Dave Karofsky was dealing with yet another stilted family dinner when his phone rang. He raised an eyebrow at his father in a silent request and quickly left the dining room to race upstairs. Even though he was surprised to get his nightly call so early, Dave was pleased. Whatever it took to get away from his family.
In the month and a half since he had come home his mother had not said more than three words to him. Dave was hurt at first, but quickly got used to it. Her somewhat frosty attitude beat his father who looked twenty years older than he had before. Dave loved him for not leaving, but most of all he felt guilt. The man who had worked so hard to give him everything got nothing but a gay son who tries to off himself.
Dave went up to his room soundlessly and shut the door. He ran the pad of his thumb over the new knob. Once upon a time he'd had a door that locked. But when you come home from trying to kill yourself there's always a few losses you didn't think of. Privacy is one of them.
The only time he had complete privacy was when Kurt called. Typically between the hours of nine and ten Kurt would end up call to talk. At first it had been awkward conversations that were filled with more silence than anything else, but somewhere along the line Dave's filter had been lost. Now he doesn't think he's ever talked more in his life. Often they would talk until the sun rose, or at least until Kurt fell asleep. Secretly Dave likes it when Kurt does that. He sleeps better when he hears Kurt's slow, steady breathing on the other line.
Kurt was charming, beautiful, and most terrifying to Dave, Kurt was much brighter than he could ever have imagined. To his credit, Dave was amazed at the things that came out of his own mouth. He made Kurt laugh, not just a polite giggle, but the kind of laugh that left him out of breath. It'd been so long since Dave heard that kind of laugh.
In the beginning Dave had fallen for Kurt's looks, his bravery, and yes, the fact that he was the only other gay guy Dave had ever met. Now Dave knew about his personality. The dry sense of humor. The dedication he had for his friends. Kurt was a genuinely good person. He deserved much more than any boy in Ohio could offer him. Maybe Kurt didn't know that, but Dave did.
All of that stuck in his mind while he talked to Kurt. Or rather listened. He closed his eyes and stretched out as Kurt excitedly plotted an audition. The actual words had no meaning to Dave, but the excitement washed over him like a warm bath.
"David? Are you still there?" Kurt sounded somewhat breathless, as if he realized he had been speaking nonstop for the past ten minutes.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm here. I just like listening to you talk sometimes."