Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its characters.
Sometimes, in his spare time, Dave would go to the airport.
He would sit in the arrivals area, watching as plane after plane landed, and imagine all the events in the passengers' lives that had brought them to this moment.
Because even though they were complete strangers, they all shared a connection. They had been at this place, at this time, on this day. No matter how different their stories were, they all had the same destination.
But the part Dave liked the most was watching their reactions as they came through the doors into the arrivals lodge, emotions flowing across their faces. He'd seen all the happiness, joy, excitement and nervousness, but at the same time he'd seen the sadness, the tiredness and the weariness. Last but not least, the loneliness.
And there was something inside Dave when he saw this one feeling that comforted him. He should feel sad seeing people plagued by the loneliness etched on their faces, but he couldn't help but feel relieved.
Because it meant he wasn't alone.
Time and time again, Dave recognised that look of loneliness on the faces of those that passed him by as he sat by the window, because he knew that it was reflected clearly on his own face.
And he was tired of it.
Tired of seeing lonesome passengers make their way through the doors, collect their luggage, and leave the building without so much as a word to anyone.
He thought it was unfair that there were people so lonely in the world, while others were so full of love and joy. He'd witnessed countless hugs and laughter, love radiating off many in the room. He'd seen young couples dropping their bags and jumping into each other's arms. He'd seen elderly couples reunited, meeting again with a genuine smile and a squeeze of the hand. And Dave couldn't help but feel jealous, because he wanted that.
He wanted all of it.
Of course, if he ever saw anyone that he knew at the airport, he would simply tell them he was there to pick up his aunt, who was coming to stay for the weekend. And they would nod and bid Dave farewell, without even suspecting anything. Because why would they?
Every now and then, Dave was angry that no one would just stop for a moment and ask him how he was, but then he would remember that he'd had years of practice of concealing his emotions. Sometimes he wished he wasn't such a good actor.
So Dave was shocked beyond words when the day came that a beautiful boy of his age walked through the doors and saw through all of his false pretences. He'd greeted his family – a middle aged balding man, a brunette woman and lanky teenage boy – and then taken one look at Dave and marched over to where he sat, introducing himself as Kurt.
And Dave had sat speechless as this intriguing boy had read him like a book and talked to him as if they'd known each other their whole lives.
After just minutes of talking, Kurt had taken Dave's phone and put his number in, before standing and heading towards the luggage disposal chute. And Dave also found himself standing and helping the struggling boy lift a large, obviously designer suitcase off the belt, before taking it and wheeling it outside for him.
After lifting it into the boot of the car, Dave had held out a calloused to Kurt, and Kurt had surprised him by throwing his arms around the larger boy while his family waited nearby. Dave had hugged Kurt back as if he had been thrown a lifeline.
And really, he had.
Dave had finally found the one thing he needed the most – a friend.
And Kurt had confided in Dave, on that day and from then on, and eventually, Dave found himself confiding in Kurt and transferring schools to be closer to the boy.
Even now, as Dave and Kurt walked through the halls, hands clasped tightly together, he couldn't help but think that Kurt had saved him – from himself and from the world.
He had found a friend and with it, so much more.
He finally had someone to love, and someone to love him back.
He had Kurt.
As a new writer, I would love to hear your thoughts!