An Interlude in L.A.
Having spent so long preparing for them, the week of the final exams was a bit of an anti-climax when it came for both Thad and David. Four years of hard work had lead them up to this moment, a few hours spent with pen and paper, writing down the distillation of the knowledge they had acquired, so that it could be judged by those in authority. The long hours of study paid off, and neither of them had found the tests to stressful. They both felt confident about the results, and had no doubt that they would be graduating on time.
By the same token, they also knew that it was the start of a new phase in both their lives; a parting of the ways. They had been friends now for nearly eight years, since Wes had introduced them to each other in freshman year at Dalton. He had also been instrumental in strengthening their bonds when he had persuaded them to live together whilst they were at college. What had started off as a convenience had developed into a close friendship, which had sustained them both when Wes had died. They had both known for some time that they would be heading off in different directions after school, with David staying on the west coast whilst Thad headed back home, so to speak. They hadn't really discussed what it would mean for them, but both of them felt a little bereft at the notion. Sure, David would not be alone - he had Mercedes, and of course, Jake and Unique. The fact that they were going to be moving in with him after Thad went was a great relief. David liked the place he lived in, and the whole thought of having to find somewhere new had terrified him. It had been Mercedes that had come up with the plan, and he was grateful.
For Thad things were different. He would be living alone once he returned to Dalton. He would have people close by, albeit not the close friends that his current roommate would have. He would have his work, and that was all he needed. Since Wes had gone, he valued his private time more. He knew that David was as concerned about him being alone as he was with the fact that he had began to take far more risks in life, but it was more than okay by him. He wouldn't have time to dwell anyway, what with work, and keeping an eye on things as Head Warbler.
When the last paper had been written, and their contemporaries began to crowd to the bars and clubs, David and Thad headed home, and just spent the evening unwinding in each other's company. They didn't do it as much as they once had, life having intervened and given one of them a very nice girlfriend, but Mercedes had a busy few days, or so she said. Secretly she had told David that so that he could enjoy a bit of bro time with Thad guilt free. They had worked so hard for so long after all, and they were about to separate after so much time living together; they needed to end it on a good note. The few days between the end of finals and commencement would be a good chance for them to deal with the impact of the future. It was true that Thad would not be leaving right away, and they had a roadtrip planned as he headed back to Ohio, but they were closer than any other friends that Mercedes knew; even Puck and Finn hadn't been so bonded.
Commencement when it did come would also show just how different their family circumstances were. David's mom would be heading out naturally, and she would be joined by Mercedes, both of them so proud of the young man they loved with equal measure. Thad on the other hand would not have a parent at the ceremony; he had contacted them, but had received the terse response that as medical professionals, they could not just drop everything and head to the west coast for trivial matters. If that was not bad enough, the message had gone on to say that had he been graduating from the medical school his father had wished him to attend, then naturally they would have been there, to show everyone how proud they were of their son. Thad had not said anything to anyone about the note, but David had come across it by chance and had felt heart sore for his friend. Thad was convinced now, more than ever, that he was better off without those people in his life. As for Ollie, well things there were complicated. He wanted to come, but he could not guarantee that he would be able to get the time off from the hospital. As was often the case, there was a shortage of doctors in the ER, and heading to the west coast meant at least three days spent away from work. Thad had told him that he understood, and that had made Oliver all the more determined that he would be there, even if he had to fly in, cab it straight to the ceremony, then run for a flight back home immediately after. The look on his little brother's face when he saw him in the crowd would be priceless.
There would naturally be another person present for the event, albeit one that was invisible to most. Wes would not miss those days for anything; his best friend and the love of his life were going to graduate from college, and he had to be there to show his support to them. Because of the size of the graduating class from such a large institution, he would have two ceremonies to attend; David's on Saturday afternoon, and Thad's on Sunday morning. That did mean that they would both have each other in the audience though. He had also spoken to Principal Carmichael, and he had agreed that he and his wife would do for Thad what they had done for Ethan. They would attend David's commencement too, just to be fair, but it would be the newest member of staff at Dalton that they would be there for in the main.
On the Saturday morning, David had woken earlier than normal, but had made no effort to get out of bed and start those preparations for the day ahead, content just to lie there and think. His mom had arrived the previous day, but was not staying with them, opting instead to take up the kind offer from Mercedes to stay at her place. It gave her an opportunity to spend more time with the woman that would be her daughter-in-law one of these days, and she liked that. They might have come from very different backgrounds and two generations, but they had a lot in common, and both were sure that their relationship was going to be a harmonious one. It also meant that the spare room would be available for Ollie, if he was able to get the Sunday off the roster. He would not find out until that morning, which was frustrating for them all. Eventually David heard Thad starting to move around, and he knew that was his own cue to get up and make an appearance. He padded into the kitchen just in time to see Thad looking at his phone, and a big smile appear on his face. He knew without being told what it meant.
"Morning Thad! I take it that your brother will be sleeping in our spare room tonight by the look on your face?" said David, as he reached for the jug of freshly brewed coffee that was sitting in the machine.
"Yeah, one of his colleagues took pity on him and agreed to do it, but according to Ollie, he has just sold his soul to the devil as a result. He says that it is totally worth it though to see me graduate from school. I'll be honest with you, but you can't ever repeat this; had he not been able to make it, then I probably wouldn't have gone tomorrow. I'd have called in sick and insisted that we just have a day at the beach instead. I mean, it's just a ceremonial really, and not going doesn't mean not getting your qualification."
"True, but it's also a day of celebration. I'd have wanted to see you up on that stage, walking out there to get that paper as the audience applauded. So would Mercedes for that matter. You're like a brother to me; you're family, and always will be as far as I am concerned. In any case, I have a funny feeling that there might well be two older people in town that would be attending on your behalf anyway. Wes sent the Carmichaels to Princeton for Ethan, and I have a funny feeling that they will appear here for you sometime today. So you can forget the idea of not going for that reason at least."
Thad nodded, knowing that was exactly what his own personal angel would have arranged for him. He was also sure that Wes would be there to watch with pride as his little one gained the right to put letters after his name, and cemented his future place as a member of the faculty at Dalton. He had promised as much, and had pointed out that in many ways, his untimely demise had been beneficial to them. Had he lived, he would have been finishing college this year, and it would have been difficult for Thad to get to Harvard to see him graduate, as he would have been in the midst of his own exams. Thad had felt mixed emotions at that, as he would give everything he had up to have Wes alive again.
When Mrs Thompson had arrived on Friday, Thad found himself being invited out to dinner with David and Mercedes. He had tried to demure, but he had no reasonable excuse anymore; he could no longer claim that he had coursework to finish, and he was as yet unable to state that he had a pile of essays to grade, as he would be able to once he was at Dalton. It wasn't that he disliked the idea, it was just that he felt like an intruder into what should be a family moment. No matter how many times David told him that he was like a brother to him these days, he knew that he wasn't. He knew that apart from Ollie, he was as good as dead to his own family - and he felt guilty that thanks to him, his older brother had also more or less cut himself off. Oliver denied that it was the case, but he knew it was true. Family was a difficult subject at times; it shouldn't be, but for some, appearances were more important than respecting what your children wanted to do with the remainder of their lives. He had another family of course, and they cared for him, in spite of all the things he had messed up in. As a result, he wasn't often left with time to be concerned for his two sisters, or his eldest brother; what he did miss was the fact that by now, he probably had a niece or nephew, and they would never know that they had an Uncle Thad. He had always wanted children of his own, but he knew that would never happen now. It was bad enough for some that two men were allowed to raise a child; they would never accept a single gay man raising one alone. He would just have to be content with being Uncle Thad to the children of his fellow Warblers…
The meal was not as bad as he had thought it might be. Mrs Thompson had hugged him the moment she saw him, and had asked him all about his plans for the future. She also told him that she expected him to come and visit her once he was back in Ohio, as she saw him as family. After all, he had looked after David so well when his own heart was breaking after Wes had passed away. Thad loved the sentiment, but wondered if she would feel the same way if she knew what he had almost done on the day of Wes' Memorial at Dalton. It was never discussed between the two young men after the day in question, but it had changed the dynamics of the relationship. Every time that he went out to try something new, David looked worried; but if he didn't say anything, it would be worse. Thad chuckled inwardly as he recalled the expression on David's face when he had come home after his first bungee jump. He had begged Thad to tell him if he was ever going to do anything like that again, and so he did. He wasn't sure that it actually helped his friend. He looked terrified every time he told him what he was off to do.
The next morning was not supposed to be a great rush. David's ceremony was scheduled to begin at 12.30pm, unlike Thad's the following day, which was at the relatively ungodly hour of 9.30am. They guessed it had been timed for then so that anyone that wished to attend church could still do so after the event. Thad had volunteered to head to the cleaners first thing to pick up their suits, both of them having decided that it was better to send them there than attempt to wash and iron them themselves. It was a great day for the event - as he drove to the store he basked in the warm early morning sunshine through the windscreen. He sang along to the songs playing on the car radio, happy and content. Everything was going to plan….
The moment he spotted the fire trucks in the street outside the dry cleaners he knew that everything had just gone horribly wrong. He didn't even bother to stop and speak to anyone; the gutted building and the wisps of smoke still drifting out of the place told him all he needed to know. The only thing for it now was to head in the direction of the nearest mall, in the hope of finding two pristine replacement suits at a moments notice. He would leave telling David about it until after he had bought them; there was no point in driving him wild when he could sort it on his own. He could recall the sizes that his friend wore after all from when the new Warbler uniforms had been made…
Thad always turned his phone off when he was driving; had he not done so, then he might have noticed the texts that were streaming into his phone. He had not noticed the local TV news crew that had been filming outside the store, nor had he realised that it was going out live. As a result, David was fully aware that his best suit had gone up in smoke, and in just under 3 hours, he was due to be wearing it for one of the most important events of his life. He was nearly into full meltdown mode by the time that Wes twigged what was going on, and abandoned his desk to head down to calm him down before he had a heart attack.
"So the store has burnt down and you've lost your suit. In the great scheme of life, Davie, that isn't so much of an issue. You know Thad as well as I do; he also knows you, and he probably wasn't aware that you would see what had happened on the television. Rather than worry you and get you into the state you are in, he has probably just headed to the nearest mall to get new suits for the pair of you. Now, I'm not going to leave you to check; I will get Blaine to go and alert him to the fact that you are stressing out, and that he needs to call you," Wes said the moment he got to his friend's side.
"You're right Wes, of course you are… It's just that today is such a big day for my mom, more than me, and I just want to look the part. I mean, what if he can't find one, or it doesn't fit? Plus it will need ironed, and neither of us are that good at ironing a suit!" David replied, still on the verge of hyperventilating.
"Number one, your gown will cover most of the suit anyway, and number two, if it is really an issue, then I will see if Kurt can come and sort it out or you. I'm quite certain that he wouldn't mind, if it is going to calm you down." said Wes, and was glad when David nodded. He just hoped that his hunch about Thad was right.
When Blaine found Thad, he was already standing in the line at the store, two new suits draped over his arm. He had headed straight for the retailer that David's original suit had come from, and had found one in the identical style and cut, more or less. There had been a moment of panic when he could not find a suit jacket in the right size, and then it had occurred to him to check the sizing of the one that was being displayed on the stand next to the actual stock rail - and sure enough, it was the one that he needed. He surreptitiously swapped it over with another one from the rack, then had gone to search out one of his own. He only had to pay for them now, but when Blaine suddenly appeared in front of him, he wondered what was going on.
As if he was psychic, his angelic friend spoke. "There was a TV crew at the cleaners, and it was going out live. David knows, and is in full blown panic mode. Might be an idea to give him a quick call to let him know you've sorted things out."
Thad nodded, but could not do so at once, as it was his turn at the register. The clerk looked at him strangely, given that he was buying two suits in different sizes, so he decided not to tell her the truth, but to lie a little. He whispered "One for me, one for my best friend. We're eloping to Vegas to get married; he should be marrying his fiancée in two hours, but he's finally seen the light…" The expression of disbelief on the woman's face was priceless, and he relented and laughed. "Actually, the cleaners has burnt down, and our graduation suits were in there; he needs a new one for his ceremony in about two and a half hours," he said, but his initial statement had coloured the woman's impression of him, and she said nothing as she bagged up his goods, and accepted his payment.
Once back in the car, he called David, and said nothing more than "I'm on my way back right now with two new suits. Just breathe my friend. Yours is exactly the same as the one you've just lost, ok."
"Wes said that would be what you were doing, so thanks - but I wish you'd told me before now. Then again, if I hadn't been watching the news, I'd have been none the wiser until you got back. Thanks for sorting it. I don't know what I'd have done in your place; probably had a full blown panic attack outside the cleaners," replied David.
After assuring David that he was not to panic, he ended the call, and drove back home with Blaine in the passenger seat; the latter could have flown or just materialised back there, but he admitted that just occasionally he craved those things that had been mundane before he died, and travelling by car was one of those things. In addition, as he pointed out to Thad, they could talk in a car and no-one would notice that he seemed to be talking to thin air. As they drove, Blaine started to sing along to the radio as Thad had been doing earlier, and eventually they both did so, harmonising as well as they had done back at Dalton on the familiar tunes. In no time, they were back at the house, where David snatched the suit from Thad the moment that he stepped in so he could try it on. There was a brief wait in which they all feared that it might not, but David soon emerged wearing it to give Thad a hug for sorting everything out. It was instantly reciprocated.
Kurt was still summoned to come and help with the iron, although he shook his head and informed both of them that he would be coming back to teach them how to use an iron properly, given that David could not expect an international star like Mercedes to iron his suit for him before he went with her to some big event; nor could Thad walk around Dalton in a wrinkled suit, as the place had an image to maintain. Neither of them made any protest, as he did have a very good point. They were adults now, and they couldn't expect other people to run around behind them, not in these days of equality. Eventually the time came when they needed to head out to the venue, and with a big thanks to Kurt, they headed off to the place they had arranged to meet Mercedes and David's mom.
The moment that they arrived at the Pauley Pavilion, later than they would have liked thanks to the suit debacle, Thad could see that David had called it correctly; Aaron and Edith Carmichael were already there, talking to Mrs Thompson. As they stepped out of the car, Mercedes did a double take, as she was pretty sure that the suits they were wearing were not the ones she had seen them look out to send to the cleaners. As David had to hurry off and robe up, it was left to Thad to explain after his friend had kissed Mercedes quickly, then hastily greeted his mom and the Carmichaels. As he told the tale of woe of that morning to the others, Thad saw the looks on their faces, and he knew that whilst Principal Carmichael was sympathetic, the three women were thinking that if they had been prepared to iron their own suits, this would not have happened. They made their way inside, and as Mercedes and Mrs Thompson headed to the three seats that David had been allocated at the front, Thad paused to talk to the Carmichaels.
"It is really good of the two of you to come here to watch David graduate. I know that he appreciates it, just as the others did when they graduated from Princeton," he began.
"Yes, that was fortuitous; the fact that we were visiting my sister at the time," Aaron Carmichael began, but then his wife stopped him.
"I'm quite certain that Ethan will have talked to Thad since then, and so he will know that we went to visit your sister solely to be there so that Ethan did not graduate without someone that cared for him in the audience. I'm also sure that dear Wes will have told him that we would be here, and not for David's benefit…"
"Actually, Wes hasn't said anything, but David guessed you would be around. I do appreciate the fact that you've travelled across country for me, but there was no need really. I'd have had David, Mercedes and Mrs Thompson in the crowd tomorrow, and there is every chance that my brother might manage to get here," said Thad.
"We are aware of that, but there is every need for us to come. You are the Head Warbler after all, and it is a crying shame that your parents have seen fit to disown you just because you chose not to join the medical profession. You will be an excellent teacher, because you have a passion for it. I look at you, and it is like looking at Aaron at your age. One day, you will be Principal of Dalton, I am certain of it," replied Mrs Carmichael.
"My wife is right. In my lifetime, I fully expect to see you and young Dylan installed as Assistant Principals at the very least. As he is older than you, I would hazard a guess that he might become Principal for a short time, but then, when he retires, you will take over. It is reassuring to both of us that the future of the school is in such good hands…" Aaron Carmichael paused, and Thad smiled at him.
"Well, I will do my best to ensure that is the case, sir. In the meantime, I'd best head down and take my seat," Thad said, and hurried off down to the front, his head filled with conflicting emotions. Did he want that kind of responsibility? Could he do that and still be Head Warbler, with all that would entail? That was a question for another day though. Today was all about his best friend…
The ceremony passed off without a hitch, and they all cheered as David collected his certificate. Wes had appeared just before the first graduates walked across the stage; as Thad's seat was at the very end of a row, he squatted down next to him as the majority of the alphabet strolled across, then leapt to his feet to holler as his best friend, his brother, walked on. The reception afterwards was enjoyable too, and once again a college dean wondered at the dedication of the retired Principal of Dalton Academy having crossed the continent to be there for two of his students. Thad was glad of a chance to see what he had in store the following day, and whispered as much to Wes.
"I'm looking forward to it too, my love. The difference tomorrow is that I will be there on the far side of the stage so I can grab your hand the moment you walk off, and then, if a quiet corner is available, I will hug you as I would have done had I still been here," came his response. He saw that his words had brought sadness to Thad's eyes, so he swiftly changed the subject. "So, do you think that the Carmichaels will be in Washington DC next year for Trent? I know he will have the Hummels and his own family around, but as they've been around for all of the Warblers that graduated from Dalton the year you did, the others might feel aggrieved if they don't show up for them."
"Trent wouldn't mind, you know that. He would love it, but he will also know that they came to the two ceremonies this year because of me and Ethan," Thad responded, and opened his mouth to say more when his phone buzzed with an incoming message. He looked at it, and a broad smile came across his face. 'All sorted. Shifts swapped around. Will be on United Flight 494 tonight, arriving LAX 00.23. Any chance of meeting me?' Wes did not need to ask who the message was from; he could tell by the look of delight on his boyfriend's face that it was from Ollie, and that he was going to make it after all…
The late arrival time of his brother's flight was a bit of an issue, given that Thad had to be up early himself the next day to prepare for his big stage moment; it was no surprise to anyone when David volunteered to head to the airport instead to meet him. Thad accepted without argument, and so when his brother and his roommate came in around 1.30am, he was fast asleep. When he rose at just after 5.30am, the first thing Thad did was head to the spare room just to confirm that he had actually arrived, and then he set about readying himself for the day ahead. At 7.30, his suit on and more or less ready to leave, Thad found himself pulled into his brother's arms, and he happily reciprocated the gesture. Ollie was leaving again that night, but his flight was not until 11.20pm, so they would have time for a fraternal catch up before he had to go. Then it was time for Thad to leave, David and his brother following on behind him.
When Thad Harwood had imagined his graduation ceremony from UCLA in his freshman year, he had already known that his parents would be absent from the place; his expectation was that David would be around, and maybe Wes. The latter was there, but not in the audience; the former was in the company of his mother, Mercedes, the Carmichaels, and his brother. As he heard his name called out, and he stepped onto the stage, he heard the voices raised in the crowd cheering him on; he could see his angelic boyfriend clapping like mad ahead of him, waiting to embrace him the moment that he could. As he took his certificate, he realised that at that moment, he was happier than he had been for a long time. Everything in his life was coming together, with only one thing marring his happiness; the fact that he couldn't kiss Wes today, nor any time soon. He could live with that though. He knew that he would be able to do so for all eternity when the time came…
