The most annoying thing in the world is when you are halfway through a chapter and the newly written part doesn't save. So after several yells, hair pulls and tears of frustration, I give you chapter one.

Please enjoy, I've put a lot of effort into it.


Seven Years Before

DECEMBER 25TH

GOTHAM CITY

Snow covered the dangerous streets of Gotham. Cars parked on the side of the roads had a layer of the white ice that fell from the sky. Police sirens and gunshots could be heard by anyone. Criminal activity mainly occurred at night - drug deals, street walkers, gangsters, etc. Gotham was no place to be after the sun has set, yet there in an alley, stood a little boy.

He was still in his first decade of living and already living on the streets after the loss of his parents. The boy had dark brown - nearly black - hair and forest green eyes that held nothing but sorrow where brightness and delight should be. He wore a large worn-out green coat that had several holes scattered across it. Cheeks were marked with dirt and hair greasy from the lack of showers. His shoes were beat up, the laces barely keeping together. The sight of him could be a heartbreak but wasn't, at least not to the several cold people of Gotham.

The green-eyed boy wandered the streets in search for food, whether it's canned or thrown away. His arms were crossed over his chest in an effort to contain heat. Goosebumps littered his skin and his lips were chapped and blue. The feeling of an empty stomach physically hurt him, he needed food and fast. He attempted to look in a few garbage cans, however, he was greeted by nothing except boxes. Not finding anything, he settled on hunger.

It's late anyways, he convinced himself.

The orphan walked down a few streets towards the familiar fire escape. Once he found it, he began his normal routine. He went over to the nearby dumpster and began shoving it with side of his arm. Grunts past his lips as he pushed the metal box that was ten times his weight. His frail little body hurt as he pushed against the large object. His naked fingers pressed on the cold metal began to ache, his eyes were pinched shut. From how many times the child has done it, he still is not used to it. As the days go by, he gets skinnier and skinnier which makes the task of moving the dumpster harder and harder. After what seemed like forever, the dumpster was finally in place. He couldn't help but release a sigh of relief, the hardest part was now over.

The boy then used the last remaining energy left in his stressed muscles to lift himself up on top of the dumpster. As he made it on top, he lied down to catch his breath. He was running on empty and he hard physical work was definitely not helping. He closed his eyes shielding his emerald orbs from the world and focused on his breathing. It took a few moments to calm his erratic heartbeat but when he did, he felt so much better. He got back up knowing that he had to get back to work.

Quickly, he stood up and began reaching for the fire escape ladder. With a few jumps to help him gain height, he was able to grasp onto the metal bar and pull it down with his body weight. The ladder made an audible bang as the bottom hit the top of the dumpster. The orphan winced at the thought that someone heard him. The last thing he wanted was someone to come and hurt him, especially when he had nothing to defend himself with. A few moments passed and no one came so the boy gave himself the right-away to continue his little mission. Securing his foot on the bottom bar, he began climbing up the ladder. Each time he looked down to make sure his foot was properly placed on a step, the last thing he wanted to do was fall. He had fallen one too many times and didn't plan on falling again.

After he made it up the ladder, he got on the first platform of the fire escape. From there on was easy since he just had to climb stairs - ten flights of stairs, but still stairs. Trying to go up the stairs quickly, he skipped steps on the way up. The metal underneath his beat up sneakers rattled. He panted as he ran up the rust infested stairs, still exhausted. His cheeks puffed out from the heavy exhales with visible fog showing. The temperature was definitely under twenty-five degrees fahrenheit, long past the freezing point. The railings on fire escape held a layer of frost as if a reminder of the chill weather.

A sigh of relief was released when he made it on top of the tall building. The building he resided at was one of the tallest in the area, it was surrounded with apartments and townhouses all squished together. The orphan enjoyed the height difference, he felt security from the harmful hands that waited below. He wanted nothing more than to leave Gotham, but he - like most - were stuck in the pathetic excuse for a city. He rubbed his sore neck while walking towards his living quarters on the roof, he would probably steal some painkillers from the pharmacy the next day.

A yawn escaped his lips at the sight of his makeshift bed. His shelter was made from things he could scavenge and a lot of times stole. The roof of the shelter was a metal panel from a warehouse. He found in the dumpster of warehouse itself, he saw the potential and swiped it. Then he had cement blocks that acted as support beams, those he took from an abandoned construction site. Finders keepers, right? He place the shelter right next to a vent that released hot air twenty-four seven, it was how he kept from freezing to death. Inside the shelter was two thick woolen blankets, one acted as a bed while the other a blanket. Sure the shelter itself was a piece of junk but it still worked and for that, the boy felt proud at his work.

Went in his little shelter was instantly greeted by the heat. A shiver ran through his body from the sudden change of temperature. In no time a content smile was placed on his face, happy about the warm. He lied down on one of the blankets and wrapped himself with the other. The boy balled up in a fetal position, the heat was much more easily kept that way. He closed his eyes shielding the emerald orbs away from the world. All he did for ten minutes was wait for slumber to come in and sweep him away. Sadly, the dark abyss never came. He felt tired but just couldn't fall asleep, it irked him so much that he released a huff of frustration. He sat up from his comfortable position with his back hunched over. With his small hand, he ran it through his greasy hair. Just another reminder that he was in desperate need of a shower.

Pondering on what he could do to help him fall asleep faster, he thought it best to wear himself out. He stood up with the blanket still wrapped around himself and began pacing around the roof. While walking around, he stared at the other building around the area. Some lights were on while others were off, most curtains were closed while others were just left open to the public. A certain opened curtain window caught his attention. It was a view of a kitchen.

There was a man talking to a young girl that looked around the same age as the orphan watching. Also, there was woman who seemed to have been putting away tupperware containers, easy to assume that they had food. Just the thought caused a loud growl to come from his stomach. He watched as the man and the little girl left the kitchen, the woman following behind when she was finished putting the left-overs in the fridge and turned off the light. Another light turned on shortly after. From what he could see, it appeared to be the bedroom of the little girl. The two adults tucked her into bed and kissed then left shortly after. The orphan felt a pang of jealousy that she had both parents and he was left with nothing. It was Christmas and he was all alone cold and starving, while they probably had a feast that had remains. An idea popped up in his head. It was safe to say the family retired for the night and he was sure that they were probably going to let the food spoil in the fridge. He would gladly take the food from their hands, without permission of course.

He spent no time to second guess himself - with a burst of energy from the mere thought of food, he threw the blanket back into the shelter and raced back down the fire escape.

ยง

The ten-year-old has broken into places before. Sure it was when no one was home but it couldn't have been that different. All he had to do was be much more silent than all the other times. He had a piece of flat metal lodged into a gap on the windowsill. He quietly moved it back and forth in semi-quick movements. The orphan was trying to flip the lock from the outside and wasn't succeeding. As time went by, his movements became much more urgent. The growling of his stomach was just getting louder and hurt more than the last. After what seemed like eternity, a click was heard. He had to restrain himself from yelling yes.

When he calmed down from his excitement, he went straight to work. Slowly, he slid the window open and stepped in one foot at a time. Warmth quickly rushed towards him as he stepped into the room. Moonlight came in from the window, lighting up a bit of the room. He could've sworn that he counted right, he expected to land in the kitchen but was instead in the room of the little girl. He swallowed the groan he was about to release, this was not part of the plan. For all he knew she could be a light sleeper and instantly wake up. In his mind, he debated on giving up or continuing with the plan. Of course he chose the latter, he was already in he couldn't just turn back now. His eyesight went towards the bed which was off the ground and on a top bunk. From the dim light of the moon, the orphan could see the shape of a desk and computer occupying the lower bunk instead of another bed. He scoffed in his head at the sight.

Parents probably spoil her, he bitterly thought looking around the room with tons of toys organized on shelves. I take that back; they definitely spoil her.

Rolling his eyes, he carefully began his walk towards the door. His steps were soundless on the carpet floor and for that he was grateful. A few short moments later he had his small pale hand wrapped around the doorknob. He turned it as slowly and quietly as he could to ensure his stealth. Everything was going fine until he actually began swinging the door open. Two bright flashes lit up the room, he couldn't help but hold his breath. He looked back up towards the bed to see if the little girl stirred. Nothing seemed abnormal so he continued his task.

The first body part to stick out into the corridor was his head. He looked down each side of the hall to make sure the parentals were in their room and asleep. Feeling positive that they were off into dreamland, he began his way to the kitchen. The way to the kitchen was a bit confusing to the young child, it was his first - and surely his last - time in the apartment. When he did reach the kitchen, he couldn't see a thing. It was nearly pitch black and he could only see a digital clock telling the time in bright green colors. As he walked forward and into the dark room, he held his hands out blindly trying to feel for anything. The first object that met his hand was hard. Hesitantly, he placed his other hand on the surface. With the tips of his fingers, he dragged the along the surface. He was able to easily identify the object as a table. Thinking back to when he was on the roof, he recalled seeing the table through the window. If his memory was correct, he would be able to make his way from the table to the refrigerator.

Taking breath, he relied on his memory to guide him to his next meal. His feet shuffled forward just for his right foot to collide with a leg that belonged to the table. The boy's bottom lip was tucked between and bitten by his teeth. The simple hit had caused so much pain through his foot. Multiple words that a person his age should not know flooded through his head at the thought of the pain and the commotion he probably caused. The table not only released a thump but a squeal too. Just suck in the pain, he thought. C'mon, don't be a wuss. His self-motivation brought him to continue walking towards where he thought the fridge was located. He went back to holding his hands out to avoid getting another injury.

The second object to meet his hands was cold. He brushed his hands all over the vertical surface until he met a bar. A satisfied grin came to his face as he began to open the door. His grin stretched from ear to ear as the light to the fridge glowed and revealed food. His stomach growled in anticipation at the sight of the food. As his eyes scanned through the interior he spotted tupperware containers. He instantly reached and greedily snatched the food from where it was place. The thought of what food was exactly in the containers crossed his mind but was soon pushed away. He had not right to be picky. Beggars can't be choosers.

Before he closed the door of the refrigerator, he snatched a water bottle knowing he needed something to wash down the food. Last thing he wanted was to choke while swallowing the first decent meal he had in months. Content with what was in his hands, he began his exit. Retracing his steps and remembering the table he hit himself with prior, he was able to make it back into the hallway and toward the room of the little girl.

From the moment he had the food in his arms, he held a strong smile on his beautiful childish features. It stayed there as he walked through the darkness of the corridor and as he opened the door, even when the obnoxious flashing of light occurred once again when he opened the door. His cheshire grin was sent to the top bunk of the bed where the lump of a body could be seen. However, when his green eyes met the window, his smile faltered. The window which he knew he left open was now closed. Hesitantly, he took cautious steps towards the glass.

Fear sent chills all through his entire body as he neared his exit. Where relief should have been, there was a sickening feeling that something bad was going to happen. As he was in reaching distance from the window, he rose a nervous hand. He gulped down the tension that was building in his throat as his fingers brushed the white lock on the window.

"Stop right there!"

The orphan froze at the young voice that said the command. He pinched his eyes closed and muttered a word someone his age should not say. He wanted nothing more than to just jump out the window and run away. However, he knew better though, plus if he did proceed with the foolish plan, then he would surely drop the food he spent so much effort on retrieving.

"Drop whatever you have in your hands, t-then turn around!" The person continued.

Reluctantly the boy obliged and slowly placed the food and water onto the floor. He slowly stood back up with his hands in the air in surrender before turning around to face the person who had caught him. His forest green orbs met the figure of the young girl who occupied the room. He took in her appearance slowly. She was wearing pajama pants with a crown pattern and a shirt that had the latest Disney princess on it. She held a pink waffle bat up in a swinging position as her defense. The young girl had her hair in curly blonde locks, each one reminded him of telephone cords. From their distance and the darkness in the room, the boy couldn't decipher what color her eyes were but from his current view, he guessed they were an ordinary dull brown.

The street kid finally took in her facial expression and didn't know whether to laugh or pee his pants. Her lips were pressed together tightly while her eyebrows dropped low along with her squint. He guessed that was her most intimidating face but on her youthful and innocent features, it just looked adorable. Yet, he somehow knew that he shouldn't try to get on her bad side. She did have bat afterall.

The resident of the room then began to inch towards the door which the intruder watched with fearful eyes. She was going to get her parents and they will call the cops which will most likely lead to him going into the system he fought so hard to stay out of. He took one step forward to try and negotiate with her to not get her parents but the girl became frightened stepped back.

"Stay right there!" She warned pointing the bat at him. He rose his hands back in the air and stepped back where he was before.

"Sorry." He mumbled but the girl couldn't hear him.

The blonde then reached for what she was looking for and flipped it on. The light attached to her ceiling fan lit up so they were able to see each other and the room better. Her eyebrow rose at his appearance, his back was faced towards the only source of light before causing her to not know how he looked like. She took in his ragged clothes and his greasy dark brown hair and his desperate green eyes that were paired with purple bags under them. Her eyes traveled from his head down his body to his feet then to the stolen items. The girl's eyes widen at the food containers on the floor. When the cold breeze from her window woke her up and she saw the intruder walk through her room, she thought that they were trying to steal things that were actually worth something. She never expected for them to steal food.

The food thief watched as the blonde's eyes widen before softening. He cautiously watched as she lowered the bat in her hands and he knew from the looks she gave him, it was out of pity. A weird feeling flooded through him and he shifted his shoulders around in an attempt to get rid of it. He didn't like the look she was giving him, pity was one feeling he did not welcome. The temptation of telling her to quit looking at him was extreme, however, he knew that if he decided to be rude to her, the bat would go right back up and she wouldn't hesitate to yell to her parents. Instead of unleashing the attitude he grew accustomed to in the streets of Gotham, he bit his tongue and stood still.

He watched with clammy hands as she walked over towards her bedside table and reached for something. The eyebrows of the orphan furrowed in confusion, what could she possibly be getting? His question was soon answered when she got the two little devices and placed one behind each ear. His lips parted in awe as she correctly positioned and turned on her hearing aids. When her hands came down from her ears, he couldn't help but blurt out: "You can't hear?"

It was now the little girl's turn to shift uncomfortably. A blush began to blossom on her pale cheeks in embarrassment; needing help to hear has always been one of her biggest insecurities. She would be stared at constantly for being different, for being a born different. It never was problem with her before, but then she was introduced to the rude peers in the public schools of Gotham.

"It's called deaf," She muttered. "And yeah - kind of."

He rose an eyebrow at her, "What'd'ya mean 'kind of'?"

"I'm partially deaf. I can only hear loud things and my aids help me hear the quiet things." She shrugged. "But shouldn't I be questioning you? Why are you here stealing my momma's food?"

"I was hungry." He admitted.

Her head tilted to the side, "You're not hungry now?"

"To be honest, ya kinda scared the hunger out of me."

"Where are your parents?" The thought of his deceased parents brought tears to his eyes. Yes they were never there for him but they were still his parents and he was still just a child. He loved them no matter how neglecting they were towards him. He turned his face towards the floor to shield his watery eyes from her. No way was he going to let the stranger in front of him see him cry.

"Dead."

Guilt swam at the bottom of her heart. "I-I'm sorry for asking."

"Don't be, it's nothing." He quietly sniffled.

The girl's observant eyes noticed the redness of his face and his attempts of making it unnoticeable. "You know it's okay to cry right? You miss your parents-"

"I ain't crying." He snapped. He expected her to be offended by his attitude but much to his surprise, she remained unphased.

"I'm deaf, not dumb." He rolled his eyes at her comment. "But if you don't want to talk about it, it's fine."

He was intrigued by her maturity and lack of pressure. Most people don't care if he's an orphan on the street and the few that do try to pry out the details from him. Luckily he hasn't had much people that actually took interest but he's had enough to hate talking about the topic.

"Thanks." He told her.

"No problem." She gave him a kind smile. "So, are still not hungry?"

"I'm a little hungry. Why?"

"Well, there's some food on my floor that you can eat." She offered.

His jaw dropped, "You're actually gonna let me take it?"

"You need it more than we do." She answered.

"But won't ya Mom and Dad wonder where all the food went?"

"I'll just make something up." She shrugged.

He looked her up and down once more. "You don't seem like the kind of person that lies to their parents"

"I'm not," She told him honestly. "But they told me there is always a right time to lie. I guess this is one of them."

Her kindness made him feel pleased. It was refreshing to meet a kind heart after all his months on the streets with selfish people. He tried being kind in the beginning of his independence; he asked kindly for food to the other homeless people of Gotham. Instead of being rewarded with food for his kindness, he was awarded with laughter and a few punches and kicks. Being nice got him nowhere on the streets and he sadly had to learn it the hard way. The blonde with the soft brown eyes that stood in front of him would not last a day out in the streets. Her toughest face resembled that of a baby deer. A chuckle bubbled from his throat at the thought.

The girl of his thoughts gave him a questioning look. "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing. It's just that - you're really nice and I'm not used to it."

"Well, someone has to be nice in a mean place like Gotham."

"A lot of people are afraid of being bad nowadays. Y'know with the Bat going around trying to save the city and all." He chuckled looking at the floor.

"You don't think he can do it?" The girl asked.

The boy rose his head to look at her in eyes, he was no longer laughing. "This city is too much of a dump now to be saved."

"Maybe a superhero is just what we need then."

"Yeah," He wondered. "Maybe."

Realising the turn of their conversation, the girl giggled. Her soft laughter brought the orphan out of his thoughts on the Dark Knight of Gotham. The food was still on the floor of her room and the time of her clock on her bedside table notified her that morning was just a few short hours away. She had been conversing with the intruder for a while still had not asked him his name. Sure their conversation began because she was threatening him with her plastic bat but it quickly became civilized.

"You can eat in here if you want." She offered.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"It's better than eating out in the cold."

"True." He agreed. "I'm Jason."

"Erin." She answered. "I'm sorry for threatening you with a bat."

Jason's eyes widened, "You're apologizing to me? I thought I was the thief."

Erin giggled at his joke. "Well, you were hungry. Y'know before I scared you."

"You didn't scare me, getting caught scared me." He defended.

"Whatever," It was Erin's turn to roll her eyes. "How about you come over again for food? Then you can never get scared of getting caught ever again."

"Really?" Jason gaped at the young beauty.

She nodded. "And maybe bathe too because you kinda stink."

The young boy just laughed. He never expected his night to turn the way it has. The two children sat down on the floor and talked while the orphan ate his food. She watched as he scarfed down his food; she could tell by how thin he looked that he hadn't had a sufficient meal for a while. His arms were covered by his jacket but his bony hands were visible and so were his collar bones that could be seen. Never had she seen another kid so skinny; the only part of him that still had some meat were his child cheeks but even those were thinning out. Knowing that she is helping her new found friend brought happiness to her heart.

Erin then complied to her promise and let him take a shower after his meal giving some of her dad's clothes to him to wear, despite them being extremely baggy on his extremely small frame. She found Jason a pair of her dad's basketball joggers and a sweater that he know he'll never miss. Jason couldn't be more grateful for her kindness. Boy was he happy that he broke into her house, if he hadn't then he would still be out in the cold starving. To top it all off, she also offered him a place to rest for the night. Jason was hesitant at first but then succumbed to her doe eyes and agreed to after she promised to wake him up early so her parents wouldn't catch him.

That night a friendship was born and they didn't know that it would soon become more.


Okay I'm so sorry for the long wait for this chapter and I promise I will update again soon. This isn't edited so I apologize for errors.

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I love all your reviews and they help motivate me to write.

Also, go and check out my other story Having A Bit of Trust which is a Dick GraysonxOC fanfiction and will correspond with this one. I have both storylines planned out and they entwine a bit.

Then, after you check out that book, if you are a fan of Bucky Barnes (MCU) then you should keep an eye out for my story Remember Me which I'm going to post any day now.

Stay incredible,
coloredreign