Title: Cold Comfort
Rating: PG-13/T
Pairing: Kurt/Dave
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan, the creators of Glee.
Summary: Dave's truck breaks down in a snow storm and Kurt and Dave have to keep warm. Future!fic. Ridiculously fluffy.
Note: A filled prompt from the GKM. Prompt: For whatever reason, Dave and Kurt are stranded in the middle of a forest in the dead of night. It's also midwinter, and absolutely freezing. They aren't together at this point. The truck car they were driving has broken down. It will take hours for anyone to reach them, and so they're in trouble. In the back of the truck there's only one sleeping mat, two blankets and one hat. To keep warm, they don't get naked, but Dave wears the hat, then has Kurt lying on top of him with the blankets wrapped around both of them, the smaller boy's head on his chest and mostly covered. When they're found, they find it immensely difficult to let go of each other.
It hadn't been the smartest plan to go out on a night when there was supposed to be a winter storm. Kurt was home from college for a long weekend and so was Dave, his former bully turned good friend, and it had been far too long since they'd seen each other. They had made plans to meet at Scandals like they always did when they both managed to make it back to Lima. They had stayed at the bar for about an hour - chatting (somewhat flirtatiously), dancing a bit, having a couple drinks - when they were told that the bar was closing early due to weather. The bouncer made them reassure him that they had a reliable car that would get them home safely. Kurt knew Carole's sedan wouldn't make it in the snow storm but Dave's truck was four-wheel drive so he said he would take Kurt home.
They should have stayed at Scandals or gone with the bouncer to his house which was minutes from the bar. Or they should have cancelled their plans and met up some other time.
Scandals was west of Lima, somewhat isolated, a small patch of woods separating it from the rest of the town. In the worst storm in their memory, their hometown was like a ghost town. No one else was on the road.
"This isn't good," Dave said as the truck's engine sputtered and stalled, forcing Dave to pull over onto the road's ample shoulder. He tries to start the car once. Twice. Three times. Nothing. He pushes a button, activating the emergency lights.
"Not good at all," Kurt agreed, meeting Dave's worried eyes. He sighed and looked out his window at the snow swirling around the car.
"Pop the hood," he said and tightened his coat and scarf around his body.
"You're not going out there, are you?" Dave asked incredulously.
"I have to, Dave. We have to start the car. We can't stay here in this."
"Okay, fine, but if you can't find the problem right away, get back in the car."
Kurt opens the door and slips out into the cold. The wind roars into the open car door briefly, chilling Dave to the bone, and then Kurt disappears into the night. Dave pops the hood and hopes that Kurt can find the problem quickly and return to him. Maybe he can convince Kurt to stay at his house tonight, under a blanket on his comfy couch, hot chocolate with whipped cream, a comfort movie that will make Kurt smile wistfully. They would talk easily, the awkwardness and heartbreak of their past finally behind them, and maybe something could finally happen between them after all these years. Dave is building the warm fantasy world in his mind when the passenger door opened again, the cold air and harsh noise forcing his mind back to reality. Kurt climbs into the car; he doesn't look happy.
"So?" Dave inquires.
"Whatever the problem is, it isn't immediately visible or fixable. Not that I could see much of anything out there anyways," Kurt replies forlornly.
"What now?"
"I could call my dad. See if he can come get us," Kurt says, taking his cell phone out of his pocket. "I have service. At least something is going right."
Kurt scrolls through his frequently called numbers, finds his father's home phone number and presses the call icon. As the phone rings, Kurt looks across the cab of the truck to Dave who still has his hands on the steering wheel as if he was about to drive away to somewhere warm if he could. Kurt smiles fondly at him. Dave would do anything to keep him safe. His dad would come get them and Dave would be there with Kurt and nothing bad would happen.
"Kurt? Are you okay?" his father answers.
"We're stuck. Dave's truck died and I can't fix it. Not in this weather," Kurt explains and he hears his father sigh deeply. "Can you come pick us up?"
"I can't. They've declared a Level Three Snow Emergency so no one is allowed to be on the road," Burt says regretfully.
"Shit."
"No kidding. Here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna keep watching and as soon as they downgrade the warning, I'll come for you. I'll call the police to let them know you're out there. Where are you?"
"West on Allentown Road. Not sure where exactly. By the woods."
"Can you see any houses or anything around?"
"No. Maybe they're out there but I can barely see anything outside of the truck."
"Okay. Does Dave have blankets or anything that can keep you guys warm in there?"
He looks into the backseat and asks, "Dave, do you have blankets or something?"
"Yeah, I've got something. Let me figure out what I have," Dave responds and moves back into the backseat of the truck.
"We've got something, Dad. Dave's checking," Kurt says into the phone.
"Okay, stay warm, Kurt. Get close. Use each other's body heat. Hang in there, son, someone will be there as soon as possible."
"Okay, Dad."
"I love you, son. See you soon."
"Love you, too. Bye."
Kurt hangs up and sees Dave looking at him expectantly.
"So what's going on?" Dave asks.
"He can't come get us yet. There's a Level Three Snow Emergency so he can't leave."
"Shit."
"No kidding," Kurt says, echoing his father's sentiments of moments ago. "He's going to wait for them to lower the warning level and he's also calling the police so they'll be looking for us if they can. But it's gonna be awhile and we need to keep warm."
Dave holds up a pile of things he's found in the back of the truck. "We have a sleeping mat, two blankets, and my hat. You should wear my hat," Dave says and holds his hat (wool with faux fur lining) out for Kurt.
Kurt smiles and feels that flutter in his heart that accompanies any appearance of protective Dave.
"No, you should wear the hat," Kurt says, taking the hat from Dave and pulls it down onto the other man's head. Only Dave Karofsky could look adorable in a hat like this. "Lay the sleeping mat on the back seat."
As Dave works on his task, Kurt looks down at himself and assesses his clothing. He's cold. He has lots of layers as per usual but he had been outside and his coat was damp. He would have to take it off. Two long-sleeved shirts were adequate enough and his scarf would wrap around his neck nicely. His layers and scarf would help to save his life tonight.
Kurt tells Dave to lay down and moves to join him in the backseat. He picks up the blankets. One is some sort of polyester blend but it's soft and long enough to cover both of them. The second is a scratchier fabric with a pattern that reminds Kurt of the west.
"Dad says we need to stay close together to keep each other warm," Kurt explains before laying down on top of Dave, his face resting on Dave's chest.
Dave chuckles, "Your dad wants us to cuddle? You told him you're with me, right?"
"I've told you, Dave, he likes you. I think he was worried I was going to see Blaine or Sebastian tonight but when I told him I was going to see you he was like, 'oh good.'" Kurt says. "Now help me get these blankets over us."
The soft blanket is first and it's a little cold from being in the cold car but they can already feel the improvement. The blanket wraps around their feet and up to Dave's shoulders. The second scratchier blanket is placed on top of the soft blanket. Kurt moves his phone so it is outside the covers but reachable and then he moves his arms under the blanket. He wraps his arms under and over Dave's shoulders and Dave's arms are around Kurt's back, holding him close to him. Kurt is almost completely covered underneath the blankets.
"This is so much better," Dave says after a few minutes spent warming up, basking in the heat coming from Kurt's body.
"Yeah, it's nice," Kurt says. "I feel so warm and cozy and safe and peaceful."
"Isn't that what they say it feels like when you're freezing to death?"
Kurt moves his hand as little as possible to give Dave a light smack.
"Maybe, but I think it's you. You make me feel safe and comfortable," he says and snuggles into Dave whose arms momentarily tighten around him.
Kurt's words touch Dave's heart. "That makes me so happy, Kurt. We've come so far," he says. "I can't even begin to tell you how much it means to me that you feel that way with me."
"David, you know I don't ever think about that bad stuff anymore. I forgave you a long time ago. You need to stop worrying about that and remember that you're one of the most important people in my life. Okay?"
"Okay. It's just different to talk about it over the phone or on the computer than it is to talk about it face to face, you know?"
"Yeah, I know."
A few moments of comfortable silence pass before Dave speaks again.
"Wanna know what I was thinking about while you were outside?"
"Sure."
"I was thinking about taking you to my house," - Kurt chuckles at this - "It's warms there. We can sit under blankets on my couch and watch a movie, a nice, comfort movie. Your pick. And we can have hot chocolate with those little marshmallows or whipped cream."
"Mmmm, that sounds nice. I'm going to pretend that's where we are. Just cuddling at your house. Safe. Warm. Cozy."
Some time has passed when Kurt's phone beeps, notifying him of a new text message. Kurt reaches out of the blanket, suddenly struck by how cold it is outside of their cozy bubble, and checks the new message.
"Dad's on his way!" Kurt says happily. He knows they have awhile to wait - even without weather it takes at least twenty minutes to get to where they are and the conditions outside will make it take even longer - but he is happy that help is coming. This will all be over sooner than later. He locks his phone again and slides his hand back into the blankets, hoping his hand will warm quickly. David notices and takes Kurt's hand in his, holding it closer to his body.
Kurt drifted into that comfortable half-sleep, aware of the sound of the wind rushing around the car and the rhythm of Dave's breath, expanding and contracting his chest, moving Kurt slightly with each breath. He listened to Dave's heart beat and waited for their rescue to come, eventually drifting into sleep.
The wind gets louder and the chill in the air rouses Kurt from his sleep. He hears someone calling his name faintly. His father. He stirs before realizing that the more he moves, the colder he feels.
"We've got to go, Kurt," Dave says.
"Cold," is all Kurt replies.
"I know, Kurt, but it will only last for a minute. We'll get in your dad's warm car. We can sit in the backseat together so we can stay together. Then we'll go to your house and go to bed. Okay?"
Kurt doesn't want to move but he makes himself climb off of Dave and out into the cold. He doesn't let go of Dave's hand, pulling him out of the car and into the backseat of his father's SUV. Kurt sits in the middle seat and presses his side against Dave who sits next to him. They wait for a minute or so while Burt presumably gets anything important from Dave's truck, locks it, then he gets into the driver's seat.
He looks back at the pair and asks, "Are you two okay?"
"Yeah," Kurt replies. "Cold, tired. Can we go home?"
"Yeah, Kurt. Dave, how are you?"
"I'm fine, Mr. Hummel."
"One of these days you're going to start calling me 'Burt.'"
"Thanks for coming to get us, Burt," Dave says.
They make their way to the Hummel-Hudson household slowly and carefully. Burt has asked if it's okay with Dave if he stays at their house tonight so they don't have to make two stops and Dave agrees. Burt pulls into the garage and they go inside the warm house. Kurt pulls Dave up the stairs to his bedroom and Burt goes to fetch some clothes for Dave to sleep in. Kurt changes in his room while Dave goes to the bathroom to change. Kurt smiles fondly at him when he comes back into the room and walks over to him, reaching out to pull the hat off of Dave's head then ruffling Dave's hair.
"Let's go to bed," Kurt says and pulls Dave onto the bed and under the covers. Kurt lays on his side and pulls Dave to lay behind him, Dave's arm draped over his torso.
"Goodnight, David."
"'Night, Kurt."
