Chapter Six

Once Kurt had assured Dave that they would be fine, and not to worry, Dave and he got back to talking about the usual day-to-day type things, almost as if nothing had changed. Dave told him that he would try out for glee on Monday, and Kurt assured him that he was a shoe-in with that song. Kurt told him that he was going home on Saturday to get settled back in and ready to return to McKinley. He told Dave that if he needed to talk, he was welcome to stop over, but he didn't imagine that Dave would take him up on the offer since it was a secret that they had even been hanging out.

The doorbell rang at the Hummel residence around seven in the evening on Sunday night. Burt and Carol, Kurt and Finn had just finished dinner, but were still sitting at the table, chatting and digesting.

"I wonder who that could be," said Burt as he got up to answer it. "Anybody expecting anyone?" Carol and Finn shook their heads, but Kurt had a feeling he might know who it was.

"What are you doing here?" They could hear Burt from the dining room. "I know you apologized, but that doesn't give you the right to show up here, uninvited and without warning!"

"DAD!" Kurt ran into the other room, Carol and Finn trailing behind him.

"Go back inside, Kurt. I'll take care of this."

"Dad, I invited him here."

Burt turned around, stunned. "You what?"

"Well, I told him that I was home this weekend, and if he wanted to stop by, he could. I didn't think he would, but…"

"You've spoken to him since he apologized?"

"Yes…"

"And you didn't tell me this why?"

"Because I knew you would react like this!" Kurt was angry. He knew that his father loved him and only wanted to protect him, but it often felt like it came at the price of his right to make decisions for himself.

"Uh, Burt? I can vouch for Dave. He's cool." Finn said a bit timidly, not wanting to get in between the raging Hummels.

"He's cool? HE TORMENTED MY SON! And if I recall correctly, he wasn't very nice to you, either!"

"He has changed, okay? Get over it!" Kurt yelled. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dave retreating down the walk. "Dave!" Kurt cried out as he ran after him.

"Ridiculous. How could Kurt be so stupid as to associate with that troublemaker?"

"Burt, I think you might want to give him a chance. Trust Kurt's judgment." Carol put her arm around Burt and led him to the couch. "Now please, try to calm down. Think of your heart."

"Yes dear," Burt sighed.

Finn went to the doorway and peeked out to see what was going on outside. Kurt was pleading with Dave, whose head hung low as he said very little in return. When Kurt hugged Dave, Finn decided that it wasn't his place to watch and he stepped back inside. After a few minutes Kurt came back in, Dave being pulled along by his hand as he dragged his feet. Once he was inside, he gained the attention of the whole family.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hummel, Finn…I came here because I have some things to say…I want to start first by apologizing for my terrible behavior in the past. Many of the things I did were unforgivable. I don't…I don't expect your forgiveness, I don't…" Dave choked up a bit, but took a deep breath and calmed himself a bit. "I just hope for your understanding."

Burt wanted to remain angry, but even he could see that Dave was racked with emotions, and that he seemed to be sincere in his intentions. The others just sat on the couch, confused but waiting patiently.

"I…I've always found it difficult to accept a certain thing about myself, and so I tried to bottle it up…pretend it wasn't true. It made me angry…bitter. Why did it have to be true? It made me lash out. I'm not trying to make excuses for myself, it's just how it is. I know that now. I don't like being angry. I don't like being mean. And I don't like lying to myself. I decided recently that I can't anymore. I need to tell people the truth…I'm gay."

The room was silent. Burt, Carol and Finn just stared at Dave in disbelief. Kurt, who stood close to Dave, let out a small whimper while smiling and tearing up at the same time.

"Dave, I'm so proud of you."

"Kurt, did you know this?" Burt asked his son, incredulously.

"Yes, dad. And I understand where he was coming from. I hope you can too. I hope that you can forgive him, even if Dave thinks he's beyond forgiveness."

Dave looked fondly at Kurt, appreciative that he was standing up for him now. It helped to know that this wasn't a journey he would have to take alone.

Burt sat quietly for a minute, digesting what he had just heard. "Dave…I had no idea, but my son is right. I'm sorry that I shouted at you. And if Kurt can forgive you, then so can I." Carol stood and joined her husband's side.

"I forgive you too, honey. I'm glad you found the courage to get that off your chest." She led her husband out of the room, leaving Finn, Kurt and Dave alone.

"Dude. For real?" Finn looked more confused than usual.

"Yea, for real dude."

"Cool." Good old Finn.

"Hey, can you do me a favor?" Dave asked.

"Sure, man."

"Can you keep this a secret for now? I haven't told anyone else from school yet."

"No problem," said Finn, and he too left the room.

"I told my parents today too, before I came here."

"Oh! What did they say?" Kurt looked worried.

"They took it surprisingly well. They were shocked, obviously, and there was a while there where they thought I was yanking their chain or trying to trick them or something, but eventually they understood. They said they would always love me, no matter what. It all felt very 'after school special' to me."

Kurt smiled and put his hands on Dave's shoulders. "I don't know what to say…"

"Say you'll be with me."

"Dave…I'll be here. I'm waiting for you. There's no rush."

Dave nodded. "I know…so I'll see you tomorrow?"

"You bet," Kurt said as he hugged Dave.

Dave stood outside of the choir room. Inside, the glee club was getting a pep talk from Mr. Schuester, but was interrupted by Rachel who apparently had a brilliant idea for a solo for Regionals that nobody seemed to agree with. Puck was busy staring at Lauren, Finn was trying not to look like he was staring at Rachel, and Sam was sitting with Santana, who seemed way more interested in him than he was in her. Meanwhile, Quinn was staring at Sam while Brittany talked at her about fairies or gnomes or something. Artie was rolling his eyes as Mike and Tina made out in the corner.

Am I really sure I'm ready for this?

As Dave looked down the hallway, thinking about escape, he saw Azimio start to round the corner. Presented with very few options, he stepped into the room, and a hush came over it as everyone looked in his direction.

"Um…hi."

"Hello, Dave. What can I do for you?" Asked Mr. Schuester. "I, um…I'm here to try out for glee."

The room was quiet before, but now it felt like a vacuum. Dave felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room as the jaws of all the glee club members dropped. Finally, Mr. Schuester spoke again.

"Well, okay good. I'm glad you came around." Mr. Schuester smiled. "Do you have a song ready?"

"Y-yea." Dave pulled out his iPod and held it up.

Mr. Schuester took it from him and plugged it into the speaker system, while Dave walked to the front of the room and stood there awkwardly. Many of the singers seemed to be glowering at him. While they were friendly with him last week, it seemed that now that he was on their turf, they had all put their walls back up. Nonetheless, no one said anything. He hoped that was a good sign.

Mr. Scheuster finished plugging it in, and was ready to press play. "Let me know when you're ready, Dave." Dave suddenly realized that Kurt wasn't there. He had seen him at the beginning of the day, but he no doubt had some meetings with the administration and other activities to take care of on his first day back. Wasn't he supposed to be here now, though? His heart raced. He wasn't sure if he could do this without his support. Just then, he heard Kurt's voice as he came strutting through the doorway.

"Sorry I'm late everyone. I had soooo much paperwork to fill out and—and everyone is staring at me. Why? Oh, hello Dave," he said, turning to him when he noticed him there. "Good to see you." He smiled.

All of the singers, save for Finn, looked dumbfounded (possibly a first).

"You're seriously okay with this, Kurt? That is Dave Karofsky. In the choir room. About to try out for glee," Rachel said, genuinely concerned.

"Yea, Kurt. You want us to eject him? Maybe you could get that mystery boy you were telling me that you were interested in to get up in here and kick his ass," Mercedes chimed in.

Dave gave Kurt a look, but Kurt gave Dave a small wink to tell him not to worry about it.

"Why do we need to find Kurt's boyfriend? We've got half the football team in here, and I think it's about time for tackle runs," threatened Puck while cracking his knuckles.

"Guys, guys, guys! Enough! If Kurt is okay with Dave being here, then so are we. Got it?" Mr. Schuester, always the voice of reason. "Now, Kurt, if you could take a seat. Good. Dave, are you ready?" Dave nodded, and Mr. Schue pressed play.

The music started playing, and Dave started singing, but it was not the same as singing to Kurt in his dorm room, even if Blaine happened to be there. He couldn't put the same emotion into it with everyone watching. He looked to Kurt, and Kurt gave him a look that said "you can do it. Ignore them. Focus on me." Dave stopped and asked Mr. Schue to stop the music.

"Heh. I should have guessed he couldn't do it."

"Shut up, Puck," said Finn, to the surprise of most of the room.

"Can I try again, Mr. Schuester?"

"Sure. Take your time, Dave."

Dave took another deep breath, and closed his eyes. He imagined Kurt, his lips, his scent, the feeling of his body pressed against his. He opened his eyes again, and imagined that only Kurt was in the room, and that he was singing only to him.

"Okay. I'm ready."

The music began again, and though Dave didn't choose to see it, the rest of the glee club stared at him, unable to process what was happening. By the end, the girls were crying, and the guys just had something in their eyes.

Mr. Schuester stopped the iPod, unplugged it and gave it back to Dave. He gave Dave a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder and told him that his performance was very good. "Okay guys, so what do you think? Do we have a new member?"

Their answer was unanimous. Dave Karofsky was the newest member of glee club.

At the end of glee practice, everyone exited into the hall, and Dave received many pats on the back and not an insignificant number of hugs. While everyone else headed off to their respective classes, Dave and Kurt walked down the hall talking.

"I knew you could do it, Dave."

"Thanks. Let's hope I can sing anything that isn't a love song, though."

"Awe, you'll be fine. You just needed the confidence of knowing you could sing in front of people. You'd be surprised what a thrill that can be."

"Yea, I bet. So like, is there some pamphlet or something that can catch me up on how this glee club thing works, or do I just have to—"

SLAM.

Dave turned around to see who caused that sound that he knew so well, and to whom. Kurt was on the floor in front of some lockers, looking dazed and Azimio was walking away, sending a backward glance at Dave and making a lewd gesture roughly approximating oral sex.

"AZ!"

He stopped. "Awe, what's this now? You gonna stand up for the fag now, too? Man, when did you get so fuckin' weak?"

Dave was standing only two feet from Az now. "Do not push me!"

"Or what? You'll sing about it?" Az let out a harsh laugh.

"Are you okay, Kurt?" Dave asked, not taking his eyes off Az.

"I'll be fine, Dave."

"You're on a first name basis now? I knew you were a fuckin' fag."

"You better watch what you say right now, Az."

"Oh yea? Or what, fag? Huh? Fag? Faggy faggity faggot!"

Before Az could react Dave swung his fist and made contact with Az's face. Az went down.

"What the fuck, man! You fuckin' punched me?"

"I thought we were over this, Az. But you couldn't let it go."

"Fine, man. You stop standing up for the homo over there, and I'll stop calling you a fag. God. Such a sensitive little bitch."

"How about this? You stop beating up on people AND you stop calling me a fag, and I won't knock your teeth out right here."

"I've got a better idea. How about you and Az come with me? We're going to the principal's office." Dave turned around to face Coach Beiste. "Sorry, Coach."

"No, don't apologize, Dave. This looks like self-defense to me."

"What? Coach, that's bullshit!"

"We'll let the principal decide that, Azimio. And anyway, it's your word against mine, and I imagine all the students in this hallway, if he wants to question them."

Az looked around at the other students, and realized that he didn't have a very sympathetic case. Most had been terrorized by him at one point or another, and while that was true of Dave, it was pretty obvious who they favored in this scenario.

Az knew he didn't have a leg in this battle. "Sorry, Coach."

"I'll let it slide this time, Azimio. Just don't let it happen again." She helped him up, then stepped in close to his ear. "I'm watching you." Azimio gave one last futile look at Dave, but then scrambled down the hallway.

"Dave, I appreciate this new, improved you, defender of the meek and all, but could you try to tone it down some, or at least wait until I'm looking the other way?"

"Sure thing, Coach."

Dave walked over to Kurt, who had since gotten up. He asked him again if he was all right, and Kurt affirmed that he was. Dave and Kurt then parted ways and headed to their last classes for the day as the bell rang.

Dave could barely concentrate on the lesson. All he could think of was Kurt, and glee club, and Azimio, and the current status of his life. He knew what he had to do. After class, Dave rushed down the hall until he turned the corner and saw Kurt at his locker, talking to Mercedes. As he walked up, he overheard a bit of their conversation.

"—you gonna tell me who this mystery guy is, already?"

"As I've said many times already, I can't. It's a secret, for now."

"Well I already know he's apparently sweet, kind, hunky and madly in love with you. I could probably figure it out myself if I really tried. Gimme a hint or something, at least. Is he from Dalton Academy, or did you meet him somewhere else?"

Dave cleared his throat.

"Oh, hi Dave."

"Hi, Mercedes. Kurt, can I talk to you? Privately?"

"Sure." Kurt wondered what this could be about as Dave touched his shoulder and guided him a few steps away from Mercedes and the crowds of students walking through the hall. They stood in front of the lockers, Kurt with his back to them. Dave had a bead of sweat on his forehead, and he was shivering a little bit.

"Dave, what's wrong?"

Dave didn't say anything right away. He stood there looking at Kurt, shooting nervous glances at the students around him.

"Dave?"

"Remember what you said about me? About us? About what you needed from me if there was going to be an us?

Kurt looked stunned, knowing exactly what he was talking about. He swallowed hard and nodded. Dave hesitated for a moment, obviously giving what was to come next one final thought. He took a step toward Kurt, standing close enough to him that he could feel his warm breath on his face. Kurt could see a few students stopped across the hall, behind Dave. They were looking at them and whispering to each other. He glanced to his side and saw a look on Mercedes' face that told him she knew was pretty sure she figured out who the mystery guy was, and she knew what was going to happen just as well as he did.

Kurt looked deep into Dave's hazel eyes, and saw that Dave was looking back into his, and only his. He was focused on nothing but him. It almost seemed like time had stopped. And then, fireworks. Dave's lips leapt to meet Kurt's, his hands flying to the lockers on either side of Kurt to steady himself. He kissed him with the same fiery passion that he had in the locker room that fateful day, but this time Kurt responded in kind, kissing him back, lovingly working his own lips into perfect union with Dave's. Neither boy was able to determine how long they had been locked together, but they could detect the faint din of cheers and hoots and catcalls from the students around them. It didn't matter. They didn't want to stop. This was good. This felt right.

But eventually they did need to stop, and it was Dave who decided when. He slowly pulled out of the kiss, Kurt's lower lip still caught between his, and then he let that go too. He leaned his forehead against Kurt's, and they stood that way for a while, listening to the reactions of the other students and realizing that most of them, surprisingly, were positive or playful. They were both smiling.

"Yes," said Kurt. "Yes, Dave Karofsky, I will be your boyfriend."

A/N: I realize that this may all seem a bit rushed, but I had all the ideas in my head of how Kurt and Dave would arrive at this pinnacle point, and I felt that to add too much more in between the events would end up feeling like fluff. I have some ideas on where the story can go from here, but I may take a short break to collect my ideas and work on them. Thank you to everyone who has enjoyed this story so far, and for your kind reviews and helpful criticism!