Liberty

Chapter 2 –

The next month went pretty much the same. Dave would show up, they'd work for about three hours, and then they'd separate. They would talk non-stop, whether it was about the bike or just things in general. So after about a month they had become pretty close friends.

That's why one night Dave lied awake, staring at his ceiling. He had been admitting it to himself all evening, but now he said it out loud.

"I am gay."

That was it. Just those three words. Probably the hardest three words to say in his entire life. Even so, the burden on his shoulders seemed to lighten. He knew it wouldn't disappear until he came out to his friends and family, possibly even the school. But for now, just admitting it to himself was enough.

Now that he was settled with his sexuality, there was another problem he had to deal with. After all, he could not, could NOT, have a crush on a straight guy. He'd seen what it could do to you. Watching Kurt crush on Finn more than a year ago had taught him that much. If you wanted to have a crush, make sure the object of your affection was also gay.

Unfortunately, Dave had yet to figure out if Colton was gay or straight. He doubted he was gay; after all, all the good guys are either straight or taken. Dave shook his head; anybody that good looking had to have a girlfriend. Had to! Right?

After such a realization, Dave was surprised by how not awkward the rest of the summer went. In fact, it wasn't until about a week before he had to return to McKinley that things started getting strange. The weirdest part being that it seemed to stem from Colton, not Dave.

Knowing that, Dave wasn't surprised when Colton stopped him before they separated for the day.

"Hey Dave?" he asked, making Dave pause in the office doorway. Colton continued when the younger man turned around. "When are you starting school again?"

"Next Monday," said Dave, shrugging. "That's okay though, I realized a while ago that we wouldn't finish the bike by then."

Colton nodded, chewing on a dirty thumbnail. Dave realized that was a habit of his, but he usually only did it when looking over paper work, thinking.

"I'm moving into my dorm in two weeks and I won't be working here again until winter break," Colton said out loud, just stating the facts. He looked up and grinned, Dave would say shyly, but that wouldn't make any sense. "How would you feel about moving your bike to my house? I can come home on the weekends and help you with it in our garage. And I'm sure my dad would be willing to help you during the week if you wanted."

Dave watched, eyebrows up. Why was Colton so nervous about such a simple suggestion? He quickly pushed that thought aside and nodded. "That would be great. I can keep it a secret from my friends that much longer. When should we move it?"

Colton glanced at a wall calendar next to the cash register. "Well, we can't work on it tomorrow since I'm on my own here and have a lot of paper work to catch up on. But what about Wednesday? I have the afternoon off, supposedly to pack but that can wait." He looked back at Dave and smiled. "I'll borrow my dad's truck for the day and when I get off we can move it to my place and work on it for a few hours."

Nodding, Dave thought about the timing. His mom would want to take him school shopping, but he could promise to do it at a different time. "Yeah, that sounds fine by me. Be here around one?"

Colton nodded. "That's fine. See ya then?"

"See ya then."

For reasons he refused to contemplate, Dave woke up early that Wednesday. He had gone out with his mom the day before so by all accounts he should be exhausted, but just thinking about moving his bike to Colton's house seemed to revive him.

Frowning and pushing aside those thoughts, Dave dressed in the same pair of jeans he'd been using all summer while working on his bike. They had barely been worn before and now they looked to be about ten years older they were so used and greasy. After breakfast he changed into an old tank top, finding it too hot to wear even a t-shirt.

At that point, he officially had nothing to do, so he found himself sitting around until lunchtime trying not to think about what Colton would be wearing on such a hot day. Well, he'd probably be wearing his jump suite from work. That was convenient while working on the bike anyways.

Around noon, Dave couldn't wait anymore. He decided to go out for lunch, and then grabbed an extra sandwich for Colton before showing up at the junkyard at 12:30. When he walked into the office Colton looked up in surprise.

"You're early," he said, after glancing at the clock to make sure he wasn't mistaken.

Dave just held up the bag of food. "I figured you'd want some lunch."

Colton stared for a moment before smiling. "Thanks. Sounds great, now we can get to work sooner without you having to wait on me."

Putting the bag on the counter and taking a seat nearby, Dave just shook his head. "Take your time," he said, "I did show up early."

Colton nodded and opened up his bag, pausing when he realized it was his usual that he ordered when working at the shop during lunch. He glanced at Dave but said nothing. He worked as he ate, filling out papers and signing them, or putting a note on them for his boss to sign. By the time he was finished it was only quarter to one.

"I guess we'll have to wait until the boss gets back," said Colton, sighing quietly.

"No you won't." Both Dave and Colton looked up as Charles Danielson walked in, an unopened bottle of his namesake in one hand. It was said that his dad had been a drunk and as a result he had grown up with an immunity to that one drink. It didn't matter if he drank on the job either, though he rarely did, because he was the most competent drunk that town had ever seen.

"Go on and leave if you need to, Colt," said Charles, pushing the boy away from the counter. "I can handle myself from here."

Colton shrugged, nodding. "Thanks, boss," he said, motioning for Dave to follow him, "I'll see ya tomorrow." He didn't bother waiting for a reply before heading out towards Dave's bike.

It took about ten minutes to load and secure the bike to the bed of Colton's dad's truck. Colton checked the last strap before turning to Dave. "Just let me drop off my jumper and then you can follow me to my house. I'll be back in a sec."

"I'll be in my truck," said Dave, returning to said vehicle.

Colton's truck was around a corner, so Dave didn't see what he had changed into until they were outside Colton's garage ten minutes after leaving the junkyard. Colton had backed up to the open garage so they could unload directly into it, and Dave remained on the street so they wouldn't crowd the driveway.

Dave was rounding the front of his truck as Colton climbed out of his own. If Dave had been any older, he would have described that moment as a heart attack. So much for not having a crush on a straight dude, he thought. Colton stood by his truck, waiting on Dave, in very short cut-off jeans and a wonderfully tight t-shirt with cut-off sleeves.

Dave took a deep breath, thinking about the time he accidentally caught his parents together on their anniversary just to get rid of his hard-on. Swallowing, he stepped forward, pretending that he hadn't even paused while moving towards the back of the large truck.

Colton hadn't missed the pause though. "Dave?" he asked, concern in his voice. "Dave, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," was the automatic reply.

Trying not to look directly at Colton, Dave reached for one of the straps. But froze when a hand landed on top of his. He didn't move, just stared at where their hands touched, breathing deeply to try and stay in control. It wasn't until that moment that Dave realized they had never actually touched since that first handshake. Not even while passing tools. Considering what was flying through his head at that moment, Dave was relieved it had turned out that way.

"Dave," Colton's voice was lower than normal, raspy, and Dave looked up in surprise.

What the hell is going on?

Colton looked at their hands, then back to Dave. "I need to tell you something before we unload the bike."

Dave wasn't even aware of the slight nod of his head. But he knew he must have looked like a child who had been found coloring a freshly painted wall.

Colton watched a moment, trying to read Dave's expression, but eventually gave up. "Screw it," he mumbled before leaning forward, his lips pressing gently against Dave's.

TBC...