You A Gimp or Something?

The sounds of splashing and giggles filled Spot's ears before he had a chance to see what was causing all the noise. They were out of place here, in the place that was his quiet sanctuary. Emphasis on his.

The girl went under, her feet poking up to form a point above the water and Spot couldn't help but wonder where she had come from.

He strolled to the end of his pier and leaned over the railing to glare at her. She hadn't noticed him so Spot continued to observe her, watching the way the waves lapped across the back of her shoulders. Her hair swirled behind her as she lay on her back, looking content.

"Who the hell are you?" Spot inquired, giving the girl a suspicious look.

She yelped and spun around in the water to face him.

The first thing to grab her attention were his eyes, bluer than any that she had seen before. They had a certain gleam in them, one she couldn't distinguish. They instilled a strange feeling in her, causing the blood to pool into her stomach. His mouth was set in a frown and his brow was furrowed.

"Jesus, you scared me! It's not polite to sneak up on someone like that, you know." She snapped at him.

Spot blinked slowly in response and his frowned deepened. Polite? She was on his property, but he was the one that was impolite? Despite being thoroughly annoyed, Spot couldn't help but be amused as well.

"It's not polite to trespass either, yet here you are." He shrugged, moving his hands from the railing up to his hat. He removed it and ran a hand through his hair before setting it down on the dock. "Seriously, who the hell are you and what are you doing here?"

Flash scoffed at him and rolled her eyes. "I guess I'm going to have to get used to the lack of a proper greeting up here. Honestly, I could ask you the same thing. You are the one who scared me after all."

Spot was dumbfounded. He found it hard to believe that she didn't know who he was. His reputation usually proceeded him. "You're joking, right? Everyone from these parts knows of me. I'm the King. I'm a celebrity," he smirked at her, still in disbelief.

She gave him a blank expression and Spot felt his face grow warm. He took pride in everyone knowing his name. He relished in it. It gave him joy to know that guys and girls alike respected and even feared him. To have someone in Brooklyn, or even New York, that didn't recognize him or know about him was frankly unheard of.

"Am I supposed to?" She smirked.

"Well... yeah. You must not be from around here."

Flash stopped floating and treaded the water instead. She met his gaze and nodded. He gave her a smug smile and nodded back, crossing his arms and jutting his chin forward. Normally his cocky demeanor would have caused her to run for the hills, but there was something about him that cemented her in place. He had a certain je ne sais quoi about him and Flash couldn't put her finger on what was really keeping her from slapping the shit out of him.

"That explains it then," he stated matter-of-factly.

The way he was looking at her trapped her there but also made her want to knock him down a peg or two to wipe that smile off his face.

"You ever stop and think you're just not as important as you think you are?" she huffed, raising an eyebrow. His smile faltered just a little, but it gave her the satisfaction she was craving.

Spot knelt to sit down on the edge, hoping that this girl had enough sense not to try to pull him in. Judging by her brashness, he wasn't letting his guard down just yet. He crouched down a little lower, leaning closer to her and peered into her bright green eyes, a coolness in his voice. "Not possible, sweetheart. I could tell you stories of things I've done that'd have you hauling ass back to whatever place you came here from. You couldn't even begin to imagine." Spot narrowed his eyes, just enough to try and intimidate her. Flash took note in his change of tone, but she didn't feel the least bit nervous. In fact, it was familiar, almost comforting. She dealt with callousness more in her past than anything else.

"What kind of answer is that?"

"The only one you're getting."

Flash tamped down on a particularly rude comment, giving Spot a good once over instead. Her eyes went straight to a rather large cane he had tucked into one of his suspenders, the gold tip blinding in the sunlight.

Spot noticed the pensive expression on her face and frowned. "What? What are you looking at?"

"What's with the cane? You a gimp or something?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Do I look like a gimp to you?" Spot snapped, causing Flash to let out a giggle.

"You look like a lot of things, kid. Nothing that I'd feel comfortable sharing with you. You ain't gotta be so rude about my question. It's an honest one. If you ain't a gimp, why else would you carry around a stick that's about as big as you?" Flash gave him a toothy grin, satisfied with her retort.

Spot ignored the last statement in her question, letting her slide. "I use it for busting skulls."

"That sounds barbaric."

"Gets the job done." Spot shrugged.

"Well placed jabs with fists work just as well." She gave him a sly look. "But I do understand that some people just don't have the necessary skills for that."

"My hands work just fine, thanks," Spot shot back. "Better than yours probably do," he added.

Flash smirked and laced her fingers behind her head. "Don't be too sure about that, pretty boy."

"I could show you, if you'd like. Although I must admit, I do have some reservations about soaking broads," he told her, the hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

Flash gasped in mock awe. "A gentleman, you are. And they say that chivalry is a dying trait."

Spot chuckled at that and sighed. Normally he wouldn't let someone speak to him the way she was, but this was kind of fun. No one was around to hear it and they didn't know each other from a hole in the ground, so he didn't see the harm in their banter. Spot was always trying to maintain his leader front, so it felt nice to just let it all disappear for a while.

"Keep talking to me like that and I might have to reconsider."

"Look at me, I'm trembling."

"And I thought that's because the water was cold," Spot said grinning. He wanted to make this girl squirm for his own amusement and he was sure she wasn't immune to his charms. He let a silence creep up on them, contemplating his next words.

"My hands are good for other things too, ya know." Spot gave her a cheeky grin and his remark caused Flash to blush a deep scarlet.

"How brazen of you," she managed to say in the midst of her embarrassment.

Spot noticed her getting flustered and smiled to himself, but she was able to bounce back quickly, all traces of embarrassment gone from her features.

"You use that on all the girls you meet here?" she asked him sarcastically.

Spot gave her a small shrug and ran his cane through his fingers "Seeing as how you're the first person with the gall to trespass here, I suppose so. I forgive you for that, by the way."

"Oh please, like that line would actually work on anyone. Maybe a cheap piece of skirt, but not anyone with half a brain. You're just gonna have to come up with something better, because I'm not so easily charmed," she scoffed.

Spot gave her another shrug. "Never had a problem with that before," he said coolly. "I got girls lined up, little bird. The girls I get with want me, they pursue me, and they give themselves fully unto me. I never have to use a line because they are all practically begging me to take them to bed."

Flash didn't let his cheeky explanation get the better of her. She couldn't let him see the change in her color again. She couldn't let him know that his words caused a pleasant numbness to seep throughout her limbs and caused her toes to go cold. She couldn't let him know that in that moment, she undoubtedly wanted to see what the inside of his bed looked like. His bluntness and candid demeanor were like being let up for air, and it was intoxicating. But he could never know, for he would win this whole... Whatever this was they had drafted up between them. And she didn't like losing.

Flash dove under the water, staying under for as long as she possibly could. She only resurfaced when her lungs were screaming for air. This had given way for enough time for her face to be back to its original pale color. She couldn't think of a response to him, choosing to fill her mouth with water and spit it at him instead. It missed him, landing on the dock beside him instead.

"You know fish piss in that water, right?"

Flash waved his observation off. "I've had much worse things in my mouth," she told him, watching him out of the corner of her eye. If he could play this game, so could she. But to her dismay, her comment had no physical effect on him.

Spot chuckled before looking back down at her, curiously. "You sure you don't know who I am?" He asked her suspiciously.

Flash rolled her eyes and sighed. "We've established that if I remember correctly. Guess you really aren't as famous as you thought."

"Infamous," Spot murmured.

"Infamous then," she mocked. "You should work on that."

He gave her his signature half smile. "Oh I plan to, little bird. You need to learn how things work around here," he challenged. "Case in point, you traipsing into Brooklyn uninvited."

"I don't traipse into Brooklyn all willy nilly. I live here, shithead."

"Not without permission, you don't," Spot said shaking his head.

Flash laughed. "An invite? Permission? What, is Brooklyn some exclusive party now? Do I need a signed letter from the Governor too?"

"Nope. But you need approval. By me."

"This isn't the White House. It's just Brooklyn."

Spot shook his head again. "I can see now that talking to you is pointless."

"So shut up then."

"How brazen of you," he mimicked her comment from before. "Or just plain stupid."

Flash gave him a snort before swimming closer to the pier. "There is that charm you were so keen on showing. I'm suddenly in love with you."

He gave her a sly grin. "You wouldn't be the first."

"Trust me kid, that's never gonna happen. Might fall in love with me though, not that I could blame you," she teased, pulling herself up onto the dock. It was going to be dark soon and she had to meet up with Jack at Tibby's.

"I find that hard to believe."

Flash hurriedly got dressed, slipping her pants up her wet legs and over her knickers. She tugged her shirt on and buttoned it before bending down to gather up the rest of her things. She shoved what she could in her pockets and hoped that the sun would stay up long enough to dry her off before making it back to Manhattan.

Flash gave Spot a half smirk. "You just might," she singsonged before turning away from him to make her way back down the dock.

"Where are you going?" he questioned, confused by her sudden departure. "This was just getting interesting."

She turned back to face him and gave him an innocent look. "Sorry father, I didn't realize you had to give me permission to leave Brooklyn too. I have a prior engagement."

"Ya know, we're gonna have to work on your tone you use with me if we're going to see each other again," Spot said flippantly.

"And who said I wanted to see you again?" Flash queried.

"You'd be dumb not to," Spot stated matter-of-factly.

"Call me stupid then."

"Stupid."

"Ha," She laughed dryly.

"Tomorrow. Same time," he ordered, not giving her a chance to protest further.

"Is this an invitation?" She feigned incredulousness before giving him a wry smile.

"Now you're getting it," he chuckled, giving her a smug expression.

Flash thought for a moment, pondering what Jack had said about these Brooklyn guys. Try as he might, this boy didn't seem nearly as threatening as he intended.

"Well my mamma always did tell me it was rude to decline one of those." Flash didn't see the harm in playing his little game. In fact, she was secretly pleased. She hadn't had someone to talk to since coming here. No one that wanted to be in her company besides Jack.

"Smart woman, your mother."

"I guess I'll be here, as long as you promise to get in the water next time. It was mighty lonely in there. Now try not to miss me too much while I'm gone. I know that'll be difficult for you."

Spot met her gaze. Her sarcastic nature and witty comebacks were a breath of fresh air compared to the swooning of all the other girls and the timid dispositions of the guys under him.

"Doubtful," he teased back.

"You'll see, pretty boy," she told him winking before making her way past the crates back up to the main part of the dock.

"Wait, I didn't catch your name," Spot called out to her.

"I didn't throw it. No names," she tossed back over her shoulder. "Let's just leave it for now. Au revoir!"