A/N: Hi, this is a new multi-chaptered fic I'm working on. I will add to it as I can and as always, reviews are welcome. This story is an AU from On My Way, but since we don't know what happened to David I guess we will have to wait and see. Warning: This first chapter could be seen as a little anti-Blaine, but for the most part he's just kind of harmlessly obtuse.
He turned to re-fold the t-shirt table, hoping that Blaine would get the message. He really did want them to be friends again...someday, but right now he just really needed to get out of Kurt's face. Maybe he just needed to explain that the, 'We'll still be friends,' post-breakup relationship was more of a process and not just some switch you can flip.
'Oh, we were lovers last week, but now I just want to talk to you about the new solo I got in glee and ignore the fact that seeing me must be hard for you right now.' He didn't like mocking people, even internally, it was childish and uncalled for and not the person he wanted to be, so he took a deep breath and forced himself to tune back into Blaine's voice.
"Sam said he could totally see it has our opener for Sectionals, so that's something." He said as he looked through the stack of tees that Kurt had just folded. "Listen, I'm kind of busy, but I've got a 15 coming up at seven, if you want to meet at Starbucks?" He made sure to inject as much polite friendliness into his voice as he could muster.
"Oh," Blaine's face went slightly confused as his mouth kept the 'O' shape for a moment. Kurt decided to try that again, this time without the bitchy edge. "Blaine, I need to get this done and my manager's been on me about having my friends around."
"Oh, yeah, I get it. You're right I shouldn't bother you at work." And here comes the guilt trip followed by his old buddy anger. "Blaine!" He lowered his voice when a couple of tweens, who were browsing the section, turned their attention to him, "I really need this to not be about you right now!" The girls giggled as they starting shoving something back and forth between them. They had probably damaged some merchandise -just great!
He exhaled heavily through his nose and moved in their direction. Hopefully they would drop whatever they were destroying and get out before he had the call the mall cops.
He heard Blaine's questioning, "Kurt?" as he worked his way through the jungle of racks and tables. One of the girls threw the item down while the other covered her gaping mouth with one hand and used the other hand to pull her friend toward the mall-side entrance.
Oh! It was garbage -even better. He really hoped it wasn't anything too gross as he bent to pick up the folded sheet of paper, holding it with his thumb and forefinger as he turned back to the register station to dispose of it. Blaine was moving to intercept him, concern painting his brow. He tried to concentrate on the piece of paper in front of him as he attempted to calm himself. It wasn't Blaine's fault that his life had turned into a some after-school special about how not to put all your eggs in one basket or that their feelings for one another had changed... the word 'Homosexuals'caught his eye as the sheet of paper flapped in front of him.
"Mmm..." That piqued his interest. He turned the page in his hand so he could read it properly. The word 'Homosexuals'was emblazoned right below a bright gold cross and the word sinner. He stopped, bringing the paper closer to his face.
"All Sinners Welcome!" He spat out, "Homosexuality, Alcoholism," His brain was going to explode, "Gambling, etc..., etc...,"
"Kurt, what are you talking about?" Blaine had intersected him in his distraction.
"Look at this garbage!" He shoved the piece of paper into the Blaine's hands.
He watched as he read silently, releasing a long sigh as he spoke, "Kurt?"
"Don't Kurt me! I shouldn't have to put up with bullying at work."
"This probably isn't even about you. There's some group handing out flyers by the fountain..." Kurt pulled the paper from Blaine's hand, crumpling it as he turned on his heels and started walking toward the mall entrance.
"Kurt, no! You're not going to change anyone's mind by going down there." Blaine was slightly out of breath as he tried to keep up with him. He wasn't running, just walking with purpose. The thought occurred to him that he should probably tell his manager that he was taking a break, but he was just going to need one minute to throw their little flyer back in their face.
He took the escalator two steps at a time. Blaine had tried to take his elbow at some point and he'd pulled away forcefully enough that he'd lost his shadow. He made a sweep of the first floor of the galleria as he descended, spotting the small group of suited missionaries standing around a small folding table offering their flyers to anyone stupid enough to make eye contact.
He was at the bottom of the stairs and nearly to the table before they or more specifically 'he' noticed him. Kurt's pace slowed as David's soft green eyes met his and his rage melted into the odd mixture of hurt and confusion that often colored his interactions with David.
"David?" He knew his mouth had to be hanging open, but he was still in too much shock to marshal up the mental control to force it shut.
"Kurt?" David's voice sounded like he'd swallowed gravel, "You're supposed to..." David's brow knit together as he took a step closer.
"David?" A slender woman in a crisp blue suit came to David's side, pressing a hand to his shoulder to draw his attention. "Is this young man in need of counseling?" She said as her eyes drew from David to Kurt. She raked her eyes up and down his body quickly, before turning to greet him with a handshake, "Would you like to join us at our next youth meeting? We help young men like you..."
"Kurt doesn't want that," David said hollowly as Kurt's attention snapped from the dark-haired, well-dressed woman back to David. "No, I most certainly do not and neither do you, David!"
"This is Kurt?" The woman said uncertainly, her eyes flicking to David. He nodded a 'yes', though his eyes were boring into Kurt's. The woman, Kurt saw the flash of a gold-plated nametag but she was already turning away before he could make it the name, started pulling on David's arm in an attempt to move him toward the table they had set up.
"David, I want to talk to you!" He gritted out forcefully, when David allowed the woman to begin walking him toward the table. "I'm sorry, young man, but David doesn't want to talk to you."
"You know his parents could keep me away from him six months ago, but David's an adult now and I think he can decide for himself who he wants to have a conversation with!"
She was still tugging at David, but his eyes came back to Kurt, full of desperation and confusion. He opened his mouth as though he wanted to speak, but no words were coming out. Kurt wanted to reach out to him so badly, but, then the woman he was with began to direct him and the other young man who had been handing out flyers to start gathering up their materials and the table and David turned away and he was going to lose his chance, so he started forward only to be stopped by a hand on his upper arm.
"Kurt, let him go." Blaine's gentle voice caused him to halt as he watched the group busily breaking down their little booth. They kept their backs purposefully turned away from him as the older woman tried to keep David's attention focused on the task at hand.
"I need to talk to him, Blaine."
"I know, but not here and not now. Let's go get that coffee you were talking about?" Blaine was trying to distract him and maybe he shouldn't let him, but his mind and body felt so numb like he was going into shock or something, so he offered no resistance as Blaine took his hand and began to guide him to the food court.
"Did you know he was back in town?" Kurt asked after taking the first sip of the Ginger tea Blaine had bought to help him calm down.
Blaine's eyes met his, "God, no Kurt. The last I heard about David was what you told me. That he had sent you a text saying that he was moving to Florida or something to live with his grandmother and that he didn't want you to contact him anymore."
"I should have known something was wrong. Did you see him handing out those flyers? My gut said something was wrong, but he changed his number and closed his Facebook account, his parents told me that if I didn't stop calling... and I was so busy with school and glee and NYADA and then I fell apart when that didn't work out..."
"Kurt," Blaine laid a hand on his wrist, "Whatever is going on with David is not your fault. If he's found something that makes him happy..."
"His mother said it was a disease, a sickness." He could feel tears stinging his eyes, "What if they sent him to one of those conversion places? I mean they had to -right? He'd made so much progress..." He felt a tear slide down his cheek.
"David is not your responsibility, Kurt. You said it yourself, he's 18 now. If he thinks he has to hide behind some church and deny who he is, then that is his decision to make -messed up as it is." Kurt felt his hackles rising. "That's easy for us to say Blaine. Our parents supported and accepted us. David was so confused and vulnerable after... after he tried to take his life." He set his cup down throwing his head back in an attempt to stem the flow of tears from his eyes. "I should have fought harder, tried harder."
Blaine tried to make an argument, but Kurt cut him off, "No, it's not my fault, but I made David a promise and I intend to keep it."
"Kurrt," Blaine said as he started an argument designed, he was sure, to talk him out of finding David and talking to him, but Kurt just ignored him as he pretended to study the bottom of his teacup and created a plan.