@hardlydead

[outerfringe]

[One day David simply stops appearing by the fire with the rest of them, and Jeff does his very best to be relieved for him. There are only two real possible reasons for that, right? Either he'd actually died for real, or he'd managed to find a way back home- and either way, it meant that he was out of this place. Jeff tries to be happy for him, and for the most part, he is.

He doesn't think about David at all the first day after he wakes up on the cold floor of the Ormond resort, back stiff and jacket crusted with frost. Instead he's too busy finding his way back to town, organizing arrangements to make it home. His apartment key no longer works, he recognizes none of his neighbors, but his bank account was still somehow in alright standing.

Jeff finds a new place. He does not find a new dog.

He feels weird about creating a Facebook account just to check for David, but he does it anyway. When that comes up fruitless, he thinks a lot about the conversations the two of them had while tucked close together in the dark. Wonders if David would even want to be found by someone like him, to be faced with a reminder of the time they'd spent doing everything they could to simply survive.

Jeff tries to paint but can't seem to pull himself out of severe blacks and reds. Tries to catch up on the music he'd missed from the bands he'd loved but it fails to soothe him the way it had before. He considers a therapist, and then decides that he'd be locked away the second he was candid enough for someone to actually help him.

So he packs some things, books a flight. Finds himself at his fifth seedy pub in three days without much hope - except this time when he says he's looking for David King, the big guy by the bar makes a point of sizing him up. Jeff sets his shoulders, frowns and promises that he's an old friend, but it doesn't seem to affect much the scowl on the guy's face. He says something (that Jeff completely misses, he can barely understand a goddamn thing when people here are drunk and loud), but seems to indicate for him to wait.

Which he does. He parks on a stool with a drink, assumes his most unapproachable aura, and waits. He doesn't know who he's expecting to appear, but it's not David.

There's not a chance it would actually be that simple.]

Comments

[outerfringe]

It was kind of nice, right?

[Jeff lowers his hand, gently clasping David's leg. Stroking it just as a way to keep touching him.]

Better than TV sometimes, honestly.

[hardlydead]

[ he smiles softly at the contact and nods just slightly. ]

Weird kinda comfort, 'specially there. Knowing there were always people around.

[outerfringe]

[He keeps his hand there, finds the way he can feel David's breathing soothing. He laughs and squeezes the leg at his side.]

Never been the little spoon.

[hardlydead]

[ that catches him off and david presses his forehead a little more insistently against jeff's shoulder when he laughs. ]

How is it?

[outerfringe]

[He leans back slightly into the press, smiling.]

It's you. It's nice.

[hardlydead]

[ that's so sweet, what the fuck. david's stunned by it for a second, and all that eventually gets out of him is a mumble that sounds suspiciously like it might be "stop it" from where his face is thankfully hidden. he's not sure he'd survive anyone seeing the dumb, goofy smile that put on his face. ]

[outerfringe]

[Jeff starts to laugh when he hears the noise, his head light. Yeah, getting drunk was the correct choice. He doesn't know yet if it'll make things better or worse tomorrow, but they can deal with that as it comes.]

You okay?

[hardlydead]

I'm fine, I'm fine.

[ finally he lifts his head again so he can kiss jeff's cheek. ]

You're sweet.

[outerfringe]

So are you.

[There's a rumbling affection in his voice.]

Pretending to be a hardass.

[hardlydead]

[ pfffft ] Pretending nothin'.

[ he says with his face all pressed affectionately to jeff's cheek ]

[outerfringe]

Nah. Sweet all the way through.

[This shouldn't be so fucking funny, but he's turning his own head to sort of just crowd David's face.]

[hardlydead]

[ extremely rude? david pauses just enough to stop himself laughing and puts on a frown, even if there's no way jeff can see it this close. ]

Had no idea you were a comedian, Jeff.

[outerfringe]

[Jeff closes the distance between them to kiss him sweetly, lingering- making a playful point.]

[hardlydead]

[ okay fine, he wins this time. david responds in kind, soft and lingering, a small laugh making his shoulders shake and a smile spread on his lips. he thinks he's managed to keep himself from just laughing into jeff's mouth though. ]

[outerfringe]

[He'll lean back after a few moments, his expression subtly smug. Settles to get comfortable again.]

Could- put on a movie or something.

[hardlydead]

[ david shakes his head when he sees jeff's expression, even if the look on his own face is both amused and fond. ]

You wanna?

[outerfringe]

Yeah? No. Not really sure. Still kind of- reeling.

[hardlydead]

Background noise could be nice.

[ takes the pressure off a little. ]

[outerfringe]

[He laughs quietly, nods.]

Hard to move. Get the remote?

[hardlydead]

[ there's a distinct ugh from david as he turns as much as he can and reaches over for the remote — looking at the rest of the bed makes him think laying down would be nice, but he'd probably pass the fuck out if he did, maybe later — and when he has it he holds it up for jeff to take. ]

[outerfringe]

[Jeff takes it with another murmur, flipping the tv on. He'll scroll mindlessly, looking for something suitably brainless.]

-how fucking weird is it to catch up on movies?

[hardlydead]

Dunno if it's weird. Kinda nuts there was about thirty new Fast and Furious movies since I went in though.

[ yes of course he loves those movies, that can't be a surprise. ]

[outerfringe]

I feel like I missed like, six big superhero blockbusters minimum. Dunno man. Hard to recover from.

[He'll pull up one of the Fast and Furious movies at random, keeping the volume moderately low.]

Keep thinking I might try to check in on the kids. Legion. We both went there... [But if they came back, when would they end up?]

[hardlydead]

[ he chuckles softly at the superhero movies, truly one of the greatest tragedies of this whole thing, but then jeff mentions legion and he frowns. it's hard to think of them as anything other than masked killers chasing them through the trials. ]

If it just dumped 'em back out near after where it took them you probably would've noticed though, right?

[ or maybe not? he's a little foggy to think that one all the way through. ]

[outerfringe]

Probably. I mean- it's hard to know. I don't know exactly where it took them, you know?

[He squeezes the side of David's leg again, hand slipping down to hold his ankle.]