Chapter 2
Azimio called his mom from the car as he followed Kurt to the Hummel house. He told her he'd been invited to say for dinner, after which they'd be going bowling so he would be home late. His mom typically told him to watch his manners and he rolled his eyes as he ended the call.
He parked behind Kurt in the long driveway, making sure to leave room for Burt and Puckerman.
"We'll play musical cars after dinner," Kurt threw over his shoulder as he motioned for Az to follow him. "We can all ride in my baby."
"Sweet!" Az followed him inside. He'd never been inside before. The closest he'd got was when he and the other jocks had nailed the Hummels' patio furniture to the roof. Fuck! I really have to apologize for that, he thought.
The Hummel home was bigger than he expected. The living room, kitchen, formal dining room and den were on the first floor, as Kurt showed him, telling him there were also three bedrooms and two baths upstairs. The basement, where they were headed, had been turned into a studio apartment for Kurt, apparently, with its own bathroom and huge walk-in closet for the fashionista.
Kurt and Az found Finn sprawled on the couch playing Call of Duty on the massive flat screen TV and Az stared at in awe. "Sweet!"
"Hey, guys…" Finn looked up and did a double-take, surprised to see Azimio with the slimmer boy. "Umm, Kurt?"
"Relax, Finn. Azimio and David are joining us for dinner and then we were thinking of going bowling. Do you wanna join us?"
"Ummm, okay, sounds good. Rachel and Quinn are doing some girl bonding thing with Santana and Brittany tonight." Finn rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't know you were friends…" He looked from Kurt to Az and back.
"I'm turnin' over a new leaf, Hudson. Dude, don't hurt yourself." Az laughed at Finn's startled expression.
"Okay, well," Kurt smiled at them both. "I'm gonna shower and then get started cooking. Az, make yourself at home. Oh, and keep an ear out for Noah and David."
"Sure, bro," Finn's attention was already back on the game. "Puck will just let himself in anyway."
Kurt showered quickly, taking extra care to scrub all the grease off his hands and arms. He put on his lotion and deodorant before wrapping a towel around his waist and leaving the bathroom.
As he headed for his closet, Az whistled in surprise. "Damn, Fancy, who knew you were hiding all those muscles?"
Kurt smirked over one shoulder and muttered, "Noah," as he walked by.
When Kurt finally exited his wonderful walk-in closet, he was dressed in a pair of skintight black jeans and a thin, light-blue V-neck sweater. He admired himself in the full-length mirror and then went over to his dressing table.
"I'm going to start dinner; you boys need anything?" He tweaked his hair into place with a minimum of product and then raised an eyebrow enquiringly at the two boys.
"Nah, bro, we're good. Right?" Finn looked over at Az.
"Ya, Fancy, I'm good," Az replies, barely taking his eyes off of the screen. Kurt rolled his eyes and skipped up the stairs.
The chicken parmesan was almost done when Kurt started the water for the noodles. He was reaching for a salad bowl when two muscular arms closed around his waist.
Noah kissed Kurt's cheek and held him tight. "Hey, Princess, looking good." He nuzzled the long, smooth neck, sighing, "I missed you today."
Kurt turned in his arms and wrapped his own around Noah's neck. "I missed you too, baby."
The countertenor kissed Noah's lips hard and then both boys were licking into the other's mouth in no time. There was no space left between them as their bodies rubbed and hands teased, raising the temperature between them.
When they finally broke apart, Noah laughed. "I guess you did miss me." He kissed Kurt once more. "Need some help with dinner, Princess?"
"No, almost done," Kurt smiled as he eyed Noah's body in the washed-out jeans he favored and the dark blue button-down shirt with its sleeves rolled up his forearms. His boyfriend was such a hunk; sometimes he couldn't believe he'd got so lucky. He turned back to the stove, saying, "I'm gonna fix the salad and then set the table. Azimio is downstairs with Finn but David's not here yet."
"So, how did you manage to get a date with Karofsky?" Noah's amber eyes smiled down at Kurt as he admired the light flush on the elegant cheekbones.
"Az's idea, actually." Kurt chuckled. "He's certain David is gay and has a thing for me. I told Az you and I are a package deal and he seems to think David will be okay with that."
Noah growled softly. "He better be; otherwise, hands off. You're mine!" Noah punctuated the statement with a squeeze to Kurt's ass.
"I know, baby, I know," Kurt smiled as he kissed the jock again. "Why don't you go check on the boys while I finish up?"
"Alright, babe." Noah swatted Kurt on the ass as he walked away with a smirk. He couldn't remember a time before now when his hands couldn't stay away from Kurt's gorgeous frame.
At quarter 'til 7, Burt came home, followed by Carole. Ever since the two started dating, the Hudsons were constantly at the Hummel home. Kurt didn't mind, usually. He was either at Noah's or Noah was here so what were two more people. Plus, it was nice for his dad to have the companionship. Kurt figured it wouldn't be long before he asked Carole to move in. They had plenty of room. Kurt made a mental note to talk to his dad about it. They would have to get Finn a flat screen, though, because there was no way Kurt was going to have Finn crash movie date night all the time.
He was putting the salad and bread on the table when the doorbell rang. Checking his hair in the hall mirror, Kurt opened the door for Dave, struggling to keep his features merely friendly and not hungry.
"Hi, David," he said a little breathlessly as he waved David inside. The jock looked slightly uncomfortable, bordering on shy, but he smiled as he stepped into the house.
"Hey, F-Fancy," Dave stuttered as his eyes traveled up and down Kurt's body. He was too busy eyeing up the slimmer boy to see the triumphant look in Kurt's blue-green eyes.
Kurt, though, figured it was 'go big or go home' time, so as soon as he closed the door, he stepped into Dave's personal space. He wrapped his arms around Dave's neck pulling him into a hug.
"Mmm, you smell wonderful, David," Kurt purred in his ear, loving the feel as well of the larger boy's body.
Dave's arms tightened involuntarily around Kurt's waist. When Kurt stepped back he could see the shock and lust in Dave's eyes. He giggled softly.
"Dinner is almost ready. The boys are all downstairs, if you want to join them for a bit," he said huskily as the fingers of one hand stroked the soft hair at Dave's neck.
Before Dave could answer, because he was pretty speechless right now, he heard a throat being cleared.
"Karofsky, you wanna let go of my boyfriend?"
Dave's beautiful hazel eyes went wide as he realized he was still holding Kurt but, to be fair, Kurt was still holding Dave as well. Instead of letting go completely, however, Kurt reached out and pulled Noah closer into a three-person hug.
"A better idea would be for David to grab my boyfriend," Kurt said, the amusement in his voice confusing Dave further. He stared at the tanned jock and held his breath, waiting.
"Sounds good to me," Noah said as his sexy lopsided grin appeared, and he wrapped one arm around Dave and one around Kurt, while Dave half-way released Kurt to pull Noah closer.
"You do smell good, Karofsky." Puck whispered as he leaned in and ran his nose along Dave's jaw, causing a ripple to run through the stupefied jock. When he'd been invited over to dinner, he hadn't thought he would be part of the meal!
Kurt copied the movement on the other side. Dave thought he'd either died or he was dreaming again and Z was gonna be pissed at him for being late.
Just then, Azimio and Finn came upstairs, stared at the trio but before they could say anything, there was the sound of the timer going off in the kitchen. Kurt sighed disappointedly and eased away from the other two boys.
"Baby," Kurt placed his hand on Noah's shoulder. "Why don't you take David downstairs to wash up for dinner?"
"Sure, Princess."
Puck took Dave's hand and led him out of the foyer; Dave hadn't even remembered that they were still standing by the front door. In a daze as he followed Puck, he could swear Z was smirking as he passed by. Hudson, however, looked like he was going to pass out from shock.
Noah showed Dave where the bathroom was but stopped in the doorway before Dave could enter.
Puck leaned in close. "Can I?" His eyes dropped to Dave's mouth.
Dave could barely nod. The kiss was rough and sloppy with a lot of teeth and tongue; both of them wrestling for dominance after the first second of shock.
Puck's eyes were darkly dilated as he eased back to stare at Dave's shiny lips. "Mmm, Princess is gonna love kissing you," he muttered with a tiny smile.
"Fancy? Won't he be mad about this?" Dave asked quietly. For some reason, Kurt seemed to be pretty possessive. What would he think of him and Puck getting it on without him being there?
"Nah, dude, we're like a package deal or somethin'. Can you handle that?" Puck questioned.
Dave took a deep breath and sighed. "I-I'm not o-out, Puck, no one knows; not my parents or the team… I-I don't even know how you two found out." Dave swallowed hard as he looked down, anywhere but at Puck.
"Hey," Puck said softly as he cupped Dave's chin and brought his face up. "Azimio told us. That's why he set up this date tonight." He stroked Dave's cheekbone to calm him, the large hand surprisingly gentle.
Dave though, stared at him in shock. "What? You're jokin', right? Please, God, tell me you're jokin'!"
"Nope. Relax, dude, we got your back. You can be out and no one's gonna say shit because we're bad-ass that way." He smiled as he tried to get the bigger jock to relax and stop freaking out.
Just then, Kurt called down from the top of the stairs before Dave could reply. "Boys, dinner's on the table! Chop-chop!"
Puck smiled and brushed his full lips against Dave's again. "That's our cue. Come on," and he urged Dave to splash some water on his face before he dragged him upstairs and sat him between Kurt and himself.
Az sat across from Dave and kept smirking away. Dave really wanted to kick his best friend in the leg as hard as he could but he didn't want to freak out Fancy or Mrs. Hudson. Azimio could tell what D was thinking, though; he figured the guy was thinking of how to get away with kicking or punching him right about now.
"Everything looks really good, Fancy," Az said politely as he scooped noodles onto his plate when it was passed to him. Kurt smiled and nodded because, who knew that Azimio Adams had manners, right?
"Thanks, Azimio." Kurt loaded up his own plate just as much as the others.
At first Az had thought Kurt had made too much when he saw how much food was spread out, but as he watched Hudson and then Puckerman load up their plates from the multiple platters, including the huge salad bowl, he totally got it. Not to mention he and Dave could put away some hefty amounts, too.
Dave was feeling unsure so he attempted to take less when it was his turn. He was about to pass the noodles to Mr. H when Finn's mom chimed in. "David, you need to eat more than that, don't be shy," she smiled kindly at him. "Kurt always makes enough to feed an army when the boys are together."
Before he could do or say anything Kurt took the noodles from him and added more to Dave's plate before handing it to his dad. Then Puck added several pieces of chicken and lots of sauce. Even Hudson got in the act, handing him the grated cheese and telling him how good it was. All the while, Z sat there and chuckled softly.
"Hey, Big D, you want me to cut it up for you? You know, since everyone's being so helpful and all," Azimio laughed.
"Boys," was all Burt said a tad admonishingly before he started to eat his own dinner.
It was quiet for a while as everyone got into the delicious food and then everyone started talking.
"What position do you boys play?" Burt asked.
Az was too busy chewing so Dave answered. "I'm at right tackle and Z here is the weaker left side." He smirked at his friend.
"Boy, I'll give you weaker side. Don't make me kick your ass in front of your boys now."
David went still at Z's 'your boys' comment but the others just laughed. He felt Kurt's hand comfortingly on his thigh and Puck leaned into him from the other side, bumping his shoulder.
"Relax, man; this place, this house, is one of the truly safe places in this god-forsaken town. It's the one place where we don't get judged or looked at differently. It can suck out there, but when we're all together here, everything is all good." Puck rubbed Dave's arm while he spoke.
"Wait… so you're dating my brother and Karofsky?" Finn asked, ignoring the way the others frowned at him.
Noah, though, just nodded casually as he continued eating. Burt and Carole didn't even look fazed by the turn of conversation and Dave found himself swallowing hard. This was… not what he was expecting.
Finn looked at the other three boys for a moment, nodded to himself, and continued eating. Carole reached over and squeezed his hand, giving him a warm, motherly smile.
"What about college plans? David? Azimio?" Burt asked, making his way steadily through his dinner which, admittedly was more chicken and salad and less pasta. Kurt was an ever vigilant son and while it was a pain sometimes, he knew it was his love driving him.
Az chimed in, "We've been talking about Florida or Georgia since we were kids, but that's mainly 'cause of football. However, if Big D goes out for hockey instead, then maybe we'll check out Boston or New York." He smiled, "Finn, pass the chicken, please?"
"That would be awesome," Finn said as he handed Az the platter of chicken. "Kurt, Puck, Rachel and I are plannin' on going to New York. We could all still be together… or at least pretty close."
Dave felt like he was in the Twilight Zone. What the actual fuck was going on? First they say that Azimio set up this date, which is looking pretty accurate, and now Hudson's helping plan his future. The parents don't even seem to be freaked that Puck and Kurt just acknowledged him as their boyfriend.
"Kurt's Aunt Bella owns a high rise in Manhattan. She's offered the kids one of the lofts to live in while they're at college." Burt took a drink of his beer. "I'm sure there's plenty of room for two more."
Okay, that's it! Now Mr. H is getting in on it! Dave was pretty sure he was minutes, if not seconds, away from a full-blown panic attack. He pushed back his chair and bolted up. "Excuse me… bathroom," he mumbled and made a run for Kurt's en suite bathroom.
Once Dave had left the room, Kurt asked, "Should one of us…?"
"I got this, Fancy." Az heaved a sigh as he looked at his food. Then he hauled himself out of the chair and after Dave.
He found his best friend pacing a hole in the floor, muttering to himself. "Dude! You couldn't have your big gay freak-out after dinner? My foods gettin' cold!"
"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Dave yelled as he stared at Az. His chest was rising and falling rapidly as he tried to control his breathing.
Az on the other hand takes a deep breath and grabs Dave by the shoulders. The look in his eyes is fierce but Dave knows he's not really angry with him, just frustrated.
"Look, fucker, we've been best friends since we was five years old. You think for one second I don't know you or what the hell goes through your mind? Bullshit! I knew you wasn't into girls but I never said anything 'cause I figured you would tell me when you were ready. Then you go all crazy over Hummel freshman year. You think I didn't recognize school-yard hair-pullin' when I see it? But still I waited for you to get your shit together. When it didn't happen, I decided to give you a little push."
Dave sank to his knees, tears streaming down his face. He looked at Azimio in anguish.
Az joined his friend on the floor and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Alright, go on, get it out… and when you're done we won't speak of this moment again, ya hear?"
Between the tears and soft sobs, Dave got out, "I-I thought you would hate me… so scared… never believed… how… what am I gonna do?"
This went on for about five minutes before Dave started to calm down. "Dude, let's move out of here, to the couch or somethin'. You're killin' my legs here." He dragged Dave out of the bathroom and over to Kurt's huge leather couch, taking a seat next to him.
"First off: I could never hate you, Big D; you're my best fuckin' friend in the whole world. Do I understand everything you're feelin' or goin' through? No, but I'm willin' to try. There's no reason to be scared; we're the baddest motherfuckers at McKinley, along with Puckerman, and ain't nobody said shit to him since he started bangin' Hummel. Anybody says somethin' to you will meet my fist right quick! So, as for what you're gonna do, well, first, go wash yo damn face and then we finish dinner and go bowling. It's somethin' we all like to do and it'll take your mind off shit."
"What… about my parents?" Dave voiced his greatest fear. His dad might deal easier with the idea than his mom but she was a Bible-thumping, church twice-a-week woman, and he knew he was right to be scared of her reaction to his… eventual… coming out.
"Huh, umm, well… I gotta be honest, D-man, I think your dad is all kinds of awesome and I don't think the fact that you wanna suck dick is gonna change how much he loves you."
David face-palmed and threw himself back against the couch as Az continued. "But I don't know if your mom's gonna take the news as well. She's a religious freak and I just picture her being the type to go psycho over this. Still, it don't change shit. You want what you want, and if you want dick then that's what you want. She'll just have to get the fuck over it."
"Wow… is that your idea of a pep talk, Azimio?" Neither boy had heard Finn come down the stairs.
Az just shrugged while Dave kept hitting the back of his head against the couch.
"Dude, just go up and finish your dinner," Finn said to Az. "Kurt put your plates in the oven to stay warm. I got this." Finn shooed him up the stairs and then sat down quietly next to Dave.
Then he reached over and bopped Dave on the arm. "Hey, stop hitting your head. My mom says I'm gonna give myself a brain tumor when I do that." He chuckled but Dave didn't say a word. He sighed before starting.
"Okay, look, I know I'm not the smartest guy when it comes to certain things but there are a few things I do know; one is football and the other is people. The only thing Adams got right in his… whatever that was… was that you can't change the things you feel or the people you feel them for. There are going to be a lot of people in this world who aren't going to like you because of who you love. That's their problem, not yours. Don't take that on, man. You have to live every day for you because at the end of the day you have to face yourself in the mirror."
He sighed and leaned back against the couch, staring at the darkened flat-screen across from them.
"So what if your mom doesn't accept you being gay? Ya, it's gonna hurt, but it's not going to break you – I think you're stronger than that. At the same time, there's gonna be a lot of other people who like and love you for who you are. Your friends will stand by you, no matter what, and if some don't, then you know they weren't really your friends to begin with." He turned his head to give Dave that slight half smirk, half smile that always won over people and Dave tried to smile back.
"Puck's been my best friend since we were in pre-school, you and Azimio have been friends since kindergarten – those kinds of relationships never go away. When Puck started dating Kurt, he acted all brave and told me if I didn't like it or accept him then I could fuck off 'cause he didn't care but I could tell that was a lie. I told him the same thing I'm telling you now. His mom loves Kurt so it worked out. Your dad already knows Kurt and Burt, too, so I think you have that working for you."
"But my mom…" Dave trailed off.
"Ya, that might suck, especially if she's as bad as Az says but, Dave, you can't let her run your life. You're not responsible for her. She's the parent; it's her job to love you, no matter what. If she can't do her job, then that's on her, not you. Your job is to be the best you that you can be, or at least that what my mom always tells me. That's all any of us can do."
"When did you get so smart, Hudson?" Dave smiled tentatively, the light coming back into his hazel eyes.
"I have my moments, smartass!" Finn stood up and held out a hand for Dave. "Come on, your dinner is waiting and Puck's having a hard time keeping Kurt from coming down here to look after you."
When Dave was fully on his feet, Finn pulled him in for a quick hug. Dave stiffened slightly in surprise at first and then simply relaxed. They stayed in the embrace for a minute or so while Dave got himself together, marveling that the hug didn't feel awkward at all.
"Thanks, Finn," he finally muttered as he eased away from the over tall teen. "You've been really cool about this and I know I owe you big time… not just because of right now, but 'cause I was such a dick to you last year and everything."
"Don't worry about it." Finn said as he watched Dave go into the en suite. When he finished up, he headed up the stairs saying, "But if you wanna make it up to me, you could always let me win at bowling!"
Dave grinned. "I don't think so, Hudson!"
Both boys laughed as they made their way back upstairs and to their waiting family and friends. Dave's faint embarrassment at his 'big gay freak out' faded at the thought that at least here he could just be Dave… and it would be okay.
TBC
