@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's not like we ever really got a good look at anyone in the light.

[Well, certain trials were light enough, but they were will hiding for their lives.]

[hardlydead]

Yeah.

[ that's true. ]

[ he drops a hand to jeff's thigh and gives it a light squeeze before he resumes looking through the book. ]

[outerfringe]

[Jeff smiles at the squeeze, leaning into David's side with his own. Eyes on the movie, as if he's able to pay any attention at all to it.]

[hardlydead]

[ his eyes pour over the pages, sombre and still a little teary about it — less so about the hooks — though when he gets to the dog his expression changes to a wide smile and he turns his head to look at jeff. ]

Is that him?

[outerfringe]

Yeah.

[Jeff kind of stays slumped there against him, feeling himself smile at the picture of his dog.]

He's handsome.

[hardlydead]

He is.

[ david lifts his head and kisses the top of jeff's. ]

[outerfringe]

So what do you think? Good enough to go pro?

[He reaches out, swipes his fingers at the book.]

[hardlydead]

Hard maybe.

[ he says it with a small huffed laugh ]

[outerfringe]

Okay then.

[Jeff laughs again, feeling slightly too drunk now as he reaches for the book.]

Give it back.

[hardlydead]

[ he smiles and kisses jeff again and closes the book to hand it back. ]

[outerfringe]

[Jeff tosses it onto the floor by the bed, casting a dubious glance at the door.]

Hey. What's the plan tonight, anyway?

[hardlydead]

[ he shrugs. ]

Been playing it by ear so far.

[outerfringe]

I don't know that I feel like walking somewhere else tonight is all. But you're welcome to stay here.

[hardlydead]

Wasn't looking forward to tryin' to get myself home anyway.

[outerfringe]

I think the sofa turns into a bed.

[Utterly straight faced.]

[hardlydead]

Good for you then, eh?

[ he's not going anywhere. ]

[outerfringe]

And you can have one of the pillows from the bed.

[He picks one up, offers it out.]

[hardlydead]

[ he takes the pillow and very pointedly puts it down and shifts to lay on his side, looking at jeff the whole time. ]

[outerfringe]

[Jeff snorts out loud, reaching over as if to roll him off the bed.]

Who says you're invited?

[hardlydead]

I do.

[ ah, rude! david grabs for jeff's arm. if he's falling off the bed, he's taking jeff with him. ]

[outerfringe]

[He tries to shake him off, doesn't do a great job.]

You exiling me from my own bed?

[hardlydead]

[ his grip slacks, hesitating for a second with the worry that maybe he's read this wrong and jeff really does want him to leave the bed. there is something intimate about it in a way that's different to all those moments they've shared. ]

[ he shakes off that moment of doubt though and raises an eyebrow with a little smirk. ]

More like offering you a choice, I guess.

[outerfringe]

[Nah, not at all. Jeff is just drunk and not really sure how to always telegraph being flirtatious even when he's sober.]

Just robbed me of the fun of asking.

[hardlydead]

I can pretend to leave if you want?

[ he sits up and grabs the pillow, stretching with an exaggerated yawn. ]

Guess I better go pull out that sofabed.

[outerfringe]

[Jeff laughs louder than he means to. Reaches up to grab David's shirt, gives it a little tug.]

Nah, room for us both.