Chapter 6

Up All Night

Part II

o0o

Tuesday, 3 December 2024

3:15 AM

"Hi?" Kurt intoned at the sight of the imposing figure inside the elevator, his voice a little breathless from this late night surprise.

His presence must not have been expected as his voice prompted the man inside the elevator—who was leaning heavily against the thin strip of metal attached to the wood paneled walls—to lift his gaze from the floor to the open doors.

Kurt felt his heart begin to thud faster at the sight of the quizzical eyes meeting his. It wasn't fear that made him feel like the organ in his chest was close to rattling against his rib cage, but, rather, a piqued interest and desire to want to know more about this man who was, technically, a stranger to him. Though still present was the persona reminiscent of the vague memory he had of the woefully hopeful teen who sat across from him at the booth in Breadstix all those years ago. Long gone was the fear he had at the thought of being alone in the same room as him. Dave, being sadly ignorant of this new development, drew himself up almost instantaneously at the sight of Kurt lingering in the threshold. He took two steps forward, holding out his arm against the doors to keep it from closing—perhaps his way of trying to be helpful.

"Hey," Dave replied casually, but Kurt didn't miss the concern and weariness in his voice. Like him, he must have been tired considering the hour. What he did miss, however, was the pair of semi-rimless glasses perched upon the bridge of Dave's narrow nose.

Kurt did a double take just to make sure this was, in fact, Dave Karofsky in the elevator with him before he drew his gaze away from Dave entirely to skeptically eye the confines of the elevator.

"Is this elevator even safe? I thought it was out of order?" he asked tentatively as he slipped in past Dave all the same, though he treaded carefully as though the floor would drop out from underneath them.

"Yeah, I mean… I hope so," Dave said as he dropped his arm, allowing the door to close and envelop them in silence. He continued as he moved back to his position, leaning against the back wall, sticking a hand into his pocket. The other moved to the back of his head.

"I'm not gonna lie. I was kind of freaked out when it stopped on your floor." Dave chuckled weakly as he rubbed his neck almost bashfully, and Kurt turned his own head at the sound of his amusement. With his eyes still trained curiously on Dave, he clenched the bar behind him as the elevator gave a lurch and started lowering them to the ground floor; safely, he hoped.

Kurt studied Dave like he would one of his magazine spreads soon to make its way to print. He wanted to pick him apart, though he didn't know where to begin in the slightest.

He didn't think he'd see this man again let alone hear him laugh in anything that wasn't in the form of malice after throwing a slushie at someone. It was nice—surprisingly soft and melodious for a man of his stature.

It was still hard to comprehend how much Dave changed in the years he hadn't seen him; how much he had changed from that afternoon alone. Kurt was surprised he was able to recognize Dave in what should have been a bedraggled state. Somehow, though, Dave managed to look more put-together in a seemingly effortless way that would have annoyed Kurt immensely if it wasn't for the fact that… Well…

Dave wasn't exactly unpleasant to look at.

A dark shadow framed Dave's jaw, which was a practically bare and smooth when he saw him hours before. He wore a coal-colored, heavy wool coat that had replaced the more casual hoodie that he had opted for earlier that day, as well as a thick gray scarf that circled his neck. Kurt looked down at his own simple pea coat, wishing he brought a pair of gloves or even a scarf. Maybe his clothes would be warm enough during the day, but now that it was the middle of the night it had to be freezing. He wasn't exactly looking forward to stepping outside. But what was he supposed to do? Say goodnight to Dave and head back upstairs. He'd rather be cold if it meant saving himself some embarrassment.

Still... The most surprising aspect of Dave's appearance was the pair of glasses. Kurt wondered if he wore contacts at McKinley or if they were a new, necessary addition to his ensemble. Either way, he had to approve. They made him look stately and distinguished. Not to mention the silver really brought out the mossy-green that he never before noticed in the depths of his brown eyes.

"...thought it was being a dick and that I would be stuck in here until morning. I don't think I've ever been so happy to see your face."

It took Kurt a moment to realize what Dave had said after being so distracted by his outward appearance.

Even if he hadn't been looking at Dave, he still would have been able to feel the man tense beside him as though regretting the innocent words that he jokingly confessed as if he would take it the wrong way. He could understand though. The first time he ever traveled by plane was when he moved to New York shortly after finishing high school and realizing Lima wasn't the place for him. As soon as he touched down from that surprisingly turbulent flight, he had to restrain himself from sneaking into the cockpit and laying a wet, appreciative kiss upon the pilot for landing the plane safely. It was the same thing, right?

"So..." Kurt started to say before clearing his throat. He clasped his hands in front of his waist as he smiled slightly, glancing innocently at the small lights on the tiled ceiling. "You're on top of me. Small world, huh?" Upon hearing the words echo in the tiny box of a room Kurt could feel his face warm.

"Sorry?" Dave blanched.

"I mean your apartment… Obviously," Kurt added, feeling mortified. He was sure his internal cringe was threatening to reveal itself externally.

"Oh! Yeah, uh, that," Dave stammered, a light blush creeping upon his cheeks. "The seventh floor. Right above you, actually... I think. 703."

Kurt hummed in what was supposed to be fascination, though he was still slightly perplexed by their only recent awareness to their close proximity.

"Mmhm..." Dave agreed noncommittally. The doors opened finally, ending their unnecessarily long ride together, but for some reason, when Dave stepped out of the elevator after him, they both lingered in front of the doors.

"So, um..." Dave spoke up from behind him. Kurt felt a light touch on his arm that lasted a second before disappearing entirely. He turned towards Dave, staring at him curiously. Dave had both arms at his sides when he looked at him. Kurt wondered if he only imagined the brief contact. "Are you working the graveyard shift or...?" Kurt laughed.

"Oh God, no..." Kurt answered. "I was just going to go for a walk. Thought maybe it would help me get to sleep."

"That's not exactly safe. You know that, right? Walking around the city at this time of night?" Dave asked, inclining his head. He obviously meant well, but Kurt couldn't help but raise an eyebrow suspiciously and place his hands on his hips accusingly.

"So what exactly are you doing up so late, David?" Kurt watched as Dave opened his mouth before shutting it quickly. Dave squirmed, shifting his weight from one foot to the other under his gaze and this satisfied Kurt immensely. Kurt quirked an eyebrow as he jutted his chin forward and smirked triumphantly. He seemed to have caught Dave.

"I was... Going for a walk," Dave confessed lamely.

"Well, that doesn't sound safe," Kurt mimicked Dave good-naturedly, and dramatically clapped a hand to his chest for good measure. Dave rolled his eyes. When Dave chose not to say anything, Kurt was grateful that Dave didn't use his larger size as an excuse as to why it would be safer for him to be wandering the city streets at night.

"I think our solution is quite obvious," Kurt said simply. He wasn't entirely sure what he was playing at, goading Dave this way.

"Considering we were both planning to go for a walk, I guess our best option is to just go together, then?" Kurt offered kindly. Dave didn't seem to think Kurt would want to spend any more time in his presence as he had in the past 24 hours, and Kurt had to push the feeling of guilt away. Dave made it easy to do so when he gave him a tentative, lopsided smile. His eyes, however, betrayed his apprehension, but he acquiesced all the same.

"Sure." Kurt smiled at Dave's response in kind as they headed towards the front of the building. Dave opened the door and when Kurt felt the gust of cold air he had to retract his statement.

"On second thought," Kurt said through gritted teeth, wincing as he wrapped his arms around his torso. "What do you say to taking a cab to an amazing diner a couple of blocks away? Best coffee and milkshakes in this part of the city?" he added like he needed a reason to convince Dave to go. "We'll have a chance to catch up?"

"Yeah." Dave gave a quick nod. Even with his thick coat and scarf, Dave, too, seemed to be rethinking that walk the two of them had decided on. "That sounds great, Kurt."

Feeling quite pleased, Kurt, with Dave at his shoulder, walked closer towards the end of the side walk. Dave hailed one of the numerous cabs heading their direction. Kurt recalled how practically impossible it was to hail a cab that fast in the part of the city he and Blaine used to live in. He still had some getting used to the availability of transportation at this time of night, and only a few seconds later a cab coming to a crawl next to the sidewalk in front of their apartment.

o0o

Dave had to give himself credit for how collected he had been since seeing Kurt the day before. It had been insane on so many levels, the fact that, all this time, Kurt had quite literally been in the apartment below him. And more amazing than that was the fact that he didn't manage to send Kurt running. Kurt had actually been the one to want to talk with Dave after how little they were able to catch up the evening before. It was no thanks to him, though. He wanted to bang his head against the wall for not having his phone on vibrate. Couldn't Travis wait just a few minutes later before calling to tell him that his flight finally touched down in California?

As he opened the door to the cab, allowing Kurt to enter first, he realized that even after having just reunited (if he could call it that) this would be the longest amount of time the two of them had ever spent in the each other's company. And it scared Dave. He knew the past was something that was bound to come up in conversation and this was not a topic he discussed with anybody. Not since the therapist he was seeing his senior year of high school and college. He had learned from his past, owned it, and had moved on from it after years of therapy and help from his loving and supportive extended family. He never had any reason, in the many years since then, to bring up his behavior in high school, and he was thankful for that. But now that his past had taken on the physical form of Kurt Hummel sitting on a squeaky plastic seat beside him in a stiflingly warm backseat of a cab, he wasn't quite sure what to say or even how to present himself. Seeing Kurt had put him in what he considered a vulnerable and dangerous state: Being at a loss for words. This was not something that boded well for him or his profession, for that matter.

After he shut the door behind him he leaned back in the seat, sparing a nervous glance at Kurt as he gave the cab driver the address to the diner.

Kurt had hardly aged at all, he noted. If anything he seemed to become even more painfully beautiful than the last time he saw him (and he did his best not to cringe when he was reminded of the last time he saw him, how hopeful he had been, and how quickly his hopes had been dashed away).

He was as long and lean as he had always been. Dave had to admire the graceful lines of his neck and jaw, peeking out from the high collar of his coat, that offset the sharp point of his upturned nose. Dave wasn't going to pretend that he knew Kurt; however, he had been subject to three sides of Kurt in high school, the first being the an enraged Kurt, the second a sympathetic Kurt, and lastly the cheerful, bubbly Kurt. This final "Kurt" was also the one who was so pleased to find out he had a secret admirer in high school until he realized it was him. As much as he wanted to be thankful that the Kurt next to him was the latter of the three (he could assume based on the pleasant sparkle in his deep blue eyes), it was unnerving considering this time around he fronted no disguises, only his true self. And the fact that Kurt was essentially beaming at him as he nervously unwound the scarf around his neck was hard to digest.

Dave smiled weakly, hoping that he was shrouded in enough shadow that Kurt couldn't see what had to be a nauseous look on his face as the taxi merged into the traveling lane. Kurt, on the other hand, was alight from both the city lights and his apparent inner excitement emanating out of him. Why he was excited Dave couldn't begin to comprehend.

"Oh wow..." Kurt breathed in awe, his eyes quickly traveling down Dave's torso. His hand reached out before Dave could register what was happening and Kurt was picking up on end of the scarf pooled upon his thigh. He cocked his head and watched Kurt expectantly as he examined the scarf in his hands.

"This is gorgeous," Kurt emphasized as he looked up at Dave through his eyelashes. Since waking up in his empty bed in a cold sweat after having one of his bad dreams for the first time since his father's passing, Dave had to wonder whether seeing Kurt the other day had been just that: A dream.

He wasn't about to begin to doubt himself. As vivid and colorful and thoroughly terrifying his dreams were, he knew not even his own subconscious could begin to recreate the color of Kurt Hummel's eyes—the pale blue that almost seemed to glitter encircled by a darker halo of slate grey. Dave swallowed thickly. He could only remember a few other occasions where their faces had been this close to each other, and he wasn't prepared to relive any of those moments when this one easily took precedence.

"Dave?"

"Huh?" Dave questioned. He blinked dumbly and tore his eyes away from Kurt's to glance down at the pale fingers splayed against the fabric in a way that showed off the design woven into it.

"I asked you where you bought this?"

"Oh, sorry," he apologized in a mumble. He had to wonder if somehow they had exhausted all of the oxygen available within the vehicle, or else the heat was getting to him. Either way, he felt light-headed.

"No, my aunt made it for me last Christmas," he explained, pausing to clear his throat."She's really talented when it comes to that sort of thing. Sewing... Knitting, obviously," he added lamely.

Dave felt insane for thinking that maybe this awkward small-talk was Kurt's way of implying that he was comfortable in his presence. That the forgiveness he offered to him during the recess between 2nd and 3rd period right outside Kurt's French class (and Dave felt a wave of self-hatred for remembering such an inconsequential detail) still held true to this day. Because really, who really needs to examine an accessory for that long? Though he had to remind himself that Kurt was in the fashion industry, after all.

"She must be," Kurt said, looking down at the intricately weaving, rope-like design. "Cable patterns are a bitch."

He chuckled genuinely despite not understanding what exactly a "cable" was and Kurt seemed taken aback by his response as if he wondered why he would laugh at something that wasn't inherently funny. But foul language wasn't something he imagined being uttered by the prim and proper Kurt Hummel and he wondered what other things about Kurt could surprise him. With a small smile, Kurt let the scarf slip from his fingers to fall back on Dave's lap. Instead of moving back to the seat by the left window, he stayed in the middle seat next to Dave; not that it mattered, because they were already pulling up their destination. They then reached for their wallets at the same time, and once Dave had his out, Kurt let out an exasperated moan that prompted Dave to turn his head towards him, worryingly.

"I can't believe it," Kurt groaned. His head fell back on the seat in disbelief with a quiet plop. "I forgot my wallet."

Dave felt a wave of relief wash over him. For a second he thought that perhaps Kurt had changed his mind about going to the diner.

"It's fine." He waved him off as he dug a five dollar bill and a single "one" out of the leather pouch and handed it to the driver. "I got it. Don't even worry about it." Kurt looked far too remorseful for something as innocent as leaving his wallet behind.

"Are you sure you still want to go to the diner? I feel bad-making you pay when I was the one who suggested it," Kurt worrying his bottom lip as Dave opened the door and slid out. Kurt shuffled out behind him and Dave shut the door as Kurt adjusted his coat anxiously. Dave laughed as he replaced his scarf around his neck.

"What are you suggesting? We go back?" He scoffed as Kurt stepped onto the sidewalk next to him, sticking his hands in his pockets. The cab pulled away and Kurt looked back apprehensively. "We're here aren't we?" Dave looked up at the sign that read "Starlight Diner" lit with bright incandescent blue and white lights. A smaller, red sign below affirmed the fact that it was open 24 hours a day.

"This is the place right?" Kurt nodded at Dave's question. "Then let's get inside and out of this cold." He motioned with his head towards the entrance and smiled at Kurt, hoping it would put him at ease. He could care less about the fact that Kurt forgot his wallet and that he would be paying for the two of them, but he didn't want to give Kurt any reason to think that he wanted to get out of spending time with him.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

I am back (and now with more cliffhangers!). I am going to try to update every week, or every other week, so as not to get in a funk again. So stay tuned for Kurt and Dave's little late night rendezvous /waggles eyebrows.

Thank you, to anyone who might still bother with reading this, for your undying patience with me.