It was stupid, really. He didn't even know why he bought it. The looks he'd gotten in the check out line have been embarrassing enough, but the cashier eventually assumed it was for his girlfriend. Yeah, sure.

But…scarves were Kurt Hummel's thing, right? And this one, god, it was probably weird of him to notice, but this one would really bring out his eyes and…it had been on sale.

He'd had them gift wrap it at the store. He knew he'd be useless at that and he had no other presents to wrap since his dad didn't really do the whole gift thing now that he was too old to believe in Santa. Maybe a nice card with some tickets to some game or another, but nothing more than that. No use in buying a bunch of wrapping paper he wouldn't need.

He'd put the present up in his room, hidden away in his closet so that his dad didn't find it. He knew that would lead to a series of awkward questions that he wouldn't really be able to answer, because after all, it was stupid that he'd done it in the first place.

He was downstairs microwaving some popcorn as he took a break from studying when he heard it. That voice was unmistakable. He drifted in something of a daze into the living room and stared at the television. There, in black and white and in every cheesy holiday special cliches was Kurt Hummel. But not just Kurt Hummel singing sweet Christmas music, but Kurt Hummel and his boyfriend. In what was supposed to be their house. As in them living together and putting on a party for their friends.

The microwave chimed at him angrily, his popcorn having been done for a few minutes now, but he couldn't seem to move himself from the couch, even once the commercials for half-off turkey specials and coat sales began.

Eventually his dad strode into the living room and clapped his hand on Dave's shoulder. "What're you watching, sport?" he asked cheerfully.

"Oh, just some…some show that was on. Was waiting for my popcorn to finish up. I'm just gonna…grab it and finish studying," Dave said distractedly as he got up from the couch and hurried into the kitchen.

He grabbed the bag, not really caring how it burnt his fingers and rushed up the stairs. He tossed it onto his desk, but made no move to open it. Instead, he dug through his closet until he found the gift. He sat with it in his lap for a while, turning it over before he stood up and grabbed his keys.

It wasn't hard finding the Hudmels place. Everyone on the football team stayed in pretty close contact with one another and just before Dave had left he had needed to drop off some of his gear for Finn to take back. Unsurprisingly the house was dark when he pulled up. He quickly got out and moved up the driveway without trying to draw attention to himself. He hadn't put a tag on the present, but in a way it was better. It wasn't how he'd pictured giving Kurt his present, but it would do.

He left it there on the steps, hoping no one would come by and steal it, but it was a pretty safe neighborhood from what he'd heard. He climbed back into his truck and sat there for a moment, almost wondering if he should run back and grab it. It had gotten pretty late and he should probably be getting home soon.

Just as he reached to turn the key, the front door to Kurt's house opened. Dave held his breath and ducked down in his seat even though he wasn't actually close enough to Kurt's house to really be seen. He had a good view of the driveway and the front porch, though, so he couldn't help but miss Kurt stepping out onto the front porch and rubbing his eyes tiredly. He bent down and picked up the box.

Dave held his breath as Kurt turned it over, searching for a label, but there was none. He saw Kurt look around for a moment, but then turn back to the present. Dave had picked out the wrapping paper from the selection that store provided for him that he thought suited Kurt the best, so perhaps that's how he knew, but regardless, the boy was now peeling back the paper and smiling a little.

Dave watched as he opened up the box and could swear he could hear Kurt gasp as the scarf fell out. He smiled to himself, feeling a little proud for once.He'd made Kurt Hummel look that happy. He sat up a little straighter, his hand on the door handle to pull it open, but he stilled. Kurt was reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. Dave's brow furrowed in confusion as he watched, almost wondering if his phone was about to start ringing and give him away.

He waited, his breath stagnating in his throat as he watched. He rolled down his window just a crack and felt his heart stutter.

"I just can't believe it! Not that I didn't love the ring. It had a certain…special charm to it, but Blaine, the scarf is gorgeous. I can't believe I fell for that whole, 'Oh Kurt, I was a little short on money this season," bit. It's beautiful, really. Merry Christmas, babe."

Dave watched as Kurt went back inside, his new treasure tucked under his arm. The sound of the door meeting its frame jolted Dave. He quickly rolled back up his window and turned the key to bring his truck back to life. If he was gripping the steering wheel a little too tightly or missing a few stop signs, he really wasn't aware. So what if he'd spent a good chunk of allowances he'd saved up? Christmas was bullshit and it was no wonder they didn't celebrate it in his house. After all, it was stupid, really.