John was curled up in an empty alleyway. He lay there with bitter tears in his eyes. It had all been for nothing! That day spent hunting the whole city in search for his lost son had been fruitless. Oh how he longed to die! But he couldn't. Not yet. He wanted to find his son first. He needed to find his son first. He needed to tell the boy that everything he said had only been out of anger and that none of it was true…
Oh, this was all his fault! If he had kept his trap shut, his son might have never run away. His little buddy, his beloved son. That child might still be with him had his anger not gotten the best of him. John clutched his head miserably and let out a longing moan before shutting his eyes tightly. He didn't care how dangerous it was to sleep in an empty alleyway in the less that desirable part of the city, he just needed a place to get away from it all. He needed peace and quiet just for a moment and home was too painful a place to go to. This alleyway would have to do.
A siren shrieking in the distance cut John's ears like a knife. So much for peace and quiet. John rolled over in annoyance and looked out of the alleyway in order to see what was causing the ruckus. It looked like a young lady was on the run from the law and judging by the way she was clutching at her purse, she was being chased for theft. Once upon a time, John might've tried to stop her. Now, he didn't care. That woman could've killed all the cops chasing her and he wouldn't have batted an eye. Grief had taken his willpower to do almost anything. Instead, John turned back to his alleyway with the intent of going back to grieving when the lady decided to hide in his alleyway. Of all places! John had the worst luck!
The lady entered his alleyway and ran in and out of it several times in order to throw off the cops. As mad as John was at this rude interruption, he had to admit that this lady was smart. Managing to lose the cops was no easy feat, especially given the fact that she was doing it by herself on foot. At last, however, the lady lost the game. One burly cop had managed to keep up with her as she weaved in and out of every ally she could find. The cop finally cut her off as she tried to double back one more time. He grabbed her roughly and shoved her to the ground before he began to kick her violently. John flinched slightly at the sight. Police brutality was far from rare in this city and this lady probably deserved the beating, but John still hated seeing it. There was just something so sick and inhumane about a cop mercilessly beating the crap out of someone, criminal or not. It wasn't a fair fight and the lady hadn't ever gone after a cop herself so it wasn't like this was retribution.
At last, something in John snapped. He rolled out from under the dumpster and carefully exited the alleyway. As soon as he was out, he ran over to an old building that used to hold a flower shop. Now it was just a crumbling pile of brick with half of its windows blown out. The other half of the windows were still intact, though, and that was just what John needed. Scooping up a piece of broken pipe, John smashed three windows in one blow before he started to scream like a madman. It was quite the sight and it was enough to attract the attention of the big cop. So, his plan to free the woman had succeeded but now the cop would be after him. It was time to go!
John was suddenly flying down the streets as the sound of massive footsteps followed him close behind. But then he heard a deep yell and the footsteps stopped. John didn't dare turn around, though, and he kept on going. At least until a face poked itself out of one of the other alleyways. It was the woman's.
"Over here!" she cried, reaching out for him. John wasn't even going to ask how she'd managed to get ahead of him. Instead, he took her offered arm and let her pull him into their new alleyway. Once he was safely with her behind a dumpster, they both realized how out of breath they were.
"Thanks," John panted. He dared to peek out of the alley and was just in time to see the burly cop getting up. John could see his huge shadow rubbing its rear end. So, on top of getting in front of him, this lady had also somehow managed to trip him. Nice.
"I ought to thank you for saving me," the lady replied. "Why'd you do it anyway?"
"I don't know," John answered truthfully. He continued to pant like a dog and the woman, in reply, pulled a flask from the long-coat she wore.
"Drink," she instructed as she handed him the flask. John eyed it warily. "It's just water. Trust me," she said. Honestly, trusting her was probably the worst thing John could've done but then he remembered that he didn't care what happened to him anymore. If this drink was poisonous, oh well. So he took a deep drink. Nope. It was water. The lady seemed mildly impressed with how quick he was to drink.
"Thanks," he said as he finished his drink. She nodded in reply, retaking the flask and sliding it back in her coat.
"So if you won't say why you saved me, tell me why you were lying around the alleyway," the woman asked.
"I was looking for my son," John replied truthfully. The lady let out a bark of laughter.
"Did you find him there, under the dumpster?" she asked with a smirk.
"Might I ask what you were doing with that bag of stolen goods?" John shot back. The woman tensed up and her laughter died at once.
"How'd you know about that?" she asked dangerously. Now it was John's turn to give a bark of dry laughter.
"Did you realize that running with a bag that close to your chest while the cops were onto was really suspicious ?" he asked.
"Then why did you save me?" she asked again, louder now.
"I don't know," John repeated.
"No!" The lady snapped. "Tell me if you're going to turn me in!" she wasn't going to take John's cryptic answers. But he wasn't planning on clarifying. Instead, he only shook his head. It was an unusually cruel thing for him to do and The lady hissed at him for it.
"Well. I guess I'll be off," the lady said finally, getting up and brushing herself off. John hadn't made a move since she had asked him a second time why he had saved her from the cop. "The cops should be in the next neighborhood by now, so I guess I'll just swing around," she muttered to herself. "And you?" she asked, looking down at John and offering an arm.
"I'd better head home," he replied, not taking her arm as he hauled himself up. The lady gave him a wry grin.
"You know I'm a thief," she said. "Are you not scared? Are you planning to turn me in?" John shook his head. "Hmmm," the lady seemed to consider his words before speaking. "I might be mad as a hatter," she began. "But my name is Ms. Merrywood."
"I'm John," John replied shortly, knowing that he was as bad as she was, giving out his name to a stranger.
"Do you live far from here?" she asked next. John nodded but put on an expression that told Merrywood he'd not give a precise location.
"Ok," Merrywood shrugged. She took her bag and pulled out a wad of cash. After counting a few bucks, she gave them to John. "Buy a bus ticket home," she instructed, returning the extra money to her bag. "I'll keep an eye out for your son too," she added. For the first time in a long time, John smiled. It was small and laced with pain, but it was real. Real enough to win a smile from Merrywood that, for once, didn't seem snobby.
It was Merrywood who began it. She moved closer to John with the pretense of scrutinizing him, but when she was close enough to him, her expression softened and John, desperate for company and not caring about himself, reciprocated. Her lips were warm, soft, and a little sweet. He held her close and felt her fingers skate his shoulders and back. He sighed contentedly, nuzzling her face. He felt her smile into his cheek and continue to kiss him in a warm, friendly way. He was sure his kiss wasn't as good but it was just as sincere as hers. She was surprisingly good and gentle. It was strange. Two sinful strangers kissing in a darkened alley was hardly romantic, but the intentions were pure and friendly, not at all lustful or evil. That was what made the kiss, however impromptu, almost beautiful.
For a brief moment, John wondered what a life with Merrywood would've been like. And the life he was imagining was not the life she was leading. Instead, he was thinking about a life with her before she was a thief. He was imagining them as couple before sin corrupted them and turned them into the broken monsters they were today. He was imagining a life where he was normal, happy, and free, not a lonely and lost creature weighed down by guilt and grief. Honestly, the longer John thought about it, the more he could see that he and Merrywood might've been something more. They might've been something beautiful and something that didn't have to slink around abandoned alleyways in dirty cities.
But life just hadn't handed them the right circumstances and so, no matter the potential John and Merrywood had as a power couple, it would never come true. By now, each was too corrupted and selfish for the other. It was that bitter realization that led John to pull away from Merrywood. She seemed to know why he did what he did, and she gave him a sad, knowing smile as their kiss ended. If only things were different… But they weren't, so they would have to make do with what little they had.
"See you around," Merrywood said finally. John didn't know if it was a question or an order, but he nodded anyways. Merrywood gave him one last little half-smile before slipping into the shadows and vanishing entirely. John did try to pick her out amongst the shadows but he never even caught a glimpse of her. Finally, he gave up and looked down. He was inspecting the bills that she had given him earlier. As he counted them, he realized that Merrywood had given him just enough money to pay for the most expensive ticket home, yet not a penny would be left over for him. That told him that Merrywood not only knew her way around, but that she cared enough to ensure he'd have the cash to get home no matter where he lived. And she hadn't even bother asking if he could just walk or hitchhike back. It was a surprisingly generous thing for her to do. He briefly wondered if she would want the change back should they meet again. No. When they would meet again. John felt sure their paths would cross again and there would certainly be change because John was planning to walk home anyways. So he pocketed the bills and left the alleyway.
AN: Once again, I understand how unrealistic and unhealthy this pairing would be, but I don't regret writing this "they're still alive" AU wherein they meet each other whilst indulging in their vices. Of course I had to end it with a kiss and some foreshadowing because I'm unoriginal as well as an awful romantic.