Apologies. David shook his head no. “You don't have to apologize either, bro. You're a good guy. You always have been.” Even when they hated each other, as teenage brothers often did, his brother had still been the best person he'd known. Bringing it up was his way of saying that he knew what Elliot was getting at. And it was okay. Completely okay, as far as David was concerned.
“And it's not your fault.” Part of it may have been, for being in the lab when everyone had warned him against it. But it should have been okay. “It's those people who let the virus loose. You're not to blame.” David refused to believe it.
The strongest didn't always survive. A vicious truth. David nodded his head and cast his eyes downward. “I know,” he agreed reluctantly, looking down and letting his eyes close for a second. “If anything, that makes it harder to think about, though.” He chuckled once, bitterly, and then looked up at Elliot, still trying to keep tears back. “Doesn't change the fact that you don't deserve this, either. You've always been the best person I know.”
It was funny. When David was a teenager, all he'd wanted was for Elliot to tell him that he was a good brother. All those years wasted with stupid rivalries, jokes or lies to get in or out of spending time together and now David would've done just about anything to get that back. “And you're my hero, man.” He chuckled a little. “I don't think I ever told you. But I wanted to be just like you. That was why I was always following you around and everything.” He squeezed his brother's hand and blinked back tears once more. “My best friend, too.” Especially now.
The last Zimmerman standing. Yeah, that was about what did it. David felt a couple of tears trickling from the corners of his eyes, running down his cheeks. “I know,” he said sadly. “I'll do what I can, man. I won't let you down,” he choked out, looking at his brother through hazy, tear-filled eyes.
“I'm gonna miss you, you know...” he added in a cracking voice.