They confronted Kurt about it but he told them it wasn't his fault this time and only told them his heart got broken.
One night, Dave was leaning against a pole. He was still feeling depressed about Rupert. Kurt didn't like seeing Dave like this. He hated it. He missed his talks, he missed Dave's shyness, and he missed when he offered him sweets. Dave was a former shell of himself. Kurt needed to bring him back to his old self but how?
After their night shift was over, Dave was about to leave when a hand stopped him. He turned around to find Kurt stopped him. "C'mon, I want to take you somewhere real quick,"
Dave didn't want to go but with Kurt's insisting look, he reluctantly followed him.
"Before we go to the place I'm taking you, let's stop at a gas station," Kurt said.
Dave nodded and they went to the gas station. Kurt went inside while Dave stayed outside. Dave waited a few minutes when Kurt came outside with drinks and snacks. He handed Dave a chocolate bar and a drink.
"Uh... thanks," Dave said as he held his snacks.
"You're welcome now let's go," Kurt led the way.
They kept walking till they got to the park, the same park where Dave had his heart broken. Dave wanted to leave but felt his hand being grabbed by Kurt, Kurt gently led him inside the park and sat down on the bench. Dave didn't want to be here. Kurt put his snacks down beside him and put a gentle hand on Dave's shoulders.
"Look... I know it might seem like the end of the world but it's not," Kurt explained gently, "Everyone has their heart broken but they have moved on. It's okay to feel sad,"
Dave listened as he saw his vision start to go blurry, "It will hurt for a while... but eventually you will heal and move on," Kurt finished as he saw tears streaming down his face. Kurt got him into a tight embrace as Dave buried his face into Kurt's uniform and kept sobbing.
Kurt hugged him until he calmed down. Dave ceased his sobbing and lifted his head from Kurt's hug. He wiped his eyes as Kurt opened the chocolate bar and gave it to Dave. Dave took the bar and ate it.
"Feel better?" Kurt questioned as he smiled.
Dave blinked and his face went red like a cherry, he had never seen Kurt smile before. Dave nodded, hiding his face.
Kurt cleared his throat and lifted Dave's chin, "And also... " Kurt's face was red as he leaned in close to Dave's lips, "There will be someone to help you take the pain away,"
Dave felt Kurt's lips and his heart skipped a beat. He closed his eyes and kissed back.
If Dave needed help to heal and move on, Kurt was the one gonna do it.