CHAPTER TEN
"Hey Mr. Hummel, is Kurt home?"
"Sure, come in. Kurt's up in his room."
He smiles and nods. It's weird to be at Kurt's house, when it's usually Kurt coming round to his place, but he needs to talk, and Nate is still in New York, and Az has gone to his cousins place and well… he doesn't know Terence well enough to lay this on him. There is something to be said of friends that you have a history with, even if the history is like his and Kurt's, all bumpy and rough edges. He knocks on the closed door and opens it when he hears Kurt call out.
"Hey."
"Dave. Hey," Kurt's smile makes his stomach flip and he ignores it the best he can. "What are you doing here?"
"I, uh, just needed to talk to someone…"
"Of course, sure, come in."
He doesn't know what to say, because he's still really in shock, so he just blurts it out, standing there with his hands shoved in his pockets.
"Claire's pregnant."
Kurt frowns.
"And you're… upset?"
"I… don't know. They're talking about moving to Cincinnati to be close to her parents so they can help out, because I'll be at college and… well…" he shrugs, unable to put into words what he's feeling. He already feels like shit for making Claire cry, although he has no idea what he did, and his dad assured him it was just hormones, but he'd needed to get out of there, which is stupid, because he feels like the only place he really wants to be right now is home.
"So…" Kurt starts, drawing the word to make it sound like a question and he shrugs helplessly again. "Has it just hit you that you're moving away? That you're not going to know this baby like you know Lily and Adam?"
He hasn't even thought of that. The idea of not seeing Lily and Adam every day has his stomach clenching unpleasantly. They do something new and different all the time, and while the first few months of their lives had been pretty boring as far as he was concerned and he'd not been much use, now he kind of likes being left to look after them. Not that he'd ever want to do it all the time, but he likes the little people he can see emerging. It's kind of cool.
"Dave?"
"I hadn't thought about it."
"About not being around?"
"Yeah. I'm meant to be leaving in eight months, but I… they won't even know who I am when they see me on holidays."
He can't look up, because, stupidly, he feels like he might cry right now, and nothing is fucking wrong. Life will go on if Lily and Adam and whatever the new kid is called don't know who he is. He's applied to a few colleges, knows his grades are good enough, but only one is even in the same state and it's not like he can live at home and go to college. He doesn't want to live at home. He scrubs his face with his hands, wondering when growing up started to suck so much.
"Where will you go to college?"
"I haven't decided yet. Depends on scholarships and stuff… but I've applied to a few."
"Remind me what they are again?"
"Ohio State. MIT. Chicago, Minnesota, Berkley and Illinois."
"Wow. That's… a lot."
He snorts and recalls their conversation of about a month ago when Kurt had told him he'd only applied to one place. He knows Kurt's applied to at least one other place now, and he wonders if he's had any acceptance letters back.
"Got to keep my options open. What about you?"
"Um. NYADA in New York obviously. After our talk I applied to Pittsburgh and Ohio State. Fine Arts, or Performing Arts. What about you?"
"I don't know. Something science related. I really don't know. I just… don't know what I want to do with the rest of my life."
Like the last time he'd said that Kurt looks baffled, like he can't understand not knowing and he just shrugs again, because he's not like Kurt, he hasn't had this set dream since he was little. Sure he wanted to be an astronaut, football player and doctor, all at the same time, but he's never had one just hook and hold him. He likes science and math, the cut and dry nature of it, but he has no idea what kind of career he could possibly have. Doesn't know if liking something is enough for the next forty years of his life.
"You'll figure it out."
Kurt says it with confidence, as if he knows Dave will wake up one morning having had an epiphany and he lets out a long sigh. He wishes Nate were here, because he's more clueless than him when it comes to future plans, and that's kind of comforting. Kurt's level of drive and dedication to his sole dream can be kind of intimidating.
LSY
He doesn't know what to say or do to make Dave feel better. If it were Mercedes or Rachel he'd go shopping, or watch movies or… something. Finn is easy, warm milk and some soothing words and he's sorted. Dave seems confused, and he's probably over thinking everything so…
"Want to teach me how to play Halo?"
"What?"
"Come on. You need the distraction. Teaching my how to play Halo – it is called Halo right?"
"Uh, yeah. But… you don't really want to learn how to play that."
"Well, I've never tried so let's not rule it out completely. It can't be that hard. And it'll help distract you."
The look of complete and utter disbelief on Dave's face means he's suitably distracted and he grins. He jerks his head in the direction of the door and doesn't stop smiling as Dave shakes his head and follows him back downstairs. He unwinds the cords from around the controllers and turns it on, turning and grinning at Dave again who now just looks bemused.
"Have you ever played Rock Band?" Dave asks as he takes a controller and making himself comfortable on the sofa.
"No. Why?"
"It's… a game that involves singing."
"What? Why doesn't Finn have that?"
"Um, maybe because he sings enough in Glee club?"
"Huh. Do you have it?"
"Not so keen on learning how to play Halo huh?"
"Shut up. And answer my question."
"No, I don't have it. You need all the bits to go with it, and it would be a nightmare with the twins learning to walk, but there's drums and guitar… Az has it though."
"Oh… does he sing?"
"Badly."
"Do you sing?" Kurt asks, and he has to bite back laughter at the deer-in-headlights look Dave is now sporting. Of course he knows that Dave can sing, although he's only heard him the once, but being able to tease Dave a bit like this is kind of fun.
"I, uh, sing badly as well."
"Oh, I'm sure that's not true…"
"What has Az said?"
"Az? Nothing. Why? You hiding something?" The suspicious look Dave gives him only makes him grin wider.
"What do you know?"
"Oh no, I'm going to keep this to myself. Make you stew…"
"Kurt…"
"Lalala… not listening…so, in the absence of Rock Band you can teach me Halo. So, what do I need to do?"
Dave sighs and starts explaining objectives, equipping and weapons, eyes glancing at him with suspicion every now and then. He keeps giggling, which seems out of place when he shoots something and watches it explode with alarming clarity on the screen for the first time and he puts down the controller.
"No. Nope. Definitely not. Can't do it. It's just… too violent."
"Yeah, I kind of figured you wouldn't like it."
He huffs, because he hates when people assume things and then he goes and proves them right. He wishes he could completely defy expectations sometimes.
"Why do you like it?"
"Because it was a good way to get the aggression out. And it's fun to blow shit up."
He rolls his eyes, because it reminds him very clearly that Dave is still such a boy.
"Karofsky. What are you doing here?"
They both turn to Finn, standing in the doorway, looking between him, Dave and his Xbox like they're having a ménage a trois.
"Kurt, are you playing?"
"Well, at least you no longer being here is the weirdest thing for him," Kurt says under his breath, making Dave laugh and causing Finn to look at them both suspiciously.
"Were you guys playing together?"
"Dave was teaching me the finer points before I decided that my first instinct was completely right."
"What was your first instinct?"
"That I don't like violence and blowing stuff up. Rock Band though, that game could hold some promise…"
"Why would I want that game? I have real drums."
"There are drums?"
"Yeah. And guitars. I said there were bits."
"Bits? Bits is not very descriptive Dave. Drums and guitars? That's descriptive."
He hears both Dave and Finn sigh and glares at both of them. Finn looks suitably cowed, but Dave just looks amused, shaking his head again and he's tempted to poke his tongue out… except.
"We need Rock Band so I can hear Dave sing… again."
"Again?"
"Dude? You can sing? You haven't joined Vocal Adrenaline have you?"
"What? No. When have you heard me sing?" He asks, and he actually looks a bit sick at the idea, and he can't figure out why it's such a big deal.
"I… you sing really nicely."
Dave blushes, well, he hopes it's a blush and not anger that's causing his cheeks to pinken-up. He still doesn't want to tell him where he heard him singing, just in case he never sings to Lily and Adam again, and he never has the opportunity of another stealth listen. Also he doesn't like the idea of getting Claire in trouble.
"Dude, you want a drink?"
He turns around to say no but then realizes Finn is asking Dave, not him, and god, he can't believe he hasn't even offered Dave a drink. Dave mumbles about helping Finn and he's left on the sofa, perplexed and alone.