[ it's been a little bit of a rough go so far, but most trials against the oni are typically an uphill battle, at least in jeff's experience. unlike some of the other survivors, jeff's not necessarily built for running or taking chase - his skillset leans more towards offering support. staying out of the killer's sights, and making sure the rest of his team knows where to find him when they need help getting patched up.
trying to outrun a killer is a task and a half on a good day. jeff's learned how to mind game, pulls a fast one just as often as he gets outplayed. but the oni is fast, and less predictable than some other killers who also have speed on their side. for the most part, jeff can dodge an incoming hillbilly, but the oni? the oni's fury is something else.
jeff's been hooked twice already, but there are positives. they've almost completed enough generators to get the gates up and open, and nobody's died yet. jeff's not the only one that's one bad move away from being sacrificed, but he tries not to think about it too much. the less anxious he is about making sure everyone makes it out, the less likely he is to fumble a wire or blow something up just to set back their progress.
and david's here, somewhere. things always go a little bit better when david's around.
creeping up to the coal tower, jeff pauses only long enough to listen for the gen upstairs. to his relief, he can hear some of the pistons moving. closer to getting out of here than he thought, though he can't quite tell if someone's on it, or if they were chased off a while ago. regardless, jeff climbs over the window sill and immediately heads up the stairs, doing his best to keep his footsteps quiet. when he reaches the top and sees david there with his arms wrist deep in the guts of a generator, jeff can't help but smile a little to himself.
he doesn't rush forward, but he makes quick work of taking up the open side of the generator, peeking in to see what's been done already and what needs doing. there's blood all down the front of his shirt and a pretty gnarly hole in his shoulder, but otherwise he seems pretty content, even casts david a sideways glance as he nudges a bundle of wires aside with his fingers to get at something deeper in the generator. ]
[ david has something of a love/hate relationship with going against the oni. there's the part of him that lives for the thrill of competition, for the rush of blood pounding in his ears, and oni's one of the best killers for that. fierce and unpredictable and unrelenting. in another life david probably would've relished seeing him in the ring or on the field. problem is he also feels like he does his best work in trials when he's already taken a bit of a beating. something about the blood and the adrenaline that really gets him moving, helps him see clearer, makes his mind and body both work faster. with most killers the risk/reward is worth it, but oni eats that shit up. best to stay as uninjured as you can with him. ]
[ freshly patched up after his second stint on the hook, david's working on that gen, pauses when he thinks he hears the grunt of somebody climbing in through a window, but over the sound of the generator it could be anything — which he fucking hates — so he keeps an eye on the stairs out of the corner of his eye, a small smile blooming when jeff's head pops up coming up the stairs. ]
No, actually. [ he tilts his head to look at something, a little amusement showing around his eyes. ] Crazy coincidence bumping into you here.
[ jeff lifts his eyebrows, twists his mouth downward like he's surprised by this admission, playing into this stupid bit he's started. he nods his head slightly, like he agrees with this being some kind of wild coincidence that, of all places, they'd run into each other here. jeff tucks a small bundle of wires out of the way, lifts a metal panel up, the hinge squeaking slightly in a way that makes him squint a little. ]
Mm, [ he hums in agreement, shooting david another sideways glance. this one lingers though, his gaze dropping to the blood all down the front of him, silently searching for anything urgent that david might be ignoring for the sake of getting through a generator faster. relatively speaking, david seems alright - none of that tense posture that comes with trying to push through an injury that, frankly, no one should be able to walk off. it's a relief, though only a mild one.
this isn't the first time he's seen david drenched in blood, and it certainly won't be the last, but it hits him a little differently this time, for some reason. jeff shifts his attention back to the generator, mindful of his grip as he twists some wires together. he laughs quietly, a little half-hearted and mostly under his breath. ] Might be fate.
[ jeff doesn't really believe in things like fate or destiny, but it's kinda funny to joke about sometimes.
when the fourth piston on the generator begins to... piston. as pistons do. jeff pauses for a second and reaches back to tug something free of his back pocket. ]
Got you something.
[ it's just a flashlight, but it's got fresh batteries and a pretty shiny bulb by the looks of it. jeff gives it a little wobble in his hand, then sets it down on the ground by david's foot so he doesn't have to stop working to accept it. jeff's decent with flashlights, but they both know that david's the one with a habit of running into any situation no matter how dire to try and get a save. ]
[ like always, david has made a point of being a nuisance and a pest, and the evidence is all over him — clothes torn from sword slashes and being thrown roughly onto a hook, covered in more blood than he should reasonably be able to lose and still function, including charming smears of it on his forehead where he occasionally wipes away the blood and sweat with the back of his hand and achieves nothing — he's battered, bruised, and bloody, but there's no open wounds, nothing needing attention. and jeff's presence puts him in good spirits, even if david doesn't look away from what he's doing to look at him. just hearing his voice and knowing he's right there does plenty. ]
[ david pulls... something. it vents something else or whatever. he doesn't understand this shit and he's at least 60% sure they don't work like any kind of machines in the real world anyway, so he's elected to just never give it more thought than touching the right wires and pulling the right levers to make it go. he chuckles at jeff's joke and glances out of the corner of his eye at the gift, just long enough to see what it is without making a mistake. ]
You shouldn't have. [ flashlight could come in clutch though. everyone's on their last legs, but fingers crossed he can keep oni from carrying anyone off to get sacrificed this way. ] I didn't get you anything.
[ fixing a generator is more muscle memory for jeff now than it is skill. this wire goes here, lift this panel, vent whatever, repeat. sure, he still has to pay at least a little attention, because some things do take a bit more precision - one wrong wire touches another and you'll blow the whole thing up - but it's pretty mechanical as far as he's concerned. he tucks another wire away, reaches deeper into the guts of the generator and nudges a switch over with his thumb.
when david says he didn't get jeff anything, jeff glances away from the inside of the gen toward david, his eyebrows lifting slightly. the corner of his mouth tugs a little, and he looks back to the task at hand. the generator is almost finished, probably not a good idea to get too distracted and blow it to hell.
jeff shrugs a shoulder, ducks his head a little to get a better look at what he's doing. ]
[ there's a joke right there on the tip of his tongue, and it's obvious by the look in his eye when he glances at jeff, but he decides against it. knowing his luck one of them would blow something on the generator if he did and get them both killed. ]
Yeah? [ he ducks his head to get a better look at what he's doing. ] Easier ways to ask me to take my shirt off, y'know.
[ okay so he can't restrain himself entirely, but it's not the joke he wanted to make initially, so his self-restraint should still be applauded. ]
[ though he honestly shouldn't be surprised considering he's the one who started teasing, jeff still a little caught off guard by david's flirting, enough that it plucks a quiet laugh out of him. he shoots david a quick, mock-disapproving look, like he can't believe david would have the audacity to flirt in such a serious situation, but the way he presses his lips together and looks away gives away his amusement.
jeff shakes his head, lowers a panel inside. ]
You think I wouldn't just ask?
[ would he? that'll just have to remain a mystery. jeff pushes something into place inside the belly of the generator and it whirs to life, the lights up top burning solid. he pulls his hands out of the gen, wipes any lingering grease or oil on his hands on his jeans, then quickly pushes himself up from his one knee.
there are a couple exits from here - the two windows, and the stairs that lead back down to the first floor, but whatever way either of them take, jeff would bet that the oni's headed right for the coal tower in search of a victim. jeff considers their options - it's probably best if they split up and go separate ways from this point. with only one generator left, the more spread out the four of them are, the better their chances of most of, if not everyone, getting out.
jeff starts to move for the stairs. ]
Last one should be done any second now. Meg and Vittorio were just getting started on one before I met up with you. [ so as long as the oni hasn't chased both of them off of it, escape is right within their grasps. as jeff starts to descend the stairs, assuming david'll just hop down from one of the windows (god, jeff's knees barely make it every time he's forced to), he says maybe a little too casually: ] I'll see where they're at. Gate's right out here - [ there's a pause in his words, but not in his step, ] I go down, just leave me. I'll get back up. Worry about the gates.
[ david just raises his eyebrows in a little shrug as if to say well you haven't so far as he tucks away a few wires, closes a panel, and the generator fires up. david stands, wiping his hands off on his jeans and reaching down to pick up that flashlight. ]
[ he does indeed just hop out the window — or the open hole in the wall that acts like one — but he's pretty sure he heard jeff say 'just leave me' and he immediately climbs back in through the ground floor window to meet him on the stairs with a frown. pretty sure he could count the number of times he's left someone behind without being forced into it on his hands, he's sure as fuck not about to add jeff to that tally. ]
Lemme go check on 'em then. [ jeff's right, they should split up and they should focus on getting at least one of the gates open as soon as possible, but the suggested plan doesn't sit right with david. ] I can keep him busy long enough for you to get them gates open if he comes that way.
[ you know, "that way". the way that david definitely knows where it is. ]
[ dropping down from the second storey and then immediately climbing through the window on the first floor before jeff can even make it to the bottom of the stairs is a little bit unexpected, so if jeff startles slightly, he really can't be blamed for it. he doesn't really stop on the stairs though, because every second counts, so he gently pushes past david and keeps going with the expectation that david'll follow.
truthfully, it probably does make a little more sense for them to swap places in this plan - david's better at distractions, jeff's better at keeping hidden when it really counts, and meg and vittorio will be able to find the gates a little bit faster if he's the one powering them up versus david. regardless of the logic, jeff still doesn't like it, but each second spent caught up in a pointless argument is another second not spent on a generator or a gate and jeff knows when it's best not to bother.
jeff navigates around the cluster of old, wooden crates pushed into the center of the bottom floor and leans out of an open doorway, peering out of the coal tower for anything big and angry headed their way, but the coast seems relatively clear. in the far distance, if he squints, he can see two figures on either side of a generator. it's too far for him to make out how many pistons are moving, too far for him to get an estimate on how much more's left, but it seems promising. jeff turns to look back at david, nods, finally, in reluctant agreement of this new plan, and then juts his chin out toward that final gen. ]
They're that way. [ a pause. ] Don't do anything stupid. [ in other words, be careful. but jeff doesn't want to just leave it at that for whatever reason, so he reaches out and hooks two fingers through the bottle opener at david's hip and gives it two light tugs before letting go. ] See you in a minute.
[ and then he's off, headed toward the nearest gate so he'll be ready to get it going the second the last generator's complete. ]
[ at the same time jeff's reaching for the bottle opener on his belt, david tilts his head up to give jeff a quick peck on the cheek since nobody can see them over here anyway and pats him lightly on the arm before backing up a couple steps to go and see how meg and vittorio are doing. ] Be careful, yeah? [ sure jeff's more careful than him, but that's a low fucking bar. and he has his moments too. ]
[ he's careful about making his way over to the generator, doesn't sprint as much as he wants to just in case that ends up leading the oni that way, and gets to work to help them finish up that last bit of work as soon as he's over there. asks them if they've seen the big bastard and they tell him they managed to hide when he came around and kicked the gen, but nothing significant, which makes david wonder if he shouldn't split off and find another one, but they're so close on this one he might as well stay put. ]
[ between the three of them it really doesn't take long before they're done and he hears the pips of the doors powering up. still hasn't seen oni, which doesn't make david feel great, but he starts leading the way back to the gate he left jeff at anyway. he should have it almost open by the time they get there so long as they're fast about it. ]
[ there's a small hill a little off to the left of the nearest gate, and when they part ways, jeff circles around the far side of it slow, keeping an ear and an eye out for oni, or any of the other three on his side, but it's relatively quiet. almost uncomfortably so, but jeff chalks the unsettling feeling up to his own general anxiety and the approaching adrenaline of finally getting the hell out of here. hopefully, with just as many people as they started with.
in his brief but thorough scan, jeff spots a totem tucked up against a couple rocks near the bottom of the hill. unlit, but there's not really much for him to do until that last generator is finished, so he crouches and makes easy work of dismantling it until it's nothing but a pile of bone and twine and melted wax. no telling if there are any other totems left unchecked, but. fingers crossed.
when the last generator pops and that telltale note sounds chimes throughout the estate, jeff's quick to get on the nearest gate. he yanks the lever down, checks over one shoulder, then the other. they're lucky that the gates aren't as close together as they sometimes are - unlucky that they're stuck in here with the oni, who can cut across long distances pretty quickly if he's pissed enough.
by now, jeff's memorized just how long it takes to get the gates open, provided there's nothing in play to slow them down, so as he waits, he counts down the seconds in his head, eyes constantly scanning for the oni - but also the rest of his team mates. if david's found them, then he'll be able to lead them to the right gate, hopefully keep them safe along the way if worse comes to worst and they get cut off along the way.
as it turns out, though, the others are fine... and jeff quickly realizes this when he hears the not so distant and very quickly approaching growls of a furious oni, his footsteps heavy and quick. he whips his head around - and there he is, coming right for him, weapon raised as he charges ahead.
jeff swears under his breath. there is no denying that he's been seen, and the smartest, safest thing to do right now would be to abandon the gate and run - but there are people counting on him. there's a plan, and though this part definitely wasn't part of it, he has to follow through. there are seconds left on the gate. all he has to do is stick it out long enough, and he can get it open.
if he has to go down for it in the process, well. so be it. at least the oni will be occupied with carrying him away, and the others can get through and out without a problem. ]
[ most of the time, things in trials feel like they happen so fast that sometimes david would struggle to even remember any details, the whole thing a blur in his memory. this is very much the opposite of that. it feels like slow motion, when he hears the doors open followed almost instantaneously by the too-familiar sound of jeff's shout as he's cut down right in the fucking doorway. the three of them get around the oni easily, but none of them leave, all of them clearly thinking the same thing: when he picks jeff up, david can go for that flashlight save and the three of them can cover for him on the way out. ]
[ it would be a great plan if not for a few things. meg's too eager, gets too close and goes down in one hit — and david's seen this guy use the hexes so fucking rarely that that's a shock — but she's close enough to the exit that she manages to crawl out, david and vittorio slipping around opposite pillars while oni's attention is split. and when he comes back, hovers over jeff, david's ready. springs out with his flashlight ready to blind the fucker, except... except what happens is a ragged scream is ripped out of jeff as a sword pierces his shoulder and pins him to the ground. david stands there helplessly, certain he can hear every tear of flesh, every wet spatter of blood as the oni rips jeff's tongue out with his bare hands. and then reduces him to little more than paste. ]
[ david watches it all in horror, and when the oni turns to face the stragglers, it settles into a silent rage. shoulders set and feet planted as he stares back, squaring up like he stands any kind of a chance against that monster of a man. as if he wouldn't be meeting the exact same fate as jeff if not for the way vittorio grabs his arm and pulls david through the gate with all his strength before they lose a second person. ]
[ jeff doesn't try to fool himself into believing he can get the gate open and dodge the oni's fury - it's one or the other, and while dodging might buy him some more time, it also leaves a window of opportunity for the oni to find someone else. for someone to get trapped, expecting the gate to be open only to have to waste time doing it themselves and risking getting caught. it's a no brainer for jeff - he's here to look after everyone else in whatever way he can.
but he still gives it a solid attempt. the second the doors begin to slide open, jeff gives it his best shot to get out of the way of the oni's kanabo, but he's just not quick enough, and when he hits the ground, his vision swims and his ears ring and the shout that leaves him feels like it's knocked out of him involuntarily, coasting on whatever air's left in his lungs.
opposite of david, things seem to move a little to quickly fort jeff after that. he feels the vibration of footsteps sprinting past him through the gates more than he sees the people they belong to, and he thinks - good. so long as everyone else makes it out, he's done his job, followed the plan as closely as he could.
and then meg screams, and that's - that's not right. why is she still here? jeff struggles a little, tries to push himself up onto his hands even though his head is spinning and he's pretty sure he can feel blood starting to pool in his mouth, and it's a fight to lift his head up. when he does though, he sees the blurry figure of meg just barely crawling out to safety, and two more slinking near the edges of the exit.
go, jeff thinks. opens his mouth to try and say it out loud, but all he can manage to do is cough. get the fuck out.
it's quick after that. a sword through the chest, fingers in his mouth. he feels like he chokes on his own blood, and by the time the oni raises his kanabo, jeff's already close enough to blacking out that he can barely manage to put up any kind of fight.
it takes about a day for the entity to spit him back out into the woods. alive, but maybe not well. coming back from death is never easy, but some times are rougher than others and when jeff comes to, slumped against the base of a tree, he doesn't move for a while. doesn't feel like he can, honestly, his entire body aching, head fucking splitting. it feels like if he tries to move too much too quickly, he might be sick, so he doesn't really try. he drags his knees up a little so he can limply rest his arms on top of them, and lets his head hang forward, his hair falling in his face.
he'll get up eventually. head back to camp and try his best to carry on like he doesn't feel like freshly cooked roadkill, like this shit is just. normal. like he didn't get his face beaten in in front of meg and vittorio and- ]
Fuck. [ he opens his eyes, stares down at his lap. his voice is barely more than a rough rasp. jeff swallows and inhales around the static crackle of anxiety that flares up in his chest. ] David.
[ fuck fuck fuck. did david make it out? jeff's pretty sure he'd be stubborn enough to try and fight the fucking oni with his bare hands if given the chance, so jeff can only hope that vittorio had the sense (and the strength) to push him out before he could do anything stupid. ]
[ david's in his usual spot, stewing over the whole thing. trying not to think too hard on how different it feels now. sure, he'd noticed, impossible not to notice the way it felt like his heart leaping into a throat when he heard jeff get injured. how he has to fight his instinct to basically shadow the man through trials like they haven't been through countless already now. that fear of losing someone, that if they die they might not come back is so much more acute now, and david doesn't know what to do with it. ]
[ especially after seeing oni obliterate him like that, right in the exit. like something so goddamn easy. after david's the one who suggested jeff stick by the gate instead of him. ]
[ it's been a rough 24 hours for david, is the short version, but meg will be the first to reach out to jeff when he gets back and ask if he got brought back okay. reassure him they all made it out thanks to him (and probably babble a little about wanting to save him but it not working out,) and let him know they haven't really seen david since they all got back. "you know how he gets after trials sometimes." ]
[ meg's a good kid. sometimes a little reckless, but she's harmless and some of the shit she gets up to is admittedly kind of funny. jeff likes her, and though he doesn't really feel up for making small talk or carrying on a conversation by the time he shuffles back to camp, he also doesn't have the heart to brush her off the way he'd like to, if only so he doesn't have to spend the energy he doesn't really have trying to keep up.
he's glad she got out, if only narrowly. jeff's glad to hear vittorio made it through, too, but what he's most interested in is david's fate, and it's a relief to hear that someone had the sense to push him through and out before he could do something stupid. and jeff knows he would have, if it weren't for vittorio. he'll have to find him later and thank him, when he's not so focused on finding someone else.
it doesn't surprise jeff to hear that david's been missing from camp for a while. a day, at least, if meg wasn't exaggerating, but something still twists in his stomach when he learns of it. concern, maybe. worry. guilt. jeff parts ways with meg as casually as he can, still feeling like a walking train wreck, but his discomfort has dropped on his list of priorities.
if jeff knows david at all, and he'd like to think he does, after all this time, then finding him won't be hard. ]
[ some people make fun of david for being broody, and he certainly was when he arrived, but that hasn't been him for a long time now. mostly it's that he feels like he's become so fucking hypervigilant in this place that he needs to decompress a lot, because getting back to baseline isn't even calm for him anymore. just back to a level of stress that he can filter out into background noise. the only time he can remember feeling calm or relaxed in fucking forever is - waking up in that shitty bed in that broken down house in haddonfield with jeff still asleep on his shoulder. ]
[ he is, however, definitely brooding at the moment. and when he hears footsteps coming close, he instinctively opens his mouth to tell whoever it is he just wants to be on his own for a bit, but that dies on his lips when he looks up and sees jeff. not looking great — but who ever does when they come back after a death — but whole. uninjured. alive. ]
[ david feels like he can't get up fast enough, and before he's even fully aware of it, david's moving towards him. the second he's close enough, david's hands are outstretched, one arm to wrap around him and the other to the back of his head to pull him close and hold him tightly. a hushed murmur of an apology slipping out as he tries to fully absorb jeff's presence. ]
[ jeff's not really sure what to expect when he finds david. when he watches him scramble to get up and rush towards him. anger, maybe, because even jeff knows the decision he made was a reckless one, though it would be a little hypocritical of david to tear him a new one for pulling the same kind of risky shit david seems to pull nearly all the time. if jeff expects anything, it's to be chewed out, even though he's pretty sure he wouldn't have been able to outrun the oni even if he'd tried.
so when david puts his hands on him, urgent but gentle, and pulls him close, it takes jeff a second to respond. takes a second for his tired, muddled brain to process that he's being held and that for the most part, david's okay. just like meg had told him. jeff closes his eyes and breathes a heavy sigh of relief, leaning a little more of his weight against david than he intends to. he winds his arms around him, rests his nose and his mouth and his chin against david's shoulder.
the murmured apology doesn't go unnoticed, but it's slow to register, and when it does, jeff turns his face into the side of david's neck and wraps his arms a little tighter around him. david's sorry? what the hell for? jeff could probably guess, and it doesn't sit right with him. ]
Mm-mm. [ if david think's he's to blame for anything, he's wrong. david did exactly what he was supposed to do. he did everything right. sometimes things just don't work out the way you planned for them to, and that's it.
but jeff doesn't really have the energy to argue, so he hopes that's enough to get the message across: no apologizing. jeff's not sorry for the choices he made - it was worth it, to get three people out safely - so david doesn't get to be sorry either. ] We got 'em out.
[ jeff opened the gate, and david made sure meg and vittorio made it back. they did what they set out to do. ]
[ david opens his mouth to argue, but he relents. that guilt isn't going anywhere, that feeling that he condemned jeff by swapping places. part of him wants to point out jeff would feel the same if it was the other way around but something about that just feels as though it'd be mean given the state jeff's in, so david doesn't say a thing. he wraps his arm tightly around jeff to keep him close and combs his fingers though his hair with a soft sigh. ]
Yeah-- we did. [ feelings aside, it's a good result — more than, in fact. getting more than one or two people out isn't exactly a common occurrence, especially against the oni, but-- ]
[ he thinks about standing there, helpless, watching as jeff's tongue was ripped out. remembers the slick, wet crunch of his body being crushed under that kanabo, and his fingers twitch where they're splayed out on jeff's back. ]
[ david turns his head, presses his lips and nose to the top of jeff's with another quiet sigh. just focusing on this, on how relieved he is to have jeff back instead of the disappointed voice in the back of his head saying it should've been him. ]
[ some of the tension jeff's been carrying since he jerked awake in the woods some hours ago eases with the slide of david's fingers in his hair. it doesn't get rid of the full-body ache, but he feels less like a rubber band pulled to its limit. some of the anxiety balled up in his chest melts away with it too, and jeff breathes another heavy sigh of relief into david's shoulder.
it isn't the first time jeff's died - every single person here has been sacrificed probably more times than anyone would like to count - and it's certainly not the first time he's been confronted with the oni's wrath, but. it is the first time he's come back and had someone to lean on like this, both physically and otherwise. something about david's presence is just - soothing in a way that's not all that surprising, all things considered, but definitely more comforting than he would have guessed. he feels safe, and letting his guard down feels easy.
jeff slides his hands down david's back, buries them up under his shirt so he can press his palms flat, seeking out the warmth of his skin. reassurance that he's alive and okay even though he knows as much already.
for a while, he says nothing. just stands with david, holds him close and tight and finds comfort in the closeness, and tries not to think about anything else but the warmth and the weight of him and the way his chest pushes against his every time he inhales. it's hard though, to keep his foggy mind from wandering. sure, his memory is hazy, but there are little snippets that slip through - most prominently, vittorio's voice trying to convince david that they needed to keep going, right around the time the oni plunged a sword into jeff's chest.
he knows david stayed. he knows david had to be dragged out, because meg told him as much. which means - ]
Wish you hadn't seen. [ jeff mumbles it quietly against david's shoulder, barely above a whisper. he knows david'll hear him. ] M'sorry.
Not your fault. [ david sighs into jeff's hair, it's not like he had any control over it. going down at the gate is a more common occurrence than people would like, sure, but getting murdered right there in the exit? in front of everyone? that's the killer's decision. ]
[ he's not used to having jeff lean on him like this, but david's just glad he's here to do it. probably has died more than most people here, but you get so set in the routine of just dealing with it, it's easy to forget that it's not something you ever really get used to. not in a way that particularly helps. just... get practiced at swallowing it all and getting on with the next day's shitshow. ]
[ david strokes his fingers up and down jeff's back, quiet and happy to stay here for a while. ]
[ the short, quiet note jeff hums in the back of his throat seems... skeptical, like he doesn't quite agree that it wasn't his fault that he went down where he did, but also maybe can't argue it well enough otherwise. it is his fault that he didn't try to run, that he made no attempt to try and engage the oni in a chase, maybe take him away from the gates so someone else could power it up that last bit without having to witness the brutality of the oni's wrath. then again, if he'd taken the chase elsewhere, the likelihood that david would have come back in after him would be fairly high, jeff would guess, and he doesn't really want to think about what might have happened if everyone hadn't been exactly where they were. vittorio was there to haul david out before he could do anything stupid, and he could only do as much because they were right at the exit.
maybe there was no winning that one.
jeff sighs. flexes his fingers gently against david's back, turns his head a little so he can press his nose against the side of his head for a beat, right above the shell of his ear. it's been who knows how many hours, and he still feels pretty drained. a little nauseated, too, but that's normal and slowly wearing off. he's never really been a man of many words, but he feels like he should say something. ]
Think Meg's a little worried about you.
[ she didn't say that, not in so many words at least, but the fact that she mentioned david to jeff at all probably means something. and, you know, maybe jeff's just checking in, too. if david's been out here for as long as meg implied. ]
[ david combs his fingers through jeff's hair, smooths some of it back and tucks it behind his ear, gently nudges him with his other arm in a silent gesture to say maybe they should sit down or something. ]
She knows she doesn't need to worry about me.
[ the implied you don't need to worry about me goes without saying, obviously, as david tilts his own head a little toward jeff's with a soft sigh. ]
[ if jeff had the energy, he'd argue that someone needs to worry about david, considering how often he runs straight into harm's way. sure, it's for the sake of someone else, but that doesn't make finding him somewhere covered in blood, or having to hear him scream from across the realm any easier. david sure isn't going to worry about himself.
but jeff's tired, and it's a pointless argument anyway, if it could even be considered an argument at all. the gentle nudge is enough of a suggestion to jeff him moving, and though he's loath to pull away from david, he does so anyway and moves to sit down with his back against a fallen tree only a handful of steps away, heaving a heavy sigh when he settles. ]
Doesn't stop her though, does it?
[ obviously he's not really talking about meg, but it makes the conversation feel slightly less serious. ]
[ david wonders, as he sits next to jeff, if he should push against that so they're talking about jeff instead of "meg". but if it makes talking easier than maybe he should leave it alone. it's hard to know the best choice to make. ]
[ jeff isn't fragile — never has been in the time they've known eachother — but sometimes david has this urge to protect him like he is. not just from killers, but from himself. from david too. there's something precious in jeff's gentleness, in the care and patience he extends to other people and the way those qualities haven't been ground down by his time in the fog, but david's not going to stop throwing himself headlong into danger and they both know that. ]
[ david doesn't want worrying about him to be the thing that finally wears jeff down. ]
Some people are worriers, I guess. Even when it's them we should be worrying about.
[ he reclines against that log, doing his best to make himself an inviting pillow or something. reaches for jeff with a soft c'mon, here once he thinks he's got it. ]
[ there's not much jeff can think of to say to that, no argument to make because david's not wrong, though his brow does furrow slightly. he wonders, quietly, if david knows meg is somewhat of a cover. does he worry about jeff? is that what he's saying? jeff's too tired to try and read between the lines or peel away the facade.
when david gestures for him to come closer, jeff only hesitates for maybe half a second. he plants his hands in the dirt on either side of himself, lifts and shifts his weight with more effort than usual, until eventually he's - laying down. sprawled out on the forest floor with his hands folded over each other on his stomach, and the back of his head rested on david's thigh, eyes closed. how's that for a pillow? ]
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hardlydead) wrote2021-11-01 05:44 am
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trying to outrun a killer is a task and a half on a good day. jeff's learned how to mind game, pulls a fast one just as often as he gets outplayed. but the oni is fast, and less predictable than some other killers who also have speed on their side. for the most part, jeff can dodge an incoming hillbilly, but the oni? the oni's fury is something else.
jeff's been hooked twice already, but there are positives. they've almost completed enough generators to get the gates up and open, and nobody's died yet. jeff's not the only one that's one bad move away from being sacrificed, but he tries not to think about it too much. the less anxious he is about making sure everyone makes it out, the less likely he is to fumble a wire or blow something up just to set back their progress.
and david's here, somewhere. things always go a little bit better when david's around.
creeping up to the coal tower, jeff pauses only long enough to listen for the gen upstairs. to his relief, he can hear some of the pistons moving. closer to getting out of here than he thought, though he can't quite tell if someone's on it, or if they were chased off a while ago. regardless, jeff climbs over the window sill and immediately heads up the stairs, doing his best to keep his footsteps quiet. when he reaches the top and sees david there with his arms wrist deep in the guts of a generator, jeff can't help but smile a little to himself.
he doesn't rush forward, but he makes quick work of taking up the open side of the generator, peeking in to see what's been done already and what needs doing. there's blood all down the front of his shirt and a pretty gnarly hole in his shoulder, but otherwise he seems pretty content, even casts david a sideways glance as he nudges a bundle of wires aside with his fingers to get at something deeper in the generator. ]
You come here often?
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[ freshly patched up after his second stint on the hook, david's working on that gen, pauses when he thinks he hears the grunt of somebody climbing in through a window, but over the sound of the generator it could be anything — which he fucking hates — so he keeps an eye on the stairs out of the corner of his eye, a small smile blooming when jeff's head pops up coming up the stairs. ]
No, actually. [ he tilts his head to look at something, a little amusement showing around his eyes. ] Crazy coincidence bumping into you here.
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Mm, [ he hums in agreement, shooting david another sideways glance. this one lingers though, his gaze dropping to the blood all down the front of him, silently searching for anything urgent that david might be ignoring for the sake of getting through a generator faster. relatively speaking, david seems alright - none of that tense posture that comes with trying to push through an injury that, frankly, no one should be able to walk off. it's a relief, though only a mild one.
this isn't the first time he's seen david drenched in blood, and it certainly won't be the last, but it hits him a little differently this time, for some reason. jeff shifts his attention back to the generator, mindful of his grip as he twists some wires together. he laughs quietly, a little half-hearted and mostly under his breath. ] Might be fate.
[ jeff doesn't really believe in things like fate or destiny, but it's kinda funny to joke about sometimes.
when the fourth piston on the generator begins to... piston. as pistons do. jeff pauses for a second and reaches back to tug something free of his back pocket. ]
Got you something.
[ it's just a flashlight, but it's got fresh batteries and a pretty shiny bulb by the looks of it. jeff gives it a little wobble in his hand, then sets it down on the ground by david's foot so he doesn't have to stop working to accept it. jeff's decent with flashlights, but they both know that david's the one with a habit of running into any situation no matter how dire to try and get a save. ]
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[ david pulls... something. it vents something else or whatever. he doesn't understand this shit and he's at least 60% sure they don't work like any kind of machines in the real world anyway, so he's elected to just never give it more thought than touching the right wires and pulling the right levers to make it go. he chuckles at jeff's joke and glances out of the corner of his eye at the gift, just long enough to see what it is without making a mistake. ]
You shouldn't have. [ flashlight could come in clutch though. everyone's on their last legs, but fingers crossed he can keep oni from carrying anyone off to get sacrificed this way. ] I didn't get you anything.
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when david says he didn't get jeff anything, jeff glances away from the inside of the gen toward david, his eyebrows lifting slightly. the corner of his mouth tugs a little, and he looks back to the task at hand. the generator is almost finished, probably not a good idea to get too distracted and blow it to hell.
jeff shrugs a shoulder, ducks his head a little to get a better look at what he's doing. ]
Could make it up to me.
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Yeah? [ he ducks his head to get a better look at what he's doing. ] Easier ways to ask me to take my shirt off, y'know.
[ okay so he can't restrain himself entirely, but it's not the joke he wanted to make initially, so his self-restraint should still be applauded. ]
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jeff shakes his head, lowers a panel inside. ]
You think I wouldn't just ask?
[ would he? that'll just have to remain a mystery. jeff pushes something into place inside the belly of the generator and it whirs to life, the lights up top burning solid. he pulls his hands out of the gen, wipes any lingering grease or oil on his hands on his jeans, then quickly pushes himself up from his one knee.
there are a couple exits from here - the two windows, and the stairs that lead back down to the first floor, but whatever way either of them take, jeff would bet that the oni's headed right for the coal tower in search of a victim. jeff considers their options - it's probably best if they split up and go separate ways from this point. with only one generator left, the more spread out the four of them are, the better their chances of most of, if not everyone, getting out.
jeff starts to move for the stairs. ]
Last one should be done any second now. Meg and Vittorio were just getting started on one before I met up with you. [ so as long as the oni hasn't chased both of them off of it, escape is right within their grasps. as jeff starts to descend the stairs, assuming david'll just hop down from one of the windows (god, jeff's knees barely make it every time he's forced to), he says maybe a little too casually: ] I'll see where they're at. Gate's right out here - [ there's a pause in his words, but not in his step, ] I go down, just leave me. I'll get back up. Worry about the gates.
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[ he does indeed just hop out the window — or the open hole in the wall that acts like one — but he's pretty sure he heard jeff say 'just leave me' and he immediately climbs back in through the ground floor window to meet him on the stairs with a frown. pretty sure he could count the number of times he's left someone behind without being forced into it on his hands, he's sure as fuck not about to add jeff to that tally. ]
Lemme go check on 'em then. [ jeff's right, they should split up and they should focus on getting at least one of the gates open as soon as possible, but the suggested plan doesn't sit right with david. ] I can keep him busy long enough for you to get them gates open if he comes that way.
[ you know, "that way". the way that david definitely knows where it is. ]
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truthfully, it probably does make a little more sense for them to swap places in this plan - david's better at distractions, jeff's better at keeping hidden when it really counts, and meg and vittorio will be able to find the gates a little bit faster if he's the one powering them up versus david. regardless of the logic, jeff still doesn't like it, but each second spent caught up in a pointless argument is another second not spent on a generator or a gate and jeff knows when it's best not to bother.
jeff navigates around the cluster of old, wooden crates pushed into the center of the bottom floor and leans out of an open doorway, peering out of the coal tower for anything big and angry headed their way, but the coast seems relatively clear. in the far distance, if he squints, he can see two figures on either side of a generator. it's too far for him to make out how many pistons are moving, too far for him to get an estimate on how much more's left, but it seems promising. jeff turns to look back at david, nods, finally, in reluctant agreement of this new plan, and then juts his chin out toward that final gen. ]
They're that way. [ a pause. ] Don't do anything stupid. [ in other words, be careful. but jeff doesn't want to just leave it at that for whatever reason, so he reaches out and hooks two fingers through the bottle opener at david's hip and gives it two light tugs before letting go. ] See you in a minute.
[ and then he's off, headed toward the nearest gate so he'll be ready to get it going the second the last generator's complete. ]
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[ he's careful about making his way over to the generator, doesn't sprint as much as he wants to just in case that ends up leading the oni that way, and gets to work to help them finish up that last bit of work as soon as he's over there. asks them if they've seen the big bastard and they tell him they managed to hide when he came around and kicked the gen, but nothing significant, which makes david wonder if he shouldn't split off and find another one, but they're so close on this one he might as well stay put. ]
[ between the three of them it really doesn't take long before they're done and he hears the pips of the doors powering up. still hasn't seen oni, which doesn't make david feel great, but he starts leading the way back to the gate he left jeff at anyway. he should have it almost open by the time they get there so long as they're fast about it. ]
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in his brief but thorough scan, jeff spots a totem tucked up against a couple rocks near the bottom of the hill. unlit, but there's not really much for him to do until that last generator is finished, so he crouches and makes easy work of dismantling it until it's nothing but a pile of bone and twine and melted wax. no telling if there are any other totems left unchecked, but. fingers crossed.
when the last generator pops and that telltale note sounds chimes throughout the estate, jeff's quick to get on the nearest gate. he yanks the lever down, checks over one shoulder, then the other. they're lucky that the gates aren't as close together as they sometimes are - unlucky that they're stuck in here with the oni, who can cut across long distances pretty quickly if he's pissed enough.
by now, jeff's memorized just how long it takes to get the gates open, provided there's nothing in play to slow them down, so as he waits, he counts down the seconds in his head, eyes constantly scanning for the oni - but also the rest of his team mates. if david's found them, then he'll be able to lead them to the right gate, hopefully keep them safe along the way if worse comes to worst and they get cut off along the way.
as it turns out, though, the others are fine... and jeff quickly realizes this when he hears the not so distant and very quickly approaching growls of a furious oni, his footsteps heavy and quick. he whips his head around - and there he is, coming right for him, weapon raised as he charges ahead.
jeff swears under his breath. there is no denying that he's been seen, and the smartest, safest thing to do right now would be to abandon the gate and run - but there are people counting on him. there's a plan, and though this part definitely wasn't part of it, he has to follow through. there are seconds left on the gate. all he has to do is stick it out long enough, and he can get it open.
if he has to go down for it in the process, well. so be it. at least the oni will be occupied with carrying him away, and the others can get through and out without a problem. ]
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[ it would be a great plan if not for a few things. meg's too eager, gets too close and goes down in one hit — and david's seen this guy use the hexes so fucking rarely that that's a shock — but she's close enough to the exit that she manages to crawl out, david and vittorio slipping around opposite pillars while oni's attention is split. and when he comes back, hovers over jeff, david's ready. springs out with his flashlight ready to blind the fucker, except... except what happens is a ragged scream is ripped out of jeff as a sword pierces his shoulder and pins him to the ground. david stands there helplessly, certain he can hear every tear of flesh, every wet spatter of blood as the oni rips jeff's tongue out with his bare hands. and then reduces him to little more than paste. ]
[ david watches it all in horror, and when the oni turns to face the stragglers, it settles into a silent rage. shoulders set and feet planted as he stares back, squaring up like he stands any kind of a chance against that monster of a man. as if he wouldn't be meeting the exact same fate as jeff if not for the way vittorio grabs his arm and pulls david through the gate with all his strength before they lose a second person. ]
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but he still gives it a solid attempt. the second the doors begin to slide open, jeff gives it his best shot to get out of the way of the oni's kanabo, but he's just not quick enough, and when he hits the ground, his vision swims and his ears ring and the shout that leaves him feels like it's knocked out of him involuntarily, coasting on whatever air's left in his lungs.
opposite of david, things seem to move a little to quickly fort jeff after that. he feels the vibration of footsteps sprinting past him through the gates more than he sees the people they belong to, and he thinks - good. so long as everyone else makes it out, he's done his job, followed the plan as closely as he could.
and then meg screams, and that's - that's not right. why is she still here? jeff struggles a little, tries to push himself up onto his hands even though his head is spinning and he's pretty sure he can feel blood starting to pool in his mouth, and it's a fight to lift his head up. when he does though, he sees the blurry figure of meg just barely crawling out to safety, and two more slinking near the edges of the exit.
go, jeff thinks. opens his mouth to try and say it out loud, but all he can manage to do is cough. get the fuck out.
it's quick after that. a sword through the chest, fingers in his mouth. he feels like he chokes on his own blood, and by the time the oni raises his kanabo, jeff's already close enough to blacking out that he can barely manage to put up any kind of fight.
it takes about a day for the entity to spit him back out into the woods. alive, but maybe not well. coming back from death is never easy, but some times are rougher than others and when jeff comes to, slumped against the base of a tree, he doesn't move for a while. doesn't feel like he can, honestly, his entire body aching, head fucking splitting. it feels like if he tries to move too much too quickly, he might be sick, so he doesn't really try. he drags his knees up a little so he can limply rest his arms on top of them, and lets his head hang forward, his hair falling in his face.
he'll get up eventually. head back to camp and try his best to carry on like he doesn't feel like freshly cooked roadkill, like this shit is just. normal. like he didn't get his face beaten in in front of meg and vittorio and- ]
Fuck. [ he opens his eyes, stares down at his lap. his voice is barely more than a rough rasp. jeff swallows and inhales around the static crackle of anxiety that flares up in his chest. ] David.
[ fuck fuck fuck. did david make it out? jeff's pretty sure he'd be stubborn enough to try and fight the fucking oni with his bare hands if given the chance, so jeff can only hope that vittorio had the sense (and the strength) to push him out before he could do anything stupid. ]
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[ especially after seeing oni obliterate him like that, right in the exit. like something so goddamn easy. after david's the one who suggested jeff stick by the gate instead of him. ]
[ it's been a rough 24 hours for david, is the short version, but meg will be the first to reach out to jeff when he gets back and ask if he got brought back okay. reassure him they all made it out thanks to him (and probably babble a little about wanting to save him but it not working out,) and let him know they haven't really seen david since they all got back. "you know how he gets after trials sometimes." ]
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he's glad she got out, if only narrowly. jeff's glad to hear vittorio made it through, too, but what he's most interested in is david's fate, and it's a relief to hear that someone had the sense to push him through and out before he could do something stupid. and jeff knows he would have, if it weren't for vittorio. he'll have to find him later and thank him, when he's not so focused on finding someone else.
it doesn't surprise jeff to hear that david's been missing from camp for a while. a day, at least, if meg wasn't exaggerating, but something still twists in his stomach when he learns of it. concern, maybe. worry. guilt. jeff parts ways with meg as casually as he can, still feeling like a walking train wreck, but his discomfort has dropped on his list of priorities.
if jeff knows david at all, and he'd like to think he does, after all this time, then finding him won't be hard. ]
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[ he is, however, definitely brooding at the moment. and when he hears footsteps coming close, he instinctively opens his mouth to tell whoever it is he just wants to be on his own for a bit, but that dies on his lips when he looks up and sees jeff. not looking great — but who ever does when they come back after a death — but whole. uninjured. alive. ]
[ david feels like he can't get up fast enough, and before he's even fully aware of it, david's moving towards him. the second he's close enough, david's hands are outstretched, one arm to wrap around him and the other to the back of his head to pull him close and hold him tightly. a hushed murmur of an apology slipping out as he tries to fully absorb jeff's presence. ]
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so when david puts his hands on him, urgent but gentle, and pulls him close, it takes jeff a second to respond. takes a second for his tired, muddled brain to process that he's being held and that for the most part, david's okay. just like meg had told him. jeff closes his eyes and breathes a heavy sigh of relief, leaning a little more of his weight against david than he intends to. he winds his arms around him, rests his nose and his mouth and his chin against david's shoulder.
the murmured apology doesn't go unnoticed, but it's slow to register, and when it does, jeff turns his face into the side of david's neck and wraps his arms a little tighter around him. david's sorry? what the hell for? jeff could probably guess, and it doesn't sit right with him. ]
Mm-mm. [ if david think's he's to blame for anything, he's wrong. david did exactly what he was supposed to do. he did everything right. sometimes things just don't work out the way you planned for them to, and that's it.
but jeff doesn't really have the energy to argue, so he hopes that's enough to get the message across: no apologizing. jeff's not sorry for the choices he made - it was worth it, to get three people out safely - so david doesn't get to be sorry either. ] We got 'em out.
[ jeff opened the gate, and david made sure meg and vittorio made it back. they did what they set out to do. ]
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Yeah-- we did. [ feelings aside, it's a good result — more than, in fact. getting more than one or two people out isn't exactly a common occurrence, especially against the oni, but-- ]
[ he thinks about standing there, helpless, watching as jeff's tongue was ripped out. remembers the slick, wet crunch of his body being crushed under that kanabo, and his fingers twitch where they're splayed out on jeff's back. ]
[ david turns his head, presses his lips and nose to the top of jeff's with another quiet sigh. just focusing on this, on how relieved he is to have jeff back instead of the disappointed voice in the back of his head saying it should've been him. ]
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it isn't the first time jeff's died - every single person here has been sacrificed probably more times than anyone would like to count - and it's certainly not the first time he's been confronted with the oni's wrath, but. it is the first time he's come back and had someone to lean on like this, both physically and otherwise. something about david's presence is just - soothing in a way that's not all that surprising, all things considered, but definitely more comforting than he would have guessed. he feels safe, and letting his guard down feels easy.
jeff slides his hands down david's back, buries them up under his shirt so he can press his palms flat, seeking out the warmth of his skin. reassurance that he's alive and okay even though he knows as much already.
for a while, he says nothing. just stands with david, holds him close and tight and finds comfort in the closeness, and tries not to think about anything else but the warmth and the weight of him and the way his chest pushes against his every time he inhales. it's hard though, to keep his foggy mind from wandering. sure, his memory is hazy, but there are little snippets that slip through - most prominently, vittorio's voice trying to convince david that they needed to keep going, right around the time the oni plunged a sword into jeff's chest.
he knows david stayed. he knows david had to be dragged out, because meg told him as much. which means - ]
Wish you hadn't seen. [ jeff mumbles it quietly against david's shoulder, barely above a whisper. he knows david'll hear him. ] M'sorry.
[ okay. no apologies... except this one. ]
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[ he's not used to having jeff lean on him like this, but david's just glad he's here to do it. probably has died more than most people here, but you get so set in the routine of just dealing with it, it's easy to forget that it's not something you ever really get used to. not in a way that particularly helps. just... get practiced at swallowing it all and getting on with the next day's shitshow. ]
[ david strokes his fingers up and down jeff's back, quiet and happy to stay here for a while. ]
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maybe there was no winning that one.
jeff sighs. flexes his fingers gently against david's back, turns his head a little so he can press his nose against the side of his head for a beat, right above the shell of his ear. it's been who knows how many hours, and he still feels pretty drained. a little nauseated, too, but that's normal and slowly wearing off. he's never really been a man of many words, but he feels like he should say something. ]
Think Meg's a little worried about you.
[ she didn't say that, not in so many words at least, but the fact that she mentioned david to jeff at all probably means something. and, you know, maybe jeff's just checking in, too. if david's been out here for as long as meg implied. ]
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She knows she doesn't need to worry about me.
[ the implied you don't need to worry about me goes without saying, obviously, as david tilts his own head a little toward jeff's with a soft sigh. ]
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but jeff's tired, and it's a pointless argument anyway, if it could even be considered an argument at all. the gentle nudge is enough of a suggestion to jeff him moving, and though he's loath to pull away from david, he does so anyway and moves to sit down with his back against a fallen tree only a handful of steps away, heaving a heavy sigh when he settles. ]
Doesn't stop her though, does it?
[ obviously he's not really talking about meg, but it makes the conversation feel slightly less serious. ]
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[ jeff isn't fragile — never has been in the time they've known eachother — but sometimes david has this urge to protect him like he is. not just from killers, but from himself. from david too. there's something precious in jeff's gentleness, in the care and patience he extends to other people and the way those qualities haven't been ground down by his time in the fog, but david's not going to stop throwing himself headlong into danger and they both know that. ]
[ david doesn't want worrying about him to be the thing that finally wears jeff down. ]
Some people are worriers, I guess. Even when it's them we should be worrying about.
[ he reclines against that log, doing his best to make himself an inviting pillow or something. reaches for jeff with a soft c'mon, here once he thinks he's got it. ]
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[ there's not much jeff can think of to say to that, no argument to make because david's not wrong, though his brow does furrow slightly. he wonders, quietly, if david knows meg is somewhat of a cover. does he worry about jeff? is that what he's saying? jeff's too tired to try and read between the lines or peel away the facade.
when david gestures for him to come closer, jeff only hesitates for maybe half a second. he plants his hands in the dirt on either side of himself, lifts and shifts his weight with more effort than usual, until eventually he's - laying down. sprawled out on the forest floor with his hands folded over each other on his stomach, and the back of his head rested on david's thigh, eyes closed. how's that for a pillow? ]
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