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Post by Ace on Sept 27, 2009 22:06:16 GMT -5
Her sparkling blue eyes looked up from her cards in her hand as she sat cross legged on the floor. A few younger boys sat around her and two older boys sat across from her their eyes on their own cards. She hadn't expected to come and get caught up n a poker game, but she was on her way back from Queens from her visit with Poet when a group of Hawk's boys asked her to come back and play some cards with them, and she was not one to refuse a card game. She forced a hand through her waves of hair as she tossed a nickel into the small change pile on the floor between herself and the boys. The boys put in their bets and they flipped their cards over, as usual, Ace had the winning hand,"Royal flush boys, next time ya know not ta play meh,"she said smirking as she collected her earnings. The boys groaned but were pretty good sports about it,"play just for fun one round?"she asked them being her typical nice self as she shuffled the deck and dealt the cards. She wondered if Hawkeye was around, Poet had told her of their little meeting and Ace had laughed at Poet for being stupid on her part.
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Post by Hawkeye on Sept 30, 2009 5:09:44 GMT -5
As though called, Hawkeye came striding casually down the stairs, the very picture of what a leader should be. The old white shirt and suspenders he always wore showed off his muscular chest and his hair was messy from being dried with a towel after a wash. A look most would agree suited him nicely. His face held the serious expression it always did as he approached the card game, coming up to stand to the right of the visiting Manhattan newgirl.
“What brings you here, Ace?” He asked, his eyes roving the circle of Harlem boys and taking in the little pile of change and cigarettes. “Ya didn’t walk all the way across town for a mini card game, did ya?” Hawk enjoyed teasing Jack’s newsies almost as much as Jack did. They amused the hell out of him and that was saying something.
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Post by Ace on Sept 30, 2009 9:22:06 GMT -5
Ace smiled at the sound of Hawkeye's voice as she finished dealing and left herself out of this game. "ya boys take good care of meh cards ya here,"she muttered as she got to her feet and faced Hawkeye. She tilted her head and shrugged slightly,"well I dunno Hawk, yer boys are some darn good manipulators, but was jus' on meh way through when they grabbed me and insisted on a game and well you know me, can't say no to that,"she said as she pushed her blond locks out of her face. She always enjoyed visiting Harlem whether it was to see Kitten,Hawkeye or Irish, didn't matter the circumstances either.
She shoved her hands in her pockets and rocked back and fourth on her heels as she almost always did, it was one of her many habits. She grinned and looked him over for a moment,"how are ya? Kitten ain't givin' you any trouble is she?"Ace asked, she knew that like herself Kitten could be quite a trouble maker, but Ace had learned to keep her trouble making to herself.
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Post by Hawkeye on Jan 3, 2010 0:12:39 GMT -5
He smirked slightly as she complimented his boys and nodded once as she gave some excuse for her being here. He knew his boys were listening to their conversation intently, though they didn’t show it, so he pulled Ace out of hearing range as she continued. "how are ya? Kitten ain't givin' you any trouble is she?"
Sighing, he mussed his hair up some more to help it dry, then shoved his hands in his pocket. “Nah, trouble actually seems to be finding Kitten these days. What happened ain’t her fault and you can bet I’m gonna find the bast-…guys that did it.” This whole situation had him more tense than usual and he searched his pockets for a cig, but didn’t find any. Shit, musta left ‘em all upstairs…
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Post by Ace on Jan 3, 2010 3:06:52 GMT -5
She sighed softly at his words and gave him an almost apologetic look.She knew he must have alot to handle with all the attacks lately and she knew it had to be stressful.She watched him feel through his pockets and she tilted her head before meeting his gaze again,"ya know if ya don't want yer boys listenin' in fer their own good,maybe we should take our conversation upstairs Hawk..."she said knowing how it must be. She knew things weren't easy for the leaders and she knew well enough because these days it seemed her and the older Manhattan newsies were picking up left and right wherever Jack couldn't.....Jack just wasn't like he used to be any more.
She bit her bottom lip out of nervous habit and stuck her hands in her pockets messing around with the candy stick she had at the bottom of her pocket.She wasn't one to drown on the bad things but if Hawk needed to talk and someone to listen, she was there in a heartbeat for him, she trusted him highly and really enjoyed being around him because she knew the side of him that not everyone was lucky enough to see, the side of him that was obvious to tell he respected you and you were on his good side. She eyed him for a moment not allowing her smile to fade not even once, she knew showing any sign of vulnerability was not what Hawk needed.
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Post by Hawkeye on Jan 17, 2010 19:44:21 GMT -5
"Ya know if ya don't want yer boys listenin' in fer their own good, maybe we should take our conversation upstairs Hawk..." “Nah, my boys like to talk and that’s all they would need to start spreadin’ rumors. Trust me, Ace, the rumors about me aren’t the kind you wanna go getting yaself involved in.” He chuckled darkly and winked over at his boys. They quickly whipped their heads back around to their card game, once again pretending indifference to their leader’s conversation. “But you’re right, let’s go to the kitchen.” He walked into the kitchen, knowing Ace would follow, and spotted two of his girls sitting at the table talking. “Out,” he said calmly, jerking his thumb toward the door. It wasn’t a threat and he didn’t even raise his voice, but the two newsgirls jumped up and walked out the door without asking any questions. He grabbed two Coca-Colas out of the icebox and sat down at the recently vacated table. He popped the caps off with his hand and set one across the table from himself for Ace. He took a sip and immediately began feeling better. There was just something about the fizzyness of coke that it could fix what even beer couldn’t. He chuckled a little at how stupid that sounded. "So, Ace... I havent heard from Jack in a while. 'Hatten doin ight?"
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Post by Ace on Jan 19, 2010 11:32:54 GMT -5
She followed him with a glance over her shoulder at the boys before she entered and closed the door behind her. She watched the girls get up and scurry out hurriedly at the Leader’s small request and she watched Hawk as he grabbed the bottles and popped off the tops. She sat down across from him and rested her hands around the bottle, letting the coolness of it cover her palms as she looked up at him and into his eyes at the mention of Jack. Her eyes hinted a glint of sadness for a moment but it was gone almost instantly as she brought the bottle to her lips. Taking a small drink before she pulled it away, she looked down and kept her hands tight around the glass bottle.
“I….dunno ta be honest, I’d love ta say dat we’re doin’ ok, but it’s almost like Jack’s disappeared again… every problem comes tam eh or Mush and it’s not easy being almost automatically drafted as the temporary problem solver when Jack’s nowhere ta be found fer us ta go to…”she muttered. She adverted her eyes over to a nearby window and looked out it almost in a daze as she bit her bottom lip. “I always looked up ta Jack….he was always there fer everybody, and most he kept meh out of loads of trouble when I needed him, its just not the same any more, I’m adjusting to it, we all are, but…. It’s almost like we don’t have a leader anymore and Mush and myself and any olda kid in our Burrough has ta step up when needed…”she murmured before finally looking back into Hawk’s eyes. She kept biting her bottom lip absently as if she shouldn’t be saying the things she was saying to him, but she trusted Hawk almost more than she had trusted Jack. |
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Post by Hawkeye on Feb 26, 2010 0:17:05 GMT -5
Hawk groaned slightly as Ace finished speaking and ran a hand through his damp hair, mussing it up even more than it already was. Taking a sip of his coke, he mulled over all she had said, letting a few moments of silence stretch between them. He was glad Ace trusted him enough to tell the truth, but now that all his fears had been confirmed, he almost wished she hadn’t. Hawkeye knew something like this had happened, knew that it was unlike Jack to be so quiet, that something bigger had been going on in Manhattan than any of its newsies would let on. Now, however, he had to figure out what to do about it…
“I don’t know what to tell ya, Ace. I mean, I’ll call a leaders meeting in the mornin, tell ‘em all what you just told me, but I’m not sure how much it’ll help. If Jacks missin’ again there’s not much we can do, doll, ‘cept help ya find a new leader…” Hawk took another sip of his coke and watched Ace, knowing she was hurting. If he’d been a more sentimental person, he might have held her, or whispered comforting things to her as she cried. But since he was not, he did his best to merely be there for her.
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Post by Ace on Feb 26, 2010 18:42:08 GMT -5
She listened to him as she brought her coke back to her lips and let her eyes drop down from his in deep thought now. She was hurt, not enough to cry though, only on rare occassion did Ace ever cry, she was stronger than that. She pulled the pop bottle away from her and set it back down as she managed to let herself look back up into his eyes,"I ain't sayin' I can't handle the problems they come to me with, hell I ain't sayin' I mind it either....the only thing that bugs meh is not knowin' where Jack is," she told him for reassurance, more for herself than for him but she could tell he was struggling on how to be there for her and she knew how he was and was quite content with him just listening.
She tilted her head as she began to tap her fingertips of her right hand on the table in contemplation. "Hawk....do ya think I'm strong enough ta ever be a leader?"she asked him, she knew that she was strong, she was a problem solver, she was a good friend, a good supporter and hell she could crack skulls and put anyone in their place for the most part, but she'd always wondered if anyone thought her capable of ever stepping in if Jack never came back.
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Post by Hawkeye on Feb 28, 2010 17:27:06 GMT -5
Hawk coughed a little and took another sip of his coke, not really wanting to answer her question. “Look, Ace, to be honest… no, I don’t. I mean, yeah you’re tough, you’re witty, you’re a good friend, you can kick ass, and solve problems, but…” He paused, wondering how she would take what he had to say. Ace was many things a good leader should be, but at the same time she loved lots of things a leader couldn’t.
“…But it would crush you,” Hawk finished. He reached over and took her right hand, looking her in the eyes. “Don’t get me wrong, I’d have you at my back any day in a fight, but Ace, you love to joke around, be independent, and to travel. To gamble and play pranks.” The corners of his mouth turned up in a smile as he thought about some of the ones she’d pulled. “As a leader you would be tied down more, always thinking about what your borough needs before yaself. Leadership requires a kind of seriousness that would take away your…” he struggled a moment for the right words, “fun-loving, mischievous spirit. Ace, it’d take away everything I love about you. Everything that makes us such good friends…”
Hawk drew his hand back and took another sip of coke. “It’s up to you and your borough of course, not me or any of the other leaders,” he shrugged a set his bottle down on the table. “That’s just my opinion, as your friend.”
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Post by Ace on Feb 28, 2010 17:58:46 GMT -5
When he took her hand she looked down at their hands, his words processed in her mind as he spoke to her, but her focus was on their hands. She bit her bottom lip as her hair toppled into her face and she absently began sifting through too many thoughts, him, why did she feel this way? Why was it every time he got so close, she wanted him more, everytime he pulled back, she wanted him to stay, what was wrong with her? She knew he couldn't love her as she loved him, right? She looked up into his eyes when he reached the part, the words she had never heard escape his lips before, even though she knew he meant he loved her as a friend...she could never recall hearing him tell her that before.
She nodded when he pulled his hand away, having the small urge to reach for his hand in order to keep him there in that moment but she kept herself from doing so. "Hawk...I value yer opinion more than anyone else ya know that...and if you think I can't or that I shouldn't...then I won't attempt it..." she muttered, she finally pulled her gaze from his hand and met his eyes, her own holding slight confusion, a slight tinge of hurt on the fact that she felt there was no chance that she could ever be with him."Hawk...."she began but she couldn't find the words any more, she felt vulnerable,she didn't feel like herself in this moment of speechlessness.
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Post by Hawkeye on Feb 28, 2010 19:32:08 GMT -5
Hawkeye furrowed his brow as Ace made eye contact and attempted to speak. “What’s botherin ya, Ace?” It was something more than Manhattan’s leader problems and Hawk had a feeling he knew what it was. After all, he wasn’t called Hawkeye for being unobservant. It wasn’t like her to be this uncertain and…vulnerable, it was almost enough to make him uncomfortable; almost, but not quite. “Comeon, I’m your friend, ya trust my opinion, remember? What’s goin on it that pretty little head of yours, doll?”
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Post by Ace on Feb 28, 2010 19:41:47 GMT -5
She looked down and pushed her coke away from her as she rested her hands on the tabletop and held them in each other. He knew, she knew he knew and yet she found it impossible to let herself say it. She was afraid of being hurt, she'd been hurt before, by Spade, Hunter....even Chase, how could she bring herself to walk into letting him hurt her too. She let her hair stay fallen in her face as she let the silence sink in for a few moments, she took in a few deep breaths, collecting herself enough to prepare herself for the hurt she figured she would endure.
"Hawk....we're friends, we're good friends....I trust you, hell I'd die fer you if I had ta...but this, I can't keep hiding this, I can't keep pushing these feelings aside, they're consumin' meh and sittin' hereh like this infront of you in such an important conversation...makes it so much harder, I don't ant to get hurt again, I'm tired of getting hurt, even when i am hurt I smile and push through it as if it were nothing, but this, I can't do it this time, I can't do it with you...I..."she paused, her eyes down, her hair hiding her face, her hands shaking slightly as they rested on the table,"I've fallen hard fer you...we've been so close fer so long, and I know it's not my emotions playin' tricks on meh....I actually..love you..."she fell silent as soon as the last words slipped from her mouth, she wasn't sure she could sit there and take whatever he would say next, but she stayed there, silently and awaited the part that would be her cue to leave, or cry even.
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Post by Hawkeye on Mar 7, 2010 7:00:44 GMT -5
Hawk’s jaw dropped. Litterally. He had known Ace felt something more than friendship for him, but had expected just an admission of attraction or something. ‘Love’ though? That was a whole different bottle of gin... Realizing his mouth was open hawk closed it quietly and leaned back in his chair a little, his mind reeling. Granted, he loved Ace, but not in the way she meant it. Hawk’s mind went through a thousand different moments with Ace in the past, his mind interpreting them completely differently now. All the little looks and comments he’d dismissed, all the things she’d immediately agreed to that most people would have to think twice about… He felt horrible he hadn’t noticed how truly deep her feelings for him were; almost made him want to laugh at the irony in him missing something right under his nose.
Only a few moments of silence had passed while all these thoughts sped through his brain, but they felt like a lot longer. He slowly sat up and leaned on the table, his hands wrapping around the cool glass of the coke, as he tried to think of how to say what he was thinking. He knew she’d been hurt by guys in the past, knew that the jerk she was with now would end up hurting her too, but couldn’t figure out how to tell her the truth without ending up on that list. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, but he wouldn’t lie to her… This was going to hurt no matter how he said it and he could only hope she’d forgive him in time.
“Ace, I-…” Hawk kept his eyes on the table, unable to look her in the eye. “You know you’re one of my best friends, you know that I’d do almost anything for you, you know that I love you. But I don’t love you like that…” Finally he looked up at her face, his eyes searching for what she was thinking. “Ace…I have no blood-family, I’ve told you that before. You though…you’re the closest thing I got to a sister. I’m protective of you, I bash guys heads in when they hurt you, but…” He looked down again, unable to look her in the eye any longer. “I can’t, doll. The last thing I want is to hurt you, to be one of ‘those guys’ but I don’t see you like that.” He ran his hands through his hair and lapsed into silence, waiting for her reaction.
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Post by Ace on Mar 7, 2010 19:25:39 GMT -5
She had expected it, so why did it hurt so much to hear? She looked down, her blond waves cascading into her pale face, how she could let herself think that he could possibly have feelings for her as well was stupidity at it's finest in her mind and she gently dropped her hands into her lap as she focused her gaze down at them as if she would find all of her answers to her problems in her lap. She nodded slowly at his words and dare not look up.
"Yeah...I apologize fer my foolishness actualleh..."she muttered as she sighed softly and remembered what had happened on her way over here, he couldn't have possibly heard that just hours ago, Chase had crushed her, but of course Ace was never one to rebound so even if he had, he knew her words were sincere. She let the silence consume them for a moment before she spoke again,"jus'....know I'm hereh fer ya I guess...always.. like I told Chase..."she muttered, she wondered if by her words he would understand now that she was no longer with Chase, she ignored the small tinge in her side from where she had had the surgery, she remembered how scared Hawk had been, how when she knew he was concerned, it gave her even more hope....but it was for nothing. She kept her eyes down still as she took in a few small breaths.
"Yer not one of them Hawk...you'll neveh be on that list with Hunter or Spade...or Chase now...because ya could hurt meh a thousand times and I'd still be by yer side when ya need meh,"she muttered before she finally looked up her eyes meeting his, the pain was apparrrent but she would not cry, she wouldn't let him see her cry because that would only make things harder.
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