AN: So, this is just a character study of Karofsky. In recent episodes, he's sort of started to prove himself to be a bit more than meets the eye. And after seeing him perform with the club, I feel like there's more to him than expected. This is sort of just my personal opinion about who he is and why he does the things he does.
Three years old, he wants nothing more than to make his father smile. He meets the little boy down the street, Kurt, and together they learn a dance they saw on television. Proud of himself, he gives Kurt a big hug and runs home to show his dad.
Later, he sits on the porch, wiping tears from his face. His dad seemed angry and yelled at him to stop being a girl and learn to play catch.
A different boy from up the street, who he knows as Noah, comes up with a football in hand and asks him to play. Usually, he says no. He doesn't like catch, because he's not good at it. This time, he says yes.
XgleeX
Eight years old, he makes it onto the Lima football team with Noah. Noah's dad left, so he dosen't want people to call him that anymore. They start calling him Puck.
He goes to his first game, and a boy who's bigger than him tackles him hard. His breath laeves him isntantly, grounding him. He hears his dad cloap from the sideline, telling him to get up and shake it off. Carefully, he does, holding back the pained tears stinging his eyes.
After practice and a shower, he goes outside to see Kurt dancing around his yard. The samller boy runs up, asking him to come play.
For the first time, he says no. Kurt looks sad, but says okay and goes back to his house. When he goes back inside, his dad smiles at him and tells him he did a good job today. He can almost ignore the funny feeling he got in his stomach when Kurt looked at him that way.
XgleeX
Thirteen years old, Puck tells him about his crush on Santana Lopez. Finn talks about Quinn Fabray. All the other boys talk about girls all the time. All except for him and Kurt.
He gets out of hockey practice, choosing it over football as he enters his first year of high school, and heads to his locker before going home. As he passes by the music room, he hears someone singing. He thinks it's a girl, so he looks in the window on the top of the door. He's surprised to see that it's Kurt singing so nicely. A warm feeling passes through him, a small smile crossing his face.
Kurt stops singing and looks back at the door, waving his fingers kindly at him before continuing his song. He realizes what he's doing and backs away, forgetting about going to his locker, and leaves.
The next day, Kurt gets his first slushie facial. The empty cup is in his hand, and the look on the boy's face brings back that funny feeling in his stomach. This time, though, it's stronger.
XgleeX
Sixteen years old, he stands on the sidelines at the biggest football game he's ever had a chance of playing in. He chose football over hockey at the beginning of the year and they've been playing fantastically this whole season. This time, though, he's expected to go out there and dance like he hasn't done since he was small.
The whole team is out there now, dancing with the Glee club for the half time show. He turns and looks around the audience, spotting Kurt among the fascinated faces of the spectators. That funny feeling spikes in his stomach again, so he looks back to the field. He watches them for a moment, knowing that the amazing dance they're doing was something he helped make. He smiled, half to himself, and in the next minute is pulling his jersey over his head to join his teammates again.
He feels more alive than he has in years dancing in front of the crowd. He can't keep the smile off of his face.
After their performance, they win the game, the biggest win in McKinley High history. He feels amazing, though whether it's from the win or the performance he still can't tell.
He looks out and sees Kurt in the audience again, his stomach spiking with something other than that funny feeling. It's pride, he thinks, because Kurt shoots a small smile his way before turning back to the boy he came to the game with. Another spike goes through him at theh sight of the other boy, an unpleasant one, but he shoves it to the bottom of his awareness to revel in the feeling of the victory.
The next day, he refuses to join Glee club permanently. Especially if it means facing Kurt again already. He's not ready for things to change that much.
XgleeX
Twenty-one years old, he's sitting in the front row of a classroom, trying his hardest to pay attention to the lecture going on in front of him. He's confused, never having been good with school, but he wants to do something with himself. It's only the first day of class and he's already a little lost.
When the time comes for the class to end, he sighs to himself, happy that his next class is something he's comfortable in. It's a music theory class, suggested by an advisor. He's chosen fine arts with a concentration in musical theatre as his major. After joining Glee in his junior year, they went on to win nationals two years straight, and he got into Ohio University because of it. Now he's going toward the major and working in Burt Hummel's shop, working his way toward living in New York.
He steps into the music room comfortably, nodding to the professor he's already had a few times, and takes his usual desk near the front of the room. He sits and waits for the other students to fill into the classroom.
It's close to time for class to start when Kurt walks in, instantly catching his eye. The smaller boy looks around for another seat before tentatively sitting next to him.
He smiles lightly at Kurt, taking out a notebook and pen to start class. The soprano looks mildly surprised, but smiles back just as lightly. He hears Kurt tap away on his phone for a minute, sending a goodbye text to his current boyfriend most likely, before putting it away and situating himself for class.
The teacher takes role and then starts the class. He revels in Kurt's pleasantly surprised expression every time he answers a question.
XgleeX
Twenty-six years old, he waits in the darkness behind the curtain, adrenaline pumping through his veins. The lights come up and he stays in place, listening to the male soprano opening up the play. At the cue, he lifts his head, starting in on the dance they'd spent the last three months working on.
As the dance ends, he smiles out at the crowd, meeting the eye of the soprano as the lights go down again and they all go offstage.
Kurt beams at him, wrapping him in a hug. He hugs him back, smiling just as wide. His first night on Broadway is absolutely amazing, especially with Kurt playing lead. The reopening of RENT is every bit as successful as the initial opening, something no one expects.
He and Kurt go back to the apartment they've been sharing for a couple of weeks. He sits in his room, listening to the sound of Kurt fighting with his boyfriend over the phone yet again. The yelling is suddenly cut off by a crunch against the wall, and he knows Kurt threw his phone again.
He goes in to talk to the soprano and calms the boy down, something he's come to be very good at, considering he was once the one who caused these emotions.
Kurt calms and smiles at him warmly. He feels the familiar pine in his stomach yet again, something he's come to recognise as the irrevocably intense feelings he'd always have for Kurt, and smiles back with the same warmth.
The two sit comfortably on Kurt's bed, just sitting in each other's company, until the soprano falls asleep. He presses a light kiss to Kurt's forehead before retreating to his own room.
For once, Dave Karofsky feels like he's doing something right.
Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. :) ~Rappy