[ the squeeze makes him wince, but otherwise david is unbothered. he's not going to harp on for a dumb joke anyway, even if it still seems pretty accurate to him. ]
You're a real miserable bastard, you know that?
[ of course he does. david's called him one plenty of times in various colourful terms, and there's no way somebody as dour as evan can't be at least a little self-aware when it comes down to it. lord knows david's well aware of how defeatist and cranky he can be, even if he opts to dress it up as realism, but he doesn't live in it the same way evan seems to. had done for a while when he first arrived, ace still calls him broody, but david's always been one to grasp for the little things if it helps him keep treading water instead of falling under. ]
In't just about getting clean-- I mean yeah, nice not to be covered in blood and dirt for a little and all, but...
[ he trails off, looking for the right words. or hesitating to use them, maybe. like the idea of saying something's calming to evan is ridiculous. stupid. doesn't really know why, it's not like he's ever hesitated to say stupid shit to evan before. ]
[ maybe it's because this feels more personal, in a way. come back from a nasty trial and just wanted to soothe the monster a little instead of letting it choke him, and instead here he is, bruised and bloody with the trapper of all fucking people seeing to his wounds. ]
You never just sat in a hot bath for a bit? Or stood under the shower? Like it... It eases somethin' out of you, and nothing outside it matters for a bit.
[ a temporary reprieve from the bullshit. anybody here should be able to appreciate that, he thinks, even if they don't agree it's worth it. ]
[ evan knows, even if he doesn't want to acknowledge it, that survivors need to maintain their sanity. if that means doing the stupidest shit possible, then that's what they'll do. showering. trying to sleep. doing anything at all to pretend this nightmare of a world is almost normal.
the entity allows it, because the entity wants them to stay sane, too. at least to a degree. and evan knows that, too, because he's been here long enough to know what it wants. death, eventually. but there's so much that can come before.
he says none of this, and just pulls the glass out, a piece at a time. he's not going to be able to get all of it, but it should be enough to deal with until the next trial. ]
No. [ thinking back on his own past isn't much more appealing than thinking about what keeps this place in existence, but it creeps in on him anyway, and slips out while he tries to keep thoughts about the entity's influence at bay. ] Had better shit to do than waste time in a shower. You get clean, even if you're cold, and you get going.
[ women bathe, his father used to say. men wash up. enough to keep the dirt and filth off but don't waste time, don't linger. there were maggots to drive, to terrorize, to kill. ]
[ another difference in their pasts he figures, a hot bath after an especially gruelling rugby match was often well recommended, and that's something david kept with him. when he still lived at home it was a way to block out his parents for a little bit too. ]
[ wait-- ] In the shower?
[ david laughs, but it's more confused than anything. ]
[ david flinches at the way that glass comes out and frowns at evan. it was a valid question! ]
Don't think I'm one of his favourites.
[ probably because outside a trial, there's not much david has to offer him except maybe dying. which he also does in trials. maybe if the bastard just happened to see him, but even then david just feels like he's not of interest. and thank fucking god. ]
[ his habit of just yelling at ghostface if he catches him and alerting everyone nearby probably doesn't help either. ]
[ of course the idea of favorites is one evan's familiar with, but he doesn't track who ghost face fixates on. he figured that anyone with an instant of vulnerability was one of the fucker's top priorities. maybe not.
although, unfortunately, he can't argue with david's second comment. ghost face doesn't like him, in a way that causes a lot of problems. he growls and snatches up the rag to clean off a fresh coating of blood. ]
He just wants secrets that I don't give him. Guess he's wrung all yours out of you.
[ there's metal and glass in one of the wounds. evan pulls the broken pieces out a little at a time, trying to ignore the idea of ghost face existing at all. ]
[ it's a lie and it's not at the same time. there's a lot david's not forthcoming about, one specific thing that, yeah, okay, probably counts, but david's too proud to let that little shit get him over a barrel. if someone tried to pin him with something he'd been keeping close to his chest, david would probably either tell everyone himself or goad them into doing it regardless of how petrifying the idea of other people knowing might feel. that can't be too fun. ]
[ it's part of why he's had no real problem being relatively honest whenever he and evan talk. what's the point in anything otherwise? that and evan doesn't ask about his past, so david does him the courtesy of not asking about his in return. ]
Wouldn't say I'm an open book either, mind.
[ or maybe he's just kidding himself. either way he's never had much trouble with that asshole. ]
[ secrets are one of those things that just are, here, and while he's willing to believe that survivors have fewer than killers, david he doesn't buy that from so much. but who knows? he doesn't really give a shit. maybe david's exactly what he seems to be. or maybe he's better than evan at pretending there's nothing to look into. ]
Yeah, well. Still seems like he woulda stabbed you for the hell of it.
[ mostly, he has a shit opinion of ghost face.
glass and metal and blood and a little skin ends up on the table. most of it's out by now, and evan doesn't have the patience to dig around for the rest. he sets the damp and by now bloody rage on david's shoulder and turns away to find bandages. he absolutely doesn't have the patience to stitch up anyone's wounds, even his own, but a wrap isn't too much to deal with. ]
I see him doin' it to the rest of you all the time.
[ david shrugs his good shoulder, eyes following evan's hand to the table when he puts down the last little bits he can be bothered to pull out of david and dumps the rag on his shoulder. if there's more in there, david doesn't know it yet, but like the unsanitary tweezers it's not likely to cause any serious issues before the next trial resets everything. ]
[ unless the entity decides to drop him in already injured, but then he has bigger issues to deal with. ]
[ either way, he doesn't want to spend any more time thinking about ghost face. wouldn't have at all if evan hadn't brought him up. he looks down again at his bleeding shoulder with a thoughtful frown. ]
[ there are bandages around. holdovers from before. he uses them when he gets injured outside trials, or when injuries carry over between them, or - a lot more rarely - when survivors need them. sometimes it's worth the effort. sometimes they're grateful, and sometimes it gets him a reprieve from their bullshit. other times it's a waste of effort and they pay for it.
he finds a roll and turns back. they're not exactly clean, either, but they're still the less disgusting option than almost anything else down here. ]
Put it on your tab.
[ as if he's building up some kind of repayment system. it's more a joke than anything else. survivors don't have long-lasting gratitude toward killers for any reason; he's sure this'll just get forgotten again the next time they meet up in a trial or get into another fight outside one.
but he moves the rag to start wrapping up the worst of the wounds anyway. maybe that'll be what happens, and maybe not. maybe next time david decides he needs some semblance of normalcy in his life he'll punch out wesker on the way to do it, or turn ghost face into a bloody pulp. ]
[ david isn't one to forget things like this, nor is he one to let debts go unpaid. the trials are the trials, if he can help it then things from outside don't affect what he does in there and he'd expect the same in return, but that doesn't mean it'll go forgotten either. maybe he'll trash skull merchant's shit next time he raids her little camp for supplies (and wine,) surely that'd put a little smile on that sour face. ]
[ those are future considerations anyway. for now david focuses on what evan's doing, holds his arm at an angle to try and make bandaging him a little easier. quiet for some long, few moments before he decides he's sick of trying to work it out on his own, and isn't going to stop thinking about it until he gets some kind of answer, even if it's just intended to brush him off. ]
Why'd you offer though? Not that I'm complaining.
[ there's a joke right there, something about evan just wanting an excuse for him to come over, but david bites tongue on it. ]
[ he wraps the bandage firmly, covering all the wounds, making sure it doesn't come undone. evan knows how to treat an injury, even if his physical appearance might say otherwise. stepping in his own traps, getting mauled by animals who didn't die fast enough, dealing with the aftermath of doing or saying the wrong thing - he's learned. no point in letting an injury become a new weakness.
but why did he offer? it's not a question he likes to hear put to air. ]
You ain't been as much of a pain in my ass lately.
[ as if that's an explanation. it's enough of one, and probably all that david's going to get, because evan won't be able to rationalize his own actions for a while. other than wondering if maybe this just might be one more step to getting david to return the favor in a different way. ]
[ david narrows his eyes in thought for a moment, as if he doesn't buy it, but then he figures evan is petty enough that it's not a totally out there reason. regardless, pushing the issue would really just be a way to end up getting that cleaver embedded in his neck, and wouldn't that just be a waste of everyone's time? ]
[ he nods, fair enough, and turns to look at him properly. leans against the workbench and folds his arms over his chest, almost thoughtful for just the barest moment before his expression shifts to a smirk. ]
Sure it weren't just a reason to get me over here?
[ evan tucks in the end of the bandage and steps back as david leans away, and sees that smirk form. he almost knows what he's about to hear before it escapes david's mouth.
before all this, he'd have punched him out - although he wouldn't have let him in here for this in the first place, so maybe that's not worth considering. after the first time, maybe. or maybe not. he doesn't like the smirk, doesn't like the idea of david thinking he knows something, but maybe he doesn't like that david's grazed at least part of the truth of the matter. ]
You sure didn't wait to get here.
[ the implication: david was looking for a reason to get there himself. ]
[ david laughs, unfazed. maybe it should bother him, but when it's fired back at him like that, he just takes it as a quick retort and lets it slide off him. god forbid he spend a moment to consider the fact that he came out here on just the vaguest assurance that he'd be safe. from evan at least. ]
[ the idea of his workshop being safe, if anyone ever had the audacity to voice it, would infuriate evan, but maybe not to the point of kicking everyone out permanently. safe from other killers, maybe not such a bad thing.
but it's never come up, and he ignores the idea. david's not looking like he's about to deliver a punch or destroy his shit. or leave. ]
Believe whatever you want. [ he shrugs and tosses the rag back in the bucket it, drops it back over by the forge and then goes to toss the broken glass and metal pieces. ] 'Course, if you ain't leavin' in any hurry, I'm sure there's ways to waste time 'til the blood loss stops fucking with you.
[ he turns from the crate of broken metal and garbage, wiping david's blood off his hands, and considers his options. the smirk still on david's face. he knows exactly what the implication is. what even he realized when he outright invited david in here to deal with an injury. what's happened here before.
evan pauses before responding, watching david wryly. ]
Could pay your tab now.
[ that's only partly a joke. there's only so many ways he'll suggest someone repay him, and turning Adriana's hunting cabin inside out or caving Ghost Face's skull in are only a few the options. ]
[ there's an offhand comment that david just barely catches before it comes out of his mouth — can't exactly go down the mines, can i — but he knows exactly how that would go down and he's not-- he can't do that. even if he wasn't at a massive disadvantage here, adrenaline tanking, starting to feel the pain in the rest of his body, he'd have to be ready to kill if he started a fight here and evan's temper is way too short for him to brush off a comment like that. ]
[ be kind of a dick move after evan helped him out too. ]
[ david pushes away from the table and moves over to close the space between them, looks up at that mask — that fucking mask — and raises an eyebrow. ]
[ evan doesn't notice the almost-comment, the one that would have been followed by a punch to the jaw hard enough to break something, and maybe not just the workbench. as long as he doesn't hear it, all he can do is wonder, and right now he's not in quite enough of a killing mood to think too far.
david closes the space and evan thinks about what he can say. he's always in the mood for blood, but like he said, david hasn't been that much of a pain in the ass lately. ]
Could get on your knees.
[ and that is almost a joke, because of the way he snorts after it, because he knows david's not about to do it. ]
Could go bust up all those fuckin' drones on my property, if you're up for it.
[ one hand lands on david's upper arm, pulls him in a little closer, twists it a little to push a little more difference in height. ]
[ the hand on his arm cuts off every other thought in his head, the consideration that he wouldn't mind going out and smashing shit. he resists the twist of his arm instinctively, the switch from something light and relaxed — playful, almost — to angry and combative is instant. ]
[ david looks up at him, shoulders squared, lips pulled in a sneer. his side hurts a little when he straightens up properly, but he doesn't think about it, moves closer into evan's space with a growl. ]
[ he wrenches his arm out of evan's grip, still staring daggers up at evan. he should be better than this, at holding it in, at not immediately getting fired up the second someone even hints at trying to push him around or intimidate him, but he can't help it. especially not when he thinks about last time and-- ]
[ it's really only the barest sliver of self-restraint that stops him immediately swinging. ]
But if you wanna act like cock of the walk about it- [ he punctuates with a shove. ] Then you're gonna have to make me.
[ another time, the anger would have gone straight into him, found its reflection, and fought its way out. there would have been another fight. maybe one that ended in nothing, maybe one that got one of them killed.
but evan tries to avoid thinking about what-ifs, and right now, his mood's not so bad that he's going to rise to what he sees as bait, even if it would end up being a benefit in the end.
so when david yanks himself free, shoves evan back - not that he moves any real distance - he watches david, and then laughs. it's short, sharp, and not particularly amused, but it's a laugh. ]
Nah.
[ he steps back, leans against a different workbench and folds his arms across his chest. ]
You owe me. Pay it back when you're damn good and ready for it.
[ the confusion is plain on david's face, for a moment he wonders if he got the measure of the situation wrong, but he thinks about evan twisting his arm and decides, nah. bastard should've known better if he didn't want any hostility. ]
You wanna fuck, I'm almost always up for it, ain't makin' any secret of that.
[ god knows he'll take the distraction over just about anything else, even without the fact that evan has proved unfortunately very good to hook up with. compatible in a way that should be fucking obvious in hindsight. ]
[ david's still figuring this out. truthfully he doesn't have the greatest idea of what he himself wants, what he likes, but he's not so desperately ashamed of himself-- of this that he needs to dress it up as something it's not to feel okay with it. not that he objects to wrapping it up in a little violence, but he doesn't need evan acting like he's doing him a favour if that's how it's going to be either. ]
But if you wanna act like the size of you's something special? [ he raises his eyebrows, tilts his head forward when he speaks. ] Should know better than to think that's gonna get anythin' else outta me, Chuck.
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You're a real miserable bastard, you know that?
[ of course he does. david's called him one plenty of times in various colourful terms, and there's no way somebody as dour as evan can't be at least a little self-aware when it comes down to it. lord knows david's well aware of how defeatist and cranky he can be, even if he opts to dress it up as realism, but he doesn't live in it the same way evan seems to. had done for a while when he first arrived, ace still calls him broody, but david's always been one to grasp for the little things if it helps him keep treading water instead of falling under. ]
In't just about getting clean-- I mean yeah, nice not to be covered in blood and dirt for a little and all, but...
[ he trails off, looking for the right words. or hesitating to use them, maybe. like the idea of saying something's calming to evan is ridiculous. stupid. doesn't really know why, it's not like he's ever hesitated to say stupid shit to evan before. ]
[ maybe it's because this feels more personal, in a way. come back from a nasty trial and just wanted to soothe the monster a little instead of letting it choke him, and instead here he is, bruised and bloody with the trapper of all fucking people seeing to his wounds. ]
You never just sat in a hot bath for a bit? Or stood under the shower? Like it... It eases somethin' out of you, and nothing outside it matters for a bit.
[ a temporary reprieve from the bullshit. anybody here should be able to appreciate that, he thinks, even if they don't agree it's worth it. ]
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the entity allows it, because the entity wants them to stay sane, too. at least to a degree. and evan knows that, too, because he's been here long enough to know what it wants. death, eventually. but there's so much that can come before.
he says none of this, and just pulls the glass out, a piece at a time. he's not going to be able to get all of it, but it should be enough to deal with until the next trial. ]
No. [ thinking back on his own past isn't much more appealing than thinking about what keeps this place in existence, but it creeps in on him anyway, and slips out while he tries to keep thoughts about the entity's influence at bay. ] Had better shit to do than waste time in a shower. You get clean, even if you're cold, and you get going.
[ women bathe, his father used to say. men wash up. enough to keep the dirt and filth off but don't waste time, don't linger. there were maggots to drive, to terrorize, to kill. ]
Surprised nobody stabbed you in there.
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[ wait-- ] In the shower?
[ david laughs, but it's more confused than anything. ]
That what things were like for you?
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Followin' you in and waiting until you're bare-ass naked to put a knife in your gut seems like something the ghost would do.
[ he tosses the glass into the pile, and goes back to being slightly more careful. ]
Just didn't have the free time you did, I guess.
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Don't think I'm one of his favourites.
[ probably because outside a trial, there's not much david has to offer him except maybe dying. which he also does in trials. maybe if the bastard just happened to see him, but even then david just feels like he's not of interest. and thank fucking god. ]
[ his habit of just yelling at ghostface if he catches him and alerting everyone nearby probably doesn't help either. ]
He doesn't like me like he likes you, obviously.
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[ of course the idea of favorites is one evan's familiar with, but he doesn't track who ghost face fixates on. he figured that anyone with an instant of vulnerability was one of the fucker's top priorities. maybe not.
although, unfortunately, he can't argue with david's second comment. ghost face doesn't like him, in a way that causes a lot of problems. he growls and snatches up the rag to clean off a fresh coating of blood. ]
He just wants secrets that I don't give him. Guess he's wrung all yours out of you.
[ there's metal and glass in one of the wounds. evan pulls the broken pieces out a little at a time, trying to ignore the idea of ghost face existing at all. ]
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[ it's a lie and it's not at the same time. there's a lot david's not forthcoming about, one specific thing that, yeah, okay, probably counts, but david's too proud to let that little shit get him over a barrel. if someone tried to pin him with something he'd been keeping close to his chest, david would probably either tell everyone himself or goad them into doing it regardless of how petrifying the idea of other people knowing might feel. that can't be too fun. ]
[ it's part of why he's had no real problem being relatively honest whenever he and evan talk. what's the point in anything otherwise? that and evan doesn't ask about his past, so david does him the courtesy of not asking about his in return. ]
Wouldn't say I'm an open book either, mind.
[ or maybe he's just kidding himself. either way he's never had much trouble with that asshole. ]
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Yeah, well. Still seems like he woulda stabbed you for the hell of it.
[ mostly, he has a shit opinion of ghost face.
glass and metal and blood and a little skin ends up on the table. most of it's out by now, and evan doesn't have the patience to dig around for the rest. he sets the damp and by now bloody rage on david's shoulder and turns away to find bandages. he absolutely doesn't have the patience to stitch up anyone's wounds, even his own, but a wrap isn't too much to deal with. ]
I see him doin' it to the rest of you all the time.
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[ david shrugs his good shoulder, eyes following evan's hand to the table when he puts down the last little bits he can be bothered to pull out of david and dumps the rag on his shoulder. if there's more in there, david doesn't know it yet, but like the unsanitary tweezers it's not likely to cause any serious issues before the next trial resets everything. ]
[ unless the entity decides to drop him in already injured, but then he has bigger issues to deal with. ]
[ either way, he doesn't want to spend any more time thinking about ghost face. wouldn't have at all if evan hadn't brought him up. he looks down again at his bleeding shoulder with a thoughtful frown. ]
Thanks for this.
[ but also: why? ]
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he finds a roll and turns back. they're not exactly clean, either, but they're still the less disgusting option than almost anything else down here. ]
Put it on your tab.
[ as if he's building up some kind of repayment system. it's more a joke than anything else. survivors don't have long-lasting gratitude toward killers for any reason; he's sure this'll just get forgotten again the next time they meet up in a trial or get into another fight outside one.
but he moves the rag to start wrapping up the worst of the wounds anyway. maybe that'll be what happens, and maybe not. maybe next time david decides he needs some semblance of normalcy in his life he'll punch out wesker on the way to do it, or turn ghost face into a bloody pulp. ]
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[ those are future considerations anyway. for now david focuses on what evan's doing, holds his arm at an angle to try and make bandaging him a little easier. quiet for some long, few moments before he decides he's sick of trying to work it out on his own, and isn't going to stop thinking about it until he gets some kind of answer, even if it's just intended to brush him off. ]
Why'd you offer though? Not that I'm complaining.
[ there's a joke right there, something about evan just wanting an excuse for him to come over, but david bites tongue on it. ]
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but why did he offer? it's not a question he likes to hear put to air. ]
You ain't been as much of a pain in my ass lately.
[ as if that's an explanation. it's enough of one, and probably all that david's going to get, because evan won't be able to rationalize his own actions for a while. other than wondering if maybe this just might be one more step to getting david to return the favor in a different way. ]
And I don't like that arrogant prick you dodged.
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[ he nods, fair enough, and turns to look at him properly. leans against the workbench and folds his arms over his chest, almost thoughtful for just the barest moment before his expression shifts to a smirk. ]
Sure it weren't just a reason to get me over here?
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before all this, he'd have punched him out - although he wouldn't have let him in here for this in the first place, so maybe that's not worth considering. after the first time, maybe. or maybe not. he doesn't like the smirk, doesn't like the idea of david thinking he knows something, but maybe he doesn't like that david's grazed at least part of the truth of the matter. ]
You sure didn't wait to get here.
[ the implication: david was looking for a reason to get there himself. ]
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[ he shouldn't feel safe being here, and yet. ]
Takin' that as a yes.
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but it's never come up, and he ignores the idea. david's not looking like he's about to deliver a punch or destroy his shit. or leave. ]
Believe whatever you want. [ he shrugs and tosses the rag back in the bucket it, drops it back over by the forge and then goes to toss the broken glass and metal pieces. ] 'Course, if you ain't leavin' in any hurry, I'm sure there's ways to waste time 'til the blood loss stops fucking with you.
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Yeah? Any suggestions then, big man?
[ he's like... 90% sure they're on the same page here, but part of him would be pretty entertained if they weren't. ]
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evan pauses before responding, watching david wryly. ]
Could pay your tab now.
[ that's only partly a joke. there's only so many ways he'll suggest someone repay him, and turning Adriana's hunting cabin inside out or caving Ghost Face's skull in are only a few the options. ]
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[ there's an offhand comment that david just barely catches before it comes out of his mouth — can't exactly go down the mines, can i — but he knows exactly how that would go down and he's not-- he can't do that. even if he wasn't at a massive disadvantage here, adrenaline tanking, starting to feel the pain in the rest of his body, he'd have to be ready to kill if he started a fight here and evan's temper is way too short for him to brush off a comment like that. ]
[ be kind of a dick move after evan helped him out too. ]
[ david pushes away from the table and moves over to close the space between them, looks up at that mask — that fucking mask — and raises an eyebrow. ]
What do you want from me here, eh?
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david closes the space and evan thinks about what he can say. he's always in the mood for blood, but like he said, david hasn't been that much of a pain in the ass lately. ]
Could get on your knees.
[ and that is almost a joke, because of the way he snorts after it, because he knows david's not about to do it. ]
Could go bust up all those fuckin' drones on my property, if you're up for it.
[ one hand lands on david's upper arm, pulls him in a little closer, twists it a little to push a little more difference in height. ]
Or get your ass on the table.
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[ david looks up at him, shoulders squared, lips pulled in a sneer. his side hurts a little when he straightens up properly, but he doesn't think about it, moves closer into evan's space with a growl. ]
Make me.
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is it real or is this just the way david is? could be both. he glares down through the mask, but doesn't shove him back just yet. ]
A second ago you were ready to do me a favor. Waste both our time.
[ but he might still be. ]
You need me to take it?
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[ he wrenches his arm out of evan's grip, still staring daggers up at evan. he should be better than this, at holding it in, at not immediately getting fired up the second someone even hints at trying to push him around or intimidate him, but he can't help it. especially not when he thinks about last time and-- ]
[ it's really only the barest sliver of self-restraint that stops him immediately swinging. ]
But if you wanna act like cock of the walk about it- [ he punctuates with a shove. ] Then you're gonna have to make me.
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but evan tries to avoid thinking about what-ifs, and right now, his mood's not so bad that he's going to rise to what he sees as bait, even if it would end up being a benefit in the end.
so when david yanks himself free, shoves evan back - not that he moves any real distance - he watches david, and then laughs. it's short, sharp, and not particularly amused, but it's a laugh. ]
Nah.
[ he steps back, leans against a different workbench and folds his arms across his chest. ]
You owe me. Pay it back when you're damn good and ready for it.
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You wanna fuck, I'm almost always up for it, ain't makin' any secret of that.
[ god knows he'll take the distraction over just about anything else, even without the fact that evan has proved unfortunately very good to hook up with. compatible in a way that should be fucking obvious in hindsight. ]
[ david's still figuring this out. truthfully he doesn't have the greatest idea of what he himself wants, what he likes, but he's not so desperately ashamed of himself-- of this that he needs to dress it up as something it's not to feel okay with it. not that he objects to wrapping it up in a little violence, but he doesn't need evan acting like he's doing him a favour if that's how it's going to be either. ]
But if you wanna act like the size of you's something special? [ he raises his eyebrows, tilts his head forward when he speaks. ] Should know better than to think that's gonna get anythin' else outta me, Chuck.
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