Chapter Text
The fire escape creaked beneath your feet, distant sirens acting as a white noise to calm your wound up brain. The paper you’d just finished was the last straw of the night. Truly, you had thought that there was two more days for you to work on it.
A rough sigh was expelled out from you, your wet hand rubbing along your face as the other swirls a beer around. You were just glad the paper was done and submitted, even more so that you didn’t have any more classes this week.
Taking a long swing from the glass bottle, you rubbed your still wet palm on your already stained hoodie. Maybe it was too cold to be standing out on the fire escape with an equally cold drink, but it felt nice.
You were thinking about taking a walk down to the bodega a block away, but didn’t want to put on shoes, so this was the next best thing. Although the cat that always hung around would’ve been a nice sight.
A yawn was the first thing to get a sound out from you in the past four hours. Christ, everything was sore, you really needed to get out more if all it took was hours of continuous assignments to cause you some aches.
You should’ve probably taken Charlie’s glasses when she had offered them last week, saying something about light protection. You hadn’t quite remembered.
The city wasn’t as loud as it has been, perhaps that meant the next few days would be hell. You didn’t want to think about it. It was already stressful enough trying to do something as simple as getting groceries.
Maybe moving here for school wasn’t the best idea. Your dad was the first to tell you that when your last land lord was busted for some laundering business.
Your gaze drifted from the sidewalk bellow you, to the lingering shadowed figures scattered along the long road. You hadn’t even had enough energy to think about what they were all up to, you already knew anyways. People had to make money somehow.
In your trance of empty thoughts, you didn’t notice the light sounds of footsteps above you, continuing to nurse the cheap alcohol.
“Ughh,” that you did notice however.
Your heart faltered, the low sound spooking you into a freeze. Looking up by the roof’s ledge, you couldn’t see anything. You figured it was a neighbor who couldn’t sleep and was getting some air, so you opened your mouth.
“Hello?”
There was no answer.
“You good?” You questioned up towards the roof again, hoping it was just a neighbor and not another freak Gotham was known for.
There was initially no response, which made you cringe a bit, were you so tired you imagined that voice?
You looked back towards the street bellow, elbows coming to settle on the metal bars of the escape.
“Yeah,”
“All good.” The voice replied, startling you again. Sounded like a man, but an unfamiliar one.
So, not a neighbor.
You didn’t bother looking back up towards the roof, almost paranoid whoever was up there would come further towards you. You didn’t want to go back inside either, your window was loud, what if they hear you retreat and then get upset?
A quiet groan left you, head tipping down to bump the glass bottle in your hands.
“Got another?” You panicked, body straightening before you turned to look up at the man now sitting on the ledge of the roof, your roof.
You recognized the emblem on his chest, even without the red helmet you recognized him from the news. Red Hood was sitting above you asking for a beer.
What?
His domino mask covered eyes met yours. A nervous flush warmed the back of your neck, gross.
“Um, I- yeah.” You clumsily turned towards your window, grabbing the cold bottle that sat untouched on the sill. Tossing it up towards the vigilante, he caught it with practiced ease, of course.
Hood took the cap off using the concrete ledge he sat on, you watched, you felt awkward. His lips pressed against the glass, taking a long drink, you looked off once more.
In all three years of living in one of the shittiest parts of the Bowery, you’d never actually encountered any of Gotham’s vigilante. Which was strange in itself.
Why was he even here though? Your brows knit in thought, was this Hood’s area? You hadn’t known, hadn’t thought to ask someone when moving in those few months ago.
“Are you good?” His voice snapped you from your thoughts once more. You took a long drink from the bottle in your wet hands, the image reminded you of back home.
You turned slightly, throwing a polite smile up towards the perched vigilante. “Just tired, I guess.” He nodded, agreeing you had assumed.
His cheek holds a fresh bruise you notice, eyes lazily observing him up close. His jacket has scuff marks, took a tumble you had guessed. That made you snort.
It caught his attention, chin tilting back towards you as you realize you were caught laughing at an ex crime lord.
Almost scrambling you ask, “Sorry, but what happened?” The question was rather general, so you lift a hand and point to your own cheek. That draws a laugh out of him as well, a quick wave of relief washed over you.
“Some kid tried to steal from a store, then freaked out and nailed me.” He tells the short story with a faint smile, he’s clearly somewhat amused with what had gone down. You wonder if that kid is okay, you know Red Hood isn’t as violent as he was when you first moved to New Jersey, but the thought concerns you now that it faces you.
“He’s fine, his mom was pissed though.”
You smile, turning back around to face the road.
You need to head to bed soon, it’s nearly one in the morning. But you knew it would be more so around three when sleep had any intent to sway you.
The next handful of minutes were spent in silence, at least as quiet as Gotham at midnight could be.
You had assumed the vigilante had left as soon as he finished the beer, since you found the empty bottle sat on the ledge without anyone to accompany it.
That made you calm down somewhat.
What a peculiar interaction, you had thought while taking the last drink from your still cool bottle. He had taken your last one, suppose that meant it was finally time to head in.
A sigh heaved through you once more, before you stood back up straight and pushed open your window. Your knees scraped the rough brick just next to the sill as you crawled through.
You tossed the empty bottle onto your raggedy couch, leaving it there for tomorrows you to deal with.
The solid sound of the lock clicking shut and the blinds dropping acted as a reminder of the time. Your apartment was dark, the small lamp on the coffee table the only thing from stopping the room from being cast in the signature eerie blue the city always had.
You yawned again before turning the light off and quietly walking towards your bedroom.