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This time, Ever didn't move to stop him immediately; he was still thinking, fighting against something that would leave them shouting at each other instead of trying to patch up, but he was fighting a soling battle. His eyes flicked back up onto Zac and he shifted a little, straightening without standing.

"So why do you care, then?" There was an edge to it. A bitter bite that had caused troubles before. "If we all want something, what do you want out of me, huh?"

Other than the little blossoms of energy? Perhaps it wasn't a great question, the answer too obvious...it was hard to tell if the questions were genuine, or if Ever was just looking to stab back a little. "Why are you here? What are you digging for?"

Now Zac sounded a little too much like Ever's parents. He shifted, licking his lips, to rest his chin on his arms, surprisingly closed-off, still. His posture was shuttered, legs not quite hugged to his chest, arms hiding the faded logo on his t-shirt. His expression was quiet.

"I don't think anyone deserves that." The truth settled comfortably in his mouth, washed away some of that bitterness and relaxed some of the tension.

"And I can't help but turn over the thought, in my head, that this is how teenagers play at war. Too much feeling, emotions running high..." He didn't say 'hormones', but he couldn't help thinking it. Ever had them too, and they'd lead him down stupid paths. His eyes flicked away again. "A certainty about the world without actually knowing much of it...I don't know. Whoever picked the pawns for all this was a sadist."

Ever had to think about it, too, turning his palms over to look at the scratches and scrapes. He really had taken all of this in stride, in a way that surprised even himself, now that he paused to think about it. Wet sound of head bouncing off of concrete -- he wouldn't forget it, yet he couldn't exactly remember it with the horror it deserved, either.

"You should sit back down and tell me truths." He said it without looking up at Zac, though, hunting the lines of his hands for more hidden strands of wheat, despite his earlier certainty that he'd gotten them all. "Any rules you want."

Ever's eyes flicked to the bottle and he hesitated, before reaching awkwardly to take it -- hooked into one elbow, hugged against his chest. The cap was a b***h to get off, right now, so he postponed dealing with it in favor of digging knuckles into his eyes and trying to focus.

"I usually do just cheese." Cheap, simple, easy, and generally the fastest. He cleared his throat. "So if you want something else on it, that's your call. Um."

One pause for breath, and then he shook his head. "For rules, we could do two truths and a lie, or...or, I don't know, we could try something else if you want to be more...more serious about it."

Zac could have it, could open it, and Ever'd even take a swig before tucking it down into the crook of his arm again. He looked tired, and that was just from dealing with Zac for, what, fifteen minutes? But he licked his lips and, by the time the younger man was off the phone, he was stumbling up to stand and dropping down to sit on the bed next to him, instead of hanging out on the floor at his feet.

It altered the power dynamic in a subtle way: it made him taller, turned the bed into his bed again, was an unintentional reminder that this was his space, and it might not have been the wisest move. But his butt was numb.

"No dares. Tell me two truths and a lie, and I'll try to pick out the lie." But then he hesitated, nudging the bottle back toward Zac. "Or I can ignore the lie, if you'd rather."

The point was definitely voluntary, and the fact that Zac went through with it made Ever relax just a little, touched with a heavy dose of relief. It was like walking on egg shells with young people. Probably why, until recently, he frequently found himself tumbling in with older men instead...

"Ah." Missing father. Ever didn't have the frame of reference to realize just how much that made sense, so instead he groped for something of his own to tag in there.

"...turned twenty-two last month." While Zac had known him, yes, but he didn't say that bit. And since that was an easy truth, he dug for a better one -- but came up shallow. "I've never properly kissed a girl."

"...I what now?" Ever blinked at that and looked genuinely surprised -- and then less surprised, but still confused. In all honesty, he didn't remember much of that night, the fun bits forgotten in favor of the dull ache of his body and persisting weariness after. He tried to move past it, but -- but, well, he couldn't quite bring himself to.

"When?"