@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

we have to ruin their lives at least once more before the psl ends

[outerfringe]

[Jeff is more than happy to accept that kiss, if only because it cements what he knows as true: David King is actually a sweetheart. Sure, he's spent, but he's also more than happy to lazily make out until David decides he's ready for dinner.]

we do!! but how 🤔 the only thing i can think of is unnecessarily cruel lmao

[hardlydead]

[ david's happy with that too. more than, even. he's in no rush to order food, more interested in laying here with jeff, lifting a hand to comb his fingers through his hair and cradle the back of his head with a soft, happy sigh. ]

we are literally rping from dead by daylight, what is your thought

[outerfringe]

[Jeff will, eventually, rumble to something like actual attention, but it's clear he's soothed deeply by the movement of David's hands.]

You're gonna put me to sleep.

lmAO listen all i got is "hm time to fly to canada weird it got dark on this flight oh no oh f--"

[hardlydead]

Been a long day.

[ david doesn't plan to stop unless jeff makes an actual complaint, quite content to keep combing through jeff's hair with his fingers. ]

i dig it, the entity might let them go but its gonna haunt em forever tbh

[outerfringe]

[Jeff will fall asleep for the second thread in ten minutes, which isn't a lot, but it's kind of weird that it's happened twice. At least he's not disgustingly hungover this time; just a little emotionally wrung out, and he doesn't sleep long this time. It's a comfortable doze, lasting maybe half an hour tops, but he snaps awake like he's startled to realize that he's let himself sleep. No bad dreams- he's still just a little hypervigilant.]

can't ever travel at night without xanax again

[hardlydead]

[ like this mysterious other thread, and honestly like always, david is happy to stay like this. arms around jeff and fingers in his hair. he's dozing a little too when jeff snaps awake, and that in turn startles david, but he looks up at him and brings a hand to his cheek in a light touch. ]

Hey-- you're alright.

[outerfringe]

[If nothing else, Jeff at least doesn't seem distressed by his own awakening. It's often abrupt, especially in unfamiliar places, but there's no fear on his face. Just a spark of confusion that fades in the split second it takes for his eyes to focus. Mild embarrassment takes its place.]

Yeah. [Being held again by him is weird, but he doesn't have a single complaint.] I'm alright.

[hardlydead]

[ david lifts his head just enough to give jeff a quick kiss and lays his head back down, smiling lazily at jeff now he knows he's not freaking out or anything. ]

I'll try not to put you to sleep again.

[outerfringe]

[He'll get used to the gentleness eventually, but still so relatively fresh from the fog - well. Jeff is fighting an internal war to keep himself from falling in love outright.]

I'm not a bad pillow either, you know.

[It's a general offer, not an indication of unhappiness with present circumstances.]

[hardlydead]

You'll get your turn.

[ teasing, just a little. it hadn't even occurred to him he was hogging all the pillow action, it just comes naturally to him. probably does to jeff too, but david's more proactive about it :') ]

[outerfringe]

[People don't usually approach bears because they want to be the big spoon, it's true.]

Holding you to that. Fuck, you've got a comfortable bed.

[Or he was just exhausted. Could be either.]

[hardlydead]

Mattress was probably half my furniture budget when I moved in.

[ sleeping well is an important part of being jacked ]

[outerfringe]

Maybe your ex should've tried to steal it instead of the tv.

[Amused rumbling.]

[hardlydead]

[ he snorts ] Would've loved to see how far she got with me on it.

[outerfringe]

[And he just chuckles.] Dunno. Saw Nancy hoist you over her shoulders more than once.

[hardlydead]

Over her shoulders is a bit far.

[ jeff please. ]

[outerfringe]

[He shakes softly with laughter again, before he leans up and stretches out, catching the side of David's face and kissing him deeply, fondly, before he finally moves to crawl off the bed and look for his shirt.]

You still owe me food.

[hardlydead]

[ david sighs happily into the kiss, a little sad about it when jeff moves away, but he reminds david about food and that gets a soft chuckle out of him. he sits up and reaches off the side of the bed to grab his jeans and get his phone so he can make an order. ]

Yeah, yeah. Guess I'll feed you.

[outerfringe]

Did you actually pick up watercolors?

[Spoken a little distracted as he gets dressed again. He thinks he saw some in the living room, but he isn't sure.]

[hardlydead]

[ that... throws him off and david pauses what he was doing on his phone, silent for a second like he's been caught doing something, and then he relaxes again. ]

Yeah. [ he looks up at jeff with a stupid little smirk. ] I was shit with 'em.

[outerfringe]

You mind if I use 'em?

[What's embarrassing to Jeff here is just how cliche it is. The artist getting laid and finding inspiration-

But mostly his heart is just a little lighter, and he's itching to do something that isn't just killing time on his phone while he waits for dinner to arrive.]

[hardlydead]

Uh-- sure, yeah. Go for it.

[ better getting used than collecting dust on a shelf. they're good quality paints too, kind of a waste. ]

[outerfringe]

[Jeff shoots him another smile at that, sincere and a little shy, before he leans back onto the bed and kisses David's temple soundly.]

You're awesome. Thanks.

[And, unless he's stopped, he's going to go fuck around with paint. :')]

[hardlydead]

[ david wouldn't dream of stopping jeff from playing with the paints. he stays in bed, a little dazed by how adorable that was, and gets to ordering in a couple of veggie curries and whatnot. takes the opportunity to make a phonecall to uncle brass about taking some time off that goes... better than he anticipated really. significantly so. it makes him a little anxious, but david decides it's just because he's been busting his ass since he got back. ]

[ none of that takes very long, about ten minutes later david's coming out of the bedroom after pulling on a pair of sweatpants. or at least as far as the doorway where he lingers when he spots jeff, leaning against the frame and watching him with another of those small, awestruck smiles. ]

[outerfringe]

[Jeff's hair is pulled back in a bun, a few colors mixed already on the little painting palette the kit came with. No colour pencils, but he seems to have scrounged up a graphite one from his own small bag. So far, it looks like he's just painting a row of people, shoulder to shoulder, just getting used to the paints without a real goal in mind.

When he pipes up, it's without looking back at David.]

I mostly did digital art, you know. After I went back to school. Easiest way to keep bills paid. But I love this shit.