Warnings: Dave POV so please don't be surprised to see some homophobic terminology and language.

It was a well-known fact that most of the people born in Lima, Ohio never left. It was an amazing thing in and of itself that most of the people who lived there weren't the tragic results of in-breeding, but who's to say that wasn't so in the past?

Dave Karofsky liked to think that he'd beaten the system when he made it at least as far as Chicago, Illinois. It didn't surprise his father or most of his friends, since he'd been reigned into to play for a hockey team on scholarship for university. He was more than a little relieved that not many of his classmates had followed him.

University was a simultaneously blissfully free and stifling at the same time. Free in that he had a wider variety of people to befriend and could avoid getting stuck with people like Azimio and stifling in that his hockey persona still had the tendency to get him lumped into the same group with some of the thugs on the team with him.

Though he could be infinitely more open about who he was in some regards, he still had to watch his back and keep a low profile in others. Coming out was still nowhere close to an option, but the desire to bash any queer he saw hadn't plagued him in ages.

He'd had a lot of help with that, from the one person he wished would follow him here. After all, Chicago didn't boast one of the biggest acting franchises next to Hollywood and Broadway for nothing. He knew with the right type of persuasion, he could get that person to come and keep him company.

His feelings for Kurt Hummel had not diminished in all the time he'd known the younger man. Though the two of them had never become more than passable friends, they both admitted that it was difficult to part ways when the time came. They had been partners at school in a way that wasn't obviously seen. When Dave needed someone to rant to about what was going inside him, Kurt listened, and when Kurt needed someone to hold him who wouldn't be repulsed by the idea, Dave did what he could.

Kurt was fortunate though. He had Blaine, with whom he was a little more than just close friends, and the fellow Glee clubbers. With a closer watch and more emphasis on their zero tolerance policy, Kurt was safer now at school and he was elated when several more students came out towards the end of Dave's interim at William McKinley.

Perhaps they figured, with the main thug leaving, things would be safer with him gone regardless of the zero tolerance policy.

If only they knew the half of it.

When he got to university, Dave certainly tried to move on and find more people 'like him' and it wasn't particularly difficult, but he still felt uncomfortable with the idea of being open and the disconnect between him and the group of proud outs was enough that he never felt like one of them.

He was a gay man with no friends, gay or straight, and he was alone in a new place with no one to talk to but the picture of Kurt that he'd sneakily taken at school during French.

It was close to midterm when he received an unexpected phone call from the object of his affection.

"Blaine and I are coming to Chicago to go to an open campus. Is it cool if we crash with you," he asked in a familiar tone.

Dave felt his stomach twist at the thought of Kurt bringing his boyfriend along with him the first time they would see each other in months. Being two years older than Kurt meant that Blaine would graduate before him and Dave still had a year and a half to wait before Kurt would start considering schools to go to.

"Sure," he said gruffly, "I'll have to let my suitemates and my RA know you're coming."

"No problem," Kurt said, a smile obvious in his voice, "It'll be good to catch up, and thank you for letting us take advantage."

I wish you would more, Dave thought, but kept it to himself.

"When can I expect you," he asked Kurt, who asked the question away from the receiver. Dave heard Blaine's voice on the other end and felt the twinge of jealousy that had become all too common.

"We're coming in two weeks, is that okay? We know you have midterms so we weren't sure if you were staying through the holiday or not," Kurt stated.

"I'm not going anywhere. Hockey practice straight through," Dave replied.

"Right, okay. Then, we'll see you in two weeks," Kurt quipped.

The two of them said their goodbyes and Dave sighed when the other end clicked to indicate that Kurt had hung up. He wanted to talk to the boy longer and catch up properly, but he knew that if Blaine was anywhere in the vicinity, his name was Mud.

0000

The weather continued to chill, and snow fell for the first time before Kurt and Blaine arrived, bundled up in Kurt's car and rosy cheeked as Dave led them to his mostly empty dorm. They exchanged simple pleasantries as Dave introduced them to the suite living room and the fold out couch.

"You guys can sleep here, no one should come in harassing you in the middle of the night," he assured them, "If they do, I'll pummel them to within an inch of their lives."

Blaine gave him the same smug smile that he had on the first day they met and Dave had asked if he was Kurt's boyfriend. Dave didn't like the guy much, but if Kurt cared so much about him, he'd do his best to be civil.

"Thanks for your hospitality," Blaine replied, his tone amicable.

Kurt nodded with enthusiasm as well, his smile much less smug and much more genuine.

"When is this open campus of yours," Dave asked, going into the adjoining kitchen to grab a root beer, "You guys thirsty?"

"Can I have some water, please," Kurt requested.

Dave poured him a glass as Blaine answered.

"I'm fine, thanks. The open campus is tomorrow. We figured we'd do some site seeing today. You're welcome to join us," Blaine invited.

No, thanks. I have no desire to be your third wheel, Dave thought, rolling his eyes to himself as he brought out his and Kurt's drinks.

"I have to practice this afternoon and evening, so you guys have fun without me," he said simply, handing Kurt's glass of water and wondering if he detected a glimmer of a pout at his answer.

"There's a great restaurant nearby, though, if you guys are interested in meeting up with me for dinner," Dave conceded.

"I like that idea, can we do that, honey," Kurt asked Blaine, who rolled his eyes at Kurt's nickname.

"Yes, dear," he replied, loving sarcasm lightly lacing his tone. Kurt punched him in the arm.

Dave hoped that it hurt the prep-school, snobby-nosed brat.

"So that's settled," Dave concluded, gulping down his root beer.

He wished that he could drink a real beer, but he didn't want to have his ass handed to him by the other enforcers during practice today. That would just have to wait until tonight.

He left the two to head out to practice, giving them a few suggestions on places to go before leaving. He got schooled by the other enforcers anyway, being too distracted by thoughts of Kurt and his perfect lips and perfect smile to process plays and strategies for the practice.

When he showed up for dinner that night, trying not to completely clock out of the mundane conversation Blaine and Kurt were keeping up, spewing and flailing over the places they went, he was completely sore from head to toe. Fortunately, watching Kurt get so excited about Chicago gave him hope, though he knew it was more likely that if Blaine came here for school, Kurt would, too.

It would have nothing to do with him.