looking for a fight

Who: Dodge and Roy
Where: Outside the bank building
When: late morning

Roy hadn't been at the garage nor had there been any real hits of him on the streets. Dodge had gone to bed last night with no answers and as a result had ended up staying up most of the night, worried. This morning he lacked his normally pressed look, clothes looked like they'd been slept in even though they hadn't, hair a little more mused than normal and the fedora a little more off kilter.

He'd given up on the canvas, settling for just sitting on Roy's place, which he'd been doing for most of the morning. Propped up against the wall of the old bank building he was slightly covered the architecture of the building, he was waiting.

Roy wasn't really expecting to be randomly jumped or anything, so he was just headed back to the vault, so he could try and sleep more. He kept getting told to rest, so he was trying that. He had the medicine that Arden had given him, and he'd been taking it, but sick didn't just go away overnight, especially since his living conditions were less than ideal. As was usual since he got sick, his presence was announced with the sound of his coughs, as he headed towards his building, oblivious to who lay in wait.

Dodge had heard Roy coming. He was alert enough that he probably would have spotted him before being spotted if Roy hadn't been trying to hack up a lung, but Pepper was right, the boy was stupidly sick as well. Still, that didn't matter now. What mattered was finding Maddy before someone else found her.

He pushed off from the wall lightly enough and moved to intercept Roy. "Where is she?" he demanded, grabbing Roy's arm quickly, trying to spin him around to face Dodge.

Grabbing anyone who lived on the streets, was unaware you were there, and who was used to the occasional mugging wasn't the most advisable of actions. Roy acted without thinking about it, without stopping to see who it was first, or pay any attention to what was snapped at him. All he knew was he was getting grabbed and spun. So he didn't fight the spin, he just went with it--only his fist went with as well, snapping hard around to lay the hardest punch he possibly could at who he viewed as his attacker.

Dodge should have been expecting the punch because it was the most likely response, but still he wasn't ready and Roy's hook caught him just below his eye. Dodge stumbled a little, but held his grip on Roy's arm which helped him keep his balance. Pissed at being hit and at being betrayed he pushed Roy back, hard enough to hopefully garner some space between them. "Where the hell is she Roy?" Didn't this punk know better? What the fuck was he doing trying to double cross street royalty.

Roy did stumble back some, his fist absolutely throbbing. It was the same one he'd hit the wall with when he'd spoke to D before, and it wasn't actually done healing yet. Still, that barely registered, as he stared at Dodge. "What the fuck are you doing?" he snapped. "And what are you even talking about? Where is who? D?" he asked, since that was the last person they'd spoken about. "How the hell should I know?" He didn't, though now he was wondering where she was. He'd seen her just the other day. She'd not been feeling so hot, at the soup kitchen.

"How the hell should you know?" Dodge was pushing unreasonably angry, but it didn't matter now, even if half the anger he was projecting on Roy was really meant for himself. Bringing himself up to his full height, the look in his eyes bore every one of his seventeen years on the street with it. "I told you the plan. She lays low, we keep a word out, and you go off about moving her. I told you what we were doing and then I go by her place and she's gone. So where the hell did you stash her?"

Roy was wholly unafraid. Because to him? Dodge was just some stupid kid who thought he was better than he was. He was arrogant, and expected that everyone needed to bow down and worship him. And Roy wasn't about to. Now was no different. So he didn't back down like he was sure Dodge expected him to, he just kept glaring at the other boy. "I didn't do anything with her. Why the fuck do you think I would have? And if you've failed to notice, that girl does whatever the hell she wants, regardless of what anyone else ever says to her, so back the fuck off, Dodge, I didn't do shit. And if she ain't at the theater, I don't know where she's gone."

It was a little annoying, the way Roy didn't cower, but that didn't stop Dodge for taking another step or two closer, getting right in Roy's face about things. Maybe Roy wasn't to blame for Maddy going missing but Dodge sure as hell could use a target that wasn't himself. "You'd better not be lying Roy." Dodge didn't have to see them, he knew they were there, but the start of a fight had brought most of his boys that had trailed behind him out of hiding. They weren't closing in yet, but it was obvious that if he needed it Dodge had back up.

"You'd better back the fuck up, Dodge." Roy growled back, still not backing up. And he knew. Dodge always hid behind his little band of street kids, kids who thought he was going to protect or provide for them. Who would in fact, rush in if he wanted them to. So he could always win in a vastly unfair fight. Stacking the odds in his favor, like he always did. Some big man he was. He only turned his head slightly to cough again, still, in some corner of the back of his mind, not wanting to spread his sickness.

Roy's cough was enough to pull Dodge away at least a little, not quite backing up but leaning out of Roy's face. Sick wasn't what Dodge had in mind to deal with, but that didn't mean he was giving up any space. If Roy wanted to push his tough guy act he'd lose, Dodge's boys would see to that, but Dodge would be certain to get a few good blows in before they inevitably pulled him out of it.

With nothing more to say, Roy moved to go around Dodge, so he could get home again, knocking his shoulder into the other boy's as he tried to move past. He didn't need another fight, he knew he'd lose, but he wasn't playing cowering flower to the little punk ass bitch either. He couldn't. Not in his current mindframe, not in any other, either. Plus, he hadn't done anything wrong. He hadn't moved D. Hell he was pretty sure he couldn't have even if he'd tried. Girl was stubborn.

Dodge had come looking for a fight, and he wasn't about to leave without getting something. Especially now that his eye was stinging from where Roy had hit him. When the other boy bumped in Dodge's shoulder he countered it with another shove.

Roy stumbled to the side, mostly staying upright because he knocked against the side of the building. Otherwise he probably would have gone to the pavement. He shot a hard glare at Dodge, leaving it there for a moment, the only thing breaking it more coughing. "Trying to pick a fight?" he asked.

"Maybe," Dodge offered, hands curling into fists. "Or maybe I just don't trust you anymore." It wasn't entirely true; behind the anger Dodge knew Roy was a decent guy, even if he was rather dense from time to time. In the current instant though, Dodge let Roy's propensity for annoying him spark the fire for his rage.

"I don't give a shit if you don't trust me. You don't have to trust me. Contrary to popular fucking belief, Dodge, just because you think you own the streets and everyone in them, you don't." Roy snapped, coughing more as he stood straight, leaning back against the wall. "I don't owe you shit, and don't care if I don't get your goddamn approval." he finished, pushing himself off of the wall and he tried again to walk away.

"Say whatever you want Roy, I do own these streets. People do what I say and they live for my approval," Dodge spat back. He didn't push at Roy again, but did move slightly to intercept. "They know full well I do more for these streets than anyone else, I've earned my title." Sure he'd mostly earned by being a charmer and a thief, but that didn't matter. The respect was still there.

"You know what, little boy?" Roy snapped, glaring at Dodge. "One day? You're going to piss off the wrong fucking people. And your so called 'ownership' is going to crumble to fucking pieces because someone's going to take you apart. Because you're an arrogant little son of a bitch, and you think you're so smart, and you think you're so big, but you aren't. And when you get slapped down? It's going to be hard. See how it'll all pan out then. See if that ego of yours will stand up to reality. Now get the fuck out of my way, you little fucking prick."

Dodge didn't like being called little anything, especially not little boy and especially not from Roy of all people. With a growl he lunged for Roy, hoping to both knock him over and land the left hook he aimed at the boy's jaw.

It wasn't altogether unexpected, since Roy figured this was actually what Dodge had come here for. To piss and moan, to pick a fight. Being he was still mostly right next to the wall, he wasn't knocked over, but was knocked into it, and while the hook landed, it just wasn't enough to daze him. Plus, the second Dodge moved for him, he started swinging himself, going for a gut punch. He was aware pretty soon Dodge's crew would swarm in, beat him down, take him in a vastly unfair fight. Hell. Dodge was already fighting someone who was pretty damn sick. But whatever. If Dodge was picking a fight, he was going to leave it with evidence on him, like bruised ribs, and the shiner that was probably going to be forming from the first crack he'd given him.

The gut punch hit Dodge hard because he hadn't been expecting it, thinking he had the upper hand on the situation when he didn't. It pushed him back a step or two, doubling over just a little while he tried to catch his breath against the sting of pain. The hit on Dodge brought two of the larger boys from the group in closer, one from his left and the other his right, but not quite in the fight yet, waiting to see what would come next.

Roy didn't go for him while he was partly down, even if he saw the others advancing. He glared at them as well, still not backing down even if it was likely ill advised. But at the end of the day, he'd been sick for a while, wasn't up to par in the slightest, and Dodge wanted to pick a fight. And apparently that included his cronies. About the best Roy figured he could hope for was that he wasn't put in the hospital, or need the hospital because he couldn't afford it. But he wouldn't cower. He absolutely refused to. He just clenched his fist, which the scabs on his knuckles had cracked, so he was dripping blood down onto the sidewalk, and he waited.

Dodge finally looked up from his doubled over state with a glare. The pain was setting in and starting to burn off some of the adrenaline. He wasn't any less angry, he was just starting to feel the brunt of his anger and lack of sleep more. Standing up again, he paused as if straightening his shirt and seeming done with this mess, only after a moment he lunged again, this time aiming for a gut shot.

Roy had still been ready for it, just waiting for Dodge to move, but he wasn't exactly fast enough to get out of the boy's way. He just moved as much as he could, and started swinging and kicking, knowing it was only going to be a matter of seconds before the others joined in and helped their, in Roy's opinion, cowardly fucking leader. It was just how things went, how it would go down, and he knew it. And he was an idiot, but not a coward.

Roy's shift was enough to throw of Dodge's punch seeing to it that his fist slammed into the wall and not his opponent. One or two of Roy's blows made contact before one of Dodge's boy's grabbed Roy from behind, twisting one arm back awkwardly. Another of Dodge's was there, grabbing Roy's other side after delivering the gut check that Dodge had missed on. Dodge himself was still reeling from hitting the wall hard, his face grimaced with pain. Once the boys had Roy in place Dodge got his solid punch in, but with his weaker hand. The punch was enough probably leave a mark, but not enough to daze.

Growling a little in frustration, Dodge fought it when another boy came up, pulling him out of the mess. The larger two boys who already had their hands on Roy, turned from holding him to wailing on him, landing at least another punch to his face and a good kick to his ribs when they let him drop to the ground. "Let it go," Dodge finally told the boy who pulled him out of the mess wearily. The other boy whistled and the goons backed off, although it was obvious that they'd just scratched the surface of a normal beat down. Dodge hesitated before leaving, wanting to be sure that Roy could at least sit up on his own. If he did find Maddy and she heard about this, Dodge would be lucky if she ever forgave him for it.

Roy was on the ground, coughing, vaguely surprised that it wasn't worse, and he had no idea why it wasn't. He pushed himself up to his knees, one hand on the wall for support, the other on the ground as he tried to catch his breath, not something that was easy at the moment. He spit blood onto the sidewalk, and was aware of Dodge not leaving right away, even if he didn't look over. He wasn't giving the satisfaction, even if he might just be sitting there on the sidewalk for a while.

Deciding Roy was fine, Dodge turned and walked off, his boys trailing after him. After a few steps most of them diverged off, as always, but one stayed in step behind his leader, just in case. Already Dodge could feel his eye swelling and his hand cramping from where it hit the wall. It didn't feel broken but it was definitely going to be difficult to use for the next few days. That was fine though. If Dodge thought about it, which he didn't want to, it was obvious why he'd called the guys off before they hurt Roy too bad. Dodge didn't want Roy to get hurt, he'd wanted Roy to hurt him.