Chapter 6

Up All Night

Part III

oOo

Tuesday, 3 December 2024

3:31 am

When Dave followed Kurt into the diner after stating they should get out of the cold, he didn't mean that he wished the doors would lead him through a time warp to summer. Even before he closed the door, Dave could feel the sweltering heat trapped inside the small, contained restaurant pour out into the frigid air behind him. He wondered, as he shrugged off his heavy jacket and stripped off his thick scarf, if the restaurant even bothered with using a heater when the discernibly dense scent of grease from the grill and fryers in the back room seemed to be doing the trick. The second thing he noticed was the assault on his eyes that was the eye-watering shade of fuchsia neon lights that encircled the dazzling blue words Starlight Diner on the wall just above the bar seating area.

To Dave's immediate right were a row of only seven empty booths, each with a brassy, geometric, star-shaped lamp hanging above each table, its warm , earthy glow clashing horribly with the nauseating neon. It was as though someone had been in the process of renovating the place into a tavern before changing their minds entirely and leaving the tawdry lamps behind. Dave wondered what would prompt Kurt to ever want to eat in what even he had to consider to be a tacky restaurant and hoped Kurt's promise of "best coffee in this part of the city" held up.

Dave didn't notice the chime of the bell on the door until he shut it behind him, which prompted the waitress on the other side of the bar, talking to the overnight cooks through a rectangular window to turn around.

"Kurt, sweetheart," the woman drawled in a smoky voice, sounding pleased at the sight at the pair of them walking through the door. She had to be in her late forties or early fifties, Dave estimated, and wore her long curly black hair pinned at the crown of her head so it cascaded messily down her ample shoulders. She waved a hand towards the booths and Dave could see that she had manicured nails, each one lime green and an inch and a half long. He would be surprised, and not to mention impressed, if she was able to write anything with those things on or if she had to rely on memorizing every order she took as a result.

"Long time no see, huh? Go ahead and grab a table. I'll be right over."

"Thank you, Marnie," Kurt said brightly, and Dave turned towards Kurt just as he began making his way past the fire-engine red bar stools. He unbuttoned and slipped his coat off in the process, revealing nothing but the slate gray, long-sleeved Henley underneath. Dave swallowed thickly and he glanced up to take in the numerous photos on the wall of New York royalty, both old and new, rather than the sinewy shoulder blades of the man in front of him as they moved and shifted beneath the light, clingy fabric. How Kurt wasn't freezing when they were outside was beyond him.

"Popular here, are we?" Dave inquired in a low voice as he slipped into the second to last booth from the entrance. Once Kurt was settled in his seat, he gave a modest one-shouldered shrug.

"If by popular, you mean a regular then yes," Kurt replied in a dulcet tone. He flipped open the menu, but considering he was a regular, as he put it, Dave assumed Kurt knew what he was going to order from the moment he suggested the two of them go to the Starlight Diner in the first place.

"So you come here often?" Dave asked, straightening the napkin-wrapped silverware just so he would have something to do. When he glanced up as a result of Kurt's unnecessarily long pause, he saw him peeking from behind the menu, though at nothing in particular, with a surprisingly glassy and faraway look in his eyes. Then he gave his head a shake as if coming out of a trance before turning back to the pages.

"It's been a while, but I have been coming here for about as long as I have lived in the city."

"Which is…?" Dave started before a voice interrupted him. When he turned his head, he found his line of sight to be obscured by the rather busty and stout woman to his immediate left. Dave scooted another inch closer to the wall as inconspicuously, and awkwardly, as possible.

"Kurt, darling. Look at ya. I haven't seen you in ages!" Marnie, the waitress, cooed having sidled up to their table.

"What on earth are ya doing here at this hour?" she demanded, changing her tone and her lips turning into a frown. She slapped Kurt's shoulder lightly with the pad of paper in a way that only a worried parent or grandparent would. "Ya must be insane wandering these streets at night." Dave watched the exchange between the two as if invisible, but in fascination nonetheless.

"Actually, Marnie, I wasn't alone, though I appreciate you concern," Kurt said, cocking his head at her before giving Dave a knowing glance. "This is…"

"My my my, Kurt..." Marnie interrupted, and her eyebrows disappeared into the frizzy sweep of bangs going across her forehead. "And just who is this handsome young man? Your new boyfriend, hmm? I can see why ya haven't been around lately." She gave him a playful nudge with her elbow.

Dave could feel his face burn and he had to fight the overwhelming urge to duck beneath the table. He gaped, coughed, and gaped again as he struggled to find the words to correct a statement that his 17-year-old self would have done practically anything to be true.

"No, we're um…" Dave practically rasped, doing his best to avoid Kurt's gaze.

"Dave is actually a good friend of mine, Marnie," the polite, calm, and furthest from sounding affronted voice chimed from the other side of the booth.

Dave furrowed his eyebrows reflexively at the insinuation of the term "friend", wondering how ten years of absence preceded by his misdirected anger towards Kurt and the glee club could describe them as such.

"We went to high school together," Kurt explained eloquently. "We ran into each other yesterday and I thought we should catch up."

'At three in the morning…' Dave thought ruefully as he watched Kurt beam saccharinely up at Marnie. For a fleeting moment, however, it looked as though Kurt's eyes flickered towards him.

"Aw, that's too bad," Marnie said, sounding put out and not the least bit suspicious. "Ya know that husband of yours-cute as a button, sure. Couldn't stand 'em, though. I mean," she turned towards Dave, who quickly glanced down at the table top, wishing more than anything that she would stop addressing him. He could understand she was close to Kurt, but surely she had an off button. He felt dirty, like he was eavesdropping on a conversation that was taking place behind a closed-door, only this conversation that he shouldn't be listening to was happening right in front of him.

"That man had the gall to sit here, head down, staring at that stupid tablet thing of his when he could've been enjoyin' this gorgeous man's company. Why you're still single is be—"

"So," Kurt interjected loudly. "I'm going to be having my usual, Marnie." Kurt handed her the menu with a sharp motion and once it was out of the way, Dave could see his pinks were tinged a soft pink. "David?"

"Coffee. Decaf. Please," Dave said quickly, handing her his menu as well.

She stood there for a moment, eyes darting between the two of them while attempting to figure out what it was she did wrong before barking a laugh and throwing her head back.

"Oh, would you look at me runnin' my mouth. I'll have your drinks out in just a sec." She patted Kurt on the shoulder before shuffling away, not experiencing a fraction of the mortification that they felt.

It took Kurt exactly two seconds after Marnie left to practically deflate and sink down into the padding of his seat. Under the table, Dave felt one of Kurt's feet bump into his.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry, David," Kurt said, his voice muffled as he covered his face. "That was beyond embarrassing," he sat up with a sigh. "She means well, it's just that I've been coming here since before I started college and she… You're probably regretting coming here with me right now." Kurt gave him a pained grimace.

Dave laughed, though he wasn't sure if it was to put Kurt at ease or himself.

"No, not at all," he said honestly. "She's kind of a crack up, actually." That might have been a bit of a stretch. "Not that she wasn't telling the truth," he added, regretting it almost instantly.

"Oh, really?" Kurt said folding his arms on the table in front of him neatly and leaning forward enough that the collar of his shirt was tugged down slightly, exposing the dip between his collar-bones. "Which part?"

'Fuck.'

"Huh?" Dave asked distractedly, knowing full well what Kurt meant.

"Which part of what she said was true?" Kurt asked with rapt attention, cocking his head slightly as he waited for Dave's response.

"Just…" Dave stammered attempting to come up with the best answer. Everything she had said was true. Kurt really was more gorgeous than he ever could have imagined or thought possible, and if his ex couldn't see that he really was an idiot. And why Kurt was single was a mystery wrapped in an enigma.

"About your husband, was it? How he'd be dumb enough to stare at his tablet while at a restaurant when he could be…" he definitely regretted his word choice at this point, "talking to you," he emphasized. "You're far more interesting than whatever else was occupying his time, I'm sure."

Kurt blinked before leaning back into his seat, seemingly sizing Dave up and being taken aback by the compliment, as well.

"Well, I wouldn't say he was dumb," Kurt said stiffly. "Just… Preoccupied with more important things."

Dave studied Kurt for a moment and the obvious dejection written on his face. Dave couldn't imagine what it must have been like to be in a relationship for that long and for his husband to act so indifferently.

"I'm not going to lie and say I have any experience whatsoever in the marriage department," he said carefully and evenly, "but I'd say partner's are pretty high on a list of priorities."

"Yes, well," Kurt sniffed and the muscles around his mouth tightened into a scowl. It was fairly obvious this wasn't a topic that he discussed often. "So is school and work." He looked down and fiddled with the paper on his bundle of silverware. He peeled at it so the napkin unraveled and the utensils clanged against each other. "That's why we got the divorce. Conflict of schedules... Lives... And pretty much everything else in between."

Kurt looked as though he was deliberately holding information back in regards to his past relationship and just how bad it was, which gave Dave all the more reason not to push the envelope. Just because he was curious didn't mean he was up for an interrogation.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Kurt. Really," he said sympathetically. "Would you mind if I asked…? How long?"

Kurt gave a sad smile.

"Married for eight. Together for thirteen."

Dave let out a low whistle. That was a long time. It must have felt even longer when he considered how miserable Kurt sounded when he described the relationship.

At the mention of thirteen years, however, something seemed to process, albeit slowly, in Dave's brain.

"That's… Wait," Dave paused. He didn't even need to do the calculations in his head, and Kurt gave him a pained look as if he read his mind.

"I do believe you had the pleasure of meeting my ex-husband a handful of occasions."

Dave nodded slowly, numbly, at the realization that the man Kurt had married was the same person who had nearly outed him in high school more than once. The same person who was clearly so inconsiderate of other people's feelings that he, by the sound of it, practically ignored Kurt and was the clear reason why Kurt sat dejectedly before him. He was having trouble processing this information. Or perhaps his mind just refused to.

"I see…"

'See why you were unhappy with that smarmy little troll.'

"It's fine though," Kurt continued airily. "It's been months and I'm doing okay. Single as Marnie kindly put it, but other than that…"

"That's nothing wrong with being single, Kurt," Dave assured him.

'Especially after being married to that dick for so long,' Dave thought, annoyance roiling in his stomach as he easily recalled that day of their first meeting, where he pushed the teen-now man, if he could even call him that-rather gratifyingly into the chain link fence. He knew his anger was irrational and that his therapist would probably have some wise words explaining his unanticipated reaction, had he still been seeing her. After all it wasn't as if Kurt was still with him. Not to mention he himself had changed since high school. Maybe Kurt's ex had as well (though he truly doubted it).

Just as Dave noticed Kurt's pale hand resting on the table give a fleeting twitch, Marnie came up behind him with a tray, and the hand fell flat, sliding off the table and disappearing onto his lap and out of sight.

"Sorry about the wait, boys. Had to put on a fresh pot of coffee. Here we have the usual Wicked shake for Kurt," she put down a frighteningly green shake in front of Kurt who looked suddenly uplifted at the sight of the dessert, "and coffee—decaf—for Kurt's friend." Marnie winked at Dave and put an empty mug in front of him. With a plastic pitcher she poured the dark, steaming liquid into the mug and set the pitcher down next to him with the remaining coffee as well as a small, ceramic bowl filled with half-and-half containers. "Anything else I could get you two?"

"No, that's it, Marnie thank you," Kurt said, already tearing the paper off of his straw and poking it into the depths of the tall, clear glass.

"Thank you," Dave said politely as he dragged the cup towards him.

"You boys enjoy," Marnie said, giving them a sly look and walking back to the counter.

"I don't care if it's winter," Kurt piped up, not waiting a second longer after Marnie left to dive back into the easy flow of conversation. "This shake is to die for."

"Yeah?" Dave eyed the drink dubiously. "And what the hell is that thing exactly?" Dave asked with a laugh as he pointed his spoon at the green and black monstrosity.

"It's Starlight's famous Wicked shake. You know, the play?" Kurt gawked at Dave's blank expression. "Please tell me you're joking."

"Oh well, I've heard of it, but I haven't seen it."

Kurt gave him an appalled look.

"That is going to have to be remedied," he said seriously. "It's based off the main character Elphaba, who has dark hair, green skin, and until recently was played by my best friend and sister-in-law. It has," he gave the drink a swirl, "mint ice cream, and added green food coloring obviously, a drizzle of chocolate around the glass, brownie bites on the bottom, and a cherry on top." For added emphasis, Kurt took the cherry ifrom out of the glass and popped it into his mouth and pull off the stem.

"So, like, a McDonald's Shamrock Shake on crack?" Dave had to agree that it did look mouth-watering. He almost regretted not looking to see what other treats were available on the menu.

"I guess you could say that." Kurt laughed.

"Is that really all you're going to have, Dave?" Kurt asked as Dave tore open a packet of sugar and stirred it into his coffee before reaching for a half and half.

"Yeah, I'm really not that hungry right now."

He didn't know how much greasy food he could stomach. After all, he was at a diner in the middle of the night with Kurt Hummel. He was sure he was putting up a good façade, but fact of the matter was he was nervous as hell, and it didn't help that Marnie had to make the assumption that they were a couple. And it was a perfectly logical assumption to make: Kurt, recently divorced and unattached, showing up at the restaurant he regularly frequents with a new, unfamiliar face. She was bound to talk.

"Well, you're at least going to have to help me with this. I don't know if I'm going to be able to finish the whole thing," Kurt said before lowering his mouth to the straw and taking a sip. He let out a moan. "Damn, that's good."

Dave wondered if sharing a milkshake was something friends usually did. He couldn't remember ever sharing one with his current boyfriend. Was that something he should do when he had a boyfriend?

He looked up at Kurt, and his eyes as innocent and clear and playful as he remembered them in high school, but always from far away. And never looking at him.

Who was he to object to such an offer; of friendship, of course.

"Just let me know when you get to those brownie bites," Dave said as he raised his cup of coffee to his lips and blew away the steam.

They both smiled.

More obnoxious author notes.

This chapter is so long, that it had to be split up into four parts (four!). So you'll likely be getting the last part later this week.

Thank you to all the lovelies who read and reviewed the last chapter. I still can't believe how many of you stuck around! I hope you're enjoying our boys finally talking. There will be much more of it in the next part.