[ the squeeze makes him wince, but otherwise david is unbothered. he's not going to harp on for a dumb joke anyway, even if it still seems pretty accurate to him. ]

You're a real miserable bastard, you know that?

[ of course he does. david's called him one plenty of times in various colourful terms, and there's no way somebody as dour as evan can't be at least a little self-aware when it comes down to it. lord knows david's well aware of how defeatist and cranky he can be, even if he opts to dress it up as realism, but he doesn't live in it the same way evan seems to. had done for a while when he first arrived, ace still calls him broody, but david's always been one to grasp for the little things if it helps him keep treading water instead of falling under. ]

In't just about getting clean-- I mean yeah, nice not to be covered in blood and dirt for a little and all, but...

[ he trails off, looking for the right words. or hesitating to use them, maybe. like the idea of saying something's calming to evan is ridiculous. stupid. doesn't really know why, it's not like he's ever hesitated to say stupid shit to evan before. ]

[ maybe it's because this feels more personal, in a way. come back from a nasty trial and just wanted to soothe the monster a little instead of letting it choke him, and instead here he is, bruised and bloody with the trapper of all fucking people seeing to his wounds. ]

You never just sat in a hot bath for a bit? Or stood under the shower? Like it... It eases somethin' out of you, and nothing outside it matters for a bit.

[ a temporary reprieve from the bullshit. anybody here should be able to appreciate that, he thinks, even if they don't agree it's worth it. ]