The Storm: Reconciliation
Chapter Thirty-Two
By Gayforkurt
Summary: Kurt and Dave have come to terms with the past but can they battle the envy and jealousy of others to make a future for themselves? This is rated M.
Disclaimer: Messrs. Ryan, Falchuk, et al are the owners of my favorite boys. Only the OCs and situations belong to me, alas.
.
KHDK
.
Dave sat on the huge bed, reclining against the cherry wood headboard and watched his lover pace nervously from the dressing table to the walk-in closet.
"Babe, why are you so nervous?" He couldn't understand why Kurt was less than his usual confident, demanding self. It made Dave unhappy and he was getting angry at the thought that there was something out there that he couldn't protect Kurt from.
"I'm not nervous, sweetie, I'm just… uh…" Kurt turned to Dave and a sad little smile pulled at his soft lips. "Okay, yes, I am just a tiny bit… uhm, you could say apprehensive."
He came and sat on the bed facing Dave, his eyes dropping to his hands. Dave waited patiently for his beautiful lover to look up at him and continue explaining what was going on in his head.
"It's like this; back when my dad first met Carole, I kinda, sorta had a crush on Finn." He looked up in time to see David's eyes widen slightly. There was no other expression besides curiosity, though, so Kurt took a deep breath and continued.
"He seemed nice at the time; tall, a jock and he had this soft, goofy kind of expression that I thought was kind of cute." He watched David nod and a little smile appear on his handsome face.
"Well, isn't that normal? I can remember a couple of crushes myself back at that age," Dave said mildly, wondering what was really beneath this recounting of what seemed an innocuous crush.
"Well," Kurt sighed sadly. "I thought it was pretty normal but, after a while, I kinda sensed that Finn was a little uncomfortable around me."
"What, he felt threatened by a delicate little singer he probably outweighed by at least what… 80 pounds?" Dave's winged eyebrows dipped in anger. He sat further up against the bedhead and he reached for one of Kurt's slender hands.
Kurt, allowing the comfort of David's touch, shrugged but shook his head, too. "I don't know. At first, he didn't seem to have a problem with the crush; apparently it was obvious to everyone I had stars in my eyes whenever I looked at him. After a while, though, he would get this slightly pained expression when he and his mom would come by to have dinner. It reached the point where I started making excuses not to be at home when I knew they would be over."
Dave felt a tug of sadness for the lonely boy that Kurt must have been, growing up without any other gay kids around or even role models to look up to. Dave himself hadn't even realized for certain he was gay until after high school. Even then, it wasn't something he'd been about to broadcast; he simply kept his head down and been the jock that everyone expected him to be. He suspected that, for Kurt, life must have been considerably more difficult.
He pulled Kurt gently towards him and positioned his fiancé across his lap, his arms going around him securely.
Kurt settled onto David and, for once, there was no buzz of arousal, only the comfort of strong, warm arms. He placed a soft kiss on David's cheek before relaxing against the broad chest. He continued speaking, his voice low and lacking its usual strength.
"I so wanted them to like me, David, but I didn't want to make him uncomfortable. I felt it would spoil things between my dad and Carole. She was so sweet to me, almost right from the very first moment. Y'know, I didn't realize I'd missed having a woman hug me until she did it the first time."
Dave cuddled him and nuzzled his hair with his nose. Kurt was breaking his heart with this story but he had to be strong for him. They both couldn't afford to fall apart so he simply made a soft 'hmmm' sound and allowed Kurt to unburden himself.
They were silent for a bit and then Kurt let out a little huff of laughter. "I don't know why I'm allowing these memories to swamp me. I guess I needed to talk about it; I haven't spoken about it to anyone before this."
Dave nodded to let him know he understood but again he said nothing.
"I'm not really looking forward to seeing him again, I think, because I have no idea if he's changed. Maybe he's grown up, become more open-minded. I don't know; I just know I don't want anything to spoil this vacation."
He heaved a final sigh and seemed to relax. Dave rubbed his chin across the top of his head, enjoying the feel of the silky hair against his chin, and thought of something.
"Hey, what about 'blondie', from the other night? Where did he fall in the scheme of things," and smiled when he heard Kurt's quiet chuckle.
"Oh, Sam was a doll, really. I think he may have been a year, or was it two, ahead of me. My best friend back then, Mercedes, had a huge crush on him that she pretty much kept to herself but I secretly felt he swung both ways."
Dave nodded; he could see that. Sam was gorgeous in a blond, surfer boy, tanned and muscular way but when the man had looked at Ian the other night, something had happened. Dave knew for sure Sam was not completely straight.
"Hey," he said now to a quiet Kurt. "Did you think his reaction to Ian was kinda odd?"
Kurt straightened up and looked into David's golden eyes, a faint smirk stretching his pink lips. He raised one eyebrow sarcastically. "Ya think? I couldn't for the life of me figure out what he was on about."
He settled back against Dave, snuggling down some more as he continued. "He said stuff about vibes but I think it also had something to do with his libido."
The two men sniggered for a while before Kurt finally got off of his fiancé's lap. "Come on, let's get sorted. I know it's nearly a two-hour drive so we should leave soon.
Dave agreed and soon the two men were dressed and ready to depart. Kurt had made a definite effort with his appearance and though Dave hated the reason behind it, he couldn't help but admire his beautiful lover, nonetheless.
Kurt was fabulous in a silvery-grey cashmere sweater that came midway to his curvy thighs, clinging to the soft, grey leggings he'd decided on. Slate grey knee-high boots hugged his calves and over all of that he wore a charcoal grey ankle-length wool coat with a severe militaristic cut. He had styled his hair away from his face and around his neck he had wrapped a long, warm, fuzzy scarf with a tiny black and white herringbone print. On one wrist he wore his watch, on the other the platinum and black diamond bracelet.
He was stunning.
Dave's breath caught just watching him but he hated the tiny flicker of uncertainty he could still see in the beautiful aquamarine eyes. He strode up to him, slid his hands around the slender waist and proceeded to kiss him breathless. For several long seconds he plundered the hot, moist cavern, sucking on the agile tongue and savoring the feel of Kurt's arms around his neck and his tight body against his.
When he pulled back, hectic color had flooded the high cheekbones and the blue-green eyes were sparkling with surprise and arousal. Dave nodded, satisfied that he had accomplished his mission of banishing that foreign look from his lover's eyes, and stepped back.
"I love you; now let's go," and he marched out the door. Kurt stood for a few seconds, his lips moist and slightly parted. His body was thrumming with incipient arousal but his mind was reeling. That had been so sudden and so hot! He finally shook himself, smoothed back his hair, and hurried after his fiancé.
Dave was already downstairs and standing in the foyer, waiting for Kurt. He stared down at the older man as he came down the steps and looked at him as if he were seeing him for the first time.
The billionaire was standing unknowingly in a shaft of late afternoon sunlight that highlighted the auburn tint in his brown hair and painted a stripe across his hazel eyes, turning them golden. He was big and muscular and obviously fit, his body looking powerful in the fashionable black outfit, a heavy wool coat over his arm.
Kurt suddenly felt shy for the first time in a long time as David stood there looking up at him as if Kurt were the most precious thing ever. No one had ever made him feel the way David did and he knew the color that had begun to recede from his cheeks had come flooding back. He smiled tentatively at his lover and joined him by the door.
He took the coat from David and moved to help him into it, settling the expensive material across his broad shoulders and using the opportunity to stroke him lovingly. He leaned up against him and placed a swift kiss on the smiling lips. "You look so handsome, David. Have I said how much I love you?"
Dave smiled down into his very favorite pair of eyes and nodded. "Yes, all the time." Their heads came together and, of course, their lips. They stood like this for maybe less than half a minute before they heard the sound of movement behind them.
Dana Goring had come from the kitchen to see them off. She didn't have to but something about these two men drew her; their love for each other was so plain to see and so pure, they positively glowed with it.
Dave smiled at the woman. "We're heading out now, Dana, going over to Lima to see Kurt's family. We should be back pretty late so we'll see you tomorrow?" She nodded as she smiled at Kurt's flushed face.
Kurt fluttered his fingers at her and with a smile he grabbed the gift bags waiting by the front door. He spared a quick glance into it, checking the contents and just prayed they would be graciously accepted by the recipients.
They headed out to Ian and Devon who were already in the car and, after stowing the gifts in the boot, they were away to Lima for the evening. If Kurt grasped David's hand a little more tightly than was usual, Dave was too much of a gentleman to mention it. He just held tightly to the long fingers and, every now and then, dropped a couple of kisses on them. His sweet, reassuring smiles were enough for Kurt… for now.
.
KHDK
.
The miles flew by and before they knew it, the four men were pulling up before Burt and Carole's spacious home in Lima. It was just coming up to 4 o'clock and Kurt, relaxed and composed, looked up at the house with a twinge of nostalgia. He shook it off though and turned to his fiancé, smiling at his handsome lover with appreciation.
Dave joined him and then the four men headed towards the front door. Burt opened it with Carole standing close behind him with an eager expression on her broad face. There were hugs and kisses (Kurt and Carole, that is) as the guests were welcomed into the Hudson-Hummel home, Carole hugging both Ian and Devon as well.
The house was a much larger one than the one Kurt had grown up in and he knew that Carole had been instrumental in the change. She, quite naturally, had not wanted to start her married life to Burt with the memory of Elizabeth Hummel imprinted on every room of the house she was to share with her new husband.
Kurt didn't resent it at all; in fact, he was quite happy that his childhood home would not be tainted with the presence of any homophobic, two-faced jock who smiled at their parents and then turned a jaundiced eye on Kurt when no one was looking. The move turned out to be fairly painless because Finn, being quite a few years older, was not required to live with them and Burt, Carole and Kurt had settled happily into the new, roomier house.
Now Kurt looked around at the house and sighed in happy remembrance. He had been fairly contented here and he had been so pleased with how well Burt and Carole had adjusted to each other. Carole was really a wonderful person and a great stepmother. She never pushed for Kurt to spend more time than he wanted with them and she even ran interference for him with Burt with regard to his sexuality. She really was a warm, loving person and Kurt hugged her now as if he hadn't just spent the last month or so in her presence.
Carole laughed, flushed and happy as she held her beautiful stepson to her generous chest. The boy was certainly glowing with happiness and she knew they had David to thank for that. She stepped back and held Kurt at arms' length.
"My, sweetie, you are one gorgeous boy! You always seem to be glowing," she laughed, and faint color flooded Kurt's face. She released him so he could go and hug his dad, the older Hummel looking just as pleased with his son's obvious happiness.
"Hi, daddy, I missed you!" Kurt nuzzled his nose against his dad's neck, a habit he thought he'd grown out of. Burt patted his back comfortingly but pulled back eventually to smirk at his son.
"Kid, I just saw you less than two days ago!" The others burst out laughing at Kurt's dramatics but he took it in stride.
"Yeah, well maybe it was that tedious drive from Westerville that made it seem like more time had passed," he retorted, his pink lips in a fake pout.
"Come inside, everyone, come on. Ian, Devon, this is your first time here in Ohio?"
The men all hung their coats and scarves up in the hall closet before Carole guided the two Brits to join her in the family room, the men sharing one of the two-seater sofas. As the three of them chatted amiably, Devon's warm chuckles sounding every now and then, Burt turned to Kurt and David.
"So, is Kurt going to give you the tour?" He looked at the two men, knowing that Kurt would no doubt want to show Dave his old bedroom at least.
Kurt nodded vigorously, his hand wrapping itself around one of David's biceps and tugging mightily. "Come on, handsome, let me show you my den of iniquity!"
Burt waved them off and turned back to join his wife who was happily regaling the two men on life in the US. He joined in and for the next half hour or so there was a happy buzz in the house as he could hear Kurt showing David all around the place.
Near the end of the short tour, Dave crowded Kurt against the wall of the passageway leading from Kurt's bedroom. He leaned down to whisper in one delicate ear: "Do you think I would've been able to keep my hands off of you back then?"
Kurt shivered as the warmth of David's breath tickled the side of his neck. His voice was breathy when he answered, his hips already beginning its dance against David's. "Mmmm, I don't know…. Maybe?"
He threw his head back so David could have better access to the tender skin of his throat, trying hard to suppress a groan as the large man's mouth nibbled and suckled at him.
He gasped as he felt an answering bulge in the front of his fiancé's trousers and he unconsciously lifted one thigh to adjust the angle more favourably. "Ohhh, David, sweetie…"
David, eventually realizing how inappropriately turned on they were, standing here in Kurt's dad's house, eased back. His lips, though, were reluctant to leave the tempting flesh of Kurt's long, smooth neck. When he finally raised his head, he winced when he saw the hickey he'd left behind and knew without a doubt his lover was not going to be happy with him.
"Wow, we, uh, we better go and rejoin the others before your dad comes looking, huh?" Dave ran his hands through his hair, his eyes riveted to Kurt's face, and wished for a transporter beam to just take them now back to their own bedroom. He chuckled ruefully when Kurt raised an eyebrow at his stare and shook his head.
"Come on," and he grabbed Kurt's hand, hoping the obvious swellings in both their trousers would subside more by the time they got back to the others. Kurt, being the smart man he was, detoured to the kitchen and called through to the others, asking what they all wanted to drink.
Dave smiled as he followed his lover and helped him get a tray ready with the coffee things. By the time the hot beverage was ready, both he and Kurt were more presentable and they sauntered into the family room, laden with trays of coffee and Carole's signature carrot raisin cake.
After the convivial bustle of pouring and serving and finding seats and drinking and eating, a small quiet descended on the room as everyone looked at Kurt. He was busy delicately devouring his generous slice of cake when he noticed the silence and looked up; his eyebrows flew up his forehead when he saw all eyes on him.
He quickly dabbed at his lips, certain he had cream cheese frosting somewhere on his face. He looked at David – who looked strangely discomfited and wouldn't meet his gaze – and then he looked over at his dad and Carole.
Poor Carole was trying to stifle a giggle but she was no match for it; it burst out in a series of cascading sounds that got louder and louder. Finally she gasped, fanned herself and looked at Kurt apologetically.
The men, including his dad, all looked at different points in the room and that just made Kurt mad.
"What?"
Carole smiled at him, a mischievous gleam in her warm blue eyes. "Sweetie, I think David must have inherited vampire blood."
Kurt stared at her blankly for a second or two and then his eyes widened accusingly at David. Before he could rip him one though, his lover's large hand came down on his, stilling him.
"I confess," he started solemnly, all eyes on him now. "I started teething late."
There was a short, disbelieving silence before everyone burst out laughing, including Kurt who really couldn't remain angry with his handsome fiancé for long. Kurt hadn't known what to expect but he thought at least he'd get an apology but this was just nuts.
He felt David's arm go around him and the man's nose nuzzling his hair as the laughter around the room gradually died down. They all settled back into the earlier conversations they had been having and everyone apparently forgot about Kurt's inconvenient hickey.
Kurt felt warm and happy sitting in this house, leaning against his lover's large body and watching his parents chat with Ian and Devon. The Brits were quiet, especially Ian who never spoke much anyway, but asked several questions about the state of Ohio, where it was in relation to New York, which every foreigner always asked, and what were the interesting places to see.
The time passed and as it was still winter, albeit a much milder one than in years past, the evening arrived fairly quickly. Kurt, once he realized it was soon time for Finn and his family to arrive, jumped up and called to Carole.
"Do you want me to help with dinner? I don't mind," and headed towards the kitchen with one of the trays. Devon rose to help with the other tray and together the three got the place sorted. They were going to eat in the formal dining room as the table seated eight (which they would be when Finn and Rachel arrived) but could be extended to accommodate twelve.
Carole had gone the whole nine yards with a roast turkey and trimmings and lots of side dishes so Kurt and Devon helped her transfer the stuff from the pantry to the kitchen where they would start re-heating the food.
Devon chattered away in his delightful accent which Carole simply adored and Kurt watched the two, amusing himself with the thought that Carole looked as if she wanted to adopt the cute, curly-haired agent.
The kitchen was huge, one of the features of which Kurt had wholeheartedly approved when they were looking at houses years ago. The walk-in pantry was definitely a plus as it was also large enough to hold not one, but two freezers. The stainless-steel state-of-the-art refrigerator in the kitchen was new to Kurt but he fell in love with it, loving the elegant, brushed steel finish. He hummed happily as he transferred various platters from the fridge to the counter tops while Carole and Devon handled the transfer of various pans and trays into the double ovens.
"Oh, Carole, everything smells so great," Kurt gushed as he wiped his hands on a kitchen towel. He leaned against a counter, his long legs in their leggings and boots crossed comfortably. Carole stopped to admire his outfit and then she looked over at Devon.
"Y'know, if this one hadn't gone into the theatre, he could have gone into high fashion." Her voice was so full of pride that Kurt couldn't help flushing, especially when Devon turned to run his eyes all the way from Kurt's boot heels up his slender body. When their eyes met, Devon winked, a naughty little smile on his face.
"I have a feeling our Kurt could have been anything he set his mind to," and laughed out loud when the flush on the diva's face deepened. Kurt straightened with a mock frown.
"Hey, if you two are done mocking me, I'll rejoin the civilized folk," he turned and with a little swish to his pert backside, strutted from the kitchen into the family room. He smiled at the sound of the two of them laughing behind him and went to perch on the arm of the couch beside David.
Dave smiled up at his sweet lover, a relaxed, contented feeling swelling in him. The house was redolent with the smell of the feast Carole had prepared and, despite the fact that they had been having coffee and cake not an hour earlier, he was more than ready for some real food!
Carole and Devon came back into the family room and she announced, "We'll eat when Rachel and Finn get here, folks," and plopped herself down beside Burt, jostling him playfully.
She was so very happy to have the house filled with family and friends and food and, to top it all off, her son was going to be a part of it soon. She rested her head with a little sigh of contentment against Burt's shoulder and he patted her hand understandingly.
Burt, too, was feeling the vibe of the afternoon and took a moment to admire the four unusually attractive men seated with him, one of whom was his own son. He was aware they were all gay but he could honestly say that that didn't matter one whit. He knew, too, that Puck and Devon were in love, having inadvertently discovered that back in England when he'd seen the two kissing and cuddling.
Ian, the quiet, taciturn one, was a bit of a puzzle as he never spoke much but Burt knew he was a good man. There was strength there and, maybe, a bit of loneliness, but he was always so professional and calm, even when the others were clowning around. A good man to have in a fight, Burt thought to himself.
His mind wandered to the two that Dave had shipped off to the islands – Julian and Xavier. He and Carole had been given a story that Julian had been hurt while on duty on New Year's eve night and that's all they'd been told. Burt suspected, though, from the way Kurt acted, that it had been a whole lot more complicated but he didn't push for more information. Kurt was a grown man and he, his dad, had to relinquish his protector mantle to David, who had signed on for the job.
He watched the two now and, as usual, an aura seemed to surround them. It was especially noticeable, at least to Burt, when the two were quiet as they were now. He marveled at how times had changed and he was happy for it; there was still a long way to go but society was at least attempting to get its head out of its butt where differences were concerned.
The soft chatter around the room was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell and with a tiny shriek, Carole leapt up to dash for the door yelling, "they're here!"
Kurt and Dave looked at each other and then at Burt who shook his head and rose, too. The others didn't move and soon the older couple was back, accompanied by Finn and his wife, Rachel. The men rose and waited for the introductions.
Carole, after a brief hesitation, introduced her towering son and his diminutive wife to David. "Dave, this is my son, Finnegan, and his lovely wife, Rachel."
Finn, too, hesitated before stretching out his paw to grasp David's hand, shaking it somewhat limply before stepping back. Rachel simply smiled widely and waved a little wave at Dave. Kurt nodded at Finn briefly but moved to hug Rachel tightly, the two murmuring quietly to each other.
Then Burt took over and introduced Ian and Devon as business associates of Dave's, not sure if saying 'bodyguard' was appropriate. The men shook hands, Ian remaining impassive but Devon smiling his big, beautiful grin as usual.
Rachel exclaimed at once, "Oh, you're English! I love your accent," and Devon nodded and chuckled though Ian said nothing. Soon everyone was finding a seat around the room and Carole and Rachel were talking about the kids that had been left with a sitter.
Finn looked uncomfortable and strangely out of place as he looked around for a seat and he finally settled into an armchair. Kurt and David were once again sitting together and, once Finn noticed that Dave was holding Kurt's hand, a faint frown showed up.
He cleared his throat and noticed that Kurt's eyes tightened slightly as he looked over at him. Finn ignored him and spoke to Dave. "So, uh, Dave, what do you do?"
A short silence dropped into the middle of the room and Kurt looked down at their clasped hands. Everyone turned to look at Dave who simply smiled and shrugged before answering.
"Oh, a little of this, a little of that." His smile was cool and professional and Finn couldn't understand the faintly hostile vibe he was getting.
He chuckled falsely and said, trying to look jovial, "Huh, you sound like one of the mafia guys in the movies."
Ian and Devon, taking their cues from David's body language, looked coolly over at Finn, all traces of amusement having disappeared.
Burt sighed and Carole jumped up again, clapping her hands loudly as she announced she was going to start dishing up. Kurt and Rachel got up to join her and together they left the silence behind.
When she reached the kitchen, Rachel turned to Kurt and hugged him again, a slightly sad look in her eyes. Kurt raised an eyebrow though he returned the hug but she said nothing, simply turned to help Carole with the platters of food.
Carole babbled while she directed them to the dining room with the food, a somewhat strained expression around her eyes. Kurt valiantly refrained from saying anything; he just kept complimenting her on how good everything looked and smelled and declared he couldn't wait to start eating. Eventually she relaxed and the atmosphere lightened considerably. Rachel helped by chattering about the boys and their latest accomplishments in growth and potty training, yadda, yadda, but Kurt was happy to listen.
Finally, Carole called everyone into the dining room and once everyone was seated, Burt declared he would say a few words before they tucked into the food.
They all looked up at him at the head of the table, waiting as he gathered his thoughts, and then he began.
"I won't make this a speech but I will say how happy I am, and Carole, too, that you could all be here. I'm equally happy that Kurt has found himself a good man, an excellent man I'd say but I want to spare David's blushes…"
Of course, David was blushing and Kurt leaned into him briefly, a soft smile in his eyes as he gazed at his fiancé. Burt continued.
"Last of all, I want to give thanks for family, food and friendship. With these three things a man has more than riches enough to see him through. Thank you, Carole, for the great food in front of us and, I may not say it often but I'll say it again, I love you."
Carole sniffled as she smiled adoringly at her husband.
Burt looked around the table at the faces turned towards him. "Now, before it gets cold, or warm as the case may be, let's eat!"
A little burst of laughter greeted that and then the controlled chaos of passing dishes and carving meat took place. In next to no time everyone had a plate piled high with the things they wanted, Devon every now and then asking the name of something that was unfamiliar. It was a normal sound, a family sound of clinking cutlery, faint hums of satisfaction and the occasional laughter and requests to pass this or that item.
Surely, nothing could be more normal than friends and family sharing a meal in a convivial setting. Kurt smiled happily even as he chewed, listening to his dad on one side and David on the other. As he looked up at one point, it was just in time to see Finn's eyes shift rapidly away from him. Kurt thought nothing of it because he was concentrating more on eating his fill than on his stepbrother's weirdness.
Plates were cleared, drinks were drunk, seconds were had and more than an hour after they'd sat down, Carole was jumping up asking who had room for dessert. Kurt groaned but, predictably everybody, besides him and Rachel, announced they were ready. Kurt got up to help Carole while Rachel helped to remove the dinner plates.
In the kitchen, Kurt cut up pies, laughing over the fact that Carole had bought both pumpkin pie and apple pie, while Carole got out the vanilla ice cream. She dished that out while Kurt arranged the pie-filled plates on a tray and then they both headed back to the others. Burt, Finn and David opted for apple pie but Devon and Ian said they'd try the pumpkin pie as it was something they weren't used to.
As Kurt placed Finn's pie plate before him and just as he was about to ask if he wanted ice cream as well, Finn looked up. His face was so close to Kurt's that the singer flushed and stepped back, almost bumping his hip into Rachel's shoulder. Finn held Kurt's gaze intently, a strange little gleam lurking in their depths and Kurt, uneasy, moved away before waiting for Finn's response about the ice cream.
David, having noted the odd little moment, frowned ever so slightly. Ian, always observant, trained his unrelenting gaze on Finn who, unfortunately, noticed it. The former jock paled at the way David's 'associate' stared at him and dropped his eyes quickly to his pie, belatedly realizing he had no ice cream.
Kurt had headed back into the kitchen, an angry little frown between his eyes and Carole came into find him filling a glass with cold water.
"Sweetie, you alright?" Her hand came up to caress his back as she stood beside him, staring up into his discontented face. He reminded her of when he was little and had a problem that he would refuse to talk about. Unsurprisingly, he shook his head and tried to smile.
"It's nothing; I guess I'm just a little off. Being back in Ohio after so long will do that, y'know," his smile a little bitter. Carole patted his back and moved off to replace the ice cream containers in the freezer.
"Oh, but you have David with you now. You will be fine." Her confident tone made Kurt smile and, more importantly, realize she was right.
"You know what? You are so right. Come on, let's go back," and he linked his arm with hers and rejoined the folks at the table.
His mask was back in place, an occurrence that Dave noted with sadness but he was beginning to understand his complex lover. This was the way Kurt had dealt with the harshness of being bullied when he was younger. No doubt he had a mantra like – never let them see you bleed. Dave didn't blame him; no, not when it had helped his beautiful lover to survive in an environment that had been spiritually and emotionally toxic for him.
He smiled up at Kurt as he sank back into the seat beside him. He lifted Kurt's fingers to his mouth and dropped a lingering kiss on the knuckles, not caring who was watching. He loved this man more than anything in the world. He would never be ashamed of that love, whether they were in London, Milan, New York or Lima fucking Ohio.
He smirked now as his eyes met Finn's, a warning clear in the golden-hazel depths: you make him unhappy, you will pay… dearly.
Finn blinked and paled again. He shook his head before dropping his eyes back to his plate. He didn't know who these people were with his stepbrother, but he was going to find out. He couldn't believe Burt was okay with this; but he wasn't, so he'd have to step up and sort things out. Yes, that was his mission now. Protect Kurt, even from himself.
.
TBC
.
A/N: Okay folks, Finn is here. Was he creepy enough in the last part or did he come across as befuddled. Well, review it, please, and let me know what you think, okay?