separate ways

Who: Dodge and Charlie
When: flashback!
Where: outside the jail house

It was raining, but that was hardly unexpected. It always rained this time of year, the kind of storm that clouded the sky to the point where it was dark no matter what time of day it was. The umbrella in his hand was doing little, but he kept it there even if he felt like the fedora and the jacket with the collar pulled up around his neck were keeping more rain off him than the flimsy thing in his hand. Maybe he hadn’t given up on the umbrella because it was the first he’d ever bought properly. It wasn’t a thrown away, half broken version that he’d picked up off the street, but a real one, properly built and everything.

It wasn’t the only thing new. The coat on his frame was a proper coat, made of real wool that actually kept the warmth in. Even the fedora was new, the ratty one he’d worn as a young boy and teen replaced with a grown up version. It was nothing compared to the car he was leaning against, a simple black thing that Thomas had learned to drive better than the rest of them, which served as their transport around town. Thought of Thomas made Dodge cringe a little. Thomas who’d taken Charlie’s place. The larger man had always been there, from the start but never more than muscle. Charlie was Dodge’s other right hand man with Jason, but luck and fate seemed against that. Dodge rarely blamed himself for much, rarely let himself feel downright guilty about things, but Charlie getting arrested? That haunted him.

Not now though, Charlie was out. Dodge had talked it over with Jason, they’d make space for him in the team again. He’d come with them, move into the apartment until there was more space, or they sorted out the best way to live. Charlie was coming home, out of jail, a free man and Dodge was here to pick him up and take him away from this place. There were warm clothes in the car, new things for him, ready to bring him into their world. Things had changed and only for the best. Dodge was going to make it up to Charlie. He took the sacrifice, didn’t turn any of them in and now Dodge was going to repay the favor.

Charlie had thought that he'd know what to do once he was walking down that long corridor towards freedom. He'd thought he'd know how to feel. And that was a huge misconception on his part, because he didn't. Not even a little bit. He was leaving, and he was free to go--out on good behavior. Which he'd worked hard at, really. He'd been a model inmate, even when it would have been less hard on him not to be. But he'd tried his damndest to keep his head down, to keep going, to do what the fuck he was told, and to go above and beyond when given the opportunity. He'd been able to play the cons on the outside with the gang--the skill had helped him out inside as well.

He didn't have much. When he'd been given his personal effects, he had had a pocket watch (broken), half a pack of cigarettes (the stalest things ever by now), a beat up and worn metal lighter, and his wallet which had five dollars in it. That was pretty much it. As he exited the building proper, the rain rushing down on his head, he ducked his head to light one of the stale cigarettes, drawing the smoke into his lungs. It wasn't good, but he didn't really care. The cold of the weather immediately seemed to sink in to the bone, and he hunched his shoulders, walking away from the door, feeling not the rush of freedom he'd expected, but instead a gaping chasm of Unknown.

It didn't take him long to spot Dodge, though. And at first, he didn't quite recognize him. Sure, there was that spark of 'hey, wait' in his mind. But it took just a fraction of a moment to actually place Dodge for who he was. Possibly it was the threads, the car. What really sold it for Charlie was the posture. Dodge always carried himself the same way--a man who thought he was king shit of fuck mountain. He stopped in his tracks as he kept his brown eyes on his old friend. For some reason he wasn't expecting this, even if he knew deep down he really should have. "Dodge." he greeted after what felt like ages, his voice slightly hoarse.

The grin was there, even in the shitty weather at just the sight of his old friend. Stepping forward a little he tilted the umbrella so it was over Charlie’s head more. “Chuck,” he greeted, hand out to clasp the other man’s forearm. “Thought you could use a ride home.”

"Still hate it when you call me that," Charlie told him. He didn't quite return the gesture Dodge gave forth in greeting, however. And he stepped back some, even if it put him back in the rain. He almost asked what he was doing there--but Dodge had already answered that, now hadn't he. One thing riled, though. It was an immediate, knee-jerk reaction. He looked Dodge in the eyes, that grin there, like it was old times, or something. Not like he'd just got out of prison after two fucking years or anything. And that last part, of course. "You thought I could use a ride home." he said. "And where would that be, Dodge? Considering I don't actually have one these days."

The smile faded when Charlie stepped back like that, staying in the rain. They were used to rain, sure, which meant he was turning down the gesture of friendship. Pulling his arm back Dodge surveyed his friend. “Of course you do. We moved uptown, but there’s space. We’ll get something more permanent set up as soon as we can. Depends on where you want to be. What you want to do.”

Charlie wasn't quite sure what to say there. "You're uptown?" he asked. He'd heard things. People had been by to visit now and then, so he wasn't entirely in the dark, but he didn't really know the full extent, either. He'd heard the gang was doing well, but uptown? That was a little better than he'd thought.

The smirk was back, though not back to the grin that he had at the start. “Uptown. We made it. Finally, but we made it.” The perfect dream to come true, from rags to riches.

Staring at Dodge for a moment, he looked away for a second. He reached up, removed his cigarette from his lips and let it drop to the wet ground at their feet. And then he took a swing for Dodge's eye, without any warning. He didn't actually plan on fighting him. He'd stop after just the one hit. He knew that about himself--it would take more than what had happened between them for him to actually continue a fight with the guy. But in that moment, it just felt like salt in the wounds, that smirk, the 'yay we finally made it!' thing. Like he had no concept whatsoever for what Charlie had been through, no consideration. He wanted to believe he'd gone to prison for everyone else, and that it would be appreciated, that for some reason, things would be different than they were.

The punch was hardly expected. Actually it was the last thing he expected to happen and as a result he took it square on, umbrella going askew. Dodge hadn’t fought much, far less recently, but he still knew how to react and after he recovered he was back, umbrella toss aside and pushing Charlie back and away so he was out of rang to hit him again. “What the fuck?”

"What the fuck?" Charlie countered, shaking his hand out as he kept on his feet, though he was back away from Dodge. He shook his head and leaned back against the car, shooting a dark look in Dodge's direction. "God, why are you always such an asshole?" he asked, though it was rhetorical. It also lacked true malice, the punch he landed making him feel a little better. "You always were kind of a dumb fuck when it came to other people, y'know that? I see that hasn't gotten any goddamn better." he muttered.

Glares and punches. Dodge didn’t expect him to be all rainbows and sunshine but he’d expected something better than this. “What the hell does that even mean? I’m here aren’t I? With a car, a change of clothes and a home uptown to take you to? And now I’m the asshole?” He rubbed at his face, not saying that he thought the asshole moved was the punch. Charlie didn’t seem to be in the mood to be corrected that directly.

Taking a second, Charlie tipped his head back, letting the rain wash down over his features, washing his hair back out of his eyes. Then he reached up and dragged his fingers through it. "Dodge, you never got the finer points of human emotion. You can play someone til the cows come home, but all it's ever really about for you is the score. But you're as shallow as a damn puddle sometimes, I swear." He sighed heavily, that momentary flash of anger truly dissipated now. Now he was just tired. "Do you not get standing there grinning at me like an idiot, telling me 'hooray we made it!' isn't a dick move? That it doesn't just grind salt in my rather fresh wounds here." he said, making a vague gesture towards the prison he'd just left. "Or maybe standing there smiling like it was nothing, or maybe saying thank you or even asking me if I've got plans, or...just..." he shook his head. "Thank you, mr. 'sensitivity of a brick'. Now usually I'm not so goddamn sentimental, but today's kind of a different day."

Dodge frowned again, reaching for the fallen umbrella but only to close it and tuck it under his arm. “Didn’t mean it as a dick move. I didn’t ask about plans because you don’t need them. We’re here. I’m here. This is your thanks. You know I’m grateful, don’t think for a moment I’m not. Let’s go home, get a real meal, get out of the fucking rain to a place that doesn’t leak.”

"Actually saying it would be a start." Charlie pointed out. He looked at the ground, the puddles all around them. The huge, looming grey building he'd just left. "Never occurred to you that I might not be going with you, did it." he said, tone a little distant. It wasn't mean, or anything. It was more just a statement. That was just how Dodge was. He always made assumptions on other people, and what they were going to do, or what they thought. A lot of those times, he was right. But he wasn't always right. And when he was wrong, he was usually really wrong. Not that the guy had ever owned up to a mistake in his life--or, not that Charlie had ever seen. "I'm not going with you." he said, looking over again. "Can't."

Dodge didn’t want to say it. He was better at showing it because in this situation, saying it meant he was admitting that he’d gotten his friend arrested. Not directly but he’d set up the robbery, and left his friend in a situation where he was caught. “Thank you,” he said but it lacked the assuredness of his other statements. For a moment Dodge cracked a little. What Charlie said next though left him staggered. “What? What do you mean by that? You can’t not come. What do you mean you can’t? Of course you can.”

"You know how bad things got when we were kids? Starving, living off the streets, dealing through the winters with not enough of anything. Barely making it, Some of us didn't." Charlie said. "...it's worse in there." he said, eyes landing on the building again. "And I'm not going back. I highly doubt that you went straight. You're running some game, just one with higher stakes than we used to pull. I don't know what it is, and I don't want to. I can't be a part of anything like that. Because I'll tell you one absolute truth, Dodge. I am never going back there." he said, hunching in on himself as he did so. It was an unconscious gesture, a defensive one, like he was trying to guard against the very idea.

Dodge looked back at the building his friend had left, frowning more than before. The bad times from their youth was something no one brought up, and not just because they’d moved on. Life on the streets wasn’t something that could be survived focusing on the worst, getting caught up in those who didn’t make it. Even though life in Dodge’s crew was better than most situations, they’d lost their own fair share of friends. “You won’t go back Charlie,” Dodge promised, seeing his friend shrink on himself in a way that didn’t fit the man Dodge remembered. “You won’t. I won’t let it happen.” It was impossible not to be there, one hand on Charlie’s shoulder making promises Dodge really couldn’t keep but he would do his best to. “You did your time, now you get to live in luxury. We wouldn’t let it happen to you again.”

“Happened before.” Charlie said. And oddly, there wasn’t a real accusation behind the words. It was just a statement of fact. “You all went free, and I didn’t. And I paid for all of our sins. It’s left it’s mark, I promise you.” he said, exhaling as he drew himself back up, standing straight. “And unless you got some sway with the cops I don’t know about, that wasn’t there before, or you just happened to not use to help me...” And he didn’t believe Dodge would have done that. “Then you don’t get a say. And you lot get pinched? Guess who gets squeezed hardest? Me.” He shook his head again. “Can’t do it. Can’t risk it. You have no idea, Dodge. You really don’t.”

He dug his cigarettes out of his pocket and lit up a second one, ignoring the fact that his hand was trembling slightly. It was probably the cold. He lit up, and gave himself a second, waiting til he exhaled the stream of smoke before he continued. “’Sides, whatever you got going, if it’s uptown, I ain’t gonna fit there. There won’t be a place for me. I mean, I’ve already been replaced, right? It was always you, me and Huck, but you would have had to replace me once I was gone.”

“You’d fit in fine. None of us really fit in to start but we’ll bring you in and it’ll be fine. The old ladies’ll love that sweet face of yours. We’ll pass you off as a war hero if you want, Jas...Huck’s brother or mine,” Dodge said fighting away the desperation he was feeling. Charlie couldn’t leave them, not like this. At the comment of being replaced Dodge flinched a little. “Thomas moved up to fill your shoes while you were gone. It wasn’t a replaced really, he was always there back then, just not really talking.” More just bashing heads and keeping the other three safe. “There is space for you. We’ll make it work.”

Ashing his cigarette, he watched the grey flakes drift down to the wet street, the raindrops obliterating the delicate powder structure immediately. He was listening, but his mind wasn’t changing on his stance. He didn’t think Dodge was hearing him. Or, he didn’t want to hear him, which meant he was going to try to push his agenda either way. It was just how he worked. It was why he got his way as often as he did. He didn’t like the word ‘no’. He nodded a little at the mention of Thomas having stepped in when he’d gone away. Made sense to him, he could approve of that decision--not that he was consulted, or that it was his business to be approving any decisions anymore. He did frown slightly. “Old ladies?” he asked, then he immediately shook his head. “No. Don’t tell me.” he said before Dodge could actually answer. “I don’t want to know. You’re not really hearing me. I’m not doing this. I’ll find my own way. And whatever way that is, it’ll be legit, because I’m not putting a foot wrong ever again, if I can help it.” Not when he already felt like there’d be cops breathing down his neck, waiting for him to fuck up again. He knew how they thought. ‘Once a criminal, always a criminal’.

Dodge wasn’t hearing him because he didn’t want it to be true. Charlie wasn’t just one of his right hand men, he was also one of Dodge’s oldest friends. They’d been together through so much that Charlie walking away wasn’t just walking away from the life, it was walking away from Dodge and their bond. The smile, the game, all of it was gone. Dodge couldn’t hold it up anymore with the blow that Charlie’s words were landing. “At least let me give you a ride somewhere then,” Dodge said. Maybe the ride in the car would help, maybe a few days. Charlie wouldn’t just leave like that, not when there was so much to offer, so much to have now.

Charlie shook his head, though it had nothing to do with Dodge. It had everything to do with being outside, and not being in a yard full of people who might want to take a shot at him at any given point. “No thanks.” he said. “Think I just want to walk for a while.” Which he started to do, turning to head off up the street. “Sorry about the eye.” he said before he was out of earshot. “And say hi to Huck for me.”

“Wait!” Dodge was pulling open the car door, reaching for the bag clean clothes, reaching into his suit jacket pocket as well, pulling out his cigarette case. It wasn’t his something new, but something he’d had for a while, lifted off someone when he was a teen but too dented and scratched to be worth much of anything. He held them both out to Charlie.

Looking back, Charlie considered for a long moment. He recognized the case, remembered when they’d scored it to start with. So it meant something, he understood that. In the end, he sighed and took the offers. He didn’t so much say ‘thank you’ as he nodded to Dodge, then turned to walk away a second time, utterly unsure where he was going. But he’d have to find a path somehow.

There was more and Dodge would have it sent Charlie’s way once he could. Money to get started on, if the man was determined to do it on his own. At least Charlie took the first offering and the cigarettes would be better than those he’d gotten inside. Sighing Dodge shoved his hands in his pockets, waiting to lave until he couldn’t see Charlie anymore.