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

[ evan lifts the glass, and then stops with it halfway up, giving david an incredulous look.

it's not that evan doesn't live well or ever go to clubs. he knows people charge the rich and famous a hell of a lot more than they should. he tends to escape that, looking like he does, but still - ]

The fuck kind of places are you going where they charge eight fucking bucks for water?

[ better question: ]

And why the hell are you buying that?

[ david can't help but laugh at that response, and feel a little vindication. some people are way too used to paying too much for simple things and act like he's crazy for being shocked at those prices. ]

[ of course he paid anyway, but that's not the point. ]

Club on the east side, expensive as fuck because they know they can get away with it. Nobody's gonna be the prick who leaves 'cause the drinks are too much after they paid cover to get in.

[ there are places in the city evan doesn't go because he knows he won't enjoy them, and most of them are, conveniently, places david tends to be a regular at. although apparently not so often that the idea of an $8 bottle of water is something even he notes.

it's almost a surprise. evan's almost certain david wouldn't be the sort to notice that. throwing money around left right and center. ]

Stupid. Doubt they sell any of it, either. Not 'cause it's too expensive. You ever get water at a club?

[ at least this one has a kick to it, evan thinks as he finally gets to the liquor. not that it tastes any better. ]

Probably not.

[ couldn't say for sure, but it doesn't seem like him. on the other hand, he's more careful about how much he drinks (or snorts) because he can't really afford to get totally blackout drunk and say some shit to the wrong person. so maybe he has bought water in the interest of staying the right side of shitfaced, who can truly say? ]

Who goes clubbing to drink water? Whole point's to get fucked up.

[ evan smiles his faint, bitter smile again. in fact, he has never gotten fucked up at a club. drunk in a bar, yes. blackout drunk in a bar, even. but never clubs, and never just enough to enjoy things, even if he regrets them afterward. ]

And you're an expert in that.

[ it's mild mockery, but not in the sense that david doesn't know what he's talking about. more in the sense that david knows exactly what he's talking about. ]

[ david breathes out a laugh, raises his glass in a sarcastic cheers and tips back a mouthful as if to make evan's point. ]

Many years of study gone into it.

Yeah. I've noticed.

[ half an insult, there. evan watches david over his glass, knowing that getting on his case for being a party animal with no ability to restrain himself is an old argument they've had before a hundred times. ]

Surprised nobody's ever iced you while you were so fucked up you couldn't walk.

[ evan's given him shit over this so much that it barely registers as an insult. he just snorts and rolls his eyes, because of course evan's noticed. he probably knows how much time david spends out and about than he does himself. ]

Dunno when the last time I was that messed up was.

I see you staggering around half the time. Or is that just you puttin' on a show to look bad?

[ the alcohol and the annoyance over ... well, everything, is making him a little more combative than he probably should be, but when is he going to pass up an opportunity to get under david's skin? besides, it's better than their usual knock-down-drag-out that'd get them arrested. that has to count for something. ]

I'm not staggering around.

[ he was definitely staggering around. or draped over someone on their way wherever. either way, the accusation annoys him enough that it shows on his face, just briefly before he sighs and reaches for his glass. he definitely plays it up sometimes, but david wouldn't call that the same as putting on an act. ]

Anyway-- I find someone comin' at me is usually sobers me up real fucking fast.

[ so shut up, actually. ]

Yeah? Gonna have to test that someday.

[ which would entail following david around until he got shitfaced enough to suit evan, and then publicly charging him to see just how fast he sobers up. it's not a great plan.

still, it has an appeal to it. because if david's talking shit, then he might get in more than a few good punches. ]

Keep an eye out.

[ he almost smiles - almost, but not really - and goes back to his drink. ]

What, you gonna follow me around all night just to get me when I'm fucked up?

[ the idea is kind of amusing, he'll grant that, even if he knows evan would win that hands down if he was drunk — they're evenly matched enough even a slight disadvantage becomes significant. it's as annoying as much as it is something david genuinely enjoys about throwing down with evan. not that he'd admit it. ]

Might as well. Let you outdrink me and wait until you can't move without running into a wall, kick you ass into oblivion. Make up for that last shitshow in public.

[ although letting david outdrink him might not be as difficult as he'd like to think it is. he doesn't really plan on it; at least, not right now. right now he just wants a little distance from everything. ]

Long as you can resist biting me this time.

[ in case anyone was wondering: yes, he's still mad about it. the nick it left in his ear is by no means large, but it still pisses david off every time he catches it in the mirror. ]

[ that does make evan smile, thinly, for the first time since they got here. ]

That still pisses you off, huh?

[ he hadn't planned on it. it was an automatic move, straight out of his survival instincts. on his back, unable to punch the way he wanted, david about to grind him into the dirt if he got on top of him - at least, more than he already was - the first thing that came to mind was a bite. and it worked.

maybe too well. it was one of the other things people still get on his case about. he's not supposed to fight like some psycho kid on the playground. ]

Shouldn't have landed me like that.

Piss off. Didn't exactly give me a choice, did you?

[ annoyed as he looks and sounds, there's no real heat to it. ]

Was I supposed to just sit there and take it?

Was I supposed to just lie there and let you get on top? Beat my face into the ground?

[ it's the same with evan. he's irritated, still angry about everything, but the violence that would normally go with this is tempered. for now.

and he's got just enough alcohol in him to not immediately regret the phrase let you get on top. ]

Had to get you to stop your shit somehow.

[ luckily for evan, david doesn't catch the phrasing. too busy being mildly irate about remembering their last real fight and all the bullshit with it. ]

My shit, like you didn't bust my nose three seconds in.

[ pff, his shit. ]

That was the point. Or did you actually want me to go easy on you?

[ he takes a slow, deliberate sip. ]

Didn't think you were that delicate.

[ he's sure that's meant to get him riled up, but david barks a laugh instead. the idea is genuinely hilarious to him, that anyone could ever think he was delicate enough to need someone to go easy on him, like he doesn't always go borderline feral the second his blood is spilled. ]

Oh yeah. Famously soft, me. Bruise like a peach.

[ evan almost laughs at that, too, because considering how badly they've beaten each other over the years, it's a stupid idea. it was meant to be an insult. an automatic thing. david not taking the bait should irritate him.

too much to drink, he supposes, makes that less of a problem. but shouldn't it be the other way around? ]

You do. Just doesn't keep you down.

[ he snorts at that, nods. maybe the liquor's starting to get to him, because he feels broadly positive right now. ]

Hear it's one of my more annoying qualities.

You've got too many of those to count.

[ strange how amenable they're being. maybe knowing neither one of them got the praise they thought they deserved for their work made dealing with each other more bearable. or -

it's the alcohol. must be. has to be. ]

Could do yourself and everyone else a favor and learn to stay the fuck down from time to time.

Nah.

[ he leans back in his seat with a smirk, taking a sip of his drink. he's annoying and he knows it, and he has no intention of ever stopping. ]

Think I'm gonna keep pissing everyone off instead.

And that's why you keep getting the shit kicked out of you.

[ the smirk is infuriating, but evan manages to keep a lid on the anger for now. they're being amicable enough, and he doesn't want to be the one getting slammed for starting a fight in a slightly more upscale place like this. ]

Another round?

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