@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 remains true that Jeff isn't quite sure he can ever remember anyone looking at him like that before. He's had a handful of partners, some more serious than others, so surely it must have happened before - but it's hard to recall anything specific right now.

All of which is to say, he flusters hard. Distracts himself by downloading the app, eyes on the screen.]

Your head feeling ok?

[hardlydead]

Yeah.

[ he leans his side against the back of the sofa — still looking at jeff, still overwhelmingly affectionate — and puts a hand on his thigh just to have a point of contact. ]

Thanks, by the way.

[outerfringe]

[He has to take a moment to try to figure out why that affection makes him feel so anxious. He likes it, generally. He's still impossibly attracted to David. He wants David to like him, too. So what's the problem?

(Eighteen months. How resilient would a bond like theirs be in the real world? Would it hurt more to feed it or to starve it? And then- guilt at just the unbidden thought.)]

For what?

[He doesn't look up, perhaps a little Too focused on his phone, but he does cover David's hand with his own.]

[hardlydead]

For what? [ david chuckles quietly ] Basically took care of me all morning.

[ brought him water and painkillers, petted his hair like a stressed out puppy, fed him. it's nothing small to him. ]

[outerfringe]

[That'll get him to look up.]

I got you trashed and made you cancel your whole night to come watch half a shitty movie with me. Least I could do.

[And he likes taking care of people :(]

[hardlydead]

You didn't make me do anything. [ he shakes his head ] I wanted--

[ wait ]

Shitty movie?

[outerfringe]

Are you about to tell me why I should be impressed by the fifteen minutes of Fast and Furious 9 I remember paying attention to last night?

[He has never looked more uncertain in his life.]

[hardlydead]

[ david, on the other hand, looks like he's strongly considering it. ]

[outerfringe]

[Jeff is just going to start POINTEDLY browsing the internet on his phone, tysm]

[hardlydead]

Okay but the car stunts are really good to be fair.

[ jeff please ]

[outerfringe]

[He cuts his eyes up, openly amused.]

Yeah, uh. Big car guy, me.

[hardlydead]

[ he leans forward and puts his other hand on jeff's shoulder like he's about to say something important. ]

You don't have to be a car guy to appreciate cool stunts.

[outerfringe]

[Jeff leans in.]

Is this the hill you're really ready to-

[... and then trails off, his expression suddenly sour.]

Wow, that feels like a shit thing to say to someone now.

[hardlydead]

[ david frowns when jeff trails off and squeezes his shoulder. ]

I mean, I've died on a few hills. [ shrug emoji ] At least this one's funny.

[outerfringe]

Broad definition of the word funny.

[But he relaxes under the shoulder squeeze.]

Alright, sure, whatever. Is there- Do the movies actually have plot? Should I watch them chronologically?

[hardlydead]

Uh, depends.

[ he takes his hand off jeff's shoulder to scratch his chin. ]

I mean, yeah, there's a plot, so it depends on if you wanna watch them in the order they came out or the order things happen.

[outerfringe]

It's different?

[Is this Star Wars with cars or??]

[hardlydead]

[ he tilts his head a bit in thought. ] It's really just Tokyo Drift, I guess. It's the third one, but it doesn't happen until after six.

[ a beat, and then ]

Hobbs and Shaw's in there somewhere too. I wanna say between eight and nine...

[outerfringe]

[Jeff doesn't break eye contact, his eyebrows still up.]

You're fucking with me now.

[hardlydead]

[ he shakes his head. ]

I'm really not.

[outerfringe]

I'm gonna have to smoke some weed while I watch these movies.

[hardlydead]

[ he's not going to say that's a good idea, but it's probably a good idea. david smiles warmly though. ]

Are you seriously gonna? You don't have to.

[outerfringe]

-I don't have to watch the movies, or I don't have to smoke the weed?

[Posed like a Very Serious question.]

[hardlydead]

You don't have to watch the movies. You might have to smoke the weed.

[outerfringe]

Nah. You listened to my music. Didn't even ask you to.

[Mock beleaguered.]

Maybe I'll like them.