Chapter Text
No matter how hard we try, we can’t.
For the sun and moon are not meant to collide.
And as long as we held each other
It was never tight enough to keep each other from falling apart.
—
When you first met him, it was as if fate itself was messing with you.
There he was—sitting on the fire escape outside the abandoned apartments.
Your spot.
The one you stayed in whenever you didn’t want to be home.
Just great. Climbing up, you stayed on the exit below him, unwrapping the crushed sandwich you packed.
It was your usual routine—whenever your mother came home in a sour mood, you snuck away to another part of the neighborhood just to avoid her.
Sometimes to breathe. Sometimes to escape the bruises.
With your father back in the city, it’d become somewhat part of your life for a while now.
It's better to be alone rather than hear your mother yell and throw anything that was nearby.
It was as if the surrounding city mirrored the life at home—cloudy, gloomy, the stench of rain mixed with grime that seemed to be in every corner.
Many people scoured away in her fear, yet Gotham was somewhat more comforting than home.
Your train of thought was disrupted as you heard a loud growl above you.
Your eyes widened to see that odd boy awkwardly look away from you, trying to make it seem that the book he had in his hands was the most entertaining thing in the world.
Was he really that hungry?
Geez…
You sighed.
“Hey.” Keeping your eyes on his scruffy jeans and red sweatshirt.
Silence.
“I’m talkin’ to you, dude.” Repeating yourself, you finally got up.
He looks back down, his pale blue eyes meeting yours.
“…Yeah?” He responded awkwardly, cautious.
Going up the exit to where he was, plopping yourself to sit nearby.
“Here.” You hand the sandwich to him by splitting it in half.
“I have some chips and cookies too. And water. Just eat something.”
A teacher of yours would always say the best way to help someone was sharing food—the universal language that brought everyone together.
You would share, with your cousins, friends, and the random cat that followed you around at night. It was second nature to you by now.
He hesitates, taking the sandwich from your hands, bringing it to his lips as he chews.
One bite and another, practically scarfing it down not even a second later, not leaving a single crumb behind.
Sliding him the rest of the snacks you brought, you chewed on your sandwich as you stared off into the cloudy skyline.
“..Thanks.” He quietly replied, a small smile of relief that melted off the cautious look in his eyes.
You glanced at him. “You’re also in Mr. Johnson’s class right? You were the one who brought that big book for reading time—the wordy one.”
“The Three Musketeers, you mean.” He slightly frowned.
“And it’s not wordy. It just has a whole lotta interesting elements to it.” Slightly frowning, he seemed pretty defensive about books.
Chuckling, you tell him your name as you continued chewing.
“I’m Jason. Jason Todd.” With a cheeky smile, he extends his hand. Awkwardly formal, but you shook it anyway.
“Well, Jason—you wouldn’t know anything ‘bout Sherlock would you?”
Admittedly, you liked the old books you would find in the second hand shops nearby.
Arthur Conan Doyle’s books were mostly on its shelves. The nice old man let you take them for free, surprisingly, so you got to reading.
Surprisingly, some books in the 1800’s were actually interesting.
A glimmer in his eyes that seemed like genuine interest and excitement glowed.
“Who doesn’t?” Giving her a small smile, Jason rambled on and on.
That was all it took.
It seemed like the conversations you had with Jason lasted only a few minutes. Arguing about the best cases, which adaptation sucks the most—anything, really.
Jason was really enthusiastic, talking about the importance of Watson and rambling forever.
You enjoyed every second of it, laughing along with him and contributing to the conversation.
By the time you knew it, the sun had already set in Gotham’s skyline. It’d left a dim orange glow behind the buildings.
Who knew that the small kid in your class was actually pretty cool?
“Geez—I’m freezing out here.” Groaning in annoyance as you clutched onto your thin sweater.
You didn’t expect to stay out this long. The city was always a bit colder at night somehow—the weather was always odd.
Jason fidgeted beside you. “..Do you want my sweater or..? I mean—I’m kinda used to the weather. ‘M not that cold.”
You gave him a light smile at the offer but shook your head. “I’m good. You need it more than me.”
You chuckled a bit, taking note of his skinny arms and legs. His sweater hung onto him as if it fit before. You didn’t say anything about it though.
“Besides—I gotta go now anyway. My mom’s gonna beat my ass when she sees I’m gone.”
He hums in acknowledgment, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.
Looking down at the alleyway—dumpsters overfilled, broken glass scattered, the poorly done graffiti, and the air filled with petrichor.
It was the kind of place people pretended never existed.
“..You don’t like bein’ at home either?” He keeps his eyes on the broken window, a glimpse of vulnerability peeking through.
You shrugged, a dry chuckle comes out as you take a few chips and stuff into your mouth. “Nah. Too loud—everyone’s always pissed off.”
Chewing, you glance at him for a second before looking at the bag of chips instead.
The two of you don’t say anything, the noise of your chewing fading away as the quiet comes instead.
It wasn’t awkward or anything—more or less filled with a kind of understanding the two of you had for each other.
You didn’t know much about Jason, and he didn’t know much about you. But maybe that didn’t matter.
“..Next time I’ll bring more snacks for us.” Breaking the quiet and brushing your palms off your jeans, grabbing your worn out bag.
“I always come up here, y’know. Like, everyday.” Rubbing the back of your neck, you tried to not show how much he grew on you.
His eyes slightly widened, meeting yours with a hopeful kind of look.
“..’Kay. I’ll uh..see you tomorrow then?” The ghost of a smile tugging at his lips.
Giving him a half shrug, you began to get up to start down the fire escape.
“Yeah. See ya, Jason.” You shot him a small smile, Jason lightly chuckling.
Neither of you knew it yet, but this would be the beginning of something the two of you would never truly let go.
Even when the smiles fade.
Even when everything collapses—and finally falls apart.