After what felt like about a hundred trips up and down, Kurt and Dave went back down to take the U-Haul and drop it off.
"We did it," Kurt said.
"We did." Dave slid to the middle of the seat. He tipped his head back and closed his eyes.
"I'm forever grateful to the inventor of the elevator. I love the view from the fifth floor, but it was hard enough getting everything in with the elevator. I can only imagine if we had to carry everything up four flights of stairs." Kurt pulled out. "We wouldn't have had anything to carry in without your dad's contribution."
"It's kind of weird to see a mixture of things from my old house and then one we've been living in. I'm glad that Dad stored everything for the last two months, though. We brought everything we need with us, except some lamps. I'm sad for my dad of course, but he tried. My mom was just unrelenting. I'm glad he chose me, but I can't even imagine. They'd been together for 20 years."
"She made the process take so long by continually fighting the equitable distribution of assets. If she wanted it over with, why make it so hard on your dad?"
"I think maybe that was part of it. Like maybe he'd decide that choosing me was just too hard and he'd relent and go to her church for marital counseling instead of to the "secular, godless counseling", as my mom called it."
"Could be. But as messed up as the whole thing has been, your dad seems to be fine living in the smaller house. He kept his sofa and chair and TV, and his bedroom suite. And we have most of the other stuff with me raiding the kitchen when everyone was in DC over spring break and taking all of my mom's stuff."
Dave reached out and put his hand on Kurt's thigh. "I know this isn't the way you had envisioned things. Are you sure you're okay with everything?"
"I am. I'm going to save $40,000 in tuition and I'll be able to pay my way through school myself if I work full time for a year and three months before I start. If I can't make it on Broadway, then I won't be trying to pay off 10 years worth of debt. NYADA is supposedly fantastic, but I was told that Hugh Jackman would have approved of what I had done and Madame Tibideaux praised my performance, and then I was rejected. Meanwhile Rachel choked, practically stalked her, and got in. I don't want to deal with that type of illogical behavior from the head of my department. And after we all did so much research, NYADA was just a pie-in-the-sky idea for me anyway. It's ridiculously expensive and my parents make too much money for me to get any grants. It's fine. You and Sam will start this year and Sebastian and I will start next year, even though he'll be taking classes this year through the program at the high school he's going to."
"It's weird that he's still going to be in high school."
"It's all super weird if you think about it. Sam came out to us as questioning after we started dating and told him since he was my best friend, well our best friend."
"He was yours and became mine too. Azimio dropped me when I joined Glee, which was fine in the long run. Better to just let it die then given how he reacted the day we walked into school hand in hand the week after football ended last fall."
"After Coach Beiste made all of them be extras in West Side Story, I thought maybe they'd chill out, but that black eye took quite some time to heal and he got suspended."
"Coach Beiste made some serious changes, which was good."
"It's hard to believe it hasn't even been a year since Puck got us fake IDs and the three of us snuck into Scandals."
"I know. That was a wild night though," he laughed.
"With a really unexpected outcome – Sebastian. Sam wanted to find someone willing to let him explore his confused feelings without using anyone. Cue Sebastian," Kurt chuckled. "He took one look at Sam and pulled him out onto the dance floor. Sam got his questions answered and we got a new best friend, another smartass. Poor Sam. He's such a sweetie and he has three smartasses for roommates."
Dave laughed. "That's true. But when Sebastian starts to rile you up more than Sam can tolerate, he just moves in between you and kisses Sebastian."
"Uh huh, and you never have anything to do with that." Kurt chuckled. "Sam's got his number for sure. I was concerned at first with Sebastian having been a player back in France, but they've been together for ten months now. Nearly as long as us, although Sebastian drug his feet on declaring them officially exclusively dating for quite a while. They were, just not in name."
Dave chortled. "I remember what he said when he walked up to us at Scandals."
Kurt laughed too.
"Well, maybe there is a God. I get sent to Bumfuck, Ohio and in walk a gay teen's fantasy banana split – a jock, a twink, and a bear cub." And then he looked us all up and down and even walked around us before he said anything else. You took my hand. And he said, 'Ah. Well, a pretty jock will be just fine.' And he grabbed Sam's hand and took him out on the dance floor."
"It's going to be weird to be here just the two of us for six weeks. I'm used to Sam being around all the time and Sebastian staying every weekend. Sam's a sweetie living with your dad so that Sebastian won't be all alone in Ohio until his birthday."
"And to be there to pick up the pieces afterwards. We all know what's going to happen, but that won't make it any easier."
"No offense, but I just don't get people like your mom. If God is love like they say, then why would God tell them to hate their own children? And Sebastian. Hasn't he suffered enough? I mean, his mom died like mine, and then his grandparents who were raising him died in an accident. Now he lives with a bigoted jackass. At least his dad is too embarrassed to tell his own parents that Sebastian is gay, so his grandparents don't hate him… yet."
"I'm glad Sam is going to be there. He's already been through it himself with his parents kicking him out after they found out that he was dating Sebastian over winter break. He was there for Sam and now he's going to need the support. Maybe we can convince him to see the new school counselor and find someone for Sam to see if he still needs to. We might find some place that doesn't charge much or is free."
"He said the counselor at Dalton has been really helpful. We can look for something here."
Kurt pulled into the Ikea parking lot. They made their way through to the lighting area quickly and bought the lamps they had chosen ahead of time. They were the one thing they needed since their new apartment didn't have overhead lights in the bedrooms or living room. Dave grabbed another trolley as they entered the warehouse section. They loaded up the two wardrobes and the hall tree they needed and got in line.
From there they went to Costco and stocked up on everything since they had the U-Haul. They dropped everything back off at the apartment and returned the U-Haul, finally making it back three hours after they had originally arrived.
Kurt put the last item in the fridge and closed the door and turned around to find Dave standing facing him.
"You, me, the shower?"
"A most excellent idea. I really like the oversized square walk-in glass shower. We should go try it out." Kurt stepped into their room long enough to strip down to his underwear and find the box that said towels and bathroom products. He handed them to Dave, who carried them into the bathroom and opened them. He grabbed all of their stuff and put it inside the shower. He hung up two towels and grabbed two washcloths. He went back to check on Kurt since he hadn't come down to the bathroom. Dave found him folding the covers down accordion style. He had stayed behind to make their bed. Kurt followed Dave back to the shower.
"Mmm, this is nice," Kurt said. "It's a lot less crowded than we're used to."
"This bar making the shower accessible will make it all the easier for you to f-"
Kurt interrupted him with a kiss. "Is that what you're wanting, David?" he ran his hand down Dave's arms. "I thought we might get around to the love-making in the bedroom once we get out. That's why I made the bed before I came in here."
"Mmm. Great idea, but can you fuck me now and take the edge off how totally horny I am? I've been watching you bend over in those beat up basketball shorts you borrowed from Sam for the move all day long."
"I can do that." He pressed Dave against the wall and kissed him. "Turn around."
X-X-X-X-X
Kurt lay with his head on Dave's chest, gently running his fingers through Dave's chest hair. "I remember our first time. We were both so nervous."
"I wanted you so badly and you were so scared you were going to hurt me."
"Three months later, no more nerves. Just lots of love."
"Mmm hmm. I remember when you told me you loved me the first time. After that huge argument when Finn told my dad we were dating before I had gotten a chance to and we were all summoned to a family meeting. After that was finally over and we were sitting out in the far back part of the yard on the swing, you took my hand and told me."
"God, I was so turned on. You defended me and us and you were like hellfire raining down on Finn and him nosing into other people's business, especially after just having said something that got Santana outed on TV. You'd have thought he would have learned his lesson."
"We had gotten past the homophobia, but he still hadn't gotten past the being oblivious stage. I'm not sure that he has yet. Hopefully, some day. Until then, Finn can never know anything before my dad does."
"Right." Dave ran his hand up and down Kurt's arm softly and slowly. He placed a gentle kiss on Kurt's forehead. "We're here. In New York City."
"We are. And so is Rachel probably. I'm not sure how long her dads were planning to stay. I still can't believe Finn pulled that on her. Taking her to the train station last Saturday instead of to their wedding."
"Better then that afterwards, I guess. But I can't imagine how brokenhearted she is."
"She and I may have had a falling out, but I wouldn't wish what he did on anyone."
They both lay quietly for a while, both exhausted, but still too wound up to sleep.
"Let's go out for breakfast tomorrow," Kurt suggested. "Not to a sit-down restaurant, but let's take a walk around the neighborhood and just explore for a bit before we get down to the nitty-gritty of emptying the boxes."
"Works for me."
He tipped his head back and turned Dave's face towards him, running his fingers along his stubble. "I love you, David. So much. I'm so excited to be here with you."
Dave tilted his head down and pressed a gentle kiss to Kurt's lips. "I love you too."
"Kiss me until we fall asleep?"
"My pleasure," he teased, as he turned just a bit to kiss Kurt more comfortably.
X-X-X-X-X
Six weeks later, they went to La Guardia to meet Sebastian and Sam. When they finally saw them coming towards them, Kurt rushed towards them and pulled Sebastian into a hug first, and then Sam. He took Sam's duffle and put it on cross-body. Dave grabbed Sebastian's suitcase and pulled it, leaving him with his backpack and a crossbody messenger bag to deal with. They made their way to the ferry in silence. Once they were back off, they walked to the apartment. Kurt and Dave pointed out some places along the walk.
Once they made it inside, they left their luggage near the door. Dave and Kurt plated the food and set it on the table. Sebastian and Sam stopped at the bathroom on the way in.
"This looks great," Sam said as he sat down. "Thanks."
"You're welcome," Kurt said.
Sebastian sat down next to Sam and began to eat. After he had eaten about half of his food, he began to talk. "When I left Friday evening, my father wasn't home, so it was easy to pack up all of my clothes and take them with me. I sent what I had brought from home, Paris, with you when you two came, so I didn't have that much left. I spent the weekend in Lima and spent yesterday afternoon at my grandparents' place. This morning, Sam and I left Lima and went to the bank in Columbus as soon as it opened. Since I'm 18 now, I was able to transfer all of the money that was in the joint account I had with my Father to a new personal account that I opened this morning. And I pulled my documents from the safety deposit box they had been stored in. We drove on to my father's and left the car in his driveway. I left the keys to his house, the safety deposit box, and the car inside and used the keypad to reset the security system when I left. We took the bus to his office and I told him that I was never going to marry a girl and provide him with proper heirs. He pulled out the paperwork from my trust fund and made me sign a document indicating that I was abdicating, or whatever the right term would be, my right to collect my trust fund, which I saw for the first time as well. I was set to inherit a million dollars upon graduating from law school and getting married. And he was going to pay for me to study law and for my living expenses while I was in college – if I stayed here in the States, which I knew. He also informed me despite my bad choices and sinful lifestyle, he would pay for me to attend Dalton again this fall. Obviously, he wants as little to do with me as possible and keeping me at a boarding school does that as well as keeps his reputation intact."
"Oh, wow," Sam said. "That's a… a lot of money."
"Yeah. My freedom for a million dollars and a college education in a field I'm not interested in. No thanks. I'd rather sell hot dogs and live in this apartment than to live under his thumb, so I'm okay. I have the three of you and I'm okay."
"We're glad you're here. We put off our exploration, except for the immediate neighborhood," Kurt said.
"And where I work, there's an opening. I've worked there long enough to recommend whichever one of you wants to be a barista."
Kurt said, "The shop I work at needs someone to run the registers and do cleaning. And do tire changes."
"Sam can pick after he goes to look at each place. Something I realized today was that I'm going to have to do a lot of personal stuff before I can get a job doing anything. I'm going to make an appointment at the French Consulate for as soon as possible."
"Why?" Kurt asked.
"In the safety deposit box was my American birth certificate and an American social security card, both with the name that my father insisted was my legal name – Sebastian Alexander Smythe. But my French Passport and my documents I brought with me have the name I grew up believing to be mine on them – Sébastien Alexandre Larose. Larose is my grandparents and my mother's last name. My parents were never married and it's not common for a baby to be given his father's name if the parents aren't married. My father insisted that my last name was the same as his and not my mom's because that's the way things are done here. I was barely 17 and in no mental shape to argue with him. I just accepted his answer because I figured that I couldn't change anything anyway. But now that I'm 18, I can get it resolved. I don't want to go by Smythe anyway. I never did, but I need to figure out what the truth is. I'm 99% sure my dad did something after I got here and petitioned to have my name changed. Since I was a minor, I couldn't do anything to contest even if I had known, and there were no one to contest on my behalf. If he did, I'm going to petition to have it changed back or have what he did annulled or whatever the right word is. I need to get it straightened out before I can even get my name added to the lease or enroll in school."
"So, we've been pronouncing your name wrong?" Dave asked.
"That doesn't really bother me. It's like the difference between Kurt calling you David and us calling you Dave. Sebastian or Sébastien, it doesn't matter than much since I've gotten used to it, but the last name bothers me. I was a Larose my whole life until a year ago."
Kurt nodded. He noticed that everyone was about finished eating, except Sebastian since he had been talking. Kurt went into the kitchen and brought out the ice cream cake he had made for Sebastian the day before. He sat it on the table and they sang "Happy Birthday" to him.
He wiped a few tears from his eyes. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. It's a chocolate cake with cherry chocolate chip ice cream." He cut four slices, giving Sebastian the first one.
He put the first bite in his mouth and moaned, "Excellent, as always."
Kurt smiled. He put the rest back in the freezer before he sat down to eat his. Once they finished, Sam offered to clean up since Dave and Kurt had cooked and it was Sebastian's birthday. Kurt ushered Sebastian into the living room. Sam came in a couple of minutes later since all he had to do was load the dishwasher.
"Okay," Kurt started. "So you told us not to buy you a birthday present, so we found the box that had the bed linens for your room in it and we washed and dried them and put them on your bed last night, so you could go to bed tonight without having to do it."
"Much appreciated," Sam said. "Even though it's his present."
"Yeah, thanks."
Kurt pulled shopping bags out of their small office area and brought them out. "These are welcome to New York gifts."
Sebastian narrowed his eyes. "Right." But the small smile that made a brief appearance gave him away.
They both opened the bags.
"Oh, cool. A Hunter College hoodie," Sam said, holding his up.
"These are nice," Sebastian said. "The block logo is embroidered instead of a heat transfer."
"We got ourselves one too." Kurt ran off to grab them. He held his deep purple hoodie with white lettering up. "It will look good with my grey skinny jeans and my white Docs."
Dave teased him and held up his dark heather gray hoodie with purple lettering. "With my dark wash jeans that show off my ass and my trainers." He turned and wiggled his butt.
Kurt rolled his eyes. "Mmm hmm. Good combination. Two thumbs up."
Sebastian just laughed at them.
"Yours are the same size so you can trade off if you want. The school colors are obviously gold and purple. We got the black and gold ones for you two obviously."
"I like them both," Sam said. "And you're right we can trade off. We definitely need you to tell us where the best places to shop are. We both need some new clothes. At least new-to-us clothes. Sebastian hardly has anything, just that one suitcase he had with him."
"I left my uniforms at the school for Jeff when I went to pick up my official transcript. Sam's right though. I donated most of the boring shirts I had picked out in Ohio before I left. I kept the Levis. I just packed those and what I brought with me from Paris when I came. I didn't really wear any of it in Ohio, so you can take a look at what I have before we go out. I wore a uniform to school there too. I have a few things I wore clubbing, which might still be okay here."
Kurt nodded.
Dave asked, "Did you tell your dad where you were going?"
"I didn't tell him anything. It's not like he can report me as a runaway."
"So, he's just going to go home tonight and find that you're not there?"
"Yep. I forgot to mention that I wiped my phone and reset it and left it there too with the keys. I'll need to get a new phone tomorrow."
"The two of you can add your phones to our plan and we'll be able to use the friends and family texting and calling feature to save money on our bills."
Sebastian said, "Don't worry about me not paying my share. I have enough money to cover the rent for quite a while and to get a new phone. You know my father gave me a generous monthly allowance that I used as frugally as possible. I debated whether I should transfer the money, but given everything, it didn't seem like stealing. He gave me the money fair and square and he never paid a penny child support the whole time I was growing up." He stopped and closed his eyes for a few seconds. "Just let me know when we can go to get a phone since you're both working."
"I can go out with you at 2:00 when I get off," Dave said.
"Thanks."
"So, a quick tour?" Kurt asked.
"Sure," Sam answered cheerfully.
The two of them followed Kurt around as he showed them where everything was. Sam and Sebastian unpacked before they ended the evening by watching a movie together.
X-X-X-X-X
Kurt stood Sam and Dave together in their hoodies and took a photo of them together and separately. He took Sebastian's picture next. Sam and Dave left their hoodies behind and the three of them headed off to class after Kurt hugged each of them. He closed the door behind them and slid down and at on the floor until he pulled himself together enough to head into their office and worked on the pieces he had been secretly working on for a few weeks. He had been scouring second-hand shops and picking up pieces for next to nothing to turn the four of them into the Beatles from their Abbey Road album cover.
X-X-X-X-X
They all sat down to dinner that evening.
"What's with the fancy dinner, Kurt?"
"I'm celebrating with my four favorite people. This afternoon, I went in for an interview at Vogue dot com for an interview with Isabelle Wright, who none of you have heard of, but is amazing. I got the position."
"She hired you on the spot?" Sebastian asked. "Isn't that like not the way things usually go?"
"It's not, but she did. And I'm working at Vogue part-time starting next week. It's like one of my dream places to work. I know I'll probably just be a glorified go-fer and run the coffee pot, but still Vogue dot com!"
"That's so awesome, really. Congratulations!" Sam said.
Dave leaned towards him and kissed him. "You didn't even tell us that you had applied to work there."
"I kept it to myself. I figured I had no chance, so why talk about it. But I got it."
His eyes were full of the joy none of them had seen in a few months. As the beginning of the school year had approached, he had become more closed off and spent more time in their office working on projects, even when they were home.
The other two saw Dave relax visibly as Kurt finally had something to look forward to doing that he would enjoy.
X-X-X-X-X
As the four of them walked into the Vogue Halloween party, they stopped and were photographed together. The photographer lined them up with as much space between them as he could to recreate the album cover. He complimented them and let them go on their way.
They weren't dressed nearly as expensively or outrageously as most of the other people in attendance, but they had a great time and everyone loved their group costuming. They were asked to be in photos with other people at the party all throughout the evening.
X-X-X-X-X
"Sébastien Alexandre Larose!"
He came running out of his room down the hall. "What?"
"Help me carry this box that was just delivered to you inside the apartment. What on earth did you order? It's huge."
"A Christmas tree of course."
"It's huge."
"We have 10-foot ceilings. I don't see a problem," he said with a huge grin on his face.
"Fair point. Where are we going to keep it after Christmas?"
"I don't know. That's a problem for later. Come on." He picked up one end, still very excited. "You said you brought your mom's Christmas ornaments with you. We can start with those and we can find others we like to add to them. I'll look for some old-fashioned ones like my grandparents had. Maybe Sam can get his parents to send any that were his and I'm sure Paul will let Dave has a few of his. We can make some together out of flour like Mémé let me when I was a kid."
"You're right. We can."
"It'll be fun. I'll even learn some American Christmas songs. I don't know many, but I do know this one. The Warblers sang it last Christmas."
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.
Jack Frost nipping at your nose.
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow.
Will find it hard to sleep tonight.
Sebastian continued to sing and Kurt joined in harmonizing.
Kurt got into the Christmas spirit and made each of them a stocking in coordinating Christmas plaids. They swapped names and filled each other's stockings with fun treats with a $20 limit, making them all be frugal and creative in their selections.
X-X-X-X-X
Dave stood with his phone waiting to take a photo of Kurt and Sebastian together in their well-worn Hunter College hoodies, broken in over the past year's use.
"Come on Sebastian, look lively," Kurt said as he nudged him in the ribs.
He lifted his eyebrow in his feigned indifference to Kurt's enthusiasm, but finally smiled and winked at him.
They turned to face Dave for the photo. He took a couple together a couple more individual shots.
Kurt managed to set the phone up and pressed the timer and moved around to stand with the other three for a group photo. The phone snapped five photos in quick succession.
Kurt hugged Sebastian. "We did it." He started singing. We're moving on up.
Sebastian looked confused.
"It's the theme song from an ancient '70s TV show."
"Oh. You're right though. We're moving up to college. Let's get going." He pulled his hoodie off and put it hooked it on the hall tree. He stopped long enough to let Sam pull him into a hug and kiss him. "I'll see you at lunch."
Kurt went in the bathroom quickly to fix his hair after pulling the hoodie off. HE stopped on their way out and hung the hoodie on the hall tree as well. Dave came up behind him. Kurt turned and kissed him. "We'll see you tonight at dinner." He turned and left with Sebastian.
Dave went back to the kitchen and joined Sam to finish packing his lunch.
"It's been a long year for him, with Burt getting cancer and Finn dying. And even though it was happy, Carole having the twins was a bittersweet surprise. Now, she's in Lima full time being a single mom most of the time." Dave said. "But that part-time internship at Vogue made all the difference. It gave him something to focus on besides the bad stuff. I'm glad he finally gets to start school though."
"We've all moved on this past year. All of us have lived through losing important people, people who should have loved us the way we are. I honestly thought my parents would come around once they saw that I was happy here and doing well in school, but they're still 'Oh, we love you, but we just can't condone that behavior. When you decide to give up your sinful lifestyle, you can talk to Stevie and Stacey privately again.' I love them, but they're being ridiculous. It is what it is. After Stacey turns 16, I'm telling them myself, but that's not for like seven more years. I think they're just hoping Bas and I will break up."
Dave sighed. "It's so stupid."
"It is, but we've made our own family here together. And we're all succeeding, so no more depressing talk. It's a celebration day. We need to get something for Kurt. He always makes a celebration out of things for us. And the last time, he kept his good news to himself and made his own celebration dinner."
"You're right," Dave said. "Meet me where we met up for lunch over the spring when you're done. We'll stop by the bakery on the way home and pick between what they have."
"Good plan. "I gotta run. I need to stop by the art store on the way to campus. See ya later."
X-X-X-X-X
The leaves were starting to change color and the cool breeze of autumn began to appear more frequently. Kurt and Dave were seated on the same side of a picnic table sharing lunch before Kurt had to rush off to Vogue for the afternoon. When they finished, Dave turned to straddle the bench. Kurt turned as well and leaned back into him.
Dave wrapped his arms around Kurt and pressed his nose into the nape of Kurt's neck and breathed in deeply. "You always smell so good." He kissed him on the neck. "Six weeks. What do you think?"
"I like it here a lot. I like the instructors. I like the classes. Taking six classes is tough with still working, but it's doable. I feel like I'm neglecting you though. And even though I'm super excited that I got a part in the fall play, I'll be gone even more now."
"We knew this would be tough and we'd have conflicting schedules at some point. We've talked about it. And you don't need to worry about not taking care of all of us like you were last year. We all let you fall into the role of caretaker because you didn't have homework in the evenings like we did. But we're all grown men. We all appreciated your excellent cooking and when you did things for us just to help out. But we're fine. We all love you." He kissed Kurt's neck again. "Me most of all – so much. We will all survive eating Crock Pot dinners for the next four years if that's what happens. You shouldn't feel responsible for the rest of us. And I'm really excited to get to see you in a production again. I loved you as Linus in A Charlie Brown Christmas in Toledo senior year. And you were great mouse in The Nutcracker."
Kurt nodded slightly and took a deep breath, the heaviness of his thoughts evident in him stiffening a bit, invisibly trying to hold himself together. "I still miss him, but sometimes I think I miss what could have been. Thanksgiving is coming up in six weeks. I've decided to stay here. You could go back to see your dad or invite him out. He hasn't been here to visit yet. He could stay in our guest room."
"That's an idea. I'll run it past him. What about your dad and Carole? And you'll miss seeing Melie and Alie."
"Melinda Aileen Hummel and Alison Marie Hummel. I know they're my sisters, but they're three months old. They won't miss me not being there. Dad and Mom, as she wants me to call her now, need time to make new memories with them. I'm never going to live in Lima again. I'm not going to be a daily figure in their lives. I'm 20 years older than they are. Plus, taking the whole week off and paying for a plane ticket is just too much money."
"I get that. I guess I just assumed that we'd go since we didn't go last year – for the same reasons."
"I know. I think I still haven't adjusted to the idea that I even have two sisters. I just never gave any consideration to how old Carole was when she and my dad got married. It makes a lot of sense when I think about how quick she was to let Quinn move in with them when Finn thought the baby was his. She was just 18 when she had him."
"Yeah."
"She got pregnant last November, but didn't know it when my dad came to tell me about the cancer. She wasn't far enough along to be showing at Finn's funeral and they didn't even tell me then because with her being 38, they wanted to wait until she was 20 weeks along before telling anyone, which they finally got around to Memorial Day weekend."
"I get all of that. I just thought you'd want to see them."
"I figure there will be more mourning than feasting. Each new holiday reminds her of how things were with Finn. Maybe in time. Maybe I'll feel differently in the future." He sighed. "I actually hope I do feel differently in the future. I need to get going. I can't be late." He pulled his other foot over the bench so he was facing away from the table. He turned and kissed Dave on the lips. "I love you. I'll see you later at home."
Dave nodded. "I love you too."
X-X-X-X-X
Before they knew it, Kurt's play had come and gone and had been well-received. Burt came in for the day from DC to watch the Saturday afternoon matinee. Thanksgiving had come and gone, with Paul staying with them for three days. They had all survived finals and were looking forward to three weeks of winter break.
"There!" Kurt exclaimed, from the top of Dave's shoulders. "The star's up."
"It looks awesome," Sam said. "Let's start decorating it. I put the lasagna in. It should be ready to eat by the time we're done."
Kurt pulled out their stockings from the year before. He took Sam's painting down and handed it to him. He took it to store it in their study. Kurt hung the fabric covered steel rod from the one screw and slipped the stockings onto it, and then fastened the rod to the other screw. He tied the bows over the ends, covering the screws, like he had devised the year before. He stepped back and looked at them. Dave came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Kurt. "You're amazing. They look perfect."
Sam came up and jokingly teased Dave and pushed him out of the way and hugged Kurt. "You get a million times more hugs than we do. It's my turn." He hugged Kurt and let him go. "The stockings look great. I pulled the ornaments out."
Sebastian watched as they goofed around. Kurt saw him standing back a bit and reached out and pulled him into the fray. "I need a hug from you too."
"Fine." He let Kurt pull him in faux-begrudgingly and rolled his eyes.
"You know you love me."
"Maybe. Just a little bit."
"Mmm hmm," Kurt sassed back and kissed him on the cheek and jumped back out of his reach and grabbed an ornament to hang.
X-X-X-X-X
For spring break, Dave and Kurt made their first trip back to Lima since the funeral the year before. It was an unusual week to say the least. Kurt finally met his baby sisters, who at seven months old were starting to be entertaining. Kurt spent a few afternoons there helping out with them while Carole gave her regular helper a couple of days off. The two o them had dinner at the Hummel's Thursday and Friday when Burt was there.
They met Paul's new girlfriend, who turned out to actually be his fiancée, and his wife by the end of the week. They stayed in their room at the house, but it was definitely unusual sharing the space with Ramona as well. Her touches could be seen everywhere but their room. She was actually quite nice and not the least bit homophobic. By the wedding on Saturday, they were all getting along really well. That evening, Kurt and Dave headed back to New York and the newlyweds headed off to Florida for a week at the beach.
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With Sebastian's AP classes from Dalton combined with the dual-credit courses he had taken his senior year, he had started off as a sophomore the year before. Kurt had opted to take classes to catch up over the summer, but he was still six credits short of junior standing as their third fall in New York approached. All four of them would be starting the more intensive work in their respective fields of study.
They would all be applying to get into the 5-year Master's programs in their respective majors by the end of the semester, so they were all working diligently to keep their grades up. Unfortunately for Kurt, that meant giving up Vogue for the year since working at the garage paid nearly three times an hour more. He said his goodbyes to Isabelle and everyone the week before school started again.
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The Saturday evening after midterms, they planned a party for themselves. They each invited a couple of people they had made friends with over for pizza and games. By the end of the evening, they were all four feeling a lot more relaxed.
After everyone had left, Dave and Kurt showered and got in bed. Kurt curled into Dave's side and snuggled up tight. "Tonight was fun. We should try to do something like this once a month. We've all gotten too uptight. I know we all need to make top grades, but we also need to let loose occasionally. Not drunken orgies level of loose, but tonight was great."
"I agree. Drunken orgies aren't my thing. So help me God, if a drunk guy tried to… yeah, I'd end up in jail."
Kurt chuckled. "Same for me. I'm sure that orgies aren't my thing. It took me a really long time to get comfortable enough with you for you to even see me with my shirt off. I'm surprised you didn't give up on me I made you wait so long to get past first base."
"Nah. You're worth it. I've told you plenty of times, but I think you never quite understand. You're it. You're the one. My person. My everything. I was so head over heels for you, I couldn't think straight in your presence."
"I would think not," Kurt teased. "There's really nothing straight to think about me."
"Smartass."
"You love my ass."
"Also true. But I love you. Sebastian and Sam are both good-looking, but I've never had the tiniest bit of interest in them. I did actually check out Sam's ass to see how it made me feel to think of him that way. It's a nice ass," he chuckled. "But nope. Nothing, Nada." He ran his hand down Kurt's arm to his wrist and then let it is slip down until he had it firmly pressed again Kurt's upper thigh. "You kneeing me in the groin and lying to Coach Beiste was the best terrible thing."
"I'm sorry I hurt you, but I'm not sorry you stopped. You needed to figure yourself out, not kiss me against my will."
"Yeah, I know. I just had to be my real self. I was stupid teenager."
"And now we're such wise barely-not-teenagers."
Dave rolled his eyes.
"I hear you rolling your eyes."
"Of course you do."
"Mmm hmm. Poor Sam."
"What's wrong with Sam? He seemed fine."
Kurt laughed. "Nothing happened. I was just thinking how such a nice guy got himself into having such a smartass for a boyfriend and two smartasses for best friends."
"I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure that it's your fault. He was your friend first. You lured him in."
Kurt laughed. "You egg Sebastian on until he argues with me over something dumb and you get off on watching me bitch at him, and then Sam steps in between us and kisses Sebastian and you pull me down to our room and push me against the door until I bitch at you about letting me go."
"I'm pretty sure that Sam gets laid out of the whole deal, so I think he's fine with the smartassiness."
Kurt burst out laughing. "You're right. I'm sure you're right. I mean I've never paid attention to what they're doing because we're down here with me… Well, I'm pretty sure you know what I'm doing."
"Mmm hmm. Sounds like a perfect idea."
"Is that what you want? You know I'm terrible at denying you what you want."
"I think you have that mixed up a bit. You're fantastic at giving me what I want."
"You want to argue first or just get right to it?"
Dave laughed and pulled Kurt on top of him.
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Their apartment was bustling as they all grouped up in various ways for photos in their robes before they left for graduation. Paul and Ramona, along with the Hummel and the Evans clans were there. They had agreed ahead of time to keep the bedroom doors locked so that the kids couldn't see the lack of separate beds, plus keeping the twins, who would be four in August, out of the rooms. They all agreed that while Stevie and Stacey could see them, they could keep their interactions platonic for a couple of hours, despite the fact that both couples had been married for quite some time. For one day, they all slipped their Hunter College class rings on in place of their wedding rings.
Five years in New York City together had culminated in the four of them earning their Master's degrees.
David Allen Hummel-Karofsky, Bachelor of Arts – Psychology
Samuel Robert Evans-Larose, Master of Fine Arts – Studio Art
Kurt Eli Hummel-Karofsky, Master of Fine Arts – Theatre
Sébastien Alexandre Evans-Larose, Master of Arts – Urban Policy and Leadership
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After the ceremony, the 14 of them went out for pizza. While they were waiting the conversation turned to their plans for the future.
"So, what's next for you four? Burt asked.
Dave answered first. "I got a scholarship to work on a doctorate at NYU. Once I finish that, I can start working and seeing patients."
Paul patted him on the back and smiled proudly.
"Good, good," Burt said.
Sam said, "I've been working part time for an off-Broadway theater doing stage construction and scenery work. I'm going to keep doing that while I begin to work on more pieces to have for an exhibition this summer. The nice thing about is the job is that it's the kind of job you do and leave behind. I'll be getting to use my creativity and all of the skills I've learned in art school, but I'll still have time to branch out and do my own work. If I can start to sell pieces and do commissions, hopefully, I'll be making a decent living in a year or so. It takes time to build up an art business."
Paul said, "That makes sense."
"I've already gotten a position at a grassroots social services organization. I'll be starting the beginning of June. I'm hoping to lead them into being more effective in their work. The pay isn't great, but it's a start. It's what I really want to do, so I'm excited."
Burt nodded. "Doing what you think will make a difference is important. I know we struggled to keep things together with Carole having the twins in Lima while I traveled back and forth. I didn't run for Congress again, but I ran for school board and honestly that's been really rewarding. Working in Congress is important, but I found I was able to make a lot more sweeping changes at the local level."
"I'm going to start audition in earnest. Hopefully, I'll get a role in something, but until then, I'm still working at the shop I've been working in for nearly five years. I like the guys there and the pay is good. With how long I've been there, there's room for the flexibility I need to be able to audition."
"Well, you've all done well for yourselves," Burt said. "I know we're all proud of all of you."
Their pizzas were brought out and the conversation broke back into smaller groups.
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After everyone left that evening, the four of them took one last photo together while wearing their original hoodies, holding their undergraduate and graduate tassels.
"We did it," Kurt said, pulling each of them into a hug.
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Later that night, Kurt and Dave were curled up in bed the way they were most comfortable, with Kurt's head on Dave's shoulder and chest and their legs intertwined.
"Three more years of school," Kurt teased. "I'm so proud of you. A scholarship to NYU. You kept it a secret until today." He kissed Dave. "I never realized how much time I spend touching you until I couldn't today. It's been a very long day. I do not approve of the hands-of David day ever again."
"I didn't like the hands-off-me day either. I'm obviously very fond of your hands on me. You're very tactile and I think it just built slowly to the point where it's just second nature for you to have your hand on me somewhere if I'm within your reach."
"Which should be all the time, but I can't be that selfish," he ran his fingers along Dave's chest.
Dave laughed. "Well, I have a surprise for you."
"What?"
"Well, before my dad and Ramona left, he slipped an envelope into my hand. As our graduation and belated wedding gift, we're going to the place they went in the Florida Keys for a week. And your parents paid for plane tickets for us."
"No way!"
"Yes. A honeymoon."
"I want to go of course, but I feel bad for Sebastian and Sam."
"Oh, by us I meant all four of us. Not the same room of course," he laughed. "Just no."
Kurt laughed too. "I love them, but not like that. When are we going to tell them?"
"Over breakfast tomorrow. We're going week after next. Hopefully that will give Sam time to get someone to cover for him or enough time to work extra next week to cover the time he'll be gone."
Kurt pushed up and wrapped his hand behind Dave's head, pulling him closer. He ran his fingers through his hair and kissed him. "I love you. I can't wait to spend a week in Florida with you. A whole week. We need to start packing tomorrow."
Dave chuckled. "I love you too. More kissing, less talk of packing." He kissed Kurt again.
"You're right. Kissing is more important."