[ david darting up ahead and rounding on him happens a little quickly and it catches jeff by surprise. he comes to an abrupt stop, and immediately furrows his brow at david, his expression flickering between confusion and concern. at first, he thinks maybe david spotted something or someone up ahead that they should do their best to avoid, but david isn't the type to turn his back to a potential threat, so that seems... unlikely.
even so, he pauses for a second, glances past david to see if anything's lurking around behind him, slowly reaching for his flashlight in his back pocket, then shifts his gaze back to david. he keeps his voice low, just in case. ]
I, uh. Just wanted to talking about somethin' real quick before we get back.
[ he holds up his hands again as he says it, asking for jeff to give him a moment here. struggling with his words isn't common for david, but sometimes he needs a second to get started, like finding the right foothold on a wall. once he has it, he's golden, but sometimes it takes a little time to get it. ]
[ once he has it, david lowers his hands, clasps them together in front of himself as he speaks. casual, easy. surprisingly relaxed considering he just suddenly stopped jeff in the middle of the woods to ask him this, but it's not serious. he just doesn't want anyone overhearing them is all. ]
Feels like we skipped a couple steps here and just kinda dove right in to something here. [ there's a brief quirk of his lips as he says it, the slightest hint of amusement before he looks up at jeff with narrowed eyes to see if he's following. ] I'm just trying to catch my bearings, is all. So if that's what you want, then great, but if it's not? If you're just after somethin' casual or whatever...
[ david clears his throat, looks down at his hands for a brief moment of uncertainty before he catches himself and looks back up at jeff. maintaining that lightness in his tone because this isn't a big deal or anything, he's just trying to make sure they're on the same page. it's totally chill. ]
I just need to know so I'm not, y'know. [ he raises his eyebrows and tilts his head this way and that, a bit like this is amusing. just a funny little query. ] I'm not tryin' to smother you or anything here.
[ jeff probably couldn't guess at what david wants to talk about even if he tried, but that doesn't mean he doesn't wonder what's on david's mind. it doesn't mean there isn't a small but immediate spike of anxiety that plucks at the inside of his rib cage. nothing he isn't used to, and nowhere close to overwhelming, but it does put him the slightest bit on edge.
but jeff doesn't rush david, doesn't prompt him or push him to continue. jeff's more than familiar with the struggle to put his thoughts into words, and he recognizes this brief pause as just that fairly easily. he stays quiet, his eyebrows still gently pinched and shaped with concern as he waits david out, and when david finally continues, jeff pays attention.
maybe a little too much, because david's loose, amused attitude feels - off in a way that jeff can't really explain. like it doesn't quite match, even though there's nothing particularly serious about the conversation. or maybe jeff's reading something wrong, maybe it's more serious than it seems and he's just thrown off. his eyebrows never unknit, not until david's nearly finished, and even after david does his best impression of a bobble head, it still takes jeff more than a few seconds to catch his own bearings, so to speak.
his brows relax, then lift slightly. jeff clears his throat quietly, opens his mouth to respond, but it turns out he needs another second. eventually, though, he starts to piece his thoughts together and lay them out. ]
Uh. [ great start, jeffrey. he closes his mouth, and absently lets his hand fall away from his flashlight. tries again, fails again. he exhales. ] Look, I'm not — great. At this part. [ you know. verbalizing his thoughts. talking in general. ] So I'll just—
[ jeff shrugs, makes some kind of aborted gesture with one hand. when in doubt, just - open your mouth and hope what comes out makes a modicum of sense. ]
I... am attracted to you. [ obviously. ] Have been, since before the, uh. The station. If we're being honest. [ he clears his throat, maybe very slightly embarrassed by this admission, but he forces himself to keep going. ] I know we— this, [ he makes another half gesture between the two of them and then abandons it ] Has been a little... quick, I guess. But all I want is what you want.
[ jeff should probably put his hands away so he stops doing weird shit with them, so that's exactly what he does. he shoves his hands into his front pockets, elbows straight for a moment before he forces himself to relax, aware that he's awkward. he teeters back on his heels briefly, then settles. ]
If casual's what works for you, that's fine. If that... doesn't work for you, [ in other words, if you want more than casual. jeff shrugs a little, finding himself trying to match that weird energy david was giving off earlier by offering a faint, lopsided smile. it probably doesn't work as well. ] Then... I'm all right with that too. Whatever you're comfortable with. [ he wets his lips, clears his throat again, quiet, then adds almost as an afterthought: ] Either way... I don't feel smothered.
[ he pauses again, blinks. his eyebrows lift a fraction in concern. ]
[ ah, maybe he should've given this a little bit of a lead-in instead of blindsiding jeff with it. but in his defence, david didn't really know he wanted to ask this until about two seconds before he opened his mouth. but it's happened now, and david's patient while jeff works through what he wants to say as he says it — though when jeff admits to having been attracted to david since before the mistletoe incident, that visibly surprises him, eyebrows raised and lips parted in a silent 'oh' for a long moment before he catches himself and remembers he stopped jeff to talk about something else here. that's not important right now. ]
[ he mirrors jeff, hands shoved in his front pockets as he tries to figure out how to respond to all that. he doesn't think he wants just casual, not if he has a choice, but his track record isn't great. maybe he's just not built for anything other than casual relationships.
Don't think I really know what I want.
[ he frowns a bit when he says it, puffs out a light breath with a shake of his head. he just doesn't want to be putting his feelings somewhere they're not going to be reciprocated, and sure he can't control that, but he can minimize the risk for both of them. ]
[ there's also a couple other concerns, but they're ancillary, barely even on his mind. ]
[ immediately, jeff feels kind of... stupid. half the reason he's such a quiet person is because he knows he's not the most... eloquent, and more often than not when he gets to talking too much, he makes things weird, or makes an ass of himself. part of him feels like he's done that right here, like maybe he misinterpreted what david was trying to say - like instead of trying to feel something out, david was really just trying to be subtle in setting a boundary. jeff would like to think he's good at reading people, and that us true most of the time, but it's not impossible for him to be completely wrong.
no point in stressing too much about it though, at least not right here right now. later? probably.
jeff takes one of his hands out of his pockets and uses his knuckles to rub along the edge of his jaw on one side, beard bristling quietly. it's one of many anxious ticks, and when he catches himself doing it, he drops his hand again. ]
Okay. Well. [ he offers a half shrug, shakes his head a little. super casual. ] No pressure.
[ jeff was being honest when he said he only wants what david wants. if david's only interested in something casual, then jeff's not going to ask him or pressure him for anything more than that. if he wants something a little more serious, jeff's available for that too. and if it turns out that david wants nothing at all from him, well - that'll kind of suck more than it would have before he'd kissed david at the top of the stairs outside the police station, but that's just something he'll have to live with, because david isn't obligated to do or be anything for him.
jeff pushes his hand back into his pocket, tries not to look as awkward as he feels. ]
[ he was really kind of hoping for a firmer answer from jeff here, but in hindsight he should've known better. the chances of getting something definite either way without pushing are pretty slim, and david doesn't want to push. he just wants to know what he's doing. is there something here or not? is he imagining the vibe here? ]
[ his frown is brief, mostly just one of thought while he thinks about what jeff said and decides that's just going to have to do. reaches out to put a hand on jeff's arm and give it a squeeze. ]
[ brief or not, jeff catches that frown, and though it might not necessarily be directed at him, all it does is fuel the feeling that there's some kind of miscommunication here. whether it's on his end or david's is hard to tell, and jeff doesn't want to make things weird or uncomfortable by prying too much. but it sits like an itch under the skin.
when david squeezes his arm, jeff responds with a small, tight-lipped smile, just as brief as david's frown. he shakes his head again, taking his hands out of his pockets because he feels like his body language might contradict with his reply. ]
Don't be. I'm not - freaked out. [ that's the truth, even if it doesn't seem like it. he's not freaked out, he's just... incredibly unsure about a lot of things. not about david, not really, just about whether he navigated this whole thing wrong, unsure if he's maybe been being a little too... assertive? which is kind of a wild thing to think about, because he's not really the assertive type.
all of that being said though, jeff pauses for a few long seconds, looks like he's thinking a little too serious about something, and then he just— ] Sorry, can we - start this conversation over?
[ and if he winces a little, it's just because he's self-aware of how ungraceful and abrupt that probably was. ]
Edited (it's me i'm the idiot) 2023-01-28 04:55 (UTC)
[ david lets his grip lax, but he keeps his hand on jeff's arm. he doesn't often see him off-kilter like this any more, and it makes him worry a little that he's mistepped a little, asked something he shouldn't have or backed him into a corner somehow. ]
[ or maybe it's just that jeff isn't exactly the talkative type, and david's asking him for a lot of that right now. not just to talk, but it's not exactly a simple and easy topic, no matter how much david might act like it is. ]
[ either way, he looks up to meet jeff's eyes, patient and listening, mostly to see if he's going to speak first or if david should go. ]
[ honestly, jeff doesn't want to have to be the one to have to speak first, but he's the one who asked if they could start this conversation over, so he recognizes that the ball is more or less in his court. it takes him a few long seconds to try and pull his thoughts into something a little more coherent, something that's hopefully a little more clear, though, if not direct. either way, david's hand lingering on his arm makes him feel at least a little bit grounded.
he plays the start of the conversation back in his head, when david had put himself in jeff's way so they could talk, brows pinched together a little as he tries to work out what he wants to say. ]
Shit. All right, uh. What... [ he wets his lips. ] What exactly were you asking me? You said you need to know so you're not 'you know', but. I don't... know.
[ really, that's maybe the part that's confusing him the most right now, though he's plenty confused about the rest of everything else too, really. despite posing david with a question, jeff presses forward and doesn't leave much space for him to answer right away. he drags his hand down over his beard and a little bit down his neck, another one of his subtler anxious ticks. it's not david that makes him anxious, but the possibility of saying the wrong thing. he already feels like he's fumbled once, he doesn't want to screw up twice. ]
To be, uh. Clear. I guess. I've never really done the casual thing. [ which isn't to say that he hasn't tried, it's just that it's not really him. jeff's too soft and sentimental when it comes to the people he allows himself to get close to, both romantically and platonically. and he would say he and david are decently close. he'd have said the same if asked before he got trapped under some mistletoe, too. he clears his throat quietly. ] I like - this.
[ he makes a small gesture back and forth between himself and david. ]
I, uh. Like where we are. So far. [ even if they've definitely skipped over some things and landed maybe a little ahead of themselves, like david said. he lowers his voice slightly, vaguely conscious of the possibility of being eavesdropped on. ] I like you. But if this is all a little too much, or uh. Too fast? I don't have a problem with slowing down or backing off, if that's... what you were wanting to know.
[ why does it feel like he's said absolutely nothing and gotten absolutely nowhere? christ. ]
[ that's more helpful than jeff thinks, gives david a clearer idea of where jeff's head is at. he nods as he listens to him, watches him with some sympathy in his expression for jeff's little anxious tics, for the way he clearly isn't comfortable having to articulate himself — david might be better at it, but he gets it too. ]
I just wanted to make sure we're on the same page. [ a little absently, he reaches up with his free hand and tucks some of jeff's hair back while he's looking at him, smile a bit more genuine than before, small as it is. ] I wasn't asking for casual or wanting to slow down, I just--
[ he frowns suddenly, purses his lips for a moment trying to find the right way to describe it. he's a little slower when he continues, more deliberate as if he's not fully sure of what he's about to say until the words are out of his mouth, which is less like him than people might think. ]
I don't wanna get invested in something and have it be one-sided because you're not interested in that and I didn't know. That's all it was.
[ for the second time in less than five minutes, jeff feels like a little bit of an idiot - but in a way that's funny in hindsight, rather than stressful. he's not typically the kind of person to let himself spiral over minor things - and he wouldn't say he'd started to spiral here, either, not really - but when it comes to important things, he likes to get them right. he wants whatever he's doing with david to be... right. and for a moment, he'd gotten ahead of himself, thought too hard about what david was asking and maybe went a little too worst-case-scenario for a minute. assumed he was doing something wrong, or was maybe asking for too much or assuming there was something more here than there actually was.
the clarification here is a welcome relief, eases whatever anxiety was clinging to him. it's almost kind of funny, when david lays it all out. that he thinks at all that jeff might not be interested or - or invested is almost laughable, maybe only to jeff. he was telling the truth earlier, when he admitted to being attracted to david, but in david's defense, up until... the mistletoe incident, jeff had made a point of keeping any feelings he may have been developing toward david to himself. burying them in quick sketches and folded pages, in small, easily dismissed gestures - like lending him his jacket after springing him free from the saloon, or setting aside a scavenged beer for him while he was sleeping, so he wouldn't miss out. so it's not david's fault if there are some doubts, and jeff doesn't blame him.
as amusing as it is, though, jeff doesn't laugh. instead, he smiles faintly, feeling a little more reassured, and reaches out only somewhat hesitantly to touch his fingers to david's side. lets them drift a little so he can hook his index in one of his belt loops and give it a gentle little tug, not with any intention to pull david closer, but just out of a desire to be physically connected to him in some way. jeff shakes his head slightly, that ghost of a smile still lingering. ]
It's not one-sided. [ he thought that much was obvious. ] I am interested. [ he gives david's belt loop another light little tug. ] Invested.
Okay. [ he smiles, at first it's just in his eyes, bright and warm when he looks at jeff, and then he nods and it widens into a grin. ] Okay, yeah. Good.
[ for a moment he just feels overwhelmed (in a good way) by the verbal confirmation, he lets his hand trail down the outside of jeff's arm to find his hand and take it to give it a quick squeeze. so they're on the same page, they're just also idiots. that's fine by david, he can handle being a dumbass. it's another moment that has him feeling a bit like some dumb teenager, but david can live with that too. ]
[ there's a thread of anxiety there too, but that's for later, when he's on his own. he doesn't want to sour the moment by freaking out over whether or not he's gonna ruin this somehow. instead he glances back over his shoulder and moves to step away so they can get moving again. ]
[ there's something about david's eyes that jeff has always liked, but he likes them best when david is smiling, how they seem to shine a little more, crinkle just a little bit near the corners. it makes jeff smile too as he looks at him, not quite as wide but just as genuine.
when david squeezes his hand, jeff adjusts his own slightly so he can squeeze back, thumb doing a quick pass over his knuckles. it would appear that they're on the same page more than they know, because jeff knows he'll overthink this at some point when he's got time to himself. he knows he'll get in his head, wonder what he's doing to do to fuck up. it's not that his track record when it comes to relationships is bad, and he can't even really say for sure that whatever he's got with david is considered a relationship yet, if at all, but it's - important to him. david is important to him, regardless of their involvement with each other. it would be just his luck to see it all come crashing down.
but that's later's to-do list. for now, jeff watches david as he looks over his shoulder, watches him as he starts to step away. follows after him so he doesn't get too far without him, shoulder bumping his. ]
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hardlydead) wrote2021-11-01 05:44 am
no subject
even so, he pauses for a second, glances past david to see if anything's lurking around behind him, slowly reaching for his flashlight in his back pocket, then shifts his gaze back to david. he keeps his voice low, just in case. ]
What's wrong?
no subject
[ he holds up his hands again as he says it, asking for jeff to give him a moment here. struggling with his words isn't common for david, but sometimes he needs a second to get started, like finding the right foothold on a wall. once he has it, he's golden, but sometimes it takes a little time to get it. ]
[ once he has it, david lowers his hands, clasps them together in front of himself as he speaks. casual, easy. surprisingly relaxed considering he just suddenly stopped jeff in the middle of the woods to ask him this, but it's not serious. he just doesn't want anyone overhearing them is all. ]
Feels like we skipped a couple steps here and just kinda dove right in to something here. [ there's a brief quirk of his lips as he says it, the slightest hint of amusement before he looks up at jeff with narrowed eyes to see if he's following. ] I'm just trying to catch my bearings, is all. So if that's what you want, then great, but if it's not? If you're just after somethin' casual or whatever...
[ david clears his throat, looks down at his hands for a brief moment of uncertainty before he catches himself and looks back up at jeff. maintaining that lightness in his tone because this isn't a big deal or anything, he's just trying to make sure they're on the same page. it's totally chill. ]
I just need to know so I'm not, y'know. [ he raises his eyebrows and tilts his head this way and that, a bit like this is amusing. just a funny little query. ] I'm not tryin' to smother you or anything here.
no subject
but jeff doesn't rush david, doesn't prompt him or push him to continue. jeff's more than familiar with the struggle to put his thoughts into words, and he recognizes this brief pause as just that fairly easily. he stays quiet, his eyebrows still gently pinched and shaped with concern as he waits david out, and when david finally continues, jeff pays attention.
maybe a little too much, because david's loose, amused attitude feels - off in a way that jeff can't really explain. like it doesn't quite match, even though there's nothing particularly serious about the conversation. or maybe jeff's reading something wrong, maybe it's more serious than it seems and he's just thrown off. his eyebrows never unknit, not until david's nearly finished, and even after david does his best impression of a bobble head, it still takes jeff more than a few seconds to catch his own bearings, so to speak.
his brows relax, then lift slightly. jeff clears his throat quietly, opens his mouth to respond, but it turns out he needs another second. eventually, though, he starts to piece his thoughts together and lay them out. ]
Uh. [ great start, jeffrey. he closes his mouth, and absently lets his hand fall away from his flashlight. tries again, fails again. he exhales. ] Look, I'm not — great. At this part. [ you know. verbalizing his thoughts. talking in general. ] So I'll just—
[ jeff shrugs, makes some kind of aborted gesture with one hand. when in doubt, just - open your mouth and hope what comes out makes a modicum of sense. ]
I... am attracted to you. [ obviously. ] Have been, since before the, uh. The station. If we're being honest. [ he clears his throat, maybe very slightly embarrassed by this admission, but he forces himself to keep going. ] I know we— this, [ he makes another half gesture between the two of them and then abandons it ] Has been a little... quick, I guess. But all I want is what you want.
[ jeff should probably put his hands away so he stops doing weird shit with them, so that's exactly what he does. he shoves his hands into his front pockets, elbows straight for a moment before he forces himself to relax, aware that he's awkward. he teeters back on his heels briefly, then settles. ]
If casual's what works for you, that's fine. If that... doesn't work for you, [ in other words, if you want more than casual. jeff shrugs a little, finding himself trying to match that weird energy david was giving off earlier by offering a faint, lopsided smile. it probably doesn't work as well. ] Then... I'm all right with that too. Whatever you're comfortable with. [ he wets his lips, clears his throat again, quiet, then adds almost as an afterthought: ] Either way... I don't feel smothered.
[ he pauses again, blinks. his eyebrows lift a fraction in concern. ]
... Do you?
no subject
[ he mirrors jeff, hands shoved in his front pockets as he tries to figure out how to respond to all that. he doesn't think he wants just casual, not if he has a choice, but his track record isn't great. maybe he's just not built for anything other than casual relationships.
Don't think I really know what I want.
[ he frowns a bit when he says it, puffs out a light breath with a shake of his head. he just doesn't want to be putting his feelings somewhere they're not going to be reciprocated, and sure he can't control that, but he can minimize the risk for both of them. ]
[ there's also a couple other concerns, but they're ancillary, barely even on his mind. ]
no subject
no point in stressing too much about it though, at least not right here right now. later? probably.
jeff takes one of his hands out of his pockets and uses his knuckles to rub along the edge of his jaw on one side, beard bristling quietly. it's one of many anxious ticks, and when he catches himself doing it, he drops his hand again. ]
Okay. Well. [ he offers a half shrug, shakes his head a little. super casual. ] No pressure.
[ jeff was being honest when he said he only wants what david wants. if david's only interested in something casual, then jeff's not going to ask him or pressure him for anything more than that. if he wants something a little more serious, jeff's available for that too. and if it turns out that david wants nothing at all from him, well - that'll kind of suck more than it would have before he'd kissed david at the top of the stairs outside the police station, but that's just something he'll have to live with, because david isn't obligated to do or be anything for him.
jeff pushes his hand back into his pocket, tries not to look as awkward as he feels. ]
Just - let me know, I guess. Either way.
no subject
[ his frown is brief, mostly just one of thought while he thinks about what jeff said and decides that's just going to have to do. reaches out to put a hand on jeff's arm and give it a squeeze. ]
Sorry-- Didn't mean to freak you out or anything.
i hate these idiots
when david squeezes his arm, jeff responds with a small, tight-lipped smile, just as brief as david's frown. he shakes his head again, taking his hands out of his pockets because he feels like his body language might contradict with his reply. ]
Don't be. I'm not - freaked out. [ that's the truth, even if it doesn't seem like it. he's not freaked out, he's just... incredibly unsure about a lot of things. not about david, not really, just about whether he navigated this whole thing wrong, unsure if he's maybe been being a little too... assertive? which is kind of a wild thing to think about, because he's not really the assertive type.
all of that being said though, jeff pauses for a few long seconds, looks like he's thinking a little too serious about something, and then he just— ] Sorry, can we - start this conversation over?
[ and if he winces a little, it's just because he's self-aware of how ungraceful and abrupt that probably was. ]
leave them alone they're doing their best
[ david lets his grip lax, but he keeps his hand on jeff's arm. he doesn't often see him off-kilter like this any more, and it makes him worry a little that he's mistepped a little, asked something he shouldn't have or backed him into a corner somehow. ]
[ or maybe it's just that jeff isn't exactly the talkative type, and david's asking him for a lot of that right now. not just to talk, but it's not exactly a simple and easy topic, no matter how much david might act like it is. ]
[ either way, he looks up to meet jeff's eyes, patient and listening, mostly to see if he's going to speak first or if david should go. ]
no subject
he plays the start of the conversation back in his head, when david had put himself in jeff's way so they could talk, brows pinched together a little as he tries to work out what he wants to say. ]
Shit. All right, uh. What... [ he wets his lips. ] What exactly were you asking me? You said you need to know so you're not 'you know', but. I don't... know.
[ really, that's maybe the part that's confusing him the most right now, though he's plenty confused about the rest of everything else too, really. despite posing david with a question, jeff presses forward and doesn't leave much space for him to answer right away. he drags his hand down over his beard and a little bit down his neck, another one of his subtler anxious ticks. it's not david that makes him anxious, but the possibility of saying the wrong thing. he already feels like he's fumbled once, he doesn't want to screw up twice. ]
To be, uh. Clear. I guess. I've never really done the casual thing. [ which isn't to say that he hasn't tried, it's just that it's not really him. jeff's too soft and sentimental when it comes to the people he allows himself to get close to, both romantically and platonically. and he would say he and david are decently close. he'd have said the same if asked before he got trapped under some mistletoe, too. he clears his throat quietly. ] I like - this.
[ he makes a small gesture back and forth between himself and david. ]
I, uh. Like where we are. So far. [ even if they've definitely skipped over some things and landed maybe a little ahead of themselves, like david said. he lowers his voice slightly, vaguely conscious of the possibility of being eavesdropped on. ] I like you. But if this is all a little too much, or uh. Too fast? I don't have a problem with slowing down or backing off, if that's... what you were wanting to know.
[ why does it feel like he's said absolutely nothing and gotten absolutely nowhere? christ. ]
no subject
I just wanted to make sure we're on the same page. [ a little absently, he reaches up with his free hand and tucks some of jeff's hair back while he's looking at him, smile a bit more genuine than before, small as it is. ] I wasn't asking for casual or wanting to slow down, I just--
[ he frowns suddenly, purses his lips for a moment trying to find the right way to describe it. he's a little slower when he continues, more deliberate as if he's not fully sure of what he's about to say until the words are out of his mouth, which is less like him than people might think. ]
I don't wanna get invested in something and have it be one-sided because you're not interested in that and I didn't know. That's all it was.
no subject
[ for the second time in less than five minutes, jeff feels like a little bit of an idiot - but in a way that's funny in hindsight, rather than stressful. he's not typically the kind of person to let himself spiral over minor things - and he wouldn't say he'd started to spiral here, either, not really - but when it comes to important things, he likes to get them right. he wants whatever he's doing with david to be... right. and for a moment, he'd gotten ahead of himself, thought too hard about what david was asking and maybe went a little too worst-case-scenario for a minute. assumed he was doing something wrong, or was maybe asking for too much or assuming there was something more here than there actually was.
the clarification here is a welcome relief, eases whatever anxiety was clinging to him. it's almost kind of funny, when david lays it all out. that he thinks at all that jeff might not be interested or - or invested is almost laughable, maybe only to jeff. he was telling the truth earlier, when he admitted to being attracted to david, but in david's defense, up until... the mistletoe incident, jeff had made a point of keeping any feelings he may have been developing toward david to himself. burying them in quick sketches and folded pages, in small, easily dismissed gestures - like lending him his jacket after springing him free from the saloon, or setting aside a scavenged beer for him while he was sleeping, so he wouldn't miss out. so it's not david's fault if there are some doubts, and jeff doesn't blame him.
as amusing as it is, though, jeff doesn't laugh. instead, he smiles faintly, feeling a little more reassured, and reaches out only somewhat hesitantly to touch his fingers to david's side. lets them drift a little so he can hook his index in one of his belt loops and give it a gentle little tug, not with any intention to pull david closer, but just out of a desire to be physically connected to him in some way. jeff shakes his head slightly, that ghost of a smile still lingering. ]
It's not one-sided. [ he thought that much was obvious. ] I am interested. [ he gives david's belt loop another light little tug. ] Invested.
no subject
[ for a moment he just feels overwhelmed (in a good way) by the verbal confirmation, he lets his hand trail down the outside of jeff's arm to find his hand and take it to give it a quick squeeze. so they're on the same page, they're just also idiots. that's fine by david, he can handle being a dumbass. it's another moment that has him feeling a bit like some dumb teenager, but david can live with that too. ]
[ there's a thread of anxiety there too, but that's for later, when he's on his own. he doesn't want to sour the moment by freaking out over whether or not he's gonna ruin this somehow. instead he glances back over his shoulder and moves to step away so they can get moving again. ]
no subject
when david squeezes his hand, jeff adjusts his own slightly so he can squeeze back, thumb doing a quick pass over his knuckles. it would appear that they're on the same page more than they know, because jeff knows he'll overthink this at some point when he's got time to himself. he knows he'll get in his head, wonder what he's doing to do to fuck up. it's not that his track record when it comes to relationships is bad, and he can't even really say for sure that whatever he's got with david is considered a relationship yet, if at all, but it's - important to him. david is important to him, regardless of their involvement with each other. it would be just his luck to see it all come crashing down.
but that's later's to-do list. for now, jeff watches david as he looks over his shoulder, watches him as he starts to step away. follows after him so he doesn't get too far without him, shoulder bumping his. ]