outerfringe | @hardlydead

@hardlydead

[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.]

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[Jeff trembles softly with laughter again, lifting his hand now to simply stroke David's back in silence.]

[ loosely he wraps his arms around jeff and lifts his head to look at him with a raised eyebrow in a poor attempt to look serious. ]

Fuckin' menace, you are.

[ as if he's any better. ]

[Jeff raises his brow in turn, rubbing firm circles into David's lower back.]

Only since I met you.

Always been told I was a bad influence.

[ it's not untrue, especially as a teenager and a young adult, but there's something playful about the way he says it. completely unapologetic, he likes this side of jeff. ]

[ he leans in to give jeff a quick kiss before he slips out of his arms, like he's just realised where they are. ]

Am I supposed to give you a tour? Ain't much, you can... [ he gestures around vaguely at the living room and kitchen ] You can already see most of it.

Yeah. I can see that.

[Jeff steps in, closing the small distance that David creates to wind his arms around his waist from behind him. It's an experimental move, like he's trying it on in the privacy of David's flat.]

Bigger than my hotel, at least.

[ oh-- david freezes up for a second, but it's not a negative response per se, he's just surprised. never been the one to get held like this and he's not sure how to feel about it. jeff is warm and solid against his back, and arms around him are something he's never had a complaint about. ]

[ he turns his head a little toward jeff, hands resting on his forearms as he relaxes into this. it's nice actually, he's decided. ]

Better be, rent's fuckin' high enough.

[Jeff is doing his best to seem casual and cool here, but he doesn't fully relax himself until he feels David's hands resting there on his forearms. He gives his waist a little squeeze, quietly grateful as he ducks his head to brush a quick kiss against the side of David's neck.]

You prefer living in a city?

[ he can't help the little smile that puts on his face, even as he notes the fact that they've made it about two whole feet into his flat. it's hard to take issue with that right now. ]

I guess so, yeah.

[ there's two types of city kid in his experience, the ones who can't imagine living anywhere else and the ones who desperately need to get away. david's definitely the former. ]

Guess you get used to the noise.

[Jeff ducks his head in to kiss the side of David's neck again, lingering there thoughtfully. And, potentially, a little nervously.]

Haven't given me the whole tour.

[ david tilts his head a little to encourage jeff, smile widening at the attention. he takes a couple more steps into the flat, bringing jeff with him, hands still on his forearms, and makes a thoughtful noise. ]

Well, you can see the living room and the kitchen here anyway. [ he gestures to a couple of doors the other side of the room from them. ] Bathroom. Bedroom.

[ he's so good at this ]

[It's a good sign, at least, that David keeps his hands on his arm as he steps inside. Jeff follows easily, then gently tries to turn the other man to face him. Kisses him again, just a little more insistently than before.]

Might lie down before dinner. If you don't mind.

[he's..... working up to it........]

[ if jeff hadn't said such a similar thing earlier, david might catch on to what jeff's trying to work himself up to. unfortunately, even with the dialed up intensity of that kiss, it gets filtered away in favour of concern when david pulls back just enough to look at him. assuming he must still be out of sorts after the museum. ]

Yeah-- Course. You okay?

[It's partially that Jeff just isn't that forward of a guy to begin with, but the fact also remains that David himself confessed before to having limited experience with other men. He doesn't want to push past any boundaries.

But he's sick of letting himself miss opportunities, too.]

Kind of down, actually. [His eyes cut back to to meet David's, extremely solemn.] You might need to take your shirt off to fix it. Sorry.

[ oh. ]

[ david ducks his head, shoulders trembling in a moment of silent laughter, but he does his best to match that faux-seriousness when he looks back up to meet jeff's eyes. ]

Course, whatever you need.

[ any immediate apprehension he has is easily soothed by how silly this is, at least. he steps back just enough to pull his shirt off and toss it in the vague direction of the sofa. ]

Let's get you laying down, yeah?

[Jeff seems quietly pleased with himself following David's laughter, and he raises a hand to cradle his cheek while he chases down another kiss. He's still trying to be careful of boundaries here, but this one is a little more overtly hungry.

He had missed him, okay.]

That mean I get to see your room?

[ he's thought about this a lot truthfully, and never once did he imagine he'd actually get to have jeff here in his flat, practically having to stop himself from just grabbing him by the front of his shirt to haul him to his bedroom. ]

[ david's also a lot more forward than jeff, not so worried about the relative lack of experience which maybe says something about how comfortable and safe he feels with jeff, or maybe it's just that he has very little capacity to think that much all of a sudden, who can say. but he chooses to put his hands on jeff's hips to pull him as close as physically possible. ]

Yeah. That's what that means.

[Jeff seems happy to close that remaining space between them, and god doesn't it still just feel nice to have a little actual privacy with David here?]

I don't have to.

[Gently, even though he knows David wouldn't lie about his interest. Jeff is reaching up to touch his chest now, just skimming his fingertips admiringly against bare skin.]

Jeff.

[ that's it, just his name. david raises his eyebrows pointedly too. sure, if jeff wanted to back off of his own accord david would be fine, but he super doesn't need him to slow it down for his benefit here. ]

David.

[Look, he can do the name thing too!! And he is, even if he's gently trying to back David up towards the door he'd indicated as his bedroom.]

[ david shakes his head and gives jeff a quick kiss, but other than that he refuses to acknowledge how fond he is of jeff when he's being a little shit. ]

C'mon.

[ this is more important anyway. he turns so he can see where he's going and reaches for jeff to pull him along to the bedroom. ]

Proper tourguide. I like it.

[David turns, and Jeff is just going to reach for his hand as he follows him. It feels a little juvenile, maybe a little childish, but he doesn't care. He's just craving connection.]

[ david snorts and rolls his eyes, even if it can't be seen, but he gives jeff's hand a small squeeze as he takes him through to the bedroom. ]

[ said bedroom is more of the same, really. lacking in much character, ikea furniture, a pile of clothes on a chair because who can really be bothered to pack away their laundry life's way too short. gym bag thrown wherever on the floor. unmade king (hahaha) sized bed. he probably would've tidied up a bit if he'd known this was on the agenda, but that's the last thing on his mind right now. ]

I like it. Looks comfortable.

[Jeff gives his hand a little squeeze, looking around with an open and sincere curiosity. It's like a little peek into David's personality, and he likes it.]

Jock.

[ david laughs softly as he turns to face jeff. ]

That's me.

[Jeff remains crowded close, suddenly more interested in David than the surroundings.]

Oh. Uh. The situps helped. My back, I mean.

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