hardlydead | (( them gods gonna hurt you son; when you play with a loaded gun ))

[ evan sees him come in, hidden in a spot not quite in a corner, and grimaces.

the thing is, he doesn't have a particularly good reason to drag him out here. and the obvious fact that he dragged him away from a night out - clothes rumpled, shirt slightly open, makeup smeared in particular places giving that away dead on - make his palms itch. no decorum. no shame. nothing but money and broadcasting that money. it was why david showing up looking like a normal person the last time actually surprised him.

maybe he should just not find him. maybe he should just leave, and text him later, saying something came up, go back to whatever debauchery he was enjoying. but the idea makes him feel like a coward, so he gets up and heads to the bar, slapping down a bill as he gets there. ]

Surprised you managed to pull yourself away from the fun.

[ he sneers as he says it. the bartender, who knows him at least well enough to know what he drinks, pulls one without a word to him. it's why he doesn't pick up his change when it comes shortly afterward. ]

Wasn't easy.

[ david shifts a little on the spot to accommodate evan next to him at the bar, watches the way the bartended pours one for him and notes that even though this is neutral territory, evan's a known element here. well enough to have a regular drink at least. ]

Had an absolute stunner throwin' herself at me and I'm here instead, so I hope it's worth it.

[ the kind of woman he'd boast about to his friends, post photos with on his socials, but probably not the "pre-emptively failed attempt at a relationship" type. not that it matters now, he only mentions her to evan to make the point that he would much rather be there than here. ]

[ but he's here now, and they both have drinks, so he gestures for evan to lead the way, assuming he has somewhere to sit already. part of him wants to harp on about how this better be worth his time, but that seems stupid. and like it might start a fight right out the gate, which is also ridiculous. ]

[ anyway-- ]

[ evan's look of disdain at that comment is clear, and one he doesn't hide. it's not that evan doesn't get women; he's not jealous. he just don't show it off. or let it happen in public, at least in the same way david does.

he leads david away once he's got his drink. back to their table, because nobody took it, though that's more luck than his reputation. this isn't his territory. it's not even david's. that has its advantages and disadvantages, but right now, it's david getting the strange looks (and some admiring ones, too) rather than him. he won't be remembered. ]

Is it ever going to be worth if I'm here?

[ that's half a joke. he takes a long sip of the beer, trying to determine if he should be doing this or not. ]

[ despite his ire toward evan, that gets a breath of a laugh out of david as he follows toward evan's table. either unaware or unbothered by the looks he's getting, he's used to it anyway. ]

[ he sits down at the table, curious about why evan called him out here, but he assumes it's going to annoy him whatever it is. ]

Depends on what you wanted to see me for.

[ evan gives his drink a considering look, as if he's agreeing with david there - that it really does depend on why he just dragged david out somewhere neither one of them is really recognized.

it does, actually. but. ]

Don't have a set timeline for our next move, but wanted to try and hash something out so we don't fuck it up day of.

[ their 'distraction', or whatever it's going to be. he's gotten pieces of information about what it might entail, and when, and where, but nothing solid. or at least nothing he's been willing to ask about outright. ]

[ the fact that it is work... doesn't exactly mollify david, but does make him ease up a bit, less immediately ready to fight. he takes a drink, nodding. that's not a stupid idea, he'll grant that. ]

You got somethin' in mind?

[ he assumes evan wouldn't call him out here with no ideas, he's too proud to risk looking foolish that way. david would probably be the same in his position, but that's neither here nor there. ]

[ evan's slow to drink, but he does actually do so this time. this is work, but not - exactly work. preparation. he doesn't feel like he needs to be the professional one, here, in a place where neither of them is strictly recognized. it's not letting down his guard - couldn't be - but it is ... lightening up, just a little.

he's not sure why. he doesn't really think about it that far. ]

Everyone expects us to fight.

[ and that always gets attention. from everybody, even the uninvolved bystanders. ]

[ david tilts his head, thinking. that makes sense. a scuffle draws a lot of attention, especially with them — neither of them goes down easy, both of them are heavy hitters, and everyone loves to watch a fight. people can't help themselves. ]

But you wanna do something different?

[ why else would evan call him out here to talk? both of them are ready to throw down at the drop of a hat, they don't need to discus that. ]

[ evan gives david a sharp look, as if that's an insult - but he's got enough brainpower and focus to think about it, rather than being so angry he just assumes the worst. it's not an insult. david's suggesting it.

the truth is that no, he wasn't thinking of anything different. evan macmillan and david king beating the hell out of each other in front of the to-be-raided headquarters of the new enemy was mostly his plan. but figuring out how to do that without accidentally killing each other, or looking planned, or somehow giving it away early - that might need some arrangement.

but now that david's suggested it, he's not going to argue. ]

Maybe. [ that's not a strong start. ] Somethin' too weird, people'll start to wonder.

We come at eachother like it's Westside Story, people would talk about that too.

[ which is to say he has his concerns about a staged fight. david doesn't even frequent the places that rig their fights anymore — it's good money, but the whole thing leaves an awful taste in his mouth — he's not sure he trusts either of them to make it look real without being real, nor does he trust either of them to back off at the right time. ]

I think if we can come up with somethin' else, might not be an idea. 'Cause if we throw down it's gonna be real, and I know I wanna punch your lights out too much to back off unless something makes me stop.

[ it's a statement of fact, not a threat. he gives evan a look as he takes a drink that says he knows the reverse is true too. they both want to fight and they both want to win. ]

[ problem is, david has no idea what else they could do that wouldn't make people question it. not everybody in there is a hopeless idiot, after all. he shakes off the idea of some kind of explosion pretty much straight away, sure that they'd peg that for a distraction immediately. ]

[ it's not a threat, evan knows. but it still makes his grip tighten around the glass. at least it's mutual. ]

Maybe it should be real.

[ it's the only other thing he can think of. if they can get a few of their guys from each side to conveniently come along at the right time to break them up, start a potential gang war in the streets right in front of those assholes' base - that'd keep people's attention. ]

You and me finally having it out. For real. We get people watching to stop us. [ he looks down into the half-finished beer. ] Or the cops.

[ as if the police would lift a finger to stop them. no, they've paid off enough cops to not get involved as physically possible, and threatened the rest. if someone calls they'll wait long enough for either evan or david to be unconscious or dead, and then conveniently show up to clean up whatever's left. it's standard procedure.

still. the idea of really getting to duke it out with david does have an appeal. ]

[ david breathes out something like an amused huff of a laugh, reclines a little in his seat while he thinks about it. ]

[ no way are the cops gonna do anything, not unless they're asked specifically to, and that runs the risk of trickling down to the very people they're trying to bamboozle — those guys have to have at least a few in their pocket. means they're gonna have to rely on their own guys to know when to separate them. means he'll need people strong enough to it, probably while taking some hits themselves. ]

You might be right.

[ which he hates to admit, but the allure of properly having it out is strong enough for him to swallow it. sure, still won't be real enough, not when they're gonna have to back off before one or both of them end up out on the ground, but it's something. a way to vent some frustration over this whole fucking job, that's something.
]

Gonna need a reason for our lads to step in though, cops ain't gonna do shit.

[ evan grimaces as david voices his thoughts. no, cops won't get involved. not that they ever have. as usual, it'll be on their own men to handle things. but can they be trusted not to fuck it up and make it look fake? probably not.

some can, some can't. it'll be a careful thing, making this look deliberate without actually starting a war on the streets. everyone knows that they're in a tentative alliance, and a temporary one. but everyone still wants the other side dead. everyone'll take the opportunity to kill if they have it.

evan understands, but also doesn't want to get the shit kicked out of him twice in close succession - once by david and once by his father. ]

Stop us from killin' each other. [ the obvious solution. ] We get too into it, 'cause I'm sure we will. Your side comes in to keep me from beating your face into a pulp, mine comes in to stop yours ... sounds normal to me.

[ aside from the location. someone will be suspicious, especially since he knows they've been seeing drinking together. he just has to hope that their real, unchecked violence will sell that as just a fluke. ]

[ he hears that little assumption in evan's choice of words, but beyond a quirk of his eyebrow, david forces himself not to get sidetracked. they can trash talk later, this is business, he reminds himself. ]

Gonna be a lot of broken noses to go around.

[ there's a hint of amusement to the way he says it, but david's still going over the logistics in his head. the people he'd usually call on to sell something aren't necessarily who he'd invite to get involved in a fight, but thinking about it he supposes only a couple of people need to know. everyone else just needs to know to follow their lead. ]

[ he's less concerned about the believability after they've been drinking a couple of times though, not with how pissed off evan looks whenever he has to acknowledge david's presence. a tentative alliance with two hotheads who hate eachother on the front lines? peace talks clearly broke down. ]

[ not like it has to last long either, just long enough for their people to get in and do their job. even if people question why they're fighting, how many are gonna think to look at what's going on behind them? ]

You and yours don't pull any fucked shit day of, reckon we're sound.

[ the kings are honourable criminals, after all. they'd never stab someone in the back. (not unless they could get away with it and spin it in their favour anyway.) the macmillans on the other hand... david doesn't exactly hold them in high esteem. ]

[ evan doesn't even notice when david fails to comment on his own dictation of how things are going to go - although he notes the very brief tension, because if he couldn't read angry body language he'd be dead by now. the casual response doesn't lead him to believe david's about to haul off and punch him, though. of course, that might just be not wanting to throw a punch in that suit.

but of course, it all goes bad, because neither one of them thinks before they talk and evan was raised to take offense to everything. ]

'Fucked shit'?

[ it's a question asked with a thin veneer of patience over it, liable to crack and shatter at the slightest blow. fucked shit. he can guess, but he wants to hear what david thinks constitutes fucked shit.

he wants an excuse to get the anger out. even when he isn't supposed to. even when it'll cost him, hard. ]

[ evan's anger is easy to read, even if david didn't have to be primed and ready for any aggression. seems silly to him, to get mad about it, but whatever. it is what it is. ]

[ if he blows this up here, david's gonna have hell to pay when his father hears about it. he makes an attempt to think it through first, choose his words. it might not undo the damage he's already done, but it's worth a go. ]

We're trustin' you lot, most of the cards are in your hands with this. [ which he doesn't think is an unfair statement, there's a reason he's been swallowing his pride and forcing himself to defer to evan after all. ] You might not be a total piece of shit, I dunno. Doesn't mean nobody under you's not gonna get greedy.

[ david, the flashy showman, the brazen idiot, the rich boy, is being more rational and calm than evan, and that just pisses evan off more.

it's with a clear force of effort that he holds himself in place, glaring out into the bar like he's looking for a target to hit that isn't david. it doesn't happen, because even evan has the self-control left to know that attacking civilians outside their territory is possibly an even dumber move than smashing his glass in david's face.

it takes him a few long seconds to respond, but he does, eventually. ]

Fair point. [ his voice is still a growl, at least. especially because david does have a point. ] Anybody does something out of line, I'll send you their teeth.

[ that doesn't necessarily mean they'll be dead, but it's the nicest threat to people that aren't here that he can come up with at the moment. it's not something he has a history of doing. just a history of wanting to do. ]

[ it's a surprise that evan manages to hold it together, one that rings with a faint pang of disappointment, but it's ultimately a good thing. it'll be better then too, holding on until it's time. maybe they can't finish eachother off, but finally getting to vent every piece of anger and frustration over this little exercise in partnership? david can bite his tongue for that. ]

[ he can hear a voice that's not his own too, in the back of his mind like a hiss in his ear, scolding him for his need to push people's buttons, to see what he can get away with. that helps him pull himself back in line, no matter how disgruntled he is. ]

Appreciate it.

[ truthfully it's his old man david doesn't trust, but archie isn't stupid enough to be that brazen. not that it matters; evan has made his promise, and if his father pulls anything then it's above his head anyway. nothing more to be said about it.]

[ david takes another deep drink. ]

Anythin' else on your mind?

[ that's about it, then. evan feels denied the opportunity, the excuse, to lash out, but he doesn't let it control him this time. he does have self-control, in bursts and in extreme moments. the problems come after those moments pass and those bursts run dry.

it's what'll happen once he gets back to his territory and the first person to do something he doesn't like finds him. there's a reason nobody really likes him, or his father.

he looks dully into the drink in front of him as david asks another question. it takes a second to register, but evan doesn't respond right away; he's not drunk, or even buzzed, but his thoughts don't seem right anyway. the voices around them are low and quiet with occasional bouts of louder arguments or laughter. ]

We're better than this.

[ it's almost mumbled, an idle comment born out of frustration, but even when he realizes it he doesn't try to take it back. the only indication that he realizes he might have crossed a line, even just one in his own head, is the way his brow furrows. ]

[ david pauses mid-sip, brows raised in surprise. evan saying that at all is pretty big, considering how tight-lipped he is in general, but it's the we that really throws david. acknowledging them... maybe not as equals, but as peers. as men of high standing. he would've thought evan would rather rip his own arm off than acknowledge a single shared trait between them. ]

Yeah.

[ and it pisses him off. he can't understand why his father put this on him other than how recognisable he is in their circles, as if there aren't other known elements among them. as if there aren't people better suited in both rank and skill to this kind of shit. if this is a test, it's one he should've passed a hundred times over by now. ]

[ it occurs to him, as he looks down at his beer, that this could be some attempt to get him to talk shit about his father or the organisation, people have tried before. women who'll sleep with him and men who'll drink with him because they mistake his affability and charm for friendliness and stupidity, try and use that to get information out of him they can use to feel important or pass on to someone for money or acclaim or what the fuck ever. ]

[ but something about that dull, tired look on evan's face strikes him as genuine, nor does he think evan would really be able to pull that kind of thing off for quite a few reasons. being too disgusted with the very idea to make a genuine attempt at the top of the list. so david opts to reply honestly. ]

Dunno why this is on us, but what am I gonna do? Say nah?

[ that's not an option for either of them, he knows they have that much in common. ]

[ david's agreement is almost a comfort, or it would be if it didn't make him want to fight again. evan manages to keep his annoyance to a grunt. because at least he is getting an agreement. an acknowledgement that they shouldn't be the ones managing this shitty low-level gruntwork.

why them? he has some theories. none of them make him particularly happy to think about. ]

Do what you're told.

[ this isn't an order, even if the words are arranged like one. it's directed more to the drink than to david. more a reflection of evan's entire upbringing than anything else. they both do what they're told. both do what other people decide they should be doing.

there's no saying no for them, at least when it comes to certain people. ]

Probably just want to keep us out of trouble.

[ like they're children. like they'd fuck it all up otherwise. ]

[ keep us out of trouble makes the anger surge, makes his grip tighten around his drink. not at evan, but at the way it brings to mind several spirited conversations with his father. always something to criticise, always some way he'll never be good enough. ]

Just can't be trusted, I guess.

[ like evan, he says it more to his drink than to the other man. honestly david wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, just can't trust him not to fuck up something this precarious. ]

[ there was a woman who'd been making eyes at him that david had thought of inviting back when they were done here, but this whole conversation has him filled with a miserable sort of anger he sees no outlet for. him and a bottle later instead, it seems. ]

[ can't be trusted. their own fucking sons. the people they trust for everything else, who they know they can depend on to do things right, they way they should be done ... can't be trusted with this?

the anger surges back up, but it's not directed at david for once. evan wants to aim it there, wants to throw the glass right at david's face, but without the smug smirk or sarcastic, gloating tone of voice, he can't quite find the target. besides, he knows how that'll end.

evan seethes, then finishes the rest of his beer probably too fast and stands up. this was a bad idea, but at least there's some kind of plan in place. ]

Let you know when we're ready.

[ or whenever the right time is. whenever that gets determined for him, since he's not able to do it himself, apparently. all these years. all this work.

he storms out without another word, or, notably, without even considering a punch. he just wants to put distance between them so he can go find someone else to beat the shit out of, and then crash until the next assignment gets handed to him. so he can ignore all this shit until such a time as it's necessary to deal with it again. ]

[ david lifts his head just enough to watch evan storm out, a dim cloud of his own hanging above his head. there just has to be some other explanation for this, for being treated like low level grunts instead of people who've spent a lifetime being taught and working toward being the best. it's not nepotism that had them climb to the top, neither of their fathers are that giving. david has worked hard, sacrificed plenty, fought and killed and bled for this. ]

[ is he really worth that little? still? ]

[ he goes home once he's finished his own beer, a date with a bottle of whiskey and a morning after with a hangover, and then it's back to work like their chat never even happened. like these doubts aren't still lingering under the surface. just getting on with it until evan gets in contact to set things up. ]

[ day of he's kind of looking forward to having a punch up at least. trying to focus on that rather than the fact it's going to get cut short or what this shit means. why he has to do this shit instead of anything that matters. though he does spare a thought to think on the fact that evan storming off the other day lends some believability to this whole thing as he arrives with his guys. dressed a little more flashy than he would like for a fight, but it sells the whole thing. ]

[ evan's frustration only grows through the days, almost weeks, until he finally gets word that it's his time to act. and it's almost just a word, one passing remark not even from his father, but from one of the other trusted - mostly trusted - lieutenants: tomorrow. be ready.

it drives him into a fit of fury, not even hearing it from his father himself, but he manages to keep from doing more than smashing a few chairs. keeping the anger down inside usually has no benefit, but now it does. tomorrow he can unleash it all on david.

by the time he's out smoking with a few others who know the plan and a scattered handful who don't, everything's stopped boiling and smoothed out into a flat, calm pool of rage. depthless and dangerous. david's arrival, dressed too nicely for this (but isn't that the point?), a little posse around him (aren't they supposed to be there?), as if the whole world belongs to him.

their sullen conversation at the bar is still bubbling in the back of his head, but it's easy to ignore that now. they might both be better than this, but a fight is a fight. and everyone knows that, outside of the occasional bar, evan macmillan and david king fight like rabid dogs whenever they see each other.

one of his men nudges him, selling it by pointing out where david is as if evan hasn't seen him. he takes another slow drag of his cigarette and lets out the smoke even slower, waiting until david's in range to hear. ]

This ain't your street.

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