Chapter 13

Around one o'clock, Dave saw Azimio park in front of his house from his bedroom window. He made his way downstairs to greet him as he approached the front door. Az looked tense, his face drooping a bit like a puppy that knew it was about to be punished for chewing up it's master's shoes.

"Hey, Zee. You okay?"

Az met Dave's gaze and, not being able to decide whether he wanted to shake his head or nod, settled on a meek shrug. Dave ushered him inside and upstairs to his bedroom. Once there, he sat down in his computer chair and Az sat on the bed. When Az still didn't say anything, Dave tried again.

"Come on, dude. Obviously something's up. You're freaking me out."

"I, uh, I wanted to apologize."

"For?" Dave was confused.

"For yesterday. For not coming out to dinner with you guys."

"Oh. Um, don't worry about it. It's no big deal."

"But it is, 'cause the reason I didn't come was because I felt weird going out to dinner with a bunch of gay dudes."

Dave didn't say anything in response. He didn't know what to say. He had a feeling that something was up the day before, and if he had pushed himself he could have guessed that that was the reason, but to hear Azimio admit that was something entirely different. He wasn't sure if he felt like crying, hugging Az for being honest, or punching something.

"I'm sorry, man. I really am. I-I don't even know why I was being like that. I mean, I'm okay with gays. It's just, like, I dunno, the idea of going out with the three of you, and then I'd be the odd man out, the straight dude at a table full of gay dudes? It kinda freaked me out a bit."

Dave still said nothing, but nodded in response.

"And like, I know that sounds bad, cause like I don't even know it's like to be the odd man out. You and Kurt and that other dude, you know what it's like, and so it was selfish of me to even be concerned with that. I'm really sorry, Dave."

Both boys were silent for a while. Az was wringing his hands, uncharacteristically vulnerable. Dave quietly pondered what Az had said, his face contorted with a mix of sadness and anger. As he thought, though, his face relaxed more and more until finally he was almost grinning.

"Az."

"Yea?" Az answered quickly.

"It's okay. I get it. I'm glad you told me."

"I'm sorry, Dave," said Az, making sure he really drove that point home.

"I know you are, Az. I forgive you."

Az smiled.

"Now can we cut this mushy crap and play some video games?" said Dave, changing the subject much to both boy's relief.

Dave turned on his TV and Xbox and handed Azimio one of his two Rock Band controllers, grabbing the other for himself.

"Hey man, maybe we should take turns singing? I mean, with Regionals coming up, we could use all the practice we can get," suggested Az.

"Hey, good idea," said Dave, taking back the guitar from Az and handing him the microphone instead. "And you're right, you could really use the practice."

"Hey! I'm a damn good singer!" yelled Az, though he couldn't help but smile while he did. "And what about you? It's obvious that you're only a member because you're sleeping with the star soloist..."

Az shut up immediately, realizing that he might have gone too far, even in jest. Dave stared at Az, slack-jawed and speechless, which only made Az more nervous. But then Dave whipped his head back, snapping his fingers at Az and exclaiming "What-evar!" before resting his turned hand on his hip. "You wish you had a lay as sweet as Kurt!"

Now Az was the one staring and speechless, before bursting out in laughter with Dave. Once the laughter subsided, both boys wiped their eyes with the back of their hands and Az got up, preparing to sing. Dave sat down, guitar in hand, and flicked his way to a song.

"So wait, have you and Kurt..." Az began, but then he was unsure how to finish.

"Huh?"

"Uh, you know, have you guys like, done...whatever it is that you guys, uh, do?"

"What the hell are you talk-oh! Um..." Dave blushed, abruptly catching Az's meaning. "No, we uh, I mean, no, we're definitely not at that point yet. Hadn't even crossed my mind, actually. We're taking it slow."

But that was a lie, because it most certainly had crossed Dave's mind. He had had dreams about Kurt before, and while they weren't always graphic and sexual, they certainly had been at times. When he was awake, though, he couldn't think about those things without having to face that his old habits of cruelty toward Kurt, and the stolen kiss. He couldn't consider pushing Kurt toward anything that he wasn't comfortable with, and so he had decided that he would wait for Kurt to give him a sign, however long it took.

"Ah, okay. Sorry, I didn't mean to be pushy or nothin'. Just curious."

"S'cool. Don't worry about it."

Fairly sure Az wasn't going to say anything else, and eager for a distraction anyway, Dave selected the song, who's sample had been looping as they talked, and they began.

Hours later, the boys were getting hungry, and so they shut off the game and headed to Happy Daz for some burgers and shakes. After they got their food and sat down, the two of them began scarfing down. They were nearly halfway through their burgers before either if them said a thing, instead concentrating in the task at hand.

"So how did last night go then?" asked Az in between bites. "Did I miss anything fun?"

Dave grinned. "Well, actually..." Dave relayed the story of how Kurt stood up to the self-righteous mother, causing Az to nearly shoot milkshake out of his nose.

"Seriously? Wow. That's awesome, man. I mean, it sucks, but that boy of yours got sass. You best be careful."

"I know. I'm already worried about the day I get on his bad side, because it's bound to happen eventually."

"Heh, yea." Az stuffed a handful of fries in his mouth.

"Speaking of sass...what's going on with you and Mercedes?"

Az chose this moment to chew slowly and digest, after nearly inhaling half of his meal. Once his mouth was no longer full, he was still mostly silent, uttering a single, drawn-out "ummm" before going silent. As he reached for his milkshake, Dave pulled it away, determined to get his friend to talk to him.

"Hey!" said Az feebly.

"Come on, dude. It's me. Just talk to me."

Dave locked eyes with Az, not looking away, not even blinking. Eventually, Az rolled his eyes, cocked his head slightly and heaved a large sigh.

"Fine. I like her, okay?"

"Well, that was pretty obvious, yea. Have you liked her since before you joined New Directions? Is that part of the reason you joined?"

"I joined for you, man. You're my boy. I'm not gonna leave you hanging in your hour of need."

Dave tiled his head and gave Az a skeptical glare.

"Okay, yea, and I got the hots for Mercedes, 'aight? We don't need to make a federal case out of it."

"There. Now doesn't that feel better?" asked Dave in a playfully patronizing voice, puckering his lips slightly.

"Hey shut up!" Az frowned slightly, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.

Dave chuckled lightly. "Okay, okay, sorry. Seriously, though dude, I'm happy for you."

"How come?"

"You two look good together."

"We ain't together," responded Az, a soft sadness in his voice.

"Really? Coulda fooled me. Kurt too."

At the mention of Kurt's name, Az perked up. "Kurt noticed too?"

"Yea. Kurt and Mercedes are like you and me."

"Has he said anything? Does he know what she thinks of me?" Az was absentmindedly shredding a napkin he spoke.

"Uh, if they've been talking, he hasn't given me the details, but he did say you make a cute couple."

"Yea? Well that's great, but'd be nice if I knew if she felt that way."

"Dude, seriously? Just ask her out."

"What if she says no?"

"Then at least you'll know." Az frowned and looked down at the mess of napkin scraps in front of him. "Listen, I don't mean to get all high and mighty here, but if I could not only ask Kurt out but come out for him, I think you can manage to ask a girl you've been flirting with who is clearly flirting back."

"I guess..."

"That's my boy. Now, what do you wanna do now?" asked Dave with a satisfied grin, after finishing the last of his fries.

"Wanna watch a movie at your place?"

"Sure."

Back at Dave's house, what began as one movie turned into a mini-marathon. The two of them settled in and watched the Evil Dead trilogy, only stopping briefly after the second to order a pizza. Once the movies were done, Az headed home since it was getting late. This suited Dave just fine because he wanted to give Kurt a call anyway.

Once Az had gotten in his car, Dave went into the kitchen, pulling out his phone as he went, and sat down at the table. Thumbing through to his contacts, he tapped Kurt's number and put the phone to his ear. He didn't have to wait long. After two rings, he heard Kurt's melodious voice.

"Hey baby."

"'Sup, Fancy."

"How's your day been? Did you and Az have fun?"

"Yea. I finally talked to him about Mercedes. I think he might consider asking her out eventually."

"Ugh, finally. Mercedes is dying for him to."

"You spoke to her? She said that?"

"Oh, no need. I can just tell these things. Intuition."

"Ah. So how 'bout you? Do anything fun?"

"Oh, you know, the usual, did a little shopping. I got a really cute shirt. I think you'll like it."

"Oh yea?" Dave smiled. "Are you wearing it right now?"

"If you're going to talk dirty to each other, could you at least take it upstairs?"

Dave jumped as his mother entered the kitchen.

"Oh, uh...mom, it's not like that...Kurt was just saying that he bought a new shirt..." Dave said, stumbling over his words.

"Uh huh. You know, I was young once too, David," she said, smiling. "Don't worry about it." She picked up the teapot, added water and set it on the stove, turning it on. "Don't mind me."

"Dave? You there?" Dave heard Kurt say, bringing him back to focus.

"Oh, uh, sorry about that. My mom walked in and startled me."

"Ah, okay," Kurt giggled.

"So, you wanna do something tomorrow?"

"Sure, what did you have in mind?"

"Oh, did you have plans, sweetie? Why don't you invite him over here for dinner?" asked Mrs. Karofsky. Dave turned and looked at her, mouth hanging open slightly. "Well, I should really meet my son's boyfriend eventually, right?"

"Um, are you sure?"

"Am I sure of what?" Kurt asked, confused and missing half of the conversation.

"Oh, sorry Kurt. I was talking to my mom. Hang on a sec." Dave pulled the phone away from his ear, resting his hand on the table. "Um, are you sure you're okay with this?" Dave asked, lowering his voice.

"Yes, of course, sweetie. You know I'm okay with this. Don't worry so much."

Dave smiled slightly, but it faded quickly. "What about dad?"

"What about him?"

"Well, you know, he didn't seem too thrilled when I told him a while back."

"But he knows, and he's fine with it."

"I feel like he's been acting weird since then."

"He's adjusting, David. He'll be fine."

"Who'll be fine?" asked Mr. Karofsky as he entered the room. Dave looked down at his phone and said nothing.

"Oh, honey, I asked David to invite Kurt over for dinner tomorrow."

Mr. Karofsky hesitated, but only for a moment, clearly surprised. "Oh, that's nice." He looked down at David, who was still staring at his phone, unable to make eye contact with his father. "David."

Dave looked up when his father addressed him. He scanned his face, trying to figure out what he was thinking, but couldn't discern any particular emotions. Dave frowned, thinking about what a disappointment he must be to his dad. He hadn't spoken to him much in recent weeks, ever since he told them that he was gay. They had the bare minimum interaction with each other, small talk at the dinner table, talking about how school was going, but nothing substantial. They had been so close before.

"Son...I'm looking forward to meeting you're...boyfriend."

"Yea, I'm sure you are," Dave blurted out, the slightest hint of bitterness in his tone.

"Now, sweetie, that's not fair..." began his mother, but his father held up his hand to interrupt her.

"David...I know I haven't been the most...understanding person since you came out. Have I really been so horrible, though?"

"It's not that...you're not horrible, okay? I just...I don't want to be a disappointment."

At this, Mr. Karofsky's face fell. "Oh, David..." He stepped across the room and reached his arms around his son, pulling him tight. Dave's phone dropped from his hand onto the table as his grip loosened, shocked at the sudden display of emotion. "I could never be disappointed in you. I'm sorry. I didn't realize you felt that way."

David could hear sniffling near his ear. It felt like a dream. Was his dad...crying? He couldn't help himself, and he started tearing up as well. He hugged his father back, tears burning his eyes.

"I'm sorry, David. I'm so, so sorry."

A few minutes went by like this. No one said anything else. Finally, Dave gently pushed his dad away and looked into his face.

"Dad...thank you. I didn't mean to make you cry, but...it means a lot to me to know that you aren't disappointed."

"Son, this isn't a source of disappointment. This is your life. This is who you are. Now, if you were to fail some classes, that might be disappointing..." he smiled, and Dave smiled back. "But not this. I'm proud of you son." He pat Dave on the shoulder, and then he left the room.

Dave sat there silently, stunned by what had happened, then looked up and realized that his mother was still standing there. She had her hand over her mouth, but he could see that she was smiling and crying at the same time, and looking at him with a mixture of pride and awe.

"Moooom."

"Sorry, sweetie. I'm just so happy that you and your father worked that out."

"Yea...me too."

"You should probably pick your phone back up. Kurt is probably wondering what's going on."

"Oh my god!" Dave had forgotten that he had been on the phone with Kurt this whole time. He quickly picked up the phone and held it to his ear as his mother left the room.

"Hello? Kurt? Are you still there?"

"I'm still here, baby," Kurt sounded like he might have been crying or laughing, possibly both.

"So I guess you, uh, heard that."

"I'm glad that you and your dad are good now. Like, really, David. I know what you must have felt, and its an awful feeling, so I'm glad that you don't have to feel like that anymore."

"Thanks, Kurt. I'm glad too. It's such a relief."

A moment of silence passed between them, in which Dave contemplated all that had just transpired. Kurt broke the silence.

"So, dinner tomorrow then?"

Dave smiled.

"Yea, Fancy. Can't wait."

During the day Dave had been growing steadily more anxious about Kurt coming for dinner. He knew now that his parents truly accepted his homosexuality, but that still left the worries of a typical teenager who's parents were going to meet the person he was dating for the first time. Of course, Dave's dad had already met Kurt in Principal Sylvester's office under less than ideal circumstances, but that didn't do much to lesson his concern. However, once Kurt arrived, he couldn't help but be happy. Kurt was wearing what Dave could only assume was his new shirt. It was a button-down, a light shade of blue with a pleated front, not that Dave was familiar enough with fashion to identify these characteristics. The important aspect of the shirt to him was how it accented Kurt's figure in all the right places, making Dave's already attractive boyfriend somehow too beautiful for words.

"I...uh...you..." Dave stammered.

"So are you going to invite me in or what?"

"Oh, uh, yea...come in, please," said Dave, stepping out of the way to let Kurt pass. Kurt smirked at Dave, fully aware of the power he held over him in this moment. He stepped inside, brushing against Dave as he did. Dave shivered slightly. He had closed the door and turned back to face Kurt, and Kurt put his arms around Dave's neck, leaned up and kissed his boyfriend, short and sweet, on the lips. Dave put his arms around Kurt's back, and they stood together, foreheads pressed together.

"Ahem."

Kurt turned his head and Dave looked up to see Mrs. Karofsky standing with her arms crossed and one eyebrow arched, a mischievous grin across her face.

"Oh, um, my apologies Mrs. Karofsky. I'm Kurt," he said, unlocking himself from Dave and walking over to her, hand extended. She ignored his hand, and instead gave him a hug.

"Please, call me Susan."

"Alright, thank you Susan," said Kurt, returning the hug.

"I'm sure you know Paul, but let's go reintroduce you."

Kurt nodded and he and Susan headed into the family room, with Dave trailing behind them.

"Paul? Kurt is here."

"Ah, hello again Kurt!" said Paul, getting up from the armchair where he was sitting and reading the newspaper. "My son hasn't been giving you trouble again, has he? I'm kidding! Welcome!"

Dave rolled his eyes at his dad's joke, thinking that he must have been waiting to use that all day. Kurt shook Paul's hand, smiling.

"No sir, no trouble. Don't worry, I'll keep him in line."

Dinner was pleasant and relatively uneventful. Dave had expected more tension, some interrogatory questioning by his parents, but instead was treated to a meal that was almost unnerving in its normalcy. After dinner, Dave asked if he and Kurt could be excused to go to his room.

"Sure, sweetie," Susan said. "Just keep the door open, alright?" she winked at Dave and grinned. Dave's face went pale, his expression scandalized.

"We will, Susan. Thanks," said Kurt after rolling his eyes and smirking.

He grabbed Dave's arm and began to pull him from the room in the direction of the stairs, Dave still shocked by his mother's comment. Finally Dave snapped out of it and lead Kurt the rest of the way. When they arrived in his room, Kurt walked in and immediately plopped down on the bed. Leaning up on his elbows, he gave Dave a smoldering look, and Dave went weak at the knees, grabbing the door frame for support.

"F-Fancy?" Dave was perplexed by Kurt's uncharacteristically flirty attitude.

"Yea, baby?" replied Kurt. "You coming in or what?" He pat the bed beside him.

After a second's hesitation, Dave crossed the room to sit down beside Kurt.

"Kurt, are you oka-" Kurt interrupted Dave's question by pulling him back on the bed by the back of his shirt, turning his head, and kissing him aggressively. When he pulled back, he smiled mischievously at his boyfriend, enjoying the look of shock that he had produced.

"Uh...uh...you-uh...me..."

"What's the matter, David? You seem a bit...flushed."

"Wha...what's gotten into you?"

"Oh, you don't like? Because if you don't want to make out, we can just-"

"Nonono I like. I like very much. It's just...I'm not used to this side of you, that's all. Like, what brought this on?"

"Oh, I thought you might deserve a little something."

"For...?"

"For dealing with the issues you were having with your dad. That must have been very stressful for you." Kurt's tone changed from seductive to sympathetic.

"Oh, yea, it was. I never wanted him to hate me."

"I know David, and I understand." Kurt gave Dave a soft kiss on the forehead, then slowly made his way down to his lips, pressing his own tenderly against them. He kissed them again and again, a bit more aggressively each time. After a moment, Dave stopped him, holding his face just above his own.

"Kurt, is this a good idea? I mean, my mom already told us to keep the door open."

"Well that just means she's expecting this anyway." Dave frowned, cause Kurt to laugh. "It's not like we're having sex in here. It's just kissing."

Dave thought about this for a moment, contrasting his strong desire to kiss Kurt with his concern over what his mom might think if she were to walk in. If Dave were being entirely truthful with himself, he would also have to admit that he was nervous. He and Kurt hadn't really taken things this far yet, and he didn't want to mess it up.

"Oh David, just kiss me already," said Kurt, faux-exasperation in his voice and a smile on his lips. Dave stopped pondering and dove in, shoving his mouth against Kurt's, clutching his arms and pulling him against him. Kurt allowed David this aggression, letting him lead this round. His lips were submissive, moving in sync with Dave's.

Dave's motions transitioned from forceful to sensual, slowly savoring each kiss, and loosening his grip on Kurt's arms. Finally, he let go, moving his arms around behind him to rest on his shoulders and lower back. He pulled him close, pressing himself against him. Kurt put his hand behind Dave's head, fingers running through Dave's short-cropped hair.

The boys' breathing became heavy and labored, panting against each other as the kisses once again became frantic. Kurt gently nudged the tip of his tongue against Dave's lips, causing Dave to shudder before parting them. Kurt's tongue slipped in, dancing playfully against his boyfriend's. Dave followed, complimenting Kurt's motions with his own. They caressed each other's arms, shoulders, backs, hair, faces, taking in each new tactile sensation.

It was some time before either of them could pry themselves from the other, but eventually both began to tire, and they lay back, side by side, and looked up at the ceiling as they tried to catch their breath. Dave felt around by his side until he found Kurt's hand and he grasped it tightly within his own. He tilted his head to gaze at Kurt, and found that he was doing the same.

"That...was amazing."

"It really was. You're an excellent kisser, David."

"You're not so bad yourself, Fancy."

"Mmm," said Kurt, glancing at Dave's alarm clock, resting on his nightstand. "Damn. It's getting late, and we have school tomorrow. I should really get going."

"Awe. Well I'd say you could sleep here, but I don't think my parents would be too cool with the idea."

"No, I don't imagine they would be. It's alright. I'll see you tomorrow?" asked Kurt as he got up, kissing Dave on the cheek first.

"Yea. See you tomorrow, Kurt."

"Goodnight, David," said Kurt, giving Dave one last glance before exiting the room and heading down the stairs.

A/N: Happy Daz is an actual burger joint in Lima, OH, at least according to Yelp. I figured that if I've got an actual real world location to work with, there's no reason to stick to the limited selection of fictional ones that the show has offered us. :) if you're from Lima and you've been there, feel free to let me know what you think. Looks like people seem to like it.