Title: About trees and empty forests. Chapter 5.
Author:
xonthefloorPairing: Dave Karofsky/Kurt Hummel.
Rating: R.
Warnings: Strip and lap dances. Misunderstood prostitution. Bulimia. Depression.
Spoilers: Season One and Two.
Beta: Katie!
Word Count: 26oo this chapter.
Genre: Romance/Angst/Drama.
Disclaimer: Pfht, if I owned Glee, Blaine wouldn't be on it.
Summary: It’s been five years since Kurt Hummel and Dave Karofsky left Lima, following different paths. Now their lives are far from being what they dreamed for themselves and when they meet again, Dave mistakes Kurt for a hooker. Kurt doesn’t tell him different.
A/N: I started plotting this fic way before the Prom episode. So in this fic, Karofsky hasn't apologized yet.
Chapter 5
Kurt shouldn’t be enjoying this so much, but it’s not every day that he gets to have a warm bath. On the first night that Kurt stayed at Dave’s apartment, he really wished he could take a long, relaxing bath when he spotted Dave’s large bathtub. Kurt only had a crappy shower at his place, and the hot water didn’t last more than ten minutes-If he’s lucky.
But he wasn’t going to ask Dave if he could take a bath. Kurt was the hooker in this scenario, and he assumed that it wouldn’t be proper for him to ask his client if he could use his bathtub.
Though, when Dave walked into the bathroom where Kurt was waiting for the clean towels he was bringing him, Dave saw him gazing at the tub longingly, and he told Kurt that he could use it.
“Oh, no! It’s fine. I’m okay with taking a shower,” Kurt lied, and he was sure Dave saw right through him.
“C’mon, I won’t mind.”
Kurt bit his lower lip. He really wanted to, but it felt wrong.
“Maybe if you join me,” Kurt suggested coyly, thinking he could make this bathtub thing a part of his act. He never shared a bath with anyone, but he didn’t really feel weird about the prospect of doing so with Dave.
Dave’s eyes lit up for a second, but then he looked quite uncomfortable. “I already took a shower and I’m also a bit sleepy. So it’s all yours.”
Kurt sighed, frustrated. “It’s a bit selfish for me to take a long bath all by myself when you’re paying me to be here, David.”
Dave rolled his eyes. “What’s the big deal? I’ll probably fall asleep at any moment. You don’t need to entertain me or anything, even if I am paying you. So take a bath, I’m going to sleep for awhile, okay?”
Kurt didn’t even have time to retort as Dave already handed him the towels, walked towards the tub, turned the faucet on, and left. Kurt pressed his lips together, mad at Dave, but then he smiled when the thought of being able to take a soothing bath filled his mind. And it was Dave’s idea, after all. Dave made him do it so it wasn’t like Kurt was being a bad whore. He only did what Dave asked him to.
So, Kurt smiles to himself as the tub fills. The steam starts filling the room and knowing that hot steam is good for the lungs, he inhales and exhales deeply. He’s quite chipper and he knows he shouldn’t be. He’s also quite sore, but he was expecting this after the sex he just had.
Meeting a second time with Dave was much easier than the first time. There was no awkwardness or uncertainty. Sure, when Dave opened the door to greet him they shared a few of seconds of awkward silence, but as soon as Kurt stepped inside the apartment and Dave shut the door behind them, they were all over each other in an instant. Kurt wasn’t given much time to feel self-conscious about anything.
The sex was just as amazing as the first night, and Kurt was starting to get used to being able to come without having to jerk himself off. Kurt really believes that this is how sex is supposed to be.
To bad he’s learning about it right now, under these circumstances.
Kurt checks himself out in the mirror, enjoying how the room is getting hotter. The mirror is steadily becoming fogged with steam, but Kurt can still appreciate the bite marks and hickeys on his neck. He knows he should have asked Dave not to leave marks on him; it was mortifying for him, having to ask his workmates at The VIP to cover his bite marks with make-up before his performance, and for more than one night. He could conceal the ones on his neck, but it was impossible for him to put make-up on the ones on his back.
He couldn’t strip in front of everyone with those marks in his back! And his co-workers did help him out, after making fun of him. They would poke fun and scoff, saying, ‘I didn’t think you were into rough sex, Babyface! But no worries, we’ll cover all your love bites, you dog!’ Kurt wasn’t used to people making fun of the sexual aspects of his life; at least, not in a good way.
Kurt sighs. Apparently, he’s going to have to go through that embarrassing situation once again.
The bathtub is almost filled, and Kurt wonders if Dave has salts or some sort of scented bubble bath. He doubts that Dave has any, but it won’t kill him to see if he does. It’s not like he’s able to have a bath like this every day, so he wanted to try to make the most of it.
Kurt opens the counters under the sink first, and he finds nothing but normal commodities that most men have: cologne, an electric razor, a couple of small towels… Clean t-shirts? Kurt frowns. This is a weird place to keep clothes. Kurt continues his search and only manages to find extra toilet paper, shampoo and conditioner, and soap.
Almost resigned, Kurt decides to try the mirror cabinet. Kurt only finds a tooth brush, toothpaste, and a bottle of Hugo Boss. ‘Nice,’ Kurt thinks to himself, smiling. ‘So that’s why Dave smells so good all the time…’ But then his smile fades when his eyes fall upon numerous pill bottles
Kurt takes one of them and reads Prozac. What? Why would Dave have Prozac in his cabinet? The knot in his throat only worsens when he reads the label and sees Dave’s name there. These pills have been properly given to Dave by a shrink.
He takes the other bottles, all of them with Dave’s name on the label, and he finds that Dave is also taking something called Topamax, Xanax, and also Tegretol. Kurt puts all of them back in the cabinet before removing his underwear and climbing inside the tub.
He’s not feeling so joyful anymore. The hot water embracing him feels incredible, though, and Dave’s bathtub is so big that Kurt has a hard time believing it. Nevertheless, Kurt turns the faucet off, and in the solitude and silence of the steamy bathroom, he can only think about the man that’s presumably sleeping in the next room.
Kurt knows what Xanaxand Prozac are, so he assumes that the other two are psychiatric drugs as well, and that leads him to the obvious question: Why is David taking all of that? And it’s not like he’s a junky, stealing prescription pills since they all have his name in the label, so that only means that there’s a doctor-a shrink-who believes that it is necessary for Dave to be taking all of those drugs.
Kurt lies down in the tub, sinking down until the water reaches his chin, as he thinks about what could possibly be wrong in Dave’s life. They don’t talk much-usually only what’s necessary-so they definitely don’t share a lot of the personal aspects of their lives to each other. But Dave has a great apartment, money, and a possibly a good job-or at least one that pays well if Dave can afford so much stuff. So why is Dave taking antidepressants and anxiety medication?
Well, probably because he’s suffering from depression and an anxiety disorder and… Something else… Kurt isn’t sure what the other two pills are for. Dave doesn’t look like he’s depressive. Dave doesn’t look like he’s sad. He’s quiet, but Kurt is quiet as well. Kurt doesn’t know how Dave acts when he’s with people the who aren’t him.
But still, he worries, and he hates himself for that. There’s obviously something wrong in Dave’s life, and he wonders a lot about him. Does this have something to do with Dave’s homosexuality? Maybe Dave is not accepting of himself; maybe he didn’t change much since high school. But those are things that Kurt doesn’t know since, from what he gathers, Dave may or may not be out. There’s nothing that indicates one way or the other.
So Dave’s issues could be related to his sexuality, if Dave is still in the closet. But if he’s out, then that would mean that Dave’s issues go beyond that.
Kurt is curious now and it’s frustrating since he knows he can’t exactly ask Dave. They don’t know each other and the only reason why Kurt is there is because Dave pays him to be. He’s Dave’s hooker, so it’s not his place to ask him ‘Why do you have prescription pills in your cabinet?’ He isn’t being paid to be nosy.
And Kurt shouldn’t be worrying about Dave. He has plenty of things to worry about, like the fact that he has less than ten days to gather a couple of hundreds in order to reach the monthly payment for his medical bills. He also has to go to the drugstore, since he’s running out of his Ventolin and he has to buy a new one.
Kurt tries to relax and enjoy his bath, even if it seems impossible now. Why did he have to be so nosy? He’s perfectly capable of enjoying a bath without scents and bubbles; he’s enjoying it so far, so why did he open Dave’s stupid cabinet?
Even if it’s not the relaxing bath Kurt anticipated, he enjoys the hot water around his body while his mind is filled with thoughts of Dave. Then the water starts turning cold, and he steps out of the bathtub. After Kurt cleans the whole bathroom-he didn’t make a mess but he wants Dave to find the bathroom as if he didn’t use it-and puts some clothes on, he walks into Dave’s bedroom to find him fast asleep on one side of the bed. Kurt suddenly wonders if Dave always sleeps off to one side, or if he was just leaving room for him.
He carefully gets in the bed, trying not to wake Dave up. Dave’s sleeping on his side and Kurt watches him closely.
He looks peaceful in his sleep, and it pains Kurt somehow. He shouldn’t worry about David Karofsky, his former bully. But it’s weird because ever since they ran into each other at The VIP, they still feel like they’re complete strangers to one another, even if they did share some history together. Almost.
But Dave doesn’t behave like he did in high school, and Kurt has to assume the same about himself. They hardly ever mention their past, and they don’t even talk about the present. It’s a weird feeling. Even though Dave bullied him when they were teens, Kurt can’t manage to hate him today. They’re too much like strangers to one another, but Kurt can’t think about Dave as a stranger even if they don’t know anything about each other. And instead he uses this ambiguous detachment in his favor, since he could easily give a damn about what happens in Dave Karofsky’s life.
Yet, Dave is sleeping next to him and he’s a man who Kurt has crossed paths with at some point in his life. And Kurt is still looking at him as though he was able to learn more about Dave just by staring at him.
Kurt carefully runs the back of his fingers over Dave’s cheek. “Why are you so sad?” Kurt whispers, and Dave stirs.
Kurt quickly pulls his hand away and Dave blinks repeatedly until he opens his eyes. He stares at Kurt.
“Hey,” he says sleepily. “Enjoy your bath?”
He can’t push aside the curiosity and the worry, but he’s quickly learning how to act like the hooker Dave’s paying for. So Kurt smirks playfully. “I did. It was very relaxing.”
Dave smiles lazily, closing his eyes again. Kurt realizes that he doesn’t get to see Dave smile a lot and he realizes that he likes this smile. Kurt keeps on growing worried. For some reason, he feels the urge to do something for him and he shouldn’t. Kurt certainly doesn’t owe anything to Dave, and it’s not up to him whether Dave’s happy or not.
He’s only here for the sex; sleeping with Dave is literally the most he can do.
And for the first time, Kurt really wonders what the hell he’s doing here. Dave seems to be a good catch. He has a great apartment and apparently a good job. He’s amazing in bed and even if Dave’s far from looking like how Kurt’s ex-boyfriends looked, Kurt has to admit that Dave’s very attractive.
‘Note to self: Reconsider your taste in men’. Kurt thinks to himself, believing he could use that advice for when he’s in shape to start dating again, if that ever happens.
Why does Dave need to pay for a hooker? Dave could have a boyfriend, a lover, or maybe some acquaintance to have booty calls with every now and then. It doesn’t matter if Dave’s out or not; Dave went to The VIP and he’s clearly familiarized with gay sex, so he could have a boyfriend, or a secret lover, or one nightstand if he’s still in the closet.
What’s going on in Dave’s life?
Kurt suddenly feels useless and he doesn’t even know why. He can’t do much for Dave, and he’s not even sure if there’s something to do for him, but the belief of Dave being sad, or depressed upsets Kurt, and he wants to do something about it. Anything.
He’s not even thinking when he wraps an arm around Dave, pressing himself close to him. Dave immediately holds Kurt back, and Kurt feels so stupid… He’s a hooker. Who wants hugs from a hooker? He can’t comfort Dave with hugs…
…But he can do it with sex.
Kurt knows he can’t fix anything with sex; in fact, it wasn’t until he started having sex with Dave that he discovered that sex could be something mind-blowing and that he could be somewhat good at it. But even if sex doesn’t fix anything, you can at least feel good for a little while.
So Kurt presses his mouth against Dave’s, initiating a slow and sensual kiss. Thankfully, in spite of his sleepy state, Dave kisses him back. His hand finds Kurt’s hair and he runs his fingers through his hair at the back of his head. Kurt moans into Dave’s mouth, growing hard as Dave’s other hand slips down his back to cup his ass, pulling Kurt tightly against him. Kurt wraps his leg around Dave’s waist, crushing their growing erections together.
“Fuck, yes,” Kurt breathes out and arches his back when Dave buries his face in the hollow of his neck, sucking the sensitive skin there.
While he ravishes Kurt’s neck, Dave pushes him onto his back, getting on top of him and Kurt starts letting himself being drifted into pleasure.
Kurt loves how much pleasure Dave subjects him to every time he fucks him. He loves how Dave makes him feel when they fuck, and Kurt is a hundred percent sure that Dave likes to fuck him. So Kurt can’t fix Dave, but he’ll give himself to Dave as much he can. Dave can, at least, have something to distract himself from his-presumably-depression, and Kurt gets something good from this as well.
They both win. Kurt never gets to feel this good, and if Dave is in a similar place but for different reasons, Kurt is able to resolve their problems in a way that enables them to both feel good, at least for a while.