the expression on dave’s face is enough to tell klaus that he hasn’t explained this right. the words drive that suspicion home, and klaus frowns, shaking his head. ❛ i know how it sounds, dave, but it’s true. ❜ for a minute he pauses, looking around. he’s - well. he can prove it, he knows he can. it just all feels a little unfair, to have to do it like this.
❛ i’ll…apologize for this later, but here, i - ❜ he takes dave’s hand in his own, squeezing tight, and closes his eyes. for a moment nothing happens, and then for a moment longer nothing happens. and then, low and steady, a blue glow fills the room, coming from klaus’ hand - both the one in dave’s and the one curled into a fist against his leg. when he opens his eyes, the soldier in the corner looks more corporeal, still whispering klaus’ name. klaus thinks he should remember him, but he just can’t.
all at once the power rushes out of him, and klaus sags, breathing hard. instinctively he releases dave’s hand, to give him space, and stares at the bed. it’s been a while since he’s done something like that. ❛ he’s - i think he died in our last fight. i don’t know, but that’s - what i see. ❜
this is not where dave expected things to go. at all. whatsoever. period. last night had been enough of a shock to last him a lifetime, now... what was life going to throw at him next? he opens his eyes once more to hear the insistence in klaus’ voice, and the expression stops him short ... hold on, what were we talking about? dead people? and then klaus is grabbing his hand and a coldness radiates from it , a blue dave stops dead staring at , mouth falling open but words not coming and brain not computing, and then his head whips when he sees something in the corner of his eye and holy shit, holy shit --
“ -- HOLY SHIT ! “ as klaus releases him, the hand flies to cover dave’s mouth , eyes transfixed in that space the boy had been one second ago. “ -- r - riley? was that -- did i just -- “ of course dave knew the name. he was friendly that way , shaking hands and offering smokes and chatting and laughing . he believed that he owed it to everyone to know their names -- that way he could honor them when they were gone. he regretted that decision over the coming months ; he underestimated just how many would die. and when dave watched young riley, twenty years old, get wrapped up in his sleeping bag and tossed on a helicopter, dave could only steel his jaw and keep footing it. now, who was this man whose name he’d learned and whose hand he’d shaken and who he’d smoked with and chatted with and laughed with and slept with ...?
“ k... klaus ... ? “ his hand still covers his mouth, almost gripping his jaw at this point, as slowly his gaze turns to the other, expression white with alarm. “ what ... the fuck ... was that? ... “
