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

[hardlydead]

❤

Comments

[bloodandbrass]

[ evan's reception at home is similar. probably louder, though. that he's the one with less blood and bruises doesn't matter. they saw you on the ground. with him on top of you. no, i don't care if you were about to break his goddamned neck. you know better. you're supposed to be better than that.

it stings him, but of course he doesn't argue, or fight back. just takes it and goes back to let the bruises seethe once he's dismissed. everything hurts for days, which is par the course, but he can't stand it. that he did what he was supposed to do and it still wasn't good enough. what else could he have done? could either of them have done? blow up a building? just yell at each other?

he sinks deeper into a miserable gloom right up until the day david texts him out of nowhere, which turns it into a miserable anger. why does he care? their work is done.

his response is short and to the point. that everything's fine. he hasn't heard anything else. which he hasn't, really. he assumes things are going well enough because his father hasn't been screaming at anyone lately. their fight was enough to do the job but not enough to make anyone think he's more than a mess.

after a while, he follows up the response. why ask? ]

[hardlydead]

[ why ask? david stares at that for a long little while. if there was a problem he would've heard surely? his father would never let that lie. the fact that he hasn't heard anything is a good thing. ]

Haven't heard much from your lot is all.

Just making sure things are good.

[ that's normal, right? it's a normal thing to say and do. ]

[bloodandbrass]

[ just the idea makes evan want to snarl, but he doesn't. hard to do over text, anyway. ]

When do you ever

You'd know if they weren't

[ there'd be a lot more shit flying around, for one. ]

[hardlydead]

Unusual circumstances.

But I get the message. Fuck me for asking.

[ how could he possibly have forgotten for a moment what an asshole evan is? david sighs, tosses his phone aside. everything's fine then. ]

[bloodandbrass]

[ evan sneers at the answer. unusual circumstances? just asking for the hell of it? no, this is an information grab. it always is. and he's not going to be the weak link.

after a little while, though, he picks his phone back up. debates his actions. ]

How's your throat

[ did he crush his vocal cords? is that why this isn't a call? unlikely. he didn't have a grip for that long. ]

[hardlydead]

[ that, funnily enough, is a lot easier for david to respond to. he assumes it's evan talking shit, and that's easy to slip into. ]

Just fine. Other than the purple.

[ it was a little raw for a few days but they don't need to talk about that ]

How's your ribs?

[bloodandbrass]

Fine

[ david doesn't need to know about the fractures. neither does anybody else. including the doctor. ]

Ear?

[hardlydead]

Not as bad as it felt, thought you took a whole chunk out at the time.

[bloodandbrass]

Wanted to take it off

[ that's not true, but god forbid he fail to escalate a situation. ]

Lucky for you our boys got involved

[hardlydead]

Not sure I could've wanted to kill you more than I did, but that probably would've done it.

[ he's already pretty pissed about his ear's new shape as it is. ]

[bloodandbrass]

Wouldn't change much, would it?

You don't listen anyway

[hardlydead]

Ha ha. Who knew there was a sense of humour in there this whole time.

[bloodandbrass]

Hard not to when a joke as big as you's involved

[hardlydead]

Think of that one all on your own, did you?

[bloodandbrass]

Fuck off

You walk around looking like a clown and expect people to take you seriously

Every goddamn second you're out there you're a joke

[hardlydead]

Bother you that much, does it?

[bloodandbrass]

[ well he can't really back down from this, now, can he? ]

Much as knowing I'm out there still alive bothers you

[hardlydead]

Guess we can work on that problem now there's no need to play nice anymore, eh?

[bloodandbrass]

Big words for a guy with a busted neck

[ says evan, with five fractured ribs. ]

[hardlydead]

Nothing I can't handle.

[bloodandbrass]

You wanna do that again? No boys this time

One of us ain't walking away

[hardlydead]

Time and place, Mac.

[bloodandbrass]

[ he reconsiders, just for a second. he's not in top form, but neither is david. then the rage comes back, the anger, the burning want to see david flat on his back, choking on his own blood. ]

Tomorrow

Sundown at brewery. Cops are done with it

[hardlydead]

See you there.

[ and see him there he does. busted ribs and fucked up back be damned. david doesn't bother trying to hide the two black eyes or the cut lip; he's looked worse. has at least the awareness to know he's probably gonna look worse again after this is done. ]

[ but then it'll be done. lord knows he's wanted this man dead for years, had his blood on his fists enough time to be frustrated there's never anything to show for it. he's a mess right now, but so is evan. that's good enough for him. ]

[ plain black hoodie like the last time they were here, david waits quietly in the shadows as the sun sets over the place. not intentionally, there's just a good wall to lean on there. ]

[bloodandbrass]

[ evan knows it's a mistake halfway there. his whole body's still ringing with the pain of the fight. his ribs aren't fixed up. david might be just as banged up as him, but he's not at this best. still, he goes. he's too angry. he wants this done.

sure, his father's going to beat him even worse over this, but the alliance, tenuous as it was, is over. maybe this'll be the thing that tips both sides into all-out warfare, the sons taking it too far. it doesn't matter. it's not like it'll change anything for him.

the idea that david might win doesn't even occur to him.

he sees david in the shadows as he approaches, and ignores him until they get inside. he won't show the pain, but the first punch is going to be miserable. still. ]

You scared someone's gonna recognize you going for a second fight?