Fighting [IRIS/OPEN]

[jasonwright]

 It's been a rough week, to say the least. After coming back from his weekend job on a fishing vessel catching crab, he returned to scour the town for the two missing homeless men, Wulfric and Eddie, aka Edbyrd. He first noticed their absence last Friday before he got onto the boat, usually chatting with both before he left shore for the day. Neither appeared at their usual breakfast spot, but Jason had shrugged it off, thinking the men simply moved on past the little daily routine they had settled in. But they were still missing when he returned on Sunday. He spent his entire day looking around town for them, asking a few of the other homeless people, but nothing. No one had seen anything. No one knew where the two men were.

A lot of the men and women can't work like he can, doing manual labor for less than minimum wages. So anytime he gets an extra penny, he's started looking out for their little community in Siren Cove. Today's no different as Jason heads into Quill, spending twenty bucks on two boxes of day old muffins and bagels. The person behind the register even throws in a few extra treats. He thanks them then heads over a few blocks, down two alleys, and into a small clearing just on the edge of town behind an old building. Here a few of Siren Cove's homeless have set up residence, blankets and makeshift shelters all over the clearing.

When he arrives though, there's someone yelling at a man Jason knows, Anthony. The man is shoving a finger in Anthony's chest, calling him all sorts of terrible names, and swearing at him left and right. Jason hands the boxes to a woman he knows as Candy, wandering up to the commotion. He interrupts politely, asking if he can help the other man with anything. 

"This bastard stole forty bucks from me!" the man yells, turning his anger onto Jason now. His face is beet red and Jason holds up his hands to show he doesn't mean to threaten the other man in any way.

"Are you sure, sir? I know Anthony and he's not that kind of guy." 

And that's when the man wheels around, gesturing at all the people in the clearing. He calls them scums who need to get jobs, turning back to Anthony to call him a name Jason just has an automatic response to. He reels back and punches the man in the face.

It's stupid. And he'll be the first to admit that he's on edge this week, worried and now overprotective of this little community since two of its own have gone missing. He shakes his fist, wincing, and starts to apologize when the other man gets up and takes at swing at Jason. Before he knows it, they're in a full on brawl. The guy can punch hard, but Jason's faster. He's rusty, but his old reflexes kick in. It's almost like he never left the ring. He's about to hit the guy again after he uses the same word as before when someone hauls him up by the back of his shirt, an impressive feat considering Jason's size.

"What the hell is going on here, Jesus Christ?" a voice growls from behind him. Jason quickly looks over his shoulder and curses himself. He sees a police uniform and the badge on the man's chest says Middleton. The other man tries to explain, growing angrier with every breath and Jason really, really wants to hit him again, but he's being held back by the officer. But the dumbass screws up and doesn't clean up his language. Office Middleton's scowl goes slack, his tension on Jason's arm loosening. 

"Aren't you going to press chargers?" the man yells at the officer. Middleton shrugs, letting go of Jason altogether. 

"Know what? I am." The officer steps around Jason, grabbing hold of the other man. "Disrupting the peace and being a real asshole," he says dryly, moving the man's arms behind his back. Jason's shocked as the officer pulls the man away from the clearing, shoving him very unceremoniously into the back of his cop car. And suddenly his body feels weak and exhausted. He's bleeding, his ribs are bruised, and his knuckles are busted. He doesn't look pretty, but neither does the other guy. Jason checks on Anthony, making sure the man is okay before he excuses himself, slowly making his way back to the cabin at the community garden where he's left Alfredo. He kneels down onto the steps of the cabin, nursing his right hand. What a great week.

Comments

[littleredsiren]

"Ha!" It just slips out and she immediately feels rude. She clears her throat, blushing. "I mean, I'm not really... No? He's my friend and I feel bad for him. I did tell him no kissing though."

"You still don't eat properly, I bet," she huffs. "I know your type. Feed everyone else before you, right?"

[jasonwright]

"Want me to tell him no creeping?" he asks a bit protectively. He shakes his head. "Sorry, sorry, you should handle it. If you're not comfortable, you should really tell him."

He shifts a bit on the couch because, yeah, she pretty much hit the nail on the head with that one. "Aren't you the same way?" he asks. "Would you feed others before yourself? I'm in better condition than these other guys. I can miss a meal. They can't."

[littleredsiren]

She chews at her lips. She definitely wanted to say yes, but she knows that isn't right. "I promise I will. Or, I'll try. I can promise that at least."

"I am," she half-chuckles. "But I get my meals. And you don't have a reason to miss out on meals. If you're that worried about the other guys missing meals, I can definitely bring down the results of my nervous cooking to you to hand out. Actually, I'd probably do that anyway."

[jasonwright]

Jason smiles when she says she'll try. "That's good. If you need practice, let me know. I can take rejection, no worries."

He runs a hand through his hair because it's actually really hard to break out of old habits, especially the ones where you think you're doing good but you're doing bad to yourself. He perks up when she mentions her nervous cooking and helping out. "That would...that'd be amazing. Really. They don't get hot meals. I can only afford some of the day old bread at Quill which they discount me for. Good days I can get them soup but," he shrugs. "That'd mean a lot."

[littleredsiren]

"Somehow, I can't picture you trying to get all kissy with someone unless they enjoyed it," she smiles, not a hundred percent sure she could reject him after that shirtlessness earlier. And then she immediately kicks herself for that thought, praying she's not blushing.

"I don't think I can do it every evening, but most days I can come meet up with you and bring good hot food then," she suggests, toying with the end of her hair. "Where would be a good place to set it all up?"

[jasonwright]

He chuckles. "Uh no, I definitely wouldn't. Glad I give off that impression thought."

"Whenever you can," he agrees. "Even if it's once a week, they'd love it." He scratches his chin as he thinks. "Somewhere they can sit down and have a meal would be nice. I mean I can always show you the clearing where they live, but if we could give them a break from that, that'd be great."

[littleredsiren]

"I'd say bring them here, but I don't know if there's enough room... We could ask Eli if we can use the cabin? Or maybe get them all out to the park and we can use benches," she says, frowning and biting her nails.

[jasonwright]

"Park might be nice. I wouldn't want to get in the way of the volunteers at the cabin, you know? I think I saw a picnic area."

[littleredsiren]

"Hmm..." She hops to her feet, going and grabbing a notebook to write things down. "How many people are there, usually? At the very least we can arrange the picnic area so it looks a little more homey, maybe."

[jasonwright]

Jason looks up, doing a head count based on his memory of the clearing and where each person claimed as their home. "About twenty-three," he answers then winces. "No. Sorry. Twenty-two."

[littleredsiren]

Her forehead twitches into a concerned frown. "You okay?"

[jasonwright]

ooc: LET'S PRETEND THERE WAS A BREAK AT SOME POINT WHERE HE TALKED TO LEVI K? OKAY

He shrugs, looking down at the carpet. "They found Edbyrd. He didn't make it."

[littleredsiren]

ooc: UH HUH. SURE~~~

Iris gasps quietly, feeling her heart clench for the poor man. "Oh, Jason... I'm sorry," she murmurs, half going to hug him, then pausing, not sure if he's ok with hugs. She sits back down awkwardly. "Are you going to be okay?"

[jasonwright]

"Detective Astor found me today and told me. They think it's murder." He could use a hug. Alfredo whines as he feels Jason's sadness, hurrying over to rest his head on Jason's knee. "Yeah, I'm just glad the detective took his case seriously, honestly. He even took care of Edbyrd's birds."

[littleredsiren]

Iris can't hold it back anymore and strides over, tugging him into a hug. "I'm sorry..." she murmurs sadly. "Did they find the other man... Wulfric? I'm glad they're putting effort into this though. Those men deserve the police's protection just as much as anyone else."

[jasonwright]

He's a little surprised by the gesture, but he hugs Iris back, thankful for the comfort. Jason shakes his head. "Nothing yet. Ed was frail. Wulfric's stronger. I hope he's just...lost."

[littleredsiren]

She strokes his back comfortingly, remembering holding her youngest cousin like this a few times when she woke up from nightmares and that leaking into her actions. "They'll find him. And he'll be safe. You have to hang onto that hope, okay? Don't give up on him."

[jasonwright]

It's soothing and between Iris and Alfredo, he feels a little less alone in this whole mess. "I'm not," he glances at her, smiling a bit sadly. "Wulfric's a fighter. He's gotta be safe though. Everyone here needs him."

[littleredsiren]

She lets down, sitting down next to him. "I'll hold him in my thoughts," Iris assures him. "And when he gets back, we'll throw him a big dinner."

[jasonwright]

"Thanks," he smiles genuinely. "I'm sure Wulfric appreciates it too."

[littleredsiren]

"He'll appreciate you looking out for him even more," she smiles, getting up and gathering up the empty plates.

"You've had a long day. You're probably exhausted and I'm here keeping you up," Iris snorts, shaking her head. She brings the plates to the kitchen and comes back with a pillow and an armful of quilts that nearly dwarfs her. "The apartment's usually pretty warm at night, but I brought extra for a bed for Alfredo, and in case you get chilly."

[jasonwright]

He'd normally offer to help out, but Iris is moving swiftly, like she's on a mission and he's pretty confident she won't let a 'guest' help her clean up the dishes. So he doesn't even press the matter but gives her a heartfelt thank you.

Jason laughs when she comes in with an arm-full of blankets and takes a few from her, placing them on the couch. He lays down a few comfy blankets for Alfredo who happily plops his butt down and digs gently, positioning the blankets just right before he lays down. "Thanks, Iris. You thought of everything." He smiles and starts unbuttoning his shirt, pulling it off so he's in just his jeans and tank before he sits back down on the couch. He thinks he might take up her offer for a shower in the morning. Right now he's exhausted and his muscles ache from the fight.

[littleredsiren]

She can feel herself start to blush when he starts taking off his shirt and she angrily shoves it back, putting on a bright smile and fetching Alfredo his promised dog biscuit instead. "I'll probably be up for an hour or two more. I usually read a bit before bed," she explains. "Um... My room is down there. If you need anything, feel free to knock and let me know. And if you get hungry, go ahead and raid the fridge. Nothing in there needs to be saved or anything."

Iris starts bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet, trying to think if there's anything else he may need. She doesn't want to leave him out here without making sure he's taken care of, but she can't think of anything else. "So, uh... Night! Sleep tight, okay?"

[jasonwright]

He nods. She's thought of everything and honestly, he just needs a soft spot and a bathroom and he's fine. "Thanks, Iris. I'm sure I'll be great tonight." He gives her a wave as she heads back to her room. "Good night."

He falls asleep almost as soon as his head hits the pillow. Iris was right when she said the apartment gets warm and at some point in the night, he's kicked off half the blankets and removed his shirt. Alfredo keeps to his blankets though, sleeping through the whole night. Jason wakes up as soon as the sun starts to peek through the blinds. He sits up and stretches, pretty sure he hasn't had a night of good sleep like that in months. He remembers she offered him the shower and Jason gets up, folding the blankets into a nice pile on the couch, before disappearing into the bathroom.

[littleredsiren]

Iris had tossed and turned all night, anxious at the idea that he may not be comfortable. When she finally wakes up properly, she's groggy, her nightgown is rumpled, and all she wants is her damn coffee. Taking half a moment to rub the sleep out of her eyes and to run a brush through her hair, she heads out of her room finally. She can hear the shower running and is secretly glad he took her up on the offer, not because he stinks but because that shower is amazing.

She tosses a dog biscuit to Alfredo as she goes by, yawning as she starts preparing coffee. It's done quickly and she grabs a seat on the couch, half asleep as she drinks.