[It takes a great deal of Spot's self control not to try and help Jack with his undershirt, he doesn't think it'll be welcomed and the last thing he wants is Jack getting pissed off and trying to leave when he's in this state.
He runs a practiced eye over Jack's chest, remembering the days he used to know that expanse of skin intimately - usually only by touch, since undressing was a luxury they rarely had time for, but he's still familiar enough that it's quick work to pick out the injuries (though there's some newer scars he doesn't know, and there's that self control again, stopping him from reaching out to run fingers across them).
He focuses instead on the unpleasant bruising mottling Jack's side, scanning for anything else that may need medical attention. He's pretty sure this is just a clean up and bandage situation, he can get those ribs wrapped up let Jack get some rest, nothing life threatening. He doesn't realise, until he makes that assessment, how tense he was with worry.
He reaches for the cloth, wringing out some of the excess water before bringing it to Jack's face and carefully beginning to wipe away the blood and grime. He works quietly, concentrating on - surprisingly - being gentle]
Not for anything stupid. Definitely not because of any heated thoughts. No, oddly enough, that would be easy to deal with; he's dealt with it for ages now, and can successfully shove any, hm, particularly racy thoughts away if he needs to. It's just--
Softness has never really been part of either of their lives. Sweetness, kindness, tenderness-- ah, that's for girls, ain't it? No need for them to have any of it. David don't get that, but David was raised by Esther, soft and loving (and oh, god, but Jack is jealous of it sometimes, he really is). But Spot does. He and Spot were raised one and the same, brutally and roughly, shaped into leaders by sheer necessity at seventeen.
So it hurts even more, maybe, to feel this tenderness from someone who gets it. Who wouldn't dare show this kind of weakness ordinarily, but who knows it's different when it's them.
So Jack keeps his eyes down, because it hurts too much to keep them raised up. Spot's fingers are clever, careful, sweeping the cloth over his cheek, getting at the dried blood, cleaning his face of the bits of dirt and dust still there. At some point his fingers slide against his jaw-- just to tilt his head, just for a moment-- and it takes everything in him not to recoil.
But he stays quiet. He ignores the droplets of water that slip down his neck, and the way Spot's scent is just the way he remembers it. And when his face is clear, he offers his hands, both of them, because why shouldn't he take advantage while he still can? What he wants, right now, is more of this, more of those clever fingers dragging against bare skin, so why shouldn't he have it?]
[Spot doesn't know why Jack isn't meeting his gaze, but he's grateful for it. He doesn't know how to feel about this, and feelings have never been Spot's forte. He's angry, and he wants to hold on to that, it's familiar and biting and it's been his driving force for as long as he can remember - he's angry at whoever did this, whoever dared to jump a borough leader. But it's not just about that, and deep down he knows it, it's not about the fact that they attacked Jack Kelly, leader of Manhattan - it's the fact that they attacked Jack, it's something personal and visceral that makes him angry about this, and he really doesn't want to examine that too closely. It's the worry that he doesn't like
He rinses the blood and dirt out into the bowl and turns back to start cleaning off Jack's hands. He raises an eyebrow at the comment, not looking up from Jack's hands and instead injecting all his disbelief into his tone]
Yea? A mugging, Kelly? What fuckin' muggers would go after a newsie, they know we ain't got no money
Well, they wasn't going after no newsie, was they?
[Not a newsie. A girl, and maybe it was something more than a mugging, and maybe Jack just can't stand to see such things, no matter how tough the city tries to make him. Five on one, but hey, she'd gotten away, and that's what matters, right?
Ow, and he hisses in pain despite himself, his fingers jerking automatically before he stills them once more.]
They was going after a girl. I said no, they didn't like that so much. And here we are.
[Yea, he gets that. It's less well-realised outside of Brooklyn but a significant chunk of Spot's fierceness was always in defence of somebody he cared about - that was how Spot showed he cared. He understood the need to step in to defend somebody who couldn't defend themselves]
Sorry.
[He mutters the apology without thinking when Jack flinches away, and when he resumes he's even more careful than before]
You're an idiot, Kelly. You shoulda had backup.
[But he's not judging, not really. He's just mad Jack got himself hurt. There's something else, too, something he knows he shouldn't ask but it's just there hovering over him and he can't help himself]
[Ah. One of the harder questions, then, and he doesn't answer right away. Just watches as Spot cleans him, over and over, his hands so terribly careful.]
The hell do you want me to say?
[It's rough, but not angry. Just tired.]
Why the hell do you think? I'm--
[Why didn't he go to David? David doesn't give a shit about power, he would have taken him in . . . but ah, Davey doesn't get it. He might, someday, but for now, no. And the boys at home would fuss, and he'd lose power, but that's not a reason either. He's charismatic enough to get it back. It's just--]
[The explanation hits him like a punch in his gut and he stills, one hand still wrapped around Jack's, holding it still, the other clutching its cloth stopping just millimetres away from the broken skin of Jack's knuckles. He shouldn't have asked, doesn't know why he did, he already knows that answer, he feels it in his soul - but he has no reply, nothing he can say, not out loud.
Nothing that won't shatter the fragility of this moment, that won't ruin... won't ruin what? It's a long enough time since they've gone to one another that you couldn't say there was anything between them, anymore, not really. Only it still hovered there, making Spot's chest ache in ways he refused to acknowledge. There's nothing to ruin but his own reputation, and Spot clings to that like a shield, even if he did trust that Jack would never repeat anything Spot said to him in private.
So he finishes cleaning up Jack's knuckles and drops the soiled cloth aside, reaching for the bandages. When he finally does speak, he doesn't acknowledge Jack's words]
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2020-05-02 07:03 am (UTC)[It takes a great deal of Spot's self control not to try and help Jack with his undershirt, he doesn't think it'll be welcomed and the last thing he wants is Jack getting pissed off and trying to leave when he's in this state.
He runs a practiced eye over Jack's chest, remembering the days he used to know that expanse of skin intimately - usually only by touch, since undressing was a luxury they rarely had time for, but he's still familiar enough that it's quick work to pick out the injuries (though there's some newer scars he doesn't know, and there's that self control again, stopping him from reaching out to run fingers across them).
He focuses instead on the unpleasant bruising mottling Jack's side, scanning for anything else that may need medical attention. He's pretty sure this is just a clean up and bandage situation, he can get those ribs wrapped up let Jack get some rest, nothing life threatening. He doesn't realise, until he makes that assessment, how tense he was with worry.
He reaches for the cloth, wringing out some of the excess water before bringing it to Jack's face and carefully beginning to wipe away the blood and grime. He works quietly, concentrating on - surprisingly - being gentle]
no subject
Date: 2020-05-02 09:47 pm (UTC)Not for anything stupid. Definitely not because of any heated thoughts. No, oddly enough, that would be easy to deal with; he's dealt with it for ages now, and can successfully shove any, hm, particularly racy thoughts away if he needs to. It's just--
Softness has never really been part of either of their lives. Sweetness, kindness, tenderness-- ah, that's for girls, ain't it? No need for them to have any of it. David don't get that, but David was raised by Esther, soft and loving (and oh, god, but Jack is jealous of it sometimes, he really is). But Spot does. He and Spot were raised one and the same, brutally and roughly, shaped into leaders by sheer necessity at seventeen.
So it hurts even more, maybe, to feel this tenderness from someone who gets it. Who wouldn't dare show this kind of weakness ordinarily, but who knows it's different when it's them.
So Jack keeps his eyes down, because it hurts too much to keep them raised up. Spot's fingers are clever, careful, sweeping the cloth over his cheek, getting at the dried blood, cleaning his face of the bits of dirt and dust still there. At some point his fingers slide against his jaw-- just to tilt his head, just for a moment-- and it takes everything in him not to recoil.
But he stays quiet. He ignores the droplets of water that slip down his neck, and the way Spot's scent is just the way he remembers it. And when his face is clear, he offers his hands, both of them, because why shouldn't he take advantage while he still can? What he wants, right now, is more of this, more of those clever fingers dragging against bare skin, so why shouldn't he have it?]
It was a mugging, Conlon. Nothing more'n that.
[Mmmmmm is that the whole story no it is not.]
no subject
Date: 2020-05-02 10:03 pm (UTC)[Spot doesn't know why Jack isn't meeting his gaze, but he's grateful for it. He doesn't know how to feel about this, and feelings have never been Spot's forte. He's angry, and he wants to hold on to that, it's familiar and biting and it's been his driving force for as long as he can remember - he's angry at whoever did this, whoever dared to jump a borough leader. But it's not just about that, and deep down he knows it, it's not about the fact that they attacked Jack Kelly, leader of Manhattan - it's the fact that they attacked Jack, it's something personal and visceral that makes him angry about this, and he really doesn't want to examine that too closely. It's the worry that he doesn't like
He rinses the blood and dirt out into the bowl and turns back to start cleaning off Jack's hands. He raises an eyebrow at the comment, not looking up from Jack's hands and instead injecting all his disbelief into his tone]
Yea? A mugging, Kelly? What fuckin' muggers would go after a newsie, they know we ain't got no money
no subject
Date: 2020-05-02 10:13 pm (UTC)[Not a newsie. A girl, and maybe it was something more than a mugging, and maybe Jack just can't stand to see such things, no matter how tough the city tries to make him. Five on one, but hey, she'd gotten away, and that's what matters, right?
Ow, and he hisses in pain despite himself, his fingers jerking automatically before he stills them once more.]
They was going after a girl. I said no, they didn't like that so much. And here we are.
no subject
Date: 2020-05-02 10:51 pm (UTC)Ah
[Yea, he gets that. It's less well-realised outside of Brooklyn but a significant chunk of Spot's fierceness was always in defence of somebody he cared about - that was how Spot showed he cared. He understood the need to step in to defend somebody who couldn't defend themselves]
Sorry.
[He mutters the apology without thinking when Jack flinches away, and when he resumes he's even more careful than before]
You're an idiot, Kelly. You shoulda had backup.
[But he's not judging, not really. He's just mad Jack got himself hurt. There's something else, too, something he knows he shouldn't ask but it's just there hovering over him and he can't help himself]
Why'd you come here, Jack?
no subject
Date: 2020-05-03 05:38 am (UTC)The hell do you want me to say?
[It's rough, but not angry. Just tired.]
Why the hell do you think? I'm--
[Why didn't he go to David? David doesn't give a shit about power, he would have taken him in . . . but ah, Davey doesn't get it. He might, someday, but for now, no. And the boys at home would fuss, and he'd lose power, but that's not a reason either. He's charismatic enough to get it back. It's just--]
Who else can I go to, Spot?
You're the only one.
no subject
Date: 2020-05-03 08:02 am (UTC)[The explanation hits him like a punch in his gut and he stills, one hand still wrapped around Jack's, holding it still, the other clutching its cloth stopping just millimetres away from the broken skin of Jack's knuckles. He shouldn't have asked, doesn't know why he did, he already knows that answer, he feels it in his soul - but he has no reply, nothing he can say, not out loud.
Nothing that won't shatter the fragility of this moment, that won't ruin... won't ruin what? It's a long enough time since they've gone to one another that you couldn't say there was anything between them, anymore, not really. Only it still hovered there, making Spot's chest ache in ways he refused to acknowledge. There's nothing to ruin but his own reputation, and Spot clings to that like a shield, even if he did trust that Jack would never repeat anything Spot said to him in private.
So he finishes cleaning up Jack's knuckles and drops the soiled cloth aside, reaching for the bandages. When he finally does speak, he doesn't acknowledge Jack's words]
I gotta wrap your ribs up now.