A/N: Sorry this took so long. RL kinda hit me in the face this weekend, then my internet uploading crapped out (yay satellite *twirls finger unenthusiatically in a small circle*).

Liberty

Chapter 6 –

Usually Dave's class ended at 12:15 before he went to lunch, but the closer it got to noon, the more excited Dave became. So, at quarter till, he feigned sudden nausea to skip the end of class. Then instead of going to the nurse, he dumped his stuff in his locker and headed out to Kurt's bike.

Once on the road he had to admit that it was an awesome bike. He was surprised at the fact that despite its sporty appearance, he was practically sitting up straight. It turned out he was much more comfortable than he expected to be for the long ride.

It was 12:30 before he realized that Colton might wonder what was up if he didn't call. So he pulled over to the side of the road and pulled out his cell. He considered actually calling, but worried that Colton might pick up the sound of passing traffic. So instead he sent a short text.

Studying 4 a quiz. Time got away from me. ttyl this afternoon? TB

He couldn't help but smile as the message sent. Even though he hated it when Colton called him "teddy bear," he couldn't help but sign his texts and emails with TB. It made them that much more cryptic.

He waited until he got a reply: OK, looking forward to your call. Good Luck! –C

Dave grinned as he put his phone away. Oh, it'll be much better than a call, he thought. He managed to get back on the road without much trouble and it was 1:15 by the time he pulled onto campus.

He struggled a bit, trying to remember the name of Colton's dorm. When he finally recalled it, he spent a little more time trying to locate it. The fact that he spotted Colton's ten-year-old Honda helped in the matter though.

Pulling up along side the small vehicle, Dave couldn't help but notice just how packed the back seat was. He wondered idly if the front passenger seat had been just as full that morning. Probably, he may come across as straight to those who don't know him, but to those that do, Colton was just as stereotypically gay as Kurt was, just, on the inside.

He considered going in to find the boy, but thought asking around would take too long. So instead he leaned against his bike and waited for the boy to return and get some more of his things. He was a little worried when a full ten minutes passed without any sign of him, but jumped when a feminine voice called his name.

When he looked up he was surprised to see Mrs. Terrance, Colton's mother, getting out of the passenger side of her husbands pickup truck. He didn't know why he was so surprised, but he was, so he just stared at the woman as the truck drove away to find a parking spot.

"Hi," he finally managed to say as he returned the small hug she gave him.

When she pulled back she was still smiling. "I thought you had school today?" she asked.

Dave blushed and shrugged. "I did… do. I just, wanted to see Colton one last time. He was pretty busy this past weekend with his packing."

Mrs. Terrance just laughed her airy laugh. "I understand. I just hope you don't get into too much trouble."

Dave shrugged again. "I'm not missing anything too important by being here. Unless one of my teachers gives a pop quiz, but I doubt it, this early in the year, anyway."

"Well, good. I better go help empty out the rest of the small things from the truck. We just got back from lunch and Colton decided to walk back with his roommate. They should be here in a bit."

"Thanks, I'll just wait here for him. Unless you need help."

Mrs. Terrance put a hand on his arm as he made to follow her. "That's okay. You volunteered to be here, you can wait a little longer before you get roped into helping him move." Then she walked away, wiggling her fingers in a small wave.

Dave relaxed against his bike again, wondering which direction Colton would be coming from. He didn't have long to wait as he heard an exasperated sigh from a little ways behind him. Being a little bored, he allowed himself to eavesdrop.

"Man, if I had known you'd be talking about your boyfriend for the next… forty-five minutes! Dude! I never would have asked about that goofy grin on your face when you got that text."

"Sorry, Pat, I can't help it. I was so busy packing this past weekend that I didn't get to spend as much time with him as I wanted to."

Dave found himself smiling, hearing Colton's voice, and the smile grew bigger as he realized that Colton had actually been talking about him ever since he texted him.

As the boys got closer – Pat managing to change the subject to classes – Dave wondered why he was so at ease about being openly gay around Colton. Why didn't he care that Colton's roommate would know that Dave was gay, when he still couldn't bring himself to come out at his own school? Maybe it was because nobody here really knew him. They didn't really care about him or what he did. He was just another person on the street.

Sure, there were probably plenty of homophobes on campus, and hopefully they would just ignore Colton, but Dave realized that he didn't care about what anyone else thought of him and Colton being together. But, when he thought about coming out at school, he felt physically sick. Why did he care so much about what his schoolmates thought?

Half of them didn't even pay attention to him. He had focused his bullying on the gleeks and Kurt, so others tended to ignore him, hoping he's pass them over, which he did. Dave sighed, shaking his head, maybe he was afraid that they would scorn him for being so hypocritical for so long.

He pushed the thoughts away, deciding to mull it all over later, when a low whistle sounded from close behind him.

"Nice wheels, man," came Pat's voice.

"Yeah, I'm working on a bike for my boyfriend. Yours is pretty sweet."

Dave chuckled at the exasperated sigh from Pat. He lowered his voice a little, trying to disguise it. "Thanks, but I'm just borrowing it."

"Huh," was Colton's only reply.

Pat, however stepped closer. "What kind of bike is it? I can tell that it's at least a Kawasaki."

Dave nodded, almost caressing the smooth leather of the seat with his hand. "It is. A 2000 Kawasaki Ninja 500R."

"Nice," said Pat walking around into Dave's line of vision as he looked respectfully at the bike. He was wearing a leather jacket, despite the heat, and he had a few piercings in one ear. His light brown hair was cut short and spiked a little, and Dave knew that this guy had wanted a bike his entire life, but had yet to convince his parents to get him one.

Eventually Pat looked up at him and grinned, putting out a hand. "I'm Patrick, Pat. You visiting someone or are you moving in?"

Dave grinned, shaking the offered hand. "I'm visiting," he said, voice still low, "Just helping move someone in."

Pat nodded, looking up and frowning. "And that's my love sick roommate, Colton," he mumbled to Dave. He raised his voice, speaking to the blonde. "Come on, man, cheer up. He said he'd talk to you later, and from what you told me he will." There was a moment of silence before Pat groaned again, "Stop checking your phone! He's probably in class." Dave found himself laughing as Pat flailed his arms at his roommate.

Pat looked back at Dave, calming down a bit as Colton probably put away his phone. "Sorry, man. That guy is going to kill me with how much he talks about his boyfriend."

Figuring it was a good time to put Colton out of his apparent misery, Dave finally stood up. He spoke in his usual voice, but soft so only Pat could hear. "Better start planning your funeral then." He smiled at Pat's confused look and kept it there as he turned around, seeing that his boyfriend was glancing at his phone… again.

"Hey, Colton," said Dave, getting the blonde to look up.

Dave swore he had never seen any pair of eyes that big around before. Colton's mouth opened and closed, as if he was trying to say something but couldn't. Finally his shock was replaced by joy and he ran around the bike and into Dave's arms, hugging him close.

"Dave," he breathed, eyes closing a moment as he calmed down a bit. When he finally pulled away he was blushing. "You heard most of that, didn't you?"

Dave grinned. "Oh yeah. Definite ego booster."

Colton chuckled, embarrassed, his thumbnail going towards his mouth. Dave reached up and took his hand, not letting it go once he saved the tortured nail.

"So you're the boyfriend, I presume?" asked Pat, almost relieved when Dave nodded. "Yeah, well, hope you're happy. Cause once you leave he won't stop talking about you, I just know it."

Dave shrugged. "Just start talking about something else. If you find the right subject then you'll be able to distract him."

Pat's eyes narrowed a little, thinking. "Hm, maybe," he said, nodding a little. "I'll be sure to try it." He glanced at his watch, "Well, I'd better go. My parents will be here soon with the rest of my stuff and they'll be looking for me. See ya later," he said, waving and walking away, "Nice meeting you, Dave."

"You to," Dave called after the retreating form. He turned back to Colton, smiling. "Surprise."

Colton chuckled. "You're telling me. What about that quiz you texted me about?"

"There isn't one," explained Dave, "I had one this morning and left before lunch. I need to be back by six though."

"What's with the bike?"

"I borrowed it from… someone at school," Dave mumbled. He gestured toward the front door. "Do you want me to help move things in for you?"

Colton blushed, glancing away and nodding. "Yeah, actually, you could help move in the couch."

Dave looked up in surprise. "Don't they provide you with furniture in the dorms? Why would you need to move a couch?"

Colton sighed. "At home, in North Carolina, I would always do my homework on the same couch, and a lot of the times I fell asleep on it. When we moved up here I convinced my parents to bring it with them and I've moved some extra furniture out of the room already."

Dave followed Colton to where his father's truck was parked. "Is that even allowed?"

"My RA said that as long as it doesn't break any fire safety regulations then I should be fine. I also need to move the other stuff back in at the end of the year. Mind helping me carry it up?"

"Don't mind at all," said Dave. Then he saw the couch in the back of the truck, and wondered how he had missed it before. It wasn't a huge couch, but it could fit a full sized college student on it easily. Shaking his head in disbelief he just stepped forward, ready to help.

Thirty minutes later Dave fell back onto the couch. Colton stood in the doorway saying goodbye to his parents. All of his things having been removed from their truck.

"You be sure to come home as often as you can, baby," said his mother, hugging him tight.

"Are you going to offer to do my laundry just to get me home?" asked Colton, kissing her cheek as she pulled away.

"Oh, I know what to bribe you with," she smirked, glancing at Dave.

Colton didn't notice, busy hugging his father, but Dave didn't miss it and he chuckled. "Goodbye, Mr. and Mrs. Terrance," he called from the couch, "See you around."

They waved and disappeared down the hall. Colton closed the door and turned back in. When he saw Dave he paused, swallowing.

"What?" smiled Dave.

Colton just shook his head, gesturing to all of Dave.

Dave looked down at himself. Half way up the stairs he had taken off his polo shirt and was just wearing his undershirt. The stairway had not been air-conditioned and therefore he had sweat, a lot. So now he was panting and sweaty, his shirt nearly see-through. He couldn't help but smile at the idea that he was affecting Colton in that way.

He stood up, though, not saying anything. "Why don't we clean out your car before Pat gets back. I have a feeling he won't be willing to help."

Colton nodded, swallowing again. "Yeah…yeah, good idea."

TBC...