Fic: The Jocks Are All Right
Title: The Jocks Are All Right
Author: tomatoe18
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 4,270
Pairings: Dave Karofsky/Kurt Hummel, others (including one OC/OC pairing)
Warnings: This is a mushy, schmoopy fic. It's so saccharine my teeth hurt while writing it. And there's also a decided lack of smut. It's also very possibly AU after the upcoming episode.
Spoilers: Up to 2.10 "A Very Glee Christmas"
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any of its characters. This fic was not made for profit.
Summary: One year after The Kiss, things have changed. Back then, the jocks hated the glee club. These days, the jocks dated the glee club... including Dave Karofsky, a former bully who is now the poster boy for tolerance and sportsmanship. And he has his boyfriend to thank. The one his pal Azimio calls Kurt "Mr. Fabulous" Hummel.
Author's note: I came across the word "vibrations" and the movie title The Kids Are All Right in the same web page and thoughts of applying them in a Kurt/Karofsky fic became too strong to resist (I've been a longtime Finn/Kurt shipper but I never felt compelled to write anything about them. Then Karofsky/Kurt happened and I'm suddenly writing Glee fics? WTH, right?) This fic is what I hope would happen in the lives of the Glee characters one year from The Kiss. I realize that, while or after you read it, you might want to know what the back story is, but because I'm a horrible tease (and busied by RL crap), I decided not to write the back story explicitly. Maybe I'll do a companion piece or a prequel, but I don't know for sure. Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this.
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When Kurt began vibrating in his seat at the choir room for what was turning out to be a very dull glee rehearsal, Mercedes placed her hand on his shoulder and tried to stop him from making a small earthquake.
"Kurt," she called.
Kurt didn't answer. Instead, he vibrated some more. The funny thing was, it didn't even seem like he knew what he was doing. He was staring at Rachel singing yet another Barbra Streisand number so intently that if Mercedes didn't know any better, she'd think Kurt was crushing hard on his stepbrother's girlfriend. But Mercedes did know better and she noticed Kurt's eyes, while they might be directed at Rachel, were darting around the room frantically, as if he was looking for a way out.
Mercedes didn't blame him. This was Rachel's second solo in the day. Girl needed to get a damn life and start listening to Top 40s radio.
Beside Kurt, Tina struggled not to fall asleep in her chair. She managed only to stay awake because Brittany, in her enthusiasm of texting someone on her phone, accidentally nudged the Asian girl on the side, nearly sending her sailing off the chair and to the floor. Luckily, Lauren was there to block the fall with her big body. Quinn looked on amusedly while Santana rolled her eyes and continued filing her nails. Mercedes rolled her eyes back. This was officially the worst glee club rehearsal EVER and it wasn't only because Rachel got to sing twice.
This was a pathetic rehearsal because only the girls were there and the boys... well, the boys were not there.
The problem with half the club being jocks was that when there was a football thing going on, Mr. Schue packed and shipped them out of the choir room and into Coach Beiste's training field. He didn't even complain about missing half of his club members; he was that close a friend to Beiste. The last two times, there were away games. This time around, the coach managed to get the McKinley High's football team to train with the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus. Nobody knew how she did it, only that she did (and Principal Figgins nearly wet himself with joy when he heard of the news while Coach Sylvester snarled venomously at being upstaged by her rival), and so the football team had been training away for the last week. Since all of the boys in the glee club except Kurt were, in fact, football players, the glee club had been reduced to half their number for a week and Rachel Berry had been getting the solos.
Thankfully, though, today was the last day. Mercedes thought those boys better come back soon. Actually, what she wanted was just for Finn Hudson to come back so that Rachel could focus all of her energy in lavishing him with her creepy attention so that she wouldn't sing any more Streisands.
Brittany suddenly reached across Tina to tap on Kurt's shoulder. Again, her boy didn't notice. Mercedes huffed and turned to the blonde. "What?" she asked. "Kurt's too busy being nervous to pay attention to any of us."
"Artie texted me," Brittany said, smiling and waving her phone. "Their bus just entered Lima."
At that, Kurt suddenly jumped to his feet and squeaked, "Really?!"
Mr. Schue narrowed his eyes at Kurt and was about to tell him to shush, probably, when Brittany recited the text in question: "Back in Lima, baby. Can't wait to see you in a few. X-O-X-O, Artie."
A maniacal look flitted through Kurt's visage but was gone before anyone but Mercedes noticed. Her friend gasped and then grabbed his Marc Jacobs bag from the floor. He moved away from the chair so abruptly that it toppled backwards. When the chair crashed, Rachel stopped singing. Mr. Schue seemed torn between exasperation and relief. Well, maybe more relief.
"You interrupted my song!" Rachel said accusingly, hands on her hips and a glare set on her face. "And where do you think you're going? Glee club is not over yet."
True enough, Kurt was already halfway out the door. Mr. Schue got up from his chair and asked, "Kurt, are you all right? I couldn't help but notice you're distracted today. You were literally shivering in your seat earlier. Do you have a fever?"
"Oh, no, no, Mr. Schue. I just remembered I have to do something today," Kurt said.
"Can't it wait?"
"NO!" Kurt snapped. Mr. Schue was startled and actually took a step back, as if he wanted to put some distance between them. Kurt flinched when he saw what he'd done and shot his teacher an apologetic look. "Sorry, Mr. Schue. I didn't mean to snap at you. I know practice isn't over but I really have to go. Besides there's only 10 minutes left and Rachel is taking forever to finish. I... I just really have to go. May I?"
Rachel started to protest but Quinn piped up. "I agree." She rose from her seat as well and said, "Rachel has sung. We've listened to your chatter about song selections and agree to wait until the boys return before deciding. The boys are not here yet. So we're kind of wasting time here. Meanwhile, we have extra Cheerios practice. Coach Sylvester will have our heads if we're late. So, Mr. Schue, if we may?"
At this point everyone besides Rachel started grabbing their bags and making their ways out of the door. Kurt began vibrating again. Mercedes took pity on her best friend.
"Mr. Schue, look at him. He really needs to go. Maybe he ate something bad at lunch and needs the bathroom."
Lauren muttered, "Yeah, those burritos were kind of stale."
Mr. Schue knew he couldn't win this one and sagely decided to let everyone out early. Rachel gasped indignantly and started hounding at the teacher, but everyone else cheered and chirped their goodbyes to him. They were out of the choir room in mere seconds. By the time Mercedes stepped out into the hallway, Kurt was already walking toward the end of it.
"Hey, Kurt!" Mercedes called out. "Wait up!"
"Can't, Mercedes!"
"Where are you going?"
But Kurt had already disappeared from her sight. Shaking her head, Mercedes turned around and joined Tina and Lauren. She had an idea what was going on with Kurt but she didn't want to voice it, just in case she was wrong. Besides, Quinn had come up to her and admitted that there was in fact no extra Cheerios practice and she only said that to get out of rehearsal early and would Mercedes like to work on their homework together at Starbucks with a cup of venti signature hot chocolate with whipped cream? Shrugging, Mercedes agreed and they left together.
*
There was pushing, pulling, jostling, shoving and a lot of other juvenile shenanigans when the Mckinley High football team finally arrived back in their school and disembarked from the bus, much to Coach Beiste's aggravation. Luckily, no. 77, one of the best players on the team, decided to put an end to that and shouted over the din that they needed to grow up and help Artie down from the vehicle.
"Thanks, Karofsky," the coach told him as Puck and a junior named Kendall did their good deed of the day.
Dave Karofsky shrugged. "No problem, coach."
Someone tossed him his bag. It was Azimio. "Dude, we're going to get dinner at the mall. You comin'?"
Before he could answer, there were girly squeals from somewhere in the vicinity. The boys stopped talking and followed the sound of the voice. And then they saw the swarm of girls - some in Cheerio outfits, some not - and a lone boy waving at them from the entrance of the school. The players' girlfriends - and boyfriend, apparently - had shown up to welcome their loved ones.
Mike Chang made a beeline for Tina while Brittany and Lauren practically skipped on their way to meet Artie and Puck. Sam made eyes at Santana, who was playing hard to get although there was definitely a possessive gleam in hers when their gazes met. Rachel, surprisingly, stayed put where she was and didn't rush to Finn, waiting for Finn to make his way to her. When they did meet however, Finn lifted her off the ground and hugged her. The only boy in the welcoming party looked sheepish as he waited uncertainly for his boyfriend. Dave laughed and grabbed the boy's boyfriend and did some shoving of his own.
"Hey, Kendall, Ryan's waiting," he said. "Stop dicking around and give him a kiss, you bastard."
Kendall made a face and punched him in the arm but did as he was told. They didn't kiss but they did hug while some of Kendall's close friends in the team catcalled.
Azimio snorted. "Dude. I don't know what the heck he sees in that emo boy."
Dave frowned and started to glare at his friend. "Don't start this shit with me--"
"Oh, shut up," Azimio retorted. "I didn't mean it like that. I ain't being homophobic or anything. I'm just sayin', Kendall's taste in boys is worse than yours. Your boy is at least pretty. That Ryan kid, on the other hand..." He shook his head. Then paused and started looking around the place. "Speaking of, where is Mr. Fabulous? I thought he'd be here."
Without waiting for his answer, he shouted across the yard to Finn. "Yo, Hudson!"
Finn turned his head and shouted back, "What?"
"Where's your brother?" Azimio asked.
Finn turned to Rachel, who told him something, and then back at Azimio. "He left already. Rachel said he left the club early."
"And where's Mercedes?" Azimio asked again and Dave had to roll his eyes.
Rachel whispered furiously at her boyfriend and then fixed Azimio with a haughty glare. Finn shrugged and said, "She told me to tell you not to let you know where she is even if your life depends on it."
Azimio grinned and turned back to his friend. "She's at Starbucks. I'm gonna go say hi. So you comin'?"
"Hell, no," Dave replied. "You're on your own, bro. I'm gonna look for my boyfriend. You go... look for trouble."
"Catch you later." And his friend sailed away.
Dave slung his bag over his shoulder and went to talk to Ryan. "Dude. Can I hitch a ride? I need to go home fast."
"Sure," Ryan answered. "Kendall and I are on our way, too."
"Thanks, man."
Dave said goodbye to his teammates as he followed the lovebirds to the parking lot. As he passed Artie and Brittany, he heard Brittany saying, "I think Karofsky is going to get really lucky tonight. Kurt was shaking during glee club. I think he was thinking about giving Karofsky a blowjob. I do, too, when I think about giving you one, Artie."
He had to smack Kendall and Ryan all the way to his house because they wouldn't stop laughing at him.
*
Dave said goodbye to Kendall and Ryan as they drove away from his house. Looking at the car go, he couldn't quite stop himself from marveling at the fact that he had a teammate who was also gay. Times had definitely changed at McKinley High. It had been a long, uphill and bloody struggle to get where they were right now but, on the plus side, it had only taken them a year to go from that Dark Age to this Age of Enlightenment. Dave knew who to thank for the positive changes. He just had to find him first before he could show his gratitude.
His father was the one who opened the door and welcomed him home. Paul Karofsky grabbed his son into a half hug before scurrying over to the living room, only to return again with his jacket.
"You going somewhere?" Dave asked in bewilderment. "But I just got home!"
"Sorry, son, I know you just came home, but I have business dinner to attend. Mom's still out of town but there's food in the fridge. You can heat it up and have dinner whenever you like. And tomorrow, I want to hear all about Columbus and the Buckeyes. I'll wake you up for breakfast."
Dave nodded. "All right."
"I guess I should wake you up at nine, huh? Just to be safe?"
Dave shrugged. "I'll probably wake up at seven like usual."
To his surprise, his dad gave him a knowing smile. "No, you don't. You usually wake up later when Kurt sleeps over."
Dave's eyes widened. "Kurt's sleeping over?"
Paul grinned and pointed upwards with his thumb. "He's been here since two hours ago. Why else did you think I took this urgent call from my boss?"
Dave laughed and hugged his dad in thanks, for real this time, and escorted him to his car. Paul waved at him from the car and for the second time that day, Dave watched as a car left his house. When his dad's car was no longer in sight, he wasted no time in running back into the house and up to his room.
*
Kurt was, in fact, sleeping when Dave entered his room. Literally sleeping. He was curled up in Dave's bed in a plain white T-shirt and a pair of grey boxer shorts, clutching a pillow and snoring softly into it. On the desk where Dave's computer was, a set of designer clothes lay folded and neatly arranged. It was so like Kurt to remember taking off his expensive outfits before taking a nap. A history textbook lay open at the foot of the bed, along with a notebook, a pen and a marker. Apparently Kurt had been doing his homework before Dave arrived. But now he looked really peaceful in his sleep and Dave didn't have the heart to wake him up.
He dropped his bag on the floor and took his shoes off. Then he went into the en suite bathroom to freshen up and change his clothes. When he came out, he glanced at his Xbox and wondered if he should kill time by playing something on it, but quickly changed his mind. Why play games when he could snuggle with his boyfriend? He climbed on the bed and stretched out beside Kurt, pulling the pillow that the other boy was hugging, knowing exactly that he would be a replacement for the object.
Sure enough, Kurt's arms began to flail as soon as the pillow was removed. Dave scooted closer to Kurt and was soon enveloped in a a rather tight embrace by his boyfriend. Dave smirked. Ha, I knew it. They'd shared the bed often enough for him to know that Kurt liked to sleep with his arms around something... or someone. If Dave had his way, that someone was going to be him for a very long time. At least until they were 90. Or that was the plan anyway.
He knew high school romances usually didn't last and he wasn't that much of an optimist that he and Kurt would be together forever. There might be a time when he and Kurt had to part ways. Like, going to different colleges. Kurt was dead set on going to New York and study something at NYU. His other option was even more ambitious: he wanted to get a scholarship to go to a university in London. Dave, on the other hand, was probably going to end up in Ohio State. Training with the Buckeyes had given him the opportunity to be seen by their coaches and he heard his name being discussed upon in a few occasions. Just before they left Columbus today, Beiste had sat down with him, and Finn and Sam, and said that the university was interested in the three of them. So Dave knew they were probably going to have to live apart for four years, at least.
But he couldn't shake the feeling that this thing he had with Kurt - this teenage romance, this high school relationship - was a forever kind of deal. After everything they'd gone through, it was hard to think that they were not going to be together forever, riding into the sunset, joined in holy matrimony (hopefully by then the state of Ohio would recognize same-sex marriages). And by 'everything' he meant, not only going from enemies who stole each other's first kisses and threatened each other's lives (OK, so Dave threatened Kurt's life and Kurt threatened to rip his balls off with his manicure set) to becoming boyfriends who couldn't keep their hands off each other in front of their parents, but also unifying the warring jocks and gleeks and putting a complete stop to any kind of bullying nonsense in their school. After all that? There was NO WAY he and Kurt were going to break up just because they couldn't deal with a long distance relationship.
Even if he did break up with Kurt, he knew he'd love Kurt forever. And Kurt would love him forever. They were each other's first loves and this schmoopy shit was not going to be easy to get rid off. He was willing to bet on it.
"Hm, David? Finally. You're home."
Dave turned to look at his boyfriend. Kurt had apparently woken up. "Hey, Fancy."
Kurt smiled and snuggled closer to Dave, as if they weren't already pressed tightly enough against one another. Dave planted a kiss on Kurt's forehead and Kurt beamed at him. That was how they always greeted each other. When they met, they never kissed each other on the lips first. He didn't know how that started but that was how they did it now.
"How are you?" Dave asked. "Missed me?"
"Too much," Kurt admitted. Dave smirked. And for that he received a light slap on the arm. "Smug bastard. But you were gone for a week... that's too long for me to cope with. I was so lonely that I even thought about calling Bla--"
"Shut up, Hummel," Dave cut him off before he could say The Other Boy's name. And he kissed Kurt for good measure. He felt Kurt smile into the kiss, which told Dave that this was what he'd been aiming for.
When they broke for air, Kurt let go of Dave with a long lick across his boyfriend's lower lip that served to bring a shudder into his stocky frame. Dave flipped him over until Kurt was pinned underneath him and forced Kurt's legs to open with his thighs.
"You plan on finishing what you started, Kurt?" he challenged. "Because I really don't have anywhere to be tonight. My mom's not home, my dad won't be back until later, and you're the one who sneaked into my bedroom to wait for me here. And I've gone for a week without anything more than jerking off in the shower. Once I go, you probably won't be able to walk properly for a few days. So if you want out, say it now."
It was Kurt's turn to smirk... and rolled his hips upwards. His clothed erection made contact with Dave's groin. Dave's breath got caught in his throat -- Kurt was hard. Oh, yeah, Brittany was totally right: he was going to get lucky tonight.
"Does that feel like me wanting out, Karofsky? Or do I have to mention Blaine's name to get you going again?"
"Bitch."
"Your bitch, though."
At that, Dave couldn't stop the goofy smile from marring the badass jock expression he was trying to project. Kurt burst out laughing. Ah, hell. Dave knew he couldn't put up any facades in front of Kurt anyway.
Kurt reached up to caress a strand of curl in Dave's head, whispering, "I don't know how I got through this week without you. Rachel was taking all of our solos, but I couldn't even bring myself to care. I just wanted to see you again. It got so bad today, knowing that you were going to come home in the afternoon but I still had to go through an entire day of school until you arrived, that I couldn't concentrate in glee. I snapped at Mr. Schuester. I think he'll give more solo time to Rachel next week because of that."
Dave kissed the tip of Kurt's nose, making him scrunching up his face. "Aw, that's not so bad. I was a jerk to everyone in the team because I couldn't even use the phone to call you. And I was actually kind of disappointed when I saw that you weren't there to welcome us home with the other girls and Ryan."
This time, the face Kurt made was one of disgust. "Oh, ew. I didn't want to do that kind of WAG-ish thing."
"What-ish thing?"
"WAG-ish. Wives and Girlfriends. British soccer term. Never mind."
"But Ryan was there!"
Kurt shrugged. "Why should I wait for you there when I can wait for you here? And besides, I got to talk to your dad while I waited. Are you sure he's not coming back home anytime soon? How long do his business dinners last anyway?"
"Even if it doesn't last long enough, he'll know not to come home too soon." Dave grinned. "He might go over to your place and hang out with your dad."
Kurt sighed happily. "Don't you just love PFLAG parents?"
"Can we stop talking about parents now? I'm kind of losing my hard on because of this. Do something."
"You're such a caveman." Kurt made a tsk sound and instructed, "Ask nicely."
Dave rolled his eyes but he did it anyway. Leaning forward until he found his boyfriend's neck, he nibbled on the pale skin before murmuring, "Baby, I want you to make me hard again. Please?"
Kurt beamed at him again. "Your wish is my command."
They spent the next half an hour proving how true Brittany's prophecy was. And then some.
*
Quinn leaned over their book-littered table at Starbucks and whispered frantically to Mercedes, "Don't look now but Azimio just walked through the door. And he's looking at you."
Mercedes didn't know if she should shout in panic or in anger at that announcement. She absolutely didn't know where Azimio got the idea that, since his best friend and Mercedes' best friend were dating now, they should be dating as well. She shuddered at the thought of getting together with the stupid jock... and wished Anthony hadn't graduated from high school and they were still dating so he could protect her from the big bully.
Quinn had her phone out and asked her, "Should I call Kurt or David now and get one or both them here? Azimio'll behave or leave you alone if they're here."
Mercedes thought about it. Yeah, it would be nice to have Kurt and David around and not just because they were the only two people who could effectively put the fear of god in Azimio. It would be nice to have Kurt and Dave around because they were always so mushy together and Mercedes loved watching them interact. She knew Quinn liked watching them, too, so maybe that was why she suggested it in the first place.
On the other hand, Mercedes was pretty sure Kurt and Dave were 'busy' right now. From the way Kurt couldn't wait to hightail it out of school earlier, Mercedes knew her best friend simply couldn't wait for his boyfriend to come home and needed to get a 'Dave fix' as badly as a crackhead needed, well, crack. She knew for a fact Kurt was on extremely familiar terms with Dave's parents and he came and went as he pleased in the Karofsky household, just like Dave was pretty much a permanent fixture in the Hudson-Hummel home. So, Kurt had probably gone to welcome Dave in the privacy of his boyfriend's room and that meant it would be useless calling any of them. They were probably fucking each other's brains out right now.
"Nah, don't bother," Mercedes finally said. "Kurt might not be available. He's probably busy getting down on Dave right now."
Quinn giggled. "Oh. Because he was vibrating earlier, right?"
"That's right. So we're going to be good friends and let them be. Don't worry, girl, I can take care of Ass-imio by myself."
The derogatory nickname made Quinn lose it completely. She glanced at the jock who appeared to be on his way to their table and burst out laughing. Maniacally. Mercedes laughed, too, noting how the head cheerleader sounded like a crazy hag when she laughed loosely that way. The ploy worked, however, and Azimio seemed to rethink his decision to say hello to Mercedes. He veered off course and sat down four tables away from them, in a quiet corner all by himself. Mercedes shot him a triumphant look, which he responded with a nod. Then he took out his phone and started texting.
He never bothered them at all for the rest of the evening.
Mercedes sent a silent thanks to the boys responsible for the change in the jocks. One day, once she'd become a famous chart-topper with a dozen Grammys and multiple platinum and gold records in her belt, she'd write an autobiography and detail how her early life in Lima, Ohio changed for the better because Dave Karofsky and Kurt Hummel stopped being enemies and started being lovers in high school.
For now, though, she was happy with the knowledge that the jocks? They were all right.
END
Author: tomatoe18
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 4,270
Pairings: Dave Karofsky/Kurt Hummel, others (including one OC/OC pairing)
Warnings: This is a mushy, schmoopy fic. It's so saccharine my teeth hurt while writing it. And there's also a decided lack of smut. It's also very possibly AU after the upcoming episode.
Spoilers: Up to 2.10 "A Very Glee Christmas"
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any of its characters. This fic was not made for profit.
Summary: One year after The Kiss, things have changed. Back then, the jocks hated the glee club. These days, the jocks dated the glee club... including Dave Karofsky, a former bully who is now the poster boy for tolerance and sportsmanship. And he has his boyfriend to thank. The one his pal Azimio calls Kurt "Mr. Fabulous" Hummel.
Author's note: I came across the word "vibrations" and the movie title The Kids Are All Right in the same web page and thoughts of applying them in a Kurt/Karofsky fic became too strong to resist (I've been a longtime Finn/Kurt shipper but I never felt compelled to write anything about them. Then Karofsky/Kurt happened and I'm suddenly writing Glee fics? WTH, right?) This fic is what I hope would happen in the lives of the Glee characters one year from The Kiss. I realize that, while or after you read it, you might want to know what the back story is, but because I'm a horrible tease (and busied by RL crap), I decided not to write the back story explicitly. Maybe I'll do a companion piece or a prequel, but I don't know for sure. Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this.
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When Kurt began vibrating in his seat at the choir room for what was turning out to be a very dull glee rehearsal, Mercedes placed her hand on his shoulder and tried to stop him from making a small earthquake.
"Kurt," she called.
Kurt didn't answer. Instead, he vibrated some more. The funny thing was, it didn't even seem like he knew what he was doing. He was staring at Rachel singing yet another Barbra Streisand number so intently that if Mercedes didn't know any better, she'd think Kurt was crushing hard on his stepbrother's girlfriend. But Mercedes did know better and she noticed Kurt's eyes, while they might be directed at Rachel, were darting around the room frantically, as if he was looking for a way out.
Mercedes didn't blame him. This was Rachel's second solo in the day. Girl needed to get a damn life and start listening to Top 40s radio.
Beside Kurt, Tina struggled not to fall asleep in her chair. She managed only to stay awake because Brittany, in her enthusiasm of texting someone on her phone, accidentally nudged the Asian girl on the side, nearly sending her sailing off the chair and to the floor. Luckily, Lauren was there to block the fall with her big body. Quinn looked on amusedly while Santana rolled her eyes and continued filing her nails. Mercedes rolled her eyes back. This was officially the worst glee club rehearsal EVER and it wasn't only because Rachel got to sing twice.
This was a pathetic rehearsal because only the girls were there and the boys... well, the boys were not there.
The problem with half the club being jocks was that when there was a football thing going on, Mr. Schue packed and shipped them out of the choir room and into Coach Beiste's training field. He didn't even complain about missing half of his club members; he was that close a friend to Beiste. The last two times, there were away games. This time around, the coach managed to get the McKinley High's football team to train with the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus. Nobody knew how she did it, only that she did (and Principal Figgins nearly wet himself with joy when he heard of the news while Coach Sylvester snarled venomously at being upstaged by her rival), and so the football team had been training away for the last week. Since all of the boys in the glee club except Kurt were, in fact, football players, the glee club had been reduced to half their number for a week and Rachel Berry had been getting the solos.
Thankfully, though, today was the last day. Mercedes thought those boys better come back soon. Actually, what she wanted was just for Finn Hudson to come back so that Rachel could focus all of her energy in lavishing him with her creepy attention so that she wouldn't sing any more Streisands.
Brittany suddenly reached across Tina to tap on Kurt's shoulder. Again, her boy didn't notice. Mercedes huffed and turned to the blonde. "What?" she asked. "Kurt's too busy being nervous to pay attention to any of us."
"Artie texted me," Brittany said, smiling and waving her phone. "Their bus just entered Lima."
At that, Kurt suddenly jumped to his feet and squeaked, "Really?!"
Mr. Schue narrowed his eyes at Kurt and was about to tell him to shush, probably, when Brittany recited the text in question: "Back in Lima, baby. Can't wait to see you in a few. X-O-X-O, Artie."
A maniacal look flitted through Kurt's visage but was gone before anyone but Mercedes noticed. Her friend gasped and then grabbed his Marc Jacobs bag from the floor. He moved away from the chair so abruptly that it toppled backwards. When the chair crashed, Rachel stopped singing. Mr. Schue seemed torn between exasperation and relief. Well, maybe more relief.
"You interrupted my song!" Rachel said accusingly, hands on her hips and a glare set on her face. "And where do you think you're going? Glee club is not over yet."
True enough, Kurt was already halfway out the door. Mr. Schue got up from his chair and asked, "Kurt, are you all right? I couldn't help but notice you're distracted today. You were literally shivering in your seat earlier. Do you have a fever?"
"Oh, no, no, Mr. Schue. I just remembered I have to do something today," Kurt said.
"Can't it wait?"
"NO!" Kurt snapped. Mr. Schue was startled and actually took a step back, as if he wanted to put some distance between them. Kurt flinched when he saw what he'd done and shot his teacher an apologetic look. "Sorry, Mr. Schue. I didn't mean to snap at you. I know practice isn't over but I really have to go. Besides there's only 10 minutes left and Rachel is taking forever to finish. I... I just really have to go. May I?"
Rachel started to protest but Quinn piped up. "I agree." She rose from her seat as well and said, "Rachel has sung. We've listened to your chatter about song selections and agree to wait until the boys return before deciding. The boys are not here yet. So we're kind of wasting time here. Meanwhile, we have extra Cheerios practice. Coach Sylvester will have our heads if we're late. So, Mr. Schue, if we may?"
At this point everyone besides Rachel started grabbing their bags and making their ways out of the door. Kurt began vibrating again. Mercedes took pity on her best friend.
"Mr. Schue, look at him. He really needs to go. Maybe he ate something bad at lunch and needs the bathroom."
Lauren muttered, "Yeah, those burritos were kind of stale."
Mr. Schue knew he couldn't win this one and sagely decided to let everyone out early. Rachel gasped indignantly and started hounding at the teacher, but everyone else cheered and chirped their goodbyes to him. They were out of the choir room in mere seconds. By the time Mercedes stepped out into the hallway, Kurt was already walking toward the end of it.
"Hey, Kurt!" Mercedes called out. "Wait up!"
"Can't, Mercedes!"
"Where are you going?"
But Kurt had already disappeared from her sight. Shaking her head, Mercedes turned around and joined Tina and Lauren. She had an idea what was going on with Kurt but she didn't want to voice it, just in case she was wrong. Besides, Quinn had come up to her and admitted that there was in fact no extra Cheerios practice and she only said that to get out of rehearsal early and would Mercedes like to work on their homework together at Starbucks with a cup of venti signature hot chocolate with whipped cream? Shrugging, Mercedes agreed and they left together.
*
There was pushing, pulling, jostling, shoving and a lot of other juvenile shenanigans when the Mckinley High football team finally arrived back in their school and disembarked from the bus, much to Coach Beiste's aggravation. Luckily, no. 77, one of the best players on the team, decided to put an end to that and shouted over the din that they needed to grow up and help Artie down from the vehicle.
"Thanks, Karofsky," the coach told him as Puck and a junior named Kendall did their good deed of the day.
Dave Karofsky shrugged. "No problem, coach."
Someone tossed him his bag. It was Azimio. "Dude, we're going to get dinner at the mall. You comin'?"
Before he could answer, there were girly squeals from somewhere in the vicinity. The boys stopped talking and followed the sound of the voice. And then they saw the swarm of girls - some in Cheerio outfits, some not - and a lone boy waving at them from the entrance of the school. The players' girlfriends - and boyfriend, apparently - had shown up to welcome their loved ones.
Mike Chang made a beeline for Tina while Brittany and Lauren practically skipped on their way to meet Artie and Puck. Sam made eyes at Santana, who was playing hard to get although there was definitely a possessive gleam in hers when their gazes met. Rachel, surprisingly, stayed put where she was and didn't rush to Finn, waiting for Finn to make his way to her. When they did meet however, Finn lifted her off the ground and hugged her. The only boy in the welcoming party looked sheepish as he waited uncertainly for his boyfriend. Dave laughed and grabbed the boy's boyfriend and did some shoving of his own.
"Hey, Kendall, Ryan's waiting," he said. "Stop dicking around and give him a kiss, you bastard."
Kendall made a face and punched him in the arm but did as he was told. They didn't kiss but they did hug while some of Kendall's close friends in the team catcalled.
Azimio snorted. "Dude. I don't know what the heck he sees in that emo boy."
Dave frowned and started to glare at his friend. "Don't start this shit with me--"
"Oh, shut up," Azimio retorted. "I didn't mean it like that. I ain't being homophobic or anything. I'm just sayin', Kendall's taste in boys is worse than yours. Your boy is at least pretty. That Ryan kid, on the other hand..." He shook his head. Then paused and started looking around the place. "Speaking of, where is Mr. Fabulous? I thought he'd be here."
Without waiting for his answer, he shouted across the yard to Finn. "Yo, Hudson!"
Finn turned his head and shouted back, "What?"
"Where's your brother?" Azimio asked.
Finn turned to Rachel, who told him something, and then back at Azimio. "He left already. Rachel said he left the club early."
"And where's Mercedes?" Azimio asked again and Dave had to roll his eyes.
Rachel whispered furiously at her boyfriend and then fixed Azimio with a haughty glare. Finn shrugged and said, "She told me to tell you not to let you know where she is even if your life depends on it."
Azimio grinned and turned back to his friend. "She's at Starbucks. I'm gonna go say hi. So you comin'?"
"Hell, no," Dave replied. "You're on your own, bro. I'm gonna look for my boyfriend. You go... look for trouble."
"Catch you later." And his friend sailed away.
Dave slung his bag over his shoulder and went to talk to Ryan. "Dude. Can I hitch a ride? I need to go home fast."
"Sure," Ryan answered. "Kendall and I are on our way, too."
"Thanks, man."
Dave said goodbye to his teammates as he followed the lovebirds to the parking lot. As he passed Artie and Brittany, he heard Brittany saying, "I think Karofsky is going to get really lucky tonight. Kurt was shaking during glee club. I think he was thinking about giving Karofsky a blowjob. I do, too, when I think about giving you one, Artie."
He had to smack Kendall and Ryan all the way to his house because they wouldn't stop laughing at him.
*
Dave said goodbye to Kendall and Ryan as they drove away from his house. Looking at the car go, he couldn't quite stop himself from marveling at the fact that he had a teammate who was also gay. Times had definitely changed at McKinley High. It had been a long, uphill and bloody struggle to get where they were right now but, on the plus side, it had only taken them a year to go from that Dark Age to this Age of Enlightenment. Dave knew who to thank for the positive changes. He just had to find him first before he could show his gratitude.
His father was the one who opened the door and welcomed him home. Paul Karofsky grabbed his son into a half hug before scurrying over to the living room, only to return again with his jacket.
"You going somewhere?" Dave asked in bewilderment. "But I just got home!"
"Sorry, son, I know you just came home, but I have business dinner to attend. Mom's still out of town but there's food in the fridge. You can heat it up and have dinner whenever you like. And tomorrow, I want to hear all about Columbus and the Buckeyes. I'll wake you up for breakfast."
Dave nodded. "All right."
"I guess I should wake you up at nine, huh? Just to be safe?"
Dave shrugged. "I'll probably wake up at seven like usual."
To his surprise, his dad gave him a knowing smile. "No, you don't. You usually wake up later when Kurt sleeps over."
Dave's eyes widened. "Kurt's sleeping over?"
Paul grinned and pointed upwards with his thumb. "He's been here since two hours ago. Why else did you think I took this urgent call from my boss?"
Dave laughed and hugged his dad in thanks, for real this time, and escorted him to his car. Paul waved at him from the car and for the second time that day, Dave watched as a car left his house. When his dad's car was no longer in sight, he wasted no time in running back into the house and up to his room.
*
Kurt was, in fact, sleeping when Dave entered his room. Literally sleeping. He was curled up in Dave's bed in a plain white T-shirt and a pair of grey boxer shorts, clutching a pillow and snoring softly into it. On the desk where Dave's computer was, a set of designer clothes lay folded and neatly arranged. It was so like Kurt to remember taking off his expensive outfits before taking a nap. A history textbook lay open at the foot of the bed, along with a notebook, a pen and a marker. Apparently Kurt had been doing his homework before Dave arrived. But now he looked really peaceful in his sleep and Dave didn't have the heart to wake him up.
He dropped his bag on the floor and took his shoes off. Then he went into the en suite bathroom to freshen up and change his clothes. When he came out, he glanced at his Xbox and wondered if he should kill time by playing something on it, but quickly changed his mind. Why play games when he could snuggle with his boyfriend? He climbed on the bed and stretched out beside Kurt, pulling the pillow that the other boy was hugging, knowing exactly that he would be a replacement for the object.
Sure enough, Kurt's arms began to flail as soon as the pillow was removed. Dave scooted closer to Kurt and was soon enveloped in a a rather tight embrace by his boyfriend. Dave smirked. Ha, I knew it. They'd shared the bed often enough for him to know that Kurt liked to sleep with his arms around something... or someone. If Dave had his way, that someone was going to be him for a very long time. At least until they were 90. Or that was the plan anyway.
He knew high school romances usually didn't last and he wasn't that much of an optimist that he and Kurt would be together forever. There might be a time when he and Kurt had to part ways. Like, going to different colleges. Kurt was dead set on going to New York and study something at NYU. His other option was even more ambitious: he wanted to get a scholarship to go to a university in London. Dave, on the other hand, was probably going to end up in Ohio State. Training with the Buckeyes had given him the opportunity to be seen by their coaches and he heard his name being discussed upon in a few occasions. Just before they left Columbus today, Beiste had sat down with him, and Finn and Sam, and said that the university was interested in the three of them. So Dave knew they were probably going to have to live apart for four years, at least.
But he couldn't shake the feeling that this thing he had with Kurt - this teenage romance, this high school relationship - was a forever kind of deal. After everything they'd gone through, it was hard to think that they were not going to be together forever, riding into the sunset, joined in holy matrimony (hopefully by then the state of Ohio would recognize same-sex marriages). And by 'everything' he meant, not only going from enemies who stole each other's first kisses and threatened each other's lives (OK, so Dave threatened Kurt's life and Kurt threatened to rip his balls off with his manicure set) to becoming boyfriends who couldn't keep their hands off each other in front of their parents, but also unifying the warring jocks and gleeks and putting a complete stop to any kind of bullying nonsense in their school. After all that? There was NO WAY he and Kurt were going to break up just because they couldn't deal with a long distance relationship.
Even if he did break up with Kurt, he knew he'd love Kurt forever. And Kurt would love him forever. They were each other's first loves and this schmoopy shit was not going to be easy to get rid off. He was willing to bet on it.
"Hm, David? Finally. You're home."
Dave turned to look at his boyfriend. Kurt had apparently woken up. "Hey, Fancy."
Kurt smiled and snuggled closer to Dave, as if they weren't already pressed tightly enough against one another. Dave planted a kiss on Kurt's forehead and Kurt beamed at him. That was how they always greeted each other. When they met, they never kissed each other on the lips first. He didn't know how that started but that was how they did it now.
"How are you?" Dave asked. "Missed me?"
"Too much," Kurt admitted. Dave smirked. And for that he received a light slap on the arm. "Smug bastard. But you were gone for a week... that's too long for me to cope with. I was so lonely that I even thought about calling Bla--"
"Shut up, Hummel," Dave cut him off before he could say The Other Boy's name. And he kissed Kurt for good measure. He felt Kurt smile into the kiss, which told Dave that this was what he'd been aiming for.
When they broke for air, Kurt let go of Dave with a long lick across his boyfriend's lower lip that served to bring a shudder into his stocky frame. Dave flipped him over until Kurt was pinned underneath him and forced Kurt's legs to open with his thighs.
"You plan on finishing what you started, Kurt?" he challenged. "Because I really don't have anywhere to be tonight. My mom's not home, my dad won't be back until later, and you're the one who sneaked into my bedroom to wait for me here. And I've gone for a week without anything more than jerking off in the shower. Once I go, you probably won't be able to walk properly for a few days. So if you want out, say it now."
It was Kurt's turn to smirk... and rolled his hips upwards. His clothed erection made contact with Dave's groin. Dave's breath got caught in his throat -- Kurt was hard. Oh, yeah, Brittany was totally right: he was going to get lucky tonight.
"Does that feel like me wanting out, Karofsky? Or do I have to mention Blaine's name to get you going again?"
"Bitch."
"Your bitch, though."
At that, Dave couldn't stop the goofy smile from marring the badass jock expression he was trying to project. Kurt burst out laughing. Ah, hell. Dave knew he couldn't put up any facades in front of Kurt anyway.
Kurt reached up to caress a strand of curl in Dave's head, whispering, "I don't know how I got through this week without you. Rachel was taking all of our solos, but I couldn't even bring myself to care. I just wanted to see you again. It got so bad today, knowing that you were going to come home in the afternoon but I still had to go through an entire day of school until you arrived, that I couldn't concentrate in glee. I snapped at Mr. Schuester. I think he'll give more solo time to Rachel next week because of that."
Dave kissed the tip of Kurt's nose, making him scrunching up his face. "Aw, that's not so bad. I was a jerk to everyone in the team because I couldn't even use the phone to call you. And I was actually kind of disappointed when I saw that you weren't there to welcome us home with the other girls and Ryan."
This time, the face Kurt made was one of disgust. "Oh, ew. I didn't want to do that kind of WAG-ish thing."
"What-ish thing?"
"WAG-ish. Wives and Girlfriends. British soccer term. Never mind."
"But Ryan was there!"
Kurt shrugged. "Why should I wait for you there when I can wait for you here? And besides, I got to talk to your dad while I waited. Are you sure he's not coming back home anytime soon? How long do his business dinners last anyway?"
"Even if it doesn't last long enough, he'll know not to come home too soon." Dave grinned. "He might go over to your place and hang out with your dad."
Kurt sighed happily. "Don't you just love PFLAG parents?"
"Can we stop talking about parents now? I'm kind of losing my hard on because of this. Do something."
"You're such a caveman." Kurt made a tsk sound and instructed, "Ask nicely."
Dave rolled his eyes but he did it anyway. Leaning forward until he found his boyfriend's neck, he nibbled on the pale skin before murmuring, "Baby, I want you to make me hard again. Please?"
Kurt beamed at him again. "Your wish is my command."
They spent the next half an hour proving how true Brittany's prophecy was. And then some.
*
Quinn leaned over their book-littered table at Starbucks and whispered frantically to Mercedes, "Don't look now but Azimio just walked through the door. And he's looking at you."
Mercedes didn't know if she should shout in panic or in anger at that announcement. She absolutely didn't know where Azimio got the idea that, since his best friend and Mercedes' best friend were dating now, they should be dating as well. She shuddered at the thought of getting together with the stupid jock... and wished Anthony hadn't graduated from high school and they were still dating so he could protect her from the big bully.
Quinn had her phone out and asked her, "Should I call Kurt or David now and get one or both them here? Azimio'll behave or leave you alone if they're here."
Mercedes thought about it. Yeah, it would be nice to have Kurt and David around and not just because they were the only two people who could effectively put the fear of god in Azimio. It would be nice to have Kurt and Dave around because they were always so mushy together and Mercedes loved watching them interact. She knew Quinn liked watching them, too, so maybe that was why she suggested it in the first place.
On the other hand, Mercedes was pretty sure Kurt and Dave were 'busy' right now. From the way Kurt couldn't wait to hightail it out of school earlier, Mercedes knew her best friend simply couldn't wait for his boyfriend to come home and needed to get a 'Dave fix' as badly as a crackhead needed, well, crack. She knew for a fact Kurt was on extremely familiar terms with Dave's parents and he came and went as he pleased in the Karofsky household, just like Dave was pretty much a permanent fixture in the Hudson-Hummel home. So, Kurt had probably gone to welcome Dave in the privacy of his boyfriend's room and that meant it would be useless calling any of them. They were probably fucking each other's brains out right now.
"Nah, don't bother," Mercedes finally said. "Kurt might not be available. He's probably busy getting down on Dave right now."
Quinn giggled. "Oh. Because he was vibrating earlier, right?"
"That's right. So we're going to be good friends and let them be. Don't worry, girl, I can take care of Ass-imio by myself."
The derogatory nickname made Quinn lose it completely. She glanced at the jock who appeared to be on his way to their table and burst out laughing. Maniacally. Mercedes laughed, too, noting how the head cheerleader sounded like a crazy hag when she laughed loosely that way. The ploy worked, however, and Azimio seemed to rethink his decision to say hello to Mercedes. He veered off course and sat down four tables away from them, in a quiet corner all by himself. Mercedes shot him a triumphant look, which he responded with a nod. Then he took out his phone and started texting.
He never bothered them at all for the rest of the evening.
Mercedes sent a silent thanks to the boys responsible for the change in the jocks. One day, once she'd become a famous chart-topper with a dozen Grammys and multiple platinum and gold records in her belt, she'd write an autobiography and detail how her early life in Lima, Ohio changed for the better because Dave Karofsky and Kurt Hummel stopped being enemies and started being lovers in high school.
For now, though, she was happy with the knowledge that the jocks? They were all right.
END