@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]

[ he snorts ] Tryin' to tell me only someone who'd taken many hits to the head could think up some of those people?

[ david's a little more earnest when he goes on, glancing back down at the ground. ]

I mean, if I was thinking up people to keep me going... That's you then, innit?

[outerfringe]

[He's not thinking about the time they spent by the fire, or further out in the woods. His mind is partially still out in the trial it had been dragged so firmly to earlier.]

What? I was just glad when I wasn't a liability.

[hardlydead]

[ david makes an amused noise, kind of relieved jeff didn't latch on to that honestly, and shakes his head. ]

Helpful more often than not. More than I can say for some.

[ subtweeting yun-jin even though she could eviscerate him with her words if she knew ]

[outerfringe]

Always hated it, you know? Showing up in a trial, seeing you there. Probably improved my odds of getting out, but...

[He kicks at a stone as they walk, his expression thoughtful.]

Got hard not to just follow you around.

[hardlydead]

[ that throws him off and david's quiet for a second, thinking of the times he had to make sure not to hover around jeff just in case. about times he knew jeff was in danger and had to fight himself not to bolt across the ground to try and get in there. ]

[ thinks about patching up jeff with bloody hands and his fists clench in his pockets. ]

S'what I was there for. [ he shrugs a shoulder, trying to shake those thoughts off. ] Least if you were there I knew someone was gonna actually be doing something.

[outerfringe]

[A grim sort of relief accompanies the abrupt knowledge that, with any luck, he'll never have to see David impaled on something ever again.]

Who hasn't panicked and hid in a locker for half an hour, really.

[It might be deadpan, but it is sarcasm.]

[hardlydead]

Guess you just have to be really, really sure the killer's not around. Could be physically impossible, but you can't be too sure.

[ similarly deadpan. he'd definitely considered giving someone up when they spent a whole trial hiding once or twice, but ultimately he got it. even if it pissed him off. ]

[outerfringe]

[Jeff chuckles quietly, his eyes down still as they walk together.]

Nice to really see a sunrise, though. Looking forward to snowfall.

[hardlydead]

Yeah? You a fan of the snow?

[ ... "are you a fan of the snow" jesus christ. he's changed his mind throw him back in the trials murder him immediately. ]

[outerfringe]

[he's heard british people liked to talk about the weather, it's fine]

Kind of ambivalent, I guess. Something about it feels - cleansing, maybe. Silly.

[And now he's kind of embarrassed himself, too. Drifted a little close to Artsy Hipster.]

[hardlydead]

Nah, I get it.

[ he's quiet a moment or two while he tries to find the words for what he thinks jeff means anyway. ]

Like a fresh sheet, yeah? Then it washes everything away when it thaws.

[outerfringe]

Bit like that, yeah.

[Jeff takes a breath, bracing, and then kind of laughs again. It's humorless, but not unkind.]

If you wanna wait to visit, y'know? It's fine. It might take me some time to get my shit together. [mentally.]

[hardlydead]

Not for nothing, but if I cared about you having your shit together I would've let you leave at the bar.

[ he offers jeff a small smile and another nudge. he's teasing, but it's not a lie. ]

[outerfringe]

[OOC: You're welcome to ignore this if you'd like. Traveling a lot the past month :)]

[Jeff glances sidelong at him, expression quietly appreciative. He nudges back, shoulders continuing to relax.]

Just trying to butter me up enough to watch those movies.

[hardlydead]

[ ooc: i would NEVER. i hope things have calmed/are calming down for you though! ]

[ david laughs brightly, shaking his head. ]

Shit, what gave me away?

[outerfringe]

[OOC: The end is in sight, ty♥]

[It's the brightness of David's laugh that seems to strike a chord in him.]

Intuition. [A pause, and then:] The real world looks good on you, you know.

[hardlydead]

[ david smiles, a little sheepish, looking down at his shoes as they walk. ]

Yeah-- Yeah, you too.

[outerfringe]

[The fact that David is looking down makes being candid easier. Being on the move makes it easier still.]

I thought it'd be even more awkward than it is. Time with you, I mean. It's kind of- I dunno. Easy.

[hardlydead]

Kinda always was though, wasn't it?

[ he says it with a small shrug, eyes cast out ahead of them, to the ground in front of him. despite the fact he's kind of an anxious wreck sometimes, there's something about him that puts david at ease, lets him let go a little. he's always kind of hoped the reverse is true. ]

Bit of a relief that hasn't changed.

[outerfringe]

Yeah. Just not used to it.

[Jeff's voice is light. Still slightly unsteady after the museum, and perhaps he's forcing the mood slightly, but it doesn't make him mean it any less. He's aware that maybe he's speaking too soon, that they scarcely have anything in common besides their time in the fog - but maybe a shared history can trump shared interests.

He's willing to find out.]

When do I get to see your place?

[hardlydead]

[ david has no such worries. maybe he should, but his own concerns centre more around his personal issues. around the idea that inevitably he'll end up pushing jeff away somehow. he's doing his best not to focus on that though. ]

My place? [ he glances aside at jeff and shrugs a shoulder. ] We can go now if you want.

460 comments....

[outerfringe]

[Jeff considers for a split second, as if making sure that he's not overstepping, before he shrugs one shoulder.]

Yeah. As long as you're not worried about me stealing your TV.

they just have a lot of feelings to (not) express!

[hardlydead]

[ david laughs, eyebrow raised when he glances at jeff and gestures with a tip of his head for a slight change in direction. it's a longer walk than it'd be back to the hotel, but they can get a cab or a bus if it's any trouble. david's not really thinking about it. ]

Almost wanna see you try and pull that off.

[outerfringe]

You imagine that? Me smuggling your TV on the plane. With you.

[He follows along for the change in direction, barely seeming to notice.]

[hardlydead]

[ he laughs again, bright and amused at the mental image. ]

"Nothin' to see here," like it's all completely normal.