#exsoldiercloud

The dragoon sat at the counter of the bar with a glass in hand.  Out of boredom, he twirled the glass around, watching as the liquid followed the motion and created a small whirlpool in the center. And when the liquid settled, he placed the glass back down on the countertop.  Around him, only several others occupied the space, most with a glass of their own. But while others drank in a hearty glass of alcohol, whether it be beer or wine, he held a nice, cold glass of apple juice. 

"Drink up, kid. There's more where that came from," he heard a male voice say.

Nine raised his gaze, only to meet that of an older blonde whom he had a strange dislike for.  Of those that ran this place, it had seriously had to be him, tonight. Cloud Strife, pretty boy on a bike--with similar hair, as Nine decided to describe him.  They had met once before and immediately began stepping on each other's toes. This has gotta be a damn dream---no, nightmare.

One by one, the other customers paid and left the bar. Besides, it was getting late.  The number of occupants eventually drew down to only two, Nine and Cloud. And even when the dragoon wasn't looking, he could feel the daggers that the other was throwing towards him, silently telling him to leave.

"Oi," he finally called out to the part-timer. "I ain't a fuckin kid, dammit! Why do ya keep giving me this stuff?!"

The other's expression displayed a sign of irritation. Eyes slightly narrowed, brows a bit furrowed. "....Then what do you want?" the delivery boy questioned.

"Ah--" Nine's shoulders lowered, having been thrown off guard.  He had expected a definite response, one that involved an insult of some sort. And suddenly, he slammed a fist on the counter and straightened his posture once more.  "Why don't ya gimme some o' that!" he exclaimed, pointing at the alcohol that was displayed behind the ex-soldier. "I bet ya anythin I can handle more than you can!" The dragoon leaned forward, a grin appearing on his face. A clear, immediate challenged had been proposed. 

"Hell...You're underaged!"

"Yer just scared, aren't ya? Cause ya can't handle it and I'd totally beat yer ass~" the younger blonde taunted. And he felt absolutely no shame in doing so.

And surely, the taunt seemed effective enough. The delivery boy quietly pulled out one bottle; the name and type were unimportant to the young brute. A handful of shot glasses were lined up in front of him and the bottle's content was poured into each. Nine grinned from ear to ear.

They both picked up one glass. He saw the other down his, so Nine did the same. He continued on fine for about two more glasses before he really began feeling the heat.  As his heart rate increased, the heat from the liquid crept from his neck up to his face.  He held up his fourth glass, but hesitated to drink it. The ex-soldier, however, still seemed unphased.

Seeing how the other was still going on strong, already on his fifth shot, Nine became pissed.  He took his fourth shot, and angrily slammed the glass on the table. He then reached out and grabbed the ex-soldier by the collar of his shirt. "YOU...!!"

Unfortunately, four of those glasses were more than enough for Nine that night. He was already tired from being out all day and was even running on a half empty stomach. And although the other was right in front of him, his reduced vision made it only possible to see blurry outlines. His head began to spin, and next he knew, his body suddenly lurched forward. The motion caused his hand to pull towards him, the hand which held on to the older male.

"---!!!!"