Chapter Text
The city of Manhattan was bustling with never ending life, much like it does every second of every day.
As well as at night.
Currently I was mindlessly walking around town. It’s not the best thing to do in a city as large and as dangerous as this but I just needed to get out of my life for a bit. I didn't know what street I was on but it looked familiar at some point and time. So I just stuck with it and kept walking.
Eventually the streets grew too dark for my sight but I somehow knew where I was, I was near a spot that wasn't anything important or special. It was just a building that had an accessible rooftop.
I stood in front of the building, trying to make up my ever racing mind on whether or not I should go up there and stay there, or to turn back.
‘You know what. Screw it. I need a break from life, plus my feet hurt.’ I thought to myself as I made my way into the building.
The inside wasn't anything special just as much as the building itself was. There were cracks and chipped pain on the non-decorated walls. The floor was a worn down wood that splintered in every way possible. There were little to no people around, they were either dead asleep, out working their butts off, or non-existent. There weren't many floors but just enough that jumping off the roof would definitely make you street pizza for the strays to enjoy.
I walked up the stairs that creaked and groaned with every step going up. Of course being an old building that it was, there were no elevators available. But even if there was, I didn't really trust that it would be safe to go on.
I walked up to the last bit of steps which was met with a metal door, normally it would be locked up, but the lock was broken and useless to keep people out. I was about to open the door when I heard movement on the roof. It sounded like something flying down and landing on the roof. But it sounded much larger than a bird.
Saying f*ck it to myself I silently opened the door.
Despite the age of the door it made no sound whatsoever, even when it was opened and closed.
I looked around the rooftop but didn't see anyone or anything on it which was strange but I shrugged it off and made my way to my hidden spot behind a brick wall. I stopped as I made my way when I noticed that someone else was in my spot.
Well more like something was in my spot.
The being that was in said spot was dark red, accompanied by a beak, a set of horns on the head, a long thick tail, and massive wings. This being had one leg on the rooftop and the other swinging off of it. The body type gave off a masculine vibe and appearance so I’m assuming that this being was a guy.
He looked to be deep in thought and whatever he was thinking must have been upsetting in some way. Oddly enough I’ve seen such a face before, and it was one I was all too familiar with. In fact it was the same reason I came here in the first place.
Heartbreak.
Letting out a silent and defeated sigh, as well as once again to tell myself to f*ck it, I walked over to him and sat down close but not invading. He didn't even notice me, he must have gotten heartbroken hard.
Silence is what filtered through the air between us, even if the sounds of the busy city were present. He let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes going deeper and deeper into his mind no doubt.
Not wanting him to go too far deep and risk something going off, I decided to speak up.
“Looks like I’m not the only one to think this is a good place for heartbroken people.” I spoke, strangely without my usual stutter.
This spooked him hard. He screamed and jumped to his feet, or at least oddly shaped feet. Upon jumping like 10 feet into the air his wings flared out, his tail thrashed and twitched, and his eyes were large. He also had his hands put up in the air which made him look like something right out of a comedy scene in anime.
But then again, his whole entire appearance could be straight out of an anime.
To help lighten the mode even more I started to involuntary giggle at his hilarious reaction. If I wasn't so close to the edge of the roof I would have fallen over and laughed on the floor. But laughing / giggling while sitting was good enough.
“Wow what a nice scream you have. Didn't expect that kind of response.” I said to him.
Once my laughter died out the air was once again filled with silence as we looked at each other. His wide eyes still looking at my half lidded ones. After a bit he snapped out of whatever trance he was in and raised a brow towards me.
“Yeah well I wasn't expecting someone to appear out of thin air and be sitting right next to me. And it wasn't a scream, it was a yelp.” he said in a deep but soft vibrating voice. He would definitely be a ladies man, though the looks would definitely be a turn off for some ‘normal’ people.
“Uh huh sure those two things are totally different, sure. And I didn't appear out of thin air. I walked over.” I shrugged, “You were just too deep in your head to notice me. Which is something I thought was a me thing.” I giggled once again.
“Still rude to sneak up on a guy.” he said glaring at me, though it didn't faze me one bit.
I once again shrugged and played it off, “Yeah well it’s not every day you get to see someone like yourself around the parts. Just didn't want to disturb you, especially considering you're in my solitude spot.” I told him.
“Wait. You're not put off by the way I look? Don't I look scary to you? Also, solitude spot?” he asked, tilting his head a bit.
I shrugged once again, “Well it’s hard to be scared of you when your skin color is my go-to colors.” I said putting up my red and black painted nails. “Plus you looked to be in the same or similar position I’m in right now, hence the solitude spot. A spot of heartbreak and mental decompression to prevent from imploding on others.” I said without a care in the world as I looked over the lighten city.
“Tsk. I’m not heartbroken and I’m not in whatever mental decompression is. I just needed a place to rest.” he defended himself.
“Sure, okay, if that’s what you think. In any case you can come and sit back down if you want to ‘rest’ some more. I don't mind.” I said while still eyeing the city scene, also deciding to turn off my voice for a while to listen to the silence and calm.
It took a few minutes, and for a second I thought he had left, but to my surprise and joy, he came over and sat down in his original spot. None of us are speaking a word, just listening to the silence, breathing steadily to calm down, and going on a diving trip into our minds.
But after some time he spoke up, “Say I was heartbroken, which I’m not. How would you have known?” he asked.
I let out a soft sigh, “Because I’m going through it right now.” I answered.
“Oh.” there’s a long pause from him before he spoke up again, “What happened?” he asked.
I shrugged, “Nothing really. My boyfriend just canceled the trip we’ve been planning for some time now. It wasn't his fault though. His work fired him and he’s currently broke and has no way of getting here even though we planned this for a while now. It made me question a few things to say the least.”
“Heh. Well at least you have a partner.” he muttered under his breath.
I shrugged once again, I have a feeling I’d be doing that a lot tonight. “Yes and no. I still love him and everything, but being in a relationship is more than just love.” I commented.
“I thought love was the most important thing for a relationship?” he asked, now starting to slightly open up. Not that I really care while my social battery is pretty much broken to care about anything really.
“If you live in a romantic comedy then yeah. But love is important in a relationship, but you need more than just love to have a relationship. There needs to be trust, care, passion,.....commitment.” I answered. That last word being very quiet and almost too personal and questioning. “Without those things and a verbal agreement on a romantic relationship, it’s really just raw love in the air,, which doesn't really mean much unless it’s refined.” I explained.
“Sounds complicated.” he deadpanned out.
I laughed a bit, “Yeah. it is. But if done right it’s all worth it.” I commented looking at the sky, my smile slowly turning to a sad smile.
“A friend of mine, not me. Though he really liked this girl, she was different like m- him. But she ended up being scared of him and rejecting him completely. All because she saw a freak in him.” he explained. His voice was laced with hatred, but not towards this girl, but towards himself.
Or as he put it ‘a friend’.
“Yikes. Sounds rough for your ‘friend’. Though I can’t blame him. She most likely missed out on something really special. At the same time you can’t really force someone into a relationship, it’s not healthy for either party.” I commented.
“Yeah. He knows that now. Before her though, he got betrayed by another person he trusted. She tricked him into believing her lies and getting him to hurt those he cares about. She got him to hurt his family.” he said looking down at the streets, swinging his legs lightly.
“Sounds like that lady has some serious karma coming after her. Hopefully sooner rather than later, and not by the hands of your friend.” I said.
“Yeah. She really does.” he muttered.
I let out a deep exhale, “Life just sucks most of the time.” I commented before falling silent once again.
I let out a yawn and a big stretch after having my fill of questioning my life. “Welp I need to do something after all that heavy thinking and talking. You wanna come with me? I can show you something I do when I need to come back to the world?” I asked while standing.
“Uh. Sure. But There’s no way I’m walking in the streets. Too dangerous.” He stated clear as day- erm. night.
“Too dangerous? Dude I’m sure you and I walking around town together would probably be the safest walk of all time. But since you sound serious enough about it, here.” I took out a piece of paper and wrote down the address of the location before handing it to him. “This is the location. Don't worry it has a roof and large windows for you to go through. As well as being enough shadows and not enough people for you to be spotted. Should you want to come to that is.”
He looked down at the paper in my hand, staring at it like it was gonna jump out of my hand and right onto his face. Though as cool as that sounds, it wasn't going to happen.
What did happen was him reaching out and taking the paper from my hand. It was for a split second but I was able to feel the skin of his hand as it gently grazed mine.
His skin felt firm and hard but surprisingly warm. But that was all I got from such a small interaction.
“Yeah sure. I’ll be there.” he said.
“Cool. Good luck getting there without being able to talk on the sidewalk.” I said with a teasing smirk.
Surprisingly he threw back my teasing smirk with his own. “What? Did you think these wings were just for show?” he said before, with full commitment, leaped off the building and started to fly around in the air.
“Woah.” I said stunted. He looked down at me with an even bigger smirk, to which I threw one back at him before shouting to him, “I’ll race you there!!!”
“That’s a race you’ll definitely lose!” he called back before flying off.
Knowing full well he would beat me there I still ended up racing down the stairs and out through the building door. Then bolting it through the streets, occasionally dodging people, cars, and animals here and there.
All before reaching my destination. And sure enough there was big red chilling on the rooftop with the biggest ‘too slow’ smirk on his face no doubt.
I rolled my eyes and made my way into the building. It was an old abandoned warehouse, no one ever comes into here besides myself. Mostly for a good reason, many people say it’s haunted and that bad things happen to those who enter the building. Even the homeless stay far away from this place.
As I entered the building, opening and closing the doors, I heard one of the large windows opening and closing before a thump of someone landing inside was heard. Then sure enough big red came from around the corner.
“It’s just this way.” I told him while motioning for him to follow me deeper into the warehouse.
“This better be something cool and not lame.” he commented.
“That depends on your idea of cool and lame.” I snarked at him.
“Cool being motorbikes and music. Lame being insanely long and large books.” he snarked back.
“Oi large and long books are cool!” I commented.
“Yeah sure if ya like biographies.” he commented back.
“Okay, good point. I’d take Harry Potter over a biography of some long dead dude.”
“What’s Harry Potter?” he questioned with a raised brow.
I gasped in a playful offense, “You’ve never-! Oh I am so lending you my copy collection some other time. For now though, hearing your idea of cool vs lame, I think this will be something you will find totally cool.” I told him while making the last turn before everything opened up.
“Tada! Behold my secret practice room!” I told him while showing off the different types of fairy lights that hang from every which way, the comfy chairs, a small radio, and a collection of guitars and other instruments, which were surrounded by papers with chicken scratch on them.
His eyes practically lit up at the sight, “Woah! This is cool! You did all of this yourself?” he asked while looking around.
I shrugged, “I did a bit of dumpster diving at a few craft stores and found what I thought would be useful.” I told him as his eyes fixated on the guitar I had displayed.
“You know how to play this?” he asked.
“Yeah a bit, mainly through trial and error, plus a few guitar books I manage to read over.” I told him as I walked up to him. “If you want you can have a try at it, I don't mind.” I offered.
He looked up at me with hope in his eyes before looking back down at the instrument in his hands, only to have that spark disappear. Especially when he looked at his sharp clawed hand. “I shouldn’t. My claws will tear through these strings.”
“That may be true, but I’m sure if you're gentle with it you might be able to do it. Plus if you do break it, I can always go out looking for new strings.” I told him like it was no big deal. Though I was sure it would be very difficult to find usable strings in this city. But something told me that this guy doesn’t get a chance to do something like this very often.
He looked unsure for quite some time before putting the strap over him and getting the guitar into a somewhat right position. He briefly looked over to me with a face that said ‘are you sure about this?’ to which I nodded to him to show that it was alright.
He looked back at the guitar and ever so carefully flicked a string. Though not careful enough because as predicted his claw cut right through the wire and it made an awful ‘PING’ sound.
“Ah shoot! Shoot! I’m so sorry! I-I d-didn't-” he stammered and hurryingly put the guitar back and quickly backed away from it and me.
I held up my hand to stop him from spiraling too far, “Dude it’s fine, I told you already that if you broke it, I can go out and find some new stuff later. You can’t help that you have claws instead of human fingers just as much as I can help having human fingers instead of claws. If you know what I’m saying.”
He nodded, “Still. I feel really bad for breaking it. I’ll just go.” he said before making his way to leave.
I sighed, “If you want to make it up to me you can sit down and chill out together. I don't hate you for it and I’m not gonna make you leave for it. It’s just an object.” I said plopping down on a bean bag chair.
Looking unsure, he carefully walked over and sat down in the other bean bag chair, though not without struggling to figure out where to place his wings and tail first.
“Wow this thing is really comfortable!” he commented with a small smile growing on his face.
“It’s called a bean bag chair and I 100% agree with you on that. Best chairs in existence.” I happily sighed out while sinking into complete comfort.
There was comfort silence between us, I honestly thought one of us had fallen asleep at one point. At least until he shifted and started to get up. I looked over to him with a raised brow.
“I have to go, the sun is going to be up soon and my clan will be worried about me if I don't show up.” he said making his way to the window.
As he's getting to the window I stand up to stretch and let out a large yawn, “Yeah I should probably be heading home too.”
I turned everything off and made my way to the door but stopped when he called out for me. I turned to look at him with a raised brow while he was perched at the window.
“What– is it alright if I come back here again some time?” he asked. It sounded like he had a different question but changed it at the last second.
“Of course, I showed it to you willingly. Which means you can come back here any time you want. Just don't trash the place when I’m not here, oh and don't bring anyone here unless it’s an emergency or you introduce me to them.” I told him the basic rules.
“Sounds good.” he pauses, “Welp. Bye.” Then he jumped out of the window and into the night of the city.
I let out a content sigh before leaving and making my way back to my house / apartment only to crash onto my bed and fall right asleep.
All Brooklyn wanted to do tonight was to get some time to himself after having to go on a mission to help Talon and the other mutates. But that also meant having to see Maggie again.
Maggie was still a sore topic for Brooklyn.
She wasn't like what happened with Demona. At least with Demona he can let out steam by ending her plans or by punching her when she picks a fight. But with Maggie, he can’t exactly let out steam so easily.
Which is why he was on that rooftop. It looked secluded enough to not be seen or disturbed by anyone.
That is until a human appeared and told him about the spot being her secret hiding spot from life.
Just the fact that she willingly came and sat with him confused him let alone show him another one of her secret spots. At first Brooklyn thought she was planning to do something to him, like the pack had done to Lex and Goliath.
But she didn't.
She didn't even get mad about him accidentally cutting one of her guitar strings!
He had made a genuine friend.
And one that was human!
He still wasn't sure if he should trust her or not so he decided to keep it from the others for a bit. At least until he was sure she could be trusted.
That and because he wanted some place to get away from the others. Don't get it wrong. Brooklyn loves his brothers and looks up to Goliath and Hudson, and even though it’s a big responsibility of being second-in-command, he wouldn't give it up for the world.
But there’s times when a guy needs some space to breathe!
Brooklyn sighed as the clock tower came into view, along with the other members of his clan.
Lexington, Broadway, Goliath, Hudson, Bronx, and Elisa.
“Cutting it a bit close there lad, did ye lose track of time again? That be a death wish for any gargoyle to make.” Hudson lectured.
“Yeah sorry about that. It was just such a beautiful night and the city seems to never stop being so…so amazing.” Brooklyn responded while getting onto his post.
“Yeah the city never sleeps. Too bad we do. Enjoy your sleep guys, see you tomorrow night.” Elisa said with a yawn before walking off. All of the gargoyles waved back and told her to sleep well.
All just before the sun rose above the horizon and allowed all the gargoyles to enter their stone sleep.