@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

[hardlydead]

[ wow. hand on his heart, how could you. ]

I hope you two have a great time together.

[outerfringe]

Mm, thanks. [Scraping the last of his little paper soup bowl with a spoon, now.] I'll let you know how it goes.

[hardlydead]

[ FROWNS ]

[ he's not actually upset, he just wants to win this exchange but he can't think of a way to one-up jeff here. guess he'll just... eat his sandwich. ]

[outerfringe]

[Oh okay, so the silence between them is now officially a

✨weird one✨

and Jeff isn't sure about what he said that he should try to take back. He clears his throat awkwardly and tries not to think about the million different reasons that could have caused that joke to land poorly.

Finally, he glances at the window.]

... Rainier than I thought it'd be. Not as cold, though.

[maybe if he just? talks about the weather??]

[hardlydead]

[ that makes a laugh slip out of david, who's still deep in thought on great one liners and coming up with nothing, and he gets up off his chair to plant himself on the sofa next to jeff once he's done with that last bite of his sandwich. ]

Mate, you come from a town that had a ski resort. You don't get to talk about cold.

[outerfringe]

[Okay, he still feels pretty fucking awkward, but the laugh seems to help. Jeff flexes his hands a little awkwardly atop his own knees.]

Not like, a successful one. Barely counts.

[hardlydead]

[ how about if he leans over and puts a hand on jeff's face to guide him for a kiss? ]

I'm not an expert, but I don't think that has much to do with temperature.

[outerfringe]

[And he will lean into that kiss immediately, because he's mostly just relieved that they're still allowed to do that while sober.]

Don't get your point anyway. I can think other places are cold.

[He's just talking because it's weird if he stops. An undercurrent of anxiety he doesn't recognize even in himself.]

[hardlydead]

[ he snorts and gives jeff another kiss. ]

Doesn't matter anyway.

[outerfringe]

Why not?

[David tastes like sandwiches and last night's beer and it's such a normal thing it makes his heart ache in a pleasant kind of way.]

[hardlydead]

Just a stupid joke.

[ this is much more important ]

[outerfringe]

[Does 'this' have a name? Jeff kind of thinks maybe it's a unique enough situation that it doesn't.

He touches the side of David's face with his fingertips, silently admiring, before dropping his hand again.]

Sure. You still hungry?

[hardlydead]

[ he tilts his head into jeff's touch and shakes his head, a little sad he stopped so soon. ]

Nah, not right now.

[ probably will be again soon enough, but that's far from his mind. what's front and centre is that jeff said two days and that feels like nothing, feels like he has to make the most of this, but he doesn't really know how. ]

[outerfringe]

[It'll hit him later, likely tomorrow, that two days isn't the gulf of time that it feels like right now. He's accomplished his goal; he's found David, and, like a dog with a car, he has no idea what he's supposed to do now that he's caught up with him.

His brow furrows. Quiet for a long moment, and then-]

How are you gonna spend the night in a guy's hotel room and not give him at least your email?

[hardlydead]

[ that shakes off the melancholy a little and david shrugs with an amused smile in his eyes. ]

Well, what's it worth to you?

[outerfringe]

[Jeff fixes him with a look that could be devastated if he were putting any real effort into it.]

I've got candy in the fridge?

[hardlydead]

[ he doesn't have much of a sweet tooth truthfully, but david could be swayed. he narrows his eyes a little in consideration. ]

What kind?

[outerfringe]

I don't... know. I just grabbed some stuff when I was picking up the beer. [A dubious glance at the mini fridge, then back to David.] Uh. I'll... let you win the first board game.

[hardlydead]

[ a scoff! he's deeply offended. ]

I don't want you to let me win.

[ let's see if he feels the same way when they're deep into a game that doesn't even work with two people. ]

I'll give you my number and you can let me know when you think of something, yeah?

[outerfringe]

Does your phone-

[Fuck if this isn't a mundane thing to worry about]

Gonna cost you a million bucks? To text me.

[hardlydead]

[ jeff hasn't anybody told you about whatsapp ]

Craziest thing, you know they can send texts over the internet now? [ he shakes his head in fake awe ] What'll they think of next?

[outerfringe]

[Why would he know about Whatsapp???

Jeff stares at him like he doesn't get it, because he doesn't.]

I - yes? I already asked for your email.

[hardlydead]

No, I mean--

[ it takes him a second to realise jeff's not fucking with him, and then he bites his lip to stop himself from laughing. ]

I-- okay. There's this app, yeah? There's a few of 'em actually but I think most people use this one. Uses internet instead of bending you over 'cause someone sent you a photo of a horse or whatever.

[outerfringe]

[Jeff isn't a complete Luddite, but the explanation does make him feel like an extremely old man.]

So... [it's msn messenger...]

Uh, okay, sure. I'll get the app.

[hardlydead]

[ please never say that out loud because david will immediately turn to dust and float away on the wind ]

[ for now though he's just looking at jeff with a big, dumb, extremely fond smile. he likes this old man a lot, maybe he'll keep him. ]

Okay. Good.