#ntzsche dave

Opened the tag from @justnerdy15 for myself, mostly as an excuse to post this atypical bit of fluff that I really enjoyed writing and that has absolutely no purpose for anything, anywhere.

These are side characters from Bad Blood, but it's years before that story takes place, around the time they first decide to adopt Lafayette into their family.

Dave didn't have his knack for knowing when he was being watched, so it took a while for Gabe to catch his eye, using the straight razor to glint light in his direction. Dave squinted against the late morning sun as he looked to the top of the guard tower, and grinned back at him. Gabe bid him to come up with a curl of his finger and a backward toss of his head. Dave shook his head with a guilty expression and tilted his head down the street. General Garvey had pulled Dave aside after they had made too much noise the last time he had visited Gabe in the tower, admonishing him for compromising security like that. Gabe couldn't have given a fuck less about Garvey. Come! Up! He waved in jerkier hand motions. No! I'm still doing laundry. Dave replied in an exasperated gesture to wet the clothes. Gabe pointed at Dave and used the razor to mime shaving. Dave waved him off. You have a neck beard, Gabe told him by pointing at him, then petting his own throat and making a cartoonishly disgusted face. He saw Dave laugh but didn't quite hear him, but the self-conscious rub at the edge of his beard meant he was wearing him down. It was another thing their brief stint living in a vault had spoiled them with, and even though they had a barber in town now, they both preferred the tender ritual of grooming each other. They were even pretty decent at it now. Okay, okay, but I'm gonna finish this, Dave mimed, hands patting the air, then gesturing to the clothes, and turned to hang the next pair of socks. In a quick snap, the rifle on Gabe's back was suddenly in his hands, and he eyed down his scope at Dave. Dave jerked upright, dropping the socks when he put his arms up in dramatic surrender. Gabe held up a finger and pointed it sharply to the ground beside him, the gun not moving.  Dave's palms turned back, making fists with his middle fingers up. But he was grinning and already walking toward the tower, stopping only to wrestle his shoes back on. Dave did a pretty great job of getting around these days, and the three flights of stairs around the trunk of the large tree the guard tower was built into weren't a problem. But a vertical ascent up a ladder was a bit undignified, his prosthetic leg not flexible enough to get his knee up very high, leaving him to take one rung at a time. "Whew!" He exclaimed as he finally pulled himself up through the hatch door, a bit out of breath. "What, are you bored up here?" "Nah," Gabe smiled, leaning back against the rail.  His rifle was propped nearby, and the panorama around him was bright and cheery. Dave slowly spun to appreciate it all. "Your treehouse has a great view today." "Sit down, neckbeard," Gabe said and kicked a chair toward him. Dave happily obliged, plopping into the seat. Gabe stood behind him, running his fingers through slightly sweaty hair as Dave tilted his head back against his chest. They smiled at each other affectionately. "And you need a haircut."

Tag: @kae-luna, @elbritch-kit, @eldritch-flower, @winterandwords, @digital-chance, @deanwax