Klaus staggered out of the front door, propelled by a push he felt was completely unnecessary. At least he didn't faceplant in a pile of garbage or something.
"Fine," he yelled back over his shoulder as the door slammed closed behind him. "I've got plenty of other options, anyway."
Except he didn't. He tried not to think about that as he brushed himself off indignantly, straightening his jacket. The weather was getting colder which, of course, meant that all of the shelters were filling up fast. This one had a few vacancies since most people didn't want to deal with the assholes who worked there, but now that he'd mouthed off and blown it, he was out of last resorts and the sun was setting fast.
He could always go to a club and see if he could pick someone up, but he didn't really feel like it. For some reason, it just felt like too much work. He shoved his hands into his pockets and decided to wander around a bit until he could figure something out.
"Hey, Klaus!"
The voice took him by surprise and he had barely turned around when Dave half tackled him, arm across his shoulders, playfully tousling his hair.
"Jesus, Dave," Klaus exclaimed, trying to regain his balance.
"Hey, pal, how's it going?" Dave asked, cheerily. "You heading inside?" He gestured towards the door of the shenter, the one that had, only moments before, been slammed in his face.
"Nah," Klaus said, waving a hand dismissively. "Apparently they don't, 'take my kind,' or whatever.
"What?" Dave said, concerned.
"I mean, look at me," Klaus said with a grin.
Dave stepped back and looked him up and down thoughtfully, which made Klaus laugh. "Hmm, too stylish?"
"And I'm, like, super high right now," Klaus grinned. "But, really, they seemed to have a bigger problem with the fact that I'm queer. Apparently they don't want someone like me in their 'nice Christian establishment.'"
"Well," Dave said, shooting a glare towards the entrance. "I better take my gay Jewish ass elsewhere, then."
"Oh, come on, you should stay," Klaus tried to reassure. People in their situation couldn't really afford to be picky. Or have dignity. "Stick it to them by enjoying one of their beds."
"What about you?" Dave asked.
"Don't worry, I know a place," Klaus lied, trying to brush him off.
"Then I'll come with," Dave said. "Two can get through a cold night better than one, and I'm sure someone else would appreciate having a bed. Besides, I'd rather have your company than theirs."
"Seems like a waste, but fine, suit yourself," Klaus shrugged. He couldn't deny the company would be nice. "To be completely honest, though, I don't actually have a place in mind."
"Thought so," Dave said with a knowing grin.
"Well, look at you, Mr. Know-it-all," Klaus taunted. Dave stuck his tongue out at him so of course Klaus had to respond in kind.
Finding a safe place to sleep was never a sure thing, but they managed to find an alcove in a backstreet where they could huddle on a bit of cardboard and be mostly unseen so long as they were out of there before the morning rush. It wasn't ideal, and it was still much too cold for comfort, but at least they weren't obvious targets.
"Times like these I really miss Texas," Dave said, rubbing his hands together and blowing into them to warm up a little as he got comfortable.
"What I wouldn't do for a nice warm bath," Klaus said, curling up on his side close beside him.
"Here," Dave said, sitting up to take off his coat to lay over the both of them. They pulled it up high enough to block out the street lights and he grinned at him in the darkness. "Now it's like we're having a sleepover."
"Great, we can stay up late, gossip about boys and braid each other's hair," Klaus said. "What else do people do at sleepovers?"
"Did you not have any growing up?"
"That's for sure a no. Dad barely let us talk to any other kids, let alone have friends. No, I'm a sleepover virgin, please be gentle."
"You'll do fine," Dave said, rolling his eyes. "It's just too bad we don't have any ice cream."
"Oh? Is that a requirement?"
"Yeah! You gotta get sick eating too much, it's essential to the experience. Ah well, maybe next time."
"You want me to steal you some?" Klaus offered. "Because I'll go steal you some."
"No, no, I only just got comfortable, you can't move now. And, if you get arrested, who's gonna keep me company?"
Klaus didn't know why he was enjoying this so much; just this, their banter and their closeness. Sure, he found it a little distracting when Dave's eyes caught the light just so, or when Klaus found himself staring at Dave's lips a little too long, but somehow he was okay with just this. Just what Dave was willing to give.
He could always try to seduce Dave of course, usually he wouldn't hesitate when he found himself attracted to someone, but he couldn't help but be too concerned with what that would mean for them. Klaus would probably feel the need to move on after that, before any messy feelings could crop up in either of them, and who knows who Dave would become. Klaus hated the idea of anyone growing too attached, and the stifling possessiveness that usually went along with that made his skin crawl. He hated the idea of anyone trying to control him.
Maybe Dave wouldn't be like that, he didn't seem the type, but he supposed it didn't matter. Klaus knew he couldn't be feeling the same tension when their hands brushed in the narrow space between them and he suddenly forgot how to breathe, but Dave didn't even react. So he tried to let it all wash over him and concentrate on what he did have with Dave.
He had more fun with him than he ever had in his life. Everything was an adventure to Dave, even sleeping in some dirty back alley, and Klaus found it infectious. He didn't want to risk losing this. Besides, it was certainly novel being around someone who wasn't trying to get anything out of him. They talked and laughed until Klaus was so tired, all he could do was fall asleep.
Klaus woke with a strangled cry, nearly hyperventilating as he scrambled in search of the drugs he had hidden in his shoe. He swallowed two pills dry and laid back down, trying to catch his breath and block out the voices of the dead as he waited for the drugs to take effect.
"You okay?"
He glanced over to see Dave sitting up and watching him with concern, a hand outstretched like he wanted to touch him, but wasn't sure if it would be welcomed. He'd forgotten he was even here.
"Oh, yeah, peachy," Klaus said, scrubbing a hand down his face, trying to wipe away some of the sweat. Now that he was beginning to calm down and cool off, he was starting to feel just how cold it was.
"Nightmares? Or—" Dave began, but he trailed off, like he wasn't sure he was allowed to pry.
Klaus considered how he could reply. He could lie, maybe deflect with a joke and change the subject entirely. That was his usual strategy. But Dave already knew about the ghosts, so the deception seemed pointless. He wondered why he was being so honest with him. He didn't trust anyone, and he certainly didn't open up about anything that mattered, so why had Dave wedged his way in past his defenses?
But then Klaus glanced over at him, met his eyes and the depth of emotions they held, and something inside him cracked and melted away. He found himself making a decision before he could reason his way out of it.
"Hey, you try to sleep peacefully with hundreds of ghosts screaming at you," he said, levity still the easiest way for him to admit anything.
"Shit," Dave said, apparently putting together much more than Klaus had meant to give him. "How do you get any sleep at all?"
"Usually by getting blackout drunk or high," Klaus said, like it was no big deal. Like he hadn't been ruining his own life since he was 12 years old just for a bit of peace.
"Right, you mention it blocking them out," Dave said, and there was more sympathy there than anyone should have. Especially someone who had known him as long as Dave had. Then he reached out, waiting a moment to make sure Klaus had time to pull away if he wanted, before laying a comforting hand on his arm.
Physical closeness didn't really mean much to Klaus. In fact, he was practiced at not really having any boundaries. He'd found it easier to just go with the flow and not care if people touched him. But things felt different with Dave. Throughout their friendship, Dave had let him set the pace: Klaus had been the one to start with the playful roughhousing, to fall asleep on his shoulder. The contact they had felt comfortable and familiar. It made Klaus feel like he could pull away and Dave would do the same, no questions asked.
He wasn't used to anyone respecting when he wanted space. Almost everyone pushed him around, or touched him like they owned him. He wasn't used to feeling like a person. Maybe that was why he was still here, with Dave. Sure, there had been a few others who treated him well, but honestly, that had made him even more wary. If they got attached, things would get complicated. But that didn't bother him now. Did he want Dave to get attached? Why was this different?
He couldn't help but search Dave's face, as if the answers he was looking for could be found there. That was when he noticed that he didn't have the blurry look of someone who had just woken up. In fact, he looked even more exhausted than before. At least that was a handy tangent for him to grab onto.
"Can't sleep?" He asked.
"Yeah, you know," Dave said, letting him change the subject. "It's still pretty cold, I just haven't been able to get comfortable."
"Okay, then," Klaus said. "How about this?"
He never had been particularly good at controlling his impulses. That was how he lived his life, after all; indulging in every whim. So he scooted closer, taking Dave by surprise and causing him to instinctively raise his arm up out of the way. Klaus took that as an invitation and pressed in close, throwing his own arm casually across Dave's side. He sighed contentedly, slowly but surely feeling Dave relax against him. After a moment, he lowered his hand as well, hesitating like he wasn't sure what to do with it, until he finally rested it against Klaus' arm.
He just wanted to touch, to wrap him in his arms and hold him, and be held. It didn't mean anything, so why did it feel so right? He wasn't really sure where all of this was coming from. This wasn't the type of physical closeness he'd usually indulge in, but it seemed like they could both use some comfort and warmth, so why not? Idly, the thought crossed his mind that he'd been waiting ages to do this. It surprised him and he quickly had to backtrack. Surely that was just the drugs talking. Or the lack of drugs. Or just a result of the nightmares. Whatever, he didn't want to think about this anymore.
"Now, get some sleep," he said, as much to Dave as to himself.
'Yeah, sure," Dave said sarcastically and Klaus pulled away just enough to look up at him.
"What, still cold? Or, I could move back over there if you'd prefer," Klaus said lightly, like he didn't care either way, because he wanted Dave to feel just as comfortable as he made him feel and he wasn't sure how else to do it.
"No, sorry, I didn't mean—" Dave said quickly, turning a bit pink, before taking a deep breath to gather himself and continue. "This is better, yeah. I'll get some sleep now."
He briefly squeezed his shoulder too, like he didn't want him to go, and Klaus couldn't help but grin in triumph, hiding his face against his chest as he settled back down, feeling proud that he'd managed to fluster Dave. And here he'd thought the night was going to be terrible.