Warnings: There are no trigger warning. There is mention of Finn (still alive) at the beginning and a brief dismissal of Blaine and his relationship with Kurt.
Author's Note: Many thanks are due to Totoropirate for being an awesome cheerleader as always.
Just some background for this fic… I really wanted to give the best gift I could. So I went for it and tried to give Trekkiepirate everything in their 'do want' list and a little bit for the second prompt even though I cannot draw to save my own life! The list was nice but also kind of random. For those that want to know ahead of time, this was the 'do want' list: Domestic fic, a lazy morning or a night of cuddling on the couch watching musicals. Bonus points if Dave sings. Double bonus points if you can include pet hedgehogs somewhere. For the dirtier fics, I like top!Dave/bottom!Kurt and dirty talk that doesn't stray into bad porn or bad romance novel.
Also this fic starts after Heart and is AU from about half way through. Kurt realized that Dave deserved a chance and Dave was always at McKinley.
That is all! I hope Trekkiepirate enjoys this!
Chapter 1 Kurt's 19th birthday, May 2012
"Hudson! Hey, wait up!" Dave half-shouted down the busy hallway between second and third period. He watched as the tallest teenager ever to inhabit Lima stopped and turned toward him.
"What's up man?"
Dave looked around the hallway to make sure that his boyfriend was nowhere within hearing range.
"What are you getting Kurt for his birthday in a few weeks?"
"I don't know. I was thinking about doing something in the name of our awesomeness being brothers and all. Like some kind of bonding thing." Finn's face had a touch of concern on it. "You're still trying to figure out what to get him? You knocked it out of the part on Valentine's Day. This should be a piece of cake for you!"
"No," Dave said while shaking his head. "That was easy. I just did whatever I thought someone would do in those cheesy romantic comedies that come out every year. This is different."
Dave could feel the tension starting to build up in the back of his shoulders and the pressure of over-thinking filling up his every thought and causing a headache on the horizon.
"I have to get this right," Dave tried again. "I lucked out when Blaine messed up and Kurt was willing to give me a chance. I can't risk it."
"Calm down, dude." Finn clapped a hand onto his shoulder. "Kurt isn't going to break up with you just because you didn't find the perfect gift for him. He likes you a lot, otherwise he wouldn't have said yes when you asked him out. Give him a little credit."
Dave nodded at Finn's good-will smile and stuck his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans before trudging his way through the rest of the crowded hallway to his next class.
Dave hummed against Kurt's lips as their brief make out session naturally progressed to softer and gentler presses. It had started because Kurt couldn't help himself from singing along with Rizzo about how there were 'worse thing he could do' while they watched Grease that afternoon. He made a smart assed comment that as long as Kurt didn't have a pregnancy scare they would be fine. When Kurt faked offense, Dave quickly swooped in and started kissing him to prevent the tirade he knew would spew forth.
"Don't think you aren't still going to get a speech about how being gay doesn't mean that we are girls or the things they are capable of later." Kurt snipped at him with a last peck to his cheek before curling up under Dave's arm to finish the movie.
"Kurt, you know I know that," Dave started to whine. He would much rather go back to making out at the end of the movie instead of receiving a lecture from his boyfriend.
"I know. I know," Kurt waved him off. "Now shush. I want to see Crater Face get his ass handed to him by Danny."
Dave allowed Kurt to become engrossed into the race between the two men on screen. He never understood how they cast people so old to play teenagers for this movie.
He settled his hand over the curve of Kurt's shoulder and rubbed his thumb back and forth over the soft fabric of his shirt. Sweet and melancholy music started again and Dave started to hum along to the tune. He couldn't remember the words but he knew that it was a different version to a song that was on earlier in the movie. Kurt jerked quickly out from under his arm and turned to face him.
"Were you just singing the reprise to Sandra Dee?"
"I was humming whatever that song was, yes. I don't know the name of it. Why?"
"No reason." Kurt offered him a tight lipped smile with suspiciously gleaming eyes.
"What?" Dave demanded.
"You don't really have all that much in common with Sandra Dee if you pay attention to the words that Rizzo originally sings." Kurt said. Dave still didn't understand what Kurt was trying to tell him though.
"Alright, I'll spell it out for you," Kurt began with a sigh. "You have drunk beer, so that is checked off. You swear like a sailor under the right conditions."
Dave blushed when Kurt brought that up. He wasn't like most of his friends who would insert random expletives into their speech just for the shock value. The only time he really cursed was when Kurt teased him to the point of combustion or, even better, when Kurt didn't tease him and got him off hard and fast. He had just started to think of the last time that he and Kurt had time alone and the fantastic orgasms that followed when he felt Kurt poke him on his nose.
"Sorry, you were saying?" Dave tried to put as much innocence into his tone as possible but Kurt didn't buy it.
"I was saying, that the only thing that you have in common with the song is the not smoking part and partly the virginity bit."
"I'm not a complete virgin," Dave mumbled. He and Kurt had done so much in the two and a half months they had been dating. He had even done more with girls while trying to hide from himself and his sexuality.
"I know you aren't. That's why I said 'partly the virginity bit'." Kurt said softly. "Now, we have about 15 minutes left of the movie and then at least an hour before anyone comes home. What do say we finish Grease, and then make more progress on making you less of a virgin?"
"I say we ditch the movie since we watch it once a week anyway and we both get something out of the alone time."
"You, sir, have had a fantastic idea!"
The last part of the movie that Dave saw was Danny strutting around the football field in a letterman sweater before Kurt climbed into his lap and he knew what he was going to do for Kurt's birthday.
Instead of waiting until Sunday to celebrate Kurt's birthday, the Hudson-Hummel clan opted to have a larger than normal Friday Night Dinner and allowed both boys to invite their significant others. Carole made Kurt's favorite breaded pork chops and Burt picked up a cheesecake from the bakery that Kurt claimed had the best pastries in Lima. And thankfully for all involved in eating the meal that night, neither Finn nor Rachel were allowed to step foot into the kitchen.
As Kurt was scraping the last of the crumbs of cheesecake off of his plate, his dad and Carole slipped into the kitchen under the guise of loading the dishwasher. They returned carrying two envelopes; one a standard size, white one with only his name on it and another much larger 8x11.5 one with his full name and address on it along with a bold-fonted name and return address in the upper left corner. Kurt looked to them both with a face full of confusion before seeing the design on the larger envelope while Carole discreetly moved his plate out from in front of him.
"Is this what I think it is?" Kurt was starting to get breathless. He turned it over and noticed that the top of the envelope had been already opened.
"Open it and find out." Burt encouraged him.
Kurt simply turned the large envelope upside down and allowed all the contents to fall out across the table. There were several forms to fill out that he didn't waste any time on, a heavy course catalog, and a thick, pristinely white piece of paper with a letter printed across it. Kurt brought it closer and began to read.
"'Mister Kurt Hummel, we are pleased to offer our congratulations to you upon being accepted to the Pratt Institute for Design…' I got in! Oh my god." Kurt trailed off and looked back to the letter. "'Please take a moment to look through your course catalog…' Oh my god, Dad!" Kurt pushed back from the table so fast that his chair fell over and crashed to the floor on his way to hug his dad.
Burt wrapped his arms around his son tightly while Dave picked up the forgotten chair with a smile and set it back in its place at the table again.
"Now, I know this is exciting. But the acceptance letter isn't your gift since Carole and me had nothing to do with your talent and you getting in. Why don't you open the other one?"
Kurt returned to his seat next to Dave and opened the small, white envelope as his dad suggested. Inside was a single piece of paper with a row of numbers listed on it.
"What is this, Dad? It looks like a bank statement but it's not for my account. My account doesn't have this much in it."
"That is part your birthday and part your graduation present." Burt explained. "When we sold both our houses, we had some left over after buying this place. So we set it aside and put it into some investments and whatnot. You can't access it yet, but consider it motivation for a few years. By the time you graduate college, the Cds will have matured and you can pay off most of your loans.
"Finn," Burt addressed his stepson. "You have one set up for you too. For loans if you decide to go to school or to help you buy a house or something when you get out of the army."
"Cool! Thanks Burt. Thanks Mom!" Finn grinned while Kurt still sat in shock over the amount in the bank account and the fact that it would only continue to grow before he accessed it. "Can I give Kurt my gift now?"
Kurt turned to his brother and noticed him placing an obviously football-shaped package on the table in front of him. He quirked an eyebrow and reached for the gift and started to unwrap it despite knowing what it was.
"I know what you're thinking but hear me out." Finn gestured towards the ball now sitting in front of Kurt sans paper. "This is the game ball from the only game you played as a Titan. They gave it to me but I think that you have always deserved it more."
Kurt abandoned the ball and moved around the table to wrap his brother in a hug as tightly as he did his father.
"Thank you Finn."
"Okay. My turn, Kurt." Rachel trilled as she set a small square box into his hands as soon as he let go of Finn. He stood as he ripped the paper away and opened the lid to reveal a huge and gaudy star-shaped brooch. "It's so you remember that even though you won't be a star on Broadway like me, you're still a star on your own."
Kurt gave Rachel a small hug and thanks before gathering the rest of his gifts. Dave managed to stack Kurt's college forms and letters to bring with them to Kurt's room.
Now that the moment was getting closer for him to give Kurt his gift, he was starting to get nervous. It wouldn't be as expensive as the bank account that Burt and Carole had started for him, or as sentimental as the football from Finn. He did breathe a small sigh of relief knowing that even though Kurt might not like his gift, he could still find a use for it, unlike the brooch Rachel had given Kurt. Dave was fairly sure that the thing would end up in the back of Kurt's closet and wouldn't even make it into a box for the move to New York.
"So, I guess it's my turn now right?" Dave shuffled nervously as he retrieved Kurt's gift from his backpack. He watched as Kurt sat down gently on the corner of his bed with a soft smile on his lips.
"Dave. You didn't have to get me anything. I told you that with everything you went through on Valentine's Day, I was set for at least six months." Kurt tried to joke with him.
"Like I would believe that," Dave joked right back. "Even straight guys know better than to fall for something like that. I would end up having to come up with something even better than Valentine's Day to make up for not getting you something for your birthday."
They both laughed because they knew it was absolutely true. Neither would have believed that they would be so perfect for each other. Their senses of humor matched. And while Dave knew he would do anything within his power to make sure that Kurt was happy and felt loved (even though he hadn't said it yet), he wouldn't let Kurt walk all over him. Kurt was the same way about him. Kurt built up Dave's confidence and never backed down. The worked well together.
"Alright," Kurt drawled. "Let me have it. We both know it won't be as bad as that brooch."
"No," Dave laughed a little more. "It's not as bad as that. But if you don't like it, at least you kind find a use for it around the house. Or your new apartment in New York."
Dave handed Kurt the gift wrapped box. It was obvious that Dave's gift was some article of clothing. By the size and shape of the box, Kurt figured it must be a shirt or a sweater.
Kurt tore off the thick paper and carefully ran his fingers along the edges of the box to pop the tape that held the lid to the bottom. The lid came off easily and Kurt placed it behind him on the bed before starting to unfold the tissue paper overlaying his gift.
Dave held his breath while Kurt looked at the cream colored cardigan while running his thumb along the red trim.
"I know it's not really your style, but I know how much you love making me watch Grease every week," Dave chided to try to hide his nervousness. "But I figured that even if you didn't like it, it could keep you warm. It's really thick and-"
Kurt had started to lift the sweater out of the box and noticed the McKinley High letter M on the front, left side of the jacket. It was a perfect mimic of Danny's letterman sweater from Grease. The letter itself had several pins on it as well. And Kurt's surprised gasp was what cut Dave off.
"Dave…" Kurt breathed out. "How? What is this? I mean, I know what it is. But what do all these mean and how did you get the letter for it?"
"Well the pins are what you would have had presented to you if McKinley was a better school and gave out all the distinctions it should for things other than sports.
"The genie lamp thing is for your academics. You know what the choir and drama things are, I'm sure," Dave said with a small smile. "And the football pin should be obvious as well. As for the letter, it's my extra one. I got two freshman year. One for hockey and one for football."
Dave watched as Kurt's thumb moved from the trim to each pin as he told him about them. When he finished his explanation, Kurt quickly tossed the sweater beside him on the bed and jumped to his feet to hug Dave like he had the rest of his family.
"Does this mean you like it?" Dave asked curiously.
"I love it," Kurt pulled back to tell him before returning back to the hug. "It's perfect. Thank you."
"You are very welcome." Dave whispered as he squeezed Kurt back just as fiercely.
"I love you."
Dave felt his breath catch as he tried to process the words. He loosened his grip on Kurt so that he could see his boyfriend's face. Kurt was smiling and his eyes sparkled with what Dave assumed had to be Kurt's feelings for him. And Dave couldn't help but to smile back in the same way.
"I love you too, Kurt. Happy birthday." Even though it was Kurt's birthday, Dave felt like he had received the best gift of all.