Storm clouds loomed over Gotham constantly, filling the city with some form of permanent gloom that locked sadness into the bodies of its inhabitants. There was something common among many of the people who lived there in Gotham— the world was about as gray as an old-fashioned movie.
Rain tapped against the glass of the bookstore that I had been lurking in for the past half an hour. I couldn't find anything I liked the idea of.
I just wanted to get back into reading— like I was when I was younger before technology began to consume the majority of my time on this earth. I loved being on the internet, but it was about time I ground myself. It was about time I connected to something real.
That was my hope for the next book that I was going to read. I wanted it to bring me back to Earth.
It wasn't for another quarter hour that I had figured out what I wanted, sliding it onto the counter that was guarded by a frail-looking teenage boy. Acne covered his cheeks, eyebags showing he had probably been staying up late at night. I couldn't gather whether it was from gaming too long or studying too long just by looking at him, but I knew it was one of the two.
He was much taller than me, and he looked down at me almost uncomfortably as he scanned the barcode on the book and turned his head to the cash. He pushed up the wire-framed glasses that had been sliding down his nose for the last minute before he announced the price.
Not too bad, considering rising prices.
I placed thirty dollars cash into his hand and he looked over it for a little longer than I liked, almost as if he didn't trust that I was paying with real money.
It was raining, having just started moments after I entered the shop. The weather forecast has been wrong yet again. You'd think they'd just automatically assume rain by now.
You'd think I would have remembered to bring an umbrella habitually.
I left the store, stuffing the change into my jacket pocket as I sheltered the book from the rain. My eyes peered up into the sky, ignoring the threat of a water droplet to the eyes.
I started to jog, wanting to get out of the rain as quickly as possible, passing a couple of miserable-looking individuals as my hair grew wetter, regret seeping into my flesh like that was all my skin would breathe.
While my head was turned, I slammed right into something— someone— barely cushioned by the blue puffy fabric that quickly fell away with the person who was wearing it. I let out a sharp sound as I knelt next to him, hand placed on his back as I profusely apologized.
"Sorry! Sorry, I-I... I wasn't looking where I was going, that's my fault." I stammered, helping the fallen person get up onto his feet. He was taller than me— not as tall as the cashier in the bookshop (who must have been six foot seven, based on how he towered over me)— but tall enough that I had to look up at him.
His hair looked like it was wetter than mine, even though they were the same level at this point. It was stuck to his forehead like it was glued down to his face. His cheeks were a reddish pink from both the cold of the air and rain and from the embarrassment of being knocked over.
It was strange. I would have expected him to be angry. Most people here would have been.
"I'm so sorry, really, I didn't mean to run into you." I continue to apologize, feeling incredibly bad for colliding with him. His hand still gripped mine, almost as if he wasn't sure what was happening.
"Er... No, no! No, you're okay!" He said, brows raised as he quickly slipped his damp hand out of my equally damp hand. "I'm sorry I was in your way."
"Are you kidding?" I looked up at him, a smile etched into my face now, almost laughing as amusement showed through my voice. It took me a second to realise he was serious. "No, don't apologize for that."
A moment of silence passed as the chubby man stared down at me, as unsure of what to say as I was. We seemed to have a lot in common right now. Both of us were rain-soaked to the bone, embarrassed, and befuddled. Another emotion glimmered in his eyes momentarily.
"Uhm... My name is Edward." He told me quietly, extending his hand out to me with hesitance. I took it, his palm warm in my cold one. It was a surprise to me— I was sure he was out in the cold longer than me.
"I'm [y/n]," I told him. His eyes lit up like fireflies, just for a second.
"Nice to meet you, [y/n]." His voice was crisp, and the words sounded well annunciated when they hit my ears. I liked the way his voice sounded.
"You too, Edward," I replied, shaking his hand firmly. I had been told before that I gave great handshakes.
He was a man with naturally sad-looking eyes, but he had a cute face. He was nice to look at, and the clear-framed glasses that sat on the bridge of his nose complemented his face well. He was wearing a blue puffer jacket, which explained the feeling of the fabric that briefly grazed my face when I ran into him.
His eyes flicked upwards. The rain was seeming to calm down just a little bit.
"Which way are you going, [y/n]?" He asked me. I pointed and he nodded his head.
"Me too..."
Another little moment of silence as he took a couple of steps to the crosswalk and pushed the button that signaled we wanted to cross.
"Could I... Do you mind if I keep you company for a little bit?" He questioned further, and I thought about it for a moment.
A lot of the people in Gotham were involved with a lot of heavy crime, and I wasn't sure if I was about to walk right into a trap. My eyes were locked on the pavement for a moment before the gaze wandered over to him.
He gave me a soft smile, looking about as harmless as a baby bunny. A little company wouldn't hurt, would it?
"Sure," I told him, and a triumphant look could be seen only through his eyes. Once it was time to cross, he watched me, trying to make sure we wouldn't get separated in the little crowd that had gathered to cross. He looked incredibly careful, not even letting the spectacles on his face slide too far down his nose.
"What do you do for work?" I asked him, letting the rain soak me as I continued to shelter my book. He hadn't commented on the unusual shape showing through my jacket pocket. There was a little space just big enough for the small but thick novel.
"I'm a forensic accountant." He told me, accompanying his words with a little nod as if he was proud of himself. "You?"
"I'm between jobs at the moment," I answered. It was true— I was— only because I wanted to work, though. Due to a little stroke of luck in the family I was brought up in, not everyone was a broke asshole. Some of them were assholes with money and no one to give it to when they died. No one except for me, anyway.
I know, that makes me sound like a jackass. It isn't hard to suck up to someone and use them when you know about everything they've done. All the shitty little wrongdoings that they've scattered throughout the lives of those who did not deserve it.
My aunt loved me. Far more than the wife she had cheated on. I just agreed with her, and that was all that it took. I hadn't expected her to die as soon as she did (it was pancreatic cancer, I'm not a murderer), but cheating wasn't the worst she had done, so I wasn't exactly sad.
She was a millionaire asshole, and because she had no one left to give her money to, and because I was all she had left, she just left everything to me. A lot of it, I donated. I don't usually know what to do with money.
The rest I spent on my apartment and the little old dog that she had left me. He was in far better care now. He was safe.
"What did you do for work last?" He asked.
"I worked at a cafe. That one right there." I told him, pointing to the coffee shop lit up with flickering fluorescent lights. It was run down, and the coffee there was shit. The coffee maker used to act up whenever we tried to use it, but we never bothered to buy a new one for some reason.
"I go there a lot." He looked at his shoes as he walked, ramming himself right into a pole and letting out a pained yelp.
"Edward!" I called out, too shocked to laugh. "Are you okay?" I moved so that I was standing in front of him. Things really weren't going his way today.
"Mm..." He mumbled glasses crooked on his face now. He pressed his palm flat against his forehead and rubbed the skin gently, trying to soothe it. I placed my hand on his shoulder gently, watching as he took his palm away to show me.
An awkward smile graced his lips as he looked down at me, taking one of the arms of his glasses between his index and thumb and readjusting it on my face.
"That time it was definitely my fault, I think." He laughed gently, trying to lessen my concern. We became fast friends, I could tell by how I reacted to what happened. There was a thick vertical red line on his face now. Poor thing.
"You need a seeing-eye dog." I laughed. He cracked a genuine grin and let his hand fall to his side again. We started walking once more, Edward being much more careful of where he was going this time.
The rain was easing up a lot more, but I was still shivering from the cold. I'm lucky my jacket was waterproof, or the book I had may be soaked.
Hell, based on the rain we're having right now, it might as well be, at this point. Edward was keeping a little space between our shoulders like he was dreading bumping into my arm. I couldn't tell if it was because of the way he met, or the little bad luck streak he was having, but I could see it was a conscious effort.
Not much longer until I was home. I wanted to walk slower just so we could talk longer.
His favourite colour is green. It suits him, somehow. I could have guessed it was green.
"Specific shade?"
"Just green. I like it all." He replied peacefully as if the rain did not affect him. I was baffled by the fact he wasn't shivering. He paused to check his phone quickly.
"I bet I could guess your favourite." He told me. I looked at him with a cocky expression.
"Oh yeah?"
"[f/c]."
"Oh, yeah." I was a little more shocked than I should be. Impressed too and he looked at me with pride in his features.
He had a nice face. I think I mentioned that before, but I had a good look at him again. His face was round, he had sad-looking eyes and a bit of a big nose, as well as a pronounced chin. It all looked good. It all suited him, and each feature looked like it almost complimented the other.
He was fiddling with his hands, looking away from me now.
After chatting for the remaining few minutes— mostly about his day at work— I arrived at a point where I wanted to disconnect. I didn't want him to know exactly where I lived yet.
He understood, giving me a little nod of understanding. He started to walk before turning back to me.
"Can I have your number, [y/n]?"
It was a quick exchange, and then the rest of my walk home was quick too. I opened the door to my apartment, hearing tippy tappy feet against the hardwood as I entered. It was a high-up place in the building, and Hank had plenty of space to run around while I was gone. Despite that, he was still as delighted to see me as I was to see him.
I locked the door behind me, bending down to greet the old dog that still acted like a puppy every time I came home. It was simple, but it always made my day. Hank always made my day.
__________
E
dward
I couldn't stop thinking about them for the entire rest of my walk. When I knew they were gone, I turned and walked right back to where I had come from. I don't know why I decided to go the wrong way just for them, but I did.
Even though it'd be longer and more draining to walk all the way where I needed to go still, I didn't regret a single moment. Their favourite colour is [f/c]. Their eyes are [e/c]. I don't think I've ever met someone as nice as them in this city of rot.
Maybe... No...
I did want to see them again. I couldn't message back so fast. I had to wait, I know I did. Maybe tomorrow morning.
What if they gave me a fake number?
What if they block my number and never talk to me again?
What if they thought I was ugly?
What if they thought I was weird?
What if they scream the next time they meet me and call me a freak?
No, no. No. They wouldn't. They wouldn't do that. Not [y/n]. [y/n] wouldn't. They wouldn't do that to me. I'm sure.
Fuck.
__________
I feel like the first chapter ended up being much better than I had expected it to be! I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it, because I stayed up until 4am writing this and Puppy Lighter (Joby Taylor x Reader). I was going to write an Eli Sunday story but IDK. I'm considering a one shots book, though.
Anyway, I hope you have an awesome day!
- IJ