The Docks

[Fighter Mallory]

Fighter turned her head when David put his hand on her shoulder. She offered him a small reassuring smile before turning back to face Hawkeye, her face falling back into a passive front. She knew he wanted some sort of explanation and she was trying to find the right words when he began pulling her away from David. Fighter was as stubborn as they came so she hardly made it easy for him.

She did understand his need to talk to her along, so she sent a pleading look over her shoulder at Davey. She hoped he understood as well. Once Hawkeye deemed that they were far enough away from David he released her from his grasp. She watched him quietly as he crossed and then uncrossed his arms. As she waited for him to say something she pulled out a cigarette and lit it, taking a deep drag. She needed something to calm her nerves.

Fight chewed on her lower lip as he spoke to her. She didn't know what to tell him and her gaze shifted out over the water as she tried to think of a response. Words escaped her for a moment and she filled the silence by taking another drag of her cigarette. "It just happened, Hawk." She spoke quietly and leaned back against a crate as her eyes wondered back to his face. "After the battle..." She paused and used her free hand to push a curl off her face.

"He helped me...get Gwennie, I mean." She was still trying to find a way to explain what had been going on. It was a lot harder to put into words especially since the only person other then Davey she had really spoken to about that night was Zeke. That hadn't worked out, so she didn't particularly want to go into details over it again. "We ran into each other and it just happened. He's a good guy, Hawk." He truly was a good guy and he'd been very good to her. "I know you may not like him, but he's a good person. Trustworthy and reliable..." She trailed off again, chewing on her lower lip.

[David Jacobs]

David didn't particularly care for being told to stay put, but he reminded himself of where he stood. On the docks in Brooklyn, with icy wind blowing off the water and it was one of the Brooklyn crew telling him to stay. This wasn't Manhattan where David's word carried some weight and at Fighter's pleading look, David knew he didn't have much choice but to stay where he was leaning against a crate and watch as Hawk dragged Fighter away from him. Staying put didn't mean he wasn't going to watch though, steady gaze flicking between Fighter and Hawk as somewhat intense discussion appeared to commence, both of them with guarded body language.

As was nearly always the case when she was around, his eyes found Fighter, studied her profile, saw when her lower lip caught between her teeth and the way she reached for a cigarette. David had been spending enough time with her to know those were indications of nerves and while he wanted nothing more to stalk over to where they stood, he tersely kept his distance. He didn't much care what Hawk thought about him, he was prepared for the possibly ugly backlash from the revelation of their relationship and he knew, or had a pretty good idea how Fighter felt about him. But that didn't mean he relished anything about how this was all unfolding.

[Hawkeye Dekker]

Hawk listened intently to fighter as she explained. It wasn’t much as far as explanations went, but, considering who was telling it, he knew it was enough. He still didn’t like her choice in men – no matter how much of a “good guy” David was, the whole idea of her with the Walking Mouth just rubbed him the wrong way – but he knew she could do a lot worse. Hell, there were plenty of boys in Brooklyn that Hawkeye would have happily knocked out just for looking at her too much; plenty of boys he had knocked around just for looking at her the wrong way. Then again, that’s just the way he was: fiercely protective of his favorites and virtually heartless to anyone else.

Sighing, he searched his pockets for another cig, regretting now that he’d thrown his half-finished one into the Hudson in his frustration. The Mouth, trustworthy and reliable? Yeah, that was a laugh. Like any man in New York City these days was trustworthy and reliable, didn’t Fight read the papes she sold anymore? Just the other day, hadn’t the headline been about a priest found guilty of molesting the young and beautiful that came through his confessional? Maybe David was a good guy, but in Hawks book it took a lot more than that to be trustworthy and reliable. Still, it was Fighter’s book and not his that mattered when it came to Davey. Hawkeye already trusted her, so for her sake he would have to give the kid a break.

There was no cig to be found in his pockets, so he re-crossed his arms instead as he thought about how to respond to his friend. “Okay,” he said simply, shrugging his shoulders noncommittally. “Ya know how I am about trustin’ people… but I’ll give him the ‘benefit of the doubt’... this time.” His mouth twitched into a sardonic semi-smile, “If only ‘cause I like ya so damn much.”

[Fighter Mallory]

Fighter chewed on her lip, nervously, as she waited for Hawkeye to say something. He was one of the few people in her life that she respected completely and she hoped her relationship with David wouldn't effect that. She did know her friend pretty well though and she had an idea that even if he didn't like it, which she hardly expected him too, he would still accept it. He wasn't a friend of hers for no reason, after all. It took a lot for her to trust the people she did and she knew that with most of them it was a mutual thing. Once they trusted each other, they would stand by one another regardless of whether or not they agreed with each others decisions.

She relaxed immediately at his words and sent him a smirk, while pulling out a spare cigarette and holding it out to him. She'd just bought tobacco so it was still fresh. Fighter lifted her own cigarette to her lips and took a drag. "Good," She said quietly because as much as she wanted her friends to be alright with what she was doing it wouldn't change her mind or her feelings about David. She let out a small laugh, "Knew you boys couldn't resist my charm."

When Hawk took the cigarette, she punched him lightly in the arm. She wasn't going to bother asking him to keep what he'd seen to himself. She wouldn't put her friend in that sort of predicament, but she was debating disappearing for a few days so once people found out they could get over the surprise of it and all she'd have to deal with is the ribbing she was sure to get. She glanced back over at Davey before returning her attention to Hawkeye. "Not planning on knocking him out, are you?" She asked with a smirk. She wouldn't put it past Hawk, considering he'd done so to other men just for eyeing her the wrong way, but she didn't seriously think that he would do that now.

[Hawkeye Dekker]

He grinned at her and accepted the cig gratefully. Lighting it and deftly putting it between his lips, he let it hang there as his hands went to his pockets, protecting them against the ever cooling New York air. Hawk chuckled lightly at Fighter’s response and replied around the cig in his mouth, “Yeah, you know what those eyes of yours do to my will power…” Really, Fighter was a mixture between a best friend and a little sister. He protected her when she needed it, looked out for her, and could joke around with her till the sun came up. But there had never been more between them than that an there never would be.

She punched him lightly on his arm and he grinned, taking his hands out of his pockets to mess up her hair and take the cigarette out of his mouth. Hawk blew smoke out his nose and pondered how to answer her question. Yes, if he caught Mouth alone in Brooks he was likely to start something, or at the very least throw him in the river. But while Fighter was around, he’d leave the kid alone and play nice; for her sake. He shrugged and gave her a lopsided grin, “Haven’t decided yet.”

[Fighter Mallory]

Fighter snickered at his comment and smirked, "Don't I know it." Hawk was one of her closest friends and she enjoyed joking around with him as much as she enjoyed joking around with Zeke and Joe. She ducked away as soon as he started messing her hair and knocked his hand away. "How man times do I have to tell you to stay away from my hair?" She scowled at him and tried to fix her already unruly curls.

Taking another drag of her cigarette, her scowl slipped into a smile. "Let me know when you do, think I warrant a fair warning." She smirked and elbowed him lightly in the side. She sighed and pushed her hair back, "Hawk...I'm not expecting you to keep this to yourself, but if you do decide to tell Conlon let me." She knew the way her leaders mind worked and she figured he'd rather hear it from her then one of the others. Plus, she would appreciate the chance to explain herself rather then having her actions judged before she even had the opportunity to talk to him.

She glanced back at Davey and sent him a reassuring smile before turning her attention back to Hawk. "I don't wanna keep him waiting..."She trailed off for a moment. "We're gonna head back to Manhattan, I should be around later if you wanna get a drink at McGinty's." She smiled, taking one last drag of her cigarette before tossing the butt into the river. "See you around, Hawk." She started back to Davey, anxious to get out of Brooklyn for a little while.

[Hawkeye Dekker]

Hawk frowned childishly and took a long drag, “Depends on what ya mean by fair warning…” He winked at her and then shrugged, “I’ll think about it.” She was right or course, she did warrant a fair warning, she of all people did, but that wasn’t much fun on his part. In his mind he pictured throwing Davey into the Hudson and watching him flounder a bit. If the kid couldn’t swim, Hawk would pull him out eventually, he wasn’t that heartless, but a good Brooklyn scaring might be good for him…

Good, at least she wasn’t expecting him to button his lips against Birdie, because if that girl found out about this and then heard that he knew but didn’t tell her? Hawk knew she’d explode. Conlon on the other hand… If worse came to worse and Spot needed to know about this but Fight still wouldn’t tell him, he wouldn’t hesitate to inform his leader. He hoped it never came down to that though, “Yeah you can tell him, sweetheart, an’ good luck with it.” He chuckled dryly and glanced in Davey’s direction, “Can’t say I’ll envy you when it comes time.” Spot’s temper was infamous and this was just the sort of thing to set him off. Secretly, Hawk hoped he was around on that day to see the show.

He took another long drag of his cigarette and mumbled as she went on about Davey and their plans for the day, “Yes, wouldn’t want to keep the Mouth waiting…” He smiled at her disarmingly and winked again for good measure. She called her goodbyes and he merely nodded to her in response, all the words gone out of him. He normally didn’t talk so much with someone other than Birdie; he found it almost refreshing. Almost. He watched her return to Davey, but stayed where he was, leaning against a tall dock pillar. If they were headed to Manhattan, he knew they would have to walk past where he was lounging to get to the Bridge. He wasn’t in their way at all, just off to the side. Hawkeye waited there alone, smoking and watching, wanting to get in one last hard look at Davey before he headed back to the LH.

[Fighter Mallory]

She elbowed him lightly in the side, "Better do more then think about it, Dekker." She said it with a smile though because she was joking. Fighter would hardly tell him what to do and she knew he'd hardly listen even if she tried. They were as close as two people in their situations could be and she knew he looked at her like a younger sister which most of the time was a good thing, but that also meant he'd do what he felt was necessary to protect her. With or without her knowledge so she'd have to make sure Davey knew to steer clear of him. She was just thankful it had been him who'd seen them and not someone like Zeke who would've probably thrown a punch or two.

"Trust me, I wouldn't envy me either." She smirked to hide her true feelings on the matter. She was hoping Conlon wouldn't let his temper get the best of him, but you never knew with him. Hopefully she caught him on a rare day when he was in a good mood, otherwise, she couldn't predict what sort of outcome that conversation would be. She just shook her head when he said she wouldn't wanna keep Mouth waiting and gave him a final smirk before making her way back over to Davey. They'd have to pass Hawk anyway on the way to the Brooklyn Bridge, she just hoped his leg didn't slip out and Davey didn't end up in the river. She was fairly certain he could swim, but it was freezing and that would not make the walk pleasant.

[David Jacobs]

David was starting to get restless and he was finding it increasingly more difficult to stay where he was, despite Hawk's warnings and Fighter's pleading look. It wasn't that David didn't respect the whole Brooklyn thing, he did - a lot of time with Fighter had helped bring more of it into light. He was also a practical sort who understood that Fighter's friends were going to need some time to process this in their own way, as would his friends come to think of it. But that didn't mean he enjoyed standing there leaning against some crates and watching the girl he cared about trying to explain them to a guy who really didn't seem to like him very much at all.

Sighing, he lifted a hand and ran it through his hair just as Fighter turned from Hawk and started back in his direction. The two had left each other with smiles and though Hawk lingered off to the side of the dock, things seemed to be at least cordial - David hoped that they could mark that as a good sign. She drew closer and he smiled at her, keeping his hands in his pockets for the time being and searching her eyes with his own. "Everything okay?" He asked, knowing the question might be slightly ridiculous but that Fighter would know why there was a need for it.

He didn't much relish the idea that Hawk was going to stand there and watch them, going to force them to walk past him as they went about their business. But David wasn't about to back away from the silently issued challenge either. Despite what so many in Brooklyn seemed to think of him, David wasn't someone who was going to be scared off from Fight or spending time with her because they might want him too. That decision was hers...and hers alone.

[Fighter Mallory]

She gave him a wide smile that didn't quite reach her eyes when he asked her if everything was okay. She wanted to reach out and take his hand but didn't think Hawk would appreciate it after what he'd seen when he'd walked up. Instead, she nodded, "Everything's fine." She added for now silently in her head, not wanting to make him worry. She trusted Hawk to keep his word and let her know if he thought it was appropriate for Conlon to be told so that she could do the telling. Fighter was a big girl and she'd taken care of herself for awhile now, she knew they may not like her decisions but they wouldn't do anything drastic without some warning.

"Let's get out of here," Fighter said with a smirk as she pulled out another cigarette and lit it. "I don't really wanna have any more run ins today." She was already beginning to stress enough about Hawkeye finding them, though she was doing a good job of keeping that to herself. She'd learned long ago that you never let people see that you were bothered by something, that could end up being your downfall. That said, she wanted to get the hell out of Brooklyn until Hawk had come to a decision about telling Conlon.

[David Jacobs]

She smiled at him, but he could see that it didn't really reach her eyes and he wanted to pull her into his arms and then tell her that she could share with him everything that was said. That it didn't matter what Hawk thought or how the rest of her friends might react, that he intended to stay no matter what. But now was not the time for that, the best course of action was to get the heck out of Brooklyn for awhile, put some distance between them and what had been discovered down on the docks. And perhaps then she'd help share the burden and remember that she could trust him.

So he nodded his head in agreement when she suggested heading out, allowed her to lead the way as he fell into step beside her, bringing them closer to where Hawk lounged along the edge of the dock. David swore the air seemed a little more still, as though even the birds sensed the tension in the air, but he supposed that was an effect of his somewhat newly acquired over active imagination. "He's going to watch us leave, isn't he?" David murmured to Fighter as they walked, still out of earshot of Hawk. "He afraid I might bite you?" David smiled down at her then, tossing a wink her way and tried to draw out the smallest of smiles. He liked it so much better when she was smiling.

[Fighter Mallory]

Fighter nodded her head to his first question, "Yes he is." She was just praying Davey didn't get a push that wound send him into the frigid water. Then again, she doubted Hawk would do that at least with her standing next to him and there being a possibility she'd take the topple with him. A small snicker escaped her mouth and she looked up at David, suddenly she wasn't so tense. They would make it through this because they'd been making it for months while keeping it a secret and that had been extremely stressful. They could deal with what Brooklyn had to say.

"If only he knew," She said quietly enough that even Hawks ears wouldn't pick it up. She brushed her hair over her shoulder as they drew closer to Hawk and she sent him a smirk before continuing on, hoping the boys wouldn't get drawn into a staring match. She really just wanted to go to Manhattan and spend the day with Davey. They hadn't seen each other in so long and dealing with the stress of being caught was not how she pictured spending this day.

[David Jacobs]

David tried not to laugh at Fighter's sly little comment, memories of other times and places making it nearly impossible as his face slid into a barely contained smirk just as they walked passed Hawk. He could feel the other boy's eyes on them, how he watched every move they made like he might gain new insight or see something else that would shed light on the hows and whys of their relationship. Who really knew the hows and the whys, David wasn't even sure that he and Fighter understood it themselves, but the truth was they had found something in one another and David didn't intend on letting it go.

With each step they moved further away from the docks and Hawk and Brooklyn, putting distance between the hostile and tension filled moments that had just passed and David felt himself relax a little at the prospect. Beside him Fighter kept a steady pace and now that they were nearly over the bridge, David moved a little closer and bumped her with his shoulder. "You know I don't care what they think, right?"

[Fighter Mallory]

A smirk appeared on her face at David's words and she nodded, "I know Dave. Thanks though, for giving me time to explain to Hawk." She really appreciated that David knew how it worked in Brooklyn and wasn't offended by her friends. She knew a lot of other people wouldn't handle things that well and it was one of the things that she liked about him. Then again he probably understood better how things worked in Brooklyn because of her.

"He said he'd let me know if he thought Conlon should know," She said as she pushed her hair back over her shoulders. "I'd rather tell him then end up having him think I don't respect him or something." It was hard for her to explain because if you weren't from Brooklyn understanding completely how things worked wasn't easy. But Conlon had earned her respect from the beginning and she actually considered him somewhat of a friend. Not like Hawk or Smalls or Lucky, but he deserved to hear it from her rather then from one of his birdies. She shrugged, not really wanting to talk about it anymore, "I'm starving, lets find somewhere to eat."

[David Jacobs]

"You know that you can handle this however you think is right," David said, because it was something he'd always thought about when it came to them. It was no doubt that their borough status made this slightly more complicated than it might need be, but he'd always thought it best for her to handle the Brooklyn end of things and he'd manage the Manhattan side. Spot knowing was something that was inevitable and whether he cared or not was yet to be determined, but David trusted Fight's judgment and if she wanted to tell, then she would.

"I think that food sounds like a brilliant idea," David said when she changed the subject and refocused both of them on the idea of spending some time together. Their run in with Hawk may have put a damper on part of their day but damned if David was going to let that ruin the whole day. It still had been far to long since he'd spent any time with her and in some ways the fact that their secret was somehow out seemed to take some of the pressure off. "Still want to head into the Bronx?"