Fic: When You Hold A Flame (Vol 2: Track 7)
Series: When You Hold A Flame
Title: Tainted Love
Pairing,Character(s): Dave Karofsky/Kurt Hummel, Paul Karofsky, Claire Karofsky
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,297
Spoilers: Through 2x08
Warnings: Homophobic language, swearing.
Previous Chapters: HERE
A/N: Sorry for the delay, I fail at writing angry!Paul, I spent way too long trying to get his voice right and I still don't like it. And now I’m back in school so chapters may be less frequent than I would like. No promises. :(
Summary: As they left Principal Sylvester’s office, Dave knew that the calm on his father’s face was only for show.
You don’t really want any more from me
To make things right, you need someone to hold you tight
And you think love is to pray, but I’m sorry, I don’t pray that way
Once I ran to you, now I’ll run from you
Don’t touch me please, I cannot stand the way you tease
I love you though you hurt me so
Now I’m gonna pack my things and go.
As they left Principal Sylvester’s office, Dave knew that the calm on his father’s face was only for show. They passed the car ride home in silence that was so thick and so tense that Dave could barely breathe, and as Dad pulled into the garage and shut the door behind them, the silence grew even louder. “David. Please go to your room while I call your mother.” He could tell that his father was trying so hard not to burst, trying to compose himself even though they both knew how this would end. Dave nodded and got out of the car, not saying a word as he walked in the door and went upstairs to his room. He flopped over backwards onto his bed, his jacket still on, and he sighed deeply, pretending he couldn’t hear his father yelling into the phone downstairs.
Where had it all gone so wrong? How had it come to this?
He had been so surprised to learn that Kurt still wasn’t going to tell, even after everything. He’d nearly had a heart attack when Kurt said it: “He said he’d kill me if I told anyone.” He’d done everything he could without saying a word, pleaded with his eyes, not in front of Dad, please not in front of Dad, and Kurt hadn’t betrayed him. He could have kissed him again for that, but he knew Kurt wouldn’t exactly have appreciated it, and besides, it would have defeated the purpose.
He didn’t know if he deserved it. Getting expelled. He couldn’t believe that Kurt had seriously thought he was threatening his life. Ha, right. Dave couldn’t even hit the kid. And he’d tried. Things would be so much simpler right now if he’d hit Fancy in the locker room that day instead of kissing him. Well, maybe. No, probably not. But at least no one else would know his secret.
He rolled over and reached across to his desk, pulling out the cake topper again and turning it over and over in his hand. Kurt hadn’t told. He hadn’t told. Dave thought for sure he would. But he didn’t.
It was shit like that that made Dave love-
“David! Your mother’s home, please come down here.”
Dave sighed, and looked at the cake topper once more before putting it into his jacket pocket and heading down the stairs. He didn’t look his father or mother in the eye as he sat down. Dad had been quiet for almost an hour now. That wouldn’t last.
Three, two, one…
“How the FUCK could you do this, David?” Dave cringed involuntarily at the sudden volume, even though he’d been expecting it. “Goddammit, do you have any idea how SERIOUS this is?” There was a snapping sound followed by a loud thud and a series of softer thuds. Dave was pretty sure that he had just kicked the broken leg of the coffee table and finally broken it off. But he refused to look up. He couldn’t look his father in the eye, not now. His hand slipped into his pocket and he rubbed the cake topper lightly with his fingers. Somehow it helped.
“Paul,” his mom said from the chair across the room, without looking up from her folded hands, her voice flat and dead-sounding and so broken that it ripped at Dave’s insides. His father looked at her, and took a deep breath. Clearly the tone of her voice had the same effect on him. Dave didn’t move. If Mom could calm him down, he didn’t want to do anything to change that.
“You know, you’re lucky. If what Kurt said is true, if you did threaten him? He could press criminal charges. Criminal, David. Thankfully for all of us it seems they’re not going to.” Dave could see his father’s feet pacing back and forth across the floor. He briefly dared to look up, but Dad wasn’t looking at him anyway, he was looking at Mom, so Dave looked down again. He was right. The coffee table was broken for real now. “We’ll have to appeal of course. Otherwise I don’t know what we’re going to do with you for the next year.”
“He could always go to Temple,” his mom said with a faint tinge of hope, and Dave’s fingers suddenly clenched around the cake topper in his hand with a vice grip. No. He couldn’t go there. He knew kids at Temple. The Christian school affiliated with their church made McKinley look like a rainbow palace of tolerance. And besides, they didn’t have a hockey team. If he had any shot at all of getting into college and getting out of this damn town, he had to have hockey. Hell, he didn’t think Temple even had a football team. He’d be nothing there. Just another Lima loser.
“Maybe. They don’t normally take kids with disciplinary issues but they might make an exception since we go to church there.”
“Or if we tell ‘em I got kicked out for making fun of the fag,” Dave said before he could stop himself. That sounded way more sarcastic and bitter than he’d meant it to. The thought of going to school there of all places was getting to him. His father just made a small snorting noise. Dave couldn’t tell if that made him feel better or worse.
“We shouldn’t have to. Does Kurt have any actual proof that you threatened him?” Dave shook his head. “See, Sylvester can’t expel him without proof, we should have a case.” He sounded confident as he rambled on about the legal details to Mom. Dave hoped he was right. No way was he going to Temple without a fight. Then he realized his father was addressing him.
“And Dave.” Dave waited for his father to go on, then realized he wasn’t. He leaned in. His face was inches from Dave’s and he set his hand on Dave’s arm, closing his fingers around it tightly. Dave looked up and swallowed as he met his father’s eyes. “When you go back, you had better be on your best behavior. You will apologize to Kurt, and then you had better leave him alone, and everyone else too. There had better not be a single spot on your record from here on out. You will bring your grades back up and you will stop all this nonsense and I had better never hear from the principal again. Because if I do, so help me, there will be consequences. Do you understand me?”
Dave nodded. He didn’t need to elaborate. Dave understood just fine.
His father nodded as well. “Good. Now go to your room. You’re not leaving the house except for school, church, and practice until Christmas.” Dave knew better than to groan at that. He just nodded again and started to head up the stairs. “And no Guitar Hero either!”
Okay, maybe a tiny little groan did slip out at that one. But he was too far away for them to hear now.
He could hear his parents talking downstairs about setting up the hearing as he sat down on his bed. He took the cake topper out of his pocket, and the bride’s veil was creased where he had gripped it. He stroked it lightly with his finger, then bent it against the crease. It wouldn’t go back, though, and he sighed, running his thumb over the groom’s hair. The hearing would be soon, and with any luck he could go back, and he could apologize to Kurt and then leave him alone, and maybe then they could both get on with their lives.
And if he couldn’t go back?
Well, at least Kurt wouldn’t have to see him again.
He could pretend that made him happy.
Disclaimer: For all I know, Temple Christian Academy is a rainbow palace of tolerance. I make no statements about the nature of its students or faculty.
Title: Tainted Love
Pairing,Character(s): Dave Karofsky/Kurt Hummel, Paul Karofsky, Claire Karofsky
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,297
Spoilers: Through 2x08
Warnings: Homophobic language, swearing.
Previous Chapters: HERE
A/N: Sorry for the delay, I fail at writing angry!Paul, I spent way too long trying to get his voice right and I still don't like it. And now I’m back in school so chapters may be less frequent than I would like. No promises. :(
Summary: As they left Principal Sylvester’s office, Dave knew that the calm on his father’s face was only for show.
You don’t really want any more from me
To make things right, you need someone to hold you tight
And you think love is to pray, but I’m sorry, I don’t pray that way
Once I ran to you, now I’ll run from you
Don’t touch me please, I cannot stand the way you tease
I love you though you hurt me so
Now I’m gonna pack my things and go.
As they left Principal Sylvester’s office, Dave knew that the calm on his father’s face was only for show. They passed the car ride home in silence that was so thick and so tense that Dave could barely breathe, and as Dad pulled into the garage and shut the door behind them, the silence grew even louder. “David. Please go to your room while I call your mother.” He could tell that his father was trying so hard not to burst, trying to compose himself even though they both knew how this would end. Dave nodded and got out of the car, not saying a word as he walked in the door and went upstairs to his room. He flopped over backwards onto his bed, his jacket still on, and he sighed deeply, pretending he couldn’t hear his father yelling into the phone downstairs.
Where had it all gone so wrong? How had it come to this?
He had been so surprised to learn that Kurt still wasn’t going to tell, even after everything. He’d nearly had a heart attack when Kurt said it: “He said he’d kill me if I told anyone.” He’d done everything he could without saying a word, pleaded with his eyes, not in front of Dad, please not in front of Dad, and Kurt hadn’t betrayed him. He could have kissed him again for that, but he knew Kurt wouldn’t exactly have appreciated it, and besides, it would have defeated the purpose.
He didn’t know if he deserved it. Getting expelled. He couldn’t believe that Kurt had seriously thought he was threatening his life. Ha, right. Dave couldn’t even hit the kid. And he’d tried. Things would be so much simpler right now if he’d hit Fancy in the locker room that day instead of kissing him. Well, maybe. No, probably not. But at least no one else would know his secret.
He rolled over and reached across to his desk, pulling out the cake topper again and turning it over and over in his hand. Kurt hadn’t told. He hadn’t told. Dave thought for sure he would. But he didn’t.
It was shit like that that made Dave love-
“David! Your mother’s home, please come down here.”
Dave sighed, and looked at the cake topper once more before putting it into his jacket pocket and heading down the stairs. He didn’t look his father or mother in the eye as he sat down. Dad had been quiet for almost an hour now. That wouldn’t last.
Three, two, one…
“How the FUCK could you do this, David?” Dave cringed involuntarily at the sudden volume, even though he’d been expecting it. “Goddammit, do you have any idea how SERIOUS this is?” There was a snapping sound followed by a loud thud and a series of softer thuds. Dave was pretty sure that he had just kicked the broken leg of the coffee table and finally broken it off. But he refused to look up. He couldn’t look his father in the eye, not now. His hand slipped into his pocket and he rubbed the cake topper lightly with his fingers. Somehow it helped.
“Paul,” his mom said from the chair across the room, without looking up from her folded hands, her voice flat and dead-sounding and so broken that it ripped at Dave’s insides. His father looked at her, and took a deep breath. Clearly the tone of her voice had the same effect on him. Dave didn’t move. If Mom could calm him down, he didn’t want to do anything to change that.
“You know, you’re lucky. If what Kurt said is true, if you did threaten him? He could press criminal charges. Criminal, David. Thankfully for all of us it seems they’re not going to.” Dave could see his father’s feet pacing back and forth across the floor. He briefly dared to look up, but Dad wasn’t looking at him anyway, he was looking at Mom, so Dave looked down again. He was right. The coffee table was broken for real now. “We’ll have to appeal of course. Otherwise I don’t know what we’re going to do with you for the next year.”
“He could always go to Temple,” his mom said with a faint tinge of hope, and Dave’s fingers suddenly clenched around the cake topper in his hand with a vice grip. No. He couldn’t go there. He knew kids at Temple. The Christian school affiliated with their church made McKinley look like a rainbow palace of tolerance. And besides, they didn’t have a hockey team. If he had any shot at all of getting into college and getting out of this damn town, he had to have hockey. Hell, he didn’t think Temple even had a football team. He’d be nothing there. Just another Lima loser.
“Maybe. They don’t normally take kids with disciplinary issues but they might make an exception since we go to church there.”
“Or if we tell ‘em I got kicked out for making fun of the fag,” Dave said before he could stop himself. That sounded way more sarcastic and bitter than he’d meant it to. The thought of going to school there of all places was getting to him. His father just made a small snorting noise. Dave couldn’t tell if that made him feel better or worse.
“We shouldn’t have to. Does Kurt have any actual proof that you threatened him?” Dave shook his head. “See, Sylvester can’t expel him without proof, we should have a case.” He sounded confident as he rambled on about the legal details to Mom. Dave hoped he was right. No way was he going to Temple without a fight. Then he realized his father was addressing him.
“And Dave.” Dave waited for his father to go on, then realized he wasn’t. He leaned in. His face was inches from Dave’s and he set his hand on Dave’s arm, closing his fingers around it tightly. Dave looked up and swallowed as he met his father’s eyes. “When you go back, you had better be on your best behavior. You will apologize to Kurt, and then you had better leave him alone, and everyone else too. There had better not be a single spot on your record from here on out. You will bring your grades back up and you will stop all this nonsense and I had better never hear from the principal again. Because if I do, so help me, there will be consequences. Do you understand me?”
Dave nodded. He didn’t need to elaborate. Dave understood just fine.
His father nodded as well. “Good. Now go to your room. You’re not leaving the house except for school, church, and practice until Christmas.” Dave knew better than to groan at that. He just nodded again and started to head up the stairs. “And no Guitar Hero either!”
Okay, maybe a tiny little groan did slip out at that one. But he was too far away for them to hear now.
He could hear his parents talking downstairs about setting up the hearing as he sat down on his bed. He took the cake topper out of his pocket, and the bride’s veil was creased where he had gripped it. He stroked it lightly with his finger, then bent it against the crease. It wouldn’t go back, though, and he sighed, running his thumb over the groom’s hair. The hearing would be soon, and with any luck he could go back, and he could apologize to Kurt and then leave him alone, and maybe then they could both get on with their lives.
And if he couldn’t go back?
Well, at least Kurt wouldn’t have to see him again.
He could pretend that made him happy.
Disclaimer: For all I know, Temple Christian Academy is a rainbow palace of tolerance. I make no statements about the nature of its students or faculty.