Back with part six
Title: Ambrosia
Chapter: 6/11
Fandoms: Glee and Percy Jackson and the Olympians fusion
Author: setos_puppy
Pairings: Kurt/Blaine, Kurt/Dave, Dave/Blaine, eventual Kurt/Dave/Blaine
Rating: R overall
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee nor do I make any profit from this work of fiction.
Summary: Kurt starts at his new high school and makes new friends and learns about himself along the way
Warnings: alternate universe, copious usage of Greek mythology, hints of incest (this is greek mythology after all), demi-gods, underage drinking, angsty frosting
Notes: Written because I decided to watch the not so awesome Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief while in a writing slump and got bitch-slapped with this idea. Thank you to yakkorat_fics and poetic_kitsune for putting up with my relentless spamming, flailing and questions.
Previous Chapters: I, II, III, IV, V
Kurt woke up the morning of Christmas annoyed, his alarm was going off and his cellphone was beeping incessantly. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up and stared at the clock, blinking at the time and realizing he had less than ten minutes to be ready before his dad and his stepmother arrived. He had to greet them at the gate and help them through - mortals weren’t normally allowed in except on special occasions. Kurt stumbled into a pair of jeans and threw on a button down shirt before heading to his dresser and looking for a sweater and a tie while hopping into his socks and shoes.
Remembering he left them in the laundry room to hang dry, Kurt ran down the stairs, skidding into the laundry room and fumbling his tie into a Windsor knot and pulled a charcoal sweater and ran back up the stairs for his jacket. Wondering which other kid would be awake that he could collude into helping him get his parents through the gate. He spotted Puck absently practicing sword drills in the front yard and paused to ask him. He had three minutes before his parents arrived and then an extra two before most people in the house woke up and all hell broke loose.
“Puck, can you help me get my stepmom and dad through the gate?”
Puck paused, rolling the hilt of his sword through his hand absently. “Anything for the son of Aphrodite.”
“Can it,” Kurt warned, frowning. “I’m not interested.”
“Everyone’s interested in me.”
“Not me.”
Puck made an annoyed noise as they crossed through the gate and leaned against the brick pillar supporting the wrought iron. “Give it time.”
“Look, just because your dad and my mother have a history -”
“They have more than a history.”
“Whatever, just because they have... whatever it is they have. Does not automatically mean you and I need to have a “whatever it is”. Besides, aren’t you with Santana?”
Puck rose a shoulder in a shrug and flexed his hands in his leather gloves. “She and Brittany are busy reconnecting.”
“Ah, that would explain why Artie’s been moping. Why don’t you hang out with Artie, bond over your woes of nymphs?”
“Why do that when I can have you?”
Kurt rolled his eyes and turned his head to the side. “Keep talking Puckerman and I’ll make sure you’re loveless for the rest of your life. Maybe I’ll even make your precious manhood drop off.”
Puck rose his arms in a defensive gesture huffing a sigh. “Can’t even flirt anymore.”
Kurt let out a snort before brightening when he spotted his father and his stepmom and ran over to them, hugging them both around the neck. “I missed you guys so much!”
They managed to get Kurt’s parents through the gate before Puck returned to his sword drills, with a somewhat apologetic side glance at Kurt, who nodded gratefully as he stepped into the warm institution.
“This place looks lovely, Kurt.” His stepmother, Carole, nodded approvingly as they crossed through the halls towards the spare rooms, his dad and stepmom were leaving the next day to make a flight to Brazil for New Years.
“Just wait five minutes, once you meet everyone, I’m sure you’ll take that back,” Kurt teased lightly, watching them drop off their things in their room. “Why don’t we grab some quick breakfast and then I can give you the tour?”
“That sounds great.” Burt agreed with a smile, tucking his hands in his pockets. “Lead the way.”
They headed to the kitchen, which already smelled like Christmas - gingerbread cookies, fresh bread, there was lamb roasting in the open hearth over a spit and the modern ovens were cooking a variety of things - turkey, fish, ham - and the room had been decorated festively. Kurt nodded in greeting to one of the Hestia priestesses who was making sure to attend to the hearth properly. She nodded back and pulled out an offering from a large, shallow bowl, her fingers slowly turning red with blood, and tossed it into the flame. A flare of flames went up, crackling over the offered meat, and she bowed to the hearth before moving to the sink to wash her hands.
“What was she doing?” Carole asked, her voice low as she ducked down to Kurt’s ear.
“Giving a calf liver to Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth. She’s thanking her for cooking our food.” Carole nodded her head, humming interestedly in the back of her throat before sitting down at the table next to Burt as Kurt picked up some freshly made cinnamon buns, two mugs of coffee and a mug of tea, and granola and yogurt before sitting down with a smile. “I’m so glad you guys are here.”
“We’re happy to be here. Are they treating you well? Are you classes going well?” The words flew out of Carole’s mouth in a rush as she sipped her coffee and started picking at her cinnamon bun.
“Things are going well. It took a bit to get settled but I’ve made a small, great bunch of friends and I’m learning a lot.”
“So I made a good decision, then.” Burt stated, glad he had done right by his son. “I’m happy you’re happy.”
Kurt nodded his head, taking a long sip of his tea, watching people filter in for breakfast. He watched his parents watch the students mingle about, talking over each other, like ‘normal’ teenagers, and smiled to himself. If only they knew what he knew about some of them. Everyone was excited for Christmas and Haloa, Sam and Quinn were preparing by cleansing and purifying, spending the next twenty four hours in their room; Blaine was bitching about how cold it was but had a huge smile on his face in spite of everything.
Artie made his way into the room, his eyes on a new Crinaeae; a fountain nymph, a dopey grin on his face. Kurt rolled his eyes - like father, like son. Kurt waved Artie over when the satyr looked over, and nudged his plate towards Artie, smiling as Artie started picking at it.
“She is so out of your league. She’s originally from Vegas, you know? She was training to become a showgirl.”
Artie sighed wistfully, looking over his shoulder at her and chewed on his stolen piece of cinnamon bun. “She’s so gorgeous.”
“You say that about all the nymphs.”
“Um, Kurt, who’s your friend?”
Artie looked back from his assessment of the nameless, newest nymph to the household and towards Carole before plastering on a smile and offering his hand. “Artie Abrams, son of Pan. You must be Kurt’s parents.”
Carole shook his hand, unable to help herself her eyes trailed to his goat half and she laughed a little. “Well, that’s certainly different.”
“I bet it’s hard for you to buy clothes.” Burt chimed in, smirking a little.
Artie laughed a little, finishing his borrowed breakfast. “Depends on the people you know, Mr. Hummel.” Artie stood, looking back at the laughing nymph. “If you’ll excuse me... I need... Sugar. Oh, and Kurt if you see Finn, tell him Puck’s been...”
Kurt rolled his eyes again as Artie walked off, sentence half finished and strode towards the nymph. He sipped his tea, watching with a morbid fascination as Artie slid up to the girl and started talking to her. “One of these days he’s going to get such a slap to the face.”
“No rewards without a little risk.” Burt chuckled, draining his coffee. “Come on, let’s take a walk.”
~*~
“This place is amazing!” Carole breathed, shoving her gloved hands into her coat pockets.
They had taken a tour of the house first, Kurt took the time to introduce his parents to all of his friends, showed them around the coolest rooms - the training rooms, art room, music room, and the lounge. They stopped in his room, and took the time to meet Kurt’s teachers. Now they were walking through the snow-covered backyard, talking and admiring the statues sprawled over the wide expanse of land.
“Yeah, I’m really happy here. I feel like I fit in.”
“That’s good,” Burt murmured, adjusting his hood. “I know you weren’t happy at your old high school.”
“Yeah, people there were real - oh there’s Finn.” Kurt cut himself off, peering into the still full pool. The top of the water had pieces of ice floating over the water and Finn was sitting calmly underwater at the deep end of the pool, in nothing more than a bathing suit.
“Oh my God, is he alright?!” Carole shrieked, hands clutched to her chest. “He’s not moving! I don’t think he’s breathing. I think he might have frozen. Oh my God I think we should call -”
“Finn!” Kurt screamed at the pool, frowning. He turned in place before picking up a broken piece of a terracotta pot and chucked it into the water. “Finn!”
Seconds later, Finn broke the surface of the water, treading lightly. “What?”
“When did you go under?”
“Around seven.”
“You’ve been under for over two hours. Puck’s looking for you and you nearly gave my stepmom a heart attack.”
“I couldn’t fall back asleep, I thought...” Finn took a few long strokes towards the edge of the pool and pulled himself out, shaking himself as the water dried instantly on his skin and he pulled on his jeans and then his fleece pullover. “I’m sorry Kurt’s stepmom. I needed to clear my head.”
Carole nodded distractedly and offered a small wave as Finn headed back inside the house. “I’m guessing his dad is Poseidon?”
Kurt smiled and nodded. “Now you’re getting it.”
“What about that? Who’s that over there?” Burt nodded in the direction of someone off in the distance near the trees.
“No idea.” Kurt replied honestly. “Let’s go see.”
They trudged off through the snow towards the figure, who Kurt realized was calmly and serenely practicing archery. Kurt smiled widely as he realized who it was the closer they got.
“Morning David.”
Dave nodded his head in greeting, drawing his arm back, the pad of his thumb brushing over the feathered fletching a moment before he released the arrow. They tracked the passage of it as it soared through the air and embedded in a target over a hundred feet off and embedded into the bulls-eye. Dave nodded approvingly before lowering his bow and turning and facing Kurt with a soft smile.
“Morning.”
“You don’t use a hunting bow.” Burt observed, nodding to the compound bow resting on the snow.
“I don’t like them,” Dave replied honestly. Removing his bracer and glove and packing his things in a sturdy looking case. “They’re too bulky for my liking. Too mechanical.”
Burt nodded, offering his hand. “Burt Hummel, Kurt’s father. And my wife, Carole.”
Dave nodded, taking their hands and shaking. “Nice to meet you. I’m Dave Karofsky.” Dave lifted his head shielding his eyes from the sun. “Ah, here come the Huntresses. You wanted to see hunting bows, these ladies certainly know how to wield them.”
Kurt smiled in greeting at the wave of women, dressed in thin but no doubt very warm gear, each with a quiver over her shoulder and a compact hunting bow in hand. Several of them greeted Kurt and Dave warmly but several steered clear of them all together.
“Hey Karen,” Kurt greeted, waving to the Huntress. “Where are you ladies headed?”
“We’re looking for a deer for dinner. We’ve been tracking three, so we should be able to find something.”
“Are you staying out here for dinner tonight?”
Karen nodded. “We want to spend the holiday with The Lady, but have a Merry Christmas. We’ll be back the day after Haloa.”
Dave nodded his head, shifting in place. “Good hunting.”
“With your blessings, I’m sure it will be.” Karen shook hands with Dave before running off through the snow to catch up with the rest of the girls who had slipped into the trees.
Burt wrapped an arm around Kurt’s shoulders as they headed in from the cold. “I can see why you like it here.”
~*~
“Hey, Kurt?”
Kurt looked up from his computer screen, his dad and Carole were wandering around, learning things, and he was taking some time to himself before dinner and presents. Actually Christmas, Kurt was learning, wasn’t really a big deal around the school - Haloa was. He smiled at Dave and waved him in, shifting his chair back from the desk and spinning as Dave sat on his bed.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Nothing much. I actually wanted to give you your present now, if that’s okay... It’s kind of time sensitive.”
“Oh, sure.”
Kurt took the awkwardly wrapped present and peeled the paper, lifting the potted flower out of the paper and set it on his desk. He rolled the plastic, protective paper down and peered at the cheery, bell-shaped flower that was a startling pale blue colour. It smelled fragrant in a way that was sweet, yet not overpowering. Kurt brushed his fingers along the petals and then down the stem before turning to Dave.
“It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
“I... It’s a hyacinth. I don’t know if you know the story but... the flower means a lot to my father.”
Kurt nodded, examining the flower and turning back to Dave with a wide smile. “Yeah, I know the story. It’s one of my favourites... You really didn’t have to give this to me, David..” Kurt stood from his chair and wrapped his arms around Dave’s neck before pressing a kiss to Dave’s cheek.
Dave hesitated a moment before wrapping his arms around Kurt, returning the hug and smiled at him when Kurt pulled back and nodded his head. “I’m glad you like it.”
Kurt looked back to the plant for a moment, before standing up and walking to his closet, he pulled out a neatly wrapped box and presented it to Dave. “It’s only fair.”
Dave smiled widely, taking the box and shaking it lightly, trying to figure out what it was. He opened the paper and then lifted the lid of the box and the tissue inside. He peered down at the contents before lifting out the leather case inside - it was a soft, faint tan in colour and almost supple in texture. Dave’s name was embroidered on the lower right edge in gold stitching lined with red. “Kurt, it’s beautiful.”
“It’s for your cithara. I noticed you lean it against the wall in your room. I thought you could keep it safe.”
Dave nodded his head, setting the box aside and standing to wrap his arms around Kurt in a tight hug. “Thank you so much.”
Kurt returned the hug, the wide smile on Dave’s face more than thanks enough.
~*~
“Did you have a good time today?”
Kurt nodded his head, taking the last of the ice cream and spoon from Dave as he reclined on the couch in the lounge. It’s a Wonderful Life was playing on TV, it was late, far past two in the morning and the house was quiet. Dinner had been lovely, and loud, and busy.
Afterwards Kurt and his friends and his parents crowded back into Kurt and Mercedes’ room to exchange gifts and play some board games. It had ended abruptly when an enraged Rachel Berry flipped the Monopoly board and screamed that should couldn’t lose because “I’m Rachel Berry, daughter of Nike, goddess of victory and I never lose.” She had stormed off and the rest of them resumed their fun playing Uno.
Kurt had gotten gift cards from a bunch of people, new books, a new digital camera from his dad, and frankincense from Blaine. To say that Kurt hadn’t made more than a few jokes about not being the baby Jesus would be far from the truth, until Blaine explained that frankincense was a devotee gift to Dionysus and was often used by his followers as a calming agent. Kurt learned it could either be burned or chewed and that both ways were a way to soothe agitated nerves.
Kurt put the box of resin to be burned next to the hyacinth on his desk.
Blaine had gotten a Marc Jacobs messenger bag and scarf in return. Mercedes had gotten a three dimensional chessboard, Artie had gotten Caprica on blu-ray, Kurt’s parents got a bunch of travel things to keep them happy and healthy in Brazil, and Tina and Mike had gotten gift cards.
“Are you excited for tomorrow?” Kurt asked, nibbling on the edge of his spoon and looked to Dave.
“Yeah. I mean the ritual is boring, but when the party starts at night, I’ll be ready to go.”
Kurt nodded, yawning a little and stretching. “I think the turkey is finally kicking in and making me sleepy.”
“That or the two pieces of cherry pie. Or maybe the rack of lamb.”
“Shut up. You ate more than me.”
Dave laughed and stood, offering his hand. “C’mon, I’ll walk you to your room.”
Kurt stood and followed Dave into the kitchen, where they crammed the empty ice cream container into the already full garbage and then headed to the stairs. They walked in silence, Kurt leaning into Dave slightly as they climbed the stairs.
“Well, this is my stop,” Kurt murmured, slurring a little in tiredness.
“So it is.”
Kurt giggled, turning in Dave’s arms to embrace his friend before pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Goodnight Dave, Merry Christmas.”
Dave pressed his lips to Kurt’s forehead, watching as Kurt opened his door and waved to the sleepy, smaller brunette. “Sleep well Kurt, Merry Christmas.”
Kurt waved from his spot in the doorway, watching Dave retreat before he walked into his room, securely locking the door, and fell onto his bed, smiling and feeling warm and fuzzy.
~~ PART SEVEN~~
Chapter: 6/11
Fandoms: Glee and Percy Jackson and the Olympians fusion
Author: setos_puppy
Pairings: Kurt/Blaine, Kurt/Dave, Dave/Blaine, eventual Kurt/Dave/Blaine
Rating: R overall
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee nor do I make any profit from this work of fiction.
Summary: Kurt starts at his new high school and makes new friends and learns about himself along the way
Warnings: alternate universe, copious usage of Greek mythology, hints of incest (this is greek mythology after all), demi-gods, underage drinking, angsty frosting
Notes: Written because I decided to watch the not so awesome Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief while in a writing slump and got bitch-slapped with this idea. Thank you to yakkorat_fics and poetic_kitsune for putting up with my relentless spamming, flailing and questions.
Previous Chapters: I, II, III, IV, V
Kurt woke up the morning of Christmas annoyed, his alarm was going off and his cellphone was beeping incessantly. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up and stared at the clock, blinking at the time and realizing he had less than ten minutes to be ready before his dad and his stepmother arrived. He had to greet them at the gate and help them through - mortals weren’t normally allowed in except on special occasions. Kurt stumbled into a pair of jeans and threw on a button down shirt before heading to his dresser and looking for a sweater and a tie while hopping into his socks and shoes.
Remembering he left them in the laundry room to hang dry, Kurt ran down the stairs, skidding into the laundry room and fumbling his tie into a Windsor knot and pulled a charcoal sweater and ran back up the stairs for his jacket. Wondering which other kid would be awake that he could collude into helping him get his parents through the gate. He spotted Puck absently practicing sword drills in the front yard and paused to ask him. He had three minutes before his parents arrived and then an extra two before most people in the house woke up and all hell broke loose.
“Puck, can you help me get my stepmom and dad through the gate?”
Puck paused, rolling the hilt of his sword through his hand absently. “Anything for the son of Aphrodite.”
“Can it,” Kurt warned, frowning. “I’m not interested.”
“Everyone’s interested in me.”
“Not me.”
Puck made an annoyed noise as they crossed through the gate and leaned against the brick pillar supporting the wrought iron. “Give it time.”
“Look, just because your dad and my mother have a history -”
“They have more than a history.”
“Whatever, just because they have... whatever it is they have. Does not automatically mean you and I need to have a “whatever it is”. Besides, aren’t you with Santana?”
Puck rose a shoulder in a shrug and flexed his hands in his leather gloves. “She and Brittany are busy reconnecting.”
“Ah, that would explain why Artie’s been moping. Why don’t you hang out with Artie, bond over your woes of nymphs?”
“Why do that when I can have you?”
Kurt rolled his eyes and turned his head to the side. “Keep talking Puckerman and I’ll make sure you’re loveless for the rest of your life. Maybe I’ll even make your precious manhood drop off.”
Puck rose his arms in a defensive gesture huffing a sigh. “Can’t even flirt anymore.”
Kurt let out a snort before brightening when he spotted his father and his stepmom and ran over to them, hugging them both around the neck. “I missed you guys so much!”
They managed to get Kurt’s parents through the gate before Puck returned to his sword drills, with a somewhat apologetic side glance at Kurt, who nodded gratefully as he stepped into the warm institution.
“This place looks lovely, Kurt.” His stepmother, Carole, nodded approvingly as they crossed through the halls towards the spare rooms, his dad and stepmom were leaving the next day to make a flight to Brazil for New Years.
“Just wait five minutes, once you meet everyone, I’m sure you’ll take that back,” Kurt teased lightly, watching them drop off their things in their room. “Why don’t we grab some quick breakfast and then I can give you the tour?”
“That sounds great.” Burt agreed with a smile, tucking his hands in his pockets. “Lead the way.”
They headed to the kitchen, which already smelled like Christmas - gingerbread cookies, fresh bread, there was lamb roasting in the open hearth over a spit and the modern ovens were cooking a variety of things - turkey, fish, ham - and the room had been decorated festively. Kurt nodded in greeting to one of the Hestia priestesses who was making sure to attend to the hearth properly. She nodded back and pulled out an offering from a large, shallow bowl, her fingers slowly turning red with blood, and tossed it into the flame. A flare of flames went up, crackling over the offered meat, and she bowed to the hearth before moving to the sink to wash her hands.
“What was she doing?” Carole asked, her voice low as she ducked down to Kurt’s ear.
“Giving a calf liver to Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth. She’s thanking her for cooking our food.” Carole nodded her head, humming interestedly in the back of her throat before sitting down at the table next to Burt as Kurt picked up some freshly made cinnamon buns, two mugs of coffee and a mug of tea, and granola and yogurt before sitting down with a smile. “I’m so glad you guys are here.”
“We’re happy to be here. Are they treating you well? Are you classes going well?” The words flew out of Carole’s mouth in a rush as she sipped her coffee and started picking at her cinnamon bun.
“Things are going well. It took a bit to get settled but I’ve made a small, great bunch of friends and I’m learning a lot.”
“So I made a good decision, then.” Burt stated, glad he had done right by his son. “I’m happy you’re happy.”
Kurt nodded his head, taking a long sip of his tea, watching people filter in for breakfast. He watched his parents watch the students mingle about, talking over each other, like ‘normal’ teenagers, and smiled to himself. If only they knew what he knew about some of them. Everyone was excited for Christmas and Haloa, Sam and Quinn were preparing by cleansing and purifying, spending the next twenty four hours in their room; Blaine was bitching about how cold it was but had a huge smile on his face in spite of everything.
Artie made his way into the room, his eyes on a new Crinaeae; a fountain nymph, a dopey grin on his face. Kurt rolled his eyes - like father, like son. Kurt waved Artie over when the satyr looked over, and nudged his plate towards Artie, smiling as Artie started picking at it.
“She is so out of your league. She’s originally from Vegas, you know? She was training to become a showgirl.”
Artie sighed wistfully, looking over his shoulder at her and chewed on his stolen piece of cinnamon bun. “She’s so gorgeous.”
“You say that about all the nymphs.”
“Um, Kurt, who’s your friend?”
Artie looked back from his assessment of the nameless, newest nymph to the household and towards Carole before plastering on a smile and offering his hand. “Artie Abrams, son of Pan. You must be Kurt’s parents.”
Carole shook his hand, unable to help herself her eyes trailed to his goat half and she laughed a little. “Well, that’s certainly different.”
“I bet it’s hard for you to buy clothes.” Burt chimed in, smirking a little.
Artie laughed a little, finishing his borrowed breakfast. “Depends on the people you know, Mr. Hummel.” Artie stood, looking back at the laughing nymph. “If you’ll excuse me... I need... Sugar. Oh, and Kurt if you see Finn, tell him Puck’s been...”
Kurt rolled his eyes again as Artie walked off, sentence half finished and strode towards the nymph. He sipped his tea, watching with a morbid fascination as Artie slid up to the girl and started talking to her. “One of these days he’s going to get such a slap to the face.”
“No rewards without a little risk.” Burt chuckled, draining his coffee. “Come on, let’s take a walk.”
~*~
“This place is amazing!” Carole breathed, shoving her gloved hands into her coat pockets.
They had taken a tour of the house first, Kurt took the time to introduce his parents to all of his friends, showed them around the coolest rooms - the training rooms, art room, music room, and the lounge. They stopped in his room, and took the time to meet Kurt’s teachers. Now they were walking through the snow-covered backyard, talking and admiring the statues sprawled over the wide expanse of land.
“Yeah, I’m really happy here. I feel like I fit in.”
“That’s good,” Burt murmured, adjusting his hood. “I know you weren’t happy at your old high school.”
“Yeah, people there were real - oh there’s Finn.” Kurt cut himself off, peering into the still full pool. The top of the water had pieces of ice floating over the water and Finn was sitting calmly underwater at the deep end of the pool, in nothing more than a bathing suit.
“Oh my God, is he alright?!” Carole shrieked, hands clutched to her chest. “He’s not moving! I don’t think he’s breathing. I think he might have frozen. Oh my God I think we should call -”
“Finn!” Kurt screamed at the pool, frowning. He turned in place before picking up a broken piece of a terracotta pot and chucked it into the water. “Finn!”
Seconds later, Finn broke the surface of the water, treading lightly. “What?”
“When did you go under?”
“Around seven.”
“You’ve been under for over two hours. Puck’s looking for you and you nearly gave my stepmom a heart attack.”
“I couldn’t fall back asleep, I thought...” Finn took a few long strokes towards the edge of the pool and pulled himself out, shaking himself as the water dried instantly on his skin and he pulled on his jeans and then his fleece pullover. “I’m sorry Kurt’s stepmom. I needed to clear my head.”
Carole nodded distractedly and offered a small wave as Finn headed back inside the house. “I’m guessing his dad is Poseidon?”
Kurt smiled and nodded. “Now you’re getting it.”
“What about that? Who’s that over there?” Burt nodded in the direction of someone off in the distance near the trees.
“No idea.” Kurt replied honestly. “Let’s go see.”
They trudged off through the snow towards the figure, who Kurt realized was calmly and serenely practicing archery. Kurt smiled widely as he realized who it was the closer they got.
“Morning David.”
Dave nodded his head in greeting, drawing his arm back, the pad of his thumb brushing over the feathered fletching a moment before he released the arrow. They tracked the passage of it as it soared through the air and embedded in a target over a hundred feet off and embedded into the bulls-eye. Dave nodded approvingly before lowering his bow and turning and facing Kurt with a soft smile.
“Morning.”
“You don’t use a hunting bow.” Burt observed, nodding to the compound bow resting on the snow.
“I don’t like them,” Dave replied honestly. Removing his bracer and glove and packing his things in a sturdy looking case. “They’re too bulky for my liking. Too mechanical.”
Burt nodded, offering his hand. “Burt Hummel, Kurt’s father. And my wife, Carole.”
Dave nodded, taking their hands and shaking. “Nice to meet you. I’m Dave Karofsky.” Dave lifted his head shielding his eyes from the sun. “Ah, here come the Huntresses. You wanted to see hunting bows, these ladies certainly know how to wield them.”
Kurt smiled in greeting at the wave of women, dressed in thin but no doubt very warm gear, each with a quiver over her shoulder and a compact hunting bow in hand. Several of them greeted Kurt and Dave warmly but several steered clear of them all together.
“Hey Karen,” Kurt greeted, waving to the Huntress. “Where are you ladies headed?”
“We’re looking for a deer for dinner. We’ve been tracking three, so we should be able to find something.”
“Are you staying out here for dinner tonight?”
Karen nodded. “We want to spend the holiday with The Lady, but have a Merry Christmas. We’ll be back the day after Haloa.”
Dave nodded his head, shifting in place. “Good hunting.”
“With your blessings, I’m sure it will be.” Karen shook hands with Dave before running off through the snow to catch up with the rest of the girls who had slipped into the trees.
Burt wrapped an arm around Kurt’s shoulders as they headed in from the cold. “I can see why you like it here.”
~*~
“Hey, Kurt?”
Kurt looked up from his computer screen, his dad and Carole were wandering around, learning things, and he was taking some time to himself before dinner and presents. Actually Christmas, Kurt was learning, wasn’t really a big deal around the school - Haloa was. He smiled at Dave and waved him in, shifting his chair back from the desk and spinning as Dave sat on his bed.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Nothing much. I actually wanted to give you your present now, if that’s okay... It’s kind of time sensitive.”
“Oh, sure.”
Kurt took the awkwardly wrapped present and peeled the paper, lifting the potted flower out of the paper and set it on his desk. He rolled the plastic, protective paper down and peered at the cheery, bell-shaped flower that was a startling pale blue colour. It smelled fragrant in a way that was sweet, yet not overpowering. Kurt brushed his fingers along the petals and then down the stem before turning to Dave.
“It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
“I... It’s a hyacinth. I don’t know if you know the story but... the flower means a lot to my father.”
Kurt nodded, examining the flower and turning back to Dave with a wide smile. “Yeah, I know the story. It’s one of my favourites... You really didn’t have to give this to me, David..” Kurt stood from his chair and wrapped his arms around Dave’s neck before pressing a kiss to Dave’s cheek.
Dave hesitated a moment before wrapping his arms around Kurt, returning the hug and smiled at him when Kurt pulled back and nodded his head. “I’m glad you like it.”
Kurt looked back to the plant for a moment, before standing up and walking to his closet, he pulled out a neatly wrapped box and presented it to Dave. “It’s only fair.”
Dave smiled widely, taking the box and shaking it lightly, trying to figure out what it was. He opened the paper and then lifted the lid of the box and the tissue inside. He peered down at the contents before lifting out the leather case inside - it was a soft, faint tan in colour and almost supple in texture. Dave’s name was embroidered on the lower right edge in gold stitching lined with red. “Kurt, it’s beautiful.”
“It’s for your cithara. I noticed you lean it against the wall in your room. I thought you could keep it safe.”
Dave nodded his head, setting the box aside and standing to wrap his arms around Kurt in a tight hug. “Thank you so much.”
Kurt returned the hug, the wide smile on Dave’s face more than thanks enough.
~*~
“Did you have a good time today?”
Kurt nodded his head, taking the last of the ice cream and spoon from Dave as he reclined on the couch in the lounge. It’s a Wonderful Life was playing on TV, it was late, far past two in the morning and the house was quiet. Dinner had been lovely, and loud, and busy.
Afterwards Kurt and his friends and his parents crowded back into Kurt and Mercedes’ room to exchange gifts and play some board games. It had ended abruptly when an enraged Rachel Berry flipped the Monopoly board and screamed that should couldn’t lose because “I’m Rachel Berry, daughter of Nike, goddess of victory and I never lose.” She had stormed off and the rest of them resumed their fun playing Uno.
Kurt had gotten gift cards from a bunch of people, new books, a new digital camera from his dad, and frankincense from Blaine. To say that Kurt hadn’t made more than a few jokes about not being the baby Jesus would be far from the truth, until Blaine explained that frankincense was a devotee gift to Dionysus and was often used by his followers as a calming agent. Kurt learned it could either be burned or chewed and that both ways were a way to soothe agitated nerves.
Kurt put the box of resin to be burned next to the hyacinth on his desk.
Blaine had gotten a Marc Jacobs messenger bag and scarf in return. Mercedes had gotten a three dimensional chessboard, Artie had gotten Caprica on blu-ray, Kurt’s parents got a bunch of travel things to keep them happy and healthy in Brazil, and Tina and Mike had gotten gift cards.
“Are you excited for tomorrow?” Kurt asked, nibbling on the edge of his spoon and looked to Dave.
“Yeah. I mean the ritual is boring, but when the party starts at night, I’ll be ready to go.”
Kurt nodded, yawning a little and stretching. “I think the turkey is finally kicking in and making me sleepy.”
“That or the two pieces of cherry pie. Or maybe the rack of lamb.”
“Shut up. You ate more than me.”
Dave laughed and stood, offering his hand. “C’mon, I’ll walk you to your room.”
Kurt stood and followed Dave into the kitchen, where they crammed the empty ice cream container into the already full garbage and then headed to the stairs. They walked in silence, Kurt leaning into Dave slightly as they climbed the stairs.
“Well, this is my stop,” Kurt murmured, slurring a little in tiredness.
“So it is.”
Kurt giggled, turning in Dave’s arms to embrace his friend before pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Goodnight Dave, Merry Christmas.”
Dave pressed his lips to Kurt’s forehead, watching as Kurt opened his door and waved to the sleepy, smaller brunette. “Sleep well Kurt, Merry Christmas.”
Kurt waved from his spot in the doorway, watching Dave retreat before he walked into his room, securely locking the door, and fell onto his bed, smiling and feeling warm and fuzzy.
~~ PART SEVEN~~