Disclaimer: I do not work for Fox or own any of the characters.
The Other King
Dave's hand shook as he came into the house at midnight on prom night. Dave knew his dad was still awake; he'd seen the light from the TV glowing in curtained window as he drove up the driveway, and, honestly, as he closed the kitchen door behind him, the thought of telling him what had happened at prom sort of scared him. He should be happy that he was Prom King, but… Kurt. He'd have to tell his dad he'd been Prom King… and then he'd have to tell him about Kurt being… Que- no, the other King.
He stepped up into the living room, clutching the crown with sweaty hands.
"Hey, David," Paul Karofsky said, looking up from the TV. He was holding a glass of water. "How was prom?"
"It was alright," Dave said as he leaned against the archway between the dining room and living room. "It was… you know. Prom." He gave a slight shrug.
Paul smiled, nodding. "Yeah. I went a couple times. I'm surprised you didn't stay out later, David. Did Santana get tired?"
Dave shook his head. "No, she was just sort of angry at me."
"About what?" Paul asked, his eyes growing concerned. He sat up some, leaning forward toward Dave.
"Well, she didn't get Prom Queen, but, um," Dave lifted the crown up and shrugged, twitching it offhandedly. He'd rather not go into why she was mad.
There was a pause and Dave looked up to see his dad staring at the crown, shocked. "You?" he said.
When Dave nodded, confirming it, a wide grin broke out on Paul's face. Then, he stood up to pat Dave on the shoulder and ask to hold it. It was just plastic, but, still, it was still a crown.
"God, David, you've really turned around this year, haven't you? Congratulations. I can't believe it. I'll have to tell your mom as soon as she wakes up in the morning." He studied the crown for a little bit longer, his eyes glowing and a grand smile on his face.
Dave realized his hand stopped shaking, thankful that his dad hadn't asked who the prom Queen was yet. He just seemed too happy that Dave was King to even consider the Queen, apparently.
"Thanks, Dad," Dave said. He couldn't help but smile, too. Even if he knew the poll had been rigged as Santana told him, he was still happy that he'd made his dad so happy. Actually, Dave was elated at the thought that he made his dad proud. He felt his chest loose all it's constriction he'd felt since Kurt's name had been called.
But, that was short lived.
"But, if Santana wasn't prom queen, who was?"
Dave's chest tightened up again and his smile faded. He looked to the side wearily.
"David?" Paul asked.
Dave shrunk even more into himself, refusing to look at his dad as he muttered, his voice cracking, "Kurt Hummel."
There was another pause. Dave stared straight at the TV screen, at the corner where it said "Mute." He couldn't say anything, either. He felt trapped standing there, his dad still holding the crown and Dave's tie a little too tight around his neck.
"Kurt?" Paul said finally. Dave swallowed. "You mean a boy was Prom Queen? I know he's a gay-" Dave hated how he said, 'a', "-but isn't that going a little too far?"
Dave hadn't seen Kurt's reaction. He'd been looking toward Santana then, who'd had a smirk on her face as if so sure she'd be Queen. All he could remember of Kurt was him striding forward out of the crowd to receive the crown and stand next to Dave in the hushed gym of McKinley. He seemed proud, maybe a little pissed, but mostly pious as he waved a little princess wave as the crown was placed atop his perfectly combed back hair. David had felt his mouth grow wet watching the boy beside him, being so confident about being called a Queen instead of King.
"He wasn't too offended," Dave said, still staring at the TV.
"You didn't have to dance with him, did you?" Paul asked.
"Kurt said we didn't have to," Dave said softly. "But we were sort of forced to. It wasn't bad. I mean, he seemed okay with it. He wasn't scared."
"How did you feel about that?"
Dave glanced at him. His dad wasn't angry, no, he was just confused. Dave shifted, his heart pounding. Right now. Just do it. Be honest with him. Do it.
"I..." his voice shook. Just get it over with. Kurt would be proud, wouldn't he? He would be honest. "I was okay with it. I'm not homophobic. I mean, I couldn't be."
Paul's eyes narrowed in more confusion. "What does that mean?"
"It was Santana's idea." Dave blurted out, shocking himself, but just so much was inside him. Too much. He couldn't help it. "She rigged the ballots to make sure Kurt and I won. Not because I bullied him, but… Kurt's gay. She was forcing me. She wanted me to come out and I ju-"
He'd gone too far. He should have stopped himself. He should have.
"Come out? David, what-"
"Please don't hate me," Dave said, his voice wavering too much and his eyes stinging too much. "P-please. I didn't want this, but I can't hel…"
Dave wiped his eyes fiercely, wishing the tears would stop. He wanted to run, but he couldn't move. He felt trapped within his body, within that space, and as his voice fell victim to his tears, he felt so alone. His dad was sure to throw him out. He'd admitted in Figgins office he'd once been homophobic. He'd said, 'the gays.' That didn't apply to his son.
"I'm… God damn it, Dad. I'm g-gay."
There it was. There. Right out in the open. Kurt would be happy.
But, he knew his dad wasn't. Even though Dave refused to look at his dad, he knew for a fact that his dad didn't like it. He didn't like it.
Dave jumped.
Strong arms wrapped around his shoulders.
And Dave felt even more lost than he'd ever been.
He couldn't understand it. He was supposed to be yelled at, told to take it back. He was supposed to be kicked out of the house, unaccepted by his dad. He wasn't supposed to be hugged.
"I don't hate you," Paul said without any sort of hesitation, patting Dave's shoulder softly, reassuringly. "Believe me, I could never hate you."
"But…"
Dave had no idea what to say. This couldn't be real.
"Dad, I kissed him," Dave said, his voice so weak and trembling. "And I want to do it again. How can you not hate me?"
Paul sighed and tightened his hold on Dave. "I think I knew. Why else would you have only picked on Kurt as harshly as you did and no one else?" He let go of his son and placed a hand on his forearm. "It's fine, David."
Dave ran his hand across his face, wanting the tears to just go away. There was no reason to cry. His dad had accepted him. Somehow.
Paul fingered the crown and smiled lightly. It seemed forced to David, but then he lifted it up and placed it on Dave's head.
Dave smiled tearfully as Paul straightened it slowly, as if it were a hat he wore to a Baseball game, then brought his hand down to pat Dave's shoulder.
"Thank you for telling me," he said, looking Dave straight in the eye. "I'm proud of you. Not just for being Prom King, but for being honest with me. We'll talk about this more in the morning, okay?"
Dave nodded, the smile still on his face. He turned slowly and shuffled to his room.
And as Dave was getting ready for bed, he dropped the crown onto his bedside table. He hesitated for a second before he reached under his bed for a shoebox.
Only two things rested in there. The caketopper and a picture. Dave reached over, grabbed the crown, and carefully placed the crown in, right over the bride and groom. It seemed to fit perfectly, just exactly where it meant to be. He tucked the box under his bed again just as footsteps sounded down the hallway.
"I love you, David."
All David could do now was smile.
A/N: Question for anyone who reads this: Should I do more? I love writing Dave.
