[Just to mention, in my version of events, Blaine and Kurt are best friends. Kurt had a crush but it faded, but they are the bestest buddies. Things are gonna be a little slow moving with Kurtofsky to start with, but I promise they will pick up speed in the next chapters, so hang in there. And I know this is quite detailed for a short scene but I just had a lot of ideas for this chapter, so I'll split it into two halves to make it bearable. Let me know if you like this amount of detail or if I should change it. Either way, enjoy! ]
CHAPTER TWO - THE MEETING, PART ONE
When the bell sounded at 4pm, Kurt and Rachel made their way to the choir room to set up some chairs, in eager anticipation of the meeting. Each grabbed a couple from the pile and formed a couple of rows facing the piano.
"There. Perfect," Rachel smiled warmly at Kurt.
"Yes, the perfect setting for a little education in tolerance and LGBT r-e-s-p-e-c-t," Kurt jested, elongated each letter and bumping hips with Rachel, as they both chuckled excitedly. Dave watched nervously from the edge of the doorway, feeling perhaps the most self conscious he had ever felt. Kurt glanced around the room and spotted the timid figure in his peripheral vision. He saw how uneasy the other boy looked and shot him a sympathetic look.
"You can come in, you know, Dave." He said in a lightly, undercut with a soft sarcastic tone. Dave mumbled something inaudible in acknowledgment, and attempted a smile at the two Glee kids. He knew Berry didn't like him, and to say this made the atmosphere in the room tense would be an understatement. However, Rachel appreciated his efforts in protecting Kurt and his attendance at the meeting, even if she was just a little skeptical.
As Santana and other recruits poured in, the meeting was nearly ready to begin. All that was needed now were the mediators.
"My dads should be here in a minute. When they heard we were holding a PFFLAG meeting, they couldn't help but get involved." She gabbled enthusiastically, in a way that only Rachel Berry could, which, for all her faults, instantly helped lift the mood of the room. "And here they are!"
Two men, both aged around their mid 40s entered. The first, named Elliot, was slim, statuesque and clad in skin tight clothing, which fitted so impeccably to his toned frame that even fashionista Kurt was taken aback. The other taller but broader man, Lance, stood with his arm around his partner, and wore a Yankees jacket and a contented smile on his face. Dave instantly recognized an ally in this man, as they shared the same taste in sports teams, but he kept his gaze low and his face blank as he reclined in his seat in the back row.
Both gave Kurt the gay male to gay male nod of solidarity, which for some reason, as out and proud as he was, made Kurt feel self conscious. The only other out gay he knew was Blaine and it took some adjusting to these men who were so out and more experienced than him. Petty though it was, his position as resident gay at McKinley felt a little threatened, as lovely as the Berrys seemed. That aside, he rose to greet them.
"Thank you for coming. I'm Kurt." He said loudly but bashfully, and shook their hands.
"You're welcome, darling. Of course, you are. Rachel's told us all about you." Elliot, the more flamboyant of the pair greeted Kurt. "Well, isn't he just scrumptious, Kurt?" He gestured at David, who sat alone, trying not to draw attention to himself. "Your boyfriend, yes? If not, I'd get in there quick. Young men like that don't stay on the shelf for long."
The pause that ensued felt like the longest pause in both Kurt and Dave's lives so far.
"Oh! No,, I er... he's not my boyfriend.." Kurt turned betroot.
"I'm not even .. er like Kurt.. you know.. but obviously, it's er.. totally cool to be like that, I'm just umm, you know, not." Dave spluttered, even more embarrassed than Kurt. "I'm just here to help out, and umm, learn some stuff about your people, I guess."
"Oh! Well, I'll just shut my big mouth!" Elliot laughed away, not picking up on the tension between the two boys.
"Dad! Karof- David is here as part of a rehabilitation, you could say. He was once a homophobe, who has now seen the light. We're all going to help educate him on gay rights." Rachel tried to save the situation, but Dave just wanted to curl up and die.
"Well, I say good on you, David. It takes a brave man to own up to ignorance and get himself educated." Lance smiled at him, and quelled some of the awkwardness.
"So," Kurt's said, his voice in a higher register than usual, "shall we begin?"
After an uneasy start, the meeting quickly warmed up. Kurt thought it best not to start with something too emotionally demanding, especially with Dave so deep in the closet. So the whole group brainstormed ideas for campaigns to promote tolerance at the high school, the whole group, that is, except for David Karofsky.
"Posters. With glitter. Lots of glitter!" Rachel and her more effeminate father gushed at the same time.
"What do you think, Dave?" Lance reached out to him directly, sensing his hesitance to get involved. The volume of the chatter fell considerably. Many of the club were confused as to why the infamous homophobe Karofsky was here. Not hostile, mind you, but confused all the same.
"Err... glitter sounds good to me." He replied, not wanting to meet Lance's gaze. He knew that the man knew. It was just something you could feel in the air.
"Never pegged you as the glittery type, Karof-David," Rachel corrected herself, not wanting to make him feel unwelcome by such formalities.
"Well, I have another idea." He cleared his throat. "We make the posters simple, but eye-catching. We could use contrasting colours or something, yellow and black, but you know, glitter's cool too." He glanced up and saw Kurt shyly smiling at him.
"I do believe you have a point, David." Lance concurred. "We don't want to isolate the masses by making them think tolerance is for "cissies who like glitter"; you know how teenage boys can be." He laughed and put his arm around Elliot and Rachel who stood defeated, but laughed along.
"So, brilliant, we've got a plan. Now to convince Coach Sylvester to let me borrow the Cheerio's special printer..." Kurt mused.
"Ha, good luck with that, she's a menace." Dave chuckled lightheartedly, and for the first time since Principal Figgin's office, he raised his gaze and made eye-contact with Kurt, who laughed along with him. In Kurt's eyes, Dave saw a look of warmth and compassion he had not seen in anyone. Even after all he had done, Kurt was willing to be civil, even friendly to him, and it left him speechless. In Dave's eyes, Kurt saw a new openness and he could feel a glow in his chest, but just for a brief moment.
After Santana had devised an ingenious scheme to regain her printing privileges, the meeting dissolved. "It was lovely to meet you all, but the Berries must be on their way. We have tickets to a sports game. I know what you're all thinking: me? At a sports games? The things we do for love! " Elliot enthused in an almost shrill tone, hugged and air kissed everyone, and ostentatiously waved them all goodbye until next week. Lance smiled affectionately at his partner and shook everyone's hands. The PFFLAG members left swiftly.
"Hey, can someone help me put back the chai- oh, never mind." Kurt gave up and began to stack the chairs, realizing his calls for assistance fell on deaf ears.
Or maybe not.
"Need a hand?" David Karofsky returned from the hallway and stood in the doorframe, his body a dark silhouette, but his face illuminated by the fading light of day coming through from the window. [TO BE CONTINUED]