@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]

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."

[outerfringe]

"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.

[hardlydead]

david makes a show of thinking about it, and truthfully it's a more difficult decision than it has any right to be, but even aside from those pangs of insecurity and jealousy he gets watching jeff with his old pals, david's still curious. it's an insight into part of him and who he was before the fog that david can't help but want to see more of.

he puts a knee down next to jeff and sits facing him, gives him a little nudge to try and get him to lay down with a small, teasing smirk. "Can always leave if I get bored, can't I?"

[outerfringe]

It's still extremely strange, getting used to being taken care of like this. It was one thing when they were in the fog, constantly injured or uncomfortable, scraping by just to survive. But this here, now, his back in pain from making poor sitting choices, being eased down onto his own bed to relieve that?

For just a moment it's overwhelming, and Jeff reaches to clasp at David's hand with his own. Looks like he might say something else, then just shakes it off, reclines himself with a little groan.

"Yeah. Or if you get tired of playing nurse's aid," he says, keeping it light even as his back first seizes, and then starts to relax.

[hardlydead]

david squeezes jeff's hand, wondering what that look was about but he's not going to push. just waits for him to settle before he lays down next to jeff, drops their clasped hands on jeff's stomach so he can lay on his side.

"Ah-- I already told you you're on your own for that."

[outerfringe]

"Damn," he says, mock solemn as he releases David's hand just so he can stroke up the back of his arm. "Thought I'd get a sponge bath out of you, at least."

[hardlydead]

david shrugs, hiding his smile by ducking his face against jeff's shoulder, "shoulda let me take the floor."

[outerfringe]

He exhales, pressing a kiss to the top of David's head. "C'mon, dude. I gotta look tough in front of my guys."

[hardlydead]

"Oh yeah, sitting on the floor," david snorts and shakes his head, "real tough guy move."

[outerfringe]

He snorts. "Full dick move to let a guest sit on the floor, though. I'm too Canadian for that."

[hardlydead]

it's a good think jeff can't see the way david rolls his eyes at that, but he does also follow it up by lifting his head to kiss jeff's cheek.

"How much of a guest am I really though?"

[outerfringe]

David will feel the tremble of his chuckle more than he'll hear it. "Yeah, but I couldn't let them know that."

[hardlydead]

oh.

despite the fact he's the one who lead the conversation here, it still surprises david and puts a dumb little grin on his face where his nose is still pressed against jeff's cheek.

"Well they already know, so no more sittin' on the floor for you."

[outerfringe]

Jeff jerks up just the littlest bit. "What? What did they say to you?" He's not quite worried, at least not on his own behalf, but...

[hardlydead]

david splays his hand on jeff's chest with a quiet "easy there" in response, pushing himself up on an elbow so he can look down at jeff and shrug a shoulder.

"They didn't say anything," he tilts his head this way and that. maybe they don't know, but he thinks about the conversation he had with that guy on the way up and the way he'd stop his partner when it came to certain lines of conversation and it's impossible not to assume they don't at least suspect. "Can just kinda tell, y'know?"

[outerfringe]

David had said that maybe Erik had known, which would make sense. He'd always been a perceptive guy, but he's not sure what that means now. He's terrified of David being handed enough excuses to bail on this thing between them, but he isn't able to identify that fear in himself just yet: all he knows is that his throat, for just a moment, feels weird and tight.

"You can stay here tomorrow." It would be a plea from anyone else, but Jeff is just searching. "Might throw 'em off a bit."

[hardlydead]

"Jeff," david shakes his head, "I already said I'm coming."

[outerfringe]

"I promised you wouldn't have to do anything you're not ready to do." He can identify the swell of stubborn protectiveness in himself. That's a feeling he's familiar with.

[hardlydead]

"I know," he lifts his hand to jeff's hair, pushes some of it back with a quiet smile — affectionate and appreciative. "I can handle it, okay?"

[outerfringe]

Jeff inhales, holds it, then sighs with a very subtle nod. "Okay. Yeah alright. I'll just follow your lead, I guess."

[hardlydead]

david nods, relieved it didn't turn into a fight, and lays himself back down with his arm draped lazily across jeff.

"Get some rest, yeah?"

[outerfringe]

"It's not that late," Jeff says, but it's just a complaint to complain. Today has been good; he's reluctant to sleep, but he'll close his eyes anyway. "Fuck. I really should get some more furniture."

[hardlydead]

"Not tellin' you to sleep, just rest your back." he noses again at jeff's shoulder, leaves a small kiss there, "gonna need you in top form when I drag you off to Ikea this week."

can we stretch this out for 32 more comments

[outerfringe]

"Oh, god, no," Jeff groans immediately at that, reaching up to drag one of his forearms across his eyes - though he never quite seems willing to let David go far. "Send me back to the fog."

i'm trying my hardest to make it happen

[hardlydead]

"I'm making you get a desk at least," david is resolute in this. a desk instead of a dinky little side table he has to squeeze himself and his work onto.