[ he hesitates again. confused, again. why is evan asking him for a drink? anybody else, david would make a joke about them asking him out, but after their last drink-- well. part of him wants to ask if this is a trap or something, but he doesn't. without thinking he just says: ]
[ most of him wanted david to ignore it. or blow him off. or make fun of him. or do literally anything to shut this down. instead, he says yes.
he still has the opportunity to stop this himself, but suddenly everything seems like it's rolling downhill, out of his control. he sends a link to the place, address and frontage. it's small, out of the way, in a part of the city that doesn't see much of either of their family's influences, partly because it's not worth much and partly because of the higher police presence.
but this bar's a sign of things starting to change, or as his father puts it, gentrify. he knows that's usually not a good sign, but it also means there'll be less cops right along with anyone who might know them.
he was halfway there just for his own sake. he doesn't get much benefit from imported beer, but it's probably better than the usual garbage. ]
[ it would be easy to back out, just say something came up. they're both busy guys, it wouldn't be even a little far-fetched, there's always extra shit he could be doing if he really wants to sell it. but david is curious. shouldn't be, should've dusted his hands clean of evan the second they were pulled apart after that fight, the only thoughts spared for evan being when he gets to finish the job, but he didn't. and he wants to know what evan wants. ]
[ when david arrives, it's with a bit of a wrinkle of his nose in distaste for how this area's started changing, but that's gone by the time he enters the bar with that same, easy confidence he usually wears, clothes not flashy this time, but still fashionable. mostly not on purpose, his wardrobe is just like that. ]
[ david scans the bar, looks toward the the back of the place for any particularly tucked away tables or booths to try and find evan, and then heads over without stopping to get a drink first. ]
[ evan has a beer already, but it's not as good as he hoped. maybe that's partly him, though. he's considered leaving for a solid ten minutes before david walks in, and then it takes everything in him not to just walk right past him and leave and pretend this never happened.
pride makes him a coward. somehow.
he gives david a flat look. no drink. does he think this is something serious? ]
No. Would've told you already if it had. Just thought -
[ how does he follow this up? how does it he save it? by hesitating he's already fucked up, but - ]
[ this is confusing. david doesn't relax, but he plays the initial assumption off with a soft chuckle and a nod. so this is a social call. why evan would reach out to him is a mystery, but is it much less of a mystery why david came when there's been several points along the way where he could've easily refused? ]
[ david gestures to evan's beer. ]
Lemme catch you up then.
[ and he'll be back in a minute or two with his own beer, joining evan at his table. ]
[ evan doesn't relax, either, but when david goes to get a drink he doesn't bolt, which is a start. he waits, wondering just how to explain this when he doesn't even want to think about why he asked at all. he can barely come to terms with it.
because it was, like before, a stupid impulse. except this time he wasn't drunk.
he waits until they're both settled in to take another drink. ]
Nobody saw us, if you were wondering. [ it's one way to start. ] I mean, they saw me leave, saw us go into the old brewery, saw us head out to the bar after, but ... nothing after that.
[ the explanation he gave, when questioned later, was honesty. that they went to try and finish the fight but didn't. it got him laughed at, which was at least better than being screamed at, and then his father told him not to do it again.
it's why it took him two weeks to finally send the message that's been burrowed in his skull ever since. ]
[ david stills when evan brings that up. just for a moment, but it's enough. at least it seems like they know about as much on evan's side of the fence as on his, but david would rather not think about it at all. ]
Figured I would've heard about it by now if they did.
[ there's no way anybody would let something like that lie, not this long, but all he got were demands from his father to know what the fuck he was thinking. yelled at for being stupid and reckless and so soon after a major success. ]
[ but that's that. it happened and david has done his best not to think about it at all. ]
[ evan debates his answer. he's right that if someone had seen them both going to the safe house, they'd know by now. they definitely wouldn't be out here, getting another drink. ]
Yeah.
[ that's a lie. he could have easily said all that by text. but it's easier to use that as an excuse than try to rationalize the strange desire to talk to david fucking king again, a man he's hated every day of most of his adult life. ]
[ he's not sure he buys that, that could've been a text or a phonecall, but he can't quite bring himself to pull evan up on it. uncertain whose sake that bit of consideration is really for, because obviously it's for evan, right? why would david need it? but why would he? ]
Thought maybe you wanted to show off knowin' better places than me.
[ david says it with a look around the place, halfway a joke and halfway just trying to move on; it's nicer than the place they went last time, not that that's a high bar to clear. the drinks seem like they're bought with a... particular palate in mind, but so far this beer isn't bad either. ]
[ more interesting is the lack of recognition from anyone around them, the bit of stress it takes off sure helps offset whatever the fuck this conversation is. ]
[ that would have been the best excuse, wouldn't it? they could fight and argue and get back to their natural hatred, if he was showing off. ]
Nah. I hear about these places from family friends. They're the ones funding half this shit. Trying to upscale everything. Sort of a legal crime.
[ evan eyes the clientele, the decor, the fact that the age of the building has been patched over and covered up with modern touches. but the foundations are still rotting, he's sure. ]
[ a small smirk of recognition and understanding tugs at his expression at the mention of "legal crime" and he nods. ]
Kinda nice, actually.
[ there are benefits to being recognisable, david would say he's significantly more aware of that much than evan, but there is something to it that's almost relaxing. not no need to keep up appearances, but it's reduced for sure. ]
[ of all the places he could go to be unrecognized, this isn't one he considered ... but it is nice. evan doesn't relax at all, but the perpetually pissed-off expression he has softens a little. ]
Yeah. People here ain't getting into fights every hour.
[ not like them. he gives the beer a dour look and debates whether it was worth the markup in price. ]
You tellin' me I came all this way and we're not gonna have a punch up?
[ that's a joke, if only because the majority of everything might've healed up, but his ribs still need a couple more weeks to be good. he'd fight if it came down to it, but he's gonna at least make an attempt not to turn this into a shitshow. ]
Only if you want to spend the night in jail next to me.
[ because they're not getting out until morning in this jurisdiction. he's pretty certain of that. drunk, disorderly, and violent. it'll take a while for the information about them to come in. maybe after that someone will post bail. and then he'll get yelled at. again. ]
[ david snorts, partially amusement, partially to cover the way the idea of going back to evan's shitty little apartment makes an uncomfortably familiar sense of panic grip his chest. ]
What? You think I've never fought in some dinky flat before?
[ it's kind of insulting that that's what evan thinks of him, even now, and it shows in the way his jaw clenches, a brief flicker of anger in his expression, but david swallows it. ]
You don't learn to fight like that by havin' people around to bail you out when it turns rough.
[ how many times now has he been pulled up on going too far? how many bodies buried or in the hospital because they pissed him off and he couldn't stop himself? david's better at it now, sure, but the way he sees it? bringing backup is about making sure someone stops him if need be. ]
[ whatever. david finishes his beer and gestures to evan's empty, pushing himself up. ]
[ evan's smirk in response to david's anger isn't particularly gloating. if anything, it's almost hollow. ]
Sure.
[ just like last time. buy a round, then the other guy does it. how drunk are they gonna get this time? depends on how far they're willing to take it. this time, they're not crippled by all kinds of nasty injuries.
he waits until david's back to follow up. ]
They don't bail you out. They're just there to keep people from fightin' back unless they wanna get jumped.
Mostly they're there to stop me beating someone into paste if we might need 'em later.
[ it's matter-of-fact, the way david says it as he sets the drinks down. he's not gloating or trying to make himself seem tougher-- if anything, he's maybe a little ashamed of the fact. ]
[ not to say it doesn't go how evan described, but that's just efficiency. why wouldn't he use the resources at his disposal? having them hold someone down while he beats them or have them get in the way of any interference is the smart thing to do. ]
[ evan doesn't quite laugh at that, watching david a little more carefully now. not that he doesn't know david's strength inside and out at this point. they've beaten each other into bloody wrecks enough time that he knows david probably does need someone to hold him back from time to time.
it's something evan doesn't have. not just nobody to hold him back - nobody to tell him to back off. a fundamental difference in their upbringings. ]
[ david's quiet for a little, takes a long drink of his beer, gaze fixed on evan in thought the whole time. ]
You really think I'm that soft, I need 'em to hold someone down for me?
[ maybe it's just his reputation speaking for him; david king, just a rich hedonist who's never worked a day in his life. an idiot with a short fuse who doesn't know how to do anything except party and fight. probably makes sure the odds are always stacked in his favour because it's pure vanity. ]
[ considering the time and effort that's gone into crafting that image and keeping it afloat, it shouldn't bother david if someone believes it. and yet it's hard to completely hide the fact that he is a little offended. ]
[ david is soft, compared to him. or at least that's what evan's always thought. softer than him, who has to live right, exactly right. not that he thinks david can do whatever the hell he wants; the last few weeks have made that very clear. but it's not the same. he's sure of it. ]
You've tried to put me in the ground enough times I know you don't need someone around to keep anyone else down. Meant your whole family. Not just you.
[ which probably isn't much better than a direct insult to david alone. ]
[ david scoffs and shakes his head. of course evan would think that. ]
That's the problem with your lot.
[ if he wants to bring david's family into it, than evan's family is on the line too, and david sure has opinions about that whole operation. like a roving band of barbarians, the whole thing kept together by fear and brutality and money. ]
There's no finesse to the way you operate. It's all fuckin' brute force.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
hardlydead) wrote2024-05-20 10:36 pm
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Okay, sure. What's the place?
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he still has the opportunity to stop this himself, but suddenly everything seems like it's rolling downhill, out of his control. he sends a link to the place, address and frontage. it's small, out of the way, in a part of the city that doesn't see much of either of their family's influences, partly because it's not worth much and partly because of the higher police presence.
but this bar's a sign of things starting to change, or as his father puts it, gentrify. he knows that's usually not a good sign, but it also means there'll be less cops right along with anyone who might know them.
he was halfway there just for his own sake. he doesn't get much benefit from imported beer, but it's probably better than the usual garbage. ]
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[ when david arrives, it's with a bit of a wrinkle of his nose in distaste for how this area's started changing, but that's gone by the time he enters the bar with that same, easy confidence he usually wears, clothes not flashy this time, but still fashionable. mostly not on purpose, his wardrobe is just like that. ]
[ david scans the bar, looks toward the the back of the place for any particularly tucked away tables or booths to try and find evan, and then heads over without stopping to get a drink first. ]
Somethin' happen?
[ that's why evan called him out here right. ]
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pride makes him a coward. somehow.
he gives david a flat look. no drink. does he think this is something serious? ]
No. Would've told you already if it had. Just thought -
[ how does he follow this up? how does it he save it? by hesitating he's already fucked up, but - ]
Drinks last time were pretty shit.
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[ this is confusing. david doesn't relax, but he plays the initial assumption off with a soft chuckle and a nod. so this is a social call. why evan would reach out to him is a mystery, but is it much less of a mystery why david came when there's been several points along the way where he could've easily refused? ]
[ david gestures to evan's beer. ]
Lemme catch you up then.
[ and he'll be back in a minute or two with his own beer, joining evan at his table. ]
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because it was, like before, a stupid impulse. except this time he wasn't drunk.
he waits until they're both settled in to take another drink. ]
Nobody saw us, if you were wondering. [ it's one way to start. ] I mean, they saw me leave, saw us go into the old brewery, saw us head out to the bar after, but ... nothing after that.
[ the explanation he gave, when questioned later, was honesty. that they went to try and finish the fight but didn't. it got him laughed at, which was at least better than being screamed at, and then his father told him not to do it again.
it's why it took him two weeks to finally send the message that's been burrowed in his skull ever since. ]
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Figured I would've heard about it by now if they did.
[ there's no way anybody would let something like that lie, not this long, but all he got were demands from his father to know what the fuck he was thinking. yelled at for being stupid and reckless and so soon after a major success. ]
[ but that's that. it happened and david has done his best not to think about it at all. ]
That why you called me out here?
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Yeah.
[ that's a lie. he could have easily said all that by text. but it's easier to use that as an excuse than try to rationalize the strange desire to talk to david fucking king again, a man he's hated every day of most of his adult life. ]
Figured it'd be worth knowing.
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Thought maybe you wanted to show off knowin' better places than me.
[ david says it with a look around the place, halfway a joke and halfway just trying to move on; it's nicer than the place they went last time, not that that's a high bar to clear. the drinks seem like they're bought with a... particular palate in mind, but so far this beer isn't bad either. ]
[ more interesting is the lack of recognition from anyone around them, the bit of stress it takes off sure helps offset whatever the fuck this conversation is. ]
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Nah. I hear about these places from family friends. They're the ones funding half this shit. Trying to upscale everything. Sort of a legal crime.
[ evan eyes the clientele, the decor, the fact that the age of the building has been patched over and covered up with modern touches. but the foundations are still rotting, he's sure. ]
Just figured nobody would know us here.
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Kinda nice, actually.
[ there are benefits to being recognisable, david would say he's significantly more aware of that much than evan, but there is something to it that's almost relaxing. not no need to keep up appearances, but it's reduced for sure. ]
Quiet.
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Yeah. People here ain't getting into fights every hour.
[ not like them. he gives the beer a dour look and debates whether it was worth the markup in price. ]
Probably get arrested here if we did, though.
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[ that's a joke, if only because the majority of everything might've healed up, but his ribs still need a couple more weeks to be good. he'd fight if it came down to it, but he's gonna at least make an attempt not to turn this into a shitshow. ]
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[ because they're not getting out until morning in this jurisdiction. he's pretty certain of that. drunk, disorderly, and violent. it'll take a while for the information about them to come in. maybe after that someone will post bail. and then he'll get yelled at. again. ]
Dunno if anyone'd get us out at this point.
[ that's also a joke. probably. ]
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[ then getting the shit kicked out of him for being an embarrassment, sounds about right. ]
Guess we better try'n behave then.
[ no guarantees though. ]
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[ his place. the little shithole apartment where he - hm. no, probably better to not have offered that.
he finishes his beer to try and cut himself off, shut himself up. he's not nearly drunk enough to be saying that kind of shit. ]
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What? You think I've never fought in some dinky flat before?
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[ which is probably untrue. plus, he's got a strange sharpness in his gut telling him to back off on this subject, so he does. ]
You ever fight anybody like you fought me in that shithole brewery? One on one, nobody around, ready to kill just 'cause?
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You don't learn to fight like that by havin' people around to bail you out when it turns rough.
[ how many times now has he been pulled up on going too far? how many bodies buried or in the hospital because they pissed him off and he couldn't stop himself? david's better at it now, sure, but the way he sees it? bringing backup is about making sure someone stops him if need be. ]
[ whatever. david finishes his beer and gestures to evan's empty, pushing himself up. ]
Same again?
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Sure.
[ just like last time. buy a round, then the other guy does it. how drunk are they gonna get this time? depends on how far they're willing to take it. this time, they're not crippled by all kinds of nasty injuries.
he waits until david's back to follow up. ]
They don't bail you out. They're just there to keep people from fightin' back unless they wanna get jumped.
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[ it's matter-of-fact, the way david says it as he sets the drinks down. he's not gloating or trying to make himself seem tougher-- if anything, he's maybe a little ashamed of the fact. ]
[ not to say it doesn't go how evan described, but that's just efficiency. why wouldn't he use the resources at his disposal? having them hold someone down while he beats them or have them get in the way of any interference is the smart thing to do. ]
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it's something evan doesn't have. not just nobody to hold him back - nobody to tell him to back off. a fundamental difference in their upbringings. ]
Yeah, guess you need as much help as you can get.
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You really think I'm that soft, I need 'em to hold someone down for me?
[ maybe it's just his reputation speaking for him; david king, just a rich hedonist who's never worked a day in his life. an idiot with a short fuse who doesn't know how to do anything except party and fight. probably makes sure the odds are always stacked in his favour because it's pure vanity. ]
[ considering the time and effort that's gone into crafting that image and keeping it afloat, it shouldn't bother david if someone believes it. and yet it's hard to completely hide the fact that he is a little offended. ]
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[ david is soft, compared to him. or at least that's what evan's always thought. softer than him, who has to live right, exactly right. not that he thinks david can do whatever the hell he wants; the last few weeks have made that very clear. but it's not the same. he's sure of it. ]
You've tried to put me in the ground enough times I know you don't need someone around to keep anyone else down. Meant your whole family. Not just you.
[ which probably isn't much better than a direct insult to david alone. ]
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That's the problem with your lot.
[ if he wants to bring david's family into it, than evan's family is on the line too, and david sure has opinions about that whole operation. like a roving band of barbarians, the whole thing kept together by fear and brutality and money. ]
There's no finesse to the way you operate. It's all fuckin' brute force.
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