@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]

[Jeff will take it, and pointedly clean his beard - and miss every bit of the sauce.]

[hardlydead]

You, uh. [ he laughs and points out where it is. ] You missed a bit.

[outerfringe]

[He makes a >:( face at him, then goes to dab that napkin into some water in the bathroom. Where there's a mirror.]

[hardlydead]

[ david's laughing picks up a bit when jeff gets up to go to the bathroom. ]

Should've just let me do it.

[outerfringe]

Trying to seem cool.

[Groused from the bathroom.]

[hardlydead]

How's that working for you?

[ he's so smug right now ]

[outerfringe]

I'm taking that beer back.

[He's just gonna wash his face while he's in here to wake himself up.]

[hardlydead]

What beer?

[ said very much in the tone of a man who is imminently about to chug ]

[outerfringe]

Don't do it.

[He's heading out of the bathroom now, pointing at him with a wet hand.]

[hardlydead]

[ it's happening. just try and stop him. ]

[outerfringe]

[He doesn't actually want to stop him, so he'll just pretend to grumble and grab his own (second) one.]

[hardlydead]

[ it's gone by the time jeff's back and david sets the empty aside on the nightstand. that's gonna catch up in a minute. ]

[outerfringe]

Was gonna show you my sketchbook.

[Jeff hits him with an offended look, grabbing at his slice of pizza and dropping back to the bed.]

Now I don't trust you with it.

[hardlydead]

No!

[ he frowns at jeff. he wants to see!! ]

You can trust me.

[outerfringe]

[He picks the sketchbook up from the end of the bed, tucks it under his own thigh, and goes back to eating.]

[hardlydead]

Jeff.

[ david turns toward him and decides the mature and sensible way to convince him is to lean right in and crowd jeff's face with his. ]

[outerfringe]

[are you asking for a kiss david?? because sure he's got a mouthful of partially chewed pizza but if you want a smooch you should have just asked!!!]

[hardlydead]

[ david frowns and makes a weak no sound against jeff's cheek. ]

Show me it.

[outerfringe]

What do I get for it?

[hardlydead]

Hm.

[ he leans back a little and raises his eyebrows. ]

What do you want?

[outerfringe]

Good question. What's the book worth to you?

[He's probably just going to make David agree to listen to a more curated playlist...]

[hardlydead]

[ well he's decided he needs to see that sketch book more than he's ever needed anything, so-- ]

Whatever you want.

[ he reclines against the headboard. it would be attractive if he wasn't approaching outrageously drunk and losing fine motor control. ]

[outerfringe]

[He's not the only one. David might be a shot ahead, but Jeff's finishing his second beer with his dinner as he passes the book over.]

All just practice while I get back in the swing.

[It's half filled and was clearly only begun after Jeff returned from the fog. Many of the pages at the beginning seem to be little sketches of the other survivors' faces, as if just reminding himself - David features early and often. Smudgy charcoal forming a field, blurs that look like hooks. Many pages are less focused, full of doodles when he just needed to let the pencil keep moving. There are lots of little skulls and dogs on those. The most recent page is full of small, stylized campfires with clean lines, probably tattoo ideas.]

[hardlydead]

[ david smiles when he takes the book, and he takes his time to look through it. partially because he's still conscious enough of himself to compensate for the way his hands are slow and malcoordinated, but also because it's important to take in as much detail as he can. ]

[ he's careful not to actually touch the sketches themselves so he doesn't smudge anything, the way his fingers touch the edges of the pages bordering on reverent in their care, and he's thrown by the familiarity of it all. almost surprised every time he sees himself, but also at those people he knows. he'd already started to forget some of their faces, he realises. ]

[ david might be getting a little watery eyed too, but don't worry about that. ]

[outerfringe]

Uh. You don't have to keep looking. If it's lame or - weird.

[He doesn't share his private art often, and he's rusty. He hadn't expected David to pay that much attention.]