Title: Fated

By: Ruby Lis

Pairing: Kurtofsky (slightly AU)

Rating: PG13/Mature; nothing graphic

Warnings: Suicide reference; some making out

Thanks to Spookybibi for her help!

Written for Mollyannice's New Year Treats prompt: "Drabble/ficlet, pg13 and over is the rating and my prompt is Dave and Kurt finding themselves forced to not being able to physically leave each other because of some outside forces."

New Directions won Nationals.

Kurt smiled to himself, secretly reliving their triumph and savoring every detail of every moment that led up to their win. He heard Sam whoop behind him. Kurt glanced over his shoulder, laughing as his blond friend pumped a fist in the air. "We won, bitches!" crowed Santana from his side. Finn, one arm around a beaming Rachel, reached out with his other to fist bump Puck. Artie and Blaine came up on Kurt's other side chatting animatedly about the trophy.

Kurt lifted his chin, proud of what their little Glee club had accomplished. He led New Directions through the doors of McKinley High riding high on a wave of confidence. Until they saw the jocks. A sea of letterman jackets. Every hand filled with a slushie cup, ready and waiting. And there in front of all the others stood David. No, not David, Kurt mentally corrected himself. David was the shy, fearful young man he had comforted in the hospital. This guy? With the cocky, self-assured smirk and arm already in motion to toss a well-aimed slushie? This was pure Karofsky.

Kurt's heart sank. He really believed David had changed. Really believed they had connected.

He watched Dave's arm coming forward, closed his eyes and reflexively flinched against an icy cold splash that never came. Dave chuckled. "Gotcha!" Kurt blinked against a flurry of confetti showering down on New Directions. He caught Dave's grin and smiled back, pleasantly surprised. While batting away the red and white bits of foil, Kurt noticed a bit of red sparkling on his pinky and, laughing, he shook his finger to knock it off. The red didn't budge. Puzzled, Kurt wiped his hand against his slacks. He lifted his hand again only to realize the gleaming red now circled his finger. He recognized it instantly as the thread of destiny connecting him to his lifemate. Oh. The thread fell through the air in a low drape then rose to connect to David's little finger. And just like that, Kurt's carefully planned future with Blaine was gone.Oh.

Dave dropped the slushie cup and stared at his hand in disbelief. No. The red shone brighter. He fisted his hand, biting his lip against the angry tears that threatened to surface. Why now? Why not when he had needed to know? He had been so sure there was no one for him. Sure enough to knot a belt around his throat and kick the chair away with no regrets.

Kurt Hummel.

Guilt tightened in his chest. If he had succeeded, if he had killed himself, he would have left Kurt alone. The thought of Kurt waiting a lifetime for a mate who would never show brought David to his knees. Because he knew Kurt now. Knew him well enough to realize that Kurt would have blamed himself. He would have assumed that he wasn't good enough. With each year that passed, every wedding he attended to congratulate his friends on their happiness, Kurt's grief would have only deepened. Even Blaine, one day, would have found his true mate and left Kurt.

"David?" Goosebumps pebbled Kurt's skin as he reached for the man destined to become his husband.

Kurt's voice stirred a protective, possessive instinct in Dave. He came to his feet in a blur of motion, oblivious of the crowd surrounding them as he eagerly took Kurt in his arms and claimed a second kiss. This time, however, Kurt met his mouth willingly. They both knew from countless health classes that their reactions were part of the Coupling process. The surging need for physical contact was the reason new Couples were immediately sent to the Dorms until their sex drives stabilized.

"Back off, Karofsky!" Dave staggered under Blaine's unexpected shove. "Kurt doesn't want you!"

"Kurt," Kurt reprimanded Blaine icily, "is perfectly capable of speaking for himself."

Sam grabbed Blaine's arms to hold him back. "Dude, you don't interfere with Couples."

Blaine jerked free. "He's done something. He's rigged it somehow. Everyone knows Kurt and I are meant to be together." He tugged at the red ribbon on Kurt's finger. "We're soulmates. This is meant to be ours."

David, eyes never leaving Kurt's, nodded. "He's right. I should go." He turned to leave then jerked to a stop as if he had literally walked into a brick wall.

Finn laughed. He had done the same thing when he and Rachel were Coupled. He smiled warmly at Kurt then walked over, put two hands on David's shoulders and nudged him into to turning back around to face Kurt. "First rule of Coupling, Karofsky."

Dave, blushing, stared at his feet. "We can't leave each other until…yeah…"

Finn slung one arm around Kurt's shoulders and the other around David's. "C'mon, I'll take you the Dorms."

Their Dorm was actually a small suite complete with bathroom, kitchenette and a small, already stocked fridge. They even had a balcony overlooking an inner courtyard with a miniature waterfall and a family of ducks. The suite was decorated in blues and browns, neutral but not drab. Which made the red "panic" button next to the door stand out. Dave seemed fixated on that button. "You think anyone ever uses it?"

Kurt linked an arm through David's and tugged him over to the loveseat. It was just the right size for both of them to fit snugly. He could feel the tension in Dave's body. Kurt didn't think David was trying to fight the Coupling, it was just nerves.

Kurt kicked off his boots and burrowed against David's shoulder. "Would you like to know a secret?"

Dave licked his lips. "Okay."

"I almost broke up with Blaine. Twice."

"Yeah?"

Kurt nodded. "The first time was Valentine's Day. The cheesy cards, the gorilla gram, the butterscotch candies. You did everything Blaine, my boyfriend, should have done but didn't."

Dave fidgeted, uncomfortable with the comparison. "I heard he was hurt."

"Mm, he certainly recovered enough to take the spotlight at Breadstix." Kurt moved Dave's arm around his shoulders, smiling when he didn't protest.

"What about the second time?" Dave asked, distracted by the feel of Kurt's hair as his fingers played with the short strands at his nape.

"He accused me of cheating." Kurt pulled Dave's collar down and licked the curve where his neck and shoulder met.

Dave toed off his shoes, relaxing back into the loveseat with a groan. "But you guys got past that, right?"

"I suppose, if getting past that means Blaine turning my alleged cheating into performance for the entire Glee club." Kurt unzipped Dave's fly and slid his palm in to cup the warm hardness tenting his briefs. "Your turn."

Dave laid a hand over Kurt's, stopping him. He brought both hands up to Kurt's cheeks as he kissed Kurt lightly.

Kurt saw the pain darkening those hazel eyes. "What? You can tell me."

"I didn't step off the chair."

"I don't understand."

"When I tried to kill myself, I didn't step off the chair. I kicked it away. Out of reach. I wanted to make sure, you know? I wanted to make sure I didn't wimp out and change my mind this time."

Kurt stilled, chilled by the subtext of those words. "How many other times were there, David?" He asked quietly.

"When I kissed you. When I threatened to…to kill you." Dave scrubbed a rough hand over his face. He laughed, harsh and bitter. "The day I was outed, I still had this hope, you know? I still had this idea that once I knew I was gay-once everyone knew-that my red thread would show up. I mean, all the guys I knew were starting to find the girls they were supposed to be with." Dave snuffled. Kurt reached over to rub slow, soothing circles across his back. "And when it didn't show, I started thinking maybe people were right. Maybe being gay was wrong." He glanced over quickly, embarrassed, then let his gaze fall to his hands. "I waited, Kurt. I waited for hours. I begged for that bit of red to show. Nothing."

"Oh, David." Kurt climbed into his lap, pressing his body to Dave's, wrapping his arms around his neck and nuzzling into his warmth.

"Maybe we should just get this over with," Dave muttered.

"Just get this over with?" Kurt repeated less warmly as he drew back. "I don't think so."

Dave looked away, blushing. "We don't really have much choice. I just figured, you know, the sooner we took care of things, the sooner you could go back to Blaine."

"Took care of things? Is that how you see this?" Kurt fisted his hand in David's shirt and pulled him close. "We're going to be together for a very, very long time, David." His lips ghosted over Dave's. "So I suggest that the young man who dressed up in a gorilla suit, sent me cheesy Valentine cards and brought me butterscotch candies make frequent appearances. Starting now." Kurt studied Dave's face. "I'm glad you're alive, David."

"Me, too." And for the first time since he was outed, David meant it.