Title: And I Walk Back to Where You're Waiting
Author: 100YearGirl
Pairing(s): Kurtofsky
Rating: PG
Word Count: 998
Warnings: Fluff; language; precocious children.
Spoilers: Right up to Saturday Night Glee-ver.
Summary: Ficlet for the 100 Themes Challenge – Dave is school teacher, Kurt is a divorcee and hospital cafeterias aren't romantic or comfortable, but somehow it's not an issue. Instead, it's easy like Sunday morning and maybe a taste of things to come.

There are probably hundreds of people in the world with the surname Hudson, so the boy with wide dark eyes and tousled brown hair sitting dead centre in his new first grade class doesn't really stand out at first. Dave remembers his name is Michael, but then he makes damn sure to remember all his kids' names.

Looking back, he should have picked it though – Mikey is vivacious, outgoing and loves to be the centre of attention. More than that, he loves to make his classmates smile. He sings and bounces and tells the terrible jokes that five-year-olds find hysterical, but makes sure to include his shyer classmates.

He's an easy favourite, and Dave can't help but genuinely like the kid.

Which is why he nearly loses his cool when the boy takes a serious tumble and breaks his arm in two places.

Mikey is a mess, sobbing and wailing and refusing to let anyone but Dave carry him to the ambulance and cradle him the whole way to the ED. Dave sits with him when they take prelim x-rays and while they wait for Mikey's parents to arrive.

They don't wait long. And then Dave feels like an idiot when – of course – Rachel Hudson-Berry tornadoes into the room demanding to know what's happened to her precious boy. Finn is following in her wake, and behind him…

Good God.

Kurt.

"Mommy!" Mikey enthuses, but doesn't get down from the bed beside Dave. He's exhausted. "Mr Karofsky saved me!"

Oh Lord…

Rachel blinks at him. "David. I didn't know you were…"

Dave smiles, refusing to feel awkward. "Teaching. First grade. For about three years now."

"And you're…"

"Mikey's teacher, yeah."

She looks at him like she's never seen him before and is puzzled but pleasantly surprised, and then Finn is there, grinning and oblivious.

"Hey man! I didn't know you were in New York! Great to see you –" He gathers Mikey into his arms, careful of the break and winces. "Maybe under better circumstances would've been better…"

Dave smiles. "Yeah, good to see you too." He looks to the figure hovering just beside the privacy curtain. "Hey Kurt."

Kurt smiles back, small and soft. "Hi Dave. Long time no see."

"How's Blaine?"

"I have no idea," Kurt says. "He's in Thailand."

Awk. Ward.

"I hear it's nice this time of year," Dave says drily, and Kurt's smile goes wide and true.

"Mmm, monsoon season…"

"Awesome." He tears his eyes away from Kurt (he can't believe he still has to do that; it's been five years for God's sake) and says to Finn and Rachel. "The doc should be around here somewhere, hang on."

He leaves Mikey with his parents and his uncle and goes to find the duty doctor. Once the doc is sent in the Hudson-Berries' direction, Dave retires the waiting room, fills in paperwork, calls the school to update them and then thinks seriously about the last time he had caffeine.

He concludes it's been too long.

He's just stirring brown sugar (which he had to flirt out of the cafeteria staff) into his second cup when Kurt settles into the seat opposite him like it's the most natural thing in the world.

"Hi again," he says, smiling. Dave blinks back at him.

"Uh…hi. Again."

Kurt grins. "It really is good to see you, David."

Dave smiles. "Okay. Its…kinda surprising to see you again. Aren't you supposed to be a film set somewhere?"

"I've got a few days off," Kurt dismisses, "and the set's only just out of town."

"Cool," Dave says, and flounders for a bit. He's not really in the swing of having mundane conversations with Kurt – it was always angst and drama and PFLAG with them. Kurt fixes him with those searchlight eyes.

"You shouldn't believe everything the glossy magazines tell you, David," he says shrewdly.

"Oh no?"

"Certainly not. If they're to be believed I've been a woman for years now and Blaine and I divorced because he's developed a taste for Thai lady-boys."

Dave comes dangerously close to spraying coffee all over their table. "Good to know," he chokes.

Kurt grins. "I'm going to prove them wrong; there's a full frontal scene in this movie."

Dave stares at him, narrows his eyes. "You're doing this to get a rise out of me aren't you?"

"Working is it?" Kurt laughs, delighted. "So, how's teaching?"

Dave can't help smiling; it's so far from big-wig sports agent but it's a far better fit for him. It feels better. He gets Schuster now, why he put so much of himself into that glee club.

"Amazing." He shakes his head. "I honestly…I never thought this would be what I'd do with myself, but I love it, y'know?"

Kurt has his chin resting on one hand and is smiling at him, expression unreasonably fond. "I know."

Dave looks down, smiles, shakes head again. "People forget that it's a privilege to teach. They forget what kind of impact they can have on a person."

"You haven't though."

"No. The day that happens…" Dave chuckles. "The day that happen it'll be time for a career change." He smiles at Kurt. "What about you?"

"Hmmm…" Kurt makes a face. "I think I'm going to take a break."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's been all go since college and…I deserve one." He sighs. "Honestly? I miss my family. And…one of the reasons Blaine and I broke up was because I want a family. He didn't think he was ready."

"And now?" Dave is burning with curiosity. He loves and hates it; he thought he was over Kurt…but it could be that distance was lying to him.

"Well, I still want a family."

Kurt gives him one of those sidelong, teasing smiles. But there's something warm there, too.

"It's just a matter of meeting the right guy…"

(Years from now, Dave'll look back on this conversation and think, 'huh…' right before Kurt and their five year old Laurie draw him into a tickle fight…)

AN: Short, I know, but these things come with a word limit!