The Long Walk to Westerville
Short, unbeta'd fic about just how Blaine got home from the bar that night.
“Blaine! Blaine!”
Blaine kept walking, wrapping his arms around himself. He could hear Kurt calling him but he ignored it. His feet were unsteady; the argument had sobered him some but he could feel the alcohol still pulling at him. He was just trying to be spontaneous! He hadn’t meant to make Kurt angry. And yeah, okay, Sebastian was sort of forward - okay, really forward - but Blaine was just trying to be nice. Besides, he didn’t want anyone but Kurt.
It was cold. Blaine tripped over a curb and stumbled down to the ground. He sat down on the concrete, brushing his hands off and sighing. He was sure Kurt was gone by now. He’d given him no reason to stick around.
Fuck, he was stupid.
“You look awful cold down there.” Blaine squinted up at the figure standing above him. It was…. no way…
“David?” he said. “The hell are you doing here?”
Dave shrugged. “I’m gay. At a gay bar. Figure it out.” He sighed. “On your feet hobbit, let me drive you home.”
Blaine considered that tipsily for a moment. He had a feeling Kurt would prefer him in the company of Dave than the company of Sebastian. “Fine.” He stood shakily. “I could… use a ride.”
Dave’s eyes glittered from under the brim of his cap. “Truck’s this way.” He started walking.
Blaine followed. He snickered. “Truck? And they call us stereotypical?” He watched his feet, trying to stay on them long enough to get there. Dave held the door open for him and he clambered inside.
Dave started the engine and said, “I know you live in Westerville… once we get there you’ll have to give me directions. Where the hell were you gonna go anyway?”
“Were you watching us?” Blaine asked, voice accusing. “Are you stalking Kurt?”
Dave rolled his eyes. “I’ve been going there for a while, Anderson. I like it there. I didn’t know Kurt would be there. But I guess you didn’t notice me chatting up your boyfriend at the bar, did you?” Dave glanced at him, cocking an eyebrow. “You were too busy dancing with Sebastian.”
“You know him?” Blaine rubbed at his temple as a headache began to set in.
Dave nodded. “Yeah. He’s in there a lot.” Blaine waited but he didn’t offer anything else. He leaned his head against the cool glass of the window.
“So what exactly did you talk about with my boyfriend?”
“None of your business.” Dave’s voice was calm, his tone flat.
“The hell it isn’t, he’s my boyfriend.” Blaine winced as his head throbbed.
“You might wanna remember that when you’re dancing with a guy like Sebastian.”
“I wasn’t doing anything wrong,” Blaine muttered.
Dave laughed. “Obviously Kurt didn’t agree.”
“You like him don’t you?” Blaine turned to glare at Dave.
Dave was silent for a long moment. “Yeah,” he said finally. “I do.”
Blaine scoffed. “Well you’re never gonna get him.” The headache was making him mean. That and realizing that Kurt had been right and he’d been a real dick all night.
Dave gave another smirk. “Oh, I don’t know about that, hobbit,” he said, voice sly. “You keep pulling shit like you pulled tonight and who knows what’ll happen.”
“Fuck you.”
Dave laughed. “I would say you’re not my type but… that’s a lie. I just don’t like you.”
Blaine leaned his head against the window again. “The feeling’s mutual.”
They drove in silence for a long time. Blaine was tired, his eyelids dragging. But he didn’t want to fall asleep in Dave’s truck. He sat up after a while, stretching. He looked over and saw that Dave had taken his hat off. He wasn’t quite as intimidating as before. He also noticed something that had been tugging at him. “Holy shit, you’re dressed like Burt,” Blaine said, eyes widening. “You look just like him!”
“You mean Kurt’s dad?” Dave shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. That’s cool, though. I liked Kurt’s dad.”
“Didn’t he slam you against a wall?”
“Well yeah. That’s why I like him. He’d just had a heart attack and he still was gonna kick my ass for messing with his kid. That’s pretty badass. Besides, he raised Kurt. And… he accepts him.”
“And your dad doesn’t?” Blaine waited but Dave didn’t respond to that, just kept his eyes on the road. Blaine sighed. “You know after you started that whole bully ships thing, there was a minute where I thought I’d lose Kurt to you.” The alcohol was making Blaine’s tongue loose. “He just… kept talking about you. And you were walking him to class and stuff. Always together… I didn’t like it.”
Dave smirked. “I loved it.”
“God, you’re an asshole.”
“No, I’m being honest. I like your boyfriend. If I had a half a chance, I’d snatch him up. And frankly, that shit you pulled tonight makes me think I might. So thanks for that.”
Blaine was so angry he almost missed the turning for his house. He caught it just in time, shouting, “There! Turn there!” Dave whipped the truck around the corner. “It’s the blue one.” The truck pulled up to the curb.
“Listen,” Dave said. Blaine waited, his hand on the door handle. “Yeah I like Kurt but… I want him to be happy. And I think he’s happy with you; most of the time anyway. So don’t fuck this up, okay?” Dave was looking at him now, eyes serious. “He deserves someone who doesn’t dance with other dudes at gay bars and who doesn’t try to fuck him in the back of a car in the middle of winter. Okay?”
Fuck. Hearing it said like that, spelled out so vulgarly… fuck, he was an idiot. He nodded. “Okay.” He opened the door and hopped out, then turned back. “Hey, David? You… have nice eyes.” He wasn’t sure why he said it, just that he was drunk and depressed and hell, it was true.
Dave smirked at him. “Yeah, hobbit? Well thanks. You have a nice ass.” With that he pulled away, leaving Blaine standing in front of his house, freezing and wishing they’d never gone to that stupid bar.
“Blaine! Blaine!”
Blaine kept walking, wrapping his arms around himself. He could hear Kurt calling him but he ignored it. His feet were unsteady; the argument had sobered him some but he could feel the alcohol still pulling at him. He was just trying to be spontaneous! He hadn’t meant to make Kurt angry. And yeah, okay, Sebastian was sort of forward - okay, really forward - but Blaine was just trying to be nice. Besides, he didn’t want anyone but Kurt.
It was cold. Blaine tripped over a curb and stumbled down to the ground. He sat down on the concrete, brushing his hands off and sighing. He was sure Kurt was gone by now. He’d given him no reason to stick around.
Fuck, he was stupid.
“You look awful cold down there.” Blaine squinted up at the figure standing above him. It was…. no way…
“David?” he said. “The hell are you doing here?”
Dave shrugged. “I’m gay. At a gay bar. Figure it out.” He sighed. “On your feet hobbit, let me drive you home.”
Blaine considered that tipsily for a moment. He had a feeling Kurt would prefer him in the company of Dave than the company of Sebastian. “Fine.” He stood shakily. “I could… use a ride.”
Dave’s eyes glittered from under the brim of his cap. “Truck’s this way.” He started walking.
Blaine followed. He snickered. “Truck? And they call us stereotypical?” He watched his feet, trying to stay on them long enough to get there. Dave held the door open for him and he clambered inside.
Dave started the engine and said, “I know you live in Westerville… once we get there you’ll have to give me directions. Where the hell were you gonna go anyway?”
“Were you watching us?” Blaine asked, voice accusing. “Are you stalking Kurt?”
Dave rolled his eyes. “I’ve been going there for a while, Anderson. I like it there. I didn’t know Kurt would be there. But I guess you didn’t notice me chatting up your boyfriend at the bar, did you?” Dave glanced at him, cocking an eyebrow. “You were too busy dancing with Sebastian.”
“You know him?” Blaine rubbed at his temple as a headache began to set in.
Dave nodded. “Yeah. He’s in there a lot.” Blaine waited but he didn’t offer anything else. He leaned his head against the cool glass of the window.
“So what exactly did you talk about with my boyfriend?”
“None of your business.” Dave’s voice was calm, his tone flat.
“The hell it isn’t, he’s my boyfriend.” Blaine winced as his head throbbed.
“You might wanna remember that when you’re dancing with a guy like Sebastian.”
“I wasn’t doing anything wrong,” Blaine muttered.
Dave laughed. “Obviously Kurt didn’t agree.”
“You like him don’t you?” Blaine turned to glare at Dave.
Dave was silent for a long moment. “Yeah,” he said finally. “I do.”
Blaine scoffed. “Well you’re never gonna get him.” The headache was making him mean. That and realizing that Kurt had been right and he’d been a real dick all night.
Dave gave another smirk. “Oh, I don’t know about that, hobbit,” he said, voice sly. “You keep pulling shit like you pulled tonight and who knows what’ll happen.”
“Fuck you.”
Dave laughed. “I would say you’re not my type but… that’s a lie. I just don’t like you.”
Blaine leaned his head against the window again. “The feeling’s mutual.”
They drove in silence for a long time. Blaine was tired, his eyelids dragging. But he didn’t want to fall asleep in Dave’s truck. He sat up after a while, stretching. He looked over and saw that Dave had taken his hat off. He wasn’t quite as intimidating as before. He also noticed something that had been tugging at him. “Holy shit, you’re dressed like Burt,” Blaine said, eyes widening. “You look just like him!”
“You mean Kurt’s dad?” Dave shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. That’s cool, though. I liked Kurt’s dad.”
“Didn’t he slam you against a wall?”
“Well yeah. That’s why I like him. He’d just had a heart attack and he still was gonna kick my ass for messing with his kid. That’s pretty badass. Besides, he raised Kurt. And… he accepts him.”
“And your dad doesn’t?” Blaine waited but Dave didn’t respond to that, just kept his eyes on the road. Blaine sighed. “You know after you started that whole bully ships thing, there was a minute where I thought I’d lose Kurt to you.” The alcohol was making Blaine’s tongue loose. “He just… kept talking about you. And you were walking him to class and stuff. Always together… I didn’t like it.”
Dave smirked. “I loved it.”
“God, you’re an asshole.”
“No, I’m being honest. I like your boyfriend. If I had a half a chance, I’d snatch him up. And frankly, that shit you pulled tonight makes me think I might. So thanks for that.”
Blaine was so angry he almost missed the turning for his house. He caught it just in time, shouting, “There! Turn there!” Dave whipped the truck around the corner. “It’s the blue one.” The truck pulled up to the curb.
“Listen,” Dave said. Blaine waited, his hand on the door handle. “Yeah I like Kurt but… I want him to be happy. And I think he’s happy with you; most of the time anyway. So don’t fuck this up, okay?” Dave was looking at him now, eyes serious. “He deserves someone who doesn’t dance with other dudes at gay bars and who doesn’t try to fuck him in the back of a car in the middle of winter. Okay?”
Fuck. Hearing it said like that, spelled out so vulgarly… fuck, he was an idiot. He nodded. “Okay.” He opened the door and hopped out, then turned back. “Hey, David? You… have nice eyes.” He wasn’t sure why he said it, just that he was drunk and depressed and hell, it was true.
Dave smirked at him. “Yeah, hobbit? Well thanks. You have a nice ass.” With that he pulled away, leaving Blaine standing in front of his house, freezing and wishing they’d never gone to that stupid bar.