When Kurt and Dave go to Scandals, it's impossible, of course, to keep the comparisons from happening.
Dave still likes going there, having a couple of beers, and seeing his old friends. And now, he likes bringing Kurt and having someone to dance with, and snuggle in a dark booth with, and just generally show off to the older Scandals patrons who had, in the past, kindly and patiently assured a frightened, lonely, closeted boy that one day – one day – he would find someone to love who would love him right back.
Slowly nursing his first (and lite) beer, Dave shakes his head 'no' when Tom, the bartender, asks him if he's ready for another. Dave smiles, puts his arm around Kurt's shoulders, and pulls him in close. "Nah," he tells Tom. "I'm driving my boy tonight." He gives Kurt a quick kiss. "I'll be having Coke after this one," he says, holding his half-empty beer bottle up and Tom grins and nods.
At Scandals, Dave is sociable and friendly, but his attention, his focus, is all on Kurt. Sitting at the bar with Dave, sipping his crantini, Kurt can't help preening a little, basking in that devoted attention, and he finds himself humming 'I Only Have Eyes for You' under his breath.
The song is on the Scandals jukebox. Kurt remembers watching Blaine and Sebastian stand over the battered old machine with their heads together, remembers Sebastian putting coins in and pushing a few buttons, and then the two of them singing along with The Flamingos, Sebastian all too happy to provide the 'sha bop sha bop' to Blaine's lead. That's a memory that Kurt would love to replace with something better.
He puts his now-empty glass on the bar and stands, and when Dave hurriedly puts his beer bottle down and starts to rise, Kurt lays a hand on his arm. "I'll be right back," he tells Dave and smiles, then walks over to the jukebox, slips a few coins in, and makes his selection.
He returns to the bar and holds his hand out to Dave. "Hey, hot stuff. Wanna dance?" Dave smiles, bright and happy, and nods, and slipping his hand into Kurt's, they take the floor.
This time, when The Flamingos croon, 'My love must be a kind of blind love, I can't see anyone but you', Kurt feels no disappointment, no bitterness. He sways slowly against Dave and presses a sweet kiss to the sweat-damp hollow at the base of Dave's throat, then smiles up at Dave.
As they dance, one of the Scandals regulars, Rick, a huge, heavily-muscled, bald man with a neatly trimmed salt-and-pepper beard and a leather vest walks by, grins hugely at them, and leans in to kiss first Dave's cheek, then Kurt's. The coarse hairs of his mustache scratch and tickle Kurt's face and he laughs. "What was that for, Rick?" he calls out as the man starts to walk away.
Rick spins around, throws his arms in the air expansively, and shouts, "Young love, darlin', young love!" He laughs and winks at them and moves on to join his partner at the bar, leaving Kurt and Dave feeling even happier than before.
Kurt knows that Rick is genuinely happy for the two of them. The first time Dave brought Kurt to Scandals, Rick had approached Kurt when Dave had excused himself to go to the restroom. He'd frightened Kurt a little; Kurt had taken one look at the bulging muscles, black leather, and tats and started imagining himself thrown on the back of a Harley and driven away somewhere, kicking and screaming, never to be seen again. But Kurt had relaxed with the first words out of Rick's mouth: "Is Dave really doin' okay, kid?" Rick had then proceeded to pour his heart out to Kurt. He'd told him about how busted up they'd all been when word reached Scandals about Dave's attempted suicide, all of them wondering guiltily how they'd missed the signs, how they'd not seen it coming. Rick's eyes had glittered wetly and his nose had turned red and Kurt had realized that Rick was nowhere near as fierce and tough as his exterior might suggest. When Rick had seen Dave returning, he'd quickly asked Kurt, "You're watchin' out for him, right kid?"
"Like a hawk, Rick," Kurt had assured him. "Like a hawk." And Rick had smiled and nodded approvingly. The memory makes Kurt squeeze Dave a little tighter now, and snuggle a little closer as they dance.
Kurt feels Dave's shoulders get tight, tense, and when he looks up he sees Blaine and Sebastian coming into the bar. It's happened before - Lima doesn't exactly have a plethora of gay bars to choose from – and it always feels awkward and strange though they've all agreed that there's no need for that and that there's no real reason anymore they can't all be friends.
Still, Kurt looks up at Dave and murmurs, "You want to get out of here?"
"Only if you do," Dave answers, then smiles when Kurt nods, takes his hand, and starts for the door.
There's no way to leave without passing Blaine and Sebastian and when they do, Blaine gives an awkward little wave then says, "You guys aren't leaving because of us, are you? You don't have to, you know."
Kurt shakes his head. "No, no, I just have an early day tomorrow," he lies, and feels Dave give his hand a little squeeze. "You boys have fun," he calls over his shoulder as he and Dave head outside into the chilly night air. When Kurt shivers a little, Dave takes off his jacket and puts it around Kurt's shoulders.
"Early day tomorrow, huh?" Dave asks, grinning.
"Mmm hmm," Kurt affirms. "I have to wake up by, oh, eleven-thirty at the latest." He shoots a mischievous glance Dave's way and adds, "I normally sleep until at least noon on Sundays."
Dave laughs and leans over to kiss Kurt's temple, his arm warm and strong and solid around Kurt's shoulder as they walk towards Dave's truck. Kurt doesn't want the memory that suddenly resurfaces, but it's there anyway – This is the best night of my life. It's the best night. Of my life – and Kurt remembers how those words were said after Blaine had spent an entire night dancing, laughing, and talking with Sebastian. Maybe Blaine and Sebastian are in Scandals right now making another 'best night'. Kurt's surprised by, and proud of, how little that thought bothers him, actually, and he snuggles against Dave's side.
Dave holds the truck door open for Kurt, closes it behind him, then walks around to get in on the driver's side. "You're okay to drive, right?" Kurt asks.
"Yeah, I never did finish that first beer," Dave answers, but then gives Kurt a sly smile. "I don't know, though," he says, reaching out for Kurt and pulling him close. "Maybe we should sit here for a while, just in case."
Kurt laughs and plays along. "Oh, yeah? You're probably right," he says, then gasps when Dave suddenly covers his mouth with a deep, heated kiss. The mood goes from zero to sixty in three seconds flat, and Kurt finds himself laying back against the upholstered seat with Dave's warm weight pressing down on him.
It's inevitable, really, the next memory that pops up, unwanted, into Kurt's brain. He's suddenly aware of how heavy Dave is, how strong, how in control. Kurt is effectively trapped beneath him, caged within Dave's massive, muscled arms, but as he kisses Dave urgently, giving back as good as he's getting, he realizes that the rising frustration and vague panic he'd felt that night in the Scandals parking lot with Blaine isn't happening here, tonight. On the contrary, Kurt has never felt safer, protected from anything that might come his way by Dave's sheltering body.
Kurt's been adored and doted on and treated like a king all night. All week. All month that he and Dave have been dating seriously. He's been respected and that turns out to be the most powerful aphrodisiac Kurt has ever known. He moans, low in his throat, and feels his leg leave the floor and wrap around Dave's hip.
The air leaves Dave in a stuttering rush and he grinds jerkily against Kurt, both of them hard and aching. Kurt knows that they need to stop. This – their relationship – is still awfully new. Kurt knows that he's over Blaine, but he also knows that when he and Blaine had sex he'd given a piece of himself away, a little part of his heart that he would never get back and he's not sure he's ready to give yet another part away so soon.
Not to mention, Dave's a virgin. He'd admitted that to Kurt shortly after they began dating. Dave's ready physically – he's beyond ready – but Kurt needs to be sure that he isn't going to be the one to take this huge thing from Dave, this milestone, without also being absolutely sure that he can give Dave the kind of time and commitment that he deserves.
Reluctantly – so reluctantly (god, that feels good) – he puts the palms of his hands against Dave's chest and gently pushes. "David, stop," he murmurs, and when Dave hesitates but doesn't move away, he pushes a little harder.
Dave sits up quickly, runs a hand through his hair, and the look on his face is confusion mixed with a little hurt. Kurt's heart drops. He sits up, too, and reaches out to touch the side of Dave's face, but before he can say anything, Dave blurts out, "Sorry. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"
Kurt leans in quickly and cuts him off with a kiss. "No, no," he whispers. "You didn't do anything wrong, it's just…" He takes a deep breath. "A parking lot isn't really the best place for this," he says, quirking a wry smile. Dave looks so relieved that Kurt hates adding, "And I'm not sure we're quite ready," and sure enough, Dave's face falls, but he nods. "Soon, David," Kurt promises with another kiss. "I'm planning on spending a very long time with you," he says and loves the way the expression on Dave's face instantly lightens, softens. "So we have time. I guess I'm old-fashioned, but… can we take it slow?"
Dave sighs, but he smiles weakly and nods. "Yeah, we can do that." His brow furrows a little. "We can still make out and stuff, though, right?"
Laughing, Kurt pulls him into a hug and squeezes him tightly. "Absolutely, yes," and then sighs happily as Dave squeezes him back, kisses his neck, then begins to suck on his earlobe.