City never sleeps so I guess I never slept on.

[shenunigans]

Who| Dave and Feferi, Gary, Clara and Steve.
What| Punchy is "dead", Dave needs to deal with it.
Where| D9, D11
When| Spanning over the week after the Panem Nightly post.
Warnings/Notes| Talkin' about murder.

It's hard to process real death after being surrounded by fake death for so long. It's like switching from lite milk to full cream, because it's doing something to his stomach. But then, processing infers some level of understanding or acceptance. Dave didn't talk to anyone when the cheery presenters woefully announced that his friend was dead. It's not the first time he's disappeared, it's not the first time anyone's disappeared, but it's different this time.

They're just lying. They're probably lying. There's no reason to believe them, but there's no reason not to, either. Punchy is gone, he isn't in his room and he isn't staggering back into the commons no matter how long Dave sits around on the couches and pretends the News got it wrong.

It shouldn't be this hard anymore, but it feels like there's a vice around his chest when he thinks about it. There's sad irony in the fact that the guy reminded him so vividly of his Bro, then they got close, then he died. It's hilarious, really, that all of his foundations are starting to crumble slowly or very rapidly and he doesn't know how to handle it anymore.

Maybe he owes it to Punchy to feel something, or show something, but it's easier to be mindless and numb about all of this. He doesn't drink or party, he just deals with it. He's either sleeping all day or awake all hours and when anyone sees him, he's fronting. Trying too hard to be over it too fast.

Comments

[shenunigans]

It feels pretty cold on the outside, but Dave definitely wouldn't be able to initiate another hug if he tried. He's bad enough at this as it is, he's just not used to hugs and tears when things go bad. He's only at the beginning of realising Bro probably didn't raise him right, and it feels like blaming and a burden to try get into those thoughts when he's already dealing with copious amounts of shit.

"Feeling crap is pretty much par for the course here anyway." He admits, stepping back to pull some juice out of the fridge. Going through the motions of setting out two glasses, filling them and putting the bottle away is comforting, like he can pretend this is normal until he pulls himself back up onto the arm of her chair and offers her the glass.

It's hard not to see the tiredness and the sadness practically coded into her expression. He opens his mouth to say something, but it dies in his throat and comes out as a sigh instead. "Do you think they'll ever tell us who did it?" He asks finally, part out of sincere interest and part just so there's talking.

[seestheman]

There are a lot of things Clara could say about the way Bro raised him, most of them uncharitable. The only reason she could never see herself being able to bring them up is because Dave doesn't need to hear her disparage the closest thing he had to a parental figure growing up.

She takes the glass, watching the condensation form on it as she holds onto it as she struggles to figure out what to say. Instead of speaking, at first, she leans over slightly and rests her head against his arm. Clara's pretty sure that, if she gave him an honest answer, she'd probably be carted away and Avoxed. Hell, Dave probably would be too. Instead, she looks up at him, resting the bottom of her glass against her knee and feeling the coolness soak down. "Maybe it's one of those things that we don't want to know," she says softly.

[shenunigans]

As it is, Clara barely needs to tell him it's weird. It's just in her actions and her words and the way it seems so normal that he's started to clue into the fact that there's something integral missing from his life. The idea that she's as vulnerable as Punchy occurs to him, particularly when he realises he won't be around to protect her all the time. It makes fear niggle deep in his gut, so much so that he gladly lets her rest her head on his arm.

"Maybe." He answers, voice a little softer than it usually is. It's stripped of all sarcasm and replaced with sincerity and fear that he wants to deny. He struggles with it for a moment, but he leans back a little more so their heads are closer and he can pipe up again. "You'll be careful, right?" He knows he doesn't need to ask, but he feels the need to all the same.

[seestheman]

If Clara knew how much Dave noticed her reactions to how Bro raised him...alright, she probably wouldn't change much, if she's going to be totally honest, but she'd feel guilty for accidentally cluing him in on how bizarre his upbringing really was. But doesn't. What she does know is that Dave's opening himself up to her in this moment and she's going to pounce on the opportunity and keep her head where it is.

It's weird to hear Dave sound this vulnerable and makes her want to pull him close and hold him tight and make sure he stays safe, except she's pretty sure he wouldn't be so down for that. Instead she just nods and grabs his hand, squeezing it lightly. "I promise. Really, I'm more worried about you," she says, trying to hide the fact that she's scared shitless that something's going to happen to him (to any of the kids really) and that there's nothing she'll be able to do to stop it. "Promise me you won't put yourself in any unnecessary danger."