AN: For Matt, who I was assigned to as his Secret Santa for the Dave Karofsky Stan Club Secret Santa event. He wanted a future!fic involving a strong, beardy Dave, and a happy ending, which are two of my favorite things, as you may well know. I sort of took it from there... He was also fine with smut so… I delivered on that as well. In three parts! Enjoy!

Broken, Healing, Whole

oOo

"what is stronger than the human heart which shatters over and over and still lives"

-rupi kaur

oOo

Part I: Broken

Kurt watched the tall, lush trees pass by him from the backseat of Finn's Chevy Tahoe. The greenery was almost silver from the dusting of snow on their branches. He could see why Finn and Rachel would want to take the one hour drive to the tree farm upstate to get their annual Christmas tree. The lights on their fake tree finally went out, and rather than replace them, they decided on a real tree that year. Finn had never had a real tree, thanks to Carole's allergies, so he and Rachel conceded. And it had been worth it to Kurt, as the towering trees were a nice change compared to the skyscrapers of New York City.

The one thing he hated, however, was feeling like a third wheel to Finn and Rachel amongst their "lovey-doveyness". He wouldn't have minded so much if he had somebody to share the upcoming holiday with, but it had been six months since his break up with Blaine and he missed having companionship with someone. But he'd rather be alone than be with Blaine after he discovered him making out on the couch with some college senior when he returned home early one day after his class was canceled. Forgiving him the first time was something he would always regret.

"Look, there it is!" Finn said excitedly as if he saw a kennel full of puppies rather than a sign pointing in the direction of the dirt road indicating the path to the tree farm. Finn turned onto the main road, the SUV tires crunching over the gravel. "This is gonna be awesome."

Kurt smiled, feeling content enough to be with his family to enjoy their happiness despite his melancholy.

Pointed pines came into view as they rounded the corner and they were met with a large dirt parking lot void of any parking space lines, but there were a scant number of vehicles, so Finn pulled into an open area towards the front.

Finn and Rachel were practically vibrating with excitement as they jumped out of the car after turning the engine off and unbuckling their seat belts.

Kurt followed a short distance behind them. He felt so awkward, watching them hold hands. He didn't know why it affected him so much, to see other people so in love. He felt that way up until his sophomore year of high school. He missed that feeling, though, even if he didn't miss Blaine.

Their trio walked up to the entrance of the farm which had a trellis archway decorated with sparkling red and green lights and a cursive "Merry Christmas" sign. It perfectly presented the tone of the festive holiday.

As they walked through the entrance, Kurt couldn't help but feel his spirits lift. The number of trees was truly ethereal. Rows and rows of them, all perfectly trimmed but in all different sizes. And it reminded him of his childhood, and the first time he had gone tree shopping with both of his parents, so long ago.

"Finn… Rachel…" Kurt called to them, already examining a beautiful spruce. They turned and looked at him. "I'm going to go walk around Cover more ground, y'know," Kurt said. Finn and Rachel exchanged smiles with him.

"Yeah sure," Finn said giving him a brotherly smile. "Great idea, dude."

"Let us know if you find something spectacular," Rachel beamed. Kurt simply nodded as he made his way off on his own, tightening his thick maroon scarf before sticking his hands in his pockets.

He wandered up the rows closer to the large, candy cane inspired tent that he presumed contained the checkout area. Every once in a while he would reach out his gloved hand, to brush his fingers over the pin-like branches. He inhaled, breathing in the smell of pine and the frigid air, enjoying the crispness of it while he could before they returned to the smog-filled city.

And that is when he saw him.

It was a man straight out of his lumberjack fantasies. And he made Kurt stop in his tracks. His tall stature practically took his breath away. He moistened his lips at the sight of the flannel stretching across his strong arms as he carried a tree by himself, resting it on his shoulder. The man walked down a stretch of trees two rows before him. The tree branches obscured his face, not that it mattered. The fact that he was carrying the heavy tree like it was made of styrofoam was enough for him.

Kurt began to walk slowly in the man's direction as if he had some sort of plan. But he had no plan. Unless he planned to simply gawk at the specimen of a man as the only functioning part of his mind seemed to be the portion of his brain that contained the thought that he hadn't had sex in more than half a year. The same portion supplied him with the image of the faceless man carrying him instead.

Kurt watched out of the corner of his eye as the man went to the front of the tent to greet an older couple. The man was facing away from him but he was able to see now that he was wearing an olive green beanie that matched the shirt Kurt was wearing under his long sweater and a simple black, knitted scarf on top of his red and black flannel. Kurt supposed he didn't need to wear as much winter garb what with all the strenuous work he did. Which worked better for Kurt, as it aided him in stealthily eyeing his strong, broad shoulders.

The man must have been having some sort of heated exchange with the couple, as Kurt heard the man say to him say "no, no that wasn't the one we wanted…" while gesturing dramatically.

The man turned around to walk towards Kurt, grumbling slightly under his breath, and Kurt, who turned his head in an attempt to catch a glimpse of his mystery man, only ended up doing a double-take. The man was very handsome… Too handsome in fact. There was only one problem.

The man was David Karofsky.

In an instance, both of them locked eyes just as Kurt yelped "David?!" in surprise. Kurt wasn't the only one to do a double-take. Dave gasped as well, but not because of Kurt. Well, he was shocked to see Kurt. That was why he lost his grip on the tree he was holding and it the wide trunk dropped… Right onto his foot.

Kurt's hands flew to his mouth as the tree fell with a heavy thud sideways into the snow, echoing the sound of it falling onto Dave's foot. Dave's eyes widened as he pressed his lips together, obviously in an attempt to keep his agony within. Instead, he doubled over, his hands on his knees which didn't seem to help at all.

"Fuck," Dave said with a gasping breath, as he looked up at Kurt who was standing there in shock, for numerous reasons. For seeing him in New York, of all places, for ogling him, and for the chaos that ensued as a result of their unorthodox meeting.

"You wanna help me out here, Hummel?" Dave breathed heavily, tears pricking his eyes. Kurt, with his shock wearing off enough, went to stand next to Dave unsure of what to do.

"Sorry, I just… Oh, God. Here," Kurt took Dave's rather bulky arm and pulled him upward, placing it over his shoulder. "W-what do I do?"

Dave dared to laugh despite his pain as he indicated the direction back to the tent where he just came from.

"There's a chair… By the cash register."

"Okay," Kurt breathed, feeling horrible. Kurt began to walk towards the tent with Dave leaning heavily against him, his body heat warming more than Kurt's cheeks. Dave hopped awkwardly next to him, gasping and groaning with every movement which didn't help matters. Kurt was grateful once they made it to the chair, which Dave plopped into. He stretched out his leg gingerly so he wasn't putting as much pressure onto it and then he looked up at Kurt, his face no longer scrunched in pain.

"Well… Good to see you too, Kurt," Dave said, crossing his arms as he leaned back into the metal folding chair, an unreadable expression on his face. Kurt knew he was gaping as he snapped his mouth shut wordlessly, unsure of what to say. With a cock of his perfectly arched eyebrow, he knew there was at least a little bit of good-natured humor in Dave's statement.

"I'm sorry, I just… What are you doing here, Dave?" Kurt asked still in awe.

"I could ask you the same thing," Dave said, but then he realized Kurt was truly curious as to why they were in the same state more than 500 miles away from where they went to school. Before Dave transferred, that is.

"This is my uncle's tree farm," Dave ground out. Every word seemed to steal his breath and took an immense amount of effort. Still, he continued, "I help him out sometimes on the weekends when I'm not in school, but it's winter break so I'm staying with him in his guest room.

"Oh? Where do you go to school?" Kurt asked.

"NYU, the School of Business." Kurt's mouth dropped again.

"Why where are you going?" Dave questioned with a frown.

"Tisch," Kurt said simply, indicating his School of the Arts. Dave chuckled with a disbelieving shake of his head. Kurt knew they were thinking the same thing.

They both attended the same college, but in buildings three blocks away.

"Fucking crazy…" Dave said with a sigh, looking at Kurt in amazement. Which somehow involved his hazel eyes roaming over him, up and down. Kurt wondered if he was reading too much into the look or the way Dave licked his bottom lip. Regardless of whether it was an unconscious act or not, Kurt could feel himself blushing again.

"How…" Kurt said with a gulp. "Have we not run into each other until now?"

"It was for the best,".Dave laughed, his eyes sparkling. Kurt hoped that the pain he felt was wearing off by now. "Could you imagine how shocked I would be if it were to have happened in the city? I would probably get hit by a taxi."

Kurt couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it as he covered his mouth with his gloved hand to stifle his laughter. When he looked back at Dave, he was staring at him with an odd expression on his face- a mixture between awe and fear and hesitation. Like he wanted to say something but couldn't quite get his mouth to form the words. But it didn't matter, because a man as burly as Dave came over to the cash register station. He had a dark gray beard, a baseball cap with most likely a sports team logo embroidered on it. He had the same almond-shaped eyes as Dave, but a rounder, ruddy nose.

"Dave, what are you doing? Those customers are about to leave because you're taking too long with the tree. There's no time to sit-"

"It's my fault," Kurt spoke up. Dave turned to him, his brows furrowed like he was surprised that Kurt would even begin to stick up for him. "I… I ran into Dave and he dropped a tree on his foot. I think he may have broken it."

Dave scoffed, "It's just a sprain." Dave's uncle, Kurt assumed, looking between them both.

"You don't sprain your foot when you drop something heavy on it." The man pointed out.

"Then it's probably just bruised, it's fine."

"You could hardly walk." Kurt jumped in, his hands on his hips.

"I'm sorry," the man spoke up, motioning between the two of them, "do you two know each other."

"Uncle Keith, this is my… friend from high school, Kurt Hummel. Kurt, this is my Uncle Keith," Dave said. At the mention of Kurt's name, "Uncle" Keith's eyes widened momentarily and his mouth formed an "o", and Kurt realized this wasn't the first time Dave's uncle heard mention of his name. The man smiled, however, and stretched out his own gloved hand to shake, which Kurt accepted.

"Kurt, it's nice to meet you. David's-." Dave threw his uncle a warning look, and his uncle shut his mouth quickly and returned his own apologetic glance. "Probably gonna have to go to the hospital." He recovered quickly, much to Kurt's dismay. He wondered how much Dave told his uncle about him. Keith pressed his lips together like he was still trying to keep in what he originally planned to say. Keith Karofsky turned his attention back to Dave. "I'll have Jeremy and Ethan look after the place while I drive you."

Dave didn't seem to agree with this decision, as Dave shook his head.

"No way can they run this place by themselves. Two high schoolers. No fucking way."

"I'll take him." The words left Kurt's lips before he could register what he was saying. Even he was shocked by his offer.

"What, no…" Dave said frantically, realizing he was running out of options. "It's not like I can't drive myself, it's my left foot..."

"Yes, but you're in pain," Kurt said. "Don't be ridiculous."

"There," Dave's uncle said agreeably. "Your friend seems to have no issue with taking you, then. I appreciate that, Kurt. I've yet to let my sons run this place by themselves. I'd probably come back and all the trees would be on fire."

Kurt laughed, though Dave had crossed his arms and seemed hardly amused by the situation. Kurt's smile died slightly. He knew he most likely broke Dave's foot, but he felt slightly hurt by Dave's reaction. The last time Kurt saw Dave was at the hospital in Lima, but they still texted a little here and there until Kurt received a notification that Dave's phone was no longer in service. He had been confused and worried, but he had no other way of contacting Dave since he had deleted his Facebook after he was outed. He thought they were on good terms at least. So why was Dave not the least bit happy to see him?

"It's fine," Kurt said, "let me just find my friends and we can-" Almost on cue, Rachel and Finn appeared behind Kurt, beaming.

"Kurt, we found the most beautiful tree. Let me show y-is that Dave Karofsky?" Rachel asked, taken aback.

"Dude, what the hell are you doing here?" Finn asked, frowning. His hand moved to Rachel's waist protectively, as if to pull her away if Dave were to magically summon a slushie. Dave merely huffed.

"I'm the magical, gay fairy that protects the tree farm… I work here, Hudson, what do you think?"

Kurt couldn't help but snicker, imagining Dave in some frilly pink fairy costume. Finn merely said, "Uhhh…Right…" but Dave looked at Kurt like he was surprised he could bring Kurt such amusement.

"We're taking Dave to the hospital," Kurt said simply, once he had calmed down. "He dropped a tree on his foot thanks to me."

"Oh, yeah, sure," Finn agreed, thankfully, "There's one a couple of miles down the road."

"No," Dave said firmly, "I feel bad enough inconveniencing Kurt. The… the two of us can just take my uncle's car. Is it okay if you ride back to the house with-"

"Don't even worry about it," Keith said, waving him off.

"Dave can stay with us too," Kurt said, mostly to Finn and Rachel.

"Yeah, sure," Finn said shrugging.

"Of course," said Rachel.

"Then let's get going," Kurt said, reaching a hand out to help Dave stand, and they made off in the direction of his truck.

oOo

The hospital was only fifteen minutes away but it felt like an eternity before they arrived. The car ride was mostly silent, except for Dave telling Kurt he could pick a song out on the radio. Kurt sang softly along with the music on the top 40s station he managed to find. He was so used to listening to his music on his phone while using public transportation, but Dave's uncle's pick-up truck didn't have Bluetooth or an aux cord.

When they arrived at the hospital, parking towards the front. Kurt helped Dave out of the front passenger seat once he opened the door and he leaned heavily on him once more.

"I'm surprised you can even support me, Hummel," Dave chuckled.

"It's no easy feat," Kurt huffed from exertion, and then he realized how that must have sounded.

"I mean to say, you're like… Really… Built," Kurt said lamely, trying not to used words like muscly or strong enough to lift me over your shoulder if you weren't in immense pain because of me.

"If you say so…" Dave said, still sounding amused.

The sliding doors opened to the sterile smelling waiting room.

"Here," Kurt said, helping Dave into one of the chairs aligned in neat rows. The room was empty, which wasn't a surprise considering the population upstate was much lower than that of the city. "I'll get your paperwork."

Kurt went to the front of the room and the nurse, who looked rather bored, handed him a clipboard without looking at him.

"Fill this out and bring it back and the doctor will see you shortly."

"Thank you," Kurt said. The woman merely grunted in reply and Kurt returned to Dave.

"Here you go," Kurt said, sitting next to him and handed him the clipboard.

"Thanks," Dave said, taking the pen as he began to fill out the boxes on the paper starting with his name and date of birth.

"Your birthday's coming up," Kurt noticed, tilting his head, unabashedly watching Dave fill out his form. "January 8th…" Kurt mused. "Any plans?"

Dave shrugged. "Not really," was his succinct reply.

"Oh…" Kurt said, watching as Dave finished the paperwork. After Dave handed it back to him wordlessly, Kurt went back up to the front to hand in the paperwork, wondering if it was more than his broken foot that was weighing on Dave's mind.

oOo

After about forty-five minutes later, Dave returned to the waiting room wearing a boot and supported himself on crutches.

"So I'm guessing it wasn't just a bruise?" Kurt asked apologetically.

The corner of Dave's lip flicked up momentarily and sighed.

"No, it's a fracture. To my "metatarsals", they said. Gave me some pretty good painkillers though."

Kurt shook his head.

"I guess I'll drop you off at your place?" He asked Kurt, almost sad to see him go despite his complete nonchalance the entire evening.

"What? No. You're practically drugged, David. I'm not letting you drive back."

Dave rolled his eyes.

"So what, I'm spending the night with you?" He asked incredulously.

"Yes," Kurt said simply. "Come on. Let's go. I hate hospitals."

"You're telling me," Dave replied with a sigh, as he followed Kurt out through the automatic sliding doors.