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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"I can sit on the floor," Jeff says dismissively, but he catches that smirk and it's clear that he's swallowing a grin as he leads the way in. Will it fuck up his back? Probably. He'll deal with it later. Pete still has arm slung companionably around him, chatting his ear off on the way.

Erik falls into step beside David, hands in his pockets as they stroll towards Jeff's unit in the complex. "Sorry, man. We didn't know he already had a guest, but we won't be in your hair long."

Jealousy isn't exactly a feeling david is accustomed to, the way it squeezes something in his chest as he watches this guy talk jeff's ear off is almost totally alien to him. he watches jeff's back as they walk and in his mind's eye he can see it, the reminder of good things from before fog making jeff realise that this isn't want he wants-- that he isn't what he wants. makes this urge well up in david to catch him up, put an arm around him too, sorry i'm a fucking mess, sorry i'm still figuring shit out, but i can be so, so good for you if you just let me--

he knows it's irrational, borderline completely fucking insane. knowing doesn't help.

"don't worry about it," he answers automatically, before he's even completely sure what this guy (erik?) just said to him, offering him a friendly smile, "think he'll be happy about all this once the shock wears off."

Jeff is thrilled to see the guys. Delighted, really, but he wishes they'd called, wishes they hadn't shown up with warning while he and David were trying to navigate the confusing waters of their own relationship, because how much time did they have, really? They'd have to return to their lives and jobs sooner or later, and as much as he's sure they can survive long distance if they can survive the fog...

Well. Jeff treasures the guys, but it doesn't feel like there's a timer ticking down, not the way it does with David, and he wants every second he can get.

"Hope so," Erik says, and he's giving David another sort of appraising look at the sound of his accent. "How'd you two meet, anyway?"

oh. somehow it never occurred to him that that's a question he'd have to answer... ever. on top of everything going on in his head, it throws david off, makes him pause in silent panic, shaking his head when nothing comes to mind.

"it's a, uh... long story." that's a normal thing to say right?

Pete gives David a curious look, before his eyes flick to Jeff's back - and then he shrugs. "No, it's cool. None of my business anyway."

It's about this time that Jeff's door unlocks and he nudges it open, laughing at some joke Pete has spent the entire time winding up. He'll turn to usher everyone inside, eyes briefly meeting David's, and he'll mouth sorry at him.

that doesn't exactly feel like the successful social interaction he was going for, but the guy decides to leave off the topic so david will take it as a win. they're going to have to figure out what to say to that at some point but that can come after whenever david gets a chance to process the fact that he's 90% certain these guys know they're together and he doesn't really know how to act.

he shakes his head and pats jeff's arm as he passes him to go through the door, it's not his fault, and gives everyone a thoughtful look.

"Drinks?" he could really do with a beer.

"Oh, shit. We brought some, left it in the trunk-"

"We've got plenty," Jeff says, and there's a quiet smile on his face that David will probably be able to read: it would be loud joy from anyone else. As annoyed at he is by the intrusion, there's no hiding the fact that he's pleased, too. "Help me carry?" he'll ask David, then disappear into the kitchen.

david smiles back, always warmed by jeff's little smiles, and follows him through to the kitchen and leans back against a counter while he waits for jeff to get the beers for them to bring out.

"You okay?" he asks, genuine concern in the tilt of his head. this is a lot very suddenly, he wouldn't be surprised if jeff was at least a little overwhelmed.

"I think so?" It's a lot, all at once, enough that he's a little staggered by it. Rationally, he knows he's an alright dude, but it's still sometimes hard to understand why first David and now the guys would both travel, just to see him.

He steps in closer, passing David two of the drinks. "Uh. They're together. Probably. Been an on/off thing for like... a decade?" Jeff hadn't really faced much adversity for his brand of quiet bisexuality, but he guesses it still made sense he was closest to the two in the band that were out and proud about it. "Not saying anything about us, just letting you know."

david breathes a soft, quiet laugh and shakes his head at 'probably', but he nods in understanding. "Think that fella I was talkin' to probably guessed," which makes sense. why else would some random british dude be out here, staying with jeff?

it's totally fine, he's not freaking out even a little. sweaty palms? a little heat under the collar? never.

he pushes away from the counter, brushing right over that with a shrug, "anyway I'll sit on the floor, yeah? You'll do your back in."

"He won't say anything if we don't," Jeff says with a one-shoulder shrug. At least, he really hopes he won't, because the point here is to slowly expand David's comfort zone, not shove him abruptly outside it.

The next comment distracts him, though, and he shakes his head no. "You're a guest. I'm Canadian. Fuck no you will not be sitting on the floor." It may be the firmest Jeff has ever been about anything.

david pulls a bit of a face like he wants to argue, but he's not sure he's ever heard jeff take such a firm tone with him in all the time they've known eachother.

"Fine," he relents, "but when your back's killing you tomorrow you're not gettin' any sympathy from me."

(spoiler alert: yes he will.)

Jeff does look a little privately pleased at the way David acquiesces. "Think I'll manage," he says, glancing at the door to make sure it's still closed, before he steps in a little - like he's not sure if he should offer a kiss or not before they go back.

david follows jeff's gaze to the closed door, and then, figuring that was why he checked, leans in the rest of the way to kiss him. just a quick one, because if he lets himself get distracted it'll be a fight to let jeff leave and go back out to his friends.

Sort of quick. Jeff lifts a hand to catch the side of David's face, lightly cradling his jaw to try to reel him in for a second fast kiss.

"You'll like them," he promises quietly. "Best guys I know."

david's not sure he's ever dated anyone whose friends liked him, so the idea of what jeff said strikes him as a little funny, but he doesn't dwell on that. he bumps his forehead against jeff's with a small sigh instead, mentally gathering himself.

"They're gonna start asking questions if we're in here much longer."

"Yeah, alright," he says, releasing David a little reluctantly as he returns to the sitting room. Pete and Erik are engrossed in conversation, specifically about Jeff, and he answers their questions about where he's been with vague deflections as he passes out drinks and eases himself down on the floor.

He's trying not to keep too close as eye on David, wonders if he should offer him an out, an errand to run, but... he doesn't want to if it's not strictly necessary.

david takes a seat at the end of the couch and passes one of the beers to jeff. this all isn't about him, so david kind of just puts himself in the mind of a bystander while these guys catch up. quietly attentive, listening to the conversation, but otherwise keeping himself to himself.

part of him is definitely still thinking about how jeff should've let him sit on the floor instead though.

One of the guys is definitely a little keener than the other, seems to be paying careful attention to the way Jeff and David interact. When his partner starts down a line of questioning that could lead somewhere just a little too invasive, he touches a hand to his elbow, gently redirects.

He'll be the one who stands with a groan a couple hours later. "Alright. Lunch tomorrow, and we'll bring you those albums," he says, offering Jeff a hand to help him up off the floor. He glances at David, sincere when he says: "You're invited too, man. Thanks for letting us borrow him for a couple hours."

like he figured, david mostly was quiet for the whole time, smiling and/or laughing when appropriate and chiming in where need be. it's interesting to see jeff with people who know him, especially who knew him before, but it also makes it hard to shake the anxiety whenever jeff laughs or looks especially happy chatting that he'll decide he's over this. if he occasionally zones out and stares into the middle distance for a while, don't worry about it.

(that said, he does appreciate the guy's sensitivity.)

"Yeah, course." he gives them an easy smile, "nice meetin' you."

They'll be out the door with promises to see them tomorrow, and Jeff, holding his lower back in a way that he hopes is much more subtle than he than he thinks it might actually be, turns to look back at David.

It had been both nice and strange as hell revisiting bits of his old life. Soothing, to see them doing well. Touching, too, to know they thought he was worth the effort.

"What'd you think?" He's playing it cool, but David's opinion seems to really matter to him.

"They seemed cool," david stands and comes over to jeff, puts a hand on his back just above his own with a gentle nudge toward the bedroom so he can lay down. he's not really sure what else to say about jeff's friends. they seemed like decent guys? david was a little busy trying not to have about three different types of breakdown to pay too much attention to them.

"Think you want to eat with us tomorrow?" He's not going to acknowledge the hand verbally, but his face does crease with something like embarrassment at being caught. It's weird, feeling old in his body, something he's still reconciling with himself, but he doesn't fight the gentle pressure. Starts heading toward the bedroom with a subtle nod. "You don't have to. They can be a lot."

david lets his hand drift up and down jeff's back, dips his head to press his nose and lips to his shoulder in a little gesture and sticks close on the way to the bedroom.

"You want me to?" it's a genuine question, he's not trying to get out of it or accuse jeff of anything, not that jeff would think he was. "Don't wanna be in the way if you just wanna catch up."

"Yeah." He won't give it voice, but who knows when he and David will have the chance to see each other again like this? He'd pretty much exhausted his savings getting set up in a new apartment and fucking off to another country; it'd be a while before he could just hop on a plane again, and he imagines it's much the same for David.

He eases himself down on the edge of the bed, gently clasping David's arm to tug him with him.

"But if you wanna go explore town without listening to a bunch of old farts talk about the old days..." He'd get it.

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